Now Enough's Enough!

Now, you all remember how I was crying on Wednesday because not all of the books had come into my beloved Comic Book Store. Not to worry, they'll be coming on Friday! And they DID come in. Except...except Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3.

ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I did get Justice League, and Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam, both of which were decent reads, but still! The ONE book that I really really wanted.

My lower lip is quivering as we speak. As you can probably tell, I don't handle frustration well.

There has been a fair amount of whining on the various message boards, which I still insist on reading, because apparently I'm a masochist...that it was ONLY dumb stories about when Kilowog and Arisia were rookies...nothing anyone would be interested in.

Gahhh!

That's the kind of story that I absolutely eat up! Background stories, that shed a little extra light on a character's history are wonderful! Those guys complaining are idiots!

Well...maybe some time by next week. Excuse me while I go and cry in the corner.

*sigh*

Bleh

Good Grief, it's hot out. Hot and humid. Yuck. I know that it is Summertime, and that I should expect this sort of thing at the end of July, but we here in the Northeast, have been having the weirdest summer, all cool and rainy, while the REST of the country was busy sweltering. Although I missed sunshine, I must admit that I was quite happy to actually be sleeping with a blanket in the middle of July. Alas, those days are behind us apparently, 'cause it's quite revolting outside.

Still no Blackest Night for me, not until tomorrow.

So, to show, that I really shouldn't be complaining about the weather, here is Guy Gardner and Superman, falling into a VOLCANO! Talk about Hot! But presumably not muggy.



This was right after Guy lost the ring, and gained the yellow one, and everyone was looking at him a little bit sideways. Eclipso was having an awfully good time corrupting various heroes, and guess who saves the day?



Oh yeah.

Oh Woe!

Well, turns out there was a mix-up at my Comic Book Store today, and only some of the books made it. They are shipping the rest, but they won't show up until Friday.
I managed to snag Wonder Woman, JSA, Wednesday Comics, and Detective, but naturally, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps was among the missing, along with Justice League, and Billy Batson:Shazam. At least it will be coming eventually.

*sigh*

On the bright side, they lost the power at work, about twenty minutes after I left, so they are sitting in the dark, with no computers or air-conditioning. My Worst Nightmare! I on the other hand, am comfortably esconced in my library, tapping out these very immortal words.

So, instead of Blackest Night, I give you something that made me chuckle.



I believe that this is supposed to be the cover for the sixth and final issue of Ambush Bug, which still hasn't made its appearance. I have to say, that I love it. The look on Bats's face is simply priceless, as is the spectacle of Hal and Ollie practically falling down laughing. Hal's just relieved that it happened to someone else. Yellow!

A Pink Green Lantern?

Recently, at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, Geoff Johns was asked whether there were going to be any male Star Sapphires. His reply..."Anyone can join, but most men are not worthy" was very interesting. Not ruling out the possibility, but raising the stakes. Could any of our own beloved Earth-based Green Lanterns find themselves wearing a violet ring?

I really don't think that it will be Hal. I know that he's managed to use a whole passel of rings lately, but interestingly, NOT the violet nor the indigo rings. Hal may be brave, reckless, gallant and headstrong, he may be one heck of a Green Lantern, but Love and Compassion are not really his forte.

Love, to Hal, means sex and conguest, which may sound harsh, but there it is. Most of the fun for Hal, is the pursuit, once he has landed his girl, he has a tendancy to lose interest. I think one of the reasons that he maintains his interest in Carol, is that she's been the one who gives him the best run. I just don't see him as being capable of the amount of sacrifice that seems to be necessary to become a Star Sapphire.

The Star Sapphires have evolved quite a bit lately, they are no longer forceably inducting people into their service as before. Miri was picked because of her great loss, and capability to feel love, Carol seems to be in because she still cares for Hal, and will do anything it takes to keep him safe. Others, like Fatality, have been rehabilitated, I think that even Kryb has the capacity, she's doing what she does out of a twisted version of love. But the one time that Hal actually did sacrifice himself for Carol, he regretted it, almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. So I doubt...I really really doubt that Hal will be wearing pink.

I can't really see it for John either. John is stolid, dependable and a little on the stoic side. He still obviously loves Katma, they got married, and they wanted to settle down together. He had his flings with Merayn and Rose, but it didn't seem as though his heart was in it. I can see him feeling deeply, but I'm just not sure that the proper amount of passion is there.

Kyle is a little more likely. Kyle likes being in love. He's affectionate and warm, and he really likes the idea of it. There is that little problem with his patented "kiss of death" thing going on however. And again, I don't think that Kyle really feels things THAT deeply. He seems to fall in and out of love a little too easily. Alex seemed to be the best girlfriend he ever had, especially compared to loser like Jade and Donna. We'll see how Soranik handles him. She could be the one who breaks the jinx.

If anybody is a possible candidate for a violet ring, it would have to be Guy. Now, Guy is a manly manly man. He's only too happy to ogle and leer and flirt with anything remotely female...but unlike Hal, it's mostly just for fun. He's not being serious about it. His heart belongs to Tora. It belonged to Tora even when she was dead, and now that she's back, he's finally found a little bit of happiness. They've certainly been playing that up lately, which makes me just a tad nervous.

Guy is the most emotional one of the four Earth-based Lanterns. Yes, he's a lot smarter than he looks, and he's not above being a bit cunning or manipulative when the occasion calls for it, but for the most part, Guy lets his emotions out, certainly much more than most male superheroes. The speech he gives to Tora when he discovers that she's alive was incredible, he poured his heart out,without any kind of self-conciousness, I can't really see anyone else doing that...certainly not Hal! Yet, in Blackest Night #1, Hal points out that Guy is the lucky one in Love, and he and Tora were glommed onto each other pretty closely when they were visiting Ted's grave. Tora's been mentioned quite a bit too, Black Hand says that she's one of the ones who ought to be dead.

So...I'm nervous, because I can see Guy becoming a Star Sapphire if they go and kill Tora off. And, as adorable as he might look in pink, I really do think that it would clash with his hair. And I much prefer Tora ALIVE.

Now, Salakk on the other hand, would look great in pink. It matches his skin tone.

Green Lantern #44

And now, for a belated review of Green Lantern, which actually came out last Wednesday, but I was locked in the throes of Guy Gardner week. Nevertheless, it is fabulous...as usual.

Right from the start, I am impressed by the art that Doug Mahnke is knocking out. The book opens with a pan of Mars, and J'onn J'onnz's tomb...complete with the Choco still sitting on the top, left by Batman. *sniff* Things are stirring however, and the choco falls to the ground and is crushed, as a Black Ring breaks through and, in a REALLY cool sequence, reanimates J'onn's corpse, with him finally bursting out of the sarcophagus.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Hal and Barry are investigating the defilement of Bruce's secret burial, and exchanging a bit of witty banter all the while. Needless to say, they are somewhat...startled by J'onn's arrival, not to mention the fact that he says that the two of them shouldn't even be alive. In another rather cool effect, both Hal and Barry are shown as seen through J'onn's eyes, and Hal glows green, while Barry glows blue. Lovely.

At first they try reasoning with him, or at least Barry does, but according to Hal's ring, J'onn IS dead, and naturally, a fight breaks out. To put it bluntly, J'onn wipes the floor with them.


That's a darned good question, J'onn. I have to admit that I do like to occasionally see good guys get possessed, or go bad or whatever, because it gives them a chance to REALLY cut loose, and show exactly what they are capable of, but rarely display because of minor things like ethics and morals and stuff.

Back on Oa, the remaining Guardians, who have just been clobbered by Scar finally get around to asking why she's doing what she's doing. Simply put, she's carrying out their mission, putting the Universe in order,without any messy emotions or all the baggage that life brings with it. She and Hank Henshaw should really get together some time.

On Earth, Barry is fighting with J'onn...or is he? Oops.



Oh J'onn, you rascal! You faked Barry and Hal into beating each other up, thinking it was you!

But it's the cliffhanger that really grabs me. John Stewart, as is his wont, is off sitting on some of the rubble left over from the destruction of Xanshi, and pondering Fatality's words, when a whole passel of Black Rings show up.

Oh crap.

"This ain't good."

That's a bit of an understatement, John.

To be continued in Blackets Night #2, while next month, it's Sinestro vs. Star Sapphire and the Return Of Xanshi! Be there, or be square.

Finishing up Guy Gardner Week

And so, we come to the end of my salute to my favorite Green Lantern. This isn't to say that I'm not terribly fond of ALL the Green Lanterns...yes, even Hal...but somehow, Guy is just my favorite. And not JUST mine! There are actually a fair number of crazy people who like hiim just as much as I do.



And really, when it comes right down to it, how can you NOT like Guy? Well, yes, there was the whole incredibly obnoxious behavior thing going on for a while. But in retrospect, it was really quite refreshing, considering what plaster saints most Superheroes were portrayed as being. Guy was...different.



And even as comics have gotten progressively darker in tone, he remains different. He's blunt, uncompromising, and painfully honest. He can be manipulative and even cunning when he has to be. He's not afraid of pumcturing swollen egoes, or manhandling sacred cows. He tells it like it is...whether you want to hear it or not.

He's not afraid of getting in touch with his feminine side.


He likes to take rookie's under his wing.



He's not afraid to walk around in public wearing only a pair of pants and some tattoos.



Unlike a LOT of superheroes, he actually has some fashion sense.


He likes animals.




He's fond of sports.














He has an interesting way of expressing himself.



He knows the value of a good breakfast.



He likes beer.


He's incredibly manly.



And that's enough for me.

Guy Week is Still Going Strong

It's a funny thing about Guy Gardner. Either you love him or you hate him, there doesn't seem to be a lot of in-between. Another odd thing about Guy, is that his first impression upon most of his peers and companions was decidedly...negative. He did have a certain genius for making enemies.

And yet...oddly enough a heck of a lot of those enemies turned out to be good friends later on, and NOT all necessarily after he got over the ol' brain damage, either.

Take Kilowog for example.



Frankly, I adore Kilowog, he's probably my favorite non-earth-based Lantern. He and Guy did not get along when they first ran across each other. This was after the first Crisis, when the Guardians decided to go off and make whoopie with the Star Sapphires, and a whole lot of Lanterns, such as Kilowog, Arisia, Salaak, Ch'p and Katma Tui ended up on Earth, along with Hal and John. Guy was supposed to be training under Appa Ali Apsa on Malta, but he hated it, and kept trying to run away. He may have been brain-damaged, but by God, he was persistent. He managed to make it back to Earth, where he also managed to piss EVERYONE off quite neatly.

Then of course, he also practically started a war with Russia, BUT also ended up saving the hides of Kilowog, Katma and John,which changed Kilowog's attitude at least. Quietly, and mostly off-camera,so to speak, they became friends. When everyone else split up, and Kilowog was left alone, Guy and Arisia were the only ones to check in on him,and Guy was the one who got him into the Justice League. What's more, they've STAYED best friends ever since.

Arisia was another one who had no use for Guy, but changed her mind, after Hal went all Parallax on everyone, and Guy gave her a job and a home after she lost her ring...which is more than Hal ever did.

But the one who liked Guy the most, from the very beginning, was...



Good old G'nort. Or, to give him his proper name, G'nort Esplanade G'neesmacher from G'newt.

Believe it or not, G'nort was actually made a member of the Green Lantern Corps...mainly on Guy's say-so. He even ended up a member of the Justice League, although, they DID banish him to the Antarctic Branch of the League. But anyway, no matter HOW badly Guy would treat him, G'nort still gave him all of his doggy devotion. Guy would con him into chasing comets...it didn't matter,because sometimes, Guy would even scratch him behind the ears and reduce him to a state of canine bliss.

I don't know if G'nort is going to show up in Blackest Night or not. His whereabouts are unknown, he is listed as possibly dead, but no one is sure. I would be ecstatic if somehow, G'nort is the one who manages to save the Green Lantern Corps, and wins the accolades of the Guardians and the Universe. But for G'nort, it would all be for g'naught, 'cause all he wants is for Guy to give him a s'nausage treat.

In honor of G'nort, I have managed to acquire his action figure.



Isn't it cute? He really doesn't do much, but that's ok, neither does the real G'nort. And his mouth opens up, so that his little tongue is sticking out. Adorable! They are bringing out some of the old JLI characters, and I'm slowly getting them all together. No new Guy figure yet, though, which is disappointing.

So anyway, getting back to the original idea of this, Guy may start out as a guy you love to hate, but sooner or later,he'll manage to win you over. He may not have Hal's charm, but he's got SOMEthing.

Guy's Not Going Away

Ok, we've had a brief history, analyzed his hair and his clothes, what could possibly next? Since I am still refusing to talk about Hal, I guess that means it's time to look at his love life.

Guy certainly manages to come off as a horndog, but really, I think a lot of it is just for show. Compared to Hal (arrghh!) and Kyle, he's had a fairly limited number of girlfriends. He might actually be more similar to John in this respect. He talks a good talk, but when it comes right down to it, he's in it for the long run.

His first fling was of course, Kari Limbo. She was this exotic Gypsy who had certain...eerie powers. That is, she was a tiny wee bit psychic...or something. Anyway, she was a lot different from the girls in Baltimore, that's for sure. He and Kari were actually engaged, when Hal asked him to stand in for him as Green Lantern, while Hal went off to Oa and got his ring checked. Guy was GL for a DAY, when he got blown up into the Phantom Zone by the defective Battery, and was then tortured by Sinestro for good measure.




That's Hal breaking the news to Kari, that Guy is dead. And here they are, not too terribly long after that.



Wow! Kari was definitely the kind of girl, who if she couldn't be with the one she loved, then she loved the one she was with. Of course, Hal's the same way...no wonder they got along! After Hal rescued Guy from Sinestro, Guy was in a coma for three years, and for a while Kari played the devoted fiancee...but knowing Kari, I don't imagine THAT lasted for too long either. When Guy woke up and was brought back into the Corps by the Guardians during the first Crisis, he was all cranky and mean, and dumped her. In so doing, he proved himself to be a lot smarter than Hal Jordan, brain damage or not.

So then he ended up joining the Justice League and met Ice.



Sweet, adorable Tora Olafsdottir. They had a bit of a rocky beginning, but Guy is known for being persistant.



Since he ended up taking her to a sleezy porn theatre that coincidentally happened to be owned by none other than Black Hand (yes THAT Black Hand!) it really was an awful first date.



He did keep trying however. He even took her to the Ice Capades, and had to deal with Blue Beetle's idea of humor to boot. It took a while, but Tora began to see his softer side.



Awwww! That's so sweet.



Double Awww! They were even happy for while, although the Powers-That-Be made sure THAT didn't last forever. He lost the ring and got the yellow ring that made him crankier, and she developed a tiny crush on Superman, and they were on-again/off-again for a while, and then they stupidly, killed sweet sweet Tora off.

And Guy was sad.

And he and Fire, aka Beatriz Da Costa, and incidentally Tora's best friend, and Guy's bete noir, got bombed on Christmas Eve at Warriors and had one HECK of an interesting evening! They even decided that they didn't hate each other after all.



Brazilians can be pretty irresistable, I guess.

But still, in his heart of hearts, he was in love with Tora, and then, she was miraculously resurrected! Woohoo!



Triple Awwwww!

So now, they're back together, although they are taking things slow and working at it. It's the reward that Guy gets, for not being a male floozy, like Hal. And possibly because, Tora can't resist him in those tight pants either.

Still More Guy

Now that we've discussed his hair, let's discuss his clothes. Like most superheroes, Guy has managed to have a number of different "looks". His very first costume, was a standard Green Lantern uniform.




He looked quite nice in it, but it was fairly generic...it wasn't HIS really, it was just a copy of Hal's.

After he lost the ring, he ran around in a rather ridiculous little number.



The tight pants are ok, and Lobo's jacket isn't so bad, but the belly shirt was just terrible. Fortunately, Guy did come to his senses, and came up with something a little better, when he was running around with the yellow ring.



Jean, and cowboy boots, and a jacket aren't a bad combination. It was interesting that he refused to put on "tights" like the rest of the superpeople. Guy may have nice muscles and an amazing ass, but he's modest. Or at least, likes to be comfortable.

Then he lost the yellow ring, and ran off to the Nabba Jungle to drink the Warrior Waters,and somehow ended up in a weird suit of armor...which magically changed after Zero Hour, into this little number, which showed off his manly chest, and had the added advantage of being a whole heck of a lot easier to draw.




But you just can't beat, the Green Lantern uniform that he came up with on his own, when he was awakened from his coma and brought back into the Green Lantern Corps.



With only minor modifications, this is the outfit that he wears today, and it's a keeper, in my book. One of Joe Staton's best costume designs, in fact, I think that it's one of the best superhero costume designs. It is fairly simple, but distinctive,and moreover, it is actually something that a real person could wear comfortably. I've always liked the little military stripe down the leg, although I prefer the boots as they are now, and not the ridiculously huge "moon" boots that some artists were saddling him with over the years. Kalinara once pointed out that Guy's outfit looks good on everyone, and she's right.

And unlike the generic Green Lantern costume, (which I also love, don't get me wrong) you know EXACTLY who it is, when you see that collar and that belt.

He may have been braindead when he came up with it, but Guy still had style.

Guy Week Continues

I do love having a theme, it makes it so much easier to come up with an idea for a blog posting. And I'll do my very best to assure that Hal stays out of the picture. He can be so pushy sometimes.



This week is all about Guy. And today, I must touch upon one of his most noted characteristics, at least back in the day. No, it wasn't his temper, immaturity, brashness, crudity or obnoxiousness. It was...his hair.

I do believe that it was John Byrne who gave him that infamous haircut in the Legends mini-series, that eventually led into the JLI. Prior to that, over in the Green Lantern Corps books, he'd been shown with a reasonable short haircut, nothing too fancy, but nothing outrageous either. But somehow, he ended up with that ridiculous bowl or mushroom cut. It certainly did make him stand out in a crowd, as there wasn't anyone ELSE who had their hair cut that way, except possibly Moe from the Three Stooges.

Perhaps without that insane mop of hair, he wouldn't have made such an impression on people. That,along with his...unusual personality traits, made him stand out in a crowd, that was for certain.

Sometimes the hair didn't look too bad. Adam Hughes always made it look pretty good.



Others...not so much.



Then after he lost the ring, and got his Vuldarian powers, he seemed to come to his senses and cut the hair. Once when he was roaming around in outer space, he even had it all long, and rockstar looking.



He decided it wasn't for him, and whacked it off himself, without a mirror. There is a simply charming scene in a subsequent issue of Warrior, where he's returned and Rita decides to give him a real haircut. There are some hilarious scenes of some of her versions, with a 70's porn mustache and Elvis hair, but fortunately, sanity wins out, and he comes out of it with a nice short, but attractive hairstyle.

Then he became a Green Lantern again, and changed it a bit, cutting it very short on the sides, but with a bit of a brushcut on the top.



I have to say that I like this one. It seems to suit him.

I find it rather interesting that ALL of the Green Lanterns, seem to experiment with their hair a bit, Kyle changes his everytime he changes his underwear, it seems, Guy has tried different things, John has gone from an afro to the shorter cut, even Hal grew it out for a while, although he does seem to cling to that casual lock on his forehead. Other superheroes seem to be fairly stagnant when it comes to changing their look, although everyone seemed to go through the "mullet" stage there for a while. Thank goodness THAT'S over.

So...favorite hair for Guy?

It's Guy Gardner Week!

I haven't been paying much attention to Guy for a while, and I imagine that he's beginning to pout. Hal has such a tendancy to seize the limelight, that I occasionally neglect the rest of the boys.



In case you are new to this particular blog, Guy Gardner is my favorite Green Lantern. He's brave, obnoxious, loud, faithful,rude, boorish,cunning, brash, crude, used-to-be-brain-damaged, obnoxious, inspiring,disdained and admired,crass and obnoxious. Did I mention obnoxious? But in a GOOD way.

He started out as a young and sweet-tempered teacher, who just happened to be the other choice of Abin Sur's ring when it was looking for a replacement Green Lantern. He also served as Hal's back-up, although he was temporarily out of action due to falling off of a cliff, after being hit by a school bus. Then when Hal's ring went kaflooey, he filled in, and was blown up by the faulty battery, thrown into the phantom zone and then tortured by Sinestro just for fun. Hal also ran off with his fiancee and was about to marry her, when she finally noticed (being a psychic Gypsy) that Guy wasn't actually dead. Hal went and rescued Guy, as he had a habit of doing, but he still managed to end up in a coma for several years, until he was awakened by some of the Guardians during the whole Crisis on Infinite Earths kerfuffle.

Guy got a ring, a mission and a whole new attitude. He was mean, cranky, and man-oh-man did he hate Hal Jordan's guts. With a certain amount of good reason, to be sure. He did eventually calm down a bit, but he was still portrayed as prone to childish tantrums, rude outbursts and could always be counted on to rush blindly into trouble.

Frankly, I was enchanted. I started reading about Guy back during the JLI days, of Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire, and I thought that this incredibly loutish fellow was a welcome relief from all the altuism and sanctimony of the other heroes. Guy was heroic too...in his own fashion. He was pretty damned powerful and efficient too...in his own fashion. And as much as I liked Hal, it was fun seeing him try and cope with all this arrested adolescence.

Eventually, Guy lost his Green Lantern ring, and through his own stubborness managed to get ahold of Sinestro's own yellow ring, and furthermore, use it quite well. Eventually, he lost that ring as well, not to mention an eye, courtesy of Hal as Parallax, and fell into another shorter coma. He woke up, and by golly, if he didn't go out and look for some more powers, finding out that he was the only one who could drink the Waters of the Naba Jungle, and access his Vuldarian DNA, which granted him morphing abilities, enhanced strength and tattoos for some reason.

It's a little convoluted.

He changed his name to Warrior, and went around kicking butt with great aplomb. Then Hal came back from the Dead,and along with Kyle and John, he and Guy kicked some Parallax butt, and lo, the Green Lantern Corps was reborn, and so was Guy. Then in Recharge, he managed to save not only the Corps but just about the entire Universe, and they made him the First in the Honor Guard. So he's finally got his brains back, and a little respect, and he's STILL kicking butt across the Universe.

He was a member of the Justice League for a heck of a long time, he had his own book for several years, and he's been in the Green Lantern books, and the Green Lantern Corps books forever, so Guy has always managed somehow to stay around. Possibly because he must be a hoot and a half to write. Because bless his little heart, he's also funny as all heck. That's fairly rare for a character these days. The more light-hearted heroes have been mostly killed off, such as Blue Beetle and the Elongated Man. Plastic Man is around (I think) but I haven't seen him in a while. They did supposedly kill Guy off for a while, but it didn't take, and he was back, full of piss and vinegar in no time.

So anyway, here is a great picture of Guy from his post-GL/pre-Warrior days.



Shooting a dinosaur. And evil NAZI dinosaur. With evil Nazis, and cults and Warrior Women and stuff.

Let's see Hal top THAT!

Well, THAT was an Experience!

I'm back from the Muster, a little sunburned and a little hungover, but still, it was a great weekend. This is one of the biggest musters around, more than fifty Fife and Drum Corps participated, with some corps coming from as far away as Switzerland! Got up at 5:00, drove in a torrential downpour, which fortunately didn't last very long, and then watched the parade, which was VERY long. I was all dressed up to march just in case one of the regular color guard didn't show, but it turns out that I didn't have to, so I got to sit down in the shade with some VERY nice people. The Ancient Mariners showed up, they have naval outfits and a cannon. A
CANNON! Which they shoot. We have a militia in our corps that fires off authentic Colonial muskets, which is always loads of fun, and scares all the little kids.

I'm exhausted but happy. In fact we didn't want to leave.

So I understand that the big...and when I say big, I mean HUGE...Comic Convention is going to be commencing in San Diego this week. I've never been to a convention, and really, some day I probably ought to go to one, but I think I'll stick to the smaller, more congenial ones,a little closer to home. All those people are a little intimidating. On the other hand, if I can deal with drunken and terribly friendly drummers wearing powdered wigs and tricornes, I can probably deal with Convention-Goers. Anybody going? Anybody WANT to go?

The more that I reread Blackest Night, the more that I like it. There certainly have been a lot of subplots set forth. I also got the Blackest Night:Tales of the Corps book, which was also very nice. I liked the St. Walker story, and I sincerely hope that he manages to survive his encounter with Larfleeze. Mongul was a MEAN little kid. The Indigo Corps seems rather enigmatic, don't they? Are the Guardians actually dead, or just heartless? It seems to me that Scar had a point in that they were pretty heartless before! Will the Hawks be reincarnated, and will Ralph regrow his nose?

All things to ponder.

Well, I'm Off...!

In more ways than one! Haw!

Er um...what I meant to say, is that I don't really have time for a nice in-depth examination of the ramifications of Blackest Night, nor for a nice review of Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, because I'm off to Deep River for a Fife and Drum Corp Muster this weekend. The whole lot of us will be marching around, tootling and banging away, wearing archaic costumes, and presumably sweltering in the hot sun. And we do this for FUN! Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer.

But I'll be back on Sunday. In the meantime, keep enjoying your comics.

Blackest Night #1

Ok, everyone buckle up, because it's one HELL of a ride, as presented by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. Oh Ivan...I've missed you.



We've had an incredible build-up, not to mention a bunch of prologues, but it is finally upon us...and I'm still gasping. If you read last week's Green Lantern, then you know that Black Hand committed suicide and was then reborn as the Avatar of the Black Lanterns. For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I get the impression that the Black Lanterns Are Up To No Good.

While black rings are flying everywhere, and Black Hand is doing unspeakable things to Batman's skull, we thankfully move onto slightly more wholesome entertainment. It is a Day of Remembrance, the anniversary of Superman's death, that has become something of a National Holiday, where everyone gives thanks for having Superheroes, and remembers those who were killed in Coast City and elsewhere. Naturally,all four of the Earth-based Lanterns are on hand for the festivities in Coast City, and gosh, it's nice to see the Boys back together again.

Hal finds himself in a contemplative frame of mind.



Nice little dig at Guy there, Hal. Remember what happened the LAST time you got near one of his girlfriends?

Harumph.



Meanwhile all of the other heroes are gathered around the gravesites of their loved ones as well. Conner and Clark are in Smallville with Ma Kent, Professor Stein and Firestorm are honoring Ronnie Raymond, Bart's not happy with the way that his statue looked at the Titan's hangout, and even the Flash's Rogues are gathering for a toast to the memory of old comrades. It's nice that they invited Boomer. There's a huge crowd of them at the Valhalla Cemetary in Metropolis.

My favorite of course, is in Chicago, where Black Canary, Fire, Booster Gold, Guy and Ice have come to Ted Kord's grave. His middle name is Stephen! I did not know that. Bea is a bit snarky, but I think that's just because Guy and Tora are hugging. Hah! You had your chance, Bea...and you muffed it!

Ahem.

Tempest, or whatever Garth is calling himself, is all pissy because Mera had Arthur buried on land by his father, Garth thinks he should have a really swanky tomb underwater in Atlantis. Some people are just never satisfied. Finally, Alfred goes to take flowers to the unmarked grave of Bruce Wayne, whom Alfred had secretely interred next to his parents. Turns out THAT was a bad move, since Black Hand has already been there...doing...um...things.

After all the ceremonies,Hal meets up with Barry in the vaults of the Justice League headquarters, and here we find the secret resting place of a crapload of villains. Rather neatly, this all ties in with that plot that was going on a while back in "Nightwing", where someone was going around grave-robbing. Poor Barry is having a hard time getting used to all the death and darkness, and he finally asks Hal to tell him ALL of the people who have died while he was gone. In a really beautiful two-page spread, Hal's ring shows them all.

That...that's a heck of a lot of heroes. Poor Barry is just stunned, in particular by the deaths of Firestorm and Sue and Ralph Dibny. As were we all, Barry.

And speaking of the Dibnys. In St. Roch, Hawkman gets a phone call from Ray Palmer, who wants Carter to come and hold his hand as he visits Jean Loring's grave. I'm still rather surprised that Jean is actually dead! Carter is busy having a temper tantrum, in usual Hawk fashion. Kendra tries to calm him down, but he's too busy feeling sorry for himself. Hawkman is really just a big stupid baby.

Coincidentally, Hal and Barry are talking about their old girlfriends, and Jean's name comes up of course. Barry asks Hal about Carol, and Hal says that she's still around, but that they aren't together anymore, and it's better because she's safer that way. Oh Hal, if only you knew. Carol's off fighting with the Sinestro Corps along with the rest of the Star Sapphires!

It has...finally...dawned on the Guardians that the War of Light has erupted despite all of...and perhaps BECAUSE of...their machinations. It also seems to dawn on them that GANTHET WAS RIGHT! Ya think? After a bit of hemming and hawing, they all decide to issue a "Code Black" calling all the Lanterns back to Oa. At this point, Scar decides to make her move, and she goes right for the jugular. Literally! And all the while, the Black Rings have penetrated Oa's defenses, and invaded the Crypt.

Very Bad Things Are Happening. As usual, Guy has the most poetic reaction.

Geoff Johns could end things right there, with the dead Lanterns rising from their graves, but oh no. We head back to Earth, where Hawkman and Hawkwoman get a visit from some...old friends.

Oh my God.

I will admit that I'm not sure if Blackest Night is going to be everyone's particular Cup of Tea. I loved it, but then I am a hardcore Green Lantern Fan. It's not for the faint of heart, nor the weak of stomache, that's for sure. It's pretty violent and gory, and even upon occasion disgusting, but the art is incredibly gorgeous, and the story is enthralling, and you just can't look away, no matter HOW horrified you may be.

I am so in.

The Usual Wednesday Reviews

Yet another wonderful Wednesday, and some amazing books came out. Matt, the proprietor of my beloved local Comics Book Shoppe has been doing a bit of remodelling, and the store looks all nice and shiny and twice as big, since he moved things around.

But enough talk of decor, let's get to the nitty-gritty.

Blackest Night #1. Oh yes. Oh yes, I got it and also Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps. AND I got one of those cool black rings with Black Hand's symbol on them, and in fact,am wearing it as I type these words. I feel SO special. Hell, I might even wear it to work tomorrow. More on this later as usual.

The Brave & the Bold #25. Well dagnabit this was rather cute, with Blue Beetle teamed up (reluctantly) with Hardware. I don't mean that Jaime was reluctant, heck, he seemed to be a bit overenthusiastic if anything, but it was a pleasant enough romp.

Final Crisis: Escape. I'll be blunt and say that I still haven't the foggiest idea of exactly what is going on here, and in that, I suppose I am in good company, since poor Nemesis doesn't seem to have any idea either. Still, I enjoyed it, and it was fun to see Amanda Waller and Fire.

Fables #86 was spooky and certainly a bit different from what has been going on lately. The artwork was quite nice, and a good story as usual.

JSA vx Kobra #2. Well! The Justice Society certainly has their work cut out for them, this is a major level threat, and I'm quite anxious already, which is, I suppose, the way that I am supposed to feel. Very nice. I sure wish that Sandy would show up once in a while though.

Streets of Gotham #2. I'm not that big of a Bat fan, but I liked this. I have to say that that last move of Hush's caught me quite by surprise, and Dick, Damian and Alfred too, by the looks of it.

The Manhunter story was also very good and creepy, I think I like her new assistant.

Wednesday Comics continues to enthrall and delight me. So...much...pretty...art!

I hope that everyone else also enjoyed their comics!

Oh Kyle

Kyle, my sweet, you never let me down. I do have a tendancy to neglect you a bit, not because I don't like you, because how can ANYone not like Kyle? It's just that Guy is my favorite, and Hal is really pushy sometimes. And he gets hit in the head a lot, and who can resist something like that?

But Kyle does'nt seem to suffer from the usual head trauma. And he does silly things sometimes. But while he may be a bit immature and scatterbrained, there is one thing that he does supremely well.



And that is show us his astonishingly magnificent buttocks.

I also confess, to his original uniform being my favorite. It was different from all the other Green Lantern suits, but you could still tell what it was. I don't really know WHY I like it, but I do.

Oh and Ryan Reynolds is going to be playing Hal Jordan in the new live-action Green Lantern movie. I really don't know who he is, since I don't seem to get out to movies much, but from his picture, he is reasonably easy on the eyes. I haven't seen his behind, so I can't judge if they got it right from THAT perspective. I assume that he can play cocky and arrogant and charming, and if he doesn't get hit in the head at least ONCE in the movie, I'll be very disappointed.

NOT A Green Lantern

Oh blah. Monday, and I haven't a single thought in my head. Just once I'm going to post something that has nothing...NOTHING to do with Green Lanterns.



This is a nice picture of Beatriz Da Costa, better known as Fire. She WAS in the old JLI with Guy of course, and she's Tora Olafsdottir's best friend (aka Ice) and she does have a green butt, so perhaps I'm not straying too far away from my original concept as much as I thought.

Anyway...I like Fire. I think that she's being criminally underused lately. On the other hand,sometimes that's not such a bad thing, as writers have a nasty tendancy to eye a second-tier character and wonder what they can DO with that character, which leads to...unpleasantness. Bea has had a hard enough time of it lately over in Checkmate,where they've made her a spy and assassin, and given her an old meanie for a father and...and stuff. Not to mention losing Tora, then that whole weirdness with Ice Maiden, and the hook-up and break-up with Guy...she's had a tumultuous time of it.

On the bright side, Tora is back and Booster is back, although sadly, Ralph and Sue are not back. Maybe she and Guy can actually learn to get along with each other, at least for Tora's sake this time around. I STILL haven't seen any writers address the whole relationship between them which is something of a shame. Duskdog has written a charming little story about it, which I suppose will just have to suffice.

Gee, I guess I DID have a bit more to talk about than I thought. I wonder if Bea is going to have any role in the upcoming Blackest Night story? They've already mentioned Tora, so I imagine there is a possibility. I just hope that they all make it out alive and whole, or I'll be QUITE miffed. I'm getting tired of my favorite characters becoming worm food.

I Figured It Out!

Yes, the old Classic form of Green Lantern Butt's Forever, is BACK! I'm still not quite sure how, but I started pushing buttons and stuff, and playing around with the format, and somehow...SOMEHOW, I found out where I had downloaded the original version, and managed to re-install it.

Oh Baby, I missed you. I'll never stray again. Those other formats and color choices and HTML may LOOK enticing, but it just wasn't the same!

Yes. I'm a fuddy-duddy. I fully admit it. You kids with your "Jazz" and "Roadsters" and dancing the "Charlston" may try out all the new and wild fads out there, but not me.

Although, I AM keeping my Ipod. That thing is amazing.

In Praise of Comic Books

According to a front-page article in my local newspaper, the Hartford Courant, a National Study has discovered that apparently Wednesday is by far the most popular day of the week to commit suicide. Researchers are baffled by the conclusions of this study, which refutes the long-held belief that Monday was the most popular day of the week for suicides.

Theodore Mucha, medical director at the Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital theorized that, "it may be just that it feels like there's no way out on a Wednesday, it's too long to wait for the weekend."

I suppose that for a lot of people that may indeed be true. But not for Comic Book People.

My favorite day of the week IS Wednesday. And I think that we all know the reason why. That's when the New Books Come Out! Wednesday is a day of joy,of celebration, dare I say it, of Hope and Jubilation! Wednesday is the day that a great many of us make that familiar trek down to our local dispenser of printed delights! Granted some of us may wait for a couple of weeks for all the books at once, or may receive them in the mail...but still, you KNOW that the books are now out and just waiting in your box to be picked up, or plucked from the shelf.

Then you get to go home and read them. And enjoy them. Or maybe be filled with nerdrage over them, but it is still a visceral response. I would think that very rarely does someone commit suicide after reading a Comic Book, no matter HOW much a certain writer or artist may disappoint them. In fact, then you have the fun of going on the computer and writing about how terrible or how fabulous it all was.

My conclusion therefore, is that surely, More People Should Read Comic Books. Make Wednesday the Happiest day of the week, not the most hopeless. Because on Wednesdays, you have the great delight in being able to view pictures like this.



And this,



And this,


And even this



Ah Comics. If you're wrong, then I don't want to be right.