Green Lantern Corps #50

Wow! We're up to the fiftieth issue already!

Oh yes, the Cyborg Superman is back, and as usual,he has an agenda. I know that he's nuttier than a fruitcake, but really, you have to feel for the poor guy a little bit. All he wants it to be able to die, and John and Guy managed to accomplish that for him back in the Sinestro Corps War, and then those dumb Manhunters brought him back to life. Haw! Then Nekron shows up, and it's like the answer to his prayers except that nobody can see or hear him, because he doesn't have a heart. It HAS to be frustrating.

Still, grabbing a lot of nice Green Lanterns and turning them into Alphas to do his bidding, is just crossing the line. Not to mention trying to do it to John Stewart, who really has been having a bit of a trying time lately. So it's a pretty good thing that Ganthet, Kyle and Soranik all show up to pull his chestnuts out of the fire. Too bad it's a trap!

Cyborg Superman is busy draining Ganthet's power, which is pretty darned impressive, all things considered. Kyle busts John out, and manages to keep Soranik from being skewered, which is nice of him. They all hi-tail it to a cave, which just happens to be full of the planets inhabitants. Did I mention that this is where Stel is from, and they are all robotic lifeforms? With a crazed Cyborg Superman, this could be either really really bad or really really good.

Tony Bedard and Ardian Syaf are doing a decent job in taking over for Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason. It could use more Guy, but heck, I say that about EVERY book. I look forward to the next issue, and I hope...I REALLY hope that we'll end up with Green Man and Boodikka back being normal Lanterns because I like them and I miss them.

Green Lantern #56

Oh Lordy, but I loved this issue so.

We begin with look at the fantasies of Hector Hammond. And let me just say that Doug Mahnke's version of Hammond is MOST disturbing. In a wonderful way of course. In his dreams, Hector is the one with the ring, fighting off a deformed Hal, and saving Carol...until he's rather rudely awakened by the literal cold shower, administered by some sneering guards. But it never pays to be rude to Hector Hammond, as he ends up getting some help from an unexpected source...mainly the disembodied voice that we've been hearing for a while.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Hal is having a nice conversation with a rather charming local sheriff, who isn't too happy with the crime spree that has broken out ever since Larfleeze moved in. Oh, and could Hal possibly get his wife's pink flamingo back? Not to mention his squad car. I'm rather delighted by the portrayal of the sheriff, who looks like...a real person! Plump, balding and an adorable cop mustache, he's completely believable.

Hal's search for Larfleeze leads him into the woods, bedecked with colored lights, and various orange constructs and a veritable MOUND of stolen stuff. This is about the point in the book where I began to lose it, and started snickering uncontrollably. Hal asks Larfleeze relatively politely, all things considered, to get the hell out of town. Larfleeze however, has other plans. He LIKES it here on earth, and he has made a HUGE discovery. Santa Claus! He's planning to rake it in, and there's nothing that Hal can do to talk him out of it. Interestingly enough, Sayd is nowhere to be found, as she's on a...mission.

Hal iS interested in exactly how Larfleeze managed to imprison his entity, known as Ophidian the Tempter in his lantern, as this is knowledge that could come in quite handy in his search for the rest of the emotional entities. But just then, who should show up, but our Pal Hector! AND, he manages to snaffle the orange lantern to boot! The ensuing battle between Hal, Larfleeze and Hector is simply amazing...and hilarious.

In the middle of all of this, we do make a brief jump to Nanda Parbat, where St. Walker is paying his respects to the former Question, while accompanied by the current Question, Renee Montoya. It's a rather poignant moment. I like St. Walker. He's just so...so NICE! And the Hope entity also shows up.

Back at the ranch, Hector manages to swallow the orange lantern...with surprising results! The Ophidian is freed, and he's mighty pissed.

This was just a great book this month. It's funny, and fast paced, and lots of exciting things happen, and the artwork is simply stunning. There is SO much going on in practically every panel, that it is worth the time to simply go through and LOOK at it after reading it, in order to get all of the sight gags. Even the pink flamingo shows up.

It doesn't have Guy in his underwear, but what the heck...it's STILL fabulous!

A Ton of Reviews

Man, that was some week!

Let us begin with Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4. In this issue, we have a Western Batman, going up against Jonah Hex of all people. It was excellent of course, although I do have to say that I preferred the artwork in the Pirate Batman issue. Still...not bad. There is a lynching, Bats in a cowboy hat flinging batarangs right and left, Vandal Savage, and a slightly befuddled Jonah Hex, who nevertheless gets the job done.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #14. This is actually from last week, but I somehow managed to forget to pick it up. It has Hush, and his fantasies of killing off all of the Justice League, and a rather nice Two-Face story, both of which are pretty darned good.

The Flash #4. Oh, and the plot begins to thicken. Barry is still running around being incredibly heroic, which impresses the Top from the Future, so he spills the beans about how and why Barry supposedly goes bad. It involves Iris, and it ain't pretty. Also, Capt. Boomerang shows up and displays why he's still a badass.

Green Lantern #56. More on this tomorrow, but let me just say that I snickered my way through this entire issue. Fabulous! AND hilarious.

Green Lantern Corps #50. Oh gadzooks, all KINDS of exciting things are going on. More anon.

Gotham City Sirens #14. I have to admit that I'm getting a kick out of this book. Poison Ivy establishes a fragile alliance with the employee that she had tried to fire the day before, as they discover exactly what the heck is going on at Star Labs. Lots of betrayals, aliens and plant...stuff.

Jack of Fables #46. Slightly disjointed. Did I miss an issue or something? Suddenly young Jack is in the future with an eyepatch, and thinking of hanging up his heroics. The three sexy Page sisters show up, although I would assume that they are still in the other universe, looking for REAL books. Jack the Dragon and Gary are quite amusing, as is Babe. Still a good book, although slightly confusing. I'm sure it will all make sense eventually.

Justice League: Generation Lost #6. This issue focuses mainly on Captain Shinypants, aka Atom, and I have to say that I'm starting to really get into this series. Although I'm STILL a little cranky about the way that Ice has been portraye. Still, not a single curse word out of her this week! Capt. Atom was somehow blown into a different era when he absorbed the fallout from Max's little surprise bomb. He thought that somehow he had wound up in the past, which surprises him, but he turns out to be even MORE astonished,when he realizes he's in the future, and that all the heroes have been killed, with the exception of Power Girl, who is old and raddled, but still mostly coherent. It's all Max's fault of course, which is why, when he gets back to the present, he's so adamant about going after him. So...good stuff.

Justice League of America #47. This book continues with all the trouble that the Starheart is causing, any heroes with powers even remotely magical are going nutso, and Alan Scott the most so. The JLA and the JSA are fighting the good fight, but not necessarily getting anywhere. Faust Jr., Wildcat and Jay have figured out from talking to "Alan" that he's been mostly posessed by the Starheart, which is having itself a fine old time. Jade is trying to help, and Obsidian is trying to woo her over to their side, when suddenly who should show up from Oa? Oh, guess. It's going to be a whole lotta fun next issue, that's for sure!

Oh, and there is a back-up story with Red Tornado and Cyborg, which I only skimmed, because those two have to be about the two most boring characters in the world to me. Well...except for Geoforce.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger #2. This is adorable. Its's written by Roger Langridge, and drawn by Chris Samnee, and it's something of an elseworlds take on Thor, and I'm loving every single page of it. It...it's just cute, dammit! And fun!

Thor #612. This is not cute. Nor particularly fun, but it is interesting, as Thor has to go to Hell to fight the Disir, and a whole lot of shenanigans are going on.

Wonder Woman #601. Despite my original apprehensions, I did pick this up. If you look at the whole thing as another Elseworlds story, it's just fine. And there are certain parts which say that this is a different story from the REAL story, so it's not too horribly bad. I still don't much like the new outfit, but I guess I'll stick with it for now and see where it all goes.

Oh, and I forgot the New Green Arrow book, which was...pretty good! I was surprised too. Hal had shown up last week, and in the magical forest, technology doesn't seem to work, so his ring isn't functioning. That doesn't stop Hal from using his fists and a wooden club on some bad guys that keep showing up to take out Ollie. Ollie has managed to make himself a regular Hobbit's lair and seems to be enjoying himself to a certain degree. He IS going to have one heck of a headache though from that last page.

And finally, in several of the books, there was a sneak peek at the new Green Lantern: Emerald Warrior book that is going to be arriving triumphantly in August. It...it was as though they made it JUST FOR ME!!! A scene of Guy in his underwear! A spectacular ass shot! Riding a motorcycle construct to pull over some escaping thieves! I can hardly wait.



Did you all enjoy YOUR books?

It's Wednesday!

Let the rejoicing commence. And not only is it Wednesday, but it's the LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH! Which means simply a crapload of comics. For me anyway.

And since I am in SUCH a good mood...here's a nice picture for all of you.



Batman's tongue sticking out as Superman chokes him, just fills me with joy.

I Can Hardly Wait for This

Egad! They've posted some more pictures for the new Green Lantern movie. As you might guess, I have a slight amount of interest in this whole endeavor.

Behold!





Oh, be still my heart. Isn't that just the most perfect Sinestro that you ever did see? And Hector Hammond isn't too shabby either!

They also have a picture of Hal and Carol...and it's nice, but THIS is the one that gets my blood pumping. Now, if they'd just have cameos with John, Guy and Kyle, I do believe that I'd swoon from delight.

I'm in a Drawing Sort of Mood

Every once in a while, I withdraw from the real world, and go off and hole up in my study upstairs, and start coloring. Next thing you know, you look up, and six hours have gone by. It's almost a better way to waste one's time than reading comic books! Although I do that too.

But anyway.



A scene from an early-ish JLI.

Granted, three out of five of these people were dead, but hey...two of them came back!

Bored

Bored, bored, bored. It's going to be 95 degrees today with 130 percent humidity. Everyone is on vacation.

So...what does one do when one's mind is an utter blank? Why one goes to her faithful photobucket, and pulls out something completely ridiculous.

Such as...



Oh yes. Batman slapping Snapper Carr ALWAYS cheers me up.

Man, I'm Glad it's Friday

It's been a looooong week. And what better way to celebrate the impending arrival of the weekend, than by viewing the antics of Hal Jordan.



I like the "thud". Once again, Hal's head sound like a ripe melon.

Wednesday's Reviews!

Once again, not the biggest of weeks. I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Boy, NEXT week is going to be HUGE! But still, some decent stuff. Except for Batman, Streets of Gotham, which for some reason, my store didn't get. Harumph!

First off of course, is Brightest Day #6. Lots of new and unnusual things are happening to our heroes. Martian Manhunter actually shows up, which makes me happy, because I am very fond of Martian Manhunter, and even fonder of Pat Gleason's artwork. J'onn realizes that Something Very Bad is loose on Earth, and enrolls Oracle for a little detective work.

Hawk is still trying to bully poor Deadman into resurrecting his brother, but THAT'S not going well. And it turns out that Deadman could really use a cheeseburger. He should get together with Hal sometime. They could have TWO Cheeseburgers!

Ronnie and Jason get together, but something is wrong, and it appears that there is a third entity in there with them. Time to call Professor Stein!

Mera spills the beans to Arthur. He take it fairly well, all things considered.

Too bad about Me'gann though. Bummer.

Justice Society of America #41 is a crossover with the JLA. Alan is still possesed by the Starheart, and Obsidian, has already gone bad. Again. But this time ALL the magical people are going nutso. I thought we'd get a chance to hang out with the Shade, but he's not in any position to be helping at the moment. Another bummer. And Mister Miracle shows up! For a few seconds my heart just skipped a beat, but it's just Shilo Norman, not Scott.

DC Universe: Legacies #3 continues to entertain me. The Mystery Men may have vanished, but new heroes have arisen in their absence, with first appearances by the Justice League and...and stuff. Just good old fashioned fun.

Prince of Power#3. This is still so much funnier than it has any right to be. Amadeus Cho is cruising with Thor, trying to assemble the ingredients of a potion to give one Godly powers, so that he can bring Hercules back.
They end up fighting the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet, and it is...hilarious! Thor and Amadeus are as much fun as Hercules and Amadeus.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 begins, with Rip Hunter, Booster Gold, Superman and Hal Jordan looking throughout Time for Batman. Rip is basically the only one who really knows what he's doing, although Booster is pretty supportive, which is nice. Superman keeps wanting to help people, and gets pissy when Rip tells him they can't interfere. Hal stands around looking stupid for the most part, which he does magnificently. Written by Dan Jurgens, and art by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, basically it is a continuation of their work on Booster Gold. Batman doesn't even really show up, but I don't care. I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this.

I hope you all enjoyed YOUR books!

DC, You're SUCH a Tease!

If you have been on the computer, or if you have picked up your books this Wednesday, odds are, that you have seen the latest Teaser image that DC is displaying, for the Brightest Day books.



Pretty cool, eh?

There has of course, been QUITE a bit of rather high-flown and deeply thunk-out analysis of the aforementioned piece of art. And an interesting piece it is. I have my own interpretation of it, which will probably differ from yours.

First off, displayed more or less front and center, is the body of Hal Jordan in a nifty White Lantern suit, reclining languidly inside the broken shell of the White Lantern, and bleeding rather copiously over the side. There has been a lot of interpretation of this portrayal of course. But really, it's pretty simple...it's HAL JORDAN! He tripped and fell into the White Lantern, most probably hitting his head and knocking himself out in the process, and cutting himself on the broken glass. No mystery there! He'll come to eventually, and be right as rain.

Poor Aquaman on the other hand, is a blond and if there is one thing that blonds should know, it is to use sufficient sunblocker when tanning. It looks as though Arthur forgot that useful piece of information and...cooked himself. I wonder if he'll taste like lobster? Mera seems quite beside herself, probably because she TOLD Arthur, and he didn't listen.

Men!

Jade seems to be taking an impromptu nap. Hawk and Dove were considerate enough to move her out of the way.

Ronnie and Jason are probably looking for buried treasure, or at least building a nice dry-stack stone wall. They really should do something about those legs sticking out though.

J'onn J'onnz, having gotten over his fear of fire, is making s'mores.

The Anti-Monitor, is practicing being a cloud.

The Hawkpeople, don't really seem to be enjoying themselves at all.

Deadman, is trying out for a new profession, that of stone cutter. It is a little less risky than being an acrobat.

And way in the back, Atrocitus and Guy are...building things, and apparently doing a darned fine job of it. Ganthet is throwing tennis balls and bouncing off the wall. Ganthet may be old, but he has the attention span of a four-year old.

Oh, and that new Aquakid is busy posing. Black Manta, hiding under a rock...well, he's hiding under a rock. And then they'll ALL play with those nice abandoned boomerangs.

Well, except for Aquaman, who has one hell of a sunburn.

Looking Forward To Wednesday...Again

No Green Lanterns...dammit. BUT, I AM looking forward to the first issue of Time Masters, which consists of Booster Gold, Hal Jordan, Superman and Rip Hunter, all meandering through time, looking for Bruce Wayne, before he does something regrettable.



I've said before that this is an...odd group. But I like it. It will be fun to see if Superman, who is a little on the staid side, can deal with the ego of Hal Jordan, not to mention the impetuousness of Booster Gold. Rip of course, is there to keep them ALL on an even keel. Frankly, it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, and I can hardly wait.

I don't even remember who is the writer, but that sure looks like Dan Jurgens artwork on the cover at least. I'd be delighted if he were doing the interior artwork as well, because Jurgens and Booster are always a nice pairing.

And it will give me a Green Lantern fix, until next week. And THEN, it will be August and we'll have the first issu of Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors! Woohoooooo!

Apropos of Nothing

I'm just going to meander here a little bit. I didn't post over the weekend, because I was in Deep River attending one of the largest Fife & Drum corps musters in the country! Boy howdy, it was hot! Still...about 60 corps showed up, including the Old Guard, which just happens to be the White House Fife & Drum Corp. We're pretty good, but THOSE guys are on a whole 'nother level. They did all these fabuluous things with their drum sticks, and stuff, WHILE doing intricate marching and playing, so it was quite amazing.

But anyway.

I'm still not enamoured of the new Wonder Woman costume. As something to wear to the disco, that she just pulled out of her closet...maybe. To fight crime in...no.

If you want to have a variation on her iconic costume, then I think you can do no better than go with THIS version.



I...love this. It LOOKS like Wonder Woman, without having her behind hanging out. It looks Greco-Roman, so it's appropriate. It...it's just so darned cool. I wish that they would use this ALL of the time.

I Feel An Origin Coming On!

Well...that was one hellish day. It's hot of course, so everyone is cranky to begin with, and we were very busy, and down several people. Nevertheless, when our Truck Tire Manager completely lost it, and had an existential Meltdown, I was the one stuck cleaning up the mess. I had the unenviable task of explaining to customers that we couldn't go out and rescue them from the side of the road, because SOMEone was huddled under his desk sucking his thumb. And being a dick about it.

This is not a smart thing to do to me. I tend to hold grudges.

And apparently in the Comic Book Universe, all it really takes to create a villain or villainess is One Bad Day, I am wondering exactly in WHAT form my prospective villainy should take place. I already like the name of Baroness Von Evilstein...it flows from the tongue. I would like minions of course. I would like minions even if I WEREN'T feeling villainous. Minions would clean the bathroom for me.

I guess I need to get a hold of the Rogues somehow and see if they can put in contact with one of those helpful inventors or mad scientist that create all those wonderful toys. T.O. Morrow is also a good idea, I've always rather liked him. Something to do with weather powers would be MOST handy...but nothing with heat powers...it's already too hot.

So...if you could become a villain, what powers would you like, and whom would you chose for an arch-enemy? I'd thought about Batman, but heck, he's too hard, and he always wins. ON the other hand, if you do get caught, the revolving door at Arkham Asylum will have you back on the streets in no time!

So I think I'll pick the Teen Titans instead. They're pretty incompetent. And they're going to be drawn by Nicola Scott! Woohoo!



I...I'm feeling a little emotional.

Bouquets and Brickbats

Once again, it is Review time. NOT a very big week for me, so I shall be brief.

Birds of Prey #3. I'm a little bit bemused by this book. There was some fun stuff as usual, but it seemed to bounce around a lot, and I'm not sure if that is because of the writing, or if it is more because of the art. There were a lot of different artists, and I think it suffered a little in the translation.

We begin with the Penquin having to fight off the lascivious advances of all the Birds, which is a little peculiar to begin with, but fortunately it turns out to only be the private fantasy of Mr. Cobblepot, apparently due to bloodloss. He does manage to babble just enough to gross everyone out, however. They are all hiding out at the Iceberg Lounge, which is as good a place as any, to ditch the cops, while they contemplate the rather dismal turn their lives have taken.

Meanwhile, Barbara and the Calculator continue to spar in each other's minds, while Wendy and Batgirl are doing...something. Frankly, I found it to be a little confusing. And somehow, in the middle of it all, Babs is kidnapped by...Savant and Creote? And Dinah finally figures out whom the mysterious white-clad female figure is, and why she's so very very pissy.
My guess is that somehow it's Sin, but what to I know?

So a Bouquet, but a small one, because it was a bit on the jumbled side.

The Brave & the Bold #35.

Now this teams up the Inferior Five with the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and it is a delight from start to finish. Seriously, this is a hoot. And the art is quite nice as well. I have my reservations sometimes about JMS, but when he's on...he's ON! And in this particular case, I enjoyed the heck out of it.

It involves time travel, the Doom Patrol from a previous issue, and the Legion's desire to best the regular Legion at something. Like saving the world from a Black Hole. Too bad they really don't know how to operate a time sphere all that well. And the Inferior Five end up trapped in 2010, which I HOPE will lead to more appearances, because...why the heck not?

A LARGE Bouquet.

Booster Gold #34

I loved this. Really really a lot. It was a nice trip into the past for Booster, who while looking for Max Lord, just can't resist being sucked into an adventure with Blue Beetle. Not to mention Scott Free and Big Barda. It was a little bit bittersweet to me, because amongst all the Bwhahaha's, there is this sense of Booster's loss and new maturity.

A copy of Destiny's book...a pale copy, has been swiped from the Vatican,a nd Booster and Beetle, with a bit of help from Mister Miracle and Barda, are somehow transported to another planet, via boomtube, and attacked by a dragon, and various bad guys. Oh, and Michelle shows up and bonds with little Rani, which is also...interesting.

An even larger Bouquet.

Justice League #5.

I'm torn. I'm actually starting to...like this. I still think that Winick's version of Ice is not very good, but at least he's finding his voice with the rest of them. And I blush to admit this...but I find the new Rocket Red to be quite wonderful. Heck, even Captain Shinypants isn't as annoying to me as he used to be. But I still wish that Ice wasn't so...obnoxious.

The team is back together, assembled through the machinations of Max...well except for a Green Lantern. As Max explains, he's not feeling all that kindly towards Lanterns of ANY color lately. Ingrate. He then tells the crew NOT to bother looking for him. But guess what, they don't feel like taking that advice. Good ol' Max boobytrapped the armor of one of the other Rocket Reds as a precaution, and in attempting to save him, he winds up doomed, which puts them all into a terrible mood.

But Max didn't count on the scarab, and Blue Beetle is able figure out his location, which turns out to Checkmate headquarters. Max certainly does have a huge pair of brass ones.

I'm REALLy looking forward to the next issue. Just wish that Ice sounded like herself, but I'm being seduced despite myself.

A small bouquet.

I hope that you all enjoyed your books!

Thank Goodness, it's Wednesday Again

After the day that I had, I NEEDED to go to the Comic Book Store, like an addict needs her drug. Not a whole lot of books coming in today, but I'll take what I can get.

In desperation, I am once again turning to the ever fruitful Romance Cover. Because I just can't help myself.



Exactly WHAT is Hal looking at, and why is Cowgirl so...bemused?

Be creative!

Tuesday Again?

Not...Tuesday! My least favorite day of the week. The thrill over last week's comics has diminished, but the new ones won't come out for another day. Plus the rest of the week is just stretching away over the horizon.

Add to that, the fact that it is hotter than heck, and I'm plumb out of ideas.

Blurgh.

On the other hand, I suppose that it gives me a chance to take a stroll through my photobucket, and pick out something that would be fun. Say like this...



Hee!

Not to worry, the portrait of Hal is later restored, although Guy does then take the opportunity to draw a mustache and goatee on it. C'mon, it's not like we wouldn't ALL like to do that, if given the chance!

I feel so much better now!

Just a LITTLE bit of Bragging

My son Frank is currently serving his apprenticeship as a stagehand at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Ct. The Goodspeed is small, but rather famous, and they have some rather big names when it comes to actors. Currently, they are putting on Carnival.

And who is acting in Carnival you may say? And exactly why is crazy lady telling us this? Well...it's Lee Merriweather. Former Miss America,and portrayer of none other than Catwoman in the original Batman movie. You know...the one with Adam West and Burt Ward, and Caesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Frank Gorshin.

Frankly, it's hilarious. Anyway, Frank has met her, and says that she's very nice, and still insanely gorgeous. So...a little bit of Bat gossip.

I must have Batman on the brain. I'm...actually enjoying the heck out of the Return of Bruce Wayne, and the Batman & Robin book. It's nicely drawn and tightly plotted, and frankly, it's been a great read. There must be something wrong with me! I'm A GREEN LANTERN FAN!!

Blurg

It's hot. It's too hot to think, much less blog. A cold front is supposed to come through and things will presumably be a tad less humid by tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it. And I have not one but TWO parades to march in today.

I feel faint already.



So...apropos of nothing, here is a nice picture of Batman punching out thugs. I always approve of thug-punching. It gets the blood flowing, and clears out your sinuses.

Reviews, Slightly Later than Usual

By Odin's Raven, that was a heck of a good week! And not a Green Lantern butt to be seen!

Let us begin with Batman: Odyssey, by Neal Adams. This is something of a flashback story, telling the tale of a much younger and less experienced Batman. As I have said frequently, I don't have a lot invested in Bat continuity, so stuff like this is always fun for me. And besides...it's Neal Adams! The man draws like an angel. There wouldn't have even needed to be any dialogue or plot and I would have been happy.

Brightest Day: The Atom Special. This is a one shot deal, which had me initially confused, as there seems to be quite the cliff-hanger, but it is to be continued in Adventure Comics #516, which quite frankly, is a relief, as I hate to see an unresolved cliff-hanger.

This is a perfectly serviceable little story, nothing mind-boggling, but nothing terrible either. It gets us acquainted with Ray Palmer again, although let's face it...he's no Ryan Choi. He also has the rather careless habit of leaving important research just lying around, which in retrospect would seem to be...imprudent. I can't make up my mind if the officious Professor is a good guy who is just there to help along the exposition, or if his constant prodding of Ray hides a more sinister purpose. Guess we'll find out!

Batman & Robin #13. Well, Boy Howdy, but this was fabulous! All KINDS of things are coming to a boil! Oberon Sexton turns out to be the Joker, who is feeling just a little bit lost and lonely without Batman around. Dick is fairly stoic about all of this, while Damian is simply outraged. Oh, and most of the Gotham City cops actually like Dick better. He's certainly more polite.

Grant Morrison, does a bang-up job of explaining all of those clues that he's littered the last twelve issues with, the dominoes, and all. It is fabulous stuff, and the artwork is nothing to sneeze at either. Heck the opening splash page just makes you gasp. You REALLY should be reading this.

Brightest Day #5. Well, all sorts of things are happening. Deadman, with certain reservations, is trying to resurrect the original Dove, but I don't think that the white entity is completely happy with that idea. Shiera proves herself to be the SMART one in that pair, as she expresses her reservations about the whole "let's follow the bad guy through a mysterious portal/what could possibly go wrong?" plan. Stupid Hawkman. And Mera is HIGHLY uncomfortable running into certain old buddies. The plots are thickening nicely.

Jonah Hex #57. Aptly titled "Tall Tales", this is a wonderful issue. Quite frankly, it is funny as hell, dagnabit! Two young boys who are fishing are exchanging stories about Jonah, and each is more outrageous than the last. Their father shows up, and tells them to stick close to home, as the REAL Jonah Hex is in town, and he doesn't want them to run into any...trouble.

That sort of good advice is of course, simply waving a red flag in front of a bull for the youngsters, and into town, they go sneaking. They run into Hex of course, and ALSO, Bat Lash, the Trigger Twins, Scalphunter, Nighthawk and Cinammon!

Be still my heart.

Hex is after a particular bounty and isn't too happy about giving it up to the assembled lawkeepers. He and Scalphunter get into a bit of a hairtangle, and then of course the villain shows up, and gun fire ensues, and the boys are rapt with awe and excitement. Then Hex runs out of bullets, and...I kid you not...TACKLES THE BAD GUY'S HORSE!

That's something you just don't see every day. This Is Wonderful!

JSA Allstars #8. This is ok. There is the first story, which has our heroes going up against some sort of religious cult, and various side bits with Cyclone and that snotty kid Whatshisname. Perfectly adequate. But I'm actually enjoying the ongoing adventures of Liberty Belle and Hourman, not to mention Tigress and the Icicle, because it's just a heck of a lot of fun.

Secret Six #23. A splendid little tale as told by none other than John Ostrander, who has a sure way indeed, with our beloved villains. This is one of those "The tables are turned and the Hunter is the Hunted" stories, but by gum, it works. We have the usual bunch of narcissitic rich boys who get a kick out of hunting PEOPLE, as arranged by the enigmatic Nero. Nero arranges for our crew to show up on his island trap, ostensibly hiring them. Of course it is a trap, and each of his idiot clients gets to try and kill one of the Six.

Needless to say, things do NOT go well for the morons who paid Nero for this little opportunity...as each of the Six shows just how incredibly baddass they all are. This type of tale is actually more fun this way than with heroes, since the Six aren't restrained by any notions of fairplay or heroism. A heck of a lot of fun.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger #1. I've been getting back into Thor lately, and this little book doesn't disappoint. The art is by Chris Samnee, and it is just so delightful, that I'm beside myself. Jane Foster shows up, not as a nurse, but as the newly appointed curator of a small museum, where this guy keeps trying to break into an exhibit and gets thrown out. She also runs across him as he gets tossed from a bar. He's having a bit of trouble dealing with Mr. Hyde, who quite frankly is wiping the floor with him. Still, he does manage to absorb a lot more punishment than the average person. Jane helps the young man back to the museum, where he does go ahead and break into that particular exhibit...much to her dismay. But that's ok, since that was where a certain Hammer was concealed...and well...Woohoo! I can hardly wait for the next issue!

So, I enjoyed the heck out of my books this week. I hope that you all enjoyed yours too!

Blue & Gold Bridesmaids

Due to popular demand, we are going to take a long and loving look at those perennial bridesmaids, none other than Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. And by Blue Beetle, I do mean Ted Kord, not Dan or Jaime.

Quite simply, these two were the lynchpin of the old JLI. It wasn't the same without them, and the DC Universe is just a little bit colder and more bleak without Ted Kord in it.

For a pair of apparent screw-ups, they did seem to have a lot of influence. And I don't mean just the old "Bwhahahahaha!" Although that WAS certainly a lot of fun. Ted's death has been quite a few years ago by now, and it is still creating stories. So, in that respect, it has to be considered a "good" death, similar to the way that Barry Allen's death continued to provide story fodder long after he was gone. But still...I would so much rather have Ted back amongst the living. He doesn't HAVE to be the Blue Beetle...Jaime has proven himself a most worthy successor...he could simply hang out designing software for Oracle, or cool stuff for the JSA or the JLA, or simply hanging with Booster and Rip. You can't tell me that Ted wouldn't get a kick out of Time Diving.

With all of the shenanigans, it is easy to underestimate both Ted and Booster, but heck, they were in the Justice League for a LONG time, and they fought some pretty big heavyweights when it came to bad guys. Despero, that guy who killed Superman, and scores of others. That's one of the reasons that I liked Booster's recent rant to Cyborg, back in JLI-GL a couple of weeks back. Would Batman and Martian Manhunter have hung around if the rest of them were complete losers? Of course not. And let us not forget that both Superman and Wonder Woman were ALSO a part of the Justice League at the same time as Beetle, Booster, Guy, Fire and Ice. So there.

And while we're at it, there were a whole lot of other people on the old JLI that could classify as beloved Bridesmaids. Ralph and Sue Dibny, Scott Free and Big Barda. Wally West and Power Girl and Captain Atom. Hell, even Max Lord and L-Ron.

*sigh*

Holy...It's HOT!

And I'm not referring to Hal's hindquarters! Although his buttocks are indeed hawt. I am referring to the mindboggling heatwave which is sweltering throughout New England, and those other states on the eastern seaboard. It's probably cooler in Mississippi than it is here! I'm starting to look back with fond nostalgia for those frosty mornings in January.

Actually, I'm being dead serious. I MUCH prefer cold weather to hot.

But speaking of hot...



...here we have Fire and Ice. I include them as a pair, because that was practically always the way that they appeared, at least until they killed poor Ice off, and Fire had to go be a spy for Checkmate. But now they're back, and still perennial Bridesmaids, when compared at least, to the top billing of Wonder Woman. Of course, in a way ALL woman characters are bridesmaids when compared to Wonder Woman! She IS probably the most recognizable female character there is.

But still, Black Canary is probably a bit more high-profile than Fire or Ice. Nothing wrong with that of course, except that I really really really like Fire and Ice. It would be nice if they appeared in more books, or had a nice little mini-series, or something. Of course, they are now appearing in the current bi-weekly JLI-Lost Generations book, which is SOMEthing at least, although I'm still a bit bitter about their characterization. Still...better than nothing I suppose.



Does anyone have any other favorite bridesmaids?

More of Always a Bridesmaid Week

Nothing wrong with being a Bridesmaid of course. Most of my favorite...nay ALL of my favorite characters could be classified that way.



Joining Martian Manhunter in that particular tier, is none other than Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. A member of the Justice League, although not a founding member. Originally conceived as a Batman knockoff, with his own Arrow-Cave, Arrow-Car and plucky sidekick. Ollie was actually rather bland, all things considered way back when. Then they decided to give him a cause and a lot of liberal guilt. He got a lot more interesting, although he really DID tend to call poor Hal a Nazi waaaay too often.

Ok, he's taken a few people out over the years. Permanently, but man...they DESERVED it! That old Justice League is just too judgemental. Things are always a lot less exciting when Ollie isn't around.

Ollie is for the "little guy", and abhors the "fat cats". He also can't seem to keep it in his pants, and has a way of messing up his private life with dull regularity. But what the heck, he's fun in a bizarre sort of way, especially when he starts ranting. And who wouldn't love someone with a boxing glove arrow, a tiny vacumn arrow, and a dead cat arrow?

Not the women, apparently. He's got Black Canary, although they seem to be on the outs lately. But that won't last. He's got a couple of sidekicks, and a slew of illegitimate children, but that doens't slow him down. He likes to play Robin Hood and he shoots people with pointy sticks.

He may be a Bridesmaid, but he's the kind of Bridesmaid that has a HELLUVA good time at the wedding.

Always A Bridesmaid Week

In DC Comics hierarchy, there is the Big Three of course, consisting of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. At least they keep SAYING that Wonder Woman is part of the Big Three, but they certainly don't seem to treat her that way. But that's a rant for another day.

Then you have some of the other top tier heroes, such as Green Lantern and Flash. Aquaman OUGHT to be a top tier hero, but for some reason he's not. A shame really.

And we have the next tier of characters, not quite "B" level, but not quite "A" level either. I call them the Bridesmaids. They are great characters, with cool powers, but for some reason, they can't support their own individual books, or they get messed around with, by the writers, or for any myriad of other reasons.

Premier amongst the Bridesmaids, must be J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter. He's been around for a VERY long time. He has had his power level raised to absurd levels, and changed around. He used to be able to extract gold from sea water, and make ice-cream magically appear out of the air. There IS that little thing with fire, but heck, you have to have SOME sort of weakness after all.



J'onn had a lot of fun in the Silver Age, and if you want to see more of his adventures, I suggest taking a stroll over to Scipio's Absorbascon, and going through the archives.

More recently, J'onn was performing superbly when he was the head babysitter at the old JLI. Oh Batman was a part of the group, but he really didn't show up all THAT much, and besides he really considered the rest of them to be beneath him. J'onn didn't, although he DID used to get ferocious migraines from having to deal with Booster, Beetle and Guy's antics. And there was that little choco addiction.

He continued to be a part of the various incarnations of the Justice League after that, but it seemed as though he just never had the stories told about him that some of the others did. He's is a stoic and stolid straight man, although he CAN have quite the impish sense of humor when he's being written well. He's had a few series of his own, but they've just never really caught on for some reason. Then they killed him off, which was a shame, but happily brought him back, although things don't seem to be...quite right with him, due to the lingering effects of the Black Lanterns.

I don't know that J'onn will EVER be one of the premier characters for DC...and I guess that it's ok. He does fill a much-needed role, as the one person who doesn't lose his cool when all is in chaos around him. It's always nice to see him show up. My favorite characters ARE the second, third and even fourth tiers of heroes, so it would be nice if the Powers That Be would stop killing them off.

Does anyone have any favorite Martian Manhunter Stories?

Happy Fourth of July!

Picnics, parades and fireworks. As a wise man once said, help celebrate your country's birthday, by blowing up a small part of it.

The Wonder of it All

So. There is a rumor going around that Wonder Woman is getting a new outfit. The boys at my beloved Comic Book Shop asked me for an opinion. It has been ALL over the blogs, AND it actually appears in the Wonder Woman #600 issue. So...having weighed the evidence before me, I suppose that it is time that I add my small voice to the cacophony of opinion.



It's...ok, I guess. My very first sight of it, was that I don't mind the black leggings, and the red top is alright. I HATE that stupid little jacket however. It seems so very pointless. She probably isn't cold, and I would think that it would be quite constricting, especially to a woman who has rarely fought while wearing sleeves.

I also am unsure whe exactly she feels the need to wear spurs. Jonah Hex, I can understand, but Wonder Woman? I mean really...spurs?

Was running around in a star-spangled bathing suit any more efficient for crime fighting? Of course not, but you do have to throw in the fact that it was awfully iconic. It's the outfit that shows up on all the lunchboxes after all.

My favorite incarnation has to be Darwyn Cooke's version, with the leather pleated skirt, and the bustier and breastpiece and tiara. It just looks FABULOUS! I am also quite fond of the white outfit with the armor that Alex Ross used. But I can live with her starry tiny blue bottoms. I have always liked the eagle shiny "W" thingie across her chest for some reason. And the boots. I've always liked the boots. There was that wonderful cover with just her booted foot on top of Batman's head, from the Hiketeaia(?) that was just so perfect. You knew EXACTLY who that was...just from the red and white boot.

Gold spurs aren't going to cut it.

So, I imagine that this little blip in her sartorial history will be just that. A blip. Until the NEXT big revamp of her comic.

I am less thrilled with the idea of throwing out ALL of her history, and having her younger, orphaned, and raised by some weird group. It just messes with too MUCH history that she shares with the rest of the DC Universe. I hated it when they threw out twenty some-odd years of continuity at Marvel, and I'm not any happier with the same prospect at DC.

I admit it. I'm an old fuddy-duddy, and dammit, I ENJOY continuity! The ability to reel off huge quantities of bizzare continuity to one's friends and family is the thing that separates the truly dedicated fan from the wannabees. It's a SKILL! A skill that needs honing! And suddenly, I am supposed to believe that none of that happened?

The first stories that were presented in Wonder Woman #600 were a nod to that history. Which makes the sudden about-face in the final JMS story so...jarring.

So, I've been enjoying the heck out of Wonder Woman. Up until now. I've been enjoying the heck out of Power Girl. Up until now. So, for the time being, I won't be picking up either book, until they get through this little hiccough. Thank goodness for Birds of Prey!

Green Lantern #55

We begin this issue, rather quietly, with a very nicely dressed bald man walking among what appears to be a massacre of cattle in Montana. What oh what does this have to do with superheroes? Well, not to worry, it's actually the Spectre, and he's not particularly happy with the Rage Entity that is behind the bovine slaughter.

Then we jump right back into the action that was the cliffhanger from LAST month's issue, wherein none other than Lobo shows up, AND his dog. He's after Atrocitus, but he doesn't mind messing with Hal along the way.

I wonder if Lobo and Guy ever hang out anymore? Or Boodikka for that matter.

Anyway, apparently someone has put out a bounty on Atrocitus, and Lobo is fixin' to get paid. And enjoy himself in the meantime. Carol is a little confused over whom exactly to help, but the White Lantern is rooting for Atrocitus, so Hal shrugs and goes into acion. He muzzles the dog, and swipes Lobo's bike, and is having just the time of his life doing so, if you go by his huge grin.

There is a simply magnificent picture of Hal punching Lobo with a set of green brass knuckles, but what REALLy catches one's eye is the spectacular rendition of Hal's incredibly firm buttocks. This is one of the best Hal Ass pictures that I've seen in a LONG time, and it's simply killing me that I don't have a scanner.

Then Sinestro gets in on the fun, as he and Lobo go toe to toe. I have to admit that Lobo does have some awfully good dialogue, of the sort that Guy usually gets to say, such as pondering which God ate a Rainbow and threw up all the colored power ring corps across the Universe.

Heh!

Even Carol decides to join in, and she encases Lobo in one of her purple crystals, while she and Sinestro exchange a bit of snark. God, I'm loving Sinestro more and more, as he stands around looking elegant and sarcastic all of the time. Atrocitus in the meantime is telling Hal that he's not there for trouble, he just wants to find the Rage Entity, before it gets entity-napped like Parallax and Ion.

Meanwhile, Lobo busts out of the crystal and whispers in Carol's ear what REALLY turns him on, so she slugs him one. As Lobo is punching Hal in the face, who should show up but our favorite Rage-Kitty, who goes up against Lobo's snarling mutt. Needless to say, the poor dog gets his short tail handed to him. Do NOT mess with that cat!

So, Atrocitus, Sinestro, Carol AND Hal all team up against Lobo who decides that he doesn't want the bounty THAT bad, and after posturing a bit more, decides to leave. Hal's a bit puzzled that Lobo gave up so easily, and Carol is a bit startled to realize that the mayhem around them is Hal's version of "easy". Sinestro thinks that Lobo was afraid of Hal, which I see as Sinestro just trying to mess with Hal's mind...something that he no doubt finds irresistable.

So alls well that ends well. Except that it turns out that Atrocutus himself was behind the bounty, and hired Lobo, in order to get the aide of the other corps, paying him with a red ring. Interesting! Atrocitus is definitely up to something and I wonder if the search for the Rage Entity has anything to do with Ganthet and Guy's quest, but I guess we'll find that out in month or so.

Finally, there is a short story at the end, that is the origin of Dex-starr, the Rage Kitty, and it is both sweet and sad, and beautifully explains the cause of his anger. He IS a good kitty!

Gorgeous art as usual, and this story was a lot of fun. Not a lot of angst, just a good brawl, and Hal actually enjoying himself for a change. Good stuff!

June is Finally Over...Here's Reviews!

Is it me, or did June just seem to go on forever? Not that easy for a month that is only thirty days long, but I guess since it had five Wednesdays, it seemed to go on...and on...and on...!

There were some goodies to be had however.

The Flash #3. Did this come out late? It seems like a long time since the last issu, but that may be the fault of the wonky schedule again. Anyway, it was nice. It seems as though Barry is about to be accused of murder, after his fingerprints are found on the evidence, but they just assume he's a screw-up...which might actually be more insulting. Those future Rogues just won't give up, and Captain Boomerang discovers some rather interesting side effects from being dead.

Gotham City Sirens #13. Selina's sister Maggie the Nun is back, madder than a coot. She's apparently possessed by an angel, and thinks that Catwoman is possessed by a Cat Demon, and she'll stop at nothing to "save" her. Even poor Harley gets dragged into the whole mess. Not my favorite story, but still not bad.

Green Lantern #55. Lots of fun, that will be covered anon. And one of the best ass-shots of Hal that I've seen in a LOOOOONGGGG time! Woohoo!

Justice League of America #46. I can't stand Jade, I'm not particularly fond of Donna, and I'm not sure why Liberty Belle is running around with the JLA, but dagnabit, this wasn't bad. The starheart meteor that brought Jade to Earth, is wreaking havoc with all of the mystical types, in particular Alan and Obsidian, so Jade is all aflutter. And apparently, she is jealous of Donna, and probably Soranik, and can't keep her mind on her job. Man, I hate Jade...but I ENJOY hating Jade. Oh, and Mikaal is having a very very bad day.

Justice Society of America #40. Remember all the bad stuff that happened when the Nazis took over America? Well, Mister Terrific manages to gasp out a few words of wisdom before expiring, and Alan Scott runs off to implement his plan, and lo and behold, Obsidian is BACK! In the flesh and with dialogue! And saves stuff. I didn't particularly think that Mr. Willingham's gay joke was particularly funny, but I'm so glad to have Todd back as a character, that I'm willing to overlook it. And this must happen right before all the stuff in Justice League, which is slightly confusing.

Wonder Woman#600. I am enraged and enchanted. Lovely pinup art of course. A nice story by Gail Simone and drawn by George Perez, with a nod to history. A simply wonderful story written and drawn by Amanda Conner, which involves Egg Fu and Power Girl's cat. A decent story by Louise Simonson, drawn by Eduardo Pamsica. I'm not familiar with the latter, but the artwork was nice. A short bit with Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins.

And then the stuff with J. Michael Straczynski as the new writer, and Don Kramer as the artist. Wonder Woman has a new costume, as designed by Jim Lee...and it's not terrible. She's wearing pants, which isn't a bad thing. I'm not particularly enthused about the jacket, which would seem to be an encumbrance. At least she still has her tiara. But Straczynski, just threw out practically ALL of her back story, including killing off Hippolyta. Since Gail brought Hippolyta back, I am not happy. I LIKE Hippolyta! He also got rid of Themiscyra, which is one of those nice iconic DC bits of geography that I enjoy so much. So...I guess I'll be dropping Wonder Woman. I love the character, but I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the direction that the new writer is planning on taking her. Call me an old fuddy-duddy.

Thor #611 is still good. I've had a crush on Thor since I was fifteen. They have a nice service for Loki, and I'm breathlessly awaiting HIS return. You can't keep a good villain down, and I'm sure that Loki planned ahead for this particular eventuality. Mephisto gave Hela a little bit of real estate, and then things go to hell. Literally. Not bad. Not bad at all.