Reviving an Old Idea

Egad, my mind is a complete blank. So, in order to entertain you, I am reusing an OLD idea from a couple of years ago. And I originally stole THAT idea from Calvin, so actually this is a double revival...or something.

Anyway.

Calvin had an idea way back when, to post a cover and then come up with your OWN plotline for it. I did it with the spectacular cover to Green Lantern Corps,that had Guy and Kyle drowning in yellow rings. There were some really good ideas.

So how about THIS cover? This is going to be an upcoming Green Lantern:Emerald Warriors cover, for the War of the Green Lanterns.



Hal and Guy are taking part in Project Runway. "No Wire Hangers...EVER!"

I'm sure that you can all do better. MUCH better.

Lanterns vs Bats

What IS it about Green Lanterns and the Bat Clan? They just can't...or won't get along for some reason. I am including ALL of the Green Lanterns, even though Kyle and John seemed to be able to work with Batman to a greater extent than Hal or Guy. But even they seemed to experience some frustration. To be fair, just about every single person in the Justice League, Justice Society, Teen Titans and Inferior Five has experienced some frustration in working with Batman.

Batman has this attitude thing going on. He's ALWAYS prepared. He ALWAYS has a plan. He ALWAYS thinks that he is the smartest person in the room. What is annoying, is that he's usually right. But that doesn't make it any easier to work with the man.

Hal and Bruce have always seemed to rub against each other. And now that I've typed it, that seems awfully suggestive. But it's not. Part of the problem is that in quite a number of ways, they are actually quite similar. Both have lost parents at a very young age, and both were present when they were killed. That has always been presented as one of the defining moments in both of their lives. They are both brave and fearless of course. They both seems to have trouble with personal relationships. Hal is a playboy, and Bruce works at being perceived as one. Both of them always think that they know best in any given situation. Both are definitely Alpha Males, and as arrogant as hell.

On the other hand, they couldn't be more different. Bats always has a plan. Hal never has a plan. He's impetuous and impulsive, and Batman is cool and calculating. Batman is also pretty smart, while Hal...not so much. So it makes sense, for them to clash.

This seems to be the reaction that Batman has to Hal a lot of the time.



I swear, that this happens on a regular basis. And except for the infamous "One Punch", I can't really recall Batman hitting Guy Gardner nearly as often as he decked Hal. Granted, he treated Guy like a misbehaving child, but for some reason Hal really seems to get his goat.



I'm wondering if it is because Hal has a remarkably thick skin when it comes to criticism. Hal is so convinced that he's fabulous, that Batman's taunts and fists just bounce off. He's the same way with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. Seriously, nobody else comes close to Hal when it comes to Self-Esteem. This has to be very frustrating for Batman.

Guy and Bats clashed right from the start of course. Back then, when Guy was braindead, it was a lot easier for Batman to control him. Now of course, Guy just laughs at him...which also has to be really really annoying.

John is too diplomatic to laugh at Batman, nor does he present the problems that Hal does. And Kyle is young enough to be intimidated. But even so, they're Green Lanterns, and Bats just doesn't have the control over them that he seems to have over everyone else.

And there's Alan Scott. Even Batman knows that you don't mess with Alan Scott.

I'm starting to meander here, and have probably lost the whole point of my comparison. What it all boils down to however, is that the Bat/Green Lantern relationships are some of the most fascinating...at least to me. I wish that they would explore it more, there really hasn't been that much interaction lately. It's one of the things that I really enjoyed in the early "Brave & the Bold" issues, where they had teamed Hal and Bruce together in Las Vegas. It was interesting...and it was fun. And they should do it again.



See? They CAN be in the same room together!

Bouquets and Brickbats

Well, we are digging out a foot of snow from yet another storm...but fortunately, this one didn't hit until AFTER the UPS trucks had delivered my precious comics to the store. I have strange priorities.

Again, not a whole lot of books this week. There wasn't a Green Lantern book at ALL this month, although there was that extra one in December, which threw me off schedule. Still, it does seem like I haven't been getting as many books. Part of that is because Marvel keeps CANCELLING the ones that I like. And I've given up on a few others.

But anyway...

Fables #101

This was a rather sweet story, of a smart-alecky mirror, a smart-alecky talking head and a slightly befuddled former flying monkey. Against all odds, Bufkin has come through and put the Djinn back in the bottle and defeated Baba Yaga, and now he's on to perform more feats of derring-do. Or something. So he climbs out of the Business Office, with one of the barleycorn girls in his pocket to narrate. And climbs. And climbs some more. And oddly enough ends up almost in Oz. He thought he was going to go home to the Farm, but he just went...home. It is a charming and surprisingly NON-violent story, and really, I loved it. And it raises all sorts of questions about the Office, and the unexplored portions of it.

A nice fluffy pretty bouquet.

Green Arrow #8.

This is really growing on me. Just like the Forest in Star City! Haw!

Er...ahem. Anyway, the magical Forest seems to be expanding which has various groups worried, so STAR labs sows up, and Poison Ivy and Lexcorps and Doctor Midnite and Mr. Terrific. Ollie and Galahad are still lurking in the woods, when they stumble upon none other than Jason Blood! With all of his clothes on, which is a pity. But what is even more interesting, is that somehow, the Demon aka Etrigan has been separated from Blood! And is busy hunting him down. Ollie and Galahad gallantly move to assist, and end up encountering some STAR lab scientists and Midnite and Terrific. Naturally some brawling ensues.

Ollie is being a dick to Midnite and Terrific, but they're pretty well used to that. They DO try to reason with him, but this IS Ollie after all. Then they go back and try to fight with Etrigan some more, but then the Phantom Stranger shows up.

Oh, be still my heart! I LOVE the Phantom Stranger! Not too many men can carry off a turtleneck and a fedora, but he's one of them.

A nice green and grown bouquet for this one as well.

Justice League: Generation Lost #18

You know, I actually liked this. Ice wasn't portrayed as being a jerk, which made it tolerable. We have Power Girl fighting Captain Shinypants to begin with. He keeps trying to reason with her, to no avail,and then it dawns on him, that her dialog isn't matching up to his dialog...it all makes sense when he realizes that she's not seeing...or hearing...him at ALL! She thinks she's fighting Superman!

Oh that Max. What a Cad!

The rest of the team shows up, and it becomes clear, that she's seeing them as other people as well. She thinks that Fire is Supergirl, Rocket Red is Green Lantern, Booster is Batman and Ice is Starfire.

Meanwhile Max and Professor Ivo are busy torturing poor Blue Beetle. Max is disgustingly cheerful and smug about the whole thing, taunting Jaime and telling him that good does triumph over evil...but HE'S really a Good Guy here. Yeah, right. Oh Max.

Back with Peej, she's busy handing them their heads. Gavril, bless his heart is the one who figures out her weakness, which is her enhanced hearing, and he lets loose with some high frequency sound waves, the pain of which jolts her back to reality. Oh, and she remembers who Max is. Funny thing that...Max himself pointed out to Jaime that pain apparently overrides his mind-whammy. I see a clue!

The art was very pretty,and the story was good. Ice has a new costume for some reason. It's not bad, except I find the furry belt a little odd.

So...a bouquet! Who'd a thunk?

JSA #47

I keep telling myself to drop this book, and I can't quite bring myself to do it. It does advance the plot, but the plot is horribly disjointed. Manhunter is apparently going to show up, which is nice, Dr. Chaos is running around causing...well...chaos, and beating the JSA FAR too easily. The action just jumps from scene to scene to scene, with only a few panels devoted to each development, which I find disconcerting.

And some of the things that they are doing just don't make a whole lot of sense anyway. Mr. Terrific is getting stupid, Alan is paralyzed, Doctor Midnite is getting fed up, Fate is hauling Lightning's soul around some weird dimension...and so on.

No bouquet for you!

Wonder Woman #606

Well, this is just one long huge fight. There is a LOT of violence, and a lot of blood, and a lot of posturing. And they kill Phillipus, which pisses me off, but it's all in an althernate reality anyway, so who cares?

Not much of a bouquet here either.

Oh, and apparently one of the Fantastic Four dies. Yeah, it's the Human Torch. He's about the only one who hasn't died yet, so it was his turn. I give him about twelve issues, before his triumphant return. I haven't been reading Fantastic Four for quite a while, so I really didn't know all of what was going on, but I can say that Reed and Sue's youngest...whatsername, Val or something? Man, is that kid annoying.

Sue and Namor on the other hand, were pretty cool in this.

So brave the snow and get your books!

The Green Lantern Corps #210

Yes, you read that number and title correctly. I'm back to reading through my long boxes again, and THIS particular book just stands out as one of my very favorites. In fact this whole run of issues by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton were just amazing really. They may be old, but darn it if they haven't stood the test of time remarkably well. In my humble opinion anyway.

THIS is the issue where Guy Gardner has gone running off to Russia to confront Kilowog, who is now working for the "commies"! At least in Guy's fevered mind anyway. President Reagan is involved not to mention Gorbechov. Guy has absolutely NO authority for what he is doing, but when has he ever let that sort of thing get in the way of defending Mom and Apple Pie?

So, while the governments of the U.S and the U.S.S.R. watch, Kilowog and Guy are having the time of their lives, brawling in the air over the Russian steppes. There is a lot of trash talking, and an interesting use of constructs, but mostly they are just bashing each other. And...in a strange sort of way, I think that they are enjoying themselves. Until the Rocket Reds decide to interfere that is. Guy is simply OUTRAGED, and even Kilowog is surprised. Guy decides he's had enough and take them ALL out...including Kilowog with surprising ease.

The Rocket Reds try to bargain for their freedom, by offering up John and Katma...who are being held by the government, and are supposed to be killed. Kilowog didn't know anything about this, so he's VERY upset.

Meanwhile the rest of the the Corps is back in good old America, playing tennis and talking on an enormous mobile phone. I'm sure at the time, this was the very height of technological sophistication, but it does look a little silly nowadays. Anyway, they find out that Guy fooled Kari Limbo completely. IN the previous issue she had tried to psyche him out of going to Russia with a little bit of reverse psychology...which naturally didn't work at ALL on Guy.

Haw!

Back in Russia, Guy and Kilowog are tearing the place apart looking for John and katma. Kilowog is upset,but Guy is having a ball. Naturally. Then somebody gets antsy and pushes the little red button, and all the rest of the Green Lanterns are greeted by a whole LOT of missiles! It's a touchy situation, they have to contain the missiles without letting the West know what is going on, and in turn firing THEIR missiles! It's a good thing they know what they are doing.

Kilowog ends up fighting his good friend in the Rocket Reds. Josef doesn't want to fight him, but he is a patriot and a good soldier and he does as he's ordered. Unfortunately he simply won't surrender and is killed, and Kilowog is just torn up about it all.

It is rather poignant at the end. Hal and the others have destroyed the missiles and kept World War III from breaking out. Guy isn't impressed by stopping the missiles, since it isn't "man-to-man stuff!" According to Guy, there's no glory in that at all. Hal patiently explains that glory isn't what they're there for and that war really IS hell. It's a rather nice moment, since you can see the different attitudes of the Lanterns to the situation.

For Guy it all started as a lark, really, he's really just there to have a good time, and he does so with considerable zest. He's rather startled when it all goes sideways. He may be crazy, but he's actually rather...innocent really. Poor Kilowog is the one that I feel the most sorry for. He was just looking for a way to experience a bit of how he felt on his home world of Bolovax, which had been destroyed by Sinestro. Kilowog is an innocent in all of this as well. Even Hal isn't being a jerk for once.

It's really a great story, and if you don't have it, it is one that you should go out and find. If you DO have it, then find it and read it again!

Winter is Taking Over

Another Tuesday, another snowstorm. I swear, it seems as though Ice is battling the Weather Wizard up here in our frozen neck of the woods. And now that I come to think about it...I would totally read that story. Of course, I would read about Fire and Ice doing each others nails, but that's just me.

I do remember that story that was in Justice League Quarterly, where Wonder Woman had the pajama party, which was a lot of silly fun. I rather miss the Quarterly books. It was a nice place to catch up with characters that couldn't necessarily carry their own book, but whom I was fond of, nevertheless.

I did manage to pick up the Justice League International volume that came out last week, although it is actually about the JLI: Europe branch of the League. Written of course by Giffen and DeMatteis, with art by Bart Sears.

You have Captain Shinypants...oops, I mean Captain Atom over in Paris of all places, with Power Girl, the Elongated Man, Wally West as the Flash, Animal Man, Rocket Red and Metamorpho. It was...and eclectic bunch to be sure, but for some reason it never quite clicked the same way with me, that the regular bunch of idiots in the regular JLI did.

Wally was at his most puerile, Peej was a tad on the shrewish side, Animal Man just seem confused most of the time, but at least Ralph and Sue were together. Oh, and Crimson Fox shows up eventually too. I DID love the story where they all go to school to learn some basic French, since NONE of them can speak a word of it, except Ralph, and possibly Dmitri. Naturally the Injustice League also shows up and hilarity ensues. This book also had the episode with the regular League, when Guy was in his sweet little girl stage, and they had all gathered for a weenie roast at the Frees...complete with Booster and Beetle repossessing a tank, Fire and Ice getting a modeling job, and the Joker running around for some reason.

Silly? Yes. Oh yes. And yet somehow I really miss silliness sometimes. Maybe when people's limbs are being ripped off, and small children are being killed right and left, but again, that's just me. There must be some people who just LOVE that sort of thing, because Marvel and DC sure keep giving it to us.

I guess that I'm just feeling a little blue about all of the wintery whiteness that is piled up to the sills outside my windows. But tomorrow is Wednesday after all, and that is always a good thing. So try and stay warm, and read you comics.

Oh, and hug your cat if you have one.



I've posted this picture mainly because my own cat is trying to lick himself on top of the computer desk AS I am typing this, and because it always makes me smile. And because it's Tuesday, and so we could ALL use a smile.

Green Lantern Corps #56

Oh, there is so much to love in this particular issue. As you may recall, the head Weaponer of Qward has kidnapped Soranik Natu in a misguided attempt to lure Sinestro back to Qward. The Weaponer is just a tad upset with Sinestro. They were the ones who forged his yellow ring, and who supported him, and he's treated them like the dirt beneath his feet. And they, or rather the Weaponer, Has Had Enough, by Cracky!

Naturally, Kyle grabbed a bunch of Lanterns and rushed off to free Soranik, and the Weaponer, using leftover bits of the LIFE force left inadvertently on Qward by Deadman, handed them their collective asses. Their firm, round taut asses, but asses nevertheless.

So...what does Sinestro do? He calls together his handy dandy Corps of Fear Mongers, and sens them to Qward FOR him. The Weaponer made the mistake of holding to ransom something that Sinestro values above all else. The Fear Corps starts guessing exactly what that is. His Ring? A Pet? A Woman? His fuzzy bunny slippers? Well, it ain't his daughter, but his DIGNITY! So Sinestro wants to know who is going to rid him of this turbulent priest...er...pest.

At this point I am smiling to myself, because to me, this is a pitch-perfect rendition of Sinestro.

So all the Sinestro Corps members show up on Qward, busy trash-talking and sneering at the poor hapless Green Lanterns. But they don't bother beating them up, because Sinestro is still abiding by the truce. But they ARE quite happy to open a can of whup-ass on the Weaponer. Much to their collective surprise, he's more than ready to take them all on. He even sets the Green Lanters free. The problem is that they really can't leap into the fight either, since they are supposed to be abiding by the truce as well. Man, diplomacy just sucks sometimes.

Kyle of all people figures out that they CAN fight the Sinestro Corps...just not using their rings. But barehanded is apparently just fine and dandy. And John leads the rest of the Qwardians into the castle and loads them up with some really spectacular weaponry. So there is a whole lot of nice violence, and then who should show up, but...Sinestro!

Wooohooo!

The Weaponer is happy to see him, and naturally, Sinestro can't resist lecturing him on strategy. Because that is what Sinestro would DO! And gosh darn it, but he's doing pretty darned well against the white light weaponry of the Weaponer. Possibly having wielded that power himself, has given him some experience in this.

And then finally, John shows up with the rest of the Thunderers and a whole passel of Really Big Guns.

This is fun, and loud and violent and oh heck...it's just fun.

Once Again...Reviews

And once again, boy was that a small week! Only a few books, and two of them were actually from LAST week. Still...not a bad haul.

On the expert advice of Lissbirds, and Saranga and several other people, I did pick up Batgirl #17. I am not a big Bat fan. So I hate to admit this...but I was charmed. Dammit, that obnoxious little brat is starting to grow on me. I am referring of course to young Damian. And I don't for a minute think that Alfred is a bad cook. But the art was pretty, and the story was fun, and it was more or less a done-in-one kind of story, which is pretty rare these days. So I just might keep up with this.

Batman & Robin #19. Concludes the story of the woman with the giant hole in her head. It was...a little on the weird side, if I do say so. Not terrible, per se, but still, in comparison to the wonders that came before, I was feeling a little let down. But it is always nice to see Dick and Damian interact. And I am SO looking forward to Tomasi and Pat Gleason, hopefully next month.

Brightest Day #18. Holy Guacamole! All KINDS of interesting things were going on in this book! I can't believe it, but I think that we are actually getting into the home stretch here, and it looks as though it is going to be a doozy of a finale.

You had Hawkman and Hawkwoman battling the evil Queen, (who incidentally is also Shayera's dear old mum) on Zamaron, which draws Carol Ferris into the donnybrook, not to mention that the Predator decided to bond with her. The Predator may be the Avatar of Love, but it is sadly lacking in discretion. Carol may be the new Queen of the Star Sapphires, but she's the first to admit that she may not have the hang of this Queenly sort of thing quite yet. Still...she's doing awfully well, all things considered. Evil Queen points out that since they killed Hath-Set, they are working on their last lives, and why the heck is Hawkman smiling then. He's smiling because she is on HER last life too, and the two Hawks then proceed to do a double whammy and that's the end of Mom. All the skeletons on the gate stir to life, and drag her away, and I have to admit that it is one heck of a thrilling moment. Then Carter and Shiera are suddenly clad in the White Light, while a disembodied voice congratulates them on a Job Well Done.

Carol congratulates them as well. Carter says that she and Hal know what True Love is, and Carol has to admit that they'll never have what the two of THEM experience, which is rather sad, but probably true. Oh Hal. She then sends them on their merry way.

Boston Brand in the meantime is having a panic attack, because he did what the ring said to do, and went out having fun with his Grandfather, when all of a sudden the white ring started charging up...just like the black rings did. This...makes him nervous. VERY nervous.

Carter and Shiera have landed back at Toad Hall...er...I mean St. Roch, and are busy trying to tear their respective clothes off...and who can blame them. Then Deadman shows up, dreadfully embarrassed, pointing the white ring at them. The Life Entity has the nerve to say that Carter and Shiera must "live separately to life life stronger." That seems a bit presumptuous, not to mention pretty damned mean, considering what the Hawks have just been through. Poor Deadman doesn't know WHAT is going on, while Carter tells the Entity to stuff it. When they decline to play games, the Entity says well just FINE then, and there is a whole lot of white light, and a lot of angst, and then a little pile of white dust where the Hawks used to be.

Well! It is pretty obvious that the Entity of Life is a real douchebag. Oh, and I forgot the bit at the very beginning where Captain Cold is all pissed at Boomer, because he let Zoom loose. Boomer however, is feeling just a bit odd, he knows that he is supposed to throw a boomerang at Dove, but he doesn't know WHY, and he WANTS to know why, which is a big step for Digger, really. And next up is the Aquawar! This is all rather thrilling, and it seems as though all the threads are going to be gathered together, hopefully into a fully woven tapestry of Awesomeness. Hopefully.

But man, it sucks to be a Hawkperson sometimes.

Green Lantern Corps #56. DagNAbit but this was good.

Justice League of America #53. You know what? THIS was pretty darned good too! James Robinson is doing a decent job of redeeming himself after the catastrophe that was Cry for Justice. This is a nicely paced, and decent story. It looks as though Omega Man and the BAD guys are going to win, and that there is nothing the JLA can do about it. Even Batman is giving up. Ah, but this is Batman. It may be Dick but it is STILL Batman...and Batman has a plan. It also ties in nicely with the Congorilla/Starman book that came out a week ago, so that was nice. So a nice end to this arc, and a good tale.

I liked ALL my books this week, which is always a good thing.

I Am Stunned

I can hardly believe this. Joe Lieberman, the senior Senator from little ol' Connecticut has decided NOT to run for reelection in 2012.

Who...who will be my visual idea for Ganthet now?



Ok, ok, I'm exaggerating. A little. But only a little.

Well No Wonder!

Hah! I'll bet you thought that this was going to be a post about Wonder Woman. Well...actually no. It is all because I had a really weird thought at work. This frequently happens, which I don't know is a fortunate or unfortunate sort of thing.

But anyway. In reading through my beloved old Green Lanterns, it has been stated that the reason that Sinestro couldn't ever be executed, was because...for some reason...Male Korugarians were simply the ultimate turn-on for the Zamarons. Why the heck would the Guardians even care about such a thing? Well, I'm glad that you asked. It appears that the Guardians of Oa and the Zamarons were ALL from Maltus, and when the Male Guardians decided to exchew emotions and go off and be omnipotent and stuff, the women decided that this was for the birds. And really, who can blame them? Apparently Korugarian men were perfect to scratch that itch. The Guardians, trying to be big about all of this, decided that Korugarian Men were to handled with care...so that the Zamarons couldn't come back and complain that the Guardians were being jealous and such.

It seems a tad complicated. But really, that's the reason that the Guardians were so shocked when...afer ABANDONING Oa, so that they could run off and make whoopie with the Zamarons (a sight witnessed by Hal Jordan, much to his chagrin) they...uh...FORGOT to tell the rest of the Lanterns who were still hanging around and wondering what to do with Sinestro. Appa Ali Apsa was there, but he also forgot. It is my considered opinion that Appa Ali Apsa wasn't dealing with a full deck to begin with, and that's the real reason that he lost his marbles later on.

So anyway...the point of all this rambling...is that I began to wonder just what species might appeal to Korugarian WOMEN. And although my choice of a sampling is rather small, it seems, that with Katma Tui and Soranik Natu...that the best man for the job is a HUMAN. From Earth no less. Once the laughing stock of Oa.

No WONDER Sinestro is always so peeved.




This incidentally is how Guardians make whoopie. Scary, isn't it?

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6

And the $#!% well and truly hits the fan in the beginning of this issue. Guy and Ganthet's little tryst with Atrocitus is exposed to Arisia and Kilowog, and...they're not happy. Not happy at ALL.



Guy has explained that due to the lingering effects of the Rage infection, he's been having some weird dreams, and that he went to Ganthet for help. Ganthet is just about the only Guardian that he trusts right now, and really, who can blame him. Since Atrocitus seems to have the gift of prophecy, it would make sense that having possessed the Red ring, would give some of that talent to Guy.

Kilowog is just outraged that Guy would hide something this big from him, and Arisia is also furious. Guy is pleading for their forgiveness, but they are both too hurt and angry, and fly off and leave him. It...is a rather poignant moment. Bleez is still there however, having devoured the red blood ball that was vomited up by Guy earlier. Ick. Guy isn't particularly happy that he still has to deal with Bleez, but he makes the best of it, and they continue on their quest, although he does manage to get in a few verbal digs.

May I just pause and state that I am REALLY happy that Tomassi doesn't seem to be setting Guy and Bleez up as a romantic couple. It's fairly clear that she makes his skin crawl, and she's a little whacked out, and there is still Ice in the wings, so I'm happy for this.

Meanwhile, Sodam Yat is having an odd moment, floating in a trance with his power levels increasing. This seems odd. You would think that it would be the other way around. A couple of the kids that he rescued notice this, and give him a heads up, but he seems unaware of what just transpired. But he does sense the bodies of the murdered Lanterns on their way to Oa, and goes up to investigate, and discovers some rather nasty creatures who are...um...eating the bodies. This pisses Yat off to no end. Unfortunately for him, they start talking to him in Zardor's voice. He thinks that Krona was hiding something from him, and apparently it was Yat. Oh, the plot thickens.

Back on Kralok, Guy and Bleez are checking things out. There are guards everywhere, and some serious defenses. While Guy is contemplating what to do, Bleez hacks up a red daggar, that flies off...and takes out Every Single Guard. Messily. Guy is a bit testy, he was hoping for something a bit more subtle, but you have to admit that Bleez gets results. So off they go to the surface of the planet, with a wonderful little reference to "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid". I don't know why it is that Guy always assumes that aliens have seen Earth movies, but he always does. Oh Guy.

They discover all of the helpless telepaths being held captive by Zardor, and boy howdy, the battle is on! Guy is actuallly holding his own at first, and Bleez's rage makes it hard for Zardor to get a fix on her mind. And then the snakes come out, and it gets a bit grisly. Zardor is messing with Guy's head, so that with all of the Will in the world, he can't quite get a bead on him with his ring...although being Guy it doesn't stop him from trying.

Oh, and then Yat shows up. Controlled by Zardor. Well crappity crap.

People had been complaining that the book was taking too long to get some action going. I have been enjoying it, I don't mind taking a deliberate approach, and quite frankly, I would enjoy seeing Guy sitting around eating toast. But I have to admit that there was a helluva lot of action in this issue! And the art is pretty. I still miss Pat Gleason, but I have to admit that I'm enjoying Pasarin's renderings quite a bit.

It is such a GOOD time to be a Green Lantern Fan.

Reviews...Finally!

I think that perhaps I am reading TOO MUCH Green Lantern stuff. Today I took a phone call at work, and the nice man at the other end was named Chip. Without even thinking, I wrote his name on my message pad as Ch'p. I think I'm losing it.

Well...it was a small week, and a hardly fought week, but by Gum, I finally have my books and they were all quite quite lovely.

Birds of Prey #8. That's a rather pretty cover for one thing. And an interesting story. It appears that Babs is playing a dangerous game with the Calculator, who has brought some heavy hitters into the mix, including the spooky chick who's touch makes you face all of your regrets. Naturally, this can be a bit distracting, especially when you are trying to kick some serious butt. And naturally, there is some serious butt-kicking going on. Heck even Batman shows up and contributes...and he's NICE about it! In his own fashion of course. There is also a smaller plot going on with Hank Hall, who is AWOL from the main battle, but who is having a little tete-a-tete with the Penguin.

So, lots of action, lots of new things happening, and oh, that little thing with Black Canary. Gosh, this was good.

Bosoter Gold #40. I have to admit to being a little bit confused by this issue. I liked it of course, I ALWAYS like seeing Booster, but it brings up an old foe of General Glory's, and he's researching Booster, and they have some of the facts, but not all of the facts of his past, and oh yes, for some reason, Rip decides to arrest his own father and take him to a trial in the 25th century. I mean...what the heck? But I'll still be here watching and reading of course.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6. Holy Crapafazoola!

Justice League: Generation Lost #17. Now this was genuinely a good issue. It didn't have any stupid and unnecessary retcons of origins, nor did Tora swear. Max showed up at the end of the last issue and kidnapped Jaime, and things are not looking too well for our humble new Blue Beetle. It was nice to see Mr. Reyes, although he didn't look at ALL like he is supposed to. Oh well. And Power Girl shows up, and there are wheels within wheels, and it all ought to start building to a crescendo pretty soon I would think. I STILL think that it would be awfully nice if Guy shows up and kicks Max's butt, but that's just me.

Secret Six #29. I laughed out loud. Seriously. Lex Luthor is playing cat and mouse with Vandal Savage, and the Six keep getting caught in the middle of their respective machinations. There is a simply fabulous scene where Lex is busy taunting Savage, and makes a stunningly insulting remark about the Six, then says offhandedly to Deadshot, "...no offense intended".

Deadshot replies completely deadpan. "Hey you're rolling. Stuff gets said. No skin off MY full lustrous head of hair, man."

I thought that I would fall on the floor. Best Zinger Ever!

But anyway there's a bomb, and there is considerable one-upmanship going on, not to mention Ragdoll seems to think that they've all died and gone to heaven, and Lori is channeling Doctor Fate, and they DO get blown up, and...oh heck, just go out and read it for yourselves. You WON'T be sorry. God, I love this book.

And finally, Thor: The Mighty Avenger #8. My absolute favorite Marvel book, and they are cancelling it. Oh, they have retroactively designated it as issue 8 of 8, pretending that it was a mini-series, but YOU know, and I know that it wasn't. DAMN YOU MARVEL! I'm beginning to think that I'm a jinx. Every time I really like a quirky little book, it ends up dying. To all the people who didn't buy this...it's a darned shame, because it was fun, and beautifully drawn, and beautifully written, and damn it...it was FUN!!!!

This was spectacular, with Thor being kidnapped by robots and then being helped by Iron Man. Of course, he initially thinks that Iron Man is another robot, but it all ends happily...except that there is a HUGE problem, in that we don't know who the bad guy was, or why he was doing what he was doing, and all the plot threads are left tangled and unanswered. Thanks a lot, Marvel.

So I loved it, but I'm left unsatisfied.

Can't Talk...Reading!

FINALLY! I can understand it if you are all getting a little bored with the story of my quest for comics, but they were finally in, and the snow stopped, and all is right with the world again. Whew!

So...I'll just shut up about it now, and go read.

Oh, and here's mostly nekkid Hal. Just for fun.



Oh Hal.

Let Us Try This Again

Well! I had a nice little entry all typed out and ready, and then...the mouse suddenly went kerflooey on me. I don't know exactly what it is with me and computers, but somehow...SOMEHOW, they know that I am befuddled by them. Anyway, my Sweet Baboo just got home from work, bearing a NEW mouse, and voila! Here I am, penning these deathless words for your enjoyment. Or tapping them out on a keyboard. Quelle frommage.

So...the Giant Killer Snowstorm is still hellbent on rendering New Englad helpless in its icy assault. I have been informed that since I am considered "Non-essential" personnel, I won't have to brave the roads tomorrow, to come to work. I am not quite sure if I'm glad that I can sleep late, or if I am insulted. But it does mean that the UPS trucks probably won't be making it to my beloved comic book store either. Although...I do remember reading that they are starting a new thing, wherein the books are delivered to the stores the day before...but the store proprietors cannot sell them until Wednesday. This way there isn't a huge rush to get the boxes open and the books on the shelves on the busiest day of the week. Makes sense to me.

The end result of all of this is that I'll have to wait until Thursday before I can read Green Lantern or Booster Gold or Secret Six. This does not please me. This makes me quite surly. So I'll have to go back and read my OLD books. Which is actually not a bad thing.

Here's a little thing that I whipped up, after re-reading Green Lantern Corps 210, which is the one where Guy goes traipsing off to Russia to beat up Commies and fights Kilowog, and inadvertently ends up saving John and Katma. Oh, and he blows up a lot of stuff. It's quite fabulous.



Hal is testy, but he didn't actually do nearly as much saving as Guy, and that's why he's out of sorts.

Not On Comics Day!

Gah! Yet more snow is in the immediate forecast for New England, beginning on Tuesday evening and continuing into Wednesday. Not Wednesday! It's New Comics Day! The most hallowed day of the week! And Emerald Warriors is coming out! I'm busy working myself into a snit, and the snow hasn't even begun to fall yet.

You all KNOW how cranky I get when I can't get my new comics. Especially this week, which after the tiny amount of books that showed up last week, is bound to be decent, if only by comparison. \

Curse You, Weather Wizard!

So, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my youngest son is getting married next summer. He reads comics too, since I raised him right. I've offered to let them use my Hal and Star Sapphire action figures on top of the cake...and although Frank was intrigued by this, Caryn said no.

*sigh*

Is it possible to register at Comic Book Shops?

I Just Had a Thought!

Well, actually I've had several, but this just struck me for some reason. Do you all recall, that waaaay back when the idea of Agent Orange had just come up, and Geoff Johns was doing his re-telling of Hal's origin in Green Lantern? There was a lovely bit with Hector Hammond discovering the meteorite powering Abin Sur's space ship, and the way that it turned him into the mind-reading, huge-headed lunatic that we all know and love.

At the time, I remember being struck by the fact that the coloring was conspicuously presented in...Orange. Naturally I thought that Johns was giving us some not-so-subtle clues! Well, I was wrong of course, it is never THAT easy. And Agent Orange turned out to be Larfleeze anyway. And yet...going back and looking at it again, there WERE clues! Because Hector Hammond has been freed by Kronos, and swallowed the Orange Battery, so now basically he is Ophidian, the Greed Entity. So actually he IS Agent Orange in a roundabout sort of way!

I don't know why, but this strikes me as being rather cool. And it is yet another reason why just about everything that Geoff Johns does in a Green Lantern book has meaning. Somehow and somewhere, that insignificant clue may show up and end up being rather important.

It makes me want to see more of Hammond, that's for sure. Considering his obsession with Hal, this may just backfire on Kronos.

Back To the Well...Green Lantern Corps #207

I just can't stop reading these old GL's. It...it's just so satisfying in a weird sort of way. And for some reason, Green Lantern Corps #207 is one of my very favorite books. We have Steve Englehart as the writer, and Joe Staton as the artist, and a cover with Guy Gardner beating the crap out of the ENTIRE Corps...or what's left of it. It warms the evil cockles of my cold black heart.

Heh.

This of course, is back in the day, when Hal and a small remnant of the Corps is exiled on Earth, after the supposed execution of Sinestro on Oa. We have Hal of course, and Arisia, who is no longer jailbait, John Stewart and Katma Tui, who are busy making goo goo eyes at each other, Kilowog, Salaak and Ch'p. A motley crew indeed. They are all hanging out at what appears to be a rather swanky ski lodge in the mountains, and the press keeps showing up and interviewing them, including that reporter chick who had the hots for John...and who can blame her?

There is all KINDS of drama going on. Ch'p is still getting over the death of his wife, which is actually a serious matter, but since he's just so darned cartoony and cute, not to mention the fact that he wears a bow-tie, nobody really takes the poor little fellow seriously. Salaak is brooding over the fact that he actually...LIKES Ch'p...and he's not used to that sort of thing. Hal and Arisia are busy checking out each others tonsils at every opportunity, since Arisia artificially aged herself so that she could jump Hal. Hal had a few reservations at first (VERY few) but has managed to get over it. Meanwhile, Katma and John are both a little bit squicked out by the spectacle that Hal and Arisia are making of themselves.

And Kilowog? Well, he's just lonely.

And then...Guy Gardner shows up. He is NOT made particularly welcome. They all thought that he was off on Malta, learning Green Lanterny stuff from Appa Ali Apsa. Turns out that he gave the old fellow the slip, not to mention the Honor Guard consisting of Apros and K'ryssma, and hightailed it back to Earth...so that he can take over, naturally. Oh Guy. You really are nuttier than a fruitcake at this stage in your life, but God help me, I find that endearing, because he's just so...over the top with it all the time.

Naturally, they all tell him to...in Arisia's words, "...get stuffed!". So he entraps them all in a giant glowing construction consisting of bars and ladders and more bars. Being a trained gymnast, it's all easy as pie for Guy to maneuver in, but the rest of them are having a bit more difficulty. There really is no reason for him to be doing this of course...I think he's just enjoying bedeviling the rest of them. Even as he's making fools out of them, Hal can't help but remark that he does have some remarkable will power. Eventually they all combine their powers and get out, but Guy has decided to skedaddle in the meantime. Hal has the best knowledge of Guy's hangouts, since he's really the only one who really knows him at this point, and they all take off looking for him.

In the meantime, a msyterious cloaked figure makes her way towards the groovy GL ski lodge. Who can this myterious figure BE? Well, blow me down, but it is none other than Kari Limbo! Guy's former fiancee who was all set to marry Hal! She and Hal were jumping each other's bones while Guy was presumed dead and blown up in the Phantom Zone, not to mention being tortured by Sinestro, just for the hell of it. Hal actually remembers her name! Arisia is all jealous. Kari has come looking for Guy because she's had one of her hokey visions. There is a lot of nice exposition, and Arisia is still jealous. Then Kari has yet another of her spells and starts moaning about bald men.

Bald men? Well, it turns out that Appa Ali Apsa has figured out where Guy ran off to, and has shown up along with Apros and K'ryssma...and he's not very happy that Guy has gone AWOL. Naturally, Guy fights back, but Apros has this mind-whammy thing going on, and K'ryssma is pretty tough too, and it's not looking too good for my favorite redhead, when lo and behold, the cavalry arrives, in the form of Hal and Arisia and everyone else.

Appa is happy to see Hal of course, but rather stunned when it turns out that Hal has come to...plead Guy's case! Kilowog is just as stunned by this shocking turn of events as Appa, but Arisia keeps telling him to hush. It turns out that Kari Limbo has convinced them all that Guy NEEDS his freedom, and that he'll do better on Earth, than moping around on Maltus. Appa isn't really all that convinced, but he agrees to let Hal and his buddies be responsible for Guy, so essentially is he jsut passing the buck, and who can blame him? Kilowog is fit to be tied, and stomps off in a huff. Guy is completely ungrateful for his reprieve, and tells Hal to suck on it.

Oh, and a Russian in a Hawaiin shirt shows up and offers to take Kilowog for a ride.

Exactly WHY do I like this book so much? Possibly because it is just fun seeing all of the great character development going on. There really isn't that much in the way of fighting going on, you have Guy fooling around with the Corps, but that is more his weird way of saying hello than anything, and you have Apros and K'ryssma capturing Guy...the rest of it, is all of the various Lanterns relating to one another...and I enjoy the heck out of that. Balls-to-the-Wall action can be fun for a while, but I really do enjoy the quieter moments as much if not more so.

Plus it has Guy behaving like...well, like a bratty little kid. Hal is pretending to be all outraged and mature, but I can't help but see him actually enjoying himself as well. HE gets to be the hero, and be all magnanimous towards Guy, not to mention strutting a little bit in front of Arisia and Kari Limbo.

Good good storytelling.

Tiny Tiny Reviews

Goodness, but that was a small week! Having five weeks in the month always seems to screw things up. I only got three books...well, four, but Action Comics was from last week, when I was too dim to remember to pick it up.

But let's start with Action /comics #896. Basically, I've gotten this because the Secret Six are in it. I haven't been following it particularly closely, although for some reason Lex Luthor seems to be the "hero" of the book. He hires the Six, and Vandal Savage shows up, and there is a lot of violence of course. That was nice. I imagine that it will all be finished over in the regular Secret Six book, which I was actually expecting THIS week...but no cigar. The second feature with Jimmy Olsen was actually quite amusing, and the art was quite pretty.

Brightest Day #17 was a fair amount of fun. I find that I am enjoying Deadman a lot. Gosharootie, but he's hot! Apparently Dove thinks so, at any rate, since they seem to be...er...having relations. Along with cheeseburgers, an excellent reason to be alive! Boston discovers that his Grandfather is still alive, although suitably ancient, and the two of them are getting along like a house afire,when the white ring that Boston is still wearing...increases its energy level...just like the black rings did when someone died. In this case, maybe the energy increases when you are having...fun?

Oh, and Firestorm ends up in the Anti-Matter Universe, and fend off some shadow demons, and are headed for Qward, where Boston foolishly left that little bit of Life Energy that the Weaponer has been using so forcefully against the Green Lanterns. I smell a crossover! This really was a pretty decent issue.

Jonah Hex #63 was very nice as usual. A trio of dignitaries from some town approach Hex, and offer a VERY nice bounty to take out a particularly revolting bad guy. Hex accepts and has some disturbing flashbacks to when he was a kid, and the death of one of his friends. Let's just say that it never pays to double-cross Jonah Hex.

Finally I picked up the Starman/Congorilla #1 book. And...it wasn't terrible at all. Mikal is still grieving for Tony, and Bill is still trying to find his missing friend, and they all end up finding a lot more than they bargained for. The Fountain of Youth and a Lazarus pit come into the story, and you won't believe who shows up hale and hearty after becoming a decorating accessory in Cry for Justice! For that alone, I am happy.

So...a small week indeed. But a pretty good one nevertheless.

Back In the Good Old Days

That would be back in the good old Green Lantern Days, that is. When Englehart was writing the books, not to mention Denny O'Neil and Len Wein. And Hal Jordan was a COMPLETE Pain-In-The-Ass! And I say this as someone who is actually rather fond of Hal. But there is no getting away from the fact that he was an utter tool quite a lot of the time. As Obedient Serpent said the other day...Emerald Twilight WAS completely in character for Hal.

I've been having a ball rereading all my old books. It is always nice to dip a toe into the water, for a refreshing splash of continuity. Reboots aside, this is where a whole lot of the characteristics that make up Hal, John and Guy come from. And the thing that really stands out for me, in regards to Hal Jordan...is his arrogance. Yes, he's handsome, daring and dashing, quick with a kiss or a glowing green boxing glove, but what really comes across is his cockiness. It doesn't help that, with the possible exception of Salaak, most of the other Lanterns are practically fawning over him. Hal doesn't have a lot of false modesty, his attitude is that they SHOULD be fawning over him. Isn't he the greatest Green Lantern that there ever was or will be?

Which should make his willingness to give up the ring all the more confusing, but in a way it all fits. Being a Green Lantern has come easily for Hal...and therefore he really doesn't value it as he probably should. When he's practically standing at the altar, waiting to marry Kari Limbo, Green Arrow asks him if he's going to continue to be a ring-slinger, and his replay is awfully nonchalant. Then he's all set to give up the ring again, so that he can go and jump Carol Ferris. It isn't until the Guardians take him at his word, and hand his ring over to John Stewart, and later to Guy Gardner...that he realizes exactly what he has done, and then moves heaven and earth to become a Green Lantern again. And naturally...being Hal...he succeeds. There is a mind-boggling scene in the 200th Anniversary issue of Green Lantern with Hal literally head over heels in joy over getting his ring back. They've just defeated the Anti-Monitor, and his best friend, the Flash is dead, not to mention a whole passel of Lanterns, such as Xax and Tomar Re...but who cares, because Hal is back! Woohoo! That's some serious arrogance, folks.

Then of course, they end up executing Sinestro, which turns out to be a really bad idea, and a bunch of them end up on Earth. Naturally. You wouldn't catch Hal going to live on some ALIEN planet! Interestingly enough you would think that there might be a bit of friction between Hal and John Stewart. There was in the beginning, when one of the Guardians personally came to Earth and appointed John as a Lantern. Hal was simply fit to be tied, and in the beginning, John certainly didn't treat Hal with the deference that he was all too used to. That didn't last too long however, since Guy took over the role of trouble-maker.

It is the roles of Hal and Guy that I still find so fascinating. When Hal first came across Guy, he was this nice young gym teacher. He'd been picked as a possible choice for the ring by a dying Abin Sur, but since Hal was closer, he got the call. I've always gotten the feeling that knowing this makes Hal just a tiny bit nervous. It's a small chip in the armor of his self-confidence. Hal meets Guy and they become friends, although Hal never lets him know that he's also the Green Lantern. He does finally recruit him as a back-up because his ring is misbehaving...or so he thinks, so one nice day, as Guy is smooching with his fiancee Kari Limbo, he looks up, and there is Hal smirking at him. But off they go, Guy quite happily, and he takes over for Hal, while Hal hotfoots it back to Oa. Too bad that the problem isn't with Hal's ring, but with his battery, because the very next time that Guy uses it, it blows up. Hal thinks that Guy is dead, but doesn't let it bother him too much. He does go and tell Kari Limbo that he accidentally blew up her boyfriend. At first she's furious, and pastes him one, right across the ol' kisser. Little does she know that there are few thingss in life that Hal loves MORE than a blow to the head. The next thing you know, they are hugging up a storm.

While there is no doubt that Kari Limbo is a manipulative bitch (Kalinara has some lovely essays about this) there is also no doubt that Hal is more than willing to be manipulated. She's always fainting and having visions, and for some reason, this simply entrances him. He's actually going to MARRY her! Hal Jordan, Playboy of the Western World, is simply prancing to the altar, panting to wed his dead friend's ex-fiancee. This is the moment where he tells Green Arrow that he's perfectly happy to give up being a Lantern. Fortunately for Hal, she has another vision, and this time it's of Guy...who it turns out ISN'T dead. He's been blasted into the Phantom Zone, where he's been watching the two of them making out all this time. And he's not happy about it. Hal and Superman go and try to get him, but then he ends up in the gentle clutches of Sinestro, who decides to torture him for pure fun and games. When Hal does end up rescuing poor Guy, his mind has snapped and he's in a coma. So Kari decides that she's going to stay with Guy, and they dump him in a hospital.

Hal comes by every once in a while, and pats Guy on the head, which somehow makes Hal feel a whole lot better about himself. Then he flies off and has many many adventures, and comes back and sees Carol and decides that he wants to quit...again...and gives the ring to John, and then the first Crisis happens.

And things get a whole lot more interesting.

Oh, and here's Salaak, bless his cantankerous heart.

Oops

I just don't have the time today to get really in depth, and go through all those lovely lovely Englehart Green Lantern books, because I worked late, and have to go to Fife and Drum practice, so I'm squeezing in a tiny bit of time at the computer. But I WILL get to it!

In the meantime...



I love to see all of them together, alive and not evil zombies, or road kill.

A Resolution Worth Keeping

I am not much of one for New Year's Resolutions. I know perfectly well, that I'm not going to go to the gym, or eat less chocolate. In fact I just might go out and eat MORE chocolate...because I have a contrary streak.

Nevertheless, I have resolved to go to my trusty long boxes, and start reading them all over again, beginning with my Green Lanterns, because it has been a while since I poked through them. I'm starting with the Steve Englehart books, back when Guy was reintroduced, with the first Crisis, freshly awoken from his coma and crazy as a loon. Hal is in civvies because he begged and pleaded to quit, and then started begging and pleading to come back. Katma Tui is alive, and she and John are making googoo eyes at each other. Arisia is still jailbait. Kilowog still has his Popeye-style arms. Salaak and Ch'p are bestest buddies.

Joe Staton is doing the art, and doing it very very well. The coloring isn't all computerized, and the paper isn't slick, and they sure as hell don't cost almost three dollars. I'm so happy that I could plotz.

And man, there are some really pertinent nuggets of information all hidden away in these four-color gems. Guy was in a coma for THREE years, not SEVEN. Which is still a pretty long time. The Guardians were still idiots in a lot of ways. The Green Lanterns used to call them "Masters" which is something that they've dropped. I've always wondered how John Stewart felt about that. Salaak is a mean drunk. Kari Limbo is still damned annoying. Hal is still a Lothario.

But boy, do they hold up well.

Happy New Year!

And all that jazz. I am afraid that I didn't do anything that was in the least bit exciting. Although I am hosting a nice small dinner party on New Year's Day, so I actually have to break down and vacumn. I keep waiting for them to come out with a riding vacumn cleaner, with headlights and a cup holder...but I'm still waiting.

Anyway...here's to a New Year, and hopefully one that will be a little less traumatic than the old one. And...to get things off on the right foot...



Oh yeah.