Itty Bitty Wednesday

Well, I skipped Tuesday, because I honestly didn't have a single thought in my head. Things have not improved perceptibly today. It is going to be an awfully small Wednesday this week, because it is the fifth week of the month, and that usually means whatever happens to be leftover. However...I did see that Batman: Odyssey is coming out, and I LOVE that book! It is completely insane, totally overwrought and makes very little actual sense...and I don't care in the slightest. It's Neal Adams, and the art is gorgeous, and it's Batman being an idiot for a change...and that's something that I can really get behind.

I may also pick up Captain America and Bucky, even though I'm pretty sure that they were supposed to kill Bucky off a few weeks ago. I understand however, that it didn't "take". But it has Chris Samnee doing the art, and I loves me some Samnee. If DC could lure him over to do Justice League Internationl, I do believe that I would die from joy.

Meanwhile...



That HAS to be Hal. Probably on one of those trips that he took with Ollie a while back. Because being attacked by a killer otter could ONLY happen to Hal.

Actually, I love these covers. If I remember correctly, Chris Sims posted these a while ago, and I was enchanted enough to swipe them. Because ALL heroes on pulp or romance covers always look just like Hal.

Monday Meanderings

And we're back in business. Gosh, I got the Friday after Thanksgiving off this year, and therefore had a four-day weekend, and It Was Fabulous! I did no shopping whatsoever! Seriously, after reading the paper and seeing that people were getting robbed, trampled and pepper-sprayed in search of a cheap video game, I am SO glad that I stayed home.

The weather in New England is still weirdly warm. It's just not Normal,to be in the 60's in November-almost-December!

I do believe that a fifth week is coming up this Wednesday, which means that the pickings will most likely be slim. Still, it is always nice to go to the Comic Book Store anyway.

I'm still suffering from missing Batman: The Brave and the Bold on Friday evenings. It...just felt so...empty. I have GOT to go and see if it is on DVD. I did go to Best Buy to see if I could find the Green Lantern movie, and felt good about it, since I had overpaid on my last bill and had a nice fat credit. Except that since I hadn't charged anything in the last six months, they decided to go ahead and close my charge account! SoI did finally get my credit back, but I'll be damned if I spend it at Best Buy! Sheesh!

In the meantime, I saw this, and immediately wondered if Hal always removes his Green Lantern ring before going swimming, the way that he does when he flies a plane.



Oops.

Hal, that whole "Jumping the Shark" thing is Just A Saying! Don't do it for Real!

Reviews!

So...I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. At the venerable Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, there was a lovely picture in the newspaper this morning of Wonder Woman crossing the finish line, closely followed by Superman and the Flash. Vast amounts of turkey, pie and cranberries have been consumed, and the Christmas shopping season is apparently in full swing.

But let us return to the books that actually came out on Wednesday.

All-Star Western #3

Dagnabit, this is great. Arkham and Jonah are still fighting the cabal that rules Gotham with a varying amount of success. They win a few and lose a few, and Arkham seems to be developing an unhealthy attachment to Jonah...at least from Jonah's point of view. Also they don't barter in Gotham City, much to Jonah's disgust. Lots of action, lots of shooting, a good story, decent art, and the El Diablo story at the back. What's not to like?

Oh, and that is one heckuva cool cover.

Aquaman #3

Dammit, but this is a pretty book. Between Ivan Reis, whom I simply adore, and the colors of Rod Reis, this is simply beautiful to behold. Oh, and the story is pretty good too. Aquaman has to admit that he doesn't know who these baddies actually are, but he and Mera are beginning to piece things together, although they aren't getting a whole lot of respect or help from the local authorities. And Geoff Johns introduces a rather intriguing new character, who can be a friend or a foe, or a little bit of both.

Good. Darned good.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #3

This is still not my favorite Green Lantern book, but it is improving. Kyle ends up with ALL of the rings, much to the Guardians consternation, so naturally, they try to kick him out for insubordination, except that his Green Lantern ring keeps flying back onto his finger. I find it quite interesting that the Guardians seem to have lost control of their own rings...possibly due to their complete assholishness. Ganthet is still under the thrall of the evil Guardians. The other Corps are still trying to bust in, and someone makes their grand entrance in a rather spectacular and quite cunning fashion.

So, this was pretty good. The art still doesn't excite me as much, but still...Bedard seems to be finally finding his footing here. And that last page reveal...well it just MAKES the whole story sing for me.

Justice League Dark #3

This is another pretty book. And a very good book. Zatanna and John Constantine have some interesting moments together, not to mention Deadman and june Moon, while Shade the Changing Man is having some problems and the Enchantress continues to scare the socks off of everybody. I really...like this book. It's a little different from the usual superhero rock'em, sock'em style and it's just an interesting read.

Shade #2

Oh Shade. I've missed you so. And James Robinson seems to doing a fine old job with one of his best characters. It turns out that it wasn't REALLY the Shade that Deathstroke managed to cut up into little pieces in the first issue, which is a good thing. Dickie hasn't managed to live this long without picking up a few tricks along the way. But he does want everyone to think that he's dead, so that he can discover exactly who it is that wants to kill him. So after a rather touching farewell to Hope O'Dare, and a meeting with Bobo, he heads off to Europe, where he teams up with Will Von Hammer. Nasty people are trying to kill HIM too, and it's all just so fabulous. I like Cully Hamner's art, and I like detective stories.

Lately, DC seems to be remembering the Detective part of their initials, and I for one am delighted.

Flash #3

This is one of the most stylish books out there, the art is a joy to behold, and the story is excellent, and Francis Manapul's methods of laying out a page are breathtaking. This is one good-looking book, like all the books this week. As much as I demand good writing, I also greatly enjoy good art, to make the whole package and DC has been doing a pretty darned good job of this...at least with the books that I am reading.

Flash saves a plane, and continues to discover all the cool things that he can do with the Speed Force, other than just running really really fast. Power has been knocked out in Central City and they have to resort to ad hoc solutions to things, which is fun, and they are uncovering why there are clones to Barry's old friend, and it's just a really good read.

Voodoo #3

Normally I wouldn't pick this book up. The art isn't too bad actually, but I have...and have never had...any interest whatsoever in Voodoo as a character. But heck, Kyle shows up, and I love Kyle after all. Here, he's just a regular Green Lantern, doing his regular Green Lanterny things. Priscilla has run to earth, with some of her alien friends, doing...something. I really don't understand what her purpose is, or if she is a good guy or a bad guy, and this issue doesn't make it vey clear either.

So, murky story, but hey...it had Kyle in it.

Still a pretty decent week. So have a turkey sandwich and enjoy your comics.

Oh, You Know.

And a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.



This is what happens when you run out of drumsticks.

Farewell to Brave & the Bold

Last Friday was the last episode of the final season of Batman: The Brave & the Bold...and I am heartbroken. How can something be so hilarious, and still make me so sad? I remember when they were first proposing this series, and being so excited that it was going to be a "fun" version of Batman instead of the usual dark and grim omnipotent Batman. This was a look back to the Silver Age, when a lot of comic fans were actually kids, and comics were cheap and fun entertainment. I still love my comics of course, but they are rarely fun, and they certainly aren't cheap.

What sealed the deal for me of course, was the fact that they decided to go with Guy Gardner as the "go-to" Green Lantern, instead of Hal or John. The list of second and third tier heroes was just mind-boggling. Booster Gold, Fire and Ice, Blue Beetle, Jonah Hex...B'wana Beast. B'wanna Beast, for God's sake! And for villains, in addition to the Joker and the Penguin and such, they had such luminaries as Gentleman Ghost, Lashina, and Gorilla Grodd.

It was insane. Aquaman became cool. There was a Justice League, but it was the JLI, not the JLA. The Justice Society showed up and were a bunch of cranky old geezers. Catwoman, Black Canary, Huntress also showed up, even Robin showed up. And Green Arrow was his old obnoxious self. It was delightful.

It was so delightful, that even my Sweet Babboo, got hooked. He wouldn't actually come out and admit it, but he always made a point to remind me that "that silly show is on" on Friday evenings,and he always watched. He may not have had any idea who these people were...but he does now.

But it's all over now, and whatever shall we do? The new Batman will inevitably be out, and inevitably it will be a whole lot darker. That's ok, I suppose, but dang it, I'm going to miss "MY" show. I'm looking forward to the Green Lantern show, and others, but I still wish that there was a place for ALL of them.

Thanks Batman. You were outrageous...and we'll miss you.

And Now...For Something Completely Different!

Yup, no more pictures of halk-nekkid men for a while. Unless of course, you REALLY want some. But I thought that I might actually get slightly serious here, and actually...you know...TALK about Green Lanterns for a change. What a concept!

I'm still slightly ambiguous in my feelings towards the new DC Universe. So far, they are doing pretty well, all things considered, and Green Lantern, along with the Bat books seems to have made the jump with the least amount of gratuitous change. And yet...some change does seem to be apparent, although I am still confused as to exactly WHAT now applies and what doesn't.

For example, obviously, the War of the Green Lanterns happened, since Hal was booted out for being too fabulous, and Sinestro was booted back in, for the same reason. At the moment, Hal and Sinestro are out having the time of their lives, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

Kyle seems to be in a bit of a pickle, with various rings from all of the various corps chasing after his adorable self. And he's also in hot water with the Guardians which is a bit of a switch, considering he's the one who GAVE THEM LIFE IN THE FIRST PLACE! But the Guardians are really into the whole "What have you Done for me Lately" frame of mind, even if the said saving of their wizened blue butts happened only moments ago.

Guy and John seem to have made the jump fairly easily, although Guy seems to have forgiven John awfully easily and quickly. On the other hand, he forgave Hal pretty easily too, and Hal did a lot worse than John did. On the other hand, killing Mogo is a Pretty Big Deal, and nobody seems to be too worried about it, which I find odd.

I also find odd, that the whole extremely promising subplot going on in Emerald Warriors has just...disappeared. That's annoying.

But you know one of the things that I REALLY find interesting as of late? Hal and Guy seem to have more or less changed places. Back in the day, Hal was the favorite son, able to do whatever he wanted, no matter how crazy or insubordinate, and being able to get away with it, because HE WAS HAL JORDAN, DAMMIT! The other Lanterns worshipped him, and even the Guardians thought that he was just the ginchiest. Guy on the other hand...well NOBODY liked Guy. He was pretty crazy for one thing, and probably just as insubordinate as Hal, except that no one ever cut Guy any sort of slack. Granted, Guy was pretty obnoxious. On the other hand, he usually did a rather good job of getting the job done...in his own special way.

And then of course, we come to Green Lantern #25...the infamous issue where a Parallax-influenced Hal, decides that he doesn't WANT to be a recruiter for the Corps anymore, and basically demands that Guy give up Earth to him...because he wants it, and because he's...well, he's Hal Jordan! Guy isn't inclined in the least to just give up protection of the Earth on Hal's say-so,and who can blame him? Naturally things begin to escalate, as they always do between these two alphas, and Guy makes the mistake of upping the ante a little too much, a fight between them, and the loser gives up his ring. I don't think that Guy really thought that Hal would hold him to that bargain, but he did, and after beating Guy half to death, Hal triumphantly demanded Guy's ring. Guy did the brave thing, and gave it up.

So...Guy had no ring, no powers, no job, no home, no family and certainly no friends. He managed to get himself to Oa, and steal Sinestro's own yellow ring off of his cold dead finger, and get powers all over again, through his own cunning and skill...even though he was still in his brain-dead phase.

And now, Hal is in Guys position. He's been booted unceremoniously out of the Corps. He DOES have a job, although it's not exactly what he wants. He can't fly because he's blown up so many planes that Ferris Air can't possibly insure him. However, Carol assures him that he CAN have a job. But it's not what he wants. So he sulks. He can't pay his bills, he loses his apartment, and he manages to annoy Carol, by asking her to co-sign a loan for him. He can't give up the rush of being a hero, and makes a nuisance out of himself. He's saved, and given a ring! By...Sinestro. And he goes along with it, because he wants a taste of that sweet sweet green power So Badly. Sinestro is playing him like a fiddle, but Hal doesn't even seem to care that much.

Now, Guy is in Hal's position in the Corps. He picked himself up, got powers, started his own business, and once he got his green ring back, he ended up saving the whole damn Corps, not to mention the Universe probably, and ended up number ONE in the Honor Corps. He's respected. He has friends. He is doing a better job of being a Lantern than Hal did. And it just makes me so darn happy. When Hal eventually comes back...and he WILL of course, I just want somehow...an acknowledgement from Hal...that when they were both down and out, Guy was the one who was able to build a life for himself...and Hal wasn't. But that probably will never happen.

But I know it. And you know it.

Last Beefcake Picture

And so, we come to an end of our week of appreciation for male nudity. Or partial nudity. Or,just having their shirts off. Oddly enough it is a LOT harder to find scans of half nekkid boys, than of half nekkid girls. Go figure.

I've run this before, but dagnabit, it is worth running again.



Oh Brian Bolland, you are a god.

Green Lantern Corps #3...and You Know.

So naturally, I always look forward to whatever book Guy happens to be in, which for now is the Green Lantern Corps. Guy and John, and their select little bunch of Lanterns has gone on a rescue mission, and found that the bad guys, who just won't stop coming...are apparently pretty much immune to willpower. In fact, THEY'RE using Willpower!

What a conundrum. The battle rages, and poor Isamot is back, although he's minus most of his appendages. Which doesn't stop him from using his ring...on his tongue. That is One Tough Lizard. Granted, they'll grow back, but it still has to sting. In fact, things are getting SO out of hand, that Guy actually rings up Salaak and requests some backup. This is apparently pretty unprecedented...which leads Salaak to conclude that if GUY is requesting some help, things must be going sideways.

So, he rounds up a bunch of unoccupied Lanterns and prepares to send them on a rescue mission of the FIRST rescue mission. There happens to be a very nice young Lantern, who can teleport himself and people to places, which is a very nice thing to be able to do. He wants to try and teleport the thirty or so Lanterns available, but Salaak points out that his usual load is only a few. Being fairly reckless, he does it ANYway, much to Salaak's consternation. And boy howdy, they arrive just in time.

Meanwhile, one of the baddies that John and Guy had taken prisoner earlier, decides that they are all going to commit suicide rather than let their brains be picked. John stops that, by simply whacking him in the head...in proper approved Green Lantern Fashion. Hal would be proud. But still, they are being overwhelmed, and Teleport Boy is trying to get them all together and back to Oa. Which he does...except that a few of them weren't standing still, so he loses John and Vandor, and a couple of others. I guess that the strain WAS too much for him, since he passes out, and maybe even dies from the effort. Guy is NOT happy, and plans to go back and kick some baddie butt, and get John back.

This was...good. Not fantastic, but good. It seems to be treading water just a little bit, and the art is by Geraldo Borges instead of Fernando Pasarin. The art is also adequate, but not quite up to the standards that I am accustomed to. When you normally have been having artwork by the aforesaid Pasarin, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke and Pat Gleason...well you tend to get spoiled.

I'm also slightly taken aback by Guy's fierce declaration to go save his good buddy John. As far as I knew, in the aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns, Guy was actually pretty pissed at John, for killing Mogo and for being rude to his baby Kyle. Nevertheless, if there is one thing that describes Guy Gardner, it is loyalty, so I guess he could be genuinely angry.

So, it's good. Not fantastic, but good.

And for those of you who are still into the whole Beefcake thing...here is the closest that I have been able to find John Stewart shirtless.



Man, it's hard to find John with is clothes off, or in the shower, or even just ripped off! John is almost always clean, tidy, and clothed. It's a darned shame.

Reviews! Oh, and Beefcake.

Gosharootie, but that was a very nice week. Very nice indeed.

Batman #3

I blush to confess this, but I'm actually really starting to...like Batman. At least a little. This book has been quite excellent from the beginning, and the quality isn't slowing down in the least.

Batman discovers that perhaps he really DOESN'T know everything to know about Gotham, as he delves deeper into the mystery of the Owl Court. I have to say, I really do like that spooky nursery rhyme. Strange things are afoot, and Bats isn't quite as omnipotent and over-prepared as he is usually presented...so I'm liking this. Liking it a lot.


Birds of Prey #3

This is the first issue of the new BOP, that I've actually enjoyed. I love the characters, but I just wasn't getting it...but with this issue, I'm actually invested in what is going on. Poison Ivy joins the group, with a little bit of friction from some of the members, and there is all kinds of interesting things going on...not to mention a number of other people who apparently have bombs planted in their heads. Including Black Canary. The art was pretty, and darn it, it was good. I'm surprised and happy.

DC Presents: Deadman #3

This continues to be a good book as well. Deadman is...well, dead again, and he's not particularly thrilled with what he is doing, no does he quite understand the purpose behind it all. So he's going after answers, and he's not particularly worried about who's feet he may be stepping upon. Another excellent issue.

DC Universe: Online Legends #17

This continues the Sinestro story that was started last month, and has a very pretty Hal Jordan on the cover, as drawn by Doug Mahnke. Korugar is destroyed, Brainiac has taken over, and Sinestro is mad as hell, and thinks that it is all Hal's fault. Hal is the only one who actually is trying to HELP, as opposed to just simply containing the whole mess, which is what the Guardians want. Guy can't stop gloating over the mess, and John is getting cranky. Oh, and Brainiac gets away ANYway, so now the whole Corps has a really annoyed Sinestro AND Brainiac to deal with. Stupid Guardians. This is fun.

Green Lantern Corps #3

Egad!

Justice League #3\

Along with Birds of Prey, this is the first issue that is really singing to me so far. We have Cyborg being turned into...well, Cyborg. We have Wonder Woman popping up, and just itching to get out there and swing a sword around. Also, she discovers that ice cream is just the bee's knee's. This is a very innocent Diana, quite new to Man's world, and by Gad, is that Steve Trevor who is assigned to look after her? Be still my heart. Superman, Batman, Hal and Flash are busy fighting what are probably Parademons, and the rest of the world seems to feel that the mayhem is all their fault. Oh, and Aquaman shows up. Does he ever!

Lots of action, and a bouncy story, and decent artwork...I really did enjoy this. Finally!

Wonder Woman #3

Oh, the proverbial poo hits the proverbial fan. Eris is still hanging out and taunting the Amazons as they gather their dead. A few of them don't seem to happy with their princess, calling her "Clay" instead of Diana, which is rather rude of them. Hippolyta feels that she has to come clean and 'fess up to Diana, that she wasn't ACTUALLY made of clay, but has a mother and father in the conventional sense. If having Zeus for a father is conventional. She had to lie to Diana all these years, to protect her from Hera's wrath. Makes sense I suppose. But the cat is certainly out of the bag now, and Diana isn't happy. At all.

The art is glorious, and the story just flows along, and you get the feeling that if Zeus dropped by tomorrow, Hippolyta would be all OVER him. This was excellent.

Not a clunker in the bunch! I love good weeks.

And in keeping with my Beefcake theme...



More Amazons! And Ollie! Nekkid as a jaybird.

And So On, And So Forth...

More Beefcake!



Kyle!

So round, so firm...so fully packed.

More Beefcake

Oh, you just knew that I was going to use this one.



*sigh*

It just warms the cockles of my heart.

I Declare It To Be Beefcake Week!

You know, it's been a while. A VERY long while, since we have had a week devoted to the sincere and honest appreciation of some Male Pulchritude. Therefore, I declare it to be Beefcake week, by the power invested in me...by myself, basically.

And to start things out right...



A shirtless Hal Jordan...staring at the one he loves the most...in the mirror. Could there BE a more perfect depiction of Hal? And he's worried about his hair! Oh Hal. Never ever change.

Green Lantern #3

This...was fabulous. Simply fabulous. From the art, to the coloring, to the inking, to the plotting and dialogue, it was great.

We begin with Carol Ferris coming home to her apartment after dumping Hal at the restaurant. She gets a phone call, and at first thinks that perhaps Hal is calling to apologize, but that's probably just wishful thinking. No, it's Tom Kalmaku, and he wants her to turn on the television and watch the news. And boy, there's Hal in all of his newly restored Green Lanterny glory...and there's that OTHER guy who is helping him.

Heh.

Let's just say that Carol is slightly flabberghasted.

Meanwhile, Sinestro is laying out his plan to swoop with Hal into Korugar and take out his erstwhile Corps. He figures that they will certainly be expecting HIM, but not Hal. Hal is reluctantly willing to go along, but wants to talk to Carol first. Naturally, Sinestro feels that this is a total waste of time, and tells Hal so, in his usual inimitable manner.



Oh Sinestro, you can't fool me. You just want Hal for yourself. Naturally, being Hal, he punches Sinestro, and then starts babbling that he may be willing to help him, but that Sinestro shouldn't think that he's BETTER than Hal! And, in my favorite panel of the whole issue...Sinestro just cracks up. It's not an evil laugh or gloating or anything, he's genuinely finds this hilarious. And of course tells Hal that he IS better than he is. And quite rightly, in my opinion.

Back on Oa, the Guardians have finished their little lobotomy of Ganthet, who now has no more of those nasty old emotions. Then the little blue morons all get their giant blue heads together, and decide that The Manhunters were flawed, but so are their current Corps...so they really ought to come up with a NEW Corps. Or, army, in their own words. Man, they just keep getting stupider and eviler all the time! How many times does the Corps have to save their wizened little blue asses? They haven't even finished rebuilding Oa, from the LAST time, the Corps saved them!

I want to see the Guardians get their comeuppance. I Want It So Bad.

While Hal is busy blasting through asteroids just for the hell of it, Sinestro is coming up with a plan. He's going to distract the Fear Corps,while Hal flies into the yellow battery with Sinestro's own green battery...and shut it all down. Hal is a bit nonplussed to find that Sinestro programmed a Green Lantern battery to be his fail-safe, which annoys Sinestro. He keeps saying that he doesn't WANT to be a GL...but that he does want to free Korugar. So, he turns his costume to black, and with a palpable sigh tells Hal how to do it as well.

The two of them are lurking on Korugar, waiting for sunset, as members of the Sinestro Corps are busy marching captives into cells. One little girl is picked out to be...well, basically, eaten, which just repulses Hal, but Sinestro tells him to hold his horses and don't jump the gun and stuff. Then another woman jumps the big bad guy and starts strangling him with her chains, and it turns out that her name is Arsona, and that Sinestro apparently knows her...and guess who can't control himself, and flies out to help her?

Double Heh.

Hal meanwhile is actually sticking to the plan, and lurks in the rear, before flying down to invade the yellow battery. He's surprised by another Fear corps member, whom he manages to blow up with his handy dandy green bazooka construct. And in Hal flies, into the yellow battery. Too bad that something is...seriously wrong, and Hal screams that Sinestro betrayed him, as he's...disintegrated. Much to the surprise, it must be said of Sinestro.

This was just so good. Hal is such a twit sometimes, but he does have his heart in the right place. Sinestro is a very complex and compelling character as well. At first,when I saw what happened to Hal, I was aghast...but thinking about it...I wouldn't be surprised if he's just been kidnapped to Qward. We haven't seen Mongul yet, or some of the other nasties, so I am already in a fever of anticipation, looking forward to NEXT month's issue!

This was good. Scary good.

Thursday's Reviews of Wednesday's Comics

Zounds, but this was a darned good week. Darned good!

Batgirl #3

This seems to be finding its footing. It was mostly Babs interacting with Dick, which is always nice. The art was very pretty,there were a lot of kicks to the head, which is always nice, and Barbara is obviously not taking any guff from anyone. Or help for that matter, which may come back to bite her in the butt. But I liked this issue a whole lot more than the first two.



Batman & Robin #3

This was also a pretty fabulous issue. Nobody can draw action scenes quite like Pat Gleason. Damian was his usual obnoxious but strangely endearing little self, Alfred was cool beyond words, and Batman was actually...displaying...feelings! Who'dathunk? He's worried about his old buddy from the old days, and trying to protect Robin, who doesn't want any protectin, but is actually in over his head...even though he doesn't realize it. Great stuff.

Batwoman#3

Can the art in this book possibly get any more beautiful? All kinds of things are happening. Kate is fighting the drowning lady, not to mention Cameron Chase, Flamebird is brushed off, rather brutally by Kate, which will probably have consequences, and her Dad shows up! I LOVE her Dad! Man, oh man, but this is good.

Demond Knights #3

I also really really like this book. Etrigan is highly pissed that Madame Xanadu has sacrificed her youth to put up a protective barrier around the village, but he's been too long on earth, so Jason shows up again...each of them thinking that Xanadu loves them best. This duplicity disgust one of the other ladies, who strikes up a friendship with a young village girl, who is just bursting to help out. Too bad about that, though. Meanwhile, cracks are forming in their alliances, and all sorts of interesting things are happening. The art is pretty, and gosh, it is all just a lot of fun. I never ever thought that I would actually like Vandal Savage...but he's a hoot.

Green Lantern #3

By the Loins of Zeus! This is fantastic!

Resurrection Man #3

All kinds of interesting things are being revealed. The Body Doubles aren't just curvy assassins for hire, they have healing factors, that somehow they received when Mitch got HIS powers. And the good guys and the bad guys both want Mitch's soul, because his frequent dying somehow is upsetting the balance of things. And Mitch's Dad's former roommate, is simply fabulous.

Journey Into Mystery #631

This continues to be just about the only Marvel book that I'm currently reading, and it is great. I can't get enough of baby Loki. Odin is apparently off in the old location of Asgard, brooding over the body of the Serpent, who turned out to be his brother. Thor is dead (yeah, right), and Asgard is now located in the new location in Oklahoma, and Freyja, Gaia (Jord) and Idunn are ruling as a female triumvirate. They certainly can't do a worse job than Odin did. Odin seems to have a habit of having poor Thor kill off all of his inconvenient relatives. Odin, is really just an old drama queen.

But Loki is fabulous. He honors his promise to release the Disir, which unfortunately for them, puts them right back into Mephisto's control. Oops. To Loki's credit, he actually feels a little bit bad about it. He also manages to get Hela her realm back, so she doesn't have to hang out with Mephisto anymore, for which she is grateful. She is also making moves on Tyr, which is interesting. And Leah ends up hanging out in a nice hole in the ground near Asgard. Man, this is great.

Shame Itself

I couldn't resist picking this book up. It has a whole passel of artists and writers and is a tongue-in-cheek poke at Fear Itself, and actually IS quite amusing. Fun. Fun is always nice.

Wow, that was a GOOD week!

Cops In Spaaaaaaace!

So I was just ruminating to myself, in my usual fashion, about just how completely fabulous the Green Lanterns are, and it suddenly hit me. I know they can be described as "Cops in Space", which is a mindbogglingly wonderful concept. But...exactly how does that work?

Can Hal, or Guy or John or Kyle arrest somebody on earth? Does Oan law supersede New York City? What about due process? What about the law and customs on Korugar, or other planets? And exactly just who put the Guardians in charge of everything anyway?

I would have to assume that the Guardians put themselves in charge. After all, they've been around for a VERY long time, and were probably there before any number of planets gained sentience and civilizations and so on. So...presumably, it has ALWAYS been that way. Still, it has to be something of a shock to planets who have only recently gained the ability to travel in Space...such as Earth...to realize that there is a whole other system of law and order...Out There.

Are there courts on Oa? Lawyers? Or do only the really BAD guys bet sent to the sciencecels? Or is it only intergalactic crimes that are punished? If you are a space pirate, presumably, the Green Lanterns can go after you. I would guess that Hal can grab some muggers and turn them over to the cops, with a little more authority than say...Blue Beetle or something. Or are GL's considered to be the same as the other super heroes/vigilantes?

I rather wish that some of the Green Lantern writers would incorporate this sort of thing into their stories...it could be interesting. It could also be interesting, if in the grand scheme of things, the Guardians get their eventual, and much-anticipated comeuppance.



Green Lanterns. You just have to love them.

Oh God, it's Tuesday

And once again, I fall back on that old standby, the picture. I like pictures. Especially when taken completely out of context.

For example.



If you didn't know any better, you would think that at the very LEAST, Superman and Ice were doing a tango. A hot and steamy tango! They actually aren't, but heck, that is one very interesting pose. Thank Goodness Guy wasn't there!

Pent Up

So, it's Monday, and the power is back on for almost everyone, except for the people who don't have it. Oh, Northeast Futility! But enough of that, it's time to talk about Comics. I'm just going to go with the whole stream of conciousness thing, because I really haven't got a thing in my head today.

Apparently, DC whupped Marvel's behind in sales in the last couple of months! I am rather amazed by this, it has been a very long time, since DC beat Marvel at anything. Marvel responded by laying off a whole passel of editors and people, and cancelling the new Doctor Doom miniseries, which is rather a shame, really. I probably wouldn't have picked it up, but I imagine that there were a lot of people who WOULD have. I also don't know if laying people off was a direct result of DC getting the market share, but it seems suspicious. Quod erat demonstrandum and all of that.

Incidentally, that is about all the latin that I know. Other than Kirby hic erat.

Fortunately, I have to say that with a few quibbles, I'm rather enjoying the new books. It still drives me a little crazy that all of the precious continuity that I spent YEARS memorizing is apparently out the window, not to mention that a ton of my favorite characters aren't being written about...but...I'm trying to take a long view here. If comics has taught me anything, it is that EVERYTHING comes back...sooner or later. If they can bring back Barry, or Bucky, they can bring back Ted Kord. Some day. And Wally, and Peej, and Ralph and Sue and Doctor Polaris. And heck, Superman and Lois might end up married again. But i the meantime, they are telling some fairly decent stories with a fresh perspective, and I find that, almost against my will, I'm getting interested.

Apparently I'm easy. Who knew?

And in the meantime, and for now particular reason, other than it makes me smile...



We still have Batman. And Etrigan. And dammit, I like Etrigan.

Woohoo!

Aaaannd we're back! We've got POWER, Baby! Oh electricity, I'll never take you for granted again! Well, actually I will, probably in a week or so, but for the next couple of days, I will worship at your shiny sparkling altar. Five nights in the 30's with no heat was starting...to get on my nerves. We did have a fireplace, thank goodness, and plenty of wood and candles, and we put all the stuff from the fridge in coolers, and the freezers actually did quite well...but still, the thrill had definitely gone.

So...we're back in business. And Matt, my intrepid Comic Book Store owner opened up for business on Wednesday, even though he didn't have any power, because you disturb nerds at your peril. The front door was open, there was light from the big window, and some guys were playing heroclix at a card table, and everyone had horror stories. The cameraderie was palpable.

And books! I've got books!

Action Comics #3

I continue to be in love with this book. We begin with what seems to be the destruction of Kandor and Krypton, but apparently it is Clark's dreams. Is it real? He's disturbed nevertheless, when a bunch of goons show up at his door and search his apartment, looking for evidence to be held against him, his newspaper articles are stirring up a hornet's nest. His old foe is also stirring things up, making Superman out to be an illegal alien,and paying off the squatters that he saved last issue, to speak against him. The situation is getting ugly.

What's even uglier is that in order to impress Lois, Sgt. Corbin volunteers to become the Steel Soldier, and his super suit is invaded by an alien presence. This alien presence is also invading OTHER systems, and seems to be the same force that destroyed Krypton! And Lex Luthor, was the one who struck a deal and brought it here. Oh Lex, you silly boy. He's right on hand to welcome their new alien overlords, but I think that Lex has bitten off a bit more than he can chew.

Delightful.

Green Arrow #3.

I'm not quite sure why I'm sticking with this. Inertia perhaps? The hope that the NEW issue will be better? Not a whole lot happens. The bad guys have Ollie on you-tube and try to kill him in front of everyone ,and all the slackers think that it's fabulous, his cranky guy at his conglomerate is plotting against him, and he shoots some arrows. I'm hanging on till Ann Lopresti shows up.

Justice League International #3.

Now, this, I'm enjoying the heck out of. Things are escalating, there are four giants instead of just one, and Briggs, the U.N. rep is having palpitations. Booster and Batman have come up with a plan, and the various members pair off and infiltrate the subterranean lair...and naturally are being picked off, one by one.

Guy listens into Brigg's tantrum, and realizes that there is a space ship in Earth orbit, and goes up to investigate, as a Green Lantern is supposed to do. He breaks into the ship, and gets clobbered by the bad guy, a Kirbian looking villain named Peraxxus, which is a nice villainy sort of name. I'm loving this all. It isn't terribly deep or complicated, it's just a good comic book.

Red Lanterns #3

Again, I'm not quite sure why I picked this up, I'm not enjoying it all that much. Atrocitus for some reason, decides to give Bleez her brains back, and her emotions as well. Then she goes out looking for a little bit of retribution. She and Atrocitus disagree on their methods, and Atrocitus is beginning to realize that she's a bit craftier than he may have originally thought. It was...ok, I guess.

Swamp Thing #3

This was also quite good. Abbie shows up, and we get a bit of history, and there is this creepy kid who has to live in a bubble because he's allergic to chlorophyll or something, and the other mean kids at the hospital are going to burst his bubble...literally. Something quite unfortunate happens to them, since of course, this kid is more than he appears. Great stuff.


So, a small week, but a pretty decent week.