Reviews...No Hal

As hard as it is for me to tear myself away from ogling Hal AND his behind...nevertheless, it is Thursday and I always feel the need to babble about my comics. 

Batman Inc #2

This is mostly about Talia.  I really can't stand Talia, and I certainly don't think she's going to win any Mother-of-the-Year awards, but in her defense, Rah's is an even worse Father.  I rather feel for poor Damian.  Actually I'm a little bit worried about Batman, Talia seems to have given up on her whole "Beloved" thing.  She's mad as hell, and she's not going to take it anymore.

Pretty darned good, actually!

Aquaman #10

This was decent.  Pretty art of course.  I actually would prefer to be reading more about AQUAMAN instead of everybody else.  This seemed like a lot of filler, and it seemed to go awfully fast.  Still...I do like Aquaman.  Mera is getting pissy because Shin has told her that Aquaman has a whole past that he's never
told her about.  Well, tit for tat. 

I don't find Black Manta particularly any more sympathetic, although it would have been prudent on Arthur's part to make sure that the guy he was killing was the one he was SUPPOSED to be killing.  You don't see Superman having these sorts of problems!

Not Great...but not Bad.

The Flash #10

Barry is looking forward to being able to unload on his girlfriend, and let her know that he...Barry...is actually alive and well, and running around as the Flash.  But first he has to rescue her from the Weather Wizard, and the Weather Wizard's evil sister in law.  I have to say that I've always had a soft spot for the Weather Wizard, but I don't recognize him here.  He is a Crime Lord now?  And his brother was actually murdered by his brother's wife, and she did it because he was going to make a deal with the other Crime Families?  And Patty apparently wrote about it or something. 

There is some rather cool stuff, like Barry saving a village from a flood by running fast, and pulling the water in his wake.  The art is pretty..  The evil Sister in law confesses the murder to Mardon, and he tries to fry them both with lightning, but only somehow fries her.  Patty, Barry's girl whines a bit, so Barry decides NOT to tell her that he's actually alive and doing fine, for reasons that I don't fully understand.

Ok.

Green Lanterns: New Guardians #10

I feel ambivalent about this.  More tomorrow.

Justice League #10

Well, that Graves guy shows up, having gained unholy powers, and he lost his family and blames the Justice League for it.  So he's been going around chatting up all of their worst enemies, and now he knows everything about them.  So does Batman and Cyborg.  Naturally Hal is astonished.  He would be.  He pops up on the Satellite, and makes some standard Bad Guy Mockery, and they all rush him, while he pulls their greatest  fears, or regrets or whatever, and they all go down like nine pins and get all shrivelly. 

Eh.  He frankly, seems like a bit of a lightweight to me, they should be mopping the floor with this guy. 

Meanwhile Billy Batson is still being antisocial, but in a simply magnificent bit, we see him feeding a hamburger...without pickles to a Tiger in the Zoo.  Tawkey Tawney!  I am filled with joy. 

Oh, and Sivana somehow decides that setting Black Adam free is a sensible thing to do. 

Justice League had its moments, so Ok.  Shazam was pretty Good !



Justice League Dark #10

Well, they have somehow acquired the Books of Magic, but Xanadu is still seeing dire visions of what will happen if Constantine gets a hold of them.  Naturally.  They all end up at the House of Mystery, which is actually rather cool, and they all get huffy and stomp off, leaving John alone with the Books.  NOT a smart move!

Naturally he tries to open the box, and it was boobytrapped by Faust, and now demons are coming to help Faust, much to Steve Trevor's dismay.  I liked this better than Justice League!


I also found the issue of Firestorm #9, which I haven't been reading, so I don't know what is going on, but it is the crossover with Justice League International, so that was nice.  Always fun seeing Van Sciver artwork, even if it is only on the cover.  But the interior art by Yildiray  Cinar is also very nice.  So there is that.


Not a bad week at all.  Not a great week, but those are fairly rare anyway.  And just to keep you in the mood, here's Hal..

 

Getting hit in the head, AND showing off his incredible behind!

Oh Hal.

Escher Hal

I am a huge fan of Ami's blog over at Escher Girls, which does such a fabulous job of showing the mind-boggling...and spine-breaking poses by so many comic artists.  High on the list of course, are the Boob and Butt shots, that show a woman's behind, a twist of the torso, and her bosoms as well.  It has practically become the "Go-To" shot for sexy sexy ladies.

Well. 

When it comes to sexy, Hal Jordan is ALL that.



And he was doing this sort of thing waaaaaay before it became so common.  That's because Hal is a trend-setter, and never a follower. 

Oh Hal.

Hal Is Quite Modest

Just ask him...he'll tell you. 



You know, there is nothing wrong with having a good opinion of yourself...but really, Hal...I'm pretty
sure that Star Sapphire can come up with one or two things a little more important than you.  But you
keep telling yourself just how darned fabulous you are.

A Little Halness

You know...it's been a while since I made mock of Hal.  And that's a shame, because making fun of Hal was one of the main reasons I even STARTED this whole blogging thing.  What with all that has been going on lately, with the whole DC 52 reboot, the stuff that Marvel has been doing, and just the general state of the world, it has been too easy to lose sight of the important things in life.

Such as the stupid things that Hal Jordan does on a daily basis.



A giant Banana Hal?  Really?

Oh Hal I've missed you.

Green Lantern Corps #10

Well...The Alpha Corps found John Stewart guilting of murdering fellow Lantern Kirrt.  Isn't that just a kick in the nuts?  And John seems pretty resigned to his fate, even though execution seems a bit drastic, since he only killed him to save Oa and the rest of the Corps.  The Alphas however are incapable it seems of seeing anything in other than black and white.

The Guardians, true to their plan of fomenting as much dissension as possible, haul the Alphas and Guy into their chambers for a little discussion about the method of execution.  First off, they say they don't agree, which gets the Alphas all cranky.  Then they make a  few jabs about emotion.  The Alphas think the Guardians should kill John, but they say no.  Then they want their fellow Lanterns to kill John, at which point Guy has a few...choice words.  Then they say they should bring in an outsider, at which point Guy tells them that if they think they can sentence someone to death, and then weasel out of taking the hard part of actually executing them...they can think again.  But being Guy, he does it more...colorfully. 

The Guardians by the way, are quite perplexed at Guy's behavior.  He isn't stomping around making threats, or screaming or having tantrums or whatever.  Well...not much anyway.  But his final point, does get across that the Alphas have to do their own dirty work.

Meanwhile, John is trying to make amends, apologizing to Kirrt's family and trying to explain why he did what he did.  And in a rather unusual moment, a professor teaching gets a Green Lantern ring...for only a minute before it flies off again.  I'm sure that this will have something to do with a plot down the road.

Guy takes John his last meal, and calls Bookidda a few names along the way.  Instead of the Samosas, Garlic Nan and Chicken Tikka Masala that John requested...he gets a bowl of cereal and some milk.  Guy's been...busy.  John says that he hopes he hasn't been up to any sort of rescue plan for tomorrow, but Guy just sits back, smirks and says that he's not bothering to wait till tomorrow...

And everything blows up.  Blows up Good!  John is yelling he doesn't WANT to be saved, but Guy isn't having any of that and clocks him,and charges up his ring.  Kilowog is there and Isamot, and a whole bunch of fellow Lanterns, who are getting just a wee bit fed up with what is going on.  The Alphas are running round yelling threats, and there is general mayhem...which is probably exactly what the Guardians want, the little blue rat bastards. 

Oh this is good. 

I'm wondering if on the one hand, that Kirrt's death is simply a straw that broke the camels back sort of thing, what with John killing Mogo and all.  John himself certainly feels guilty for a LOT of things, and seems to be simply sitting back and offering no resistance, only a chance at redemption or at least of atonement.  John needs a good slap in the face, and Guy Gardner is just the man to do it.  They haven't always gotten along, but I hope that John realizes that nevertheless, Guy will move heaven and earth to help him...cuz that's how he rolls.

Fabulous!

Thursday's Reviews of Wednesday's Comics

What a nice week!  Not TOO too much, but still...very nice.

Batwoman #10

Pretty...oh so pretty.   Flashbacks, revelations, and skullduggery.  Lots and lots of skullduggery.

Birds of Prey#10

Well, the Birds are on a helicopter, taking Poison Ivy to a nice tropical retreat, and getting hit on by their slightly smarmy pilot, who has his OWN agenda, and they get blowed up!  Which for this bunch, is pretty much par for the course.  Also, Batman was rude to them. 

Between burning up the pilots illicit cargo, and being attacked by giant plant things, the Birds are having one heckuva day.

Fables #118

And the plot continues to thicken.  I KNEW those Toys weren't quite as cute and fluffy as they tried to appear!  Poor Therese is in a dilly of a pickle, and Dare discovers that he can't fly either.  Too bad about the Tiger...I loved that Tiger.  And Bigby goes and asks for some help looking for his cubs in his own particular fashion.

Green Lantern Corps #10

Oh...John!

Wonder Woman #10

Egad!  You know, if you just throw out everything that you know about the regular Wonder Woman, and pretend that this is an entirely new character...it's pretty darned fabulous. 

Hades has put a noose consisting of Diana's own lariat around her neck, asking her if she loves him.  And she does.  For REAL!  But that doesn't mean that she's going to marry him, and except for Hermes, who is stuck babysitting, the rest of her posse shows up.  You have to feel just a little bit sorry for Hades here.  It's most exciting, the art is beautiful and there is one heck of a twist at the end.

Journey Into Mystery #640

I can't even begin to convey how much I am loving this book.  Why can't they ALL be this good?  An interesting plot, excellent art and hilarious dialogue.  Everything that I want from a Comic, including wonderful characters. 

Loki and Leah are supposed to be helping Capt. Britain and the rest of the British pantheon against the "Tyrant Gods of Modernity".  They wreak a little mayhem, and do a little espionage, and it suddenly occurs to Loki that maybe he's actually on the wrong side.

God, I LOVE this book!

First Day of Summer!

Well, it is officially summer...so in beautiful New England, we are celebrating with 97 degrees and 120 percent humidity.  Or at least that is how it feels. 

Bleh. 

Off to the Comic book shoppe.   Presumably it will be air conditioned.

John Stewart

Well...now that we know what was REALLY going on with the Indigo Tribe...can that explain exactly why John Stewart was acting so weird when he decided that the Compassionate thing to do was to blow up Mogo? 

This has been bothering me.  The Indigo ring of Compassion was cooked up together by Abin Sur and Natromo, as a way to rein in the Guardians when they decided to go bonkers, in a vision seen by Abin Sur himself.  So they took the worst criminals in the Universe, slapped a ring on them, and lo and behold, they were suddenly nice as could be.  Sort of.  Now of course, Abin is dead, Hal and Sinestro are running for their lives, and Natromo, is busy trying to throw in the towel.  However, they did manage to prove that the rings actually worked!  Sort of. 

But what happens when you put an Indigo Ring of Compassion on someone who ISN'T a raving lunatic?  Such as John Stewart for example.  Because the way that he was acting during the recent War of the Green Lanterns, was just...off.  He was picking fights with Guy.  He was picking fights with Kyle!  Seriously, Kyle? 

Without really even trying, he decided that the thing to do, was to kill Mogo.  Who happened to be the very heart of the Green Lantern Corps.  And it must be said, that without him, thing have certainly been going to hell in a handbasket.  He hasn't been behaving too compassionately since he gave up the ring either, breaking the neck of a fellow Lantern, rather than let him spill the beans on how to access the central battery.  There wasn't anything else that he could have done?  Did he even try?

Now of course, he's on trial for his life.  And naturally, its only going to go downhill from here.  I hope that John can find redemption.  I hope he appreciates that Guy is backing him up 100% even if he's never treated Guy particularly well.  I hope...I REALLY hope that sooner rather than later, the Guardians are finally going to get their comeuppance.  Because it is seriously over-due.  But I would also like to see if they address the problem of an Indigo ring.  DID the ring cause John's problems, or would all of this have played out whether or not he had the ring at all?

For that matter, will wearing the Indigo ring have any consequences for Ray Palmer?  I think he's around...but who knows?  And now of course, that Black Hand has a Black Ring again, the whole deathly can of worms is about to be reopened..  So I am certainly looking forward to the upcoming Green Lantern stories.
 

And I wouldn't mind seeing more of John in a light-hearted mood for a change.

Green Lantern #10

Egad, but I enjoyed the heck out of this issue of Green Lantern. 

When last we left our adorable duo, the Indigo rings had been "turned off", and all of the former Indigo members stood there, steeped in their original villainy, and ready to open a large can of whup-ass on both Hal and Sinestro.  Also, Black Hand woke up and was immediately creeped out, flinging his ring far away and running off in a panic.

Sinestro, recovering from the effects of the Compassion ring, is still a little groggy, but Hal is bringing him up to date, including the fact that his ring is drained, and Hal's ring is running on empty.  Naturally, this doesn't bother Sinestro in the least, and he decides he'll hold them all off, while Hal goes in search of Natromo, the adorable little troll, who created the rings with Abin Sur in the first place. Natromo, hearing that Abin was dead, just gave up and destroyed the battery.  What a wuss! 

Naturally, Hal and Sinestro have to bicker over who is more baddass, and who needs who's help and all that stuff.  It's SO nice to see the boys getting along!  They do find Natromo, and after a bit of threatening by Sinestro, and a bit of cajoling by Hal, he agrees to help.  Sinestro plays Horatio at the Bridge, while Natromo and Hal go off to fix the battery.  Sinestro's ring is out of juice, so he just BEATS THEM UP WITH HIS FISTS!

Sinestro is totally and completely awesome.

Natromo isn't particularly hopeful, but Hal keeps giving him pep talks. Then who should show up but Iroque, aka Indigo One, the woman who killed Abin Sur's daughter...and she's...sorry.  There is a real spark of Compassion, so Natromo is able to reassemble the Indigo Battery.  So apparently the rings really...work!  It was Abin Sur and Natromo's big Plan, to use them on the Guardians, when the Guardians lost their tiny minds.  It remains to be seen, if it will work on the blue munchkins. 

ALL of the rings come back on-line, including the one that William Hand flung away, and now its chasing after him.  He's not feeling all that compassionate, and takes a flying leap off of a cliff, only to land rather messily on the rocks below.  The ring registers that he is deceased, and flies off.  The only other problem, is that the Indigo ring ALSO retakes  control over Sinestro, which isn't quite what Hal had in mind.  Hal asks Natromo to release Sinestro, but he can't, only the rest of the Tribe can.  Iroque asks Hal if he thinks that Sinestro is capable of becoming a Hero again.  Hal thinks for a minute, and says that he WANTS to believe it.  That sounds like Hope to me!  So they let Sinestro go. 

Finally, as Black Hand is lying on the rocks in the pelting rain, a little Black Ring pops up! 

Oh Crap!

Beautifully drawn by Doug Mahnke as usual.  Keith Champagne, whom I adore is one of the inkers.  This was a tight and action packed story, that moved the plot along nicely, and wound up the story of the Indigos.  I loved it.

And Hal and Sinestro are one heck of a pair.

Reviews

Well, that was a very very nice week.   I greatly enjoy these sorts of weeks.

Batgirl #10

I really can't believe that we are up to number 10 on all of the DC 52 books already.  Where has the time gone to?

This was a decent issue.  Barbara is fighting some kids in a garage, when one of them is hideously wounded, and she goes from avenging angel to ministering angel in a trice.  Against her better judgement, the "Security" detail takes care of the boy.  There is a lot of other stuff going on, and fortunately her roomie shows up, more or less safe and sound. 

Nicely done.

Batman #10

Well crap in a hat, I did NOT see that coming! 

Bruce, with the help of the rest of the Bat Clan has more or less put the Talons on ice...literally.  Now he's pissed, and determined to bring down the elite of the Owls.  Too bad somebody beat him to it.  And you'll never guess who it is!  I certainly didn't! 

Great art, great story.  There just may be something to this young Scott Snyder fellow!

Really really good.

Batman & Robin #10

Bruce has decided that he needs a family portrait, with himself, three out of four Robins, and Alfred.  It's certainly a nice idea.  Too bad that Damian and Tim can't keep from bickering.  Jason isn't even there, and doesn't WANT to be there, but still gets all cranky that he wasn't invited. 

Damian in the meantime, still with a price on his head, placed there by his own loving Mother, has decided that he's going to prove that he's just as good as...if not better than ALL of the other Robins, and informs them all that he's going to beat them at the one thing they are best at.  There is a certain amount of scoffing going on, but it doesn't pay to bet against the boy.

Gosh, he's just so obnoxious...and yet strangely adorable.

I loved this to death.

Demon Knights #10

Our intrepid group is on their way to Camelot, but things have certainly changed in the time that they've been gone.  Normal animals have been turned into monsters.  And they get to fight a Pirate Sea Serpent!  Like Vandal Savage, that is something that I never thought to see...but I like it.

Again, beautiful art and a fun story.  I just really like this bunch of protagonists, and I hope that they will stay around for a while.

Green Lanterns #10

Well, that was NOT what I was expecting! 

Resurrection Man #10

I found out that this book is going to be on the chopping block, and I'm depressed as heck, because I really like Mitch, and I've been enjoying his...er...resurrection.  He's got shadow powers in this one, rather similar to those of the Shade, and he's hanging out with Whatserhame, and being chased by both Angels AND Demons.

Decent art, and a good story.  I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

The Shade #0

Hoooooboy!  I'm not familiar with  Frazer Irving's artwork, but it rather reminds me of Danial Acuna...very painterly.  It's quite nice however.

Dickie Swift is back in London, and after attending to some business, makes an appearance at the abode of another one of his decendants...only this one is particularly...not nice.  In fact, he's pretty awful.  And he's been up to all kinds of nasty shenanigans.  Egyptian Gods come into it somehow, and the Shade finds himself in something of a predicament at the end.

I haven't been all that impressed with the Earth 2 stuff that Robinson is cranking out, but when it comes to the Shade, he's as good as ever.

Silk Spectre

Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner are two of my favorite  people, so there was no way I was going to miss this book, and I have to say that the art was fabulous, and I enjoyed the story, which is mainly that of Laurie Jupiter in her High School years, and the problems she is having with her mother. 

There is the usual Teenaged rebellion, a cute boy a mean girl, and...welll her Mother.  Who has problems of her own.  There aren't any superhero fights, but I loved it all the same.

The Mighty Thor #15

No Loki, but that's ok.  Thor is fighting none other than his Dear Old Dad in a dream world, where everyone is dreaming the same dream and it is starting to get a little...out of hand.  And the Enchantress is up to no good, which is pretty much the same as usual, but Don Blake has figured that out just a little bit too late.

Good!

Talking About Loki Again

Yes, I KNOW this is a site that idolizes Green Lanterns.  And their butts.  But I've been reading a lot of Journey Into Mystery lately, and really, think that it is absolutely the best book being put out by Marvel.  It's fun, zips right along, has a great cast of characters and an interesting premise.  And it is genuinely funny.  Which means, with MY luck, that they'll be cancelling it any day now.

But I think I may have figured it out.

 

Look at that color scheme!  Black and Green!

Kid Loki would make a GREAT Green Lantern.

Having a Good Wallow

I...actually went to my beloved Comic Book Store on a Saturday, as well as on my usual Wednesday jaunt.  It...was quite busy!  That's a good thing, I imagine.  But I just couldn't wait until this coming Wednesday.  I haven't had a good Comic Book wallow in quite a while, although I used to indulge in them when I was first coming back from my hiatus back in the day. 

Suddenly, I had to find a whole crapload of books that I had missed, or that had special stuff, or just because I wanted to read about what had happened during the time that I got married and starting spawning.  I'd go to the Comic Book store, or send away for books, and get a LOT of them all at once, and it was like a visual orgy.  I don't really need to do that sort of thing any more, mainly because I'm caught up, and also because Trades make it SO much more convenient and cheaper than having to track down all of those individual copies.

However...sometimes I miss it a bit.

Anyway, I've been enjoying the heck out of Journey Into Mystery, over at Marvel, mainly because the concept of a young teen Loki simply delights me, and also because Thor was my very first Comic Crush.  But although I was reading Thor sporadically, I missed some of the first issues of Journey Into Mystery, so I Tracked Them Down, and spent half of the weekend just indulging in some good old-fashioned Comic reading. 

It...was lovely. 

When you sit down and go through an entire arc, or even series of arcs of a book in one sitting, it is amazing how coherent it all is.  Usually anyway.   But fun.  Lots and Lots of fun.  THIS is one of the reasons why I read comics!

Anyhoo.  If ;you are looking for a really good book, I cannot recommend this highly enough.  Now excuse me, while I go back and read some more.

Slightly Late Reviews

I'm still operating on my Avengers Movie Viewing High, but decided that it is high time I did my weekly reviews.  Not that anyone really cares, but it makes me feel better.

Action Comics #10

Gosh, I loved this to death.  It was so nice to have Rags Morales back, and Clark...er...Superman even showed up in the jeans and T-shirt for a little while.

While Superman is doing his thing, a dastardly hunter has been hunting clues, and thinks that he knows who Superman really is...and he plans on having the hunt of a lifetime.  Silly fellow.  Superman in the meantime is hunting down a particularly nasty villain,  whom he apprehends, natch...but then ends up with his perfectly adorable pair of hamsters...that nobody on the Watchtower seems to want.  Superman also thinks that perhaps they should be doing MORE with their combined Justice League powers, but the others are reluctant to be throwing their collective weight around, and probably for good reason. 

Back on earth, Clark, due to his brilliant expose of  Glenmorgan, is being recruited by none other than Perry White.  Lois is starting a scrap book, and Jimmie is impressed with Lana's picture from Clark's prom.  A gentleman decides to blow himself up to everyone's consternation, and our trio is in the path of the destruction.

The Hunter shows up at Clark's digs, and spins his landlady a cock and bull story about being an old buddy from Smallville, when he is astounded to learn that Clark Kent has been killed in the explosion.  Needless to say...he is just dumbfounded.  He's even less happy when Superman shows up and shows him whats for.  Then everyone gets together in the conference room to talk about how great Clark was and how they are all going to miss him.

Wow!  I can hardly wait to see where Grant Morrison is going to be taking this storyline.


Before Watchmen #1
Minutemen

Oh Darwyn Cooke, I can never be upset with you.  I know that there is a lot of angst out there right now about the whole premise of Before Watchmen, but I can't say that I feel it all that much.  I didn't read Watchmen when it first came out, and in fact didn't read it until QUITE a few years later...so it has always just been a very good story to me...not the End All and Be All of Comicbookdom.   So I'm perfectly happy to pick some of these books up.  And darn it...this was really very good. 

The art is spectacular of course.  It is mostly in flashback, and gives us some of the history of the various characters, and what their motivations were.  It's well written, it is beautifully drawn, and it is an interesting story.  I couldn't ask for more.

Fairest #4

The plot continues to thicken.  Apparently Lumi the Snow Queen isn't quite as nasty as she appeared to be all those years that she was hanging out with Gepetto.  She was drugged!  She is also continuing to be enteretained by our adorable little Genii, who continues to spin her tales of Sleeping Beauty and other stuff. 

Too bad that he kept mentioning the Bad Fairy,who gets wind of her name, and decides to show up.

Very nice.

Justice League International.

So...apparently the whole cliffhanger at the Eiffel Tower was actually covered in the last issue of Firestorm, and I didn't buy it, so now I shall have to, so that I know what happens!  Nevertheless, our doughty group of heroes and one heroine, fly back to the States, courtesy of Guy's ring-generated ship, and try to catch their breath.  Guy goes to visit Tora.  Other people visit other victims.  Bea is in a coma.  Batwing is actually brothers with one of the Bad Guys.  Booster and Godiva have a moment.  Omac sulks.

Then the Bad Guys show up and beat up the JLI. 

I simply adore these characters, but I have to admit this isn't the most scintillating issue ever.  Still, I'm going to be sorry when it ends, because where else will I be able to read about my favorites?  C'mon DC !  Throw me a bone!


Swamp Thuing #10

Man, this is good.  And beautifully drawn, and a cool and sinsiter and slighty scary story.  Anton Arcane is back!  And Abby has quite the history! 

Good good stuff.


Journey Into Mystery #639

God, I do love this book.  I like the Mighty Thor too, but not quite as much as the adventures of Kid Loki, who is fast becoming one of my favorite characters.

In this issue, Bad Things are happening in the pantheon of the British Isles, and they call all the other Pantheons for some help.  The All-Mothers would like to help, but are forbidden to, by the pact of non-interference or whatever...so if they want to help, it has to be under the radar.  So, naturally, they send in Loki and Leah.  Captain Britain is simply thrilled.

It's funny, and it's witty, and it's just fun, dammit!  Especially when they show up at Camelot, and Captain Britain rather dryly asks that they not make the usual jokes, which goes completely over Loki and Leah's heads, because they are too young to know who Monty Python is...although Loki says its because he's too hip.

I LOVE this book!

Not a bad week at all.

SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Ordinarily, I would be putting up the reviews of the lovely lovely comics that I bought and read yesterday, but today is no ordinary day.  There came a day...a day unlike any other...when after work, I wandered over to the googleplex theatre in Enfield, and plunked down my dollars for a matinee viewing of the Avengers.  In 3D!  I've never actually seen a 3D movie before!

Wow.

That's...one helluva movie!  And despite the fact that Thor does NOT take his shirt off once, it was still worth it.  Oh...so worth it.  It is a long movie, but you don't really notice because the action is just non-stop and balls to the wall the whole way through.  Everyone does a bang-up job with their characters, but i have to admit that my favorites are Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, who quite frankly is fabulous.  And hilarious. 

I have to admit that the first moment I really caught my breath in a moment of absolute wonder...was when Cap and Banner are peering over the edge of the aircraft carrier...and it turns into the SHIELD Helicarrier.  Whoa!
There were plenty of other moments as well of course.  The Hulk whapping poor Loki around like a Rag Doll was a precious moment, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is quite amusing and snarky, and Chris Evans as Captain America just blew me away.  Scarlett Johansen has a pretty decent role as the Black Widow, and Hawkeye is good, and Fury is good, and Maria Hill is good, and dammit, everyone is good!  And Chris Hemsworth is just so incredibly gorgeous.  And he still loves his baby brother, bless his heart!

After it was all done, there is that strange moment of disconnect that you feel when you stumble out of the dark theatre and enter the real world again, blinking your eyes because everything is so bright.  It had rained while I was in the Movie, but the sun had come out, and driving over the bridge, with the dark clouds in the distance and the sun, there was this HUGE Rainbow!  It just made me grin ear to ear the rest of the way home. 

So, after I come down from this incredible Comic Book High...Then I'll write reviews.  Oh Marvel...you still know how to sing that old siren song sometimes.

What IS it about Bad Boys?

So.  What exactly is it about Bad Boys that warms the cockles of a girls heart?  I had this question posed last week, while browsing over at "Our Valued Customers", a simply hilarious blog that you really should be reading at http://ourvaluedcustomers.blogspot.com/.  Anyway, someone had raised the question of exactly WHY all those silly girls were in a tizzy over Loki of all people.

Because there is just SOMETHING about a villain.  Or not a villain, but an anti-hero.  Or simply maybe we just like jerks.

I know that I do.  Face it, I'm a Guy Gardner fan.  I'm a Hal Jordan fan.  I tend to enjoy the heck of of complete assholes.  For that matter I am also a Booster Gold and Blue Beetle fan, and lets face it, both Booster and Ted had their moments.  In fact for a while there, the entire JLI was practically composed of jerks.  Just look at Max Lord!  I LIKED Max!  Not so much now, that he's toppled from Bad Boy over into complete Villainy.

Heck, for that matter, I like Flash's Rogues too...Captain Cold and Weather Wizard in particular.  I can't even say exactly why, but when they are well-written, I just love them to death.  And I do like Barry, but there is no way on earth,that he can be considered a Bad Boy.

I loathe Gambit however.  He's supposed to be a Bad Boy...but I think he's faking it.  He's a Bad Boy as written by Committee, and it rings false to me.  And I didn't like Jack T. Chance much either, for the same reason, so I'm just as glad that he's dead.

Of course I just happen to like perfectly NICE Boys as well.  Barry is nice.  Alan and Jay are nice.  Superman is VERY nice.  Even Nightwing is nice.  Jason Todd isn't, but I don't like him much either.  There has to be a certain charm involved, and I don't find Jason charming in the least.

And yes, I will admit it, I like Loki too.  I've always had a soft spot for Loki, because I was always a fan of Norse myths from waaay back before I even started reading comics.  Loki may have caused a fair amount of trouble, but he wasn't EVIL per se...he just really enjoyed causing a certain degree of mayhem, and who can blame him?  And while he did cause quite a bit of trouble, he was equally good at getting the Gods OUT of trouble.  It was really only when portrayed in Marvel Comics, that he became unrelentingly EVIL.  So I am just as happy, that he's back as a boy, and trying to do the right thing.  And I also have to admit that Tim Hiddleston is HAWT!

 

Sexy kid Loki!

I prefer my Bad Boys with the requisite Heart-of-Gold of course.  And the possibility of redemption, which is always very important.  A lot of girls have the feeling that Bad Boys are simply Misunderstood, and that all they need is the Love Of A Good Woman.  Look at all those old Teenaged Death tunes!  Of course a REAL Bad Boy needs a heck of a lot more than the love of a good woman to be redeemed, but a lot of us like to kid ourselves.  Which is why stuff like Comics and the Movies are a whole lot safer than the real thing sometimes.

So.

What other Bad Boys are out there, and who likes them?  And conversely, do boys like Bad Girls?


Gosh, I just love my Bad Good Guy.