Random Ramblings

That's a title that tells you that I don't have the foggiest idea of what to talk about...but that I am bound and
determined to talk about it anyway.  Gosh, that's annoying!

Easter is almost upon us, and I am talking time out from dying eggs and making potato salad and stuff.  And Pan Dulce.  God, I love Pan Dulce. 

But onto the topic of Comics.  Because that is what you are here for. 

There don't seem to be Easter Comics.  They have plenty of comics with a Christmas theme, and even with a Halloween theme.  Arbor Day...not so much.  But I really can't think of anything that pays attention to Easter.  But it is probably just as well.

Marvel is coming out with a new X-Men book, that only features women, which sounds and looks...pretty good actually...although I haven't picked it up, and frankly I don't even know if it is out yet.  Storm has a mohawk again.  This is what getting divorced does to a woman.  I don't know if Jubilee is still a vampire or not.  She looks suddenly a whole lot younger again.  She was always younger than Kitty, but then for a while she was looking much OLDER than Kitty and going around sucking blood.  I don't really know the details.  I didn't WANT to know the details. 

Speaking of Storm...did she get her stuff back that she had lying around in Wakanda after the Black Panther so unceremoniously told her to beat it?  She probably had clothes and shampoo and other things still there.  Does she get any kind of settlement?  She's an X-Queen after all.  I will tell you one thing.  Once word gets out that T'Challa can simply dissolve a marriage just by announcing it to you in the middle of a fight, he's going to have a hard time with Bride Number Two.

Why does Gambit have his own book?

Young Avengers apparently came out this week...but my store didn't have any, by the time that I got there...and I got there EARLY!   I am crushed.  I'll have to look for it next week, since it is also possibly that they simply got shorted in their order, which seems to happen with dull regularity.    Grrrrrrrr! 

It may be Spring, but I'm not feeling it yet.  And I WANT to!

We are currently in the process of demolishing our kitchen and doing a fairly major remodel.  So I may be distracted for a bit.  Possibly six months or so.  And speaking of which...I would think that being a carpenter or remodeler or electrician or plumber in the Marvel and DC Universes would be extremely lucrative...all of those cities being levelled every other month or so!  Being an Insurance Adjuster on the other hand, must be simply heartbreaking.

So...I understand that Wolverine is considered to be quite popular these days.  I used to like Wolverine a lot.  Lately...not so much.  Maybe it is because he is so completely ubiquitous.  Maybe it is because he is a lot more obnoxious.  And since I seem to LIKE obnoxious comic book characters, you would think I would find that more endearing...but not really.  Maybe it is because that rather tantlizing air of mystery that he used to have is gone.  Maybe it is because he is in every single book that Marvel prints.  You really can have too much of a good thing someimes.

Is it me, or is Volthoom in the Green Lantern books, a complete waste?  I am not really feeling this latest storyline.  Up until now, Geoff Johns has been pretty consistent in the quality of his books, but this has been a sloppy mess.  Not the way that I would want to exit from a book that I've been on for years and years.  I find him to be evil just for the sake of being evil.  I find that boring.  I also am a little bit outraged that people like Larfleeze and Carol Ferris can break free of his mind-whammies, while seasoned Green Lanterns like Guy and John can't.  St. Walker...yes, I can see that, he is the imbodiment of Hope after all.  But Carol?  Don't get me wrong...I LIKE Carol, but the idea that she can defeat Volthoom when Guy or John gives up and whines is simply...infuriating. 

I'm glad that they aren't going to kill off John Stewart.  I am outraged that they thought it was a good idea.  And for all of their frenzied backpedalling...you KNOW that they thought it was a good idea.  Remember when they wanted to kill off Dick Grayson?   If you don't know what to do with a character, that's fine...you don't have to use every single toy in the box all of the time.  But don't break those toys, because someone else down the road may have a simply fabulous idea, and then you have to go through all the tedium of a resurrection,which just makes the fanboys and fangirls even MORE jaded. 

I'm feeling a tad jaded lately.  Maybe it's the cold.  Maybe it is the prospect of not having a sink. 

I've probably tried your patience long enough.  Does anyone else have any particular questions or ideas of what the heck is going on? 

And Happy Easter.

Thursday's Reviews

Not a bad week at all.  Of course, I say that practically EVERY week.  Because even the worst week in comics still brings me a little bit of joy. 

I am such a sap.

Aquaman #1

Well this had some interesting stuff.  Arthur is adjusting to life as the King of Atlantis, and the Atlanteans are adjusting to life with Arthur as King.  As could be deduced not everyone is particularly happy to see him there instead of Orm.  And can you blame them?

And then there is Tula...Orm's sister. 

Meanwhile, Mera is having some problems with the law, but is talked out of assault and battery by a sympathetic policewoman.  But in the meantime, poor Salty the Sea Dog still needs to be fed!

And a VERY cranky old guy shows up.  He seems to be able to manipulate snow.  This has piqued my interest.  Not bad at all.


Batman: The Dark Knight #18

Let me just state for the record, that I am getting this solely because I adore Ethan Van Sciver's artwork, which is...sumptuous.  Plus ol' Jervis is one craaaaazy villain. 

Also Catwoman shows up and steals one of the Batmobile's hubcaps.

This is a pretty dark story.  The Mad Hatter is completely off of his rocker, and is trying to restage his high school days, and his long lost crush, but it isn't going particularly well...especially when he actually MEETS his long lost crush.  Lots and lots of gratuitous deaths, which I find rather disgusting. It is as though every Bat villain has to be in competition with the Joker over body counts. 

But man, that art is gorgeous.

Batman Incorporated #9

*sniff*

Along with Batman and Robin, this is a book that really does merit the "Requiem" tag on the cover.  We have Damian's funeral, we have poor Dick angsting, we have poor Bruce angsting, and poor Alfred is riddled with guilt.

Squire takes on Knight's title, for some reason Gotham is ready to run Batman out of town, because of Leviathan, which seems like  a mean sort of thing to do...and Bruce bonds with the Bat Cow.

Boy, I hope that Talia gets hers...and hard.

Very nice.

The Flash #18

Barry is back from the dead, which he always was, but now Central City knows it.  He's moonlighting at the Villain's bar, while he waits to get his regular job back, because they have to have him declared UN-dead.  You would think that this would be no big deal in the DC Universe, but hey...bureaucracy, am I right?

Meanwhile, the Trickster is accused of murder and mayhem, and surprisingly, Barry is on his side.  The Rogues may be villains, but they are villains with a code of honor, bless their twisted little hearts.  And the other two guys who came out of the Speed force apparently have powers, and are very clumsily, trying to use them, much to Barry's dismay.  Iris doesn't seem to have any powers, but who knows? 

And then, Barry runs into a wall...literally, as his speed disappears.  What could this possibly be?


The Flash is always fun, and light and airy and not too dismal.  A good book and fun to read.


All Star Western #18

Well, Doctor Arkham and Jonah have been sent into the cordoned off section of Gotham city, in order to find the kidmapped wife of Alan Wayne.  The cholera is raging, and according to Mayor Cobblepot, it is the fault of the poor people.  Vandal Savage is the one who has kidnapped the fair Catherine, and wants all of her husband's wealth, in return for her safe return.  Oh, like THAT would happen. 

Naturally they are found by Jonah, and naturally, Savage taunts him a lot.  Jonah tries to shoot him, and Savage uses his sword to block the bullets.  But he just can't keep his big fat mouth shut, and Jonah finds a BIGGER gun, and blows him up.  They rescue the fair Catherine, and get the heck back to safety, while the apparently lifeless body of Vandal Savage is thrown in the pit with the rest of the Cholera victims...except you know that he gets out that. 

Finally, Arkham is all set to go off on another wild and crazy adventure with Jonah, when he discovers from his mother, that Jonah has had enough of Gotham, and is going home.  Arkham just can't believe that his bestest buddy would run out on him like that, and tracks him down to the railroad station, buys and ticket and goes to Jonah's compartment, baggage in hand, and ready for adventure.  Too bad Jonah boots him off of the train. 

Thank goodness he's getting out of Gotham and back to his usual haunts!  It's been fun, but I've missed owl-hoots and such.  This was amusing on several levels, mainly Arkhams distress at Jonah's behavior, but it was a good issue, and I love good issues.


Justice League Dark #18

Well, things have well and truly hit the fan, and young Tim is leading his magical allies in a revolt.  But things are getting a bit TOO out of hand, and Zatanna is trying to save the innocent citizens caught in the middle.  Tim is trying to stop things, but nobody is listening to him, and everything is about to crash and burn, when Tim's dad shows up..and he's got powers too!  Or maybe he is Tim as well.  I'm not too sure, but together they take care of the crazy magic, and everyone gets back in one piece, and the Hunters stay to try and fix things in the other dimension, and now John can lie again, and Black Orchid and Xanadu are back to normal, and John also gives the Books back to Argus and tells them to stuff it.

The art is lovely, and it is a satisfying conclusion to their adventure, and darn it, I like this book.



Journey Into Mystery #650

I was a bit leery of this when teen Loki left for Young Adventures, because I adore teen Loki.  But Immonen has done an excellent job with Sif, and her berserkers, and her adventures.  Turns out that she wasn't really crazy, she just managed to fool herself into thinking that she was, with a little help.  Poor Sif just wanted to lash out for a change. 

Her buddies that she brought back to Asgardia with her, are decent fellows, with the exception of  Svip, who is one seriously twisted dude.  But she does introduce them all to the wonders of pizza.  Except that Svip isn't content to just loll around and eat pizza, and goes out and tries to conquer Broxton, till Sif shows him what is for. 

Great stuff.  Great, I say!

I hope that you all enjoyed YOUR comics too!

What On Earth Is Going on with DC?

I realize that people always have and always will, have disputes about how the Big Two in Comics, conduct their business.  It IS a business, after all, and although you and I may want to have things a certain way, that doesn't mean that it is ever going to happen. 

That being said...Seriously, what the hell is going on with DC? 

I like Marvel, and I like DC, in that they publish some of my favorite entertainment.  They have provided me with hours and hours of happiness.  But lately, that happiness seems to be in dire jeapardy.   I have been basking for the past few years in the warm glow of being a Green Lantern fan.  Geoff Johns was firmly at the helm, Peter Tomasi was there right along with him.  We were blessed with the work of some really fabulous artists.  We were doubly blessed with some amazing stories, such as Rebirth, Sinestro Corps War and heck, even the Black Lanterns.   All kinds of interesting things were going on. 

Now, Geoff Johns and Pete Tomasi are moving on to other things, along with Bedard,and others, and I am no longer quite as serene.  Consternation has entered into my love of  all things Green Lantern.  Will the stories be as good?  Will there be wholesale changes?  Will the characterizations be the same, or will the new writers turn everything upsidedown?  Or should I simply be happy that Winick isn't involved? 

And then came the rumors that one of the new writers for Green Lantern Corps has already quit, because he wasn't happy with what Editorial wanted him to do...and the rumor continues that DC was contemplating killing off John Stewart.  DC has of course, denied this...but only after a rather vehement backlash. 

John Stewart.  They wanted to kill off John Stewart.  The bedrock of the Corps.  The reliable one.  The SMART one.  The one that was on the Justice League, and therefore is the Lantern of choice for a crapload of kids, who are now older and buying comics themselves.  And incidentally...the black one.  Because DC doesn't have that great a track record when it comes to treating heroes of color the same way that it treats white heroes. 

Man, I am sick of this.  If it is true that DC never ever had any such intention, and that they are shocked...SHOCKED by this accusation...then I humbly apologize.  But I don't really believe that in my heart of hearts.  Because it is a monumentally STUPID  idea.  In fact I am sick to death of...Death.  Can't the writers or the editors or whomever come up with something new?  Death has become such a goddamned cliche!  Can't think of a new way to cause angst, or at least get a mention in the media?  Kill off yet another beloved hero!  Granted, it IS Comics, and just about everybody comes back from Death sooner or later.   But that isn't the point any more.  Not to mention the fact that there are a whole LOT of my absolute favorite heroes who HAVEN'T come back from the dead!

Katma Tui.  Ralph and Sue Dibny.  Ted Kord.  Dmitri, Damian, Lian, Doctor Polaris, Captain Boomerang Jr.  Mace Gardner, Ma and Pa Kent, Boodikka and Kreon and Chaselon and Tomar Re and Hal Jordan for pity's sake!   And lots lots more.

Granted, I'm pretty sure that Hal is coming back.  But if Death is such a revolving door, then what is the point of it all?  Do the editors at DC, and probably Marvel too...simply sit around and think of ways to give their fans heart attacks?  All I want, is to read about my favorite characters and their adventures.  I would like to have a good story and good artwork.  I would like the characters to be written reasonably in character.  Talking Gorillas, Nazis on Dinosaurs, flying Cats, Alien Invasions are perfectly fine.  Angst is allowable, along with copious kicks to the face. 

A little bit of joy and humor wouldn't be missed either.  I'm so sick of nothing but dark and grim, and decapitations, and loss of limbs, and the gratuitous killing of children, and the destruction of happy marriages, the fridging of girlfriends and so on and so forth. 

So...Knock it Off, DC.  I'm getting awfully cranky here.

Green Lantern: New Guardian #18

Well...we are spinning our wheels just a bit more, as once again Volthoom is busy trying to mess with the minds and pasts of the various Lanterns that he has encountered.  He's just having SO much fun reveling in all the emotion after being locked away for all those millenia by the Guardians. 

I hate to say this, but I am beginning to think that perhaps the Guardians were right to lock this guy up.

This time, after torturing Guy, John and Kyle,  he is going after our favorite Star Sapphire, Carol Ferris.  In his twisted version of her past,  she is having a love/hate relationship with Hal, and decides to stay as a pilot instead of taking over Ferris Air from her father.  Ferris is therefore sold, and a Bad Corporation ;buys it,and that same group is behind the attack, and she's about to blow up her plane...when...

...in the meantime, he's torturing Larfleeze, by giving him back his family and everything that he supposedly wants...except...

...St. Walker never became a Hope Lantern, he became a Green Lantern, and was suckered by the Guardians, who set the zombie Third army on his home planet, and took over his family...

...and all of these characters, managed to break free of the fantasy, and reassert their own reality, thus proving that they are stronger than any of the aforementioned Green Lanterns.  This makes Volthoom very very cranky.  In fact, all I can do is imagine him saying that he is very very angry, using the voice of Mel Blanc as the Space Cadet...mainly because I have a very childish mind.

So, in order to show them all, he's going after RAGE next!

While on the one hand, I am quite pleased that St. Walker, Larfleeze and Carol all had the presence of mind and strength of character to reassert themselves, I am outraged that they managed to out-do all my Green Lanterns when it basically comes down to...Will power.

Green is the balance in the spectrum.  A Green Lantern, may be honest, truthful and help little old ladies cross the street, but what they have in ABUNDANCE is...Will.  And we have been presented with Guy, John and Kyle and Fatality all buckling under and giving up. 

I don't buy it.  Guy has so much willpower, that it makes his ring spark when he is standing still.  Kyle has so much willpower that he can contain supernovas and split atoms.  John has so much willpower that he exceeded the capacity of the ring, when he tried to put Xanshi back together.  And you're telling me that a loser like Volthoom can turn them into sheep? 

Please. 

Super Reviews

Egad but that was a delightful week.  Lots and lots and lots of books came in.  Interesting books.  Quirky books.


Action Comics #

I'm not completely positive, but I think that this is Grant Morrison's last issue of Superman, and it is a good one.  Ties up the lose ends, epic battle, and all of that stuff.  Krypto is in it, which is nice, although he is more wolf-looking than Krypto-looking.  Evil gets its comeuppance, Lex Luthor is  mildly amusing, and Superman is pretty awesome.

The back-up story by Sholly Fisch is rather adorable, and mostly wordless, but involves a museum, cute little alien kids, the Legion and bullies.  Rather sweet really.

I still rather hanker after young Superman in his work boots and jeans, because I find that new costume to be hideous...but what can you do?



Birds of Prey #18

Well, Canary is angsting a bit about her superpower being out of control, Barbara is hovering, and Strix is hungry.  Oh, and Mister Freeze is busy torturing a captured Talon, in order to find out some...stuff apparently.  It doesn't work, so he decides to go after the next available Talon, which of course happens to be Strix, and there is a fight, and Starling is kidnapped by Freeze.  In between all of this, Dinah wanders off to a diner and gets some advice from an old lady. 

I'm not sure why, but boy, this seemed to be a little thin of content.  It just took minutes to read, and all there was at the back of the book was more pages with ads for more DC comics.  I counted only 20 pages of story, and one of those was a two-page splash.  The rest was ads and filler, which padded the book out a bit. 

It was...ok.  Nothing mind-boggling.  Some standing around, some angsting and the surprise attack by Freeze, and a kidnapping.  That's it.


Constantine #1

Well, it isn't Hellblazer anymore.  John is still pretty much a bastard, and he pretty much sacrifices one of his acquaintances, and he's pretty cold-blooded about it.  Also, a bunch of former magical good guys are now apparently magical bad guys, who have been corrupted by the power of magic, which rather startled me.  I mean...Zatarra? 

I'm still not quite used to having John wandering around New York City.  It just seems a little off.  But not terrible by any means.  Just not outstanding either.

Gee...I seem to be fairly ambivalent towards my comics now that I am sitting down and writing about them.  I enjoyed them all well enough as I was reading them.


Fables #127

Well, Snow White has been kidnapped by Prince Whatshisname, who says that since they were pledged, it means that they are actually married, and all that stuff with Prince Charming and Bigby never happened. 

However, Beast manages to capture my heart, by outfoxing the Blue Fairy at the very beginning of the book, as she is coming for Gepetto, by claiming that Gepetto wants to marry her, so she can't kill him, and to send in a proxy to do her wooing.  The poor Fairy, who isn't the brightest pixie dust in the place, agrees, and Reynaud the Fox, is properly impressed with Beast's brilliance at stalling.  And you'll never guess who the proxy turns out to be, or why she is in King Ambrose's bath tub!

Snow White, isn't taking to her captivity lying down, but the Prince has figured out a way, to thwart any attempts at rescue, an attack on him, automatically hurts her.  She does figure out how to send Ghost after Bigby, and Rose Red is all set to storm the castle, with a pretty smart plan of her own...and then Bigby Shows up...
...and he's not happy at all.

This was pretty darned good.  It has been dragging a bit lately, but things have certainly picked up and gotten interesting again.  Plus I am a sucker for Snow White and Bigby anyway.


Green Lantern:New Guardians 318

Oh good grief.


Justice League #18

And a-recruiting we shall go!  Up on the Satellite of Love, the Justice League decides that perhaps Cyborg is right, and they need a B-team, so after a bit of back and forth, they haul a bunch of candidates up to look them all over.  We have a motley bunch, consisting of Black Canary, Black Lightning, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Platinum, Vixen and Zatanna. 

That is a fairly catholic bunch, I must admit.  It is also nice to have a fair number of women under consideration, since there is only Wonder Woman in the first bunch.

Blue Devil is there too, but apparently he and Black Lightning are partners now, which I think that I may have known, but forgot about.  Goldrush is busy flirting like mad with Barry, who is acting an awful lot like Wally.  Platinum is losing her marbles,  Will Magnus hasn't done that great a job with her, and she certainly sounds completely robotic as opposed to the flirty and fun Tina that I am familiar with. 

Naturally a fight breaks out, and they decide that Platinum is nuts and won't be making the cut.  And the Atom shows up, except he is a she, by the name of Rhonda Pineda, and she's from Ivy , which is nice, but man, I was hoping for Ryan. 

The art is pretty. 

The backup with Shazam is a bit more compelling, the rest of the kids realize that Billy is Shazam, mainly because Freddy tells them so...and the evil rich father with the evil bully kids shows up with some cops, and does his evil business.  Black Adam is still looking for Shazam, and  Doctor Sivana shows up with the seven sins.

The art is lovely, and I have to admit that although I find this new version of Billy rather obnoxious, I am anxious to see what happens.

Justice League of America #2

Waller continues to assemble her team, Steve Trevor continues to sigh a lot, and the B-Team shows up.  Star Girl is bouncy and happy, Vibe is a bit out of his depth, Ollie is in the hospital, Katanna is cranky, Catwoman is flirty, Simon Baz doensn't show up because he is busy being dead with Hal,  and  Hawkman provides me with a genuine moment of mirth, when he shows up at the meeting covered with blood,which completely freaks out poor Vibe.  Hawkman calmly says that it isn't his blood, so what is the big deal?

Haw! 

Oh, and the President wasn't too happy about needing this second team, the purpose of which is to protect us from the first team, until J'onn saves him from assassination.  I wouldn't put it past Waller to have set up the killer in the first place, since that is exactly the sort of thing that she would do.  Also, the new League doesn't have a clue as to their real purpose, although I am pretty sure that J'onn knows perfectly well. 

It isn't a bad set up, and I'll be interested in seeing where they go with this.


Vibe #2

More Vibe stuff.  He uses his awesome power and catches a kid robbing a convenience store, which is very heroic of him.  Dale Gunn shows up, which is nice although there aren't any women fighting over him.  Waller continues to fight with Steve Trevor. 

There is an alien showing up, and Vibe is the only one who can see him, and it turns out that he is a messenger from the father of one of the prisoners being held in a containment unit by Amanda Waller.  So...Gypsy is...an Alien?

Seriously?

And we all end up at the same ceremony in Washington that we ended up at in Justice League of America.

Gypsy is an alien?


Wonder Woman #18

Now this book was pretty darned fantabulous.

Diana has found Demeter's realm, along with War.  Hermes isn't happy at all.  Diana still doesn't know why he has seemingly betrayed her, and he isn't being very forthcoming.  But he figures that her showing up with Ares is a betrayal of HIM. So naturally they fight for a while

Meanwhile the First Born is fighting Poseidon, and being quite a nasty boy.

Hermes is whipping her butt, when Orion shows up on his cool little sky-cycle thingie, and they fly around for a bit, chased by Hermes, until Diana slices one of his ankle wings off, which has to hurt.  Ares in the meantime has gone in search of Demeter, and they talk for a while, until he rips her stomach open and pulls out Zora's kid.

Poseidon swallows the First Born.  This is probably not as final as it looks.

Diana goes in search of Demeter, for fear that she is hurt, which rather startles Demeter, since she figured that anyone who was palling around with Ares would have left her for dead.  She tells Diana that Ares has split with the baby, which makes Diana very very cranky.  She and Orion have a heart to heart tal,and then off they go, and lo and behold...!

...Everyone, including the baby is hanging out at the apartment!  Zola, the baby, Ares, Strife, Hera, and Lennox!  Orion admits that he is happy that the kid is a boy,he would have hated to snuff a baby girl.

And we have a happy ending of sorts.

It won't last of course, but still...!  I enjoyed the heck out of this.

And in a weird sort of way...I can't help but  think that Orion looks a hell of a lot like Guy Gardner, and the way that he is fighting/flirting with Diana is a lot like the way they used to interact back in the old Justice League! So I am having twice as much fun.

Dang, this is a good book.

Finally...


Saga #11

I can hardly express how much I love this book.

WE have a sexy sexy flashback with Marko and Alana and quite possibly Hazel's conception.  Then back to the present, where their ship is in the grip of the vortex, space monster thingie, and they are stuck.  In the other ship,the Will goes jumpin out into space to rescue Lying Cat, which makes me SO relieved, since I really really like Lying Cat.  

The little slave girl he rescued is ok, and Marko's ex girlfriend is ok, and she's even happier now that the Will actually saw their ship.  On their ship, Marko's mother wants him to take the magic helmets and Hazel and escape, but he throws them into the furnace that powers their ship, which gives them enough power to escape.  Except that his father Barr has to use his power to hold the ship together and has the inevitable heart attack, which made me sad, because he was pretty awesome.

The art is fabulous, the dialogue is a hoot, and gosh, I love this book.

So...not a bad week at all.

Happy Equinox!

Yes, it is Spring.  The ground is covered in snow, and it is cold and blustery...but it is Spring.  I will actually start to get excited when I see some crocuses.  Or is that croci?

Whatever.

I haven't a thought in my head today, so I give you...



...yes, Hal flying with his legs apart.  Again.  But he's blowing snow away, which seems like a worth
while sort of thing to do.  I may have already posted this recently, but I'm not sure, so why the heck not?

Eventually I will get my brains back.  Till then...enjoy!

This was Cool

And a happy belated St. Patrick's day to you all.  Our Fife and Drum corps marched in the Holyoke St. Patrick's day Parade, which is probably the largest one in the country...and froze their behinds off!  Since it is at least 3.5 miles long, I cleverly stayed at home and watched it all on television.  

Cold.  So cold.  Last year it was70!

But anyway, I was on my way to work this morning, in lovely Springfield, Massachusetts, and traveling on I-91 north, till I got to the ess in the road, known locally as the Longmeadow Curve, when I noticed a VERY large bird flying overhead.

It was a bald eagle!

They nest in Suffield, Ct, on the Connecticut river, a few miles to the south, so we actually do see them occasionally...but still, it was amazing.  They are simply gorgeous, this was a male, with the white head and the white tail feathers.  It was a very nice start to a Monday morning!

This has nothing whatsoever to do with comics.  But I thought it was cool.

Cartoon Channel

Well, this morning, they aired the final episode of the Green Lantern cartoon. 

Dammit.

I'm going to miss it.  It even had Guy in it!  Mostly Hal of course, but still! 

It also had Kilowog, and Salaak, and Larvox, and Chaselon and Tomar Re, and many many more.  I liked Razor, and I liked Aia, and I even liked Sayd and Ganthet and Appa Ali Apsa.  Heck, it even had Scar!

It was a good show, and it didn't take itself too seriously.  They did a good job with Hal and Carol, and managed to incorporate the various emotional corps quite well. 

It's a shame that it only lasted two seasons, but like all good things...namely Batman: the Brave & the Bold...it too has come to an end. 

Dammit!

Green Lantern Corps #18

Well! 

That was...underwhelming.  In fact, it is the exact same story that was told about Guy last month, and the same story that was told about Kyle last month, except with John and Fatality thrown into the mix.  I love Peter Tomasi, and I think that his Batman and Robin story this month was a small masterpiece...but this is not his best.

Once again, the First Lantern, has captured both John and Fatality and is putting the two of them through the same old "everything in your past happened differently" routine.  Once again, I'm not even sure that some of the things in John's past could even have happened in this new timeline, but what the heck. 

It doesn't help particularly, that Fernando Pasarin doesn't do the artwork this issue either, but instead it is drawn by Chris Cross, who may be a perfectly nice person...but I didn't enjoy it particularly. 

This didn't really do a whole lot to advance the story, except to establish that the First Lantern is a jerk of monumental proportions, and that he is taking great glee in attacking some of my favorite Lanterns and making their lives miserable.  I AM quite looking forward to seeing  him get his well-deserved comeuppance.

I like comeuppances.

Some More Reviews

This was a rather...odd week. 

Batgirl #18

That is a very sweet cover, with Barbara weeping and a robin on her shoulder.  And it has absolutely nothing to do with what is inside the book.

As her evil brother James watches, and the story is more or less told from his point of view, Batgirl was blown up, but the bystanders refuse to accept this, and acknowledge that she is a real hero, and try to dig her out.  Fortunately, she survives in a rather miraculous fashion. 

Then Batman tells Commissioner Gordon what happened to Robin, who is turn tells Barbara and she is sad, and tries to call Dick.  But that is the extent of her mourning, because evil James keeps calling and taunting her, and it is a game of wits between the two of them. 

Gosh, but James is a despicable character. 

This was...ok, but it certainly didn't blow my socks off.


Batman #18

This is mostly about that girl that helped Batman a while back, the electronics wizard, or whatever it is that she does...Harper.  She notices, since she is completely obsessed with him, that poor Batman is off his game, and is all over the place, and not sleeping and even coming out in the daylight.  She tries to help, he lashes out, and eventually, they have a meeting of the minds, and she writes a big "R" in lights on the buildings or something.

This is, I think, the first Snyder issue that hasn't enthralled me.  It isn't a bad story, it's interesting seeing Batman through her eyes, but it all seems a bit...shallow.  I don't know if I can describe it, but the whole dead Robin thing just isn't grabbing me.  And I like Damian, although in the beginning I couldn't stand him.  Nevertheless, the death of another child is pretty sickening, and even more sickening is the motive, which is a fridging.  No more, no less.


Batman & Robin #18

Now THIS book on the other hand, is the gem of this weeks offerings.  A totally silent issue, by Peter Tomasi, and with Pat Gleason drawing his brains out. 

Bruce is dealing with Damian's death, finding some of his things, such as his drawings, coping with Alfred's despair, and as he goes out on his usual patrol, he keeps seeing Damian out of the corner of his eye.  Bruce is more than wound a bit tight, he goes on a spree, and  the Commissioner and his aides find dozens of criminals tied up and deposited next to the Bat Signal on the roof.

Finally, as he is cleaning up after his nights work,he finds a note that Damian had left for him in his locker, and all his own grief and sorrow well up,and he lashes out, and then falls to his knees clutching Damian's costume.

I don't mind admitting that I was tearing up at this point.

*sniff*

As I said, Pat Gleason draws the HELL out of this.  Get this, you won't be sorry.


Demon Knights #18

Well, the girls have managed to rescue poor Jason Blood who has been tortured for years by Vandal Savage for some reason or another.  They meet up with Xanadu, who at first is a bit miffed, but then realizes that Jason has the spell on him, of no mouth, so no way to summon Etrigan.  Since they really really WANT him to summon Etrigan, she takes care of that little matter. Too bad that Jason is a bit miffed that they don't seem to want his help...only his demon buddy. 

But Cain is still on the rampage, and Exoristos is getting frantic about saving Themyscira, so Etrigan shows up and does his thing.  They do meet up with some Amazons, and fight off the vampire hordes, by taking out their heads and hearts.  Too bad it isn't enough.

This is actually a pretty good book, at least for me. I think that the writer is going to be one of the ones taking over the Green Lantern books, so I am...slightly...relieved.

Not bad at all.


Green Lantern Corps #18

More tomorrow


Threshold presents The Hunted #3

Boy howdy, but that is a stupid title.

I keep wanting to like this book.  But I don't even know who half of these people are, and it is a bit confusing, and I think I am going to be dropping this.


Thor: God of Thunder #6

In this issue we get the back story of the God Killer, and he has the usual sad and tragic past.  One by one his family dies, the Gods of his world don't seem to listening, and he's fed up to the gills.  And when two battling immortals fall at his feet, he snaps, and gets some funky powers and goes on the usual killing spree.

But oh, poor Volstagg!

Oh God, Tuesday

Yes, it is Tuesday, the most depressing day of the week...at least for me.  And it's raining.  And still cold, although not as cold as it was, but certainly not as nice as it could be. 

Bleh.

So, naturally, this means that I am going to inflict my usual stream of conciousness drivel upon you.  And incidentally, to all of the people who write "dribble" on message boards...that is incorrect, unless you mean drool.  Drivel means nonsense...and it simply drives me to drink.  Of course reading message boards is probably the worst thing that one can do.  I've noticed that people will actually stick to the topic for a couple of posts, and next thing you know, they veer wildly off into tangents, and politics always rears its ugly head, and the whole point of the topic is completely lost.

*sigh*

So...veering completely off topic...there is something that has been puzzling me for years.  If eating human flesh turns you into a Wendigo...but only if you do it in the woods of Canada, what if some kid out hiking with his parents eats a booger?  Disgusting?  Yes, completely.  But still...would the little tyke turn into a little Wendigo?  Things like this bother me. 

I also wonder about the kind of people who actually would chose to live in Gotham City.  Do they have a Tourist Board?   How would you like to work for the Chamber of Commerce in Bludhaven say?  What are their taxes like?  Who pays the taxes on all of those abandoned warehouses that have been turned into supervillain lairs?  I would think that a Lair Tax would do quite well, all things considered. 

Do superheroes get royalties on the merchandise sold that bears their likenesses?  Wonder Woman and Black Canary were in Japan a while back, and Diana was quite stunned to see all those anime statues of her.  That's probably how Bruce Wayne manages to keep his family coffers replenished, but I don't know if the others in the Justice League are quite so smart. 

It has really just started to dawn on me, that in a few short months, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Peter Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin will no longer be drawing and writing about my favorite Green Lanterns.  I'm starting to panic just a wee bit.  Especially since the promos say that Guy is going to be a Red Lantern.  Been there and done that, and Guy is a GREEN Lantern, through and through.  Although I am pleased that Hal is supposed to be back.  And Kyle looks to be a White Lantern for a while at least.  John seems to be going through the fewest changes, and I don't have a clue about what is going to happen withe Simon, except that he'll be hanging out with the new Justice League,which I suppose is as good a place for him as any.  This way the rest of them can actually help the rest of the planets in their sector. 

Does anybody have any weird unanswered questions about the Comic Book Universe too?

Green Lantern #18

Well  Good Gosharootie! 

This was a REALLY good issue!  Oh Hal...I've missed you.  I'm sorry, but I find Simon Baz to be incredibly dull.  The little glimpses that we have been getting of Hal and Sinestro trapped by Black Hand have been one the things that have kept me going.  This whole ISSUE is about Hal and Sinestro, and it is fabulous.

First, kudos to  Alex Sinclair, who does astonishing things with the coloring.  The art ain't too shabby either, although I DO miss Doug Mahnke, and I will continue to miss him after he leaves.

*sob*

But anyway, onto the story.

Hal and Sinestro have been trapped for quite some time now, and they aren't particularly happy, although it is probably nice to see Tomar Re again.  They are a bit startled when Simon drops unceremoniously by, in fact Sinestro is simply fit to be tied.  Simon is supposed to be rescuing them...and yet he ends up trapped along with them.  Sinestro and Hal do a bit of bickering back and forth, as they are wont to do.  Poor Simon doesn't really know what to make of all of this, and also can't quite get his brain around the idea that he might be dead. 

Well, actually...he's not.  He's IS still wearing the ring, which Hal points out rather smugly to Sinestro.  Naturally, this leads to more fighting, as Sinestro is bound and determined to get his ring back, and to hell with the rest of them.   Simon tries to use the ring against Sinestro, but it doesn't work, so naturally Sinestro starts taunting.  Sinestro is GOOD at taunting.

This is probably the wrong thing to do, since Simon then shoots Sinestro.  Oh how he does love that stupid gun. 

Meanwhile, the freed Maltusians have surrounded Black Hand, and they are NOT happy.  Fortunately B'dg is still kicking, and he is doing his best to free Simon. 

Back in limbo, Hal and Sinestro are STILL bickering.  Sinestro isn't dead, but he was certainly...startled.  Tomar tells them both to knock it off, because he knows all about Volthoom, and how he is trying to rewrite history, and all of the dead that he is sending to join them.  So Hal and Sinestro are at least being brought up to date on what the heck is going on.  And we also learn that it was to fight Volthoom that the Guardians created the Manhunters in the first place.  Man, those little blue munchkins have been screwing up for a LONG time, haven't they? 

B'dg has figured out how to contact Simon, and is pulling him back.  Simon is trying to grab a hold of Hal, and the ring that he has...the combined ring of Hal and Sinestro duplicates itself into a ring for Hal...but as Simon is pulled out, Sinestro grabs a hold, and...

...Whoa!  Sinestro and Simon are back in the First Lantern's prison with Black Hand, B'dg and all of the other Not Guardians! 

This...is going to get interesting.

Hal is still stuck however.  He can't get out, and he can't use the black ring, because he still has a foot in the land of the living...and so he wonders...what if he didn't?

Oh, this is going to be INCREDIBLY interesting! 

Buy this and read it!  It's fabulous.

Itty Bitty Reviews

My Goodness me, that was a perfectly tiny week!  At least for me, anyway.

Batman: Detective Comics #18

Normally I do not read this book.  But it had a Requiem logo on the cover, so I obviously, thought that there would be something about Damian buying the farm.   However, it turned out to be mostly about the Penguin, and Zzas and the Penguin's underling taking over his operation.  Batman is pissy.

This was perfectly all right as a Bat book, but it wasn't really exactly what I was looking for.  I don't really follow all of this, with the exception the the Scott Snyder book, and Tomasi and Gleason book.

But still...an ok story I guess.


Fairest #13

This more or less wraps up the Rapunzel story, which was again...ok, but not my favorite yarn.  At least it had Bigby and Totenkinder in it at the end.  And we are still left wondering who REALLY kidnapped her children.

I rather hope that they move on to something a little more exciting with the next story.

This was a solid...average book.


Green Lantern #18

Boy Howdy!  I'll do this one tomorrow, but for the love of God, go out and get this.  The artwork alone, by Szymon Kudranski and Ardian Syaf is mind-boggling.  And I don't say that in any way to denigrate the stellar work by Doug or by Ivan.  A lot of this has to do with the incredible use of color, by Alex Sinclair, who should be paid in gold for what he does.

Wow!

Sink Holes

I am sure that you have all heard the sad news about the gentleman who lost his life due to a giant sink hole in Florida swallowing up his house as he slept.  Yet another good reason to stay out of Florida!  I can honestly say that I don't usually go to bed, hoping that I won't be swallowed up by the earth.  Although, there was a case just a couple of days ago where some sweet young thing got roaring drunk, and jumped a curb, hit a car in the driveway and barrelled into some poor innocent person's house as they were sleeping. 

Sheesh!

Anyway...am I a terrible person, because all I could think about was the invasion of Mole Man? 

Larfleeze?

I just read that Giffen and DeMatteis, two of my favorite writers, at least when they are together...are going to be collaborating on a new Larfleeze book.  This will spin out of his back-up status in the new Threshold book, written by Keith Giffen.  The main attraction of Threshold for me, has been that it has Space Cabby in it.

But still!  A book from DC that isn't all doom and gloom, and child murder!  Hopefully there won't be a lot of rape in it either, or decapitations...unless they are FUNNY decapitations.  Because I have to admit that I am fed up to the brim with all the grim and gritty.  Isn't that a trope that has run its course yet?  Remember when reading a comic book didn't leave you angry and depressed?  I do...and that's why I will be buying this. 

It is also going to just have Larfleeze going about his greedy little business. It won't have to coordinate with five other Green Lantern books, and have a giant crossover that ends with The Destruction Of The Corps As We Know It!  Which is a good thing.  Remember when books had a lead character, and a supporting cast, and the writer and the artist told stories about those characters doing their own thing?  It wasn't all a part of a giant 32 issue Massive Cross-Over!  You didn't have to buy 65 other books in order to know what was going on! 

Please.  Please let this be the first crack in the big dark wall of angst and edginess...letting in some light and joy. 

I...am...Happy!

I Did A Podcast!

...And lived to tell the tale! 

Shawn Engles from Just One of the Guys, has a lovely site, dedicated to Green Lanterns, specifically, Kyle and Guy.  I cannot fault his taste at all.  Anyhoo, a couple of weeks ago, he was nice enough to allow me to join him for a podcast.  I even figured out how to listen to it!  It turns out that you click on this little button thing.

I have to say that my voice sounds really weird to me.  But we had a simply lovely time, talking about the infamous issue that stuffed poor Alex into that refridgerator, and then, one of my all-time favorite Guy books, when Beau Smith first took over, and Guy went off to the Naba Jungle, met up with Buck Wargo and his crew, and drank the Warrior Waters and got cool new powers. 

It is a hoot and a half, if you have never read it.  For some reason, DC hasn't seen fit to bring out the Guy Gardner series in a Trade. I'm sure that it would sell like Hot Cakes! 

Just go to justoneoftheguys.libsyn.com, and it is the one from February 22, episode #54.  It gets...a little silly.