Green Lantern Corps Annual

I did like this book.  It was nice and fat, and had a lot of action, and actually advanced the plot, and Hal wasn't a complete idiot.  That was a bit of a change.  Also, Kanjar Ro and Bolphunga the Unrelenting, two villains that I have a sneaking fondness for. 

The Durlans and the Khund are being awfully unpleasant.  Mogo has been invaded, Things have been Blown Up.  Sector Houses are being destroyed, and Green Lanterns picked off all over, and thanks to the Durlans impersonating Hal, the entire universe thinks that the Green Lanterns are douchebags.  It all proves that you don't NEED the old Guardians to cause chaos, the rest of creation does a pretty good job of that all by themselves.

It might also behoove the new NEW Guardians to quit hanging around with Kyle and come back and do their jobs, but I don't see that happening for a while.

But anyway, John and his bunch get their rings drained by this new weapon of the Khunds, who surprisingly take them all prisoner instead of letting them just die in space.  But they get rescued by that motley bunch of escapees from the Sciencells, including Kanjar Ro and Bolphunga, who may not like Green Lanterns, but by God, they dislike the Khunds even more.  So a strange partnership is formed,with the baddies, pairing up with the goodies, which frankly, sounds like it is going to be a hoot.

And everyone is out looking for Von Daggle, the leader of the Corpse.  They should ask Guy.  As I recall, Von Daggle really doesn't like Hal very much, so this should be interesting.

Green Lantern has been dragging for me a bit lately, although GLC has been pretty good.  But this got a lot of the boring stuff out of the way, and parameters were set, and partnerships were formed, and things look pretty exciting.  So I'm happy.

Thursday's Reviews

Well, for the end of the month, that was a pretty prolific week!  But my store got shorted on Saga, which has me in a snit, and we STILL didn't get the ultimate issue of Young Avengers!  It looks as though I may have to wait for the trade, which has me in a bigger snit.

But anyway.

All-Star Western #27

I was rather looking forward to this one.  Heeding the somewhat cryptic words of John Constantine, Jonah and his gal-pal head to Metropolis, where...naturally...he runs into Superman.  It is rather amusing to see Jonah's utter disbelief and his total lack of veneration for Superman, which has Superman rather bemused.  That's always fun.  Jonah conceeds that he might have some mighty nice abilities, but that he isn't using them to their full potential, and you have to concede that he has a point.

Then Gina hauls him off to a museum, which turns out to be dedicated to none other than...Jonah Hex!  The other patrons and guards are in awe of his amazing cosplay.  He's pretty cranky, and who can blame him?  Then he stumbles across the star of the exhibit...his own stuffed carcase in a glass case, and flips out.  He dumps Gina, and roars off into the night on his trusty steed...er...motorcycle, and gets blind drunk, and manages to get run over by a truck. 

Oops. 

A lot of fun as always.


Aquaman #27

Arthur is fighting a large monster that used to work for the old King of Atlantis, and is having a bit of a problem, even when he tries to control it.  He ends up getting snippets of memory and stuff, but does manage to defeat it eventually.  Meanwhile the nefarious group of scientists or whatever, are busy doing nefarious things, and Mera and his own courtiers from Atlantis stand on the sidelines and make snarky comments. 

You know what you miserable Atlanteans?  What say you stop being dicks and solve your own problems for a change?  Sheesh!

Not bad at all.

Batman & Robin Annual #2

This is more or less a flashback tale.  Bruce has discoverd a "Robin" cave in the ceiling of Damian's room, where he finds a box for Dick.  When Dick comes to see about it, he launches into a story about his very first night as Robin, and it is actually pretty darned interesting.  Tomasi does a great job with the story, and Mahnke knocks it out of the park art-wise. 

Dick was apparently just as cocky a little bugger as Damian, who manages to get the final word.  Damn, I miss Damian.  Dick isn't my favorite character, but I like him in this.

Dead Boy Detectives #2

Well, I had high hopes for this book, but I think I'm dropping it.  IT was well-nigh mostly incomprehensible to me, and boring to boot.

Bleh.

Green Lantern Corps Annual #2

Egad!

Fables #137

Well, this was different.  That daughter of Snow and Bigby's who became the North Wind...whose name I can't remember off the top of my head,  tells this story.  She's a lot more mature than you would think, simultaneously a little girl, and a fearsome Goddess.  She can simultaneously go around being Windy, and checking up on things.  Turns out that Santa Claus works for her.  She cows the other winds,  and also spies on what Rose Red is up to. 

Also the last piece of Bigby is found, a spell is cast, and his crystal form disappears, and dire things are forecast.  And I didn't see that thing with Lancelot coming at all.

This issue sets up a lot of new storylines for the most part.  Not bad, but I don't know that I am all that excited about Snow being the villain vs Rose Red in the new Camelot story.  We will have to see.

The Flash #27

Firstly, very nice art from Patrick Zircher.  The Central City police stumble upon a whole cache of skeletons, after the Flash takes out a particularly inept pair of villains, and this leads to Barry's belief that the mass murderer who is jail for all these killings, may have had an accomplice, and perhaps he can solve the murder of this mother.

This leads to complications because his own chief is stonewalling him, as is his own father, and the jailed murderer as well.  Obviously something is up. 

A good book, with some intrigue, nice art, and NOT a crossover with anything!


Justice League Dark #27

This remains my favorite Justice League book for the moment.  Constantine's motley bunch are fighting against blight with the help of an angel, and they do all kinds of terrible and wonderful things, and actually DO manage to save the kid who was taken over by blight, although to be sure, they didn't necessarily do it all themselves.  And they do figure out where Zatanna and the rest of them are.  So no bad at all.

Red Lanterns #27

Best Book of the Week! 

Thor: God of Thunder #18

A tale of old Thor.  Or actually of incredibly young and stupid Thor, which is always a lot of fun.  He keeps sneaking off to midgard to hang around and do...stuff.  In this particular instance, he ends up partying and making friends with a young rebellious Dragon.  They actually hit it off pretty well, except that the Dragon has father issues rather similar to the ones that Thor has, and wants to KEEP partying...and unfortunately, he accidentally starts causing a whole lot of mayhem.

Thor tries to talk him down, but the Dragon decides he has had enough and wants to be A DRAGON!  It...doesn't end well...at least for the poor Dragon, and even Thor is a bit shaken.

The art is gorgeous, if you can call a young Thunder God covered in puke gorgeous.  It is a bit funny and a bit sad as well, and I loved it.

Not a bad week at all!

Just Meandering

It's a Tuesday, so that usually means that I don't have much to say...but I'm going to say it anyway, in as circuitous a way as possible.  Or the old "Stream of Conciousness" method.  And I don't even like Faulkner!

So...Red Lanterns is coming out tomorrow, which is quickly turning into my favorite Green Lantern book, and NOT just because it has Guy in it...although that certainly doesn't hurt...but because it is fun, and Charles Soule is doing such a bang-up job with the characterization of what is admittedly, the motliest of crews.

Which brings me to something that I've been wondering about lately.  When the Red Lanterns were first introduced, Atrocitus at least, had the Gift of Prophecy.  Remember that nice little warning they gave the old Guardians?  Scared the living wee out them, it did!  And then in Emerald Knights, for a while there, while Guy still had a bit of Red in his system, he was having Prophetic Dreams as well. 

Did all of that go away with the New 52 Universe?  Do the Red Lanterns still have the ability to figure out what is going on in the Future?  When they were recently fighting Relic, it was pointed out that they were effective, because they had both the Rings, and MAGIC on their side.  Not to mention that handy dandy blood lake back on Ysmault.  It would be interesting to see if they still have that power, because it could be both handy...and dangerous.

Some of my prayers are on the way to being answered.  Apparently both Wally West and Ted Kord are going to be making their appearances in the near future in the New 52 Universe!  Huzzah!  On the other hand, considering some of the liberties that have been taken with so many of my favorite characters, my enthusiasm is slightly quenched.  What exactly ARE they going to be doing with Wally and Ted?  I hear that Stephanie Brown is also coming back, which is a good thing, there are far far too many excellent characters that are currently in Comics Limbo.  Whether or not these reintroduced characters are going to have any sort of semblance to their ACTUAL selves, is yet to be determined.  So I am happy...but also feeling a wee bit cautious in my enthusiasm.

Equally, over at Marvel, they are bringing Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler Back From the Dead!  Woohoo!  I love Kurt!  It has also been stated that he is going to be written as Swashbuckling Kurt, and not Depressed Kurt, which is a huge bonus.  He can buckle my swash any day!  I've rather missed Kurt.  With all of the grimness and gloom and doom, it is refreshing to see a slightly more lighthearted character being brought back.  Exactly what he is going to think of all the brouhaha going on with the death of Xavier, Cyclops running amok, and teenaged original X-Men running around, who the heck knows? 

I wonder how Mystique will feel?

I STILL haven't gotten my grubby hands on the final issue of Young Avengers, because for some reason my store was shorted and they haven't sent the replacements, and I'm getting awfully awfully cranky. 

Man, it's cold.  But tomorrow is Wednesday, and as they say...tomorrow is another day.  Another day full of Comics!

Comic Books Save Lives!

Well...let me just say that the title smacks of a tiny bit of hyperbole.  Still...! 

So, I was cleaning out and reorganizing my studio/comic book room.  I am fortunate enough to have a LARGE old Victorian, with a whole lot of rooms, and most of the kids have moved out, so I have this nice former bedroom that is perfect for all of my books, my action figures, more books, my drawing table, 3000 pens and some books.    I gave my son Frank, my former table, and a couple of storage units, and replaced them with a ginormous new drawing desk and storage, which has me all atwitter with delight.

But in order to install all of this, I had to take everything out first.  And seriously...that is a LOT of long boxes and toys, not to mention all of the loose books that I had in stacks, because I just hadn't gotten around to putting them in order yet.  And I installed a nice tall set of shelves above the desk, in order to display my myriad Green Lantern figures, when the step ladder that I was standing on...broke.

A screw came out of the step, and I teetered to the side, and fell off.  Fortunately I landed on a nice soft pile of comic books.  Safe!  Not even a bump or a scratch!  And even more important, the comic books weren't harmed either!  Well, one book had a ripped cover, but it was a Lobdell Teen Titans, so who cares? 

I did get a much more sturdy step ladder.  And I have been diligently sorting and boxing up my books.  The only problem is that...well...it's taking an awfully long time, because I keep finding stuff that I haven't read in ages, and...and it's just so hard NOT to sit down in the middle of a huge pile and start rereading stuff.  This may take a lot longer than I thought.

Now, if my daugther had fallen off that stupid rock wall and landed on a pile of comic books, she wouldn't have broken her foot!

Comics are Good for You!

Green Lantern: New Guardians #27

Well...in this issue, Kyle and the new new Guardians and Carol go and fight some more aliens.  Carol flirts with Kyle, who is completely clueless that he is being flirted with.  The new new Guardians display a few tiny moments of personality.

That's about it. 

Seriously.

I like Kyle.  I like Kyle a lot.  But he is...barely even THERE in this book.  There is nothing from his point of view, he goes in and fights the villain, the new new Guardians float around for a while, and mayhem ensues.  Oh, and Carol is practically blowing in his ear the whole time, and Kyle is just...whut? 

I honestly think this is my last issue of this book.  It wasn't awful...it was just boring.  More and more of the same old same old. 

Bleh.

A New Pile of Books to Read

Oh, I do love Wednesdays.  And there was a rather nice sized pile waiting for me...although once again, there was NO last issue of Young Avengers!  Arrrghhhh!

Batman #27

Well darn it, this just zipped along.  It also filled in a  whole lot of answers about just what James Gordon was up to, and just how awful all of those Gotham City Cops really are.  Also, it establishes the Riddler as one helluva menace!  But in a terribly logical sort of way, which of course is exactly what Eddie Nygma is.  Terrifying in his twisted logic.

The evil Commissioner, has a young cocky Batman pretty much on the ropes, and his pleas for help to the Batcave go unheard, when fortunately, Gordon steps in, and saves his sorry Bat Butt.  He also tells him a tale of how it was that he saw the light, and this is the beginning of what will become a beautiful friendship.  Alfred also pours out his heart to young Bruce, who is still too stupid and arrogant to appreciate it. 

An excellent book. I can't believe that I actually like this Batman.

Batman '66 #7

Now this Batman I adore.  We have the dynamic Duo, going up against...Bruce Wayne?  No, it is actually the fiendish shenanigans of False Face!  Who incidentally, does get around!  All the way to Mount Rushmore no less, which is certainly something different. 

In the second tale, the Joker discovers the joys of downsizing...which means less overhead...but also it means less efficiency, since one overworked thug is hardpressed to do the work of a passel of thugs.  A wonderful commentary on the modern corporate climate!


God, I love this book.


Batman and Two-Face #27

And the tale of betrayal and revenge continues with Harvey, Batman and Erin actually saving each others hides, when the Mob comes in swinging.  And a little bit of background on exactly why it was that Erin hates Harvey so much, and vice versa. 

But the absolutely best part, was near the end of the book, when hey all run and hide at...Noonan's Bar.  As in Noonan's from Hitman fame.  I LOVED Hitman!  And there is Hacken, and pictures of Tommy and Nat and the rest on the wall.

So...so fabulous.

Batwoman #27

This wasn't bad at all.  Kate takes a dive off of the roof, thanks to the new villain, Wolf Spider, and goes through a whole lot of flashbacks and hallucinations, due to the poisoned dart, he shot her with.  Flamebird makes a strategic exit, and we learn that Wolf Spider is working for someone.

Nice art, a decent story.  Not quite up to the standards before, but a perfectly decent book.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #27

Oh good grief!

Hawkeye #16

This was a lot of fun.  Kate runs into a seemingly crazy old guy wandering the highways in California, which is a higly dangerous thing to do, and it turns out to be Bria...I mean Will Bryson, who was a singer in the '60's and one of the icons of the Age of Rock and Roll, and a legend, except that he went bonkers and holed up in his mansion with his partner who is his brother, and he thinks his work has been stolen, but he only writes one note a year or something.  

Naturally Kate jumps right in, trying to help him, which turns out a bit differently then she imagines.  And Madame Masque shows up again.  

I love this book.  Although I have to say, that I rather wish we could get back to Clint too.

Justice League #27

Well, something actually happens in this issue.  Cyborg is still alive...sort of, and he wants his Dad to rebuild him.  His Dad, whimpers and weeps and it takes a very long time, before they finally do the right thing and rebuild the kid, but...Better!  It probably costs a whole lot more than Six Million Dollars, but you get the idea.  

That's it.  But he does manage to go and find the Metal Men.  

Something that would ordinarily have taken maybe a page...possibly two...in an older book takes up an entire 20 pages.   This Forever Evil stuff is taking FOREVER TO END!

Wonder Woman #27

Oh Apollo, you silly silly God.  Didn't see that coming did you?  

Diana goes with Hermes to Themyscira and moons over her Mother, and the two of them decide that they have to find Zola and the Baby.  Hera is feeling remorseful, and Diana makes a deal with Artemis. 

Meanwhile Dionysus has found Zola, and probably doesn't have any good plans for her at all, and Cassandra is also up to what is probably no good.  But Minotaurs and seeing people turned into Swine is always fun.

Oh Geez

Just got back from the Doctor...my youngest and brashest offspring decided to go rock wall climbing without a harness...and has managed to possibly fracture a tiny bone in her foot.  It has a fancy french name, which I can't remember, so crutches and a walking boot for now.

Just ducky.

How is it that Super Heroes never seem to get hurt when they are falling off of buildings, through brick walls, off of moving cars, and so on and so forth?  At least Hawkeye seems to be permanently sporting bandaids lately, which is something.  Green Lanterns can use their rings to heal themselves, or they have Soranik Natu.

Superman and Wonder Woman don't seem to have these problems, and I would imagine that Alfred spends a whole lot of time sewing up Bruce Wayne, but still!

The villains don't seem to get hurt much either.  Just once I think I'd like to see that a bunch of villains can't go out and terrorize anyone because they are recuperating from having a building fall on top of them or something.  Is there a villain union?  Healthcare?  These sorts of things bother me. Possibly because I have no life. 

But anyway...stay off of rock walls!  And tall buildings.

Green Lantern Corps #27

Well...after Faux Hal's little announcement to the Universe, the poo has well and truly hit the fan.  The Durlans, who have been skillfully stirring up trouble throughout the Universe for quite some time, are exploiting the demise of the Guardians for all they are worth, not to mention the increasingly fragile state of the Corps. 

Man, Green Lanterns just do not ever catch a break, do they?

Sector Houses are being attacked, and John goes on patrol with a nice bunch of my favorite Lanterns, with Vath, Isamot, Iolande and Oliversity.  Oliversity?   Be still my heart!  And good to see Iolande for a change.  But geez, when did Vath become such a jerk?  At the moment he is playing Guy to John's Hal.  That was a convoluted sentence, but you know what I mean.  I hope.

I did like the fact that Vath objected to Yrra aka Fatality fighting with them, since it really wasn't all that long ago that she was doing her very best to blow them all up. 

So, lots of fighting, lots of peril, and the appearance of some pretty great characters, including Kanjar Ro, whom I like for some really strange reason.  Vath wants to go after all the prisoners that were let go from the Sciencells, but John knows that there are other bigger problems out there, since it seems as though practically the entire Universe is at odds with the Green Lanterns.

Gee, Hal, it didn't take you very long did it?

I do wish that the new new Guardians would quit frolicking with Kyle and come back and put their house in order, which I imagine will happen eventually, but in the meantime, things are a bit sticky.

I like the art, and I liked this story.  In fact I liked a whole lot more than the regular Green Lantern book. 

Stuff I Bought

Dagnabit!  For the second week in a row, my beloved Comic Book Store got stiffed on its delivery of the final issue of Young Avengers. 

Verily, I am wroth.

But other than that...it wasn't a terrible week.

Batman: Li'l Gotham #10

Exactly why are they cancelling this book?  It's fun, it is a joy to read and to look at, and it has a whole lot of the characters that I desperately miss.  Naturally, that seems to be the kiss of death. I am beginning to feel as though Dan Didio has it out for me. 

This issue has Poison Ivy feeling in the dumps because it is Autumn, which is her least favorite season of the year.  Harley is trying to cheer her up, even Selina is trying to cheer her up.  Harley brings in the Joker to try and get Ivy feeling better...which is...NOT a particularly brilliant idea.  Simply adorable as usual.

The second story is about Damian's belief that Alfred is Up To No Good in the little used East Wing of Stately Wayne Manor, especially after he sees him hauling what appears to be a body.  Damian goes to Tim of all people, with his suspicions, which brings in Katanna, and Jason, and it all turns out to be a ploy to get the younger and more naive members of the Bat Clan to help clean up the Bat Cave.  Doubly adorable.

Gosh, I love this book.


Constantine #10

I wasn't too sure about this book at first, but it seems to be settling into its groove.  John and his motley crew end up on the edge of Heaven no less, and have a long and rather interesting conversation with a Dog.  They each experience something a little different, hearts are read, as well as minds, and Zauriel ends up with them in their quest. 

This is certainly more interesting than the never-ending drone of the Justice League "Forever Evil" books.


Daredevil #35

So they are ending this with the next issue, which had me in a complete tizzy, but fortunately, they are going to start a NEW book,with the same creative team, just moving Matt to San Francisco, and incidentally raising the price.  Thanks Marvel!   But alas, I love this team so much that I will pay that price, because deep down, I am terribly weak.

Matt certainly has the attention of the Serpent Bunch, and they have taken as great an interest in him, as they are at the hospital with Foggy.  They try and blackmail Matt into taking the case of the son of one of the head Serpents, who has been accused of a crime that interestingly enough, he is innocent of...although he is still a scumbag.  They also have a whole lot of information about Matt himself, and threaten...naturally...to make this public. 

Oh, those silly Serpents.

To clear his head, Matt goes off and jumps around with Elektra.  Apparently this has a way of making him think more clearly.  They run across Constrictor and Mamba, who are interfering with a crime scene and naturally a fight breaks out, because why not?  And naturally, Matt comes up with an idea.

Gosharootie, this is fabulous.


Green Lantern Corps #27

Well, the plot is certainly thickening.


Justice League of America #11

I rather like Star Girl, and I certainly like J'onn, so this is about the only "Forever Evil" book that I am reading, with one other exception.  The two of them have managed to get out of the trap that ensnares the rest of the League,but not without consequences, and Despero and Clayface and stuff happens. 

Well, some stuff happens.  Not a whole lot to move the plot along really.  This whole "Forever Evil" schtick is really spinning its wheels.  As in...Forever.

Okay.

Rogues Rebellion #4

This is the only other "Forever Evil" book that I can still stand to pick up, and mainly because I really like the Rogues.  After their little spat with Poison Ivy, the go up against Mister Freeze and Clayface.  Clayface really seems to get around, he seems to be the Villain du Jour for all of this month's books.  They fight a lot of course, with Trickster actually getting his act together, and with Heatwave making a sacrifice in order to get the rest of them out. 

I like this bunch of misfits more than the Justice League at this point.

Picking off another member of the Rogues, so at least something happens, but this whole thing, as I said before is reeeeallllllllyyyyyyy ssssllllllooooooowwwwww.

Still, not bad.


Thor, God of Thunder #17

The ending...of a sort...of the Malekith quest.  Thor seemingly had lost his marbles last issue, and out and out executed that nice Troll, which makes the rest of them break up their union in a fit of disgust.  And it turns out that the way Malekith knew what they were doing all along, and was always able to outfox them, is that he had planted a rather nasty little bug in Thor's mead quite a while back.  Thor was the traitor unwittingly, all along! 

Who knew?

Well, there is fighting, and Malekith is busy boasting about how smart he is, and then, who should show up at the last minute but the members of Thor's ragtag team..and that nice Troll is still alive!  It turns out that Thor, learned a thing or two growing up with Loki, and cast a spell of his own, to trick Malekith, and then left a note for the rest of them about what he was doing, and a reall donnybrook of a battle takes place. 

Thor is about to administer the final coup de grace to Malekith, when the rest of the Dark Elves decide, that they will end the trouble by making Malekith...their King!  Naturally the rest of them are stunned.  That's Dark Elves apparently. 

Nobody is happy except Malekith.  But war has been avoided...for the moment, and there is a certain amount of fallout, and such.  Thor is very very cranky, but at least he still has the allegiance of his bunch of allies, which I suppose is something.  It all ends with a bit of a whimper, but still...that's the way things happen sometimes.  It isn't always neat and tidy, and this sets up all kinds of plotlines for the future.

So, I liked this a lot.

So, not a bad week at all.  Except for missing Young Avengers, which really has me feeling quite testy.

Sometimes I Just Love My Comics

It occurs to me, that I have been doing a fair amount of navel-gazing lately.  It is too easy to get caught up in what you DON'T like about Comics, and too easy to forget all of the things that you happen to LOVE about Comics.  Therefore, I am presenting to you, a list of some of my all-time absolute favorite books.  Your mileage may vary of course. 

Also, it is Monday and I am fresh out of ideas.  Some of these are new, some of these are old.  Some of these are really old!  A whole heck of a lot of them are cancelled.  But still, they hold a warm spot in my heart.

In no particular order at all...

Saga
Journey Into Mystery (the Kieron Gillen version specifically, atlhough I liked the latest one with Sif too.)
Damage Control
Lt. Blueberry (oh Moebius)
Corto Maltese (oh Hugo Pratt)
Green Lantern (duh!)
Thor
Young Avengers
Blue Beetle (loved the one with John Rogers)
Starman
Sandman
Hitman
Preacher
Jonah Hex
Next Wave
Incredible Hercules
Justice League International (yes, Giffen and DeMatteis and Maguire)
Justice Society of America (Geoff Johns)
Suicide Squad (Ostranders, not the new one)
Secret Six
Batman '66
Batman, The Brave and the Bold (technically, this was a cartoon, but gosh I loved it so)
Defenders (the silly mini-series by Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire)
Lucifer
Red Lanterns (but only since Guy joined)
Guy Gardner: Warrior ( I still miss Beau Smith)
Hellblazer
Manhunter (with Kate Spencer)
Birds of Prey (Gail Simone version)
Power Girl (the Palmiotti/Grey/Amanda Conner version was a hoot)
Daredevil (the Waid/Samnee version has been fabulous)
Hawkeye
Thor, The Mighty Avenger (also by Samnee)
The Punisher meets Archie

I threw that last one in there to see if anyone was actually reading.  Frankly, I loved that book.  It was hilarious.  

It occurs to me, that most of these books, had a strong current of humor, albeit occasionally black humor, running through them.  Some of them were out and out laugh-out-loud funny.

Damn, I miss that. 

What books do YOU all miss?  Or are currently enjoying?

Green Lantern #27

Well!

The premise here, is that the Green Lanterns are in disrepute throughout the Universe, and various other groups are looking to exploit that for their own benefit.  This is actually a pretty reasonable premise, and an interesting one.  My only cavil, is the way that  Robert Venditti is going about it all.

Pretty much by default, Hal Jordan is leading the Green Lantern Corps.  He didn't really WANT the job, since it isn't really his bag, but the new new Guardians talked him into it.  The new new Guardians, you will notice, are flitting around the Universe with Kyle, instead of fixing the Corps and doing their jobs.  You know...as GUARDIANS.  But that's another story.

Hal has been doing a pretty feeble job of things.  He had to call out the ENTIRE CORPS to rescue he and Kilowog from one Star Sapphire and a bunch of thugs.  Incidentally, a whole lot of those thugs have infiltrated Mogo and thus the Corps and are doing nefarious deeds. 

Hal in the meantime, is fixated on the whereabouts of Sinestro.  Naturally.

Meanwhile, the Durlans, who have been causing quite a lot of mayhem, but nobody knows about it yet, cause a bit more by whacking Hal, and taking his place and then announcing to the entire Universe that the Resevoir of power is limited, and that only the Green Lanterns will have access to it, and KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

Er...ahem.  That last part didn't actually happen.  But that's the gist of it.  And since Hal has been acting like such a moron lately, everyone buys it. 

Oh...Hal. 

As I said, it is an interesting premise, and I like the art by Dale Eaglesham very much.  I keep thinking that I should be liking this more than I actually do.  But it actually...kinda...dragged for me.  Maybe it's because there really isn't anyone for Hal to play off of.  Carol isn't around, Guy isn't around, Kyle isn't around.  John is there, and John is far more competent than Hal, but their relationship is a bit more...tepid than that between Hal and some of the others.  And the rest of the Corps are a bit leery of Hal too, so I don't know what is going on. 

Maybe this is a setup for the new new Guardians to finally get their tiny blue butts in line and come home and finally start acting like real Guardians, and for the whole "limited" amount of power in the emotional resevoir to be jettisoned, and then...maybe... we can get back to actually telling stories about the Green Lanterns.  I'm getting just a wee bit tired of lurching from crisis to crisis.

Teensy Reviews

Well, that was a small week.  But still...it is always nice to get comics.  I will say that I accidentally thought that the new Young Avengers book was out, didn't pay attention, and picked up the old one instead of the new one. 

Do'h!

Anyway.

Daredevil: Dark Nights #8

This was a fun little series.  Matt and Misty, teamed up fight drug lords!  And flirting like mad the entire time, which was even more fun.  The art was nice, the dialogue was crisp and it was just...a good comic.  Lots of action, a decent premise, and it didn't take itself too seriously. 

I liked it a lot.

Green Lantern #27

Oh...Hal. 

Fairest #22

Cinderella is always a fun character.  She is still trying to figure out who these rat people are, and it all ties into her old Fairy Godmother, who is having problems of her own.  Who is behind all of this?  Well, a certain Stepsister does come into the equation.

Fun. 

Man, I enjoy fun.

And that's it.  Maybe next time, I will have the brains to actually pick up the correct book, because I'm dying to see what happens in the final issue of Young Avengers.  Man, I'm going to miss it. Another fun book. 

It's Cold!

Good Gosharootie, it is COLD outside.  Hell, it's cold inside too. I do live in lovely New England, so snow and arctic chill are not actually all that unusual, although you would never know that from the way that people drive during the first snowstorm of the year.  Incidentally, snow shovels and snow blowers are capable of being used more than once!

Where was I?

Oh yes...it's a tad chilly out. 

But tomorrow is Wednesday, and we will be back on schedule after Christmas and New Year's, and new comics are always a good thing.

And speaking of a good thing...



Ah, the incomparable Kevin Maguire.  I'd kill to have him drawing Red Lanterns.  Or Green Lanterns.  Or frankly, anything at all. 

But Guy is supposed to run into Ice this month in his book, and I can hardly wait...although I'm pretty sure that it isn't going to go very well.  Still, they are one of my favorite couples, and a girl can still dream.

Red Lanterns, #26

Okay, I have to admit it.  Charles Soule is fast becoming one of my favorite writers.  I am loving this book lately...as in a whole lot, since Guy joined this merry little band of misfits.  Soule has actually made me care about this bunch!

Last issue, they had recovered from their hangovers and decided to go out and patrol their new sector, and urged on my Ratchet, decided to visit Kormorax, where the local despot Gensui was busy being despotic.  Also, he was constructing a Dyson's Sphere, which was considered to be something of a threat. 

Well, all good intentions aside, it is a trap, and they are pretty much attacked right away, but they are holding their own fairly well, at least for the moment.  Zilius Zox, who had stayed on the ship, to work on some...improvements, gets the word from Guy, that they've been made, and to try and escape.  As the rest of them are battling Gensui's hordes, Guy gives them a pep talk, as only Guy can do.  He also doesn't think much of Atrocitus's oath, and comes up with a MUCH more pithy version. 

Oh Guy. 

Well, they are doing pretty fair, right up until the moment that Gensui unleashes a weird blue beam at them.  This surprises Barg.  You remember Barg?  He was the pirate that they stole that cool ship from, and apparently he isn't dead at all, but conspiring with his good friend Gensui.   The blue beam, in the words of Gensui, is, "...a very intense shot of the neuro-blocker field we use here to pacify the worker race whenever they get uppity."  The Reds are still mad as hell, but they can't access their rage, and therefore, no rage...no powers. 

Meanwhile Atrocitus and Dex-Starr have found the latest recipient of a Red Ring, and naturally Atrocitus is planning to take it.  Which he does, through a particularly cruel subterfuge.  I really don't like Atrocitus.

So, the Red Lanterns are basically...stoned.  Bleez likes Rankoor's hair.  Guy apologizes for killing Barg.  They are mellowed out, Dude, and know perfectly well that they are about to be lined up and shot, but hey...shit happens, and Rankoor likes Bleez's cool bony wings.  They...they look like big grabby bone Hands, Man! 

I really started to lose it at this part...because frankly, it is pretty hilarious.  Gensui is pontificating, as despots do, Barg is upset because Gensui also plans to blow up Zox and their stolen ship, and Barg just wants his ship back.  When the ship...and Zox are apparently blown up, the rest of the Reds are all going, Oooh, pretty!  All except Ratchet who somehow can still access his anger, and when the firing squad opens up on them, he bursts his bonds and uses his tentacles to block the shots to his fellow Lanterns, while taking a shot himself.  The rest of the Reds are mildly bemused by this, but just then, out of the fireball in the sky, comes...Zox! 

Zox really loves that ship, and he had performed some cool improvements including being able to power it with his ring, and he blows up the firing squad, and frees them, and  they get all that hot lovely Rage back, and poor Barg points out to Gensui that he just HAD to play around.  Barg then makes a discreet exit, so I would imagine we haven't seen the last of him. 

Bleez goes after Gensui, and makes her...point.  The rest of them are trying to help Ratchet, but it is too late for him.  In fact, it was going to be too late for him no matter what.  Part of the reason he became a Red Lantern was that he craved  connection, and despite all their petty squabbles, he had come to treasure the contact with his fellow Reds, and was therefore getting less cranky...so he figured he'd probably be losing the Ring anyway.  But he dies to save them, and they are all very sad.  And Angry. 

This was great.  I'm still not all that into the artwork, but it is servicable.  But the cameraderie that is starting to build between these misfits is wonderful.  Having Guy join their ragtag band, is the best thing that ever happened to the Red Lanterns, and I think that when Atrocitus finds his way back...as I am sure he will do...he's going to realize that they've moved on without him. 

I think that this is the best Lantern book out there right now.

Reviews!

It does seem as though it has been a long time since I enthralled you all with my scintillating musings over the funnybooks that I bought.  Well...not FUNNY...but you know what I mean.  And there were some pretty decent ones this week, I must say.


Aquaman #26

Although his Atlantean subjects are still sitting on the fence about their acceptance of both Arthur and Mera, at least things are happening now, and the two of them are doing their best to make life better. The Atlanteans, frankly are a bunch of whiners.  However, that really cranky counselor does have a point, there ARE people who are supposed to do what Arthur keeps insisting on doing. 

But anyway, some surface world idiots have found something, poking around in the Atlantic, that they should probably have left alone, and naturally things go badly, and Arthur has to rush off to the rescue.  There is the usual bravery, backstabbing and various plot developments.  It was a nice Aquaman book, nothing too great, nothing too terrible.  Heck of a cliffhanger however.


Batwoman #26

Well...it's not the OLD Batwoman, but this new tale by Mark Andreyko and Jeremy Haun is a perfectly decent story.  We begin with an odd little flashback, that no doubt will make sense eventually.  We flash forward to a robbery by the new villain Wolf Spider, who shoots poisoned darts and is young and cocky apparently.  Then to a ritzy soiree, attended by Kate and Maggie and hosted by a young Peter O'Toole...oops, Evan.  Even Bette shows up, and there is a fair amount of witty banter. 

Then Bette and Kate get bored and decide to go out and hunt for crime, because heck, this is Gotham.  There is ALWAYS crime. Naturally, Evans penthouse is being robbed by the Wolf Spider, and naturally, they interrupt his shenanigans, and naturally things don't go too well.

Not bad at all.  Nothing spectacular, but not bad.


Dead Boy Detectives #1

I've always rather liked these two, but I'm not sure that they can carry a book by themselves.  Nevertheless, I am on board for the meantime, anyway.  The young daughter of a pair of exhibitionist artistes, is hurt during one of her idiot parent's "performances" and is in a com, and is being watched over for some reason by our nice young dead boys.  She wakes up saying she has to go to St. Hilarion's, which incidentally is the name of the godforsaken school where young Charles and Edwin had been murdered.  So, they decide that they had better tag along to see what is going on, even though Edwin especially doesn't want to go back.  And who can blame him?

The Headmaster welcomes young Crystal to the school, and oddly enough looks exactly the same as he did from years ago, so obviously, something is afoot.  I am modestly intrigued.


Fables #136

I enjoyed this issue, they have been a bit slow lately.  Rose has successfully for the most part succeeded in reestablishing Camelot.  Wayland is rebuilding the castle, Brandish is being worked and is no doubt scheming, and Rose is confused about these weird new powers that she has. This green fairy or something keeps being enigmatic and teasing her about her heritage, which is not doubt really really annoying to poor Rose.  And the green chick goes around with none other than Morgan LeFay to point out that even though Rose is trying to have Camelot without all the...bad stuff...that may be impossible, as new people will move into those old roles. 

Lancelot shows up, and Snow White may turn out to be the new Morgan, and little Ambrose scares the crap out of the two woman, and Mrs. Spratt is trying to sex up King Cole, and turns out to be holding the last piece of Bigby's crystal body.  So a lot of stuff is going on.

I am hooked, I admit it.

Flash #26

This was a nice little done-in-one tale, with Barry chasing a nasty villainess named Spitfire, who goes around stealing extremely dangerous toxins and poisons, with no regard whatsoever for the danger. She's in it for the kicks and the money, and since she does it all in the air, it is very difficult for the Flash to chase her. 

Naturally, being the Flash, he doesn't let this stop him, and manages to overcome the problems of flight and running, in some really clever and innovative ways. 

This..was actually rather nice.  A fun and clever story, that uses his powers and his brains, and an interesting villain and a decent threat, without having to haul every other character in the pantheon into it, nor a huge drawn out crossover for the next 12 months.  A good old-fashioned Comic Book!  And I am all in favor of that.

Jonah Hex #26

We begin with a pregnant Tallulah Black, showing up to marry Jonah and the mayhem that ensues, and it turns out to all be just a vision, inspired by what are apparently the Black Mercy flowers, that have fallen to earth and taken root on Swamp Thing.  John Constantine is sleezing around, and Jonah manages to break free, and bully him into freeing Swamp Thing as well.  Jonah and John really don't like each other very much.  But Jonah thinks that Swamp Thing can help him get back to his own time, and Swamp Thing tells him to go to Metropolis.  Oh won't THAT be fun?

You can guess who shows up. 

Again, a nice little romp.

Justice League #26

Mostly, this is all about the back stories of the Crime Syndicate, Hal Jordan is a nasty little weasel, and the rest of them are pretty horrid as well.  The art is by Ivan Reis, so it is gorgeous.  Cyborg is back with his dad who is despairing, but Cyborg is full of optimism or something. 

It is a pretty book, and it was nice to see evil Hal, but it really doesn't DO a whole lot, other than to take up another month in the neverending Forever Evil storyline.  Man, this has been going on for what seems like an eternity. 

Justice League Dark #26

This has Deadman, and John and stuff, and for some reason, they all end up with the evil version of Aquaman, and the Phantom Stranger bails on them, and some crazy stuff goes down, but at least some things actually happened, which isn't bad.  The art is pretty.   John is a bastard, but we all knew that. 

Not bad really.

Red Lanterns #26

Man...like this was so Groovy!