Woohoo!

It's off to the Comical Book Store for me.  Gosh, I do love the final week of the month, there are always so many goodies to be had.  Plus, I can finally see the final showdown between Guy and Atrocitus.

I probably won't be blogging about it for a few days however, as my Sweet Babboo and I are off to Limerock in lovely western Connecticut for the Historic Races that last five magnificent and rather noisy days.  We are camping on the backstretch, a mere 30' from the track, just above the chicane, where all the Porsches catch a bit of air, which is always fun.  They drive all the 1950's sportscars so very very carefully.  Plus Sir Stirling Moss is coming! 

Woohoo! 

So I hope that everyone has an absolutely spectacular Labor Day Holiday!

Oh...Tuesday

You know who I miss? 

The Birds of Prey.  The REAL ones, as written by Gail Simone, with Black Canary, and Oracle, and Huntress, and Barda.

And Zinda.

Aka Lady Blackhawk.



She's my favorite pilot.  And I am including Hal in that category.  Besides, it is my fervent opinion that she could fly rings around Hal.  We all know that she can certainly outdrink him!  But the New 52 is a sad and lonely place without her.

I certainly hope that this new series from Grant Morrison might actually...bring back my beloved Continuity.  Which, after three long long years, I am still yearning for.

Reviews

Well now, that is more like it, after the incredible dearth of comics from last week.

Batman & Robin #34

This issue seems mostly to consist of Batman calling all of his family into the Batcave in order to apologize for being a major Douchebag, but then to only give them peanut and butter sammiches .  I guess Bruce has to economize SOMEwhere.   Heck, even Dick shows up.  Barbara, Tim and Jason grumble a bit, but seem to forgive him...more or less.  Alfred is a bit on the snooty side for some reason.  Then Bats diverts all of his best buddies in the Justice League, and steals that cool suit, although Lex of course figures out what he is up to. 

And he is going off to Apokolips to rescue Robin!

This should be interesting. Unfortunately, next month's issue will be a giant crossover, that takes place five years from now.

*sigh*


Batwoman #34

Kate leaves a "Dear Jane" letter for Maggie, after coming to an understanding with Maggie's obnoxious ex-husband.  It's sad and noble, and probably pointless, but at least she's trying.  Aso she battles Nocturna...still. 

Nice art, and not a terrible story, but I'm getting the impression that August's books are all just wrapping things up and setting things in place for Septembers crossover.

Fables #143

Bigby is out of control, the magic of the Fables is showing up in unexpected places, and Bad Things are about to happen.  Also Snow and Rose's powers are growing at a rapid rate. It's all building up to the big finale, which should be interesting.

And man, I really can't stand Brandish. 


Multiversity #1

This is the giant series being done by Grant Morrison, with some lovely artwork, and a plethora of too-clever-for-words tricks and turns.  It's almost as though Morrison was reading Neal Adams Odyssey and decided to out-crazy him! 

And yet...and yet, I was hooked.  Yes, Captain Carrot is in it.  And Nix Uotan, and alternate Earths beyond counting.  There is obviously a VERY big problem in the Muiltiverse, and obviously things are going to be happening, and it is very very very Meta. 

But it sure beats a lot of the other drek out there.


Sensational Wonder Woman #l

Now this I enjoyed thoroughly.  Especially because the other Wonder Woman book with Azzarello and Chang is going to be ending shortly to be followed by the...Finches.  Thank you...but no.  Furthermore, THIS Wonder Woman actually takes place in the REAL DC Universe!  Woohoo!

In the first story, Batman is injured, and Oracle...ORACLE!...calls in Wonder Woman to clean up Gotham City against ALL of Batman's foes.  She gets a little too cocky, and they actually give her a run for her money until she ties them all up with her lasso and finds out what they are really afraid of, and it's all pretty darned fabulous.

In the second story she fights Circe, and helps a little boy who is being teased by his pals for liking her better than a male superhero.  It's short, but nice too.

Off to a great start!


Daredevil #7

Well, Matt's mom has been taken to Wakanda, which is now being run by T'Challa's sister for some reason, and she is in cahoots with some American General, and Matt has to figure out a way to get there and rescue his mom and her fellow nuns.  It's a little convoluted, but it's pretty great, when he gets captured, and then proceeds to LAWYER his way out of trouble instead of just beating people up...although he does that too.

It is also very nice to finally find out what was going on with his mom, and why she left them and became a Nun, and it isn't because his Dad beat her up, but because she was going through a severe case of Post Partum Depression.  That's a subject that rarely makes an appearance in Comic Books, and kudos to Mark Waid for doing it so well. 

Fabulous.

Storm #2

This isn't bad either.  Storm is being a lot less...regal than I remember her, and I wasn't actually aware that she and Logan are busy knocking boots, but hey...why not?  Storm has her wild side too, which she is more than willing to let come out.

She is trying to trace some missing teens, and gets a bit of help from Hank, who at least is acting slightly less obnoxious than of late. She tracks them to the Morlock tunnels and thinks the worse of course...but it turns out that Callisto is actually trying to help the kids, who for the most part have no where else to go, and being in the tunnels actually turns out to be a whole lot safer than above ground.  Storm admits that she jumped to conclusions and it all ends with the X-Men helping them out.  So, two done-in-one stories,which I am very very fond of.

Nice.

Ms Marvel #7

God, I do love this book. 

Kamala and Wolverine continue to fight the giant mutated alligator in the sewers, and she continues to show her new skills in strange and wondrous ways, while it is interesting to watch Wolverie have to hang back a little bit because he's not healing. 

Oh, and he writes a nice letter to the Avengers to keep an eye out for her, which is nice of him.

So much FUN!

Not a bad week at all!

Thank Goodness!

Seriously, thank Goodness for Photobucket.  What would I do without the ability to post pictures?  It's just so darned handy for those myriad days when I haven't a thought in my head.  Which is probably a lot more frequent than you would think. 

Or maybe not.

Anyhoo.



Isn't this purdy?  I rather miss having a passel of my favorite Lanterns standing around all up-lit and posing so nicely.  Lately all the Lanterns OTHER than Hal or John have been either cannon fodder, or just to fill in the background.  Which is a shame.  Maybe the writers will get back to talking about some of the other Lanterns one of these days.

A Change of Pace

It's Monday, and I haven't a thought in my head. 

So...for a bit of a change from just reviews, or whining about my beloved Continuity,
Here's Alan.




Isn't he great?  By Chris Samnee who is incapable of drawing anything poorly.  Man, I miss those puffy sleeves.

Tiny Reviews

I didn't go to the Comic Book Store on Wednesday because of the Monsoon, and when I went on Thursday, it almost wasn't worth the trouble.  They weren't bad books, but there were only three of them. 

Yeesh!

Batman #34

Well, Zero Year is over, and I guess we are back in the present...which is marginally better than being in the dystopic Future's End, I guess.  But the incomparable Greg Capullo is not drawing this issue, instead it is Matteo Scalera, who has a much grainier line. 

Someone is going around and murdering  Dr. Leslie Thompkins patients, simply for the hell of it apparently, and burying them in a local Potter's Field.  Batman naturually figures this out, and warns the good Doctor, and even figures out who it is and how, much to that killer's chagrin.  It is more or less a done-in-one issue, which I always happen to like, and it is always nice to see Batman's detectival instincts at work.

So...pretty decent.


Green Lantern Corps #34

Man, John Stewart has been having a tough time of it lately.  It turns out that the Durlans kidnapped Yrra, aka Fatality and the newest Love of John's Life, and he was actually banging an imposter!  This has him...slightly upset.  This Durlan is also the only one that managed to get a hold of not only the powers of the Daxamites, but also the sweet sweet radiation of the Zezzite, so she can hold onto this form...and powers forever.  Naturally, they put her in a Sciencell, because it isn't as though anyone has ever escaped from one of THOSE before! 

The Lanterns also have to deal with the former prisoners, and later reluctant allies, such as Bolphunga and Hunger Dog and actually live up to their bargain, and let them go...with the usual admonition to keep their noses clean.  I'm pretty sure that won't happen, but heck, what could possibly happen?  And I happen to have a sneaking fondness for Kanjar Ro anyway.  But Von Daggle does politely request that Hunger Dog remain, to help him look for his first partner.

Remember way back when, in the magnificent little story written by Kevin Champagne, numbers 7-9, off of the top of my head, where Guy and R'amey Hol teamed up with Von Daggle?  The Guardians promised that they would help him find "her", and naturally enough, being douchebags of the first order, reneged on their agreement.  Well, the Guardians are gone now, but Von Daggle hasn't forgotten, and he's going to find her, come Hell or High Water.  I am glad to see R'amey, but what happened to her cool glowing super powers?  And does she still have a crush on Guy? 

John in the meantime,has gone off on a tear, looking for Yrra...and he finds her!  Except that she is really really really really pissed.  Turns out it was the Zamaron Ring that made her love John, she still hates his guts.  Also, the fact that he never noticed she had been replaced pisses her off even more.  So she tells him to get bent. 

John is very sad. 

So, more or less, half of the former foes of the Green Lanterns have been set free, to go out and do their thing, and presumably provide us with stories in the future.  Unfortunately. next month we end up being a part of the whole "Five Years in the Future" crap that I have been avoiding...successfully, up until now.

Urgh. But not a bad issue, for basically resetting the format, and clearing the decks.


Justice League United #4

This was a rather muddled issue.  Not a lot really happens...there is some snark between Ollie and Animal Man, Super Girl is rude to Courtney, and the Rannians are rude to J'onn, and some stuff happens, and they all wonder what the heck is going on, and should they even stay together at all, which they decide to do, and the nice young lady Miiyahbin, had been kidnapped but gets her powers and is rescued rather strangely by Alanna, and I still don't know what is going on with the Zeta Beams.

Also the Thanagarians take Hawkman's body back home for burial, but I'm pretty sure that Hawkman isn't dead, and new pretty Lobo shows up for some reason.

It is all a bit disjointed. But I like most of these characters, so I guess I'll keep getting this, hoping that it will all become a little more coherent. 

It seems as though this month was a rest-and-reset sort of month.  Presumably the big Crossovers all start in September, which is now a thing with DC, so August didn't have much going on, except as a way to clear the decks, and get ready for Five Years In The Future.

God, I want my old Continuity back. 

So...Hard.

Double Arrgghh!

I really should learn to keep my big fat yap shut.  Yesterday I moaned about the lovely weather, and was greeted today with a monsoon.  Seriously, I think I would have been drier standing underneath a waterfall.  Buckets of rain, flooding, and crazed drivers!

It was so bad in fact, that I actually skipped going to the Comic Book Store!

That doesn't happen too often!




Aquaman may be comfortable, but he's about the only one.  Hal certainly doesn't look as though
he is enjoying himself, but then, you never know with Hal.

Arrgghh! Tuesday!

Oh Tuesday, so...so very deadly.  Fortunately, the new books come in tomorrow.

I am feeling slightly uneasy for reasons other than the usual Tuesday doldrums.  I live in New England, and usually by August, the temperature is in the 90's and the humidity level is also in the 90's.  Or so it seems.  And yet this year...it has been unusually...cool.  I'm not complaining...LORD, I am not complaining!  The weather has been oddly delightful!  But AS a New Englander, I can't help wondering when the proverbial other shoe is going to drop.  It is so nice now...it must be horrible sometime down the road. 

Of course it is supposed to rain buckets tomorrow with the possibility of local flooding.  All of which actually soothes me just a little bit.  I isn't quite...right to have such nice weather for too long.

But anyway.

As you all know, if you have been reading Red Lanterns...and you HAVE been reading Red Lanterns...right?
Guy has gone native and grown his hair out, not to mention a rather scraggly beard and mustache.  But it has been done before.



Oh the good old days with Beau Smith, and Guy as Warrior.  This was right after he got back from a rather prolonged sojourn in outer space and was a bit on the...shaggy side.  But not to worry....he wasn't pregnant.  Although he DID get turned into a woman at one point, which had to be one of the most hilarious issues that Beau Smith ever wrote.

But here...he actually doesn't look too bad!

Green Lantern #34

Well!  This...was actually a rather nice little issue.  In the hurly burly of the next Greatest Threat To The Universe, sometimes a breather is needed...a chance for the reader to slow down and take a breath...just before the next giant crossover or Universal Threat comes along.  And I am SURE that there is going to be another Universal Threat!

After Hal recaptures a rather nasty little alien who sucks up Willpower, he gets a surprise, mainly his family has been flown in by Simon Baz from Earth for a visit!  Hal would have gone to see them himself, but then he would have annoyed Guy who has Earth in his sector.  Although right about now, Guy would probably be more than happy to see him, considering the kerfuffle he finds himself in.  But that's another story.

But Hal is happy to see his brother and sister-in-law and niece and nephew, and even possibly Simon.  Kilowog rides his nephew around on his shoulders...just like Guy did, and they all go off to explore Mogo. 

Hal introduces Jim to the joys of a Khundish Ale, which apparently they sell in six-packs at the local Space Quiki-Mart.  Then as usual, Hal whines a bit about not being able to settle down with Carol and raise a family.

Seriously

At which point Jim laughs his ass off, and points out that he is sitting on a Talking Planet drinking alien beer and flying around with a magical ring.  Hal pouts a little bit, and says that the ring isn't actually magical, and says that it has a finite reserve of power.  Man, I hate that concept.  In the meantime, Susan and Kilowog go wandering around, and meet up with St. Walker, who has stopped sulking in his cave...at least for the moment.  She's a bit skittish, but the kids are having a fine old time

So, as usual, Jim talks some sense into Hal.

And then the New Gods show up and they seem to be a bit cranky.

So, I actually like the less frenetic issues once in a while.  The Green Lanterns need a moment or two of downtime, to drink some booze and do their laundry and get ready for their next shift.  Or something.

Stuff I Bought

That wasn't a bad little week!

Batman '66/Green Hornet #3

And we continue our team up, with Robin and Kato suffocating and Batman giving into the demands of the Joker and the Glue Guy.  Bats and Hornet continue snipping at one another, there is Bat-Unconciousness Spray, a trip to the Bat Cave, a duel to the death between Robin and Kato, and just too much fun.

I really really like fun.


Fairest #28

To be quite honest, this really just reads as another issue of Fables, although that isn't a bad thing.  Snow White throws poor Reynard out of her house, and he ends up in Louisiana of all places.  King Cole and Rose Red convince the Witches to come up with five Glamours, to satisfy the demands of the Farm inhabitants, who were promised such things by Prince Charming.  Glamours are hideously difficult and expensive, so they establish a lottery, and hope that the unrest will die down. 

The art is pretty, and it is always fun to just see what sort of things are happening among the Fable Folk, so I liked this.


Green Lantern #34

Oh...Hal.


Tiny Titans #3

Well, our superpowered tots are still trying to replace their destroyed and purloined Tree House, and I couldn't be happier.  We end up this time at the Rock of Eternity, and Robin is introduced to the Wizard who gives all those nice powers to Captain Marvel.  I refuse to call him Shazaam, because that's just silly. 

Turns out that the Wizard is a pretty cool old dude.  He even gives them a new Tree House!  That is shaped like a giant rock.  Of Eternity. 

Oh well.  At least Terra likes it.

So...so fabulous.


And speaking of Fabulous!

She-Hulk #7

Now that she is more or less on her feet financially, Jennifer takes a case involving patents and stuff with a Shrink Ray...more or less.  One partner wants to sell it, the other has taken the plans and...disappeared.  As in shrunk.  So naturally, they call in Hank Pym, who appears to be a pretty shrewd and competent hero in this book, which is a relief for a change. 

Turns out that it is insanely dangerous to shrink down, and Hank gets nabbed by a sparrow before he can summon his ants, so Patsy tries, and it doesn't really work out all that well, and Jen gets beat up by some cats, before she loses her temper, but they DO find the poor scientist hiding out inside a coke can.

Turns out however, that his formula is flawed, and he has turned into a living bomb, so they have to find him and embiggen him or a whole lot of buildings are going to get blowed up.  They DO find him, and embiggen him, but he had an accident and lost part of a finger, which is still explosive.  He doesn't believe Hank, who is his rival anyway, and then lo and behold, it DOES blow up! 

So incredibly good.  And fun. 

And speaking of Fun!

Sergio Aragones Groo vs. Conan #l




I think I've been waiting for this my whole life!

A...fun week!  That's a rarity anymore!

The Classics

It seems to have been quite a while since I posted something like this.  This used to be the MEAT of this blog!  Hal and Head Injuries...possibly while simultaneously showing off his incredible behind.




Oh Hal...I've missed you.

Comics Selfies

There was a recent story on Comics Alliance that had some rather noted artists doing their version of Comic Book Character Selfies.  All were pretty darned fabulous...but for some reason, this one just cracked me up.  And certainly a Monday deserves something this adorable.

I give you...




Hee hee!

Red Lanterns Annual #1

What a lovely couple of weeks it was!  Last week I had Red Lanterns #33, which featured Guy meeting up with John for a drink, before all of the proverbial poo hit the fan.  And with this weeks Annual, that poo hits the fan with a vengeance.

I am thrilled, heartbroken, and terrified and desperate for MORE, which speaks to the skills of Charles Soule.  Atrocitus has created a huge new corps of Red Lanterns, all for the purpose of exacting his revenge upon Guy.  Guy only has his rag-tag bunch of loveable losers, but by gosh, they aren't going down without a fight.

Skallox, who has apparently jumped ship, has told Atrocitus about Guy's home world, and the fact that he wasn't particularly impressed.  Still, Atrocitus seizes on this information and thusly, blows up Paris, Baltimore, the Grand Canyon, the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Spain and...Las Vegas.  Then, to top it all off, he sends down a boatload of Red Rings, so that the terrified and horrified citizens of Earth, can get their revenge. 

It is a particularly ruthless and cunning plan.  Atrocitus is a monster, but he does know psychology. 

Back on the Kaalvar, Zilius Zox figures out what Atrocitus is doing and Guy is of course, absolutely horrified.  And pissed.  And he finally realizes that it isn't just rage, but revenge that powers the rings, which makes perfect sense.  So, with the meager assets that he still has at his command, he makes his plans to rescue Earth.  Flying down, he runs into Batman who is trying to keep control and tells him what is happening.  Naturally, Batman offers to punch him...once.  Guy tells him not in THIS Universe!

Haw!

Guy fills in Batman about what is happening, and that it isn't the people's fault with the rings, and to get everyone else in the Hero business in on containment.  Meanwhile, Skallox has gone off to rescue Shadow Thief, since he now thinks she's just the bee's knees.  Oh, and Kara shows up to help Guy, even offering to don a ring again.  Guy is tremendously relieved that she managed to get free of the ring, although he is curious as to how she did it, which of course happened in her own book.  She tells Guy that she finally figured out how to just...let go of the anger.  Guy thinks this sounds like a pretty good idea, but right now he is up to his eyeballs in problems.  Kara of course is more than happy to help.

Let me just say that I really like the interaction between Kara and Guy.  He treats her like a real person, as opposed to her cousin at least, and Kara is grateful for that.

Zox in the meantime has found Atrocitus' new headquarters and his new blood lake, and returns the favor of blowing it all up.  This is a very good thing.  On board the Kaalvar however, Rankorr suddenly regains his senses and apparently is a traitor, heading to the deck and attacking poor Zilius.

Nooooo!

Bleez was using the calming ray from Kormorak, a few issues ago, and this gets all of the newly minted Reds on Earth to chill out.  It's a very good plan, but of course Atrocitus anticipated it.  Fortunately Guy and Kara swoop into rescue Bleez, but Atrocitus disappears

Zox is dying on the Kaalvar, thanks to Rankorr.  However, it wasn't actually Rankorr doing it, he was infested with a parasite Red Lantern, which is a clever reference to the Green Lantern that was hiding inside the body of one of the old Red Lanterns, way back in the first issue that Soule wrote.  All of the threads that he has been so assiduously weaving throughout the storyline so far, are all coming together, meshing into a rich tapestry...and one helluva mess for Guy.  His horror at wounding Zox, makes Rankorr snap out of his funk, and he destroys the parasite, but alas, it is too late for Zox...which simply breaks my heart.  I LOVE Zox, man!

But before he dies, he has one more thing to do, which is to defeat the rest of the Reds, including that pirate guy that they stole the Kaalvar from in the first place.  Oh, and he finally...FINALLY gets to find out what a testacle is.  His reaction is hilarious, and his final act is simply magnificent.


Guy and Bleez figure out that they can use the blood magic to call up the Red Lanterns on earth, to fight for them...and they do. Unfortunately for them, Atrocitus is doing the exact same thing, and he has a whole lot more of them.

Gah! 

It all comes to a head in the next issue, and I'm having a heart attack at the prospect of having to wait another whole month!  This is one hell of a cliffhanger!  I've come to really love this book, the best of the Lantern books in my opinion.  Soule has made me care about this bunch of angry misfits. They have grown from one-dimensional monsters into living, breathing wonderful characters, who have evolved so far beyond their original depictions, that it is scary.  I'm glad that Rankorr is back, and in control again, I love that Bleez has finally discovered compassion, and I'm hoping that Skallox isn't the traitor that he appears to be.  Heck even Skallox seems to be experiencing softer emotions.

But man...I loved Zilius Zox.  He went out as a Hero...but I'm going to miss him so.

This is...fabulous.