A Brief Look Backwards

It's that time of year to get all introspective and such.  Also, and this may be unprecedented...I did NOT go to the Comic Book Store on my way home from work today.  It wasn't because it was bad weather, or that I had other things to do...there just weren't any books that I was interested in.  With the possible exception of Ms. Marvel, which I never seem to be able to grab when it first comes in, and have to wait for the reorder, but I'll just look for that next week.

Anyhoo.

It was...an interesting year to be sure.

There were some very very good books.  There was a whole lot of terrible books, and most of them were probably in-between.

At Marvel, we had Young Avengers which I adored, and then we had Loki: Agent of Asgard which I have also adored.  Having Loki trying to actually try and change his fate, is a great idea, and it also makes him a lot more like the historical version of Loki, in that he was a Trickster God, not an Evil God. He may have gotten the Aesir into trouble, but he usually also managed to get them out.

We had the aforementioned Ms. Marvel, which is an absolutely charming book.  So is She-Hulk, and it breaks my heart that it is going to be ending.  Hawkeye has been amazing, if a tad on the late side.  Daredevil has been simply...awesome.  Thor has been fun as well.  That's about it for me from the Marvel side, I prefer their quirkier books to the nine million versions of Avengers vs X-Men.

On the DC side, Red Lanterns was probably my favorite.  Charles Soule, who interestingly enough has also been writing some of my favorite books at Marvel, is pretty damned good at this whole writing gig, and I am devastated that DC is letting him go.  Red Lanterns...beside the fact that it has Guy Gardner in it...has been the best Green Lantern Book all year.

Wonder Woman, up until the end of the year, was also superb.  I may not have agreed with some of the things that Azzarello came up with, but by gosh, he did it so well, and Chiang's artwork was sublime.  I loved that book, and I am missing it already.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo actually turned me into a Bat-Fan, and I never thought that would have happened.  Greg Tomasi and Pat Gleason have done their usual excellent job on Batman and Robin. Aquaman was pretty good, Batwoman WAS good, and then it wasn't, and Batgirl wasn't, and then it was.  Sandman came out again, and although there is always a LOOONG time between issues, it has been pretty damned fabulous.

Fables is coming to an end, along with Fairest, and although they aren't quite as fantastical as they were at the beginning, I still enjoy them, and I'll miss when it is gone.

Justice League hasn't been bad, although I've liked Justice League United better.

The Green Lantern books, still have their place in my heart...I just wish that the stories were better.  They're not BAD per se, but they are merely average.

The 52 Universe is still here, unfortunately.  I'm hoping that this little experiment in Fan Fiction will have played itself out by March, when they seem to be cancelling a whole passel of books, and doing some other stuff. Plus the whole Multiverse stuff seems to be interesting. I have to admit that the latest Captain Marvel/Shazaam book was sensational.

I must remember to mention Saga.  Gosharootie, it is wonderful.  

I'm getting better about dropping books when I don't enjoy them anymore.  I used to really hang on far too long, hoping that maybe THIS month, things would turn around.  I don't give them that much time anymore, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but they had better have something to keep me coming back, or I'm dumping them.  Saves me both money and angst.

I'm not even going to discuss the crappy stuff, because then I'd be here for another hour or so, and who needs that?  So here's hoping that 2015 is a great year for all of us...and for Comics too.

Happy New Year!

Green Lantern Annual #3

And so we finally come to the end of Godhead.  Thank goodness.  I love the Green Lanterns, I really do...but man, this has just dragged on and on, and it was more or less pointless in the end.

You know who the real hero of Godhead turned out to be? Blackhand.  Without him, they wouldn't have won.  Hal and Blackhand are hanging out at the Source wall, taunting Orion, when it finally occurs to Blackhand, that all those people stuck in the wall are dead...more or less...and therefore his to command.  Who saw THAT coming? 

Also everyone knows that Kyle isn't actually dead, which is nice. The new New Guardians are still proving to be almost as stupid as the old Guardians, and High Father is busy romping though Kyles brain.  Kyle manages to prove to High Father that he is being just as awful as Darkseid, which is actually something that practically everyone has been pointing out, but apparently High Father is a bit thick.  So, Kyle is the White Lantern again.  This is nice, except that now New Genesis is busy falling down, so Hal does his heroic thing and saves it and oh...St. Walker is hopeful again. 

High Father thanks Hal for being the bestest that there is, Guy makes inappropriate comments, and they all fly off home to Mogo, who gets his ring back, and there is a more or less happy ending...well except for all the people that the New Gods killed.  But hey, mistakes happen.  And Sinestro flies off in a bit of a snit. 

Just in time for DC to kill all of the books in a couple of months, which has me a bit nervous.  Now, could we please just give up on all of the book-spanning crossovers for a while and have the Lanterns actually do...lanterny things?  Hang out together?  I really would like a chance to catch my breath before the next giant crossover. 

Slightly Delayed Reviews

I do hope that everyone enjoyed a lovely holiday!  I completely forgot to post my reviews, and it was one heck of a week too!  But better late than never I suppose.

Aquaman #37

Arthur has discovered that his dear old Mum isn't dead at all...but where can she be?  He and Mera jump through some sort of portal and end up in...Gorilla City! 

Of course they do.  Fortunately for them, Arthur is on decent terms with Solivar, and the proper diplomatic niceties are observed.  And naturally whenever Gorilla City appears in the story, you know that Gorilla Grodd isn't going to be far behind...and there he is.  Arthur tries to get information out of him, naturally, Grodd isn't particularly cooperative, naturally he figures out a way to escape, and oh...it's just a lot of fun.

There's just something about DC and Gorillas.

Batman  Annual #3

This is more or less all about the relentless and terrifying mind games that the Joker plays with a cocksure reporter, who bites off a whole lot more than he can chew.  It's rather scary actually, but very well done, and a decent story which ties in with the on-going story without taking it over.  You don't HAVE to read it to know what is going on, but as a view into the creepy crawly bits that make up the Joker, it is pretty damned good.

Batman '66 #18

The Archer!  The Bookworm!  Batman on a horse jousting!  Oh, and Batgirl too. 

Batman takes on the Archer, a twisted version of Robin Hood, and hilarity ensues.  Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon takes on the Bookworm, who didn't realize that he was going up against one of the most awesome heroes on the planet...a LIBRARIAN!

Fun.  Oh, so much fun.

Green Lantern Annual #3

The end to the whole Godhead storyline.  At last.

Red Lanterns #37

Guy and Simon team up and show how awesome they are.  Simon also manages to talk a bit of sense into Guy who has been feeling awfully depressed since the deaths of all of his Red Lantern companions.  I believe that this is the last issue by Charles Soule, which is a darned shame because he has done an exemplary job with Guy Gardner and the whole saga of the Red Lanterns, turning them from one-dimensional monsters, into actual...heroes.  This all ties in Sinestro's book and leads up to the Green Lantern Annual, so read Red Lanterns first, then Sinestro and finally the Annual.  It makes a heckuva lot more sense that way.

Robin Rises #1

This more or less fills in some of the gaps in the last issue of Batman and Robin, with Damian newly resurrected and hugging his dear old Dad in the Batcave, they are naturally attacked by Kalibak, who just doesn't know when to quit.  It's a good thing that Damian has superpowers now!  Woohoo! 

I'm not quite as enchanted with Andy Kubert's artwork as I am with Pat Gleason's, but it is perfectly servicable, and Peter Tomasi does his usual excellent job.   And then Alfred feeds everyone, and there is a lot of fun with Bat Cow and oh heck...I liked it.

Sinestro #8

Sinestro's cockiness makes Hal look modest.  On the other hand, for the most part, Sinestro can back his arrogance up. Of course, so can Hal, usually through sheer luck, but what the heck.  He does come up with a rather brilliant idea, to use Despotillis against the High Father.  Unfortunately, their physiology isn't compatable, so that doesn't quite pan out, but Sinestro does manage to really really piss High Father off, which is always fun. 


Daredevil #11

Matt has decided that he's going to go ahead with the whole biography thing, and is dictating to Foggy, who doesn't remember things quite the way that Matt does. 

He also ends up helping Stuntmaster...the original  guy who has sold the rights to his name and is a bit hard up. There is a cocky and superlatively obnoxious youngster who has the name now, and spends his time doing derring do, and real death defying stunts, only to miraculously survive all of them. 

Unfortunately for the old Stuntmaster, there isn't a lot that Matt can do from a legal standpoint...he's been betrayed by the people he sold the rights to, but there is just enough wriggle room in the contract, that technically they are within their rights...and he ends up committing suicide in despair.

This has the effect of making Daredevil really really mad, and he goes after the new Stuntmaster, who unfortunately has an ace in the hole.  Turns out that the old fellow isn't actually dead, but kidnapped and is being forced into performing the stunt that the young guy is supposed to do...and that's the secret...he never actually performs his stunts, it is alway someone else, who does actually die...but he gets the credit.

Damn, this is good.

Hawkeye vs Deadpool #3

This is a rather silly team-up, but heck, it has Kate in it, and it's fun.  Clint ends up brainwashed into bringing the thumb drive of the SHIELD agents to the Black Cat, and it's up the Kate and Deadpool to stop him.  How they do so, is of course hilarious, and Kate discovers the joy of heavy firepower.  Clint does eventually break his mind control, but Black Cat doesn't know that...yet. 

Fun.  I like fun.

Loki: Agent of Axis #9

And speaking of fun!  Loki is still in hero mode after the whole Axis thingie, and Thor is still a villain...and a real jerk.  The Enchantress is running about being all righteous, and Loki is having his doubts, when Odin takes him aside and feeds him a few rather depressing facts.

I haven't been reading the whole Axis storyline, but apparently after a rather climatic battle, Loki  takes off for...the Blue area of the Moon, where Mjollnir happens to be sitting...this taking place before the new female Thor shows up.  He is hotly pursued by evil Thor, and of course is being watched by his future evil self, old King Loki who is busy chortling away. 

Odin told Loki he couldn't change, but he grasps Mjollnir...and lo and behold, he's worthy now!  Let's just say that Thor is completely gobsmacked when Loki starts swinging his hammer around.  Thor calls down the lightning anyway and is gobsmacked even more, when it doesn't have any effect on Loki, who after all IS holding his hammer. 

Too bad, that just then, Dr. Doom, the Scarlet Witch and some guy reverse the spell, and the hammer falls, and the image of sweet young innocent Loki who was murdered by evil old Loki shows up, and poor Loki is stuck, and Thor doesn't remember what happened, and...dang it, this is great stuff.


She-Hulk #11

I can't believe they are ending this book.  I love this book. 

Jen has won her court battle for Captain America and is feeling full of piss and vinegar, when she walks into her office, only to find Titania sitting at her desk, waving the Blue File around. 

Oh yeah, the  Blue File.

And naturally there is an epic battle, while Jen takes all the mayhem to a less congested area, and is getting her green behind handed to her.  And then Volcana shows up too.  Fortunately for She-Hulk, Patsy shows up, as well as Angie and that crazy monkey, who has...wings?  Straight out of the Wizard of Oz wings!

Turns out that Angie is a lot more...powerful than we had thought. 

Oh I do love this book.  So...much.

It's Christmas Eve

Where does the time go?  I can't believe that it is almost Christmas.  It has been a very strange month for me this year, what with the renovations and all.  Couldn't put up a tree, can't get at the decorations, and there isn't any place to seat anyone, but I have made fudge anyway, the Wassail is warming on the stove, and heck, it's...it's Christmas.

Lots and lots of books out today too, which is an extra Christmas bonus!



I know I have used this before, but dang it, I miss these guys so much...and it just cracks me up. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannuka, Krazy Kwaanza and a Fabulous Festivus!

And Now...For Something Completely Different

For a change I am not going to rant about comics.  Instead, I'm going to rant about driving. 

I live in Connecticut, but work in Massachusetts, a short 15 minute drive away from home.  I hop on I-91, cruise to work and home again.  Incidentally, that is sort of a New England sort of thing.  We don't calculate how far something is by how many miles it is, but by how long it takes to get there.  Do other states do that too?  That's probably why so many people are cranky because here in Connecticut we have always numbered our exits...well...numerically.  Exit one is followed by exit two and so on and so forth.  Apparently the rest of the country numbers exits by how many miles you are from the border, which I frankly consider to be a bit weird. 

So, I get the best of both worlds when it comes to crazy drivers.  And lord knows Connecticut has its fair share.  We live in New England and it snows here.  Every year.  Some times it snows a little, some times it snows a lot...but it always snows.  And every year, in late fall, we all seem to forget completely how to drive in the snow.  By March, we have figured it out again, but for those first couple of storms, it can get pretty hairy. 

Massachusetts however, is in a whole 'nother class.  I assume that there is something in the water.  The minute you cross the border, the highway immediately improves, they do a much better job with paving and there aren't nearly as many potholes...at least until you get to the secondary roads, in which case you are utterly screwed.  But the highway is nice.

The layout is a bit confusing however. At the "Longmeadow Curve" you have roughly 10 feet of road, to cross three lanes.  It gets quite exciting!  Pit lane at Daytona is nothing compared to the daily joy of maneuvering the three lanes, that narrows to two, then back to three, but one of them is an exit!

I've also come to realize that Massachusetts drivers don't use their turn signals.  They also are apt to move into your lane...while you are currently occupying it.  If a guy is on your right and needs to go across two lanes to get to the exit that is rapidly approaching, he will ALWAYS cut directly in front of you, instead of tucking neatly behind you...where there is no traffic.  Always. 

If you are at an intersection, and wish to turn right on red, the car that is to your left, which is going straight or turning left, will see you looking for a break in the traffic...and immediately pull forward so that you can't see anymore.  If you are at an intersection turning right, and the light turns green, the oncoming traffic that is turning left, will always pull right out in front of you.  If you are at an intersection turning left with the separate lane and a separate green arrow, frequently a car in the oncoming lane will pull out...straight. 

All of these exciting things have happened to me just this week.  They happen to me frequently, but today I think I may have snapped.  So if you see that crazy lady in the dark gray E350, she isn't singing with the radio...although I do that too.  She is suffering from Vehicular Tourettes. 


Please drive carefully while out shopping today and tomorrow!

Woohoo!

Well, my internet/telephone/television problems have been solved and in a surprisingly timely manner.  They came right out and started doing...stuff.  Had to replace the cable from the house to the pole apparently, but things are back up and running and I am joyful. 

And a little bit chastened to realize how reliant I was on all that stuff.

But on to reviews.

Batman #37

Let me just first state my love of all the Darwyn Cooke covers, because they are...Awesome!

In this issue, things are going from bad to worse, as they are wont to do when the Joker is involved.  Half of Gotham has been exposed to his latest version of Joker Gas, and it is a particularly nasty version, all of Batman's antidotes are useless against it...much to his chagrin. 

James Gordon is holed up in his apartment communicating with Batman, and doing his best to keep free of the toxin.  He is also looking up information on his computer about Willowwood Children's Hospital, a place listed as one of the most haunted in the country with a long and horrible history of tragedy.  And in each of the pictures, a mysterious figure shows up in the background.  Gordon is getting seriously creeped out, and who can blame him. 

Batman runs into Joe Chill of all people, re-enacting his own formative moment in Crime Alley, and Gordon is attacked seemingly by the Joker, and it is all getting scary as all get out.

Scary...and good.

Batman and Robin #37

It's Batman against Darkseid, with the usual spectacular artwork from Pat Gleason.  I mean really really spectacular!  He has quite the way with Kirby characters.  The Bat crew and Cyborg are holding off the hordes, Batman is struggling for Damian's body, and Darkseid lets loose with his Omega beam...which is apparently what Batman had been hoping for, he uses a Chaos Shard to suck in the power of the beam, and somehow manages to get everyone out of there with a Boom Tube.

This is a good thing, except that the Shard is also a bomb and is about to blow up, and it's a tense few minutes, I can tell you!  He stabs the shard into Damian's body, and ...holy crap! 

His baby boy is back!

Then Batman keels over.

Wow!

Just...wow.


Fables #147

So, Rose Red, is back at her old home, the cottage in the woods where she grew up with her mother and Snow White, and she has the choice of either staying there, and being pretty damn powerful, but not knowing why...or learning about the magic in her family, and why she is destined to kill her sister.  She of course opts for the knowledge, and we get a bit of information about her mother.

Also, Sir Lancelot fights Prince Brandish, which is actually rather amusing, when he cuts his head off, and it takes a few hours for his body to find it and put it back on.  I really do hope that Brandish gets his...reward when the book ends.

Everything is winding down, as most of the Fables are heading back to the Homelands, and the story ends in a few more issues, with the big showdown between Rose and Snow, but this is a good issue as usual.

Justice League #37

Well, Lex is sorry that he made the Amazo virus which is loose and deadly, and all of the Justice Leagers are infected except Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, and Batman's air mask gets cracked when they fight the original infectee, who has mutated, so now he's exposed too.  Superman is mad at Lex, and really, who can blame him? 

It's a perfectly servicable story, but oh my, the Darwyn Cooke cover just thrills me to no end.  I really wish that I could be reading about that Justice League.

Sandman: Overture #4

Gorgeous of course.  And deep.  And interesting.  Morpheus visits with dear old Dad, which was quite the reveal, I never knew that the Endless even HAD parents!  And he is allowed into Star City, by the Stars, and talks with the crazy Star, and as usual, things will be getting worse before they get better, but oh...it is so lovely.

So very lovely.

Thunderworld Adventure/Multiversity

Shazaam!  Captain Marvel!  Marvel's vs Sivana's!

There were some really pretty spectacular books out this week, and I think that this was my favorite one of all. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, has figured out how to connect with all of the other Sivanas throughout the Multiversity and has created an 8th day of the week, in order to infiltrate the Rock of Eternity, capture Shazaam the Wizard, and duplicate Captain Marvel's powers, by using his own children as guinea pigs. 

Of course, they are more than happy to be used, and immediately go to Fawcett City, where strange things are happening indeed.  Billy even runs into himself, a future version of himself with a dire warning.  And of course, he turns into Captain Marvel, and the fight is...On! 

He's one against three, so naturally, Mary and Junior show up, but the City is attacked by the Monster Society, so they get reinforcements from the Lieutenant Marvels!  With Tawky Tawny!  With lasers and jet packs!

Captain Marvel leaves all of the mayhem in the hands of his trusted allies, as he heads to the Rock of Eternity to fight Sivana, who uses the power to make himself into Black Sivana!  Cap turns back into Billy, but finds the Time shards, crystalized like radio Quartz, which he uses to warn himself in th past, and...and...

...well, Sivana's extra day didn't last a whole day after all, but only  8 hours, so naturally, Captain Marvel saves the day, the Monsters are defeated, and they see that the whole thing was caused by that comic book...which was...cancelled.

Grant Morrison writes it, Cameron Stewart draws it, and it is an absolute joy from beginning to end. 

So...much...joy.

Sensation Comics/ Wonder Womn #5

I've dropped the regular Wonder Woman book like a hot potato, but this book continues to make me happy.  It is a one story issue, and it is Wonder Woman vs Darkseid!

Hippolyta has sent two Amazons to Apokolips and neither have returned, so she sends Diana to look for them, and naturally, it doesn't go well.  Luftan, their contact is totally untrustworthy...of course, and she is attacked by the Female Furies.  She's actually whupping them pretty well, till she gets thrown into a fire pit.  She ends up being rescued by some scavengers, who scrounge around the fire pits, looking for stuff to sell or reuse.  She asks for their help, but they are reluctant...and frightened and who can blame them?

Darkseid in the meantime is pissy because she was "killed" and he wanted to do it himself, so he decides to execute her two Amazon sisters. Naturally, she show up and rescues them ,and they all end up getting chased, and it's all quite lovely.  And violent.  But mainly lovely. 

The twist comes, when it turns out that the two Amazons had planned to blow up Apokilips using a bomb from Lex Corp.  Diana isn't thrilled with Apokolips, but she is appalled that her sisters would sacrifice a world, and flatly refuses.  But they are attacked, and the Amazons throw the bomb down towards the core while Diana is captured and brought before Darkseid.  He's skeptical, but finally agrees to let her go down into the fire pit and try and stop it, figuring he has nothing to lose.

Naturally, she gets the bomb, but then Darkseid goes ahead and executes her Amazons anyway, which makes her mad.  But the little scavengers that helped her are safe, and not quite so afraid anymore, so it is a happy ending?

Beautiful, and a great Wonder Woman story.

Man, it was a pretty great week! 

drat!

Well, I got my new comics, and got nice ones... but our fershluginner cable/television/internet/telephone is out for some mysterious reason and god only knows when it will be fixed.  frontier bought out AT&T and don't seem to really know what they are doing.  when I called to explain what had happened, I got directed to a technician... and also a sales pitch for virus protection. I did mention that without any internet I wasn't really using virus protection and that I already had Norton anyway.

Plus, if their virus protection is as spotty as their service, it would be a waste.  l am therefore a little cranky, and reviews will have to wait. 

Arrghhh!

All I Want for Christmas...

...is my Bathroom back!  Gah!

We have entered into Week Five of the Bathroom/Kitchen renovation, and it's coming along nicely, with an all new shower, tiled with white subway tile, and new tile floor, and new sink and new toilet, and new walls and new ceiling...but it won't be hooked up and actually flowing with water until sometime this week. 

Oh God, I hope it is this week. 

We are coping with the shower in our motorhome, and the claw-footed bathtub in the other full bath, but my kitchen is also in a shambles, and the new appliances need to be delivered, and I can't decorate for Christmas...and I'm feeling just a bit of stress lately.

So I thought this was appropriate.



I do so love this particular picture of Guy by the incomparable Ivan Reis.  Nobody can roll their eyes quite like Guy.

Reviews!

Rather a small week.  But not a bad week.  Oh, let's be serious.  There is never a really bad week when comic books are involved.  And my renovated bathroom is actually nearing completion!  And it's gorgeous!  And I really really really want to be able to take a shower in it.

Batgirl #37

I have to admit that I am loving this book.  The art is quirky and fun and pretty darned amazing.  The story is equally so. 

Someone has been imitating the new Batgirl, and robbing celebrities, and flashing glitter, and generally behaving in an unladylike manner.  Barbara is not particularly happy with the way her reputation is being stolen, and is doing her best to track down the malefactors.  Also, he image is being used by an avant-garde artist, much to her dismay.

And she does manage to track down her evil twin!  And it's the guy who is using her as art!  And he's doing this for more art!  Only, it backfires on him rather spectacularly, when nobody is impressed, which I found to be hilarious.  Hey, these kids may use cell phones and watch Kardashians, but they aren't stupid. 

A whole lotta fun.

Green Lantern Corps #37

Well, there is a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, which can't come too soon for me.  Lately it seems as though the endless crossovers have become a marathon..something to be endured, in the hope that there will be a meager payoff in the end.  I really would like to just have stories about my favorite Lanterns doing their Lanterny thing. Is that too much to ask for?

Apparently.

So Malhedron, who was originally from Apokolips and knows all about Darkseid...even he has had it up to here with High Father's shenanigans, and he helps John and Sinestro in their rebellion.  The Indigo's are...probably wisely...staying out of things, they may have handed the lanterns over to High Father, but they aren't getting involved.  The Inidgos are the Switzerland of the Corps. 

Some of the Lanterns however, have been subjected to the stolen White Light from Kyle, and it turns them into New God mindless Slaves, which is a not very good thing for them.  So John shows up with that nifty shield, that the Weaponeer made for him, and he goes up against the crazy guy with the unbeatable hammer.  After a lot of threats, that crazy guy throws the hammer and shatters the shield.  Except that John now has...his hammer. 

What a maroon. 

So Sinestro is off to Earth, John is running a rebellion on New Genesis, and things seem to have turned the corner.  At least something is actually happening, which is a good thing.

It did have that incredibly gorgeous Darwyn Cooke cover though.


Justice League United #7

And speaking of beautiful covers, there is another Cooke Cover on this book, and it is a dandy. 

The JLU has teamed up after their original misunderstandings with the Legion and are trying to save the little kid Ultra, from the terrible future that Byth has in plan for him...a future that will eventually wipe out the 30th Century, so you can understand the Legion's problem.  J'onn goes into the kids mind and tries to help him, but gets tossed out by Byth. The only one that seems to really have a rapport with the kid is Equinox. 

But Byth escapes with Ultra, in a ship piloted by Hawkman who is still under Byth's thrall, and there is also an impending war between Thanagar and Rann, and they all get rescued by Sardath, even though the Legion sneers at their pathetic old-fashioned Zeta beam technology.

The art is pretty, Hawkman is still a jerk, and oh heck...I like this. 


Secret Six #l

I missed this last week. I was sorry because I love Gail Simone, so with bated breath, I dove right into it. 

It's not exactly what I was expecting.  Catman is still in it, and I love Catman.  But all of the others are different characters with the exception of Black Alice, who was probably my least favorite from before.  No Scandal, no Bane, no Ragdoll, no Jeanette...no Deadshot. 

And no Nicola Scott, who did such a superlative job of drawing all these wonderful characters.  Catman is still hot in the new art, but mainly because Gail has people saying that.  I'm not much impressed with the artwork by Ken Lashley, an artist that I am completely unfamiliar with.  It's a bit too scratchy for my taste, and it's hard to see what is actually going on a lot of the time.

But all of the six have been gathered together by...someone...and put in a boobytrapped room for...some reason....and they have to give an answer to...something or they'll be killed off, one by one.  Catman now apparently can't stand confinement, and there is a girl who can turn things into porcelain or something, and a dude who gets big, and the crazy girl Ventriloquist, Black Alice and Strix. 

I'll keep up with this for a while, but I hope that things improve.

Dang.


Thor #3

Well, the new Thor is stuck without her hammer, fighting Frost Giants, who are apparently looking for Laufey's Skull, which for some reason is on Midgard.  That crazy Minotaur CEO of Roxxon is sure that he can keep the giants out, but goes up against Malekith, and there is a whole lot of posturing  going on. Oh, and she does get her hammer back, and destroys Laufey's skull, and kills a lot of Frost Giants, and oh incidentally original Thor shows up at the end.

And he is really pissed.

Nice art, and it is an interesting story so far.


And that's it for this weeks books.  A few hits and a few misses, but nothing completely terrible.  Now I am going to go and watch the contractors tear my kitchen apart.

Blurg

A wet and windy Tuesday, here in lovely little old New England.  Sleet this morning, but it turned to torrential rain the rest of the day.  However there is a bright side.

It's not snow.

One rarely has to shovel rain, so I'm counting my blessings where I can. 

It's Monday

I haven't a thought in my head...so it is the perfect time to post a picture of Guy.



Gosh, he was adorable back when he was crazy.

Green Lantern #37

Well, this is more of the same from Green Lantern Corps actually.  We have a bit of interaction between Sinestro and John.  Sinestro just can't help sneering a bit, because frankly, that's what Sinestro does best.  And I've always gotten the impression that he's not terribly impressed with John.  Again of course, you could say that Sinestro isn't impressed with anyone!  He's in for a bit of a comeuppance however, when he releases Parallax on their prison on New Genesis...and fails. 

Frankly I find this ridiculous.  We have spent years being told that the avatars of the Rings and Parallax in particular are the most powerful entities in the Universe, and the New Gods can shrug them away with ease.

Harumph, I say. 

But getting to the fun part, we have Black Hand amusing himself on Earth, and by cracky, I have to admit that I haven't enjoyed Black Hand this much in years. He's actually a whole lot more like the way he was when he first started out, as a not too competent baddie, but at least he's having some fun.  Hal of course is beside himself, and doesn't particularly appreciate Black Hand shoving poor old Martin Jordan in front of his son.

But Hal keeps it together and spells out the problems facing them, which has Black Hand intrigued.  And it makes a certain amount of sense for him to help, since it is a War and War is so very very good at Death.  So he calls up some Dead Green Lanterns, and off to the Source Wall they go, to meet up with Sinestro!  Who unfortunately along with John has been captured. 

Naturally, they run into Orion.  And actually Hal and Black Hand are doing pretty well, all things considered, and then Black Hand discovers what the Source Wall does..and he's simply enchanted. 

This wasn't a bad issue, although I think as a whole, this entire storyline is dragging a bit. We keep seeing the same scenes in each of the different books, and it's getting slightly tedious.  The New Gods have been set up as the most powerful threats in the Universe, and frankly, it's a bit much.  It's TOO much.  I know that the Lanterns are going to win eventually, but since the ante has been upped so high, it's going to feel like a cheat to me, and I haven't even read it yet. But Black Hand was a breath of fresh air, which rather surprises me.

Stuff I Bought

Not a bad week for the first of the month.  However,  the new Secret Six was supposed to come out, and for some reason, my beloved Comic books store...did NOT HAVE IT!  Arrgghh!  They will be getting it, but still...! 

*grumblegrumblegrumble*

Fairest #32

And so we come to the penultimate issue of this series, which I have enjoyed quite a lot, as an interesting companion to the regular Fables series. It had its ups and downs, the whole Cinderella and the mice story seemed interminable, but the one with Prince Charming was great.  The latest story has more or less focused on the Farm, and the various things going on there, with the promise of glamours to some of the animals who live there, and the trials and tribulations and so on. 

We finally get to the lottery to chose the glamours, and as usual that snotty little Sunflower is busy causing trouble.  Clara the raven/dragon gets one, which is nice.  I like Clara.  The Owl gets one and gives it to the Pussycat.  That silly little Lamb gets one.  The Sunflower gets one, but it was rigged, and is taken away, much to his chagrin.  He is sulking as usual, and falls into the tent where the glamours are, and accidentally...makes a mess.

Meanwhile Reynard and his new wife and baby are making a run for it, as her hillbilly kinfolk close in.  Reynard swipes their pickup and they hide in the back, as they head for the Farm. 

Back at that very same Farm, the moment has come and the Glamors are given, and...things go a tad awry.  The recipients turn human, but their sponsors, get turned into what the recpients were! The Owl is now a cat, Mary is a lamb, and so on.  Good Grief! There is a certain amount of consternation.

So much...consternation. 

But they get things sorted out, and a more or less happy ending ensues. Also Renard shows up with all of his menage, and it turns out that there were a lot of misunderstandings, and well...dare we hope for a real happy ending?

Gotham Academy #3

I missed number two, just getting that last week, but this has been an interesting little book so far.  I like the art, it is a bit different, and the story is more quirky, and there seem to be some really strange things going on in Gotham.

It's Gotham. Strange stuff happens all the time.  But it's pretty good so far.


Green Lantern #37

Oh Hal.


Justice League 3000 #12

I hadn't really picked up this book.  I love Giffen and DeMatteis together, but it just didn't click for me.  But being a huge Beetle and Booster fan, how could I possibly pass this up? 

Our dynamic duo wake up on a prison world from a deep DEEP sleep of suspended animation, and naturally don't have a clue as to what is going on.  Their captor, or the guy who runs the prison planet is surprisingly nice to them.  Naturally, they are freaking out a bit, and decide to go and see if Beetle's hidden lairs all over the city are still there.  They ARE, and in fact his stuff is better than ever!  Unfortunately, it has all been discovered and taken over by the New Blue Beetle who is pretty pissed that Ted is in his suit. 

Mayhem naturally ensues.  I'll be sticking with this for a while.  It's a bit silly, but oh heck...it's my boys.  I've missed them so.

Sinestro #7

Well, John and Sinestro aren't getting along, and neither are their corps all that well, but they are trying to figure out a plan.  Also Sinestro seems to be quite enchanted with Bekka and thinks she would be perfect for  a yellow ring. 

Meanwhile, poor Soranik is getting the cold shoulder from her fellow Lanterns.  Iolande is being snotty.  Although to be fair, Iolande is pretty snotty most of the time.  She IS a Queen after all. And a lot of the newer Lanterns hardly know Soranik.  Still, she's feeling a bit cranky.  Then John and Sinestro use the Indigos to teleport them to New Genesis, and right into a trap.  Well, pooh. 

I do hope that this whole New Gods thing ends soon.  I'm getting pretty tired of seeing them constantly getting their butts whipped. They are firm and round and beautiful butts, but still!

Everything IS Awesome!

I finally saw the Lego Movie, now that it is on Cable. 

Oh God, it's adorable. 

And I am singing that song of course, constantly in my head.  But it's worth it.  I giggled like a loon throughout the entire movie, especially the parts where Hal is trying to be Superman's bestest buddie, and Superman keeps trying to move away.  Also...Batman.  He writes songs!

"Darkness!  No Parents!"

That about sums it all up.  

What a fabulous movie.!