Cocaine's a Hell of a Drug

Before you know it, it'll have you dressed up like a 20-something Santa Claus looking to spread a new gospel.

Just say no.  You know, unless you're into that kind of thing.

From Steve Englehart and Joe Stanton's New Guardians #2 via Comics Should Be Good

About That Man of Steel Ending...

I'm sure most of you, being that this is a comics blog, watched that new Superman movie that hit theaters last week.  And if you did, I'm sure you came away with some opinions.  To say that it's a movie that invites debate is putting it mildly.  

My short, non-spoilery take on the movie is thusly:  At least it was better than Superman Returns.  Then again, it's not hard to be better than a movie that turned the godfather of all superheroes into a creepy date rapist; the bar wasn't that high to begin with.  

As to why I didn't enjoy this new take on Supes, you'll have to cross the desert of knowledge into Spoiler territory.  I got a jet plane, I'll meet you there.

Oh, and no, this isn't about the amount of destruction during those fights.  That's just kinda whatever.

Okay, so, at the big epic (and kinda boring) battle between Zod and Superman ends with Supes straight up killing Zod.  Snapping his neck, in fact, while Zod threatens to incinerate some screaming family.  And that's when the movie lost me.

You see, the whole movie had pretty explicitly set up the idea that Superman was some kind of Space Jesus here to give us an example to look up to and save us from ourselves.  I think the line from Jor-El (the defacto Space-God, I suppose) is something like: "You will give the people an ideal to strive towards."

So by killing Zod in front of everyone, the 'ideal to strive towards' Superman has given the people writ large is that it's cool to kill.  Nice message there, Space Jesus.

And you know, it didn't have to be that way.  In fact, they still could have had Zod die at Superman's hands, but not make it as mundane and altogether awful as a neck snap.  In fact, I really thought they were going to do it there for a second too.

Let's take a step back to talk about Zod for a second.  He's established in the movie as putting the prosperity of his people above his own well being, which is a pretty cool motivation.  The reason he tries to overthrow Krypton in the first place is because he feels like the powers that be are driving the society into a new dark age.  We've all been there, I get it.  Then, after he escapes from prison (to put it simply), he's in search of two things to ensure his people survive: a new home world and the genetic macguffin that ensures proper Kryptonian births that was stolen and jettisoned by Jor El.  Later, when Zod finds Superman he learns that the macguffin was encoded into Supes' DNA, making him the be-all-end-all of Krypton.  And, you know, the fight ensues.

Fast forward to the end of the movie, Superman (along with some military friends) have defeated the marauding Kryptonians, leaving Zod alone with a pile of ash.  As he runs his hands through that pile of destroyed dreams, he screams something like "This was all we were.  This was all that was left of Krypton, the thing I was sworn to protect, and now it's gone.  I have nothing to live for!"  Or something like that.

Now, here's the thing.  In the movie as it plays, Zod rushes Superman and they proceed to punch the shit out of each other for twenty (long) minutes.  However, it struck me that it would make more sense for Superman to point out that, in fact, Superman represents the entirety of the Kryptonian people and therefore Zod should not freak out.

Don't get me wrong, in this fantasy scenario, I still see a big fight occurring, but instead of it just being a verbal tennis match of "I'll stop you", it could have been Superman trying to be the bigger man and trying to stop Zod from hurting himself.

Like, you know, show Superman using his brains and compassion to end the situation instead of just his fists.  Or, to put it another way, to give us an example of how to fight someone that doesn't involve physical superiority.  Or you know, like Jor El said: "Give [us] an ideal to strive towards"

To me, that's the biggest sin of Man of Steel: they spend so much time telling me he's supposed to inspire us, but they never show him doing anything worthy of inspiration.  Sure, he saved some people, but that's just common decency.  What makes someone worthy of idolization is not how they do the simple things, but how they handle the tough problems.  And what Man of Steel told me is that when put in a tough situation, Superman will solve it the easiest way possible:  By killing.

And that is not what Superman is about.

Who Is Marvel's Batman

Namor and Aquaman. Green Arrow and Hawkeye. Deathstroke and Deadpool. Superman and The Sentry. Swamp Thing and Man Thing. The Green Lantern Corps and the Nova Corps. It's not hard to find analogous characters when looking at the catalogs of both DC and Marvel. These homages (or rip-offs, if you want to be mean) are a time honored tradition between the two companies. However, there has been one character that doesn't quite have a clear analogue: Batman.

Not that Marvel hasn't tried; far from it. Over the years, Marvel has put forth a litany of characters that try to invoke the same ideas of Batman - without sinking into the murky waters of copyright infringement - with little success.

So of the minor successes, who is the Marvel analogue for Batman? Let's take a look at the top candidates:

______________________________

Moon Knight

Moon Knight (Post-werewolf hunter beginnings and Pre-current crazy Bendis makeover) has oft been considered the man to beat when it comes to Bat-Analogues. I'll admit that it's a pretty easy case to make when you take a glance at the character: He's highly trained, works at night, has tons of gadgets, and has a rich alter ego. Hell, he even has a crazy, murderous ex-sidekick.

However, once you dig a little bit deeper, the whole thing starts to fall apart. Even before his recent schizophrenic turn, Moonie wasn't the most sane of heroes. Donning up to three different alter egos in a manner that would make Stanislavski proud, he probably did more to scare his closest friends than his deadliest enemies. Further more, he has a penchant for being a little overly violent, like when he cut the face off of Bushman a few years back. I know Bats has done some extreme things in the past, but he tends to stop short of physical mutilation.

In the end, Moon Knight is more akin to the 90s AzBats everyone hates than he is the Bruce Wayne Batman everyone likes.

Pros: Night-themed, lots of Gadgets, Rich.
Cons: Crazy, Overly Violent.
Percentage Batman: 85%

The Shroud

The Shroud is definitely the dark horse on the list. Created in 1975, He's a blind, mystically-augmented, cape-wearing vigilante that one the surface doesn't seem like he'd be similar to The Bat. In a twist from Moon Knight, as you dig deeper into the character, the more similar to Batman he becomes.

Tell me when this sounds familiar: Ten year old rich kid, Maximillian Coleridge, is orphaned when his parents are killed in front of him by a common criminal. From there he devotes his life to justice, studying criminology while keeping his body in peak form. In an attempt to take one further step into awesome crimefighterhood, he travels to the east to work with some monks... who end up blinding him to unlock his mystic potential.

Now, blind, he's able to access a mystic extrasensory perception that allows him to see everything around him at once - Kinda like Daredevil, but without the radioactivity.

Since then, he's gained the ability to access a darkforce dimension that allows him to teleport wherever he wants to be. So, yeah, that kinda puts him in the 'definitely not Batman' camp. However, given his look and his origin, I couldn't not put him on the list. He's the analogue for when DC finally goes crazy and gives Batman powers, which I'm sure they'll do at some point...

Pros: Traumatized by Parents Murder, devoted life to Justice, got special training from Monks...
Cons: ...Those monks blinded him. Also he has mystic powers.
Percentage Batman: 65%


Nighthawk

In a way, Nighthawk was literally created to be a Bat-Knockoff. In another way, he's the farthest thing from it. Put on your comics hat, things are about to become confusing.

Okay, so as a fun not-crossover-crossover, Roy Thomas created a JLA Analogue to fight the Avengers called the Squadron Supreme. The team was comprised of a superstrong flying guy (Hyperion), a super fast runner (The Whizzer), a man possessed with an otherworldly stone that gave him energy powers (Doctor Spectrum), and a regular human vigilante (Nighthawk). Simple enough, right? Wrong. That team came from an entirely different dimension that only occasionally, never permanently.

The version of Nighthawk running around the Marvel Universe right now was first recruited by the villainous Gamesmaster to be an evil version of his alternate dimension persona. After a brief flirtation with being the bad guy, Nighthawk came to the side of the angels becoming a charter member of The Defenders. Still with me?

So, convolutedness aside, it's Nighthawk's alter ego that makes him like Batman. As Kyle Richardson, Nighthawk runs a multi-national corporation that gives him the resources to fight crime that would make anyone jealous (except probably Moon Knight because he's got his own cash flow). More recently, Kyle's given up the mantle of Nighthawk to Joaquin Pennysworth in a move similar to Bruce giving up the mantle of the Bat to Dick Grayson. So he's like a Batman Incorporated Bruce Wayne now, without the galavanting the world and making out with a Catwoman analogue.

Pros: Literally created to be a knockoff Batman. Rich. Runs a company.
Cons: Was briefly evil. Crazy convoluted origin.
Percentage Batman: 73%

__________________________________

The more I think about it, there's only one answer to this question. There's only one character in the Marvel Universe with a history of taking down enemies way more powerful than them, someone with deep ties to supergroups both big and small, has at least one dead sidekick in their past, and dresses like a rodent.

That's right, Marvel's Batman is none other than Squirrel Girl.

And she would totally kick Batman's ass.

The Greatest Recap of the Death and Return of Superman EVER

I stumbled upon this and would be remiss in my bloggerly duties if I didn't repost it here. Here's Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis telling it how it is about the Death and Return of Superman. Believe me, it's worth the 16 minutes and is the perfect thing to watch instead of that dreadful Madonna halftime show today. Enjoy!

And now, Nazis Riding Dinosaurs

That is all.

Guy faces off against my nightmare teamup in Guy Gardner Warrior #23 via dreammakers Beau Smith and Mitch Byrd.

Lobo's New Look in 3 Panels

The three-ish panels to scar your brain courtesy of Lobo #13 by Alan Grant and Carl Critchlow. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash my eyes out with bleach

The Bill September 1, 2011

After months of bitching in anticipation, DC's big gamble finally became a real book in my hands. How's it stack up? How am I going to differentiate myself from 95% of the rest of the blogosphere? Join me after the graphic and let's find out.




The Big Story:

Justice League # 1
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Jim Lee

"Are these books always four dollars," the FutureWife asked as I forced her to read the issue in question. After I nodded in the affirmative, she retorted, "seems pretty light for four bucks..."

To me, that about sums up what I expect a new fan to think about this book. It looks nice and it reads okay, but the price is a bit high and the page count seemingly lacking (In reality it's fine, I'm just pointing out what a new reader would thing). That's not a good combination when you're trying to win over new fans.

The substance of the book is less 'Justice League' as it is 'Brave and the Bold'. Instead of trotting out new or lapsed storytelling techniques for this introductory issue of 'The New 52', the powers that be opted instead to rely on that tired old decompressed method that's been the rage for the past few years. So instead of seeing the team come together in this issue, we saw Green Lantern and Batman meeting for the first time and chasing down a lead. It wasn't a bad story, it just wasn't a special one.

Justice League #1 didn't feel like something that needed the entire universe to be reset for and that's a major problem. Where it should have been fresh and new, it instead felt like well-worn territory with a fancy new coat of paint. Sure, the attitudes of the heroes changed a bit - Hal, for better or worse, sounds a lot more like Ryan Reynolds now, for instance - but for the most part it felt like something that could have been told in the pre-Flashpoint Universe with some minor tweaks.

For all my bitching, I really wanted to be blown away by this book. I wanted to totally eat crow while writing this review, feeling embarrassed by over-reaction to the snippets of details I had. Alas, that's not the case. But instead of feeling vindicated, I feel sad for DC's big shakeup and what I see as a big missed opportunity.

That said, I did witness two non-fans coming into my comic store to buy all the new number ones. So regardless of what I - or the rest of the blogosphere, for that matter - thinks, the big relaunch achieved it's goal of getting new faces in the stores. I just hope they're forgiving enough to stick around for next month...

The Reasoning Behind the DC Reboot

That's Dan Didio, as quoted by this article over at Hero Complex, when asked about the decision to go with the new DC Reboot. He makes a great point, and I totally understand his reasoning for trying something drastic. It's no secret that the world of comics is getting smaller everyday (ironically while influence of comics grows greater and greater everyday) and something has to be done to reverse that trend. The only way comics will get out of this reported tail spin is by attracting new, and lapsed, readers back to the confines of those stapled (or whatever the digital equivalent of staples are). For all of my criticisms of what DC is doing, Didio makes a great case for a major shakeup and I respect him for just going for it.

But.

Because you knew there had to be a but, right? Later in the article, Rob Liefeld (of all people) was quoted saying this about the reboot:



I totally agree with the first part of that quote. Yes things have been getting a bit stagnant and that now is the perfect time to do something crazy to attract new readers. Hitting the reset button, however, is not the answer to anything.

I get it. Take things back to a simpler time, when things were at their most iconic. Eschew all the strange bits of canon (I'm looking at you Continuity Punches) and rebuild the universe in a more organic way that makes sense for what you're trying to do. At the same time, take a few years off your leads to make them more relatable to your incoming audience. It seems to work on paper, but in reality I think it'll just muck things up more than it helps.

Suddenly, you'll have to explain to people how certain stories fit into the new universe, or why other stories don't exist at all. A fan who's excited about the new Teen Titans might go back to check out an copy a few months old, only to find that nothing makes any sense. It's this huge can of caveat worms that's going to be openned, and will only make things more confusing when you try to explain that Superman and Lois used to be married in a Post-crisis, Pre-Flashpoint Universe. Makes you sound like a crazy person. And no one wants to listen to crazy people.

Personally, I think the answer would have been to push everything forward. It's a much more provocative, interesting gamble that publishers very rarely take. The best way to change the status quo isn't to reset it to what it's always been, but to change it to something new and fresh. Much like Marvel is doing with Ultimate Spider-Man.

Marvel, in a much similar situation with an overly convoluted Ultimate continuity, opted to embrace the future by putting the past to rest and building on it. By killing Peter (and presumably keeping him dead) and building this new hero in his legacy, they don't create that confusion with the old stories. If a kid really likes Miles Morales and picks up an old issue, it'll be easier to explain that Peter died, than the something like 'it's not continuity any more because everything got reset by a guy who can run really fast'.

It will be very interesting to see what method pays off the most. Will new fans be attracted to the same old, traditional stories with a new coat of paint, or will they want something truly new? Personally I'm hoping for the latter.



I guess we'll find out in a few months.

The Best Thing About The DC Reboot...

...Just makes it all that much more disappointing.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Earlier in the week, Newsarama (or 4chan if you believe Bleeding Cool) released a huge collage of the new DC Logos (or mastheads, if you want to get technical) and they're awesome. Just check'em out:


click to embiggen

Those are, without a doubt, some of the slickest, most modern looking logos I've seen in years. Kudos to DC for really bringing it when it comes to the majority of these title treatments. Out of context, these absolutely signify the new M.O. of 'The New 52' and honestly get me excited about some of these books.

And then I remember them in context:



Simply put, those logos don't go with those costumes. It's like chocolate and relish, Peanut butter and steak, kittens and cucumbers, or... well, you get the idea.

I've ranted about these new costumes before, so I'm going to try to not repeat myself, but basically DC very much missed an opportunity when they revamped these costumes for 'The New 52'. Instead of going to the early 90s for inspiration, why didn't they turn to fashion designers, minimalist artists, or anyone out side of the field of comics that could give these characters a fresh, yet classic new look?

When I see those new mastheads, I expect the heroes they represent to be just as hip an modern. I want a slick, stylish Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman when I open up that first issue of Justice League, not overly complicated versions of their old, better-looking costumes. It's as if the mastheads and the characters were designed by two different parts of DC Comics that refuse to talk to each other. The disconnect between the two ideologies when it comes to new, fresh and modern is astounding.

Listen, I really want this crazy DC stunt to work. I want nothing more than the talk a week from now to be how DC has totally reinvigorated the comics market and goosed sales throughout the industry. I just worry that someone's going to read all the coverage for this new, fresh DCU, only to be disappointed when they see something that looks like comics have always been.

Let's pray that I just worry too much.

The Ray: Superhero Exhibitionist

Scenes like this happened far too often in the 90's Ray series from Christopher Priest and Howard Porter, making The Ray officially DC's most naked hero. Take that Batman!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the DC Reboot

Now that some of the dust has settled on this DC non-reboot reboot, I figured it was a good time to reexamine DC's crazy ass stunt. Not for nothing, the DC brass has certainly captured the attention of the comic reading public. They've grabbed the limelight away from the House of Ideas, and it'll be theirs to lose if this thing doesn't pan out the way they're hoping. Let's break it down.

THE GOOD

Between the attempts at overly tight publishing schedules (see Countdown), the rapid reversals (See the death and return of Bart Allen), and the unclear, piecemeal nature of their in-continuity history (I'm looking at you, Power Girl), DC was in desperate need of a continuity overhaul. Things were getting a bit overly convoluted. For me, no other character exemplifies this convoluted continuity more than Jason Todd.



I dig the idea of Jason's return as much as the next guy, but I always cringe when I have to explain how he came back: Superboy-Prime, the recently powered Clark Kent from "our" Earth, got bored in his pocket dimension - that he shared with a different Superman, different Lois, and the good Lex Luthor - and started beating on the walls of reality, sending shockwaves through the fabric of time and space which resulted in the sudden un-death of Jason Todd.

You can imagine the looks I get.



It's shit like that that keeps people from diving into comics. When you have to know something from 25 years ago just to start to understand the insane reasons why another character is suddenly around, people get understandably squeamish about jumping into the monthly grind. DC recognizes this, I'm hoping, and are attempting to make things a bit easier to understand.

Plus, as I read in an interview with Scott Lobell (incoming writer on Teen Titans and Superboy) over at Bleeding Cool, most of the old continuity that worked will still be around. It won't be a wholesale reboot, so you don't have to worry about trying to figure out complete new histories on your favorite DC characters.

THE BAD

If you're not going to do a wholesale reboot, then what's the point?

As happy as I am that I'll still be able to talk about those characters I haven't read about for ten years, DC shouldn't be concerned with what I think. When it comes down to it, this not-reboot reboot ought to be more similar to Crisis on Infinite Earths - where everything basically starts over - instead of the significantly less effective method that was Zero Hour.



Do you remember Zero Hour? When they tried to clean up the lingering continuity issues left over from the then-ten year old Crisis by explicitly resetting the timeline and instituting small fixes along the way to make everything more cohesive? Do you remember Triumph (one of the founding members of the JLA) and Alpha Centurian (The first hero of Metropolis)? Of course you don't. No one does, because everything went back to the way it was within two years of Zero Hour. And if things continue like this for DC, this new non-reboot reboot will end up the same way.

The root of all of this, though, is rebooting in general. If you're trying to make your published books less convoluted, adding on yet another qualifier is not the way to do it. For instance, right now, if I want to talk about when Triumph was a member of the JLA, I need to specify that I mean the post-Zero Hour, Pre-infinite Crisis JLA, as opposed to Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis Pre-Zero Hour, or soon the Post-Non-reboot-reboot JLA. It's problematic.



THE UGLY

The politics of reboots/restarts aside, the most fun part of this whole thing should be the new costume designs. What a great opportunity to tweak their icons to make them look their best for a new discriminating reader.

Or so I believed until I saw this:



As much as I want to sit here and rip on these costumes individually, other, better writers than myself already have. You should check out their reactions because they're all totally spot on. Instead, I'd like to focus on the global issue here: These aren't DC Costumes.

What I've always admired about DC is that every great hero in their roster is backed up by one glorious, instantly recognizable (for comic fans) symbol. Hell, they just did a big line of variant covers showing off that fact. They've been able to access world wide recognition with the simple awesomeness of these symbols, that I'm sure every other publisher wishes they had.



You can see the progression of those strong iconic symbols through the major publishers. DC, because they came first, have the strongest, simplest, most well-known symbols. Thrown in almost any context, you know what those symbols mean. Marvel came next, and while they have a few icons (The X, The Skull, and the 4), they're individual characters don't have the same appeal. For example, the spider needs the red and blue behind it so you know it's not just bad clip at, The star needs the blue and the stripes underneath it, and so on and so forth. Instead of iconic symbols, Marvel instead had iconic costumes (purple pants, red and gold, four circles) to make their characters pop. And then there was Image...

When Image came around, things like symbols and iconic costumes were somewhat passe' and you can see that in the majority of their original character designs. Everyone looked generic, with splashes of color underneath their overly complicated accouterments and grimaces. In veering so far away from the simple, they made their characters too much work to care about, which is why, I contend, that no one's clamoring for Spartan, Badrock, or Brick to return to anything... ever.

The point is, these are Image costumes, not DC costumes.



DC's on the verge of screwing up the best thing they have going. If I were them, I'd seriously consider getting someone other than Jim Lee (Who's normally fucking awesome when it comes to costume designs) to simplify these needlessly complicated and ultimately forgettable costumes.

Conclusion

In the end, I'm really intrigued to see how this all plays out for DC and the rest of the industry. Given the track record though, I'm going to be preparing for the worst though.

Good thing I only read Marvel books, right? I just hope they don't get any 'bright' ideas.

Lobo Is NOT Invited To My Wedding!

Regardless how awesome his Best Man speeches are...

Torn from the pages of Showcase 95 #9 where they totally forgot to put down the credits... or so I assume.

The Obligatory Flashpoint Reaction

So... apparently the DCU is doing a semi hard reboot of their universe come September as a result of the Flash-centric, alternate reality shenanigans that is Flashpoint. Honestly, I don't know what to think about this one.

On the one hand, good for them for trying something drastic to get readers. For too long, the DCU has been hip deep in a strange, labyrinthine continuity (says the guy who loves the Marvel U) with an unclear focus. Perhaps doing this crazy reset will help them get over the hump, clear everything up like they've been trying to do since Infinite Crisis and put them in a great position for the massive readership that may result from the Green Lantern movie. Kudos to them for that.

However...

On the other, this doesn't seem like a very good idea. I may be a simple blogger, but giving your readers an opportunity to jump ship is never a smart thing to do. It's one thing to restart a few books here and there, or to focus on some undeveloped heroes for a bit, but a whole-sale restart in this day and age might result in more readers leaving, then would jump back in the fray. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, to say the least.

And then there's the other huge bomb in that announcement: Digital day-and-date sales. It seems whatever sales DC were to pick up wouldn't be shared with the retailers, and that's a real game changer. They've been talking about the death of the direct market for as long as I've been reading comics, and honestly today is the day that I think I can see the sky falling.

The next six months are going to be fun to watch...

The Bill March 30, 2011

It's weeks like these that make me wonder why I bother with books mired in continuity. That's not to say that those types of books aren't any good - because believe you me I totally love'em, and without'em I wouldn't be able to use all my intricate comic knowledge to impress my friends - it's more a testament to how great those lighter books are. What am I talking about? Let's stop gabbing and find out.




The Book Made Just For Me:

Deadpool Team Up #883
Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Ramon Perez


I was really torn when I saw this book on the stands. On the one hand, I'm an unabashed Galactus fan and have a soft spot for Deadpool due to left over good will from his Joe Kelly days. On the other, Deadpool Team Up is routinely one of the worst books on the stand. Of all the issues I've picked up from this series (I'm a slow learner), I think maybe two have been good enough that I didn't immediately regret paying full price for it. Thankfully, this issue brought that total up to three.

As mentioned in the preamble, this was one of those fun done-in-one goofy stories that I just can't help but to love. It felt like I was back in the 80s reading one of the Assistant Editor Month books (NOTE: I wasn't reading comics back in the 80s, I'm totally a poser). As a matter of fact, I'll say right now that I consider this a spiritual successor to Marvel Team Up # 137, the infamous Aunt May/Galactus team up (I'll try to do a review of it shortly, don't worry).

Anyway, this issue was very simply what it promised: Deadpool becoming Galactus' Herald. It is, to quote another well-regarded blogger, quite a "hoot". Between Young's setups and Perez's pacing, I was laughing the entire way through. This was probably one of the best silly Deadpool books I've read in.... well, a while.

What better way to send of this horrible series with what will surely anger all kinds of strict continuity nerds (yeah, I said it. What?) for years to come. Now, let's never speak of this series again.



How'd This Get In Here?:

Jimmy Olsen # 1
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: RB Silva


I know, right? I don't think I've picked up a new DC book since the end of Final Crisis, and haven't enjoyed a new DC book since the middle of Infinite Crisis, but man, this issue almost makes me want to jump into the realm of the Distinguished Competition.

Okay, so I know I'm the last blogger on the planet to rave about these Jimmy Olsen stories, but I don't care: These Jimmy Olsen stories are so super fantastic, I wish DC would make a series out of it. The day to day crazy, yet mundane, existence of Superman's Pal is incredible and I want more, RIGHT NOW.

From the party aliens to the evil space genie, I can honestly say I was surprised every time I turned the page. Not to rest on the laurels of spectacle, Nick Spencer one ups himself with some of the greatest dialogue I've read in a long time. Between this and Morning Glories, I think someone just got himself a new fan.

While the writing on this book is down right sizzling, what really makes it cook is the art. RB Silva, along with Dym and Dave McCaig, bring a crazy youthful energy to the whole book and create character's that just pop off the page. The art's so good, I could just stare at it for days on end and never get tired of it.

Seriously, make it a point to go grab this book. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.




And on that note, I think it's time I see myself out. Of course, if you'd like to hear me rattle on about the continuity-heavy, splash-page-a-palooza that was Avengers #11, or want me to continue to gush on any of the books above, drop me a line either via the comments, the emails, or the twitters.

I'm out!

Batman, Lady Killer

He's got her just where he wants her.

Batman's true nature revealed courtesy of Phil Noto

Happy Saint Patrick's Day...

And make sure your green is visible from all angles.

Kyle Rayner pulls a Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #68, courtesy of Ron Marz and Paul Pelletier.

Batman: Hobo

A playful reimagining of everyone's favorite rodent themed hero, inspired by Comic Alliance, and brought to reality over at Real Soul Surfing. I wholly recommend everyone go hop over there right now to go check out the rest of the concept drawings because, man, they are amazing.

Straight up, if this were a miniseries I'd buy it in four seconds flat, and the collected hardback a year later. Yeah, that's how much I believe in Hobo Batman. Make it happen DC!

Weekend Matinee: ALL STAR SUPERMAN

It's Saturday afternoon and, if you're anything like me, you're looking for something to watch while the woman goes out shopping in the rain (Silly FutureWife). My friend, I have just the thing for you that is both relevant to the week and entertaining to boot: ALL STAR SUPERMAN



I felt that it was appropriate in a week that we lost a comic great, to check out his latest (possibly last, you can never tell with animation) feature. And it's a doozy.

If you've read Morrison and Quietly's All Star Superman, then you pretty much know everything about this movie, as this is a by the book adaptation. Of course, some things had to be cut, but honestly it doesn't make a difference. While I would have liked some more Quinten Quantum, Jimmy Olsen adventures, or just a taste of the Bizzaro stuff, I'm kinda glad it wasn't in there. While I love the series, I can't shake the feeling that in the middle of the series it meandered a bit. What's important about the movie though, is that it hits all the appropriate story notes.

If you like Superman in his high flying-est, you'll love this movie. If you love those crazy, zany Silver-Age-Through-the-Grant-Morrison-lens antics, you'll love this movie. If you just love a straight up, honest to goodness, fun Superman story, you'll... Just go see it already.

Like most of DC's Animated fare, they really knocked this one outta the park. I could nitpick things, but on a whole it's totally worth the time and 100% awesome. What a fantastic ending note on the amazing, but far too short, career of Dwayne McDuffie. Here's the trailer.

Gunfire: The Marvel Character That Should Have Been

Recently a friend of mine inherited a sizable chuck (like 15 short boxes) of early to mid 90s DC comics and asked if I wanted to take some of the books off his hands. Never one to say no to free comics, even those from a publisher I rarely read from an era better left forgotten, I leapt at the chance. While I tried to pick out some of the more interesting titles (Millar/Hester on Swamp Thing, Waid's Flash run, Ennis/McCrea Demon, etc), i just couldn't resist all those deliciously awful 90s series like Guy Gardner Warrior, Extreme Justice, and, the most 90s book of them all, Gunfire.



Created by Len Wein and Steve Erwin, Gunfire is a six year-old's imagination (or maybe just my six year-old imagination) come true: He can turn anything into a gun. Wrenches, sticks, lead pipes, tire irons, construction girders, it doesn't matter; as long as he can point it at something, he can make it shoot.



Pretty awesome, right? Well, awesome for the 90s at least.

Anyway, secretly Gunfire is Alex van Horn, the newly anointed CEO of the technology firm Van Horn Industries after his shady father died from a space alligator bite. Don't ask, it's DC in the 90s. With all kinds of cash at hand, Alex decides to use his powers to put Van Horn Industries on the up and up by destroying all of the misappropriated Van Horn tech. This quest puts him up against a litany of technological freaks, from guys in armor that can shoot stuff and guys in armor that can deflect stuff, to a man with transparent skin and even his own not-so dead father.

It's, um... an interesting book, if not a little repetitive and derivative. For those really interesed, I live blogged this earlier in the week. Go relive the madness, if you dare.

Throughout my experience with the book, I couldn't quite shake an uneasiness with the book; like, it just felt wrong. At first, I thought it was because I wasn't used to DC books, and that off-ness was just me being out of my comfort zone. Not a bad theory and it helped ease those thoughts for a while. That is, until I saw this:



And it hit me, Gunfire is totally a Marvel character. Admit it, if you saw him hanging out with Nomad and Deathlok, you'd totally think they were a new (and totally badass) super team. Probably something with 'Extreme', 'Revenge', or ' Deadly' in the title. Or, more likely, all three like: The Extremely Deadly Revengers! But I digress.

Unlike most DC characters, Gunfire's base of operations was in New York and not some fictional coastal city. More, aside from a brief appearance from The Mirror Master and the fact that he first appeared in an issue of Deathstrike, Gunfire has no ties to the DCU at large. No wonder I kept expecting a mention of the Daily Bugle.

On a more meta level, Gunfire doesn't fit the traditional mold for a DC hero. Normally the DC heroes are gods striving to live among men or, more so at the time, the latest in a legacy of heroes. Gunfire however is just a kid thrown in over his head trying to clean up the Van Horn name.

Last but not least, his villainous and not-so-dead father looks just like Stryfe. Because I think we can all agree that Marvel (and to an extent Image) had the market cornered when it came to behind-the-scenes armored supervillains.



In the end, I can't decide if Gunfire got let off easy by being in the DCU. At Marvel, he probably would have gotten a bit of a push in '94 before fading into obscurity only to be used as a punchline to a Bendis joke fifteen years later. At DC, even though he more quickly drifted into obscurity, he never became a joke. Instead, Sterling Gates cut off his hands during New Years Evil and Garth Ennis made fun of his powers in Hitman # 1,000,000.

Oh well, better luck next time Gunfire. Until then, you'll always be my favorite Marvel Hero that never was.