Lois Lane One Shot

I forgot to add this to my "Things I'm Looking forward to or hoping for in the New Year" list. I've heard that if this one shot gets enough people buying it we may get a new Lois Lane series. It's released on February 26 and I already pre-ordered my copy because there's no way I'm missing this.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #26

I've been putting this off for awhile. The way I feel about this run I think this arc would have been my cut off point if the new writer wasn't announced. I'm not as mad with this as I was with the Giffin/DeMatteis run on Booster Gold but I'm at the same frustration levels.

Speaking of Giffin/DeMatteis get ready for the two hit wonder.

*Sigh*

Okay let's do this.

SPOILERS AHEAD

DC Collectibles to unveil another figure

On January 1st. I'd like for it to be one of my favorites being announced but who can say. It'll likely be linked to one of the lines/figures that have already been shown. So far this has been announced:

• Earth 2: Wave 1 Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Wonder Woman (Diana) and Batman 2 (the ID was revealed on the facebook page but who knows if it was changed.) Wave 2 Hawkgirl Kendra.
• Capullo line: Batman, Talon (William Cobb), Nightwing and the Riddler.
• Teen Titans: Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Superboy.
• RHATO?: Arsenal

Who knows what would be chosen from Earth 2 since Batman 2 was a surprise. I don't know if the Capullo line would do the bat family (I didn't like his Red Hood) but maybe something from year zero like the "first appearance" Batman? Red Robin would be a big deal for a lot of fans as would Red Hood. The countdown is on the DCC facebook page for anyone that's interested.

Booster Gold #16 (Volume 1)

Since it's the twins birthday (or will be) here's another review to celebrate it! Oh, and Booster meets somebody that will have great importance in his life.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

New 52 Wonder Woman

 

I think this looks lovely, I just wish these dolls were smaller and cheaper.

Things I'm looking forward to or hoping for in the new year

Geeky things that is.

The Year Of Luigi: Why he's my favorite plumber

Let's talk about Luigi of Mario Bros. fame for a moment. I always had a soft spot for the character being the younger sibling and played him while my sister played Mario. Yes, at first he was just a different colored Mario clone, then the lanky younger brother but he's come along way. Nintendo has dubbed 2013 as "The Year of Luigi" and launched three games featuring him in the spotlight. Super Luigi U (which I can't play since I don't own a Wii U), Mario & Luigi Dream Team and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (on DS.)

LM: DM is actually a sequel to the first Luigi's Mansion for the game cube, something I admit I never played because I never owned the system. Although I watched a play through to get a better idea of what happened prior to this one. The first game was actually the start of Luigi's character development which was explored in various games ever since. While Mario is the fearless adventurer his brother...isn't. Luigi is more fearful and has to face his worst fear (ghosts) in order to save the day. It made him a more rounded character than Mario and well, far more relatable.

A few SPOILERS below for some older games, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon.

A Year of Comics I Read in 2013

The same rules as last year.

Booster Gold #15 (Volume 1)

Booster Gold: But for now, it's time for the world's best-looking, best-dressed, and just plain best superhero to go to work!

Christmas review of a semi-Christmas comic!

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #14 (Volume 1)

Booster Gold: I may be a jerk sometimes...but I'm not a total sludge. We're in this together!

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #13 (Volume 1)

Where things get worse for Booster, a certain costume is finally unveiled and Booster is introduced to the most important person in his life.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #12 (Volume 1)

The end of the battle against the 1000!

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #11 (Volume 1)

Booster gets a short but iconic hair cut! Well other things happen but this is important for continuity.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #10 (Volume 1)

The 1000 are still causing trouble for Booster and things are about to get worse.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #9 (Volume 1)

The greatest bit of the origin is revealed here: why is he called Booster Gold?

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #8 (Volume 1)

Booster has met Superman and had his origins revealed. Well part of it there's still the matter of how he became known to the public. Plus Superman wasn't the only hero that wanted to know his intentions. Especially since Boosters' origins involve a paradox.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #7 (Volume 1)

Last issue saw Boosters' origin now it's time for the actual team up with Superman.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #6 (Volume 1)

This is it. Booster finally meets one of his heroes but it doesn't go exactly like planned.

OLDER SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #5 (Volume 1)

Things get a little emotional as Booster sets out to prove himself.

OLD SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #4 (Volume 1)

Another look back where it all started.

OLD SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #3 (Volume 1)

Solicits are finally here!

Anyone else waiting for these to come out? Apparently within the next month or so big changes are coming to DCnU. But thankfully at least one of these titles is getting one early and only time will tell if that was a good thing in the long run.

Booster Gold #2 (Volume 1)

I'm hoping one of the various rumors about Booster being in a new series is true. But for now more of a look back at where it all began.

OLD SPOILERS AHEAD

Booster Gold #1 (Volume 1)

I thought it'd be a good time to look back at some time travel titles I love and what better way to start than the very first issue of Booster Gold?

OLD SPOILERS AHEAD

"Five Years Later"

I'm not sure what to think of this yet.

SORT-OF-SPOILERS AHEAD

If Jason Todd hadn't died...

I found this while surfing the net and this would have happened if Jason wasn't killed in Death of the Family.

Jason would have been in a coma, which makes sense given the injuries he suffered. But if that was the only long term plan they had it's a real cheat. For some reason Dicks' present while he was away in the other version, TT stated he was actually off planet when it happened. Bruce still has his aghast but it doesn't seem like Superman was around and I'm hoping the Joker/Ambassador plot wasn't in the script either.

Ranking Year Zero Tie Ins

In order of favorite to least.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Short Review: Catwoman #25

Another comic I don't get too often but with Layman writing the issue I thought I'd give it a try.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Joker ponders where all the Robins come from

"Dumb idea" huh? Well just wait until the attack of Damian clones. Now DC can truly have it's own clone saga.

Writers' Block: Outside Forces Shaping Jason's Destiny?

Lobdell and Tynion both added twists to Jasons' origins. The one Robin that grew up with the most humble beginnings seemed to have caught the attention of people with more sinister goals in mind for him. But how much if any of it is true? Does any of it make sense? Do they make sense together?

Why the "Power Couple" will never match Lois and Clark

I don't know if it's the case for many comic book stores but mine doesn't seem to sell many copies (if any) of Superman and Wonder Woman. Recently I saw the trade for the 75th anniversary of Lois Lane and it made me think why I can't see the romance with Diana ever working. Why do some want it in the first place and why is the relationship seen in a negative light?

Just a few thoughts on the subject.

Would Thanksgiving be weird for Booster?

I was trying to think of some stories that touched on the holiday when I remembered something I read in the first Booster Gold series. Back in issue 18 Broderick narratives a good portion giving his point of view on the past and providing a look into the future. He reveals a interesting fact about his time I don't think any other writer touched on.

Broderick: "Everything seems...feels so archaic. So very ridiculous. People in this era actually consume meat."

This is confirmed pages later in a flashback with a vendor selling soy dogs at the stadium. That's right, Booster and Michelle didn't eat meat in their time. Were they sick when they tried it? Did Booster have to force himself to adapt to it for sponsors? I know Thanksgiving is about more than the turkey but would people still celebrate it? If so imagine how lonely he would be around the season.While I could see Trixie trying to ensure he had a good holiday and maybe inviting him to eat with her family he seemed to be keeping her at arms length. So JLI would be his first experience with it, at least in the past. I'm not sure if there was ever a comic based around it but you can just see how that would go.

J'onn trying to keep everything organized and make sure everyone helped out. Tora would already be doing her part before anyone asked and drag a less than thrilled Bea along. Somehow there would be chaos that would start because of Ted, Guy, some disagreement or potentially a villain attacking. Although the last one seems like the least likely. Max would be pleasantly buzzed just to deal with the arguing while J'onn cast him a disapproving but understanding look. Guy would have the worst table manners burping loudly. Then if Booster didn't adapt to meat he'd be rushing to the bathroom making everyone stop eating and demand to know who cooked the turkey.

Books I'm Thankful for us Getting

Since we all feel a little frustrated with it I might as well think of the good things we got.

DC new 52 Legos?

 

First we have the red Nightwing in a set with Batman and Man-bat. (The wings threw me off for a second.)

 

We also have new 52 Batgirl and Damian Wayne.

DC Cookbook

Something different for a Christmas present as retro DC themed characters have different recipes to make. Krypto Dogs, yes. Joker Juice, NO!

 

Silver Age designs so no Booster related food? He had a food chain based on this!

Red Hood and the Outlaws #25

So here we are as Tynion once again writes a young Jason Todd before he was Robin.

"What Dark Figure Controls the Destiny of Jason Todd?"

Crap...Okay, here we go.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Nightwing #25

I hated the zero issue of Nightwing so I hoped Year Zero would show a better story for Dick.

SPOIILERS AHEAD

Batgirl #25

I loved Barbara Gordon when she was Oracle and haven't cared for her since she returned to the Batgirl mantle. I just haven't liked what I've seen and only saw her written well maybe twice. That was when Johns and Lobdell wrote her simply because she sounded like her old self. But I decided to give this a try since it's a different writer, Barbara isn't Batgirl yet and to help ease into the Zero Year stuff.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Batman Eternal Thanksgiving teaser image

 

DC has sent teasers like this out before with some hidden meaning in them so let's see if we can find some. Potential spoiler theories ahead but who knows how close I am.

What I don't like from Scribblenauts Unmasked

Spoilers Ahead if you don't want to know

Budgeting for Weekly?

I never had to worry too much about cutting costs for comics since I never get many comics a month. At least compared to regular customers at my LCS. Sure there are a few times I get about 6 books but mostly? I usually get  a few issues a month. But I never actually bought a weekly series as it was coming out, I'd trade wait. The closest was the bi-weekly JLGL but I think I was buying maybe two other books at the time. Booster Gold and TMVP for sure. Since the latter was a mini series anyway my costs were cut down anyway. I'm not sure how I'm going to do things this time around especially if there are potentially two weekly series I might want to follow on the same year. (Well there are rumors of a third weekly involving Superman but I currently have no interest in it.)

First there's Batman Eternal which seems to have most of the things I'm interested in seeing ie. the Batman family interacting. But I'm hesitant with getting this one because of one of the writers. Then there's the weekly that's supposed to be involved with the 5 years later thing. It has Dan Jurgens and with the title I'm hoping it links to Time Travel and my favorite travelers. But nothing is really known about it at this stage. If I get Batman Eternal then I'd have to trade wait or get back issues later for the second one. I'm just glad I don't currently get more than one ongoing titles which will make this harder. (Now watch, since I said that their likely to announce a title I want around the time these come out.)

If nothing else it should be interesting to follow a series that updates every week. Following JLGL was a fun time since I didn't have to wait a month for the next issue.

Wally and Donna Troy might show up soon?

Looks like it's on Rip Hunter's I mean DC's board along with Stephanie and listing what titles their appear in.

The Last of Us: American Dreams

The comic prequel story to the highly successful game The Last of Us shows what Ellie's life was like before she met Joel. So what is it like for a kid growing up in a world filled with infected, quarantine zones and military schools?

Some SPOILERS AHEAD

FEBRUARY Solicitations!

Not to many I want to get but that doesn't mean some of these didn't grab my attention.

Solicit type SPOILERS AHEAD

NEW Teen Titans Action Figures

This was the reveal for the "Spoiler Alert" action figure(s). Mixed feelings about the outcome.

Earth 2 action figures

I haven't read the series and the only thing I got connected to it was a few issues of Worlds' Finest. But it has actions figures coming out of Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Wonder Woman. Other than the foggy lens on Flash and the muted paint on WW these look pretty good. Batman is an odd choice as it's the new Earth 2 Batman and the facebook page actually spoiled who it was awhile back.

Is Earth 2 worth reading?

So "For the Man that has Everything" isn't canon?

It's still unclear at this point but Batman/Superman #5 seems to make it a little more confusing.

Lois Lane and Joker's Daughter one shots

Zero interest in Joker's Daughter but Lois Lane might be one I pick up.

Five Years Later?

According to Bleeding Cool this might be another thing from DC next year.

Mrs. Carter (Secret Origins #35)

The mother of our twins Michael and Michelle Carter. Not much has ever been revealed about her, not even her real name. What we do know is that Mrs.Carter was married to Jon Carter, a con man, gambler and (as we learned in one retelling in vol. 2) abusive husband. He left her poor with his gambling debts and with their four year olds to raise by herself. Since Jon hurt them so much gambling is considered a sin in their household. In fact Booster even says that she'd consider gambling worse than murder.

The only time we really get to see what she was like is in Secret Origins #35. In one of the many, many, many retellings of Booster Gold's origins (each time adding new details) he decides to fill Ted in on how he became a superhero. Mrs. Carter is shown as a loving mother that Booster dotes on when he can. He compliments her cooking and tells her that his dad's been gone for years so she can find a new husband. Mrs. Carter proclaims that she'll never marry again after being "fooled once" and she doesn't need a man. She says she's healthy but Michelle tells her brother that their mom's lying. They need more money than can get to help her out. Even with Michelle working two jobs they can still only get Mrs. Carter half of her medicine. Booster hopes she can hold on for a couple more years until he can be signed onto the major leagues.

But both of the twins see that she's not doing so well and might not make it that long. Which makes Booster desperate for money. He looks up his friend "Snake Eyes" and slowly but surely gets sucked into the world of gambling. Despite not being able to get out he makes sure to pamper his mother with gifts but the happiness doesn't last long. Once the police come for him Mrs. Carter rejects him stating that she no longer has a son and it would have been better to let her die than bring shame upon the family. She makes Booster guilt worse by stating that it doesn't matter what he does, he'll never be able to make up for his mistakes. That's the last time he sees his mother as he returned home to find out she died. Michelle does tell him that thanks to Skeets mailing them proof of his heroism in the past their mother knew he turned out good. Even though Broderick hounded them Mrs. Carter was very proud of her son.

What else is in the story that's interesting: This version is a little different than many of the other retellings of Booster's origins. It's not just amusing due to the various JLI products Booster's trying to sell it actually has some nice depth. From the little moments like Booster silently staring at a passed out drunk on his street, to his dark look when the doctor mentions betting on him Jurgens sells the moments without overdoing them. There are some rare scenes of Booster explaining his nickname while hanging out with the football team and his life prior to the scandal.

It also shows some nice small moments between Ted and Booster as the story progresses. Ted not wanting to hear the tale at first and Booster making it sound like some grand adventure. Ted's surprised of course to hear the truth and starts to see where the story is headed pointing out the thefts would make Booster a crook. He even starts saying what a poor role model Booster is before Booster tells him everything will be fine as long as Ted doesn't tell anyone. At the end there isn't a resolution to Ted's claims as he pretty much rolls his eyes at Booster's ideas of making money then rushes to look for the Black Canary Lingerie. Uh, the ones Booster planned to market that is. But the characterization was good and even makes stories like Kooey Kooey Kooey have more depth. Like Booster's flat out horror filled expression when Ted suggests they rig the machines. Or how Ted doesn't take his own advice and pushes his friend with a gambling problem into running a casino with him. You can't read this story without at least question their later actions.

It might be worth a look for any Booster fans even if you know the story of his downfall (or at least some of the versions of it.) The same issue has origins of J'onn and Maxwell Lord but I got mine in the 52 companion trade.

Spectualtion on new figure(s?) in SPOILER ALERT

Every now and again I can't help getting interested in these teases. Especially when I think I know what they are.

This was the first one and while it could be Flash I remember hearing a rumor about a Teen Titans line being done. So maybe Kid Flash? Then this one turned up the next day.

 

Blond hair...only a few characters come to mind in the new 52 and if the TT rumor is correct then Wonder Girl. I'm not sure if they'd tease each figure since I think they more or less focus on one at a time. The first image doesn't look like a part of her costume which makes me wonder if their showing all of them. Of course I'm usually wrong about these things so it'll probably be someone like Supergirl.

Short Review: Forever Evil #3

Since I was in the area I managed to snag this one early instead of waiting for my next trip or ordering online. You know I thought this was a five parter until I checked and it said seven parts. That makes more sense because this still has a slow pace.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Mattel Ending DC Classics?

It sounds like it which isn't surprising given the state of their Club line also ending due to low sales. Which has happened for various reasons such as the character selections and slipping quality of the DC lines. Damian and Doomsday apparently will be the last figures they come out with. A shame because Mattel could have done some great figures but never got around to it.

Ice is coming out since she's turned up on Ebay but I haven't seen the preorder up at normal sites.

Apparently Batman Beyond is coming out with three heads (Batman/old Bruce/Terry) and a mini figure? See that's the sort of extras I love.

DC Collectibles Unveils a new Figure!

One that makes me very happy to see. Can you guess who it is before they tell you?

Or I could talk about it under the cut.

IDW's Angel Masks

You would think that the show about vampires and demons would have more Halloween episodes. It only had one in season 5 "Life of the Party." Although to be fair it had some creepy episodes not based on the holiday. But IDW decided to put out a Halloween issue...granted none of them really play into Halloween per se but it's still worth a look if you liked the show. And yes puppet Angel does show up.

Slight SPOILERS AHEAD (more to do with the show then the stories.)

Superman: For the Man that has Everything

This is a story that's been alluded to in DCnU in RHATO but with it potentially being touched on in Batman/Superman annual #1 I thought it'd be a good time to talk about it. My first exposure to it was the animated version that heavily edited out most of the plot. As much as I liked the work Dini does I wasn't really moved by it and after reading the source material I know why. This was a hard one to track down for a decent price and I was only able to do so after getting a trade of the masterworks of Alan Moore. So why was this so memorable and can it fit in the new 52?

Halloween Mask: Yay or Nay?

Not too long ago I got a Court of Owls mask online (they sell them with one of the tpbs) and mentioned wearing it for Halloween. My dad asked me if I could give out candy for him this year and since I'm not working I said sure. He remembered me talking about the mask and wanted to see it. When I finally got around to showing it to him the thing freaked him out. And he had previously seen it in the store when I told him I had one. Maybe I shouldn't wear it on Halloween, if it freaks him out this bad think about the little kids.

Tynion interview on the Al Ghul plots and Year Zero

Good or bad at least this arc is finally coming to an end.

Fables?

I've always heard Fables was good but I shy away from getting into it because there's so much to catch up with in the series. But I recently saw a play through of the game "The Wolf Among Us" and I like what I see. The book must be awesome.

Shouldn't everyone known Batman's ID?

This one has come up recently in Forever Evil but it's not the only time since the reboot that Batman's ID has been threatened by former/current partners.

SPOILERS AHEAD for Forever Evil

So Next Month...

After being disappointed with most of the comics I got this month (except for the awesome I, Vampire trade) things aren't going to be like I originally intended for November. Since I dislike the Year Zero tie in premise and deaging Bruce while aging up the Robins I was going to skip most of it. Then I started dreading RHATO #25 so I'm going to cover a few more bat books for Year Zero including one I never thought I'd get. Hopefully it will take the sting out of it if the books' quality is down. Just three more titles but hopefully they'll be good. It'll give me a chance to see how Nightwing reads without a co-writer. Catwoman and Batgirl have different writers and they should be better than their current origins stories.

I don't have many books to look forward to after that. Some trades, the amnesia arc finally ending, a few bat kid appearances like the Batman/Superman annual, maybe Gothtopia in Tec 27 and I'm still undecided on Batman Eternal. It doesn't look like Booster will be in All Star Western for awhile so no Carter appearances from him or Rip. I may not have liked the JLI annual but I do get the feeling Johns has something in mind for Booster. Maybe even setting up a meeting between Ted and him. Maybe their meet again for the first time in the new year. You have to love time travel, it breaks the "you only get one chance to make a first impression" rule.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #24

I believe this is part seven of nine? Ten if we count the Year Zero tie in but we'll see if it actually fits or is more of a stand alone. So just two more issues to go with this arc and another tie in issue between those before it ends.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Batwoman #24

SPOILERS AHEAD

I, Vampire TPB 3 Wave of Mutilation

On a more positive note after my last post I got this in the mail. I don't think I reviewed the second trade but I'll make this short without any real spoilers. This series is good, it never disappointed me except for the fact it ended. There are plots I wish were expanded on and characters I wanted to make it to the end but it doesn't feel incomplete. This series has constantly been engaging, witty, and surprising in ways not too many comics seem to be. This trade gets us to understand the relationship between Andrew Bennett and Mary Stewart better. To do so we have to learn the root of her anger with not just mankind but Andrew himself.

The series ends on a bittersweet note but still feels triumphant for all the characters went through. This is far more epic than any of the current titles I'm reading as the stakes are raised giving the struggle more weight. It's not Twilight or even Buffy/Angel and manages to stand on it's own feet. I might even look for DC's trade for the pre-52 tales of Andrew Bennett. I don't think their be as good but I'm curious about his history.

Massive Disappointment in your previously favorite book

Have you ever loved a series and looked forward to it the most every month? Then a new writer comes along and you think it'll still be good. Some time passes, a couple issues are okay but the quality of the series is down. For awhile you tell yourself that it's not that bad and despite the flaws it can get better because the writer sounds so passionate.

It stops being fun and starts to get on your nerves. When it's not doing that it bores you. Some characters aren't acting like themselves to the point you feel they might as well be someone else. It drags on and on when huge unneeded sections could have been edited out.

You constantly wonder what the point of it is when nothing ever gets done and it doesn't even look like the new writer bothered to read the previous runs just skimmed and wrote their own thing. Then you start to wonder if you should just drop it and stop reading all comics for awhile. That's how I feel right now.

Superman/Wonder Woman?

I wonder what the sales for this book is at large. I usually avoid looking at sale numbers but at my LCS I saw the comics for the past few weeks and notice that series. It didn't look like they sold a single copy. Maybe it's a hit in other stores but it makes me think about the possibilities of fan reaction changing the heads of DC's minds about the relationship.

DC's January Solicits

Another Figure added to the Capullo line

From DC Collectibles facebook page. Greg Capullo's designs make great action figures, this is the best I've seen this character look in fact. This will be released the Nightwing.

Forever Evil #2

Finally got this. Really there's not a lot going on here, so it's kinda a blah read.

SPOILERS AHEAD even though this has been out for awhile

Guess who's back?

From the NYCC DC Comics Batman panel we get this gem. SPOILERS for upcoming Batman title ahead. Plus some details from other Bat books like Batwoman.

Canon vs. Bruce's insanity

Because the Batman and Robin Two-face #24 preview makes Bruces' past actions look even more insane. SPOILERS for the preview and past issues under the cut.

Another Weekly Series?

There have been some great weekly series from DC, the epic (and now ironically named) 52 being the highest standard. Trinity was supposed to be alright (never read it) and the bi-weekly Justice League Generations Lost was pretty amazing too. But we also had Countdown, so it doesn't always go well. This time around we have a series focused on one character and his mythos.

Batman: Eternal has Scott Snyder at the helm with some other Batman writers and artists helping him write a store that will apparently change Gotham. While there are TONS of bat books I'm interested in this one because it seems to have his allies involved and it's in time for his 75th anniversary. Batman's a very intruging character but with all his family and friends he's the one I'm least invested in. I like seeing his interaction with others and hope to see some good developments.

When babies become superheroes

I found this and I still don't know what to think of it. This is "BatBaby." Apparently Bruce decided the Robins didn't begin crime fighting early enough and had his next kid start sooner.

More under the cut including other figures in this line and the accessories they come with.

 

That's pretty detailed

I had some problems with Scribblenauts Unmasked (which I'll get around to posting at some point) but they put A LOT of detail into this game. I'm constantly amazed by the things they put into it. You can play around with it some, in fact you're encouraged to do so. At one point I put in Green Lantern members then I tried  to think of girlfriends the Earth Lanterns had to see if their available in the index.

Then I come across Kyle Rayner. ...Yeah. I went there and typed "refrigerator." Kyle started crying and got scared, flying away from it as fast as he could. Wow.

Anyway for Sue here's a clip of the game on the WII U (I have the DS version so it's slightly different) with the player experimenting with what they can do by making the GLC fight the SC. It also shows the bio feature.

NOTE: There are FAR more GLs than are shown but generating that many would get too confusing.

JLI Cuteness in Scribblenauts

So much cuteness and nice nods to canon. I'm putting these under the cut for those that want to be surprised in the game. So some SPOILERS AHEAD.

Non-Jerky Bruce

A scene with Bruce visiting the Kents and talking about a woman that just gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The potential name for the boy gets a nice reaction.

 

It shows Bruce still grieving but not being a jerk about it and why the Kents are awesome.

Halloween Reads

Last year I mentioned some reads I usually go through around Halloween. Now I have some DC books to add to the pile with Demon Knights, Justice League Dark and I think this Wednesday will be the last volume of I, Vampire. Of course there's always the IDW Angel series, the one shots and the mini series. They even came out with a Halloween special that was pretty fun. Anyone else love this time of year?

Tonner Dolls does more DCU

Their doing dolls for characters they already did but still pretty cool.

Scribblenauts Unmasked First Impressions

I played the first mission and then toyed around with it a little. I wanted to work with the unusual gameplay and test how big their character index was.

Things to be found in the game

This sold out in my area so I have to wait to find a copy. But from newsarama we have these insightful numbers.

I wonder if their counting costume variants for these numbers. I hope not.

No lie but one of the first things I planned on trying out was if it had a time sphere. I'll have to see if there's more than one Skeets too.

 

Scribblenauts Unmasked Toys?

This wave will be out in March and shows some of the characters that will be in the game. Like camo-Aquaman, First Appearance Batman, Blue Superman, Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes etc. Will Booster get his own figure? Who knows but these are cute.

This is how the battle of the Robins should have gone

It's certainty more fun although it stays pretty true to Damian's character from that story.

Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins #1

I got this online and it's the 3D cover!  Woo!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Forever Evil #1

This was one of the comics I ordered online. They didn't have it at my LCS so this made the choice easier.

SPOILERS AHEAD

How much some are willing to pay for these covers?

Bleeding Cool has some crazy prices listed for these 3D covers on Ebay. Again, I can get most of these MUCH cheaper. But people will still pay these prices either way.

Michelle and Boosters' Sibling bond

I think too many readers ignored the details Dan Jurgens put into Booster Gold. I always appreciated the level of character work he's done especially in regards to the first series. For me what makes any story great is the focus on character and while he didn't use Michelle much I admired what was shown under his pen. Her relationship with her brother was interesting in a way twin relationships rarely are in comics. Usually they tend to be very cliché, some times polar opposites, some times far too similar, the same exact costume designs, separated at birth, you get the idea. While there were some nods (like their birth names and sometimes the style of their hair cuts) the acted like standard siblings.

 

Now you could say that the Goldstar costume is similar to the Booster Gold uniform but really there's enough changes for it can stand on it's own. In story it wasn't even made with Michelle in mind but rather a PR stunt they were planning. Michelle never had the drive to be a superhero just sort of went along for the ride. When she stole the costume it was more or less to see what was so appealing about it. She tested out and didn't try to fight crime. But one of the best scenes with her was when Michelle realizes she can't stay in their time since by helping Booster she made herself a criminal. Look at how they interact: 

 

It feels like how a family would talk, and gives the reader some good insight on their relationship. Before this Michelle tells him that he's forgiven and now they fall into causal quipping. She can shut down his ego (even if he's merely joking here) in a second. Jurgens shows them bicker later on in Booster Gold vol. 2 and likewise it has that same bond but uses it to make them both act petty in amusing ways. It's the little details that really stand out.

Mark Ups at comic book stores

I know that this occurs, usually it doesn't bother me because I'm not interested in any variants. Sometime before my first LCS closed down it charged 25 cents for the lantern corps rings that were supposed to come free with the comics. I didn't mind because it wasn't much and I really loved that store. I went to my current LCS to get one villains month book, the only one I'm interested in for the whole month (not counting Forever Evil) just because it sort of ties into a title I'm reading. None of the $2.99 ones were on the shelves and won't be in for a little while.

They did have the special covers. Since I'm not getting many comics spending another dollar wouldn't be too bad. Only they are charging $12 and up for the special covers. I noticed a few of the older covers are apparently selling for at least $25. This is especially ridiculous because I can literally get these covers online for the cover price. Actually at some online places I can get them 10-20% cheaper. Most variants online are usually marked up but not most of these (I heard Harley Quinn was but I can't say if it's true since I don't see it listed.) It's really annoying and makes me want to shop online instead of waiting for them to get the $2.99 shipment. Especially since I only try to make one trip that way a month since it is a bit out of the way.

Angel Character One Shots: Illyria

Alfred story?

I'd love to transform one of the Batman books into a bat family book but I'd love an Alfred story to focus on his relationships with the boys. I've been going through some books and seeing how much Bruce dismisses Alfred's feelings for his own. The last arc on Batman and Robin being the latest. He's done this when he fired Dick, with Jason when he died/came back, and a few times with Tim. Bruce doesn't think how much Alfred loves these guys like his own kids and how by pushing them away he's making Alfred suffer along with the boys. I'd just love to see Alfred's feeling explored more and see how he relates to each one.

Memory Loss Storylines: Why some aren't as compelling as others

This has come up a couple times in the books I read. While one's passable since it wasn't a complete memory loss the other is a mess. The only thing that makes that trope worth a damn is if the character's emotions are explored properly. Their confusion, their self beliefs and what they think of themselves/the characters around them. If done right this is a great character piece and can be very moving. If it's done solely to get the characters to the plot points it's not nearly as engaging. This has been used to good effect in the Cassandra Cain Batgirl series.

I may have to get Scribblenauts Unmasked

It looks like fun and actually has a lot of characters, some I didn't expect to see like Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown in their Batgirl costumes. I saw Red Hood, Nightwing, Damian, the Waynes (normal versions and Flashpoint), Blue Beetle (Ted), Booster Gold (new costume), Helena Wayne Robin, and Guy Gardner (in a different demo.) I hope the DS version at least has as many characters.

December Solicits

Find out which comic got this reaction from me.

Well you can likely guess.

Didio speaks out about Batwoman not getting married

Brought up here along with the new writer for Batwoman.

“Heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests.”

Well if their all going to have terrible personal lives why should we read them? Not only is it repetitive it makes them character we can't relate with and boring as hell. Why should we get invested in any relationship they have with love interests if none of them are going to last? If their all are going to be killed off or break up due to the clichés of being a superhero? Hell even Joss Whedon threw his angst-on-legs a bone by letting Angel have a kid. Yeah that had problems but overall it was a positive effect on the character.

“That’s very important and something we reinforced,” he continued. ‘People in the Bat family their personal lives basically suck. Dick Grayson, rest in peace—oops shouldn’t have said that,—Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon and Kathy Kane. It’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside. That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand.”

So Aquaman and Mera are breaking up next? How boring can you get? Having Kate get married would have made her stand out from the bat family. It shows that unlike Bruce she doesn't bury her feelings and can deal with them in an emotionally mature way. Before she met Maggie she made it clear she was looking for a serious relationship. Huh, I don't see Jason Todd on that list. Does that mean he can break the curse? This is the dumbest mandate/edict/stand I've seen in a long time. More so that they officially told their fans not to care about any of your heroes love interest or personal lives because they don't matter. Heroes aren't allowed to be happy: EVER. It reminds me of that meme I saw with Batman teaching his kids: No dating only Justice.

Oh yeah, their also rewriting the issues already written and putting Batwoman in the Year Zero tie in. I knew they were going to tie her in but not this soon.

New 52 Blue(s) and Gold?

Some sort of SPOILERS from Forever Evil. Sort of because nothing was really confirmed yet.

Short Review: All Star Western #23

I didn't plan on getting anymore issues from this series until Booster reappeared but I forgot that I pre-ordered this one.

SPOILERS AHEAD

DC says no to Batwoman Marriage & Creative team leaves

Let me get this right, DC promoted the hell out of Batwoman being a gay superhero but failed to do the same thing with her engagement. Now they refuse to let her get married? What the hell? Did DC miss all the attention Northstar's marriage got? We all know Bruce Wayne isn't getting married in normal canon so this would have further separated her from him in a positive way.

Not to mention more last minute changes which I had assumed the book didn't have because it managed to keep away from the Bat crossovers. The editors should be more focused on all the continuity errors (which the bat books have a lot of) before they veto storyline ideas at the last moment. I'm also going to be very annoyed if this isn't fixed. Because DC backpedaled pretty fast due to fan outrage over Gail Simone being kicked off Batgirl. With the declining quality of my formerly favorite book this was turning into the best series I was reading.

Marcus To Gives Fans what they want

Outside of Tiny Titans I think this is the only time they've all been shown together in a professionally done piece of work. Granted this one sadly won't be published. Some of these characters have never met in any canon comic. I would get this is if was a series. To see the art process and source go here.

Now I kinda want a bat family book written by Johns

Yeah he can write Bruce being an ass but he showed in Booster Gold that he can write his nicer side too. He's also written Jason pretty good in his brief cameo in Justice League #19. I forgot he wrote some of these guys before but that interaction in the preview? That makes me want to get Forever Evil.

Talk of preview SPOILERS under the cut

No Ice, Ice Baby?

The cancellation of the Signature Collection, notable Ice, is highly annoying. We almost had all the important members for JLI! I hope something happens so we get Mattel to make Ice. It's the only figure I really wanted in their upcoming line.

Why Kate Kane is Awesome

Signature Collection: Fire

First a little background on the Signature collection. Mattel has done series of action figures in retail like the DC Classics lines (which featured Booster Gold, Blue Beetles 2 & 3), Batman Unlimited, and a couple other DC lines. The Signature Collection was created for an exclusive Club line that you'd have to subscribe for on the Matty Toys website. They also have a Watchman line that's based on the comic book characters and their personal favorites the Masters of the Universe. The company obvious preference to the latter over their exclusive DCU line has been the bane to many DC fans since quality has been on the decline since the series began. Fan demanded characters were ignored or delayed and not everyone was happy with what they got.

I bring this up because it will be important later on in the review.

I got my Fire in the mail!

The long awaited JLI Fire action figure! Yea! I'm glad it came in a lot of packaging because it looked like the box it was mailed in was run over and someone tried to open it. Yeah it had "Fragile handle with care" on the box but it was still messed up. I haven't taken the figure out for display yet but it looks alright. Hopefully I can do a review with pictures sometime. Now I just need Tora (out in February) to complete my JLI of the most important members. The Fab five plus J'onn.

VERY Short Review: Batwoman #23

Everyone gets set for the upcoming showdown between Batwoman and Batman.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Batman and Nightwing #23

We've finally reached the end of the stages of grief arc. Will anything be accomplished? Will we have a set up that doesn't put Dick as the golden child? Will Bruce try to make amends with the family members he wrong? Well we know the last one isn't happening.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Red Hood and the Outlaws #23

SPOILERS AHEAD

They know Booster Gold!

The same friend of mine that borrowed my Batgirl runs of Cassandra and Stephanie introduced me to a friend of hers that's into comics. More Marvel than DC. He was surprised there was more than one Batgirl. When he asked who my favorite superheroes were I went down a list then said there was one but I doubted he knew who it was. I said Booster Gold and he nodded saying he knew who that was. After I expressed my disbelief my friend and him both said Boosters' slogan in union.

So in short other Batgirls aren't known to causal fans but Booster is. It's not shocking per se, I know Barbara is the one that's always pushed but it's also amazing that Booster is more known than something from the bat books.

Happy Birthday Jason

Apparently it was Tim Drake's birthday not too long ago. Ironically enough tomorrow is supposed to be Lian Harpers' birthday. Dicks' is supposed to be the first day of spring (which is where he got the Robin nickname from.) Did they ever say when Damians' was? Booster and Michelle are December 29. Anyway here's a picture former RHATO artist Kenneth Rocafort did of Robin Jason.

Female Superhero Clothes

I was going through Target today when I noticed they have women superhero sleep wear! T-shirts and pants! Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl (well that's what the label says but it looks like Batman's symbol) and Spider-Man! Most of the time they just have that stuff for men. Now if they could just get a bigger range of characters.

How would you define "Dark" or "Light" books?

Sally brought this up recently and I started thinking of lighthearted books. The ones that came to mind made me pause once I thought about them. Would most see the books I thought were light like I did? Take both Booster Gold series for example. In the first volume it never lingers too long in depressing scenarios but there still there. He's hated in his own time and has to flee to ensure he doesn't get the death penalty. Michelle dies, the guys creating his comic book are murdered, he's betrayed and loses everything. Sure there's fun stuff and hopeful notes but I wouldn't call this a strictly fun-loving title. It had dark moments as did the second series. I mean the Time Stealers straight up murdered a baby in it's crib! To say nothing of other events in the book.

So basically some "dark'" titles I've gotten.

Since I mentioned this a couple of times

I thought I might as well show the picture. This was after Michelle died and Lex Luthor sent a Booster robot after Superman to kill him off and make Booster look bad. To get his revenge Booster crashes the party Lex throws, tells him that he set Lex up to lose money and steals Lex's date in front of him. Remember this rivalry when you read the Supernova/Lex sections of 52. It makes it a thousand times better and that's saying something.

 

Angel Character One Shots: Gunn and Wesley

This time we focus on two long time members of Angel Investigations and friends--Gunn and Wesley.

Angel Character One Shots: Connor and Doyle

Once Angel comics started drawing readers in IDW decided to do some one shots on the characters that didn't have fangs. Let's start on the Irish characters. Some spoilers for the tv show and the comics.

What was the point of Rani?

Sure Giffin and DeMatteis didn't get a chance to explore the character much but with what we got it begs the question...was the character needed at all?

Bat Solicits and the "Offical" 52 Bat timeline

If I see any more solicits that catch my eye I'll write about them but for now this is it. A lot of Year Zero issues which I'm not looking forward to but I must admit there are some beautiful covers here. Some of them actually make me want to get the issues. I'm going to start with the timeline first which already gives me a headache. Needless to say there's a lot of information missing, some new retcons and other confusion.

Jason Todds' friendship with Roy Harper

Since I did a couple metas bits looking into the boys relationship with Kori I thought I should give this a look too.

Angel (IDW)

After the success of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer there was a spin off based on the life of her ex-boyfriend, the first vampire with a soul dubbed Angel. I loved that show and preferred it over Buffy. The themes of redemption were explored in interesting ways and the characters were great. While Buffy ended on a positive note that didn't really need expanding on Angel left on a more ambiguous note. Since all plans for more spin offs and movies fell through that left comics. The books weren't selling well at Darkhorse when IDW brought the rights for Angel. With Joss Whedon not giving approval for anyone touching what happened in the last episode the writers had to either write prior to those events or sometime in the future. The tales taking place in the future got the interest of readers eager to learn of the fates of the Fang Gang especially with Angel the Curse focusing on the title character. A number of mini series came out after this.

Tie ins

I used to get excited over tie ins but now I'm starting to dread them. I don't really count things like the Requiem issues since they didn't take over the story and the actual tie in sections were usually very brief. Or in the case of RHATO didn't happen in the story it's self but had a cover saying it did, which I didn't mind given the plot. Sometimes it makes sense like for the Booster Gold title to tie into JLGL, Flashpoint or have a mini series that connects to The Return of Bruce Wayne. They don't always have much in terms of the characters doing something that directly relates to main plot but we can get something enjoyable out of it. I liked the Flashpoint/Booster story and the TMVP mini series. I would have loved for Booster to do more for the actual plots of the main storylines for both of those but hey at least I enjoyed what I got.

More about the Batman titles tie ins under the cut.

What was going to happen in DOTF?

Apparently this was Snyders' original idea (likely the face thing with Jason happened too.) I'm not sure what their talking about with Arsenal, nothing happened that even hints at him getting a replacement limb. Not in this canon anyway.

Time is Broken with Batman

I have a sort of love/hate attachment to Batman where I generally like him except for when he's an ass to other characters. But even that is confusing since thanks to current canon confusion (mostly due to Batman Inc.) his actions are even more insane.

 

Timeline and other confusion that's popped up in the bat books. So SPOILERS for those although some are old.

RHATO Easter Eggs (Lobdell run)

Not all of them but the ones I like and/the ones some missed.

Huh, well Batman Inc. ended

EDIT: There's a good review here about the issue that also brings up some of the problems I had with this title.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Will Ra's Al Ghul have the last laugh?

With Morrison ending his run we'll finally have some answers to some very pressing questions in regards to the family Al Ghul. Where's Talia? Why was Bruce so obsessed with finding different means of bringing Damian back? What about the Lazarus Pits? And just what happened to the Demon Head himself?

Discussed SPOILERS for Batman Inc. and Red Hood and the Outlaws

The Best Blue and Gold Figures?

DC Direct (now DC Collectibles) and Mattel had the best out of the Blue and Gold action figures. So I thought it might be fun to go over them to see which is the best of the best. I don't have the first DCD Blue Beetle but I do have the rest.

Writers' Block: RHATO Tying in the new with the old

I mentioned Jasons' new 52 training, destiny and the All Castle/Untitled here. What Jason can do thanks to the All Caste and some of his language skills are listed here. This has to deal with how Tynion uses parts of Lobdells' story to link it to the Al Ghuls.

It all makes sense

I found this while surfing online. To those who feel Jason Todd shouldn't have mystical connections despite coming back from the dead? I give you this:

It's canon people, Jason was just the only one to realize it.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #22

This one gave me a whole lot of questions on just what is going on in the story. How did Jason come back to life? Who the hell knows because the explanation keeps changing.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Short Review: Batwoman 19-22

SPOILERS AHEAD

Short review: Batman and Catwoman #22

Well, this was a surprise.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Kick his ass Guy!

I will never not root for Guy to win when he fights against Hal.

Buying Options

I might not get All Star Western #22. I heard that Booster was going to appear in this story at least once more but I doubt it will be this issue. Given how I felt about last issue I think I'll flip through it in the store to see if he appears. I mean it's $3.99 for a book I got just for his appearance.

I got the second Demon Knights trade and plan on getting the second Justice League Dark trade. After that I think the only ones coming out that I'll be interested in are I, Vampire & SOS. These are some of the best additions to DC that I sadly had to drop because of transportation, lack of money, etc. (Although I'm apparently one of the few people who got all the Sword of Sorcery issues.) The mystical side does feel richer but the books don't seem to do well. Three of these along were cancelled long before their time.

September looks kind of small for my buy list. I plan to get Ras Al Ghul and the League of Assassins to see if the current plot of RHATO will make anymore sense. Other than that I can't find a single issue that interests me enough to buy. A few would interest me if they explore certain things but nothing makes me feel compelled to buy. It's going to make me go through comic withdraw. Well the reviews might be interesting and sway me into giving something else a try. If they made it I think I would have brought a Rainbow Raider issue just for laughs. No, you know what would have been great? A Max Lord issue or Black Beetle so we'd FINALLY know what was up with him.

Damian Wayne to appear in an animated movie?

Batman and Son, so we'll see how that's adapted and if Damian tries to kill Tim in this version. Because it's not Damian if he doesn't make at least one attempt. Yeah I don't care for some of Morrisons' work by having a intro to Damian is appealing.

Guess who finally got a proper figure?

Who will be rounding off the classic JLI line up? That's right, Ice!

Writers' Block: Booster Golds' abilities

What Booster Gold is able to do without the suit. Dan Jurgens has stated in interviews that he hasn't revealed all the backstory for Booster for a reason. For future stories and such. (I believe from the Gold Exchange by Russ Burlingame. I'd have to go through them all to know for sure.) Still some of it has been hinted at if not mentioned in passing. I'll add to it more but if there's something you think I should add let me know.

Writers' Block: What Jason Todd can do

This won't cover things like agility, speed, being able to take apart bombs, etc. This will mainly have to do with abilities that seem unusual or what languages he knows. The latter will be added just because it'd be amusing to keep track of it.

Capullo Action Figures?

New figures! WOO-HOO! Not the ones I was really hoping for but still, they look good!

Harley Quinn has her own series again

It's not clear if she'll get a new outfit but the one on the cover could be solely for the story.

I'm going to be honest, I never saw the appeal of the character. I never hated Harley but I never got the hype. It might have to do with her going back to Joker all the time. It seems impossible to be her own woman when the writers will keep bringing her back to the same abusive relationship.

Great news for her fans and at least there's a good team on the book. In the meantime I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a time travel book.

DC Forever Evil Teasers

Found here.

Cue the fear for _____ life. Personally this one's my favorite.

 

Not just because of us getting a female GL but because the unexpected tag makes it look like something else. "First there was Gal Gardner now prepare for the unexpected Hallie Jordon!" Or Joan Stewart. Kayla Rayner? I'm drawing a blank for Simon's girl name.

Ras Al Ghuls' Assassin City Eth Alth’eban

Information on the pitch and idea for the city here.

SPOILER-ish thoughts beneath the cut
Minor edit once I realized who they were talking about at the end.

Tynion talks about his villains months books

The Court of Owls and Ras Al Ghul and the League of Assassins. I figured I'd get the latter because it would tie into Red Hood and the Outlaws. It does although it can apparently stand alone. Thoughts about the interview under the cut.

Booster Golds' Mansion

Back in his days of fame and fortune Booster created a mansion for himself. While he would later destroy it when attempting to flee to the future he had offices for Dirk, Trixie and himself. There were labs, bedrooms for Michelle and him, along with other goodies. I love looking at blueprints and maps so I do wish more comics had these sort of things. Not shown is the other side of the house along with the rocket powered doors. Yes, I'm serious.

New Solicits (Mainly bat books) for October

I also guess the direction of a couple of storylines.

Short Review: All Star Western #21

DELAYED BUT SPOILERS AHEAD

Tomasi talks Forever Evil: Arkham War

I bring this up for two reasons, one of which has nothing to do with any of the work Tomasi is doing about a plot that will likely never get resolved. Not unless Lobdell uses it in Superman. The other reason is that Tomasi talks about what's to come in Batman and Robin.

Ah Comics

Yesterday a friend of mine dropped off the Stephanie Brown run of Batgirl she borrowed. She previously read what I had of Cassandra Cains' run and preferred Cass. I remembered she liked Deadpool and mentioned that I had some Cable and Deadpool. She asked who Cable was and I had to explain that he was the son of Cyclops and Jean Greys' clone that was affected by a virus, sent to the future and came back to the present older than his dad. Her reaction was interesting.

Although it was better than my brother-in-laws' reaction when I told him Damian was killed by his adult clone. I'm pretty sure Morrison didn't intend for people to laugh at how he offed a ten year old.

My sister doesn't even want to look at the Buffy comics after she read the summaries online. She thinks their too over the top to bother with. Can't say I disagree.

DC Collectibles answers some questions

Interesting stuff but this one stuck out.

Question 7: Nicholas asks, “Why are you not releasing many action figures based upon the New 52?”

 In 2012 and 2013, we focused on the core members of the Justice League with the beginnings of some villainy. It was a smaller line than some fans were used to from DC Collectibles but as we mentioned above, we need to be sure that a character will sell in a great enough quantity. Luckily, we have our master toy partner, Mattel making amazing action figures as well. Besides their big retailer toy lines they also have a subscription line of action figures for fans on their MattyCollector site. But we hear our fans loud and clear, so expect to see our New 52 action figure lines more than double in 2014. How much more than double? You’ll have to keep checking in to find out.

Happy Fourth of July!

Although DC claimed Booster was from Canada in DCnU I don't believe it ever saw print. Personally I prefer him being a Gotham guy. *Ahem* Booster has saved president and Rips' gone to lengths to protect people like George Washington.

 

Uh this was just a misunderstanding, really. Well I assume it was since I never actually read a reprint of this issue.

Andy Kurbert does a Damian miniseries

One that's based around the Batman 666 timeline. Maybe the grieving period has killed my interest but I really don't care. He may be too childish in Lil' Gotham but it's the only place I currently like the character in.

Looking at some Maguire art

Max wasn't always evil I mean we would have seen the signs right?

What is it with Ras Al Ghul?

He's obsessed with most of the Wayne heirs.

Batman/Superman #1 comments

 The buzz about this has been positive although I'm mostly amused by a couple of comments which were basically:

"So is this the comic that's been hyped up with Superman sleeping with his co-star?"

And the reply:

"Yeah more people would be interested in seeing Superman and Batman get together than the other one."

Writers' Block: Jason Todds' Training After his Return

In most cases the transition from one writer to the next isn't perfect. It's not a seamless flow of ideas. Directions change, characters feel different and something is lost in translation from one author to the next. I did a pretty extensive comparison on the different writing styles on Booster Gold Vol. 2. Sometimes it's little changes other times it's huge. While Red Hood and the Outlaws doesn't have the startling transition of Dan Jurgens to Giffen/DeMatteis it was still noticeable when Lobdell left and Tynion joined.

Batman and Batgirl #21

Yet more Barbara Gordon as Batgirl.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Birds of Prey #21

The first of my Barbara Gordon issues.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Where's Wanda when you Need her

I haven't been reading Marvel in awhile but whenever something ticks me off  in comics I wish the Scarlet Witch was around.

Reading Trades in Order

Anyone else get this? I got it about a week after Free Comic Book Day. It lists DCs' trades, not just the new 52 but older more well known titles. The selected backlist have a reading order and I was pleased to note Booster Gold was listed. Which was kind of surprising because it's not a title with a well known lead like Superman. Usually those "A-list" heroes are the ones that get their pre-52 trades listed. Blue Beetle for example only mentions Jaime Reyes' 52 trade. The first Booster Gold series isn't on the list but all of the collected volume two is. But it's not in order or correct. It's missing co-writers and has Keith Giffen as the Booster Gold Day of Death author.

You know you love something when you can just give it a causal glance and see the flaws without having to check your collection to confirm your conclusion. I re-read all those (except the Giffen/DeMatteis run) so many times.

How to Cut back on your pull list...list

By comicvine. I actually do this when I get more than a handful of books. It's never been out of control but I don't like hanging onto series that don't hold my interest or piss me off. For example I'm currently getting:

1. Red Hood and the Outlaws
2. Batman and Robin
3. Birds of Prey
4. All Star Western

New looks for Giganta and Vandal Savage

I'm not too fond of the look for Giganta, it's just too work out-like for my taste. Savage on the other hand, I like this take. It speaks of history, looks refined, but there's a hint of his wildness that works well.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #21

When we last left off the trio were having problems stemming from the friction over their various secrets (such as Koris' lie and the boys past coming back to haunt them.) Roy has been coming off the best so far, Kori has been so-so and Jasons' mainly been complaining. At the mid-way point of the story we should get some answers right?

SPOILERS AHEAD

And Lo the fans did scream with mighty rage

DC revealed a couple of new books and potential event for GL. Funny, I was just talking to Sally about a few of these things fairly recently.

A Robin Case

I try to do projects every once in awhile and I haven't been in a drawing mood lately. Looking at my display for my figures I thought it was kind of blah. At first I wanted to do a time lab display but since that will take lots of time I thought maybe I should start with something simple to see how that goes first.

Short Review: All Star Western #20

I finally got it! Woo!

Not so new SPOILERS AHEAD

Top Artist Pick for Commissions

Not too long ago I went to the MotorCity comic con. I didn't get to see or do much due to the insane amount of people there. It sucked out 90% of the fun since you couldn't go anywhere unless you went with the flow of the crowd. Since then I thought about what artists I'd like to commision work from (assuming they charged a decent amount that I could afford.) In no real order:

Batman and Batgirl #21 preview

Will Bruce top himself at being a jackass? Seems unlikely but he'd likely make Babs feel like crap.

I don't get the Batgirl storyline beats that are being followed up here. SPOILERS for that.

Carters don't put up with your B.S. Superman

Look at Booster being the proud papa..

 

Ironically this was just before Flashpoint, this is why you listen to the Time Master people.

The Eclipso Issue

Anyone who's read Sword of Sorcery knows what a big part Eclipso played in the short lived series. I'm a little nervous about this one because a lot was set up for the character and I'm not sure if that's all being ignored. Last time I read something Didio was writing was when he worked with Johns to make the JLI annual. They pretty much ignored most of the series in that one.

This is another one I'll wait to hear about before I get it. It would be awesome if the SOS story kept going in other titles.

No More Crossovers!

At least for awhile! We have the Forever Evil stuff and yet another Bat-cross over? Thrill as Dick Grayson performs in the circus and potentially gets watched by the Court of Owls! Feel a sense of awe as Tim hacks through files and likely gets inspired by seeing the Batman in the making! Could it be that Willis Todd has a connection to the Red Hood gang! Seriously I had no interest before and this doesn't change that. I already get ample amounts of flashbacks in RHATO I don't need one shoed in for a event to make everything more connected.

Some DC Writers talk about their books

Bats, Hex, Booster (a tiny mention or two) and questions are talked about.

A few thoughts based on this.

Best Fathers' Day Comic?

Looks like it. Although their missing one of Bruces' adopted kids.

DC's Forever Evil Event

This has been talked about recently and something I think Newsarama forgot--the Green Lantern/John connection.

 

SPOILERS that the link mentions

Anyone else passing on Villains Month?

Unless the heroes/leads are in it I'm not really interested in them. I like the bad guys but not enough to get these books. Maybe Killer Croc if it had his connections to Roy in it, or Ras Al Ghul if it ties into the RHATO arc. But I don't really care at the moment. I'm hoping this isn't going to be like the DOTF tie ins with all the heroes getting K.O.ed the issue before this and having these guys in charge for that time. I'll wait to see what's the deal but right now I have no plans to buy any of these.

DC Collectibles "Spoiler Alert"

For those that don't know DC Collectibles (formerly DC Direct) comes out with these little teases for future actions figures/statues/etc. This was one of the teases for the last Spoiler Alert.

I haven't been very interested in the action figures since their doing the Johns Justice League figures and I don't want many of those. Then I saw this and I thought: "wait who in the JL has blue on their arms that hasn't been done?" So I instantly thought "Booster!" I mean I'm not crazy about the new design but if it's a good sculpt I'm going to get it and it'd be nice to have some more Booster stuff. (I don't collect mini busts/statues.) Yeah there wasn't any gold showing but I was some what hopeful.