Exploring The Time Lab

Add/Drop list

2012-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Current List:

Justice League International
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Teen Titans
Demon Knights (Might drop because it's hard to get some weeks.)
Superboy (Might drop because it's hard to get some weeks.)
Justice League Dark (Definately dropping but might pick up #6 for closure.)

Possible add ons:

Ravagers: Has Gen 13 connects and follows the events of what's going on in Superboy and Teen Titans. I'm going to get the TT annual which promise hundreds of character appearances, meaning there's a big possiblity of seeing benched characters.

Batwing: I've heard great things about this so maybe I'll try it out. It really depends on if I get the other titles since I don't want to get all three titles at once.

Worlds' Finest: I enjoyed the Winick Powergirl issues and grew to like the character. Although I dislike what happened with Helena B. I'm willing to give this a try. Might come down to me flipping through it in the story or maybe just trying out the first issue.

Batman Hush

2012-02-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

I got this in trade because I heard a great deal of praise. I'm not going to go through an entire play by play but here are my thoughts on it.

Hush is a mixed bag of things that work and just fall flat on their face. The art is beautiful as is the growing relationship between Selina and Bruce as well as his friendship with Clark and Lois. Something I'm sorry to see wiped away by the relaunch. The plot is a congo line of the bat gallery that, for the most part, has nothing to do with the title villain. One that's obviously the new comer Tommy Elliot who isn't the actual mastermind of the story. Does the Riddler make sense? Sure but he's hardly in it. As for the reveal Tommy pretty much yells it out to Bruce and his reasoning makes little to no sense. (I know the story has been expanded upon but in this book it wasn't.)

A lot of it feels like padding showcasing all of Batmans' rogues and history. Some of it that would leave the casual reader scratching their head in confusion. Example: How many people knew about the guy who designed the bat mobile?

A lot of it is red herrings, several in fact. There are plot elements that are brought in then dropped for no reason. Shocks that are never explained or even logically explored.

Take the Jason Todd scene. I'll get to the writing in a moment but think about this. According to Bruce it couldn't have been Jason because he never called him Bruce or says he's Jason. Well what about the "life is a game" mention? Forgetting that once again a writer doesn't get what that really line meant how the hell would ANYONE outside the bat family know that was something Jason said? As for referring to himself as Jason, well is that really a secret since Bruce literally told the Joker the Robin he killed was named Jason? At the end Bruce states that Jasons' body is missing something that the Riddler smugly refuses to answer. Really Judd Winick fills in the blanks to actually make those scenes work.

But the writing of Bruce thinking about Jason? It's a strange mixture of sorrow and arrogance on the dark knights' part. Victim blaming at it's worst as he basically tells Jason it was his fault for rushing in. It's actually funny because he praises Huntress for the same things he scolds Jason over. Or that he thinks that "the others" don't accept her. No, BRUCE didn't accept her. That's why she tried so hard to earn his approval.

Verdict: The best moments are the Selina and Bruce romance. There are other bits of brilliance but it's not one of the better Batman stories. It's actually one of the worst stories I reviewed. If it was seamlined and with better understanding of the characters it would have been miles better. At the very least the supposed star villain could have shined more than he did.

Justice League International #6:

2012-02-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm really thrilled that Jurgens took the subplot of the Hall of Justice bombers and made it into a more serious threat. It could have easily been forgotten but it wasn't. Plus any interaction with Booster and Batman is a plus. (Although it annoys me that he can't be this good a mentor to his own kids.) This is what I was waiting for after the reveal in Booster Gold. Seeing Bruce give advise and treating Booster as an equal. I also liked how he knows Guy will follow Booster once he earns his respect. Because that is a huge part of Guy. It's a new twist on Guys' annoyance with the guy in charge because Booster HAS given Guy his due.

For those of us not thrilled with the retcon of Toras' origin? Well it's still not 100% clear as JLGL had people chase her because they believed she was a goddess but I believe Jurgens will stick close to the original. I think there's still something there with Guy and her although she states his attitude came between them. Gavril is awesome as usual since he sees that Tora is a special lady. It's a little protective but not as much as Bea. I do miss Winicks' more humorous take but this Rocket Red still feels very in character just less goofy. Although he may have fallen victim to a devise on the ship so that might change.

I loved the Godiva/General Augest in Irons scene. Their friendship is very sweet with them both reaching out to the other. Dora trying to make him feel more comfortably and Zhifu generally curious about her. The "Ben Grimm in disgue" look made me smile. He's inhuman looking and an expert in battles. She seems to be flirty but there's more going on. Dora is overwhelmed by larger than life battles. I read some confusion over her anger of his questioning in regards to her forwardness towards Booster. There are two ways for me to read this. 1. It's a private matter that isn't his business (which she states) and/or 2. Dora reading it as the implication that's usually involved when a woman is forward. I doubt he meant harm but I'd be annoyed too.

Someday I have to make a list of my favorite Booster speeches. This is the guy everyone says is nothing but a shrill not taking any crap. It might not have done much if not for GAII stating their case to his country woman. I gotta admit I smiled at the ending. No I'm not morid but it just seems like everything that can go wrong usually does. Somewhere Maxwell Lord is thinking that he's lucky his plans to start the JLI didn't work out. Because these guys have the worst luck.

Questions Raised: This has nothing to do with the comic it's self but I'm curious if all Beas' dating history is gone. No Oberon and I guess the Guy thing is offical retconned since Tora might not have died.

Hawkwoman, Powergirl and Batman

2012-02-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

I think these dolls look alright in general but there's a reason I'm keeping myself from buying them. Three. The cost, the scale and the male figures. They did Mera and Aquaman but not Hawk or any of the other Titan guys. Not yet anyway. They haven't done male figures as much. Look at the difference between Hawkwomans' mask and Batmans' cowl.

I've never been a fan of this costume but I'm impressed with the mask. It's not too clunky and still looks pretty close to the comic. The wings are a nice touch too.

Powergirl looks lovely without having her "window" overdone.

This isn't bad but it's not really up to par with the other two. The cowl doesn't look right nor the blue color. DC Direct and Hot Toys have better looks for Batman. I think this would have worked better in black and using the same idea as the Hawkwoman mask.

Anton "Snake Eyes" Montrose

2012-02-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

"Snake Eyes" was a friend of Boosters' although the origin of their relationship was a bit sketchy. He was a bookie that Booster couldn't be seen with once he became a big shot college quarterback. Booster took him up on his offer to earn some quick cash when things took a turn for the worse with his mother. In this version the high rollers didn't want to let a star like him go thus he had to keep up their deal. This ended his friendship with Snake Eyes.

There were many retellings of Boosters' origin with new details usually popping up. Snake Eyes was introduced in the flashback Booster shares with Ted Kord.

Where is he now?: Last mentioned in Justice League Generation Lost #5. The cop tells Booster that they caught Anton "Snake Eyes" Montrose on a drug charge but they know he's a bookie. He says that Snake Eyes had Booster betting on his own games and throwing them. The offer is for Booster to help them nab Snake Eyes boss.

First Appearance: Secret Origins #35

The complaint I can't take seriously

2012-02-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of complaints that I've seen online but there's a new one that just makes me laugh.

The idea that RHATO is too magical/mystical for Jason Todd. We're talking about the same guy that returned from the dead and used the same pit that makes Ras Al Ghul live for thousands of years, right? That, before it was retconned, was TIME PUNCHED back? That travelled to different worlds in Countdown? It's already part of his character it just hasn't been explored before. Jason isn't Constantine, he's not chanting spells.

I understand the idea that Gotham kids should stick to the street level stuff but think about it. Dick Grayson didn't step out of the shadow of the bat to become his own man until he became Nightwing and worked more with the Titans. That was out of his element too. I rather have Jason traveling the world and experiencing these things than out of character stories or the same story about him fighting the bat family who don't give a crap anyway.

Quick Review: Superboy #5, Demon Knights #5, TT #5 & JLD #5

2012-02-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Like last time I don't have much to say about these.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Superboy #5: What's intriguing about this issue is how it's hard to tell which way loyalities will go. Rose actually cared about "Red" Fairchild. She feels guilty for having to go through with her orders. Superboy acts like he doesn't care but ends up saving Fairchild and is able to cover his tracks. Whether he's trusting the right person to look over her is yet to be determined. It keeps you guessing and starts to show just how scary N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is.

Demon Knights #5: It's confirmed that Ex is an Amazon and yeah Horsewoman shot her because she blames Ex for the girls' death. All through this issue you know that the Questing Queen will try to tempt one of the members to her side. I knew who it was going to be just because Savage is all about getting what he wants. He didn't like the odds so he's not going to fight with the losing side. Sad to see another likable villager die.

Teen Titans #5: Superboy kicks everyones' ass. Okay there's a little more as all the characters gets a chance to shine. Soltice doesn't add anything physical to the fight but as someone else that's been experimented on by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. she understands Superboy and manages to get through to him. Although he still knocks her out. I'm not sure what she was trying to do when she saved Bart & hit the ship. Slow down? Bunker gets in a few hits as does Cassie. Tim has perhaps one of the most meaningful encounters as he almost defeats Superboy. But they all fight him one on one instead of working together. Tim says the only way they can win is if they follow his lead but he doesn't lead after saying that. It was enjoyable and I'm wondering who the unexpected guest star will be.

Justice League Dark #5: Yeah Constantine is still the best character. He figures the whole thing out and sets things right. All of this was Xanadus' fault. She pulled a professor X and used it as a means to gather the team as the dark future she saw has nothing to do with the things that happened in this arc. It feels like I missed something with Mindwarp suddenly wanting to help. While I liked this title for the most part I don't think all the characters worked. Zatanna really added nothing to the fight, Mindwarp just shows up, and Deadman seems to have given up on Dove to follow June. This is the finale of this arc with next month dealing with the fallout. So either this or the next issue will be my final JLD as I don't want to go through another change. I know Miilligan will stay on a little longer but this seems like a good place to make a clean break.

Jeff Lemire NOT on new Robin title

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

He's taking over for Justice League Dark. I'm not sure if I'll stick with the title. For the most part I like it well enough but I'm not invested in the characters enough to feel up to a creative change. I've been thinking about dropping Superboy and Demon Knights too, but only because their a pain to get half the time. I'll stick to all three titles for at least their first arc.

Some more DC Dolls

2012-01-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

The limited edition Huntress which sadly wears the groan worthy Jim Lee costume.

Another Bird of Prey Barbara getting her second figure. I would have preferred Oracle or having Cass and Steph get their own dolls. Still nice.

Another one for Sally as Hals' sometimes better half gets her own doll. I'm a little amazed they did Carol in this outfit.

They did Batman, Superman and Aquaman but I wasn't impressed with those. The dolls seem to be improving in designs though. Booster would make a nice doll. (He would come with a little Skeets of course.) The company talks about the hows and whys of their selection here. (Why did they have to use a page from CFJ? Just when their finding Lian?) So maybe we can make request and see how it fares. I'd be tempted despite the prices if they made a good Booster or other female Bats.

New Jurgens interview

2012-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

Where he talks about JLI, who are the two most capable members on the team and a few other things of interest.

One of my favorite panels of the month

2012-01-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm going to do a meta sort of post on JLI, RHATO, and the other books I kept with in the new 52. I do think the first two will be more in depth just because I feel more of a connection to them than the rest.

I'll explore the themes, surprises and character development in each series. But this panel is one of the reasons I've grown so fond of RHATO. Each issue slowly shows the characters humanity. No one is as one note as you might assume at first glance. I love books that make me care about the characters.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #5

2012-01-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: Jason Todd/Red Hood was told of the Untitled murdering his teachers the All Caste. Roy Harper/Arsenal and Kori/Starfire decide to help him look into the matter. Their journey takes them to Colorado. Crux, a human that transformed himself with alien DNA, attacked Starfire blaming all aliens for the death of his parents. Jason fights a member of the Untitled.

Story Title: "I'm free as a bird--and this bird you cannot kill!"

Thoughts: I'm going to break this down to look at each character by themselves. First let's start with the new guy Crux. We don't get too much information on Simon Amal in this issue. He's tougher than Roy gives him credit for and is very obsessed with his goal. Last issue (and the start of this one) he was willing to let Kori live as long as it was without her powers. This issue Roys' attack affects him. He can't understand why Roy, a human, would care about an alien. It's a sad moment where he honestly expected to have humans on his side regardless of what he did. This concern shown for Kori over him actually gets him furious once he recovers acting more threatening to Roy than Kori. I can't wait to see what they do with him as it's been revealed that he's a future member. Roy was willing to kill him if Kori was hurt but he's not sure once she prepares to deal with him.

It's important to note that even though these characters do kill they aren't kill happy. They only take lives when it's needed or the heat of the moment.

The Kori situation gets a better look as it's revealed that Lobdell actually had a plot in mind when writing her.(Just in case it's not clear I never believed he was just writing her for T & A. This is a series about damaged characters coping with things together.) Roy notes how he doesn't really know Kori that well and how she never opened up to him emotionally. Both Roy and Crux comment on how the boys treat her. Crux taking the view of some of the naysayers of this series that they only care about her for less than pure reasons. There has been a distance between them as both her and Jason seem to keep others at arms length. Roy feels bad about not being there for her when they were expecting her to be back up for them. (Which isn't entirely true. She kept her distance from them around humans because she stands out in a crowd. Roys' also the one that's always worried about her in the last two issues.) Kori admits that Earth hasn't always been kind to her showing sorrow and later anger saying she doesn't want to talk about the past.

Roy gets to shine as he holds his own against Crux (although Kori gets the final hit.) It's interesting to note that the emotional center to the group is Roy. Kori is the powerhouse, Jason is the planner but Roy sees things the clearest. He says what he feels. Last issue he got who Jason was this time he sees things clearer with Kori. It's kind of funny that both Jason and Kori refer to him as a nice/kind guy/man then say he's an idiot. More of a joking manner for Kori but he sees that they all need each other because all of them have been hurt. He's daring, impulsive, heroic and points out the obvious of irony of Crux judging Kori.

This issue marks a huge turning point as Jason finally puts behind his anger with the Joker and Batman to focus on being a warrior. I like that Lobdell explores a new angle with Jason to help set him a part from the Bat family some more. You would think that someone else would have thought of using him in a different setting given his backstory of coming back from the dead. I love how Jason interacts with the old lady, his teacher (too lazy to spell check her name.) Their bantering works well and there's a obvious affection between them. The faith she had in him overcoming the fury was rather sweet making his change all the more touching. Yes Jason was duped into this mission because he let his emotions get the better of him and he sort of messes up later on but this was a big moment for him. Is he over his Bat issues? Probably not but he has but behind his anger with the Joker situation.

The issue ends on a rather surprising note because Bat characters don't usually get these face palm worthy moments. It should be fun seeing how they deal with the fall out. There were some funny jokes in this one of them adding more depth to Jason as more of his vulnerable side is show. His public speaking skills are teased in the flashback before it's referenced again by Roy.

This series keeps getting better and better. It's a shame more people aren't willing to give it a shot or stopped reading because of issue #1. My favorite bits were 1.) Roy/Kori bonding while he tells her that all of them have been hurt but will make it together, 2.) Jason realizing he was moving on as he fights 3.) The flashback with teacher and student and 4.)Cruxs' expression as he tries to process Roy not taking his side.

I'm both excited and nervous for the next issue which will show how Kori meet Jason before issue #1. Since this will likely show how they "hooked up" I expect more online complaining even if it's written to perfection. You can't please everyone but even still I'm a little leery. Issue #6 also promises to shed light on the reason for Jason wearing a bat symbol on his chest.

Questions Raised:

Crux claims he followed the trio. He knows the name Red Hood so why did he ask "who uses arrows"? He didn't figure out who Roy was? Granted Roy only used arrows when he escaped in prison in #1 (Crux wasn't tracking them then) and during their time at the All Caste. So how did he track them? On the planes?

How did Jasons' helmet come off? Winick had the past helmet designed so it wouldn't shake off his head. Does this mean the world now knows what the Red Hood looks like?

Say What?:

Kori mentions the fact that her DNA is different than most of her people because of the experiments done to her. This implies that these powers are already present in this canon but were increased. Crux didn't know that since his information didn't apply to her.

Roy claims he can make more arrows but didn't he say he raided Ollies' company for designer arrows in #3? Also there's a artist glitch as Roy says he doesn't have anymore arrows but he's still wearing his side sling of arrows around his hips.

Robin title?

2012-01-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

Yeah I got my comics but I've been a little slow on reviewing them. But lately I've been interested in rumors I've been hearing. First was a teasing conversation betweem Marcus To and Sterling Gates on the possibilty of getting a Damian Wayne book.

Then there was a rumor from Bleeding Cool that the boy Robins (no word on Steph) were sharing a new title. This one sounds a little less likely as the source isn't always right plus the boys all appear in their own respective titles. The Damian series sounds more likely because of the creators involved. I would like a book showcasing all of the Robins adventures both in the past in the present.

Quick reviews on Superboy #4 & Demon Knights #4

2012-01-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

I got these issues a while ago but I never felt like reviewing them. There wasn't really much to say about either.

SPOILER AHEAD

Superboy #4: This was kind of blah of me. I was hoping for more interaction between Red/Fairchild and Superboy. But she gets taken out by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. No doubt she'll turn up in the new book. Superboy is given freedom to decide what he wants to do with his life but he's not sure what to do. The cutesy killers from last issue run in with the lead making him think that superpowered beings need to be stopped.

Demon Knights #4:Shining Knight has "his" origin looked at with a vision from Merlin. It seems to imply that the Questing Queen (?) has a connection to SK as she has a vision too. Tensions rise with the death of the villiage girl leading Horse Woman to shoot Ex when she mentions the girl. I thought it was to do with Horse Woman blaming Ex for the death but it seems kind of weird to wound someone on your side in the middle of a battle. But it also shows the flaw in wearing mid-dirff exposing armor in battle.

Thoughts on some Solicits for DCnU #8

2012-01-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

Green Lantern Corps #8: Does John have ANOTHER crime? Or is this an old one? Anytime one of the other Earth lanterns complains he should just give them a special one punch.

Justice League International #8: Possible member Batwing? Interesting. I wonder if Batman suggested him. Is Batwing falling on cover? Doesn't he have, umm wings?

Batman and Robin #8: I LOVE this cover. The colors are perfect and it shows just what I love about Batman where his Robins are concerned: his real fatherly concern. Damian just looks so young and innocent, something that's pretty rare. My favorite cover out of the bunch.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #8: I think this was supposed to be the Green Arrow issue which Lobdell said he had already written but needed approval from the GA people. It seems like plans changed either because they said no or because the Court of the Owls crossover happened. I have no interest in Suzie Su. It seems weird that she survived Jason shooting her but then again he did think that killing gave him no pleasure. Maybe he had mercy? But I'm mainly interested in Tim Drake reaching out. Sounds like fun.

That time Batman cared a.k.a. when he revealed his ID.

2012-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

There was some talk during Morrisons' run about him not playing up the fact the Joker saw Batman unmasked. The thing is--he already knew. I think it was apparent in Death in the Family that he figured it out. Well actually Batman flat out told him but stupidly saying he knew Joker killed Jason. Yes Jason not Robin. At the U.N. Joker starts laughing when he sees Bruce Wayne.

Think maybe a first name isn't enough to make the connection. Well Batman was kind enough to give his arch-enemy his victims' last name as well. The Joker doesn't particularly care about Bruce Wayne just Batman. He might be insane but he's smart. He can put the pieces together.

The name is one he remember very well. In fact he used it to gloat Nightwing on during a fight. (Which briefly resulted in him killing the clown.) I kind of miss the Bat family getting this defensive over Jason. Even if Batman was incredibly reckless.

Meme

2012-01-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

I saw this and it looked like fun. Ask me whatever you want from this list or feel free to use it yourself.

1. Top 5 DC male superheroes

2. Top 5 DC superheroines

3. Top 5 DC superheroes (regardless of gender)

4. Top 5 DC sidekicks

5. Top 5 DC male supervillains

6. Top 5 DC female supervillains

7. Top 5 DC supervillains (regardless of gender)

8. Top 5 DC supporting characters (love interests, etc.)

9. Top 5 underrated characters

10. Favorite series of the New 52

11. Least favorite series of the New 52

12. Favorite series that got cancelled

13. Favorite movie adaptation

14. Favorite TV adaptation

15. Favorite Elseworld

16. Favorite DC writer

17. First comic I ever read

18. 5 Best Costumes

19. 5 Worst Costumes

20. One thing Marvel does better than DC

So Huntress...

2012-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

There are some things I'm not sure how to feel about in the relaunch. This is one of them.

I liked Helena B. She was a kickass character, a good teacher that cared and understood children and had mob ties. It was an interesting take on a crime fighter. I loved her interaction with the Birds of Prey and other bat characters. She will be missed. It feels like a rip off to fans that bought the mini series for this character to be fooled since it's revealed that this version of the character no longer exists.

No, she's actually Helena Wayne now. A character most don't even know about. At most I know she's Bruce and Selinas' daughter from Earth 2. And she apparently is in love with Dick Grayson. The guy that was pretty much raised as her brother from the way I heard it. Does this mean that most of Helena Bs' history is a cover for Ms. Wayne but still happened, like sleeping with Nightwing? That would be awkward once he found out. Do we really need another Wayne kid and a biological one that's an adult? I thought we wanted the characters to be younger.

Oh wait a second, this is further proof the 90s' have returned isn't it? This is starting to sound like the Summers family from X-Men. Cyclops/Scott Summers (Bruce) has a grown daughter from a different reality with his "one true love" Jean Grey (Selina). In this reality he had a kid Cable (Damian) with the woman he ditches, Madelyne Pryor (Talia.) Daiman even has a clone like Cable does!

The only good thing about Huntress being the Earth 2 Helena, that I can think of, is exploring the family connection. How will Damian reaction to his little/big sister? What about the other bat kids? I would say how would this affect Bruce but he has at least two kids he ignores. I'd be more interested in Selinas' reaction if she actually knew who Batman was.

Are editor notes really that big of a problem?

2012-01-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

I've come across a few different sites where people complain over the little editor boxes that say "last issue" or "it happened in issue #2." I have to ask what is the big problem with this? It's not like they think we're stupid (like I've seen them be accused of) but it's rather for new readers. That's why some books have the main characters introduced every issue. Seriously try picking up a trade from the 90s if you think this is bad. I got the Clone Saga tpb and they recap everything every issue to the point you want to scream "enough already!"

When I started comics I didn't always follow issue to issue. Sometimes I skipped story arcs if they dealt with things I didn't care for and if a story summary looked interesting I'd use those notes to figure out what books I needed.

Justice League International #5

2012-01-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

Last issue was my least favorite out of this arc. This issue is better but it kind of fell flat for me. There's a problem with getting all the characters screen time and as a result a lot of them seem to be there just to stand in the backround. Yeah they fight but not much is shown with their personalities. Vixen suffers the worst and I have to wonder if this would have read better if it was just Booster, Batman, Godiva, Guy, GAII and Gavril. Yeah Tora and Bea are shown more than Vixen but they haven't really added as much as the others.

I did like how caring Tora was, acting as a peacemaker and defending Godiva when she starts to freak out over going into the unknown. Even the art reflects this as Godiva looks stricken in the group shot and Tora lays a comforting hand on her arm. I'm curious what her status with Guy will be in the future as this is the second time she's talked to Booster about how to act around him. Of course I love seeing her interact with Booster in general but telling him to thank Guy and his "do I have to?" reaction is priceless. But the best part is that not only does he do it but the way he does it. He throws an arm over Guys' shoulder, calls him buddy and makes sure he gets credit. Seriously, what other leader has done that for Guy? I can recall Batman, J'onn, Superman and even Ted grudgingly saying "good job" at most.

I like the bits with Booster and Guy even though I miss their old relationship. I don't want them to be at each others' throats (that was more Ted/Guy anyway) and I like that Booster is trying to remain friendly. Guy also gets the best line in the book with his "she puts the Diva in Godiva" bit. But I think this also shows that despite his feelings on the matter Guy isn't right to lead this team. The Corps is different and even there he can be more understanding. Here? He's letting his personal feelings get the better of him. Because he wasn't chosen for the role as leader. While I don't think Booster is like Hal I could see Guy thinking it's like that situation repeating it's self. As a result he doesn't consider the feelings of others.

I continue to enjoy Godiva as she reads very true without being a walking stereotype. It's n interesting way to translate a power that doesn't seem all that great into a real self confidence problem. It also highlights the fact that there's more to her than the lady that flirts with Booster. Although I love seeing that bit too. Hopefully we'll get our first on panel Booster romance soon.

Briggs comes across a little more likable although that might have to do with the world almost ending. Or getting yelled at by the higher ups. GAII also surprises Gavril alluding to the friendship Jurgens spoke of in interviews. I still like this title but I'm looking forward to the next story.

Writers Block: Winick and Jurgens JLIs: Romance?

2012-01-05T10:01:00.001-08:00

SPOILERS for JLI #5

Given the reputation Winick has you wouldn't think Justice League Generation Lost was as subtle as it is with the romantic subplots. I'd go as far as to say that if someone was given those pages from the two series and asked who wrote what they'd think Winick wrote the Jurgens pages. That's not a diss on either writer as I enjoyed both but rather the perception most seem to have on the messageboards I visited. Jurgens romance does have a more sexual vibe to it.

In JLGL there are only two love stories that are touched upon the first being Tora and Guy. The two have been in a relationship for awhile and started to reconnect. She's rather surprised when she goes to him for help regarding the return of Maxwell Lord only to discover Max messed with Guys' memories to make him think she was dangerous. The only point this has is to show that the superhero community is turned against her because of this. Whether this matter would have ever been settled in pre-Flashpoint canon is unknown.

The second relationship is between Bea and their newest team member Gavril. His interest in her first becomes apparent during their Checkmate break in when he comments on loving her fiery nature. She's the member he bonds with the most during down time with her seeming genuinely amused with him. During that time he also expresses intelligent thoughts on mourning but his unintentional humor makes her smile prompting her to kiss him.

Jurgens doesn't touch either of these relationships quite as much in his first arc. With the new canon in place Tora and Guys' relationship isn't as long as it used to be. His obvious affection for her is apparent as it's what makes him rush back to the JLI after quitting. She doesn't seem to take it as seriously as he does commenting that they only had a few dates. Yet she tells Booster to appeal to Guys' ego to get him to stay then reminds him to thank Guy for helping them. With Bea and Gavril all we've gotten so far has been him asking Toras' opinion of him asking Bea out. The only thing we got from her was her defending Gavril when she thinks Godiva is insulting him.

The main romance Jurgens plays with is Godivas' attraction to Booster. Something that I'm most interested in despite adoring the other two pairings. Booster has never had an on panel romantic relationship. (Shh Boostle shippers.) Sure it's been stated that he once dated Firehawk in the past but that was more behind the scenes. Booster is rather taken aback at her forwardness and distracted by his duties as a leader. Which is rather amusing if you ever read how forward he's been in the past.

She's rather interesting as she's in the JLI for P.R. reasons and is far more unsure of herself in the field. It seems that she's just a flirt but she never hits on any of the other men. Perhaps Godivas' interest in Booster is purely physical? Maybe but she does jump into action when she sees Booster is about to be killed. He doesn't object once the day is saved when she says they should get to know each other better. It'd be a lot of fun to see the three on a triple date but I do wonder how Booster will react once it's just the two of them.

Teen Titans #4 & Justice League Dark #4

2012-01-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

Justice League Dark #4:

Another good issue. The characters were all more likable although a lot of questions still come up. Why was Zatanna being so reckless? She was with Constantine and could have gone with him. I mean I understand why he left her, she wanted to erase his memory, but this was a little dumb. I'm liking Shade more and more with each issue but Constantine still has the number one spot for the most awesome character. I know he's supposed to be an ass, perhaps he was to Dove but I still agree with everything he does in this book. While Zatanna isn't thinking this through, Deadman/June are looking for help, and Shade is trying to get people to go with him--Constantine is piecing things together for himself. He even gave Xanadu the slap she deserved for meddling and making the Enchantress situation worse. Although she gets him back for that.

The whole set up is very creepy and compelling. Like in the first issue there's more chaos caused by the magic but what I liked was the fallout. That blondes are now feared so much that their shot on sight and are encouraged to dye their hair dark. I don't know, that just feels like something that would happen. I have no complaints. I think June is going to die making the Enchantress all the more crazier.

Teen Titans #4:

I'm not loving Cassies' get up but it's a nice beginning to the Wonder Girl/Superboy fight. I already like Skitter and Bunker. I wondered if Kiran and Miguel would be on good terms and it looks like their own the same wavelength. She takes the change in her appearance better than Skitter because she's just happy that her powers work the same way. I'll admit the Tim/Bart fight over the sweatshirt seems a little more childish than what we're used to with these two but it makes sense in context. Tim isn't used to dealing with Bart in this canon so of course he's going to get annoyed really fast. Barts' also the guy he was less than thrilled with in #1 for making meta teens look bad. Yeah Tim REALLY overreacts with his comparison to what N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is doing to Bart taking a shirt without asking. But it's nice to see him act like a kid for once.

Despite trying to bash each others' face in Cassie and Superboy are instantly attracted to each other. I'm digging it more than last time. The team minus Skitter show up to fight Superboy. No real complaints. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Did You Notice?:

All the Booster Gold cameos. I'm hoping Scott Lobdell is a big Booster fan but it might be something Booth added. Nice to see that Booster still does endorsments.

Red Robins' logo is on the door to the penthouse.

Tims' shirt seems to read "Free Thinkin' " I can't tell what the image is.

Bart drinks from a mug with the bat symbol on it. Tim drinks from what I think is a Aquaman mug.

Not having another costume Bart borrows Tims' old Robin costume (the red one from 52/OYL.)

Wow, that's pretty awesome!

2012-01-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

There are some things that I don't like about Kenneth Rocaforts' art but this isn't one of them. He seems to be getting better every issue. I love the detail in this. Although I have no idea what those shredded bits around Jasons' neck are.

Sometimes it's nice to be forgotten

2011-12-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

Remember when I was annoyed that no one was taking my interest in getting subscriptions to comics seriously? Well one family member didn't shop at all this year and said we'd get to choose our gifts. I chose to get Justice League International and Red Hood and the Outlaws through the mail. Hopefully they will arrive on time as their my current favorite books. I hate waiting to read them because it means I have to avoid all the spoilers. I only had a subscription once before, through Marvel, and I never paid attention to the release dates back then. I might get annoyed if it's a week or two.

But getting these two through the mail will help me hold onto a couple of series since I was considering cutting a couple due to costs.

Happy Birthday Michael and Michelle Carter!

2011-12-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

According to Booster Gold #1 Vol. 2 this is the day the twins will be born with Michael being the oldest by two minutes. And yes, I remembered that without having to check up on it by rereading the issue. I didn't feel like writing up an essay since I've been rather busy lately but the twins would be Capricorns. According to todays' horoscope:

"Quickie: Your compassionate side has been drawn out today. You will feel sympathy for a foe.

Overview: Music really resonates with you today, so make sure that you're listening to the tunes that move you in the right direction. It's one of those days when it's vital to deal with the right atmosphere."

I'm not a big horoscope person so I have no idea if these two are supposed to mesh. Or maybe they can be split among the twins. Either that or Booster will be fighting/dancing to music as his heart goes out to his foe. Which gives me a weird visual al la Buffy Once More with Feeling.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #4

2011-12-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD!

What Happened Previously: Jason Todd/Red Hood was told of the Untitled murdering his teachers the All Caste. Roy Harper/Arsenal and Kori/Starfire decide to help him look into the matter. Their journey takes them to Colorado. What none of them realize is that Crux has been tracking Starfire ever since a little boy posted a sighting online.

Story Title: "Come Fly With Me--Come Die, Just Die Away!"

Thoughts: I know it's an unpopular opinion but loved this issue. There have been complaints ranging from different tastes to the absurd with this book but one of them was the characterization with Roy and Kori. Were they in character? "Is Roy an Idiot and Kori a beeping beep"? (No I'm not even going to write what she was called. I don't care if you dislike a character portrayal or not there's no excuse for those words.) Lobdell gives more insight into what makes these two tick in different way. He's slowly been revealing Roys' life in DCnU throughout the past few issues. Someone who is rejected by most of the superhero community, lost his partnership with Ollie and is currently struggling to find a niche for himself. Roy darkly mutters about being treated like a kid implying that Ollie still does play a role in his fall from grace. Although it seems Roys' addiction has gone from heroin to alcohol as he thinks on how he should avoid going to bars even if he's only drinking ice water. Which actually says a lot about him since he's willing to risk the temptation just to back Jason up.

He doesn't come off as the comic relief here but more as the truth sayer as he reflects on himself, Jason and their current situation. Making interesting observations on Jason showing that he is learning from all the bits of information he's gleamed in the last few issues. Roy knows that everyone sees Jason as a trouble maker but he sees that Jason is trying to make things right. Our archer actually comes across as rather insightful, I particularly liked this bit:

Bartender: (Clearly shocked after Jason effortlessly took down three men that were threatening him) Umm...your friend is cut off.

Roy Harper: That's what I'm always telling him. He needs to be able to open up more--to vent. Otherwise, things like this happen.

Of course she means that she's not giving Jason anymore beer but Roys' comment is rather telling for both Jason and himself. This is the reason Roy can't keep his mouth shut, because he knows from experience how it feels to bottle things up. Jason has trouble opening up because he's been hurt in the past. Lobdell also shows that Roy is rather fond of Jason by referring to him as his best and only friend. Something that got tons of people ranty because it begs the question of what Dicks' relationship to him is. I'm not worried, Lobdell stated that he doesn't see Dick as the type to snub him but I can see Jason being on more equal footing with Roy than Dick in the relaunch. The point is that Roy feels a bond with him and much to my amusement calls him "Jaybird." (Something that he's been called by fans as his pre-crisis self was usually nicknamed Jay.) He comes to Jasons' rescue, even points out that they have to help Kori who's only here because of Jason. Shockingly Jason agrees with him showing that he's still getting used to having friends but does actually care.

I'm not sure what Lobdell is doing with Kori but I'm hardly going to call him slurs because I don't get it yet. She's seems to regard the two humans as clowns like she did in number one although she admits that she knows there's something deeper to them than that. I didn't know what her fight with Crux was going to be like as I was expecting more of a Dragonball Z like throw down but I like that Crux used his brain and his sense of irony. It's too early to get a real feel for his character but I think his backstory is sympathetic. Kori even states she's sorry to hear it and is straight up awesome in this. The only reason she loses is because she doesn't expect her foe to do anything outside of brute force. What he does isn't quite clear yet as Crux states he just erased the line between them. As he flies off the one word she speaks proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's not the mindless sex thing everyone claims her to be. It's rather moving and this is said by someone that's not a fan of the relationship just because of the way Dick treated her.

Lastly there's Jason himself, what I found interesting in this one was the fact that his line of thinking isn't quite clear. Well the reason for the bar fight is obvious through Koris' text boxes but not if he meant to use Roy as back up (and didn't explain this to him) or if he suspected the cop. I just find it funny that he couldn't hack into her computer or break into her office to check for himself. I didn't see a reason for him to explain himself to her when a normal person would likely think it's a crazy story. It took me awhile to figure out how she knew who he was but Roy uses Jasons' first and last name in front of her. Codenames Roy, use them. Jason shows more growth as he prepares to fight the Untitled, something that's finally explained. It cuts off just when I was getting hyped up for the fight. NOT ANOTHER MONTH TO WAIT!

All the current Information on the Untitled: Can take the organs from bodies without cutting the flesh. Able to absorb information by eating said organs. The All Caste was trained to be able to take them down but formed a truce with them for unknown reasons. Copper can harm them. According to the Untitled Cop most of her kind want to control humans. Being able to kill a whole town single handedly is apparently something one should be able to do effortlessly. They appears to be black smoke inside their human disguises.

Jason Todd: "A very ancient and evil mystical race--maybe a dozen left on the planet--who have been hiding among humans for centuries." "They never travel together. It's too risky. They usually hide in positions of authority in order to make it easier to cover their tracks."

Say What?: Jason shouldn't be able to legally drink beer. Dick and Roy have both been stated as 21 in the relaunch, Jason has always been younger, around two years older than Tim. He'd have to still be in his teens, likely 18. Of course he's legally dead so I'm sure he has fake I.D.s and such. He did used to smoke pre-death so he likely drank a little too.

Waylon is the name Roy calls his sponsor and it happens to be Killer Crocs' real name. Waylon Jones to be exact. Croc was seen last issue in Roys' most cherished memory as someone who refused to end Roys' life and basically encouraged him (in his own way) to pick himself up. This implies their relationship didn't end there and if true is ironic as Waylon told Roy to keep away from troublemakers. What makes it more ironic is that Killer Croc was invented Pre-Crisis when Jason Todd first appeared as the one who murdered Jasons' parents. Two-Face was his fathers' murderer Post-Crisis but Croc showed up in Nightwing year one during Jasons' first mission as Robin.

Despite upgrading his body with alien DNA Crux admits that the best he could hope for with a one on one fight was a draw. So Kori still seems to be the most powerful being in the book or rather was until he "erased that line" between them.

Another alien connection to a Mayan temple? (The other being the Blue Beetle scarab.) It was used for time travel in the old DCU but Crux says he got the tech he uses against her from a temple.

Did You Notice?: Why is Jason dressing up? This was the street kid that loved punk.

How did Crux get that HUGE thing way out there given the travel time of the group he was following?

Jasons' blades seem to be made out of copper.

SPOILER Theories for future issues:

I think Crux might have taken away some of her powers. Covers seem to suggest otherwise though.

The Untitled cop thinks the All Caste broke the truce. This was already spoiled in the solicits for #7 but it seems that Essence has set this up although the why isn't clear. I think she's part of the Untitled, whether a full member of half Untitled and half All Caste. Her eyes are black as the cops' turned, she has smoke like powers and as Jason says their mystical. He makes a joke alluding to her being a witch in #1. She was kicked out of the All Caste. But there are unanswered questions like why was there a truce. It looks like the All Caste out numbered the Untitled if Jasons' deduction was correct. Why would she kill them then make Jason go after her people if this is true?

There's also the naming bit which if true was rather clever of Scott Lobdell. The Untitled and Essence. It just feels very meta and I love that. According to the definition of Essence it means :

1. The intrinsic or indispensable properties that serve to characterize or identify something.

2. The most important ingredient; the crucial element

3. The inherent, unchanging nature of a thing or class of things.

4. An extract that has the fundamental properties of a substance in concentrated form.

5. Something that exists, especially a spiritual or incorporeal entity.

"Identify something" just works so well for a character that's from a race that wasn't properly defined. She's been missing since issue one but it can tie the plot together so well. I'm annoyed that people are already calling fowl and suggesting she's a Dragon Lady. Umm no. She hasn't hit on the heroes yet or worn skimpy clothes and the only sign she knows how to physically fight is the cover to seven. Just because she's asian and MAYBE a bad guy does not mean she automatically fits the bill. I'm hoping she's like the Outlaws, a character we can feel for and even understand her motives. I can't wait to see how this unravels.

Batman Incorporated Leviathan Strikes!

2011-12-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

Part 1 Thoughts: This might as well be a Batgirl/Stephanie Brown issue. I will admit that the main reason I got this was because of Stephanie. I was slightly curious about this book and lastly my other two books weren't in stock. Grant Morrison writes a great Steph and this book only highlights why I think she works better in the Batgirl role than Barbaras' return. She's capable, still has her quirks and this is a lot of fun. Batman is hardly in this section but he knows he can count on her and that makes this premise work.

It's the quirks that make this a joy to read. The school is training girls to be assassins. One of the girls' guns has a cell phone charm attached to it. The "make over" items are weapons, like a brush that shoots darts. The girls dress in Kathy Kane Batwoman costumes. I LOVED this half of the book. This wouldn't have worked nearly as well if they made her Spoiler again simply because of the ongoing theme of Batwoman/the bat family. There's sort of a subtle vibe that even though her dad is a criminal and she's actually not in the bat linage that Steph has risen above her past. She's earned her place. The art is beautiful working flawlessly with the story as Stephanie HAS to have art that's able to covey her expressive face.

Did You Notice?: At target practice the ladies are aiming for "where it hurts" on the male JL members. Shown are Hal Jordon, Superman and part of the Flash.

Say What?: Morrison either loves canon or doesn't research it. Stephanies' dad, the Cluemaster, isn't "the late Arthur Brown." Yes he was presumed dead but he showed up alive twice since that story. The last time being at the very end of Stephanies' Batgirl run. This makes me raise an eyebrow because this book was delayed a LONG time. That should have been caught.

Did Steph have her ID as Batgirl exposed?

Part 2 Thoughts: I haven't been following Morrisons' books so I was worried this would be confusing as hell. It wasn't. I know there are things that likely went over my head but I think I followed it pretty easily. The art was decent and really did the trippy moments well. I got the symbolism of the pearls even before a character echos it later on in the text. I liked this story but not as much as the Batgirl one. It shows the network Batman has put together and has him failing. Something we don't see too much. The bit with Jezebel was a little much though, as if to say "yeah I'm the real bad guy here so look at my symbolism!" The small moments with Damian were great with him muttering that he knows French and German when Red Robin explains it to him. Then his sorrow when he apologizes for killing a man to save his fathers' life.

The thing that grates on my nerves is Talia. Like with Red Hood Morrison can't seem to get her right. First she's the one that forces herself on Batman to produce Damian (which I believe was retconned in Batman and Robin) then she's a heartless mother and now she's an emotional clone of her father. Okay, why? I heard theories on what this has to do with Damian which will explain why she's so heartless with him but that still doesn't make sense to me. Say what you will about Judd Winick but has least he kept to the core of the character and showed how she's conflicted.

Did You Notice?: Batwings' supposed death. But no body so it doesn't matter since he has his own book.

The red phone like the Adam West Batman. There's more but I have a feeling that I won't get this review done if I go over the whole book for things Morrison slipped in.

To Buy or Not to Buy

2011-12-19T19:10:00.001-08:00

A book that puts together clippings from Batmans' life to create a timeline and show cases from his point of view. I used to love looking through books like this. The only thing that held me back was the price, $100 bucks. But depending where you look it's gone down to $60. I'm thinking about it and reading reviews to see if it's worth the money.

Why I'm glad they redid the Robin costume

2011-12-18T18:05:00.001-08:00

Well at least Jasons'. I don't know if they redid Dicks'. I think there was two different origins to it and one of them had Dick picking it out. So yeah Dick is a sadist. I never liked the idea of Jason wearing Dicks' outfit because he hated it and what does that say about Bruce when he forces the next kid to wear the same outfit?

On a side note I love this arc. This takes place just after Crisis with Donna Troy desperately trying to keep the Titans together in some form. Dick was in a bad place and acted like his name. What's tragically funny is that every single person she picked out except Jason was going through some serious emotional upheaval due to personal matters (Donna herself was very distressed due to Dicks' words.)

Seriously. Wally is trying to honor Barry as the Flash but hasn't gotten the hang of it. Garth is depressed because his love Tula died. Hawk is moody and kinda nuts after his brother Don died. Donna is trying to juggle being a wife and being a leader that doubts herself. Roy is trying to keep his affair with Cheshire under wraps and soon learns he's a daddy. The rookie of the team, Jason, is trying to fit in but a little freaked out over how everyone is acting.

Rip Hunter Time Master #1 and #2

2011-12-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to find some old Rip Hunter stories and decided to review them all but for some reason I'm lazier with writing older comic reviews. Rip Hunter Time Master is (so far) an interesting ride. Yes, it does have some quirky Silver Age moments such as the story twists and unmasking al la Scooby Doo. But the characterization isn't what I thought it would be. I haven't read all the issues yet but all the team members are useful and while Bonnie is the girl of the group she helps the others and the men play the role of kidnapped teammate too. This is a little different from my recent reviews as their written "live" as I read them.

Silver Age SPOILERS AHEAD

#1:

The one page tease has the group being attacked by native Americans and I have to wonder at the cliche of people in the past assuming that anything that flies is automatically a bird. Has anyone ever wondered why something that clearly doesn’t look like a lifeform is flying? I heard that this series never really had an origin and yeah I know that the Time Masters were introduced in Showcase prior to this but still. Their already Time Masters. Jeff is fixing up the time sphere and Rip calls the group together which includes Corky, although I’m still clueless to what he provides. Bonnies’ at least described as Rips’ assistant. Did little brothers usually follow their sisters to their jobs?While amused at them randomly going into the past for errands for friends I have to wonder if their ever do anything for more dramatic reasons.

An old friend of Rips’ wants to get married to a woman named Nancy but her father won’t allow it because he’s worried about the Craig family curse. What catches my interest is this being the first time I can recall anyone giving an idea of how old Rips’ supposed to be. See his buddy Martin says his familys’ curse is supposed to go into affect when a Craig reaches their 25th year. While it’s possible for Martin to be a few years older or younger than Rip I noticed that Silver Age tales tend to have buddies that are school mates or such, sharing the same age. Like Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Victor von Doom. In the first Booster Gold series Jack Soo even comments on Rip being the youngest person to achieve something at M.I.T. It’s unclear how old he is was in the BG second series but interesting nonetheless.

Martin Craig doesn’t believe in the curse stating that just a couple people died roughly a hundred years apart from each other. I just love that Martin smokes while Rip seems to be digging into a Sunday. The perimeters of their mission is just so vague since even Martin is unsure when it all originated and I’m not sure what kind of proof their going to look for.

“Time Scanner”? T.O. Morrow so stole that idea for his time screens.

“Since everyone knew each other in these old towns let’s ask them while wearing clothes from the future and give the people that believe in curses something else to freak out over.”

Much to my surprise this IS addressed, very briefly, with Rip basically telling them to disregard what their wearing. Although his unsure nature makes this endearing. The town folks tell him where the family is without batting an eye. Rip has sense enough to take Jeff and not Corky with him. I would have loved to see how he explained the whole thing to his friend and his soon-to-be-father-in-law:

“Well first of all not every Craig died at 25. Sure one guy did but his cousin didn’t. Then one of the guys that was supposed to be killed at that age made it look like he got killed fighting a fake monster his friends built to regain his family’ honor. The curse actually started when a Craig that was a lord called a supposed wizard out on being a fraud. The wizard made up this “curse”, and murdered Craig to preserve his reputation with the king. We confronted the fake wizard and I kinda accidently caused him to have a heart attack that killed him. Luckily he wrote a confession of his guilt in invisible ink which he told us of in a cryptic speech prior to his death.”

Gotta say it makes more sense then the Booster Gold plot to find proof of Maxs’ existence by hanging out with Ted , then going back into denial over Teds' death did. (No I'm not over that one.) At least Rip had an inkling of what to do. Anyway, this was a fun story.

#2:

What's different about this issue is that the team actually go visiting ancient ruins in present day. As usual it’s not long before a giant monster attacks and the Time Masters have to go back in time to figure everything out. This leads them to another beast and another alien secretly connected to earths’ history. Although the alien freely admits to not trusting humans after one betrayed him this guy nevertheless is talked into believing Rip. Nytok, is a big game hunter on his planet and came to collect three beasts that are natural enemies of each other. The problem is that his spaceship crashed on Earth releasing his captives. I love the little detail of Jeff and Rip sitting on the ground with him while listening to the story. It’s a nice touch that seems to be missing in a lot of Golden and Silver Age stories that humanizes the characters somewhat.

Since Nytok was injured he asked the first human he found to take one of the creatures controls to stop it’s rampage. The problem is that the guy ended up using the beast to lord over his own people. Unless Rip’s taken to talking to himself in third person I’d say that this is a standard Silver Age goof of misplacing the word balloons. Not as bad as it was in early X-Men stories. (I have a few Silver Age reprints from Marvel so this is the first time I read a DC S.A. series. ) Anyway, Jeff wants to take one of the controllers to take care of the monster in the future but the alien refuses unless they recapture the three he lost. Rip agrees since it would be pretty jerky to let people be endangered (pretty sure it might mess up time too.)

Again with the age confusion. “Two young friends”? I know back then there was a lot of slang (read anything by Stan Lee in this period) but is this supposed to mean Bonnies’ 18 or something? They established that she’s his assistant. The Baxters have trouble keeping the Time Sphere aloft with the level stuck (here’s a thought: get someone who isn’t a ten year old to work the level) diving them down towards one of the beasts. Rip tells them to get out of the time sphere but Bonnie refuses since it’s their only ride out of the past. Luckily Nytok using the control to stop it in time. Corky thinks it’s cool but Bonnie would like her baby brother to kindly get the hell away from the giant killer alien creature.

One of the most amusing things about this is how hands on Rip is with tackling the situation. Both literally and figuratively. He’ll take the biggest risks but doesn’t seem willing to let anyone else get hurt. Expressing concern for his team. While their not quite the family unit the Fantastic Four are Rip is by no means an early Reed Richards.

Another typo since I think Rip means Bonnie and Corky not Jeff who’s right beside him. Thus Rips’ plan for the first Pokemon battle begins with their monster fighting the bad guys’.

“Sorry pal--I’m too young to die!” Rip says while throwing the other guys’ spear into the ground and tossing the guy off. Further proof that he was always awesome. I’m not really sure what Jeff is doing to knock the others down. Throwing one of them? Much to Rips’ annoyance they created their own woes in the future since the Snaar they controlled was trapped in a cave by the other creature and will be released in their time. A typical time travel twist but lots of fun.

What Christmas adds as a backround

2011-12-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

So apparently the new 52 has Christmas issues or at least two that I know of. Not sure if it's considered a spoiler but I heard Batgirl has one this month and though I haven't bought it yet I know Superboy does. Not that I expect them to focus much on the holiday in these issues but this reminded me of all the books that I read that had the holidays used as either a focus of the issue or something in the backround. Since I don't feel like skimming through my collection to find all my Holiday back issues I'll just focus on a couple. (BTW one story I remember ironically has Spider-Man fighting against Mephisto to save the spirit of Christmas and returns home safely to his loving wife Mary Jane.)

The two I chose were Booster Gold stories of course. While Christmas is happening in the story it's not the focus but it does provide a backdrop, helping create a certain mood in each story that's completely different than the other one. And yes they were both written and drawn by the same person: Dan Jurgens. (What did you think I was going to do something from the 90's?)

The first is from volume one issue 15 released in the festive time of, umm, April. Booster has traveled back to his time where it's snowy and in this issue has Christmas decorations up. Apparently blowing bubbles in different colors will also be a seasonal tradition as well. Citizens discuss the news report of Michael Carter being caught thinking he deserves to pay for stealing a time machine. There's a tree up in Michelles' apartment when she hear the news that her brother is sentenced to death. The story it's self has a lot of sober moments with Boosters' old life and new one clashing. The people of his time, including Broderick, all think deserves to be punished. Rip and Soo are depressed to learn that the world is going to suffer through a nuclear war (though there's a great fight scene they share.)

But despite the odds there's hope because Booster has people who are loyal and truly care about him. Michelle breaks several laws to spring her brother. She puts his mind at ease with the knowledge that she and their mother knew who he'd become and are proud of him. Booster is forgiven by his family because Skeets gave the greatest gift of all: proof Michael Jon Carter became Booster Gold. Reunited with his sister Booster returns to the past but he's also learned something along the way. Before fleeing to his time to save his life Booster debated with a nurse over his deeds. She called into question if his actions for charity were in fact noble if all it did was promote him since he got the credit for it. In disguise Booster donates food for her shelter. Shocked she comments that it's like an early Christmas present (the gang kind of ended up a few months after they left.) With only his Legion Flight ring giving away his identity Booster says that for some of us it seems like Christmas was just yesterday.

I loved this arc but one thing that always impressed me with this series was how Jurgens didn't make things too obvious. He didn't act like the readers were dumb by heavy handedly repeatedly remarking that the Carter family was poor. It's there in the art when they visited his old home earlier in the arc. Booster evolution is shown in a subtle way through various selfless acts he treats as nothing important. That's not to say he comes off as a saint, he still has his flaws. But this shows that he's deeper than anyone suspects. The themes of this story was: redemption, forgiveness and sacrifice.

The next one is in the second series though just a brief scene at the very end of the arc. This was of course the Day of Death arc. I loved this storyline for a lot of reasons but one of the things that I found so compelling about it was the underlined question of identity. This opening asks who Rip Hunter and Black Beetle are but it also calls into question who Batman and Booster Gold are to each other. Because this Batman isn't the one Booster is used to dealing with, it's Dick Grayson. The dynamics are different as both men try to deal with what their lives are like without Bruce. While other stories deal with what the loss of a mentor means to Dick this has him admitting the weight of the cowl and what it means (as well as Damian.) It has him needing a reminder. Of who he is, not Batman. Why he does what he does.

With Booster it's a struggle to keep playing the fool when the only person that knows who he really is can't be there for him when he needs him. It's not the same as with Bruce because while Dick has an idea Bruce knows who Booster is. But at the end it gives him the support he desperately needs and Dick gets his reminder by getting the best gift a time traveler can give: a chance to relive a happy moment. Dick sees his parents and himself as a child celebrating Christmas. It's not entirely happy since they both know nothing can change but Dick accepts that. The memory is enough for him and he values what Booster does. Great character moments with only the slightest bit of holiday cheer.

Hal & Ollie talk about Jason & Roy. Ollie is a jerk

2011-12-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Ollie died after Jason. How could anyone in the superhero community NOT know? Especially since Roy was best friends with Dick and according to this with Jason too. He wouldn't even call Ollie to say "Bruce was a jerk and Dick just found out Jason died from Alfred"?

I do like that this mentions Roy being close to Jason as they did get along during his Titan days. But that was after Roys' drug period, in fact Jasons' first mission was the one Cheshire revealed she had Roys' child. She does this in front of the two. It makes me incredibly annoyed that Ollie would think Roy introduced Jason to drugs and that resulted in his death.

Not only does this show that he never moved on from learning of Roys' past addiction but it's incredibly naive for a guy like Ollie. Jason lived in Crime Alley. He had the chance to get addicted to drugs, in fact his step-mother was an addict. In one version she died of an overdose. If Jason did get addicted it would have been long before Roy met him. But Jason was the sort of kid that didn't want to show weakness or need anyone/anything on the streets. Interestingly enough there was another parallel between the two brought up with Ollie and Bruce later on.

I'm actually amazed that Hal is coming off as the mature one putting up with Ollie. Granted I think this is back when he was trying to force Ollie back into the land of the living but in this scene he comes off well.

It's that time again: DC Solicits

2011-12-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

I love looking at solicits because having to wait a month between issues is pretty rough. It does annoy me when some spoilers are shown but I'm willing to believe the BIG ones revealed this month are misleading. Some books I don't get are thrown in too.

TEEN TITANS #7
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:25 B&W Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale MARCH 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Are the Teen Titans ready to stage an assault on N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? No way! But as Red Robin explains to the rest of his team, they’ll have to rally to save the Superboy from certain death. And through all of this, only Solstice learns a secret Red Robin has been hiding that could tear the team apart just as they have finally come together!

I can't recall any hints of things Red Robin has purposely kept hidden although a bad guy made him forget something in the recent issue. Lots of fun.

SUPERBOY #7
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by SHANE DAVIS
On sale MARCH 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Superboy’s come back to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. with vengeance on his mind – but Rose Wilson is waiting for him. Right from the start, she was the one meant to bring him down when he went out of control – and this fight is going to be out of control! What can one woman with swords do against the most powerful teenager in the world? You – and Superboy – will be very surprised indeed!

I'm looking forward to seeing what Rose can do. Lobdell has done amazing things with Superboys' powers and writing "Red" so I'm really curious what will be explored with Rose. Let's not forget she was a precon.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #7

Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #7
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT RYAN
Cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
On sale MARCH 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
With the Signal Men defeated and Earth saved from certain annihilation, the members of Justice League International expected to bask in glory and appreciation. Such is not the case as a new threat, one far more dangerous than anyone dared suspect, emerges and attacks with dire results, forever altering the team and sending it in a bold, new and unexpected direction.On sale MARCH 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Straight off the shocking events of last month’s I, VAMPIRE #6, vampires across the world have gone berserk, attacking anyone and everyone with a pulse. Fearing her apocalyptic vision of the future has come to pass, Madame Xanadu mobilizes the team to intervene. But everything the JL Dark members know about how to slay a vampire is useless, for the world has changed. It’s a crossover that had to be, continuing into this month’s I, VAMPIRE #7!

This could be fun, I'm not really a huge vampire fan as the only vampires I ever truly enjoyed seeing were the ones in Joss Whedons' 'verse. But I can certainly see the appeal more than say zombies. I'm a fan of these crossover ideas DC seem to be playing with although I'm not going to get I, Vampire.

DEMON KNIGHTS #7
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by MIKE CHOI
On sale MARCH 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
This is it! The walls have fallen, the battle is joined, and the only possible outcome is death…but the Demon Knights keep fighting! History has a grand destiny in store for this alliance of unlikely outcasts – should they survive this issue, that is! After all, beyond the mountains, on the road to Alba Sarum, greater evils than the Horde are lurking…

Even after three issues of this book I still have no idea what to expect. I know certain characters have to survive in some form (Jason Blood, Xanadu, etc.) and I haven't got the full scope of the characters personalities yet. But the villainess looks pretty kick ass.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #7
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by CLAUDE ST. AUBIN and SCOTT HANNA
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
In the aftermath of the bloody first arc of the series, John Stewart must bring the body of a fallen Lantern back to his family. But how can John tell them the truth: that he caused this Lantern’s death!

Is it just me or is John the most tragic of the Earth Lanterns. No seriously think about it. Hal may of gotten taken over but at least he can say it wasn't entirely his fault. Kyle and Guy had more personal disasters. But John? Not counting the fact his wife was brutally murdered the guy has been responsible for the death of one planet full of life forms, a planet that was a green lantern that he purposely put down to save lives, and now this. There needs to be a John issue where he's given hugs and support or something. Because this is like a congo line of trauma.

BATWING #7
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art by BEN OLIVER
Cover by JASON FABOK
On sale MARCH 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Batwing comes to Gotham City! Batwing and Batman race back to the city hoping to stop the killer Massacre from assassinating the last two members of Africa’s lost super-team, The Kingdom! Meanwhile, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin are already on the ground leading the search. Plus: The dark past of the Kingdom is revealed!

Batwing is a book I've been seriously thinking of. Maybe if/when I cut another book. I've been hearing great things about it. A good chunk of the bat family are going to appear and I'm curious how Damian and Babsgirl will interact given his interactions with Cass and Steph. On a side note this is the cover that accidently had Batgirl with blond hair before it was corrected. The internet went crazy over a simple mistake. Guess we should be glad the rest of the family has such distinct costumes.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #7
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT RYAN
Cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
On sale MARCH 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
With the Signal Men defeated and Earth saved from certain annihilation, the members of Justice League International expected to bask in glory and appreciation. Such is not the case as a new threat, one far more dangerous than anyone dared suspect, emerges and attacks with dire results, forever altering the team and sending it in a bold, new and unexpected direction.

What is this, like the third cover the team has been thrashed on? Godiva is still on the cover and the mystery lady is no where in sight. I think this is when the roster shake up will start which is a shame as I'm fine with this set up. I guess Batman is safe because he's not even a offical member. Glad to see Booster front and center and hope there's lots of fun things to come. Not too thrilled with this cover art. It reminds me of something but I can't recall what.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #7
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Red Hood is convinced that the super assassin Essence set him up in his battle against the Untitled…and Arsenal and Starfire are prepared to help him get some payback! Plus: The trio learn that the super-villain known as Crux might be a kindred spirit after all! And the murderous Suzie Shu waits in the wings for her revenge!

This one is the BIG spoiler although I think it's misleading. Why? While Essence would be a logical person even the All Caste said it was The Untitled. While talking about The Untitled no one, not the ghost of one of it's victims, not the witness S'aru that let it into the Chamber of All, not even Jason himself has EVER referred to The Untitled as a being, he, she, thing, or they. Jason even hinted that it could be something intangible. This doesn't mean that she killed them just that she set it up so Jason would deal with the All Caste personally. Suzie Su? Jason killed Suzie in #2 so the revenge must be the father she mentioned. Despite fan complaints no, Jason is NOT aiming for Essence crotch on the cover. That is above the area he's shooting at. Honesty some of these complaints really are ridiculous

DC cancelling lowest selling comics after #8?

2011-12-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

I heard this and it makes me nervous. I always hate looking at sales because it has me worried about the title(s) I like. I mean just look at what happened to Booster Gold. Part of the problem is the fact that I prefer underdogs. I mean I used to follow Spider-Man and the X-Men who are pretty popular but their characters are underdogs. The ones I like in DC are mostly a combination of that and lesser known heroes. I can't get into big name like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman on their own. I prefer Booster Gold and JLI. I like the Bat kids more than Batman. Really I started on board the New 52 because of two titles, added some lesser favorites of mine and tried out a few new titles. I'm not sure if I'd stick around if they didn't have my favorite books.

Justice League International #4

2011-12-07T19:44:00.001-08:00

Justice League International #4:

Highlight to read SPOILERS

This feels like the weakest of the JLI issues. I guess there's not enough character interaction and it feels a lot shorter than normal. I'm pleased to see Ice and Godiva getting moments of awesome when they break the team out. More so for Godiva who proves her unique usefulness to the team. And before anyone claims she has a thing for groping her teammates that thing with Batman was obviously an accident. She looks embarrassed but it's just hilarious. Although I have to wonder if Jurgens is trying to write the way people think Winick writes. Because so far every issue has this kind of humor (like last issue Booster still gets felt up by the mud monsters.)

I like the idea of the Signal Men and that their Galactus-like master is dead. Their new master only cares for the worlds' resources that he plans to plunder. It's a nice Jurgens twist on the idea. A once noble intention taken over by someone else for more profitable means.

The main thing I have to talk about is Guy, because as awesome as he is this issue made me sad. I know the clock has either been turned back or had events erased but seeing him act like this towards Booster? That hurts. My favorite Guy moment was his support during the Omac Project, he was the one person that was there to look out for Booster. Did that still happen? Is this only bitterness over being rejected for leadership? They may have not been teammates before but they worked together. Death of Superman is still considered canon meaning they fought back to back. There should be some mutual respect there. Even in the old canon there was something stronger, like a bond of misfits. It's sad to see that gone especially since Booster did seem concerned for Guy.

Plus it really tells you something when you're on a team and Batman looks like a saint compared to you. Seriously, BATMAN is the supportive, nice one and Guy is the jerk. Do you want to be one punched in this canon Guy?

Did You Notice?: I think Jurgens likes the Fantastic Four because this is the second time (that I'm aware of) that a story of his alludes to the book. The first was with Cyborg Superman where his team suffer through a similar origin but only he survives. This sounds a little like Galactus, the Watchers and these god like beings that passed judgement on planets (can't think of their names.)

Questions Raised?: I know the Guardians suck at this sort of thing but none of the lanterns ever tried to stop this guy?

Superboy #3 & Justice League Dark #3

2011-12-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

I had to make cuts because of money reasons which is why I'm giving up Animal Man. It was good but it wasn't that high on my list of favorites. I also gave up Static Shock but that was mainly because of the confusing plot elements. I wanted to love it but it was becoming a chore to read. I felt like I missed out on too much and I just started getting the arc.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Superboy #3:

I enjoyed this, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely one of those issues that reads better with the whole arc instead of a stand alone. Superboy is fascinating because he's not sure how the world works or even who he is. It makes me think that the old Connor/Kon-El skipped a few steps when he showed up pre-relaunch. I loved the way the characters are written. Fairchild or rather "Red" comes off very strong. Rose knows who she really is and calls her on not being willing to go after Superboy without risking her secret. Seeing Red getting mad over Superboy trying to scare her into complying is awesome even if you know who she is beforehand.

The one complaint I have, and it's really not a big one since the arc isn't over, is the seemingly random Lava Lady. (That's not her name, she's not given one and for all I know might be a Superman rogue.) She appears to die just after she gives a summary of her origin. But I'm still fond of this book.

Justice League Dark #3:

I'm not sure if I get why Zatanna is mad at Constantine. He used her style of backwards spells to wake her up from a trance she couldn't escape. The art leads me to believe that's personal as she looks uncomfortable for a panel but unless this is explained better later she's overacting. It's messed up because not only does she want to mindwipe that information from her exs' mind this is the lady behind the mindwipes in Identity Crisis. She should know better than think it will solve all her woes. I think Constantine is fast becoming my favorite character for his snark and telling her that his head is off limit. I don't blame him for leaving. I know his character is supposed to be a bastard but I totally side with him in this.

I like June as well although there's not much shown with her outside her fear of rejoining her other half. I think Deadman is trying to blame his previous actions on the Enchantress. If it was her fault then it read differently to me. It came off more like an attempt at humor and Boston being desperate to be with Dawn. Shade tries to summon Boston only to scare June off. He thinks Xanadu is trying to change the future but she claims it can't be changed. I admit I'm a sucker for stories that play with the idea of destiny vs. free will. Hopefully we'll get into that in due time.

Boston did hear Shades' message but he chose to stick with June. She thinks it's all a set up and would rather die than go back to the madness. In a rather cool scene Boston takes over to save her through his training as an acrobat. Although I'm nitpicking when I think of whether or not he should be able to do those flips in a body that's not trained for it. I don't like the implication June is making that she'll be with Boston if he let's her die. Although it works nicely with the idea that their all screwed up.

Shade is pretty damn lonely and I feel for him. It's weird how some character actions bother me while others don't. Of course it's partly due to the M-Vest controlling things. I have no idea what is up with Mindwarp as they don't get into things like if he knows these people. I guess he's just flipping out because he's insane (according to Shade.) I'm happy to see that Boston told June no (at least at this point) on the whole killing thing. Only, guess who they meet on the road?

Did You Notice?: Mindwraps' comics are Flashpoint tie ins some of these members were apart of. Secret Seven and Deadman and the Flying Graysons.

Too nerdy for my own good

2011-12-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

The Green Lantern action figures have been out awhile. I'm currently resisting the impulse to get the Red Lantern Guy figure since I already have a Guy Gardner figure. But then there's the Black Lantern Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) figure. I don't even collect the Black Lanterns but I want this. Sadly it's only offered in a box set with figures I have no interest in. And so far a loose BB is going for half the price of the whole set online. While I don't collect Ted figures like I do with Booster I want this one because I loved that story and I want to pose it with the Booster and Jaime figures. Or made him do poses from thriller (as best I could with the closed fists.) Of course if this was a good Rip Hunter figure I wouldn't be so unsure.

No more Super Kids?

2011-12-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about the new 52 and one thing that makes me sad is the lack of kids the various "families" have. I'm not talking about the teens but the babies to preteen kids. Sure we have Damian and the Baker kids, as well as Jaimes' sister. But others don't exist or their fates are up in the air.

Chris Kent: While he could still exist it's unlikely that he's in the family as the adopted son of Kal-El since he's not married to Lois anymore. While I'm not sad to see the rapid aged "Nightwing" section go I do miss little Chris. I liked the idea of Clark and Lois not only adopting a child like his earth parents did but the twist of their sons' birth parents being his villains. Chris was cute but never really had much spotlight time.

Lena Luthor: I'm likely the only one who cares about this but ever since I discovered her I loved the idea of Lex being a doting father. Lena showed how complex Lex could be, yes he still put things before her but she was still the most important person (besides himself) in his life. Like all the characters on this list she had a lot of potential that was never explored. If she was around when it was discovered that Lex was the human donor for Connor then it would have been fun to see the dynamics.

Iris West and Jai West: I'm not a big Flash fan, the most I've read of any Flash was with Bart Allen but I was fond of these two and looking forward to seeing how they worked with the family. But with Wally not appearing and the rest of the kids disappearing to make the old guard look younger it seems unlikely that they exist anymore. Although Bart's around so Barry is still a grandpa.

Lian Harper: Lian was my favorite out of the kids listed here. Even so I'm a little split on her currently not existing. After what happened when they killed her off I'm willing to read stories about Roy not being a father because let's face it, they have to build him back up to us even if this is new canon. And although there was no plans for her to be born at present I like the idea of them playing with it a little differently. Roy wasn't there when she was born the first time, he could be here.

Rani (Carter?): I'm not sure how I feel about Rani as I wasn't fond of how her presence changed Michelle or most of the Giffin/DeMatteis run on Booster Gold. But I like the idea of a kid with an unclear future. I like the potential of adding depth to Michelles' character (if written right) and exploring Boosters' own feelings on parenthood before little Rip comes into the picture. And I always thought it would make sense for a hero to adopt a kid from such a scenario. I'm just not sold on how it's written or the idea of making Booster a parent when he clearly isn't ready for it (plus how he got guilted into it in the first place.)

Batman : Death in the Family

2011-12-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

I heard a lot about Death in the Family before I even picked it up and I didn't even get it until sometime after Under the Hood. I'm not going to get into the poll too much because that was a lot of hype, only open for a day and even DC admitted they were pretty sure one guy cheated it anyway. I will say that I always thought it represented the worst of the fandom, things I still see with other characters like Booster or any number of characters for what their not. Jason Todd wasn't Dick Grayson (granted his pre-crisis self was damn close to it) and that couldn't be accepted. But how does the story hold up?

I recall getting into Batman through the animated show and thinking who would be a great Robin after Dick and this was back when I only knew the characters that were featured on the show. Their version of Tim Drake with Jasons' backstory hadn't appeared yet. I thought a street kid was perfect because he's the type of person that Bruce would want to help, that understood the affect of crime and let's face it that origin was more realistic than: a circus kid, a rich kid that stalks his heroes, a super villians' daughter or kids that were trained to be assassins from birth. I like all of the Robins so I never could understand hatred especially for a kid that's life was closer to the readers the others (besides Barbara I guess.)

There's a lot of things to cover with this one in regards to what's happened with this dynamic duo. Bruce took Jason in more or less to replace Dick and problems started to crop up. To sum up Jason was exposed to a lot of frightening things for a kid of 15 to deal with including a case with a woman that was raped who's attacker got off scot free and then gloated her into suicide. Like a couple other incidents Batman thinks Jason went too far (#1) but never actually confronts him on it, he just let's it go. Jason had a few hot buttons that got to him, he hated any violence towards women or anything that harmed children. And what are they doing in the opening of DITF? Their waiting for backup to take down kiddie porn ring. To the surprise of no one but Batman his Robin springs out early.

Batman knows he should have seen this coming because Jasons' been acting troubled lately. But what makes this even more messed up is that he's thinking of this as he tears through the men knowing what injuries he's giving them before throwing one to Jason so he can work out his anger. This is just the first of many times in this trade where he makes the wrong call so to those who said Bruce holds no blame I beg to differ but more on that later.

The most famous thing about this scene is Jasons' response of "All lifes' a game" which various writers would later use as "proof" that Jason was the bad Robin to excuse Bruce of his fault in the death. And really saying that is completely missing the point of the scene because the next page has Bruce worried because he sees Jason as "someone looking to die." He's a kid that's clearly going through a lot, that Alfred says is clearly still mourning his parents deaths. That line is Jason being flippant because right then and there he doesn't care about his own life. He takes things much more seriously later on with other people's lives on the line. But this is not nor was it ever meant to be his motto.

After hearing about Jason crying over his parents picture from Alfred it's decided that he's benching Robin. Upset over hearing this Jason goes out for a walk and it seems to allude that he's mad that Alfred revealed something so personal to Bruce. He comes across a friend of his mothers' who managed to save some of Jasons' things for him. Bringing the box home he finds photos and important papers only to realize that the woman he thought was his mother--Catherine--isn't listed as his mother on his birth certificate. He can't tell who his mother is as it's damaged by water but he knows it begins with a "S." This is the start of an investigation is pretty spotty because it wasn't written well. I can understand Jasons' desire to find his mother clouding his judgement but not the adult that later joins his quest.

The clues are slim with Jason only having his fathers' address book to go on, using the three names of women that begin with "S" as a guide. He looks up there whereabouts of each women on the bat computer then decides to look for his mother. While it's not really explored I think that it's very telling that while Jason appreciates everything Bruce and Alfred did he still feels compelled to run off (#2) to find a total stranger. Not once does he (or Bruce for that matter) consider that perhaps she doesn't want a child in her life. I read this as Jason needing someone to put him first for once and Bruce clearly doesn't in this story. Which is why Jason, despite how he's treated, shows nothing but affection for a woman he doesn't know.

While all this is going on Batman is looking into another crime the Joker is involved in, which starts another story beat that drives me crazy. Returning home he finds out from Alfred that his adopted son ran away. He briefly broods over what choice to make before deciding going after the Joker is more important. At this point he was a member of JLI but even with the new timeline Batman knew Superman, which means he'd know the Justice League too. He could have asked anyone else to take over the Joker situation while he searches for his kid but he doesn't. Even when he finally finds Jason and hears why he ran off he reveals that the only reason he's there is to find the clown. Jason naturally takes this bad clearly wanting Bruce to be there for him, something the greatest detective can't seem to understand in this story. The only reason he agrees to help is because, as luck has it, their cases are linked.

Bruce points out another flaw in this search for his mother plan: that his mother might not even be those three women. Jason admits that he knows but he has a gut feeling. The first woman Sharmin Rosen is a spy and the brilliant way they find out if she's the mother? They ask her. Really Bruce? I can get Jason being too emotional to see this right but it never occurred to you to just find a way to print out a new copy of the birth certificate? Did they have DNA tests when this story was written? She's a spy who barely tells you anything she could have been lying. This also starts the first subtle signs that Jason is oh-so-reckless as he rushes at a man holding her hostage and if not for her disarming the man would have been killed. Batman finally catches a clue and sticks around for the other two attempts to find the mother. He thinks that finding her will calm Jason.

The next woman happens to be none other than Shiva although I'm not sure if she was supposed to be asian back then. Regardless she watches them take out the camp (#3) she was training before deciding to take Batman on one on one. Jasons' "recklessness" turns in their favor as he attacks her from the back distracting her from Batmans' attack. This time truth serum is used but this will prove a waste of time because of other Batman lore. (#4)

Upon arrival of their third candidate Bruce realizes (through no tests of any kind) that Sheila Haywood is Jasons' mother because he has her eyes. It's rather obvious that she's startled to see her son and a little uncomfortable but neither seem to notice. Instead of making sure Jason isn't hurt by a woman that voluntarily left his life Bruce decides to leave them alone even implying that he's leaving Jasons' future up to the kid by saying he'll come back to learn his plans. (Umm, you are his guardian Bruce. Shouldn't you make sure he doesn't rush into things instead of making him feel like he's unwanted?)

Sheila gives her backstory of her botched medical career (which the Joker implies was due to her assisting an abortion that resulted in a teens' death) and Willis falling in love with Catherine while she was away. It's hard to tell if Sheila truly cares for Jason but she is clearly unsure about being a mother. She excuses herself to meet with the Joker but Jason sees through the make up enough to know who he really is. Eavesdropping he discovers the plot and rushes off to tell Bruce.

"Someone upstairs is obviously looking out for me." You won't think so for long Jason, besides the writer obviously had it out for you poll or not.

Now comes the part that has many including the bat family blaming Jason for his own death. Batman tells him not to do anything but watch the Joker at the warehouse while he saves the relief workers the Joker has sent poison gas to. Here's the thing: all Robins disobey Batman at some point. And in this situation where a parent is in trouble? ALL of them would do the same thing, even Bruce. Besides Bruce KNEW Jason was hurting and not acting like himself lately. He knows Jason is attached to this woman and he thinks that he should have made Jason go instead while he stayed behind. He reasoning is that Jason wouldn't have wanted to leave her.

They say that he "challenged the Joker" but he didn't. What Jason does is approach his mother while she is alone outside and tries to get her to leave with him. That's actually a good idea. But she refuses to leave figuring he can't do anything. The one mistake Jason makes is in fact trusting the one person that he assumed would unconditionally love him: his mom. He reveals the costume and her whole demeanor changes as she tells him that the Joker is long gone. She leads him right to Joker and his two henchmen going as far as pointing a gun at her son. This is a huge part of the story that's usually forgotten/skimmed over to place the blame on the victim. Once the Joker starts beating Jason she does appear shocked but then she proceeds to smoke a cigarette. (#5)

One of the things that seemed rather absurd to me was the Joker deciding to blow up the evidence because he doesn't want Batman to know his part in it. Did he really care about such things back then? Even more baffling is Batman saying he wasn't sure until the Joker later reveals it anyway even though he knows the Joker did it. Of course this is the story that expects us to believe that any nation would suddenly make the Joker their ambassador and barely has Superman do anything useful in the story. (Not even able to find the Joker despite having various types of vision.)

Batman finally chooses Jason over the Joker (perhaps the only time he ever does) and switches back and forth on whether this was Jasons' fault or his. There's a short retelling of their story together (#6) before he finds the mother dying then finds Jason. Despite knowing it was coming and seeing the images beforehand it's still gut wrenching to see Batman reacting to his Robins' death. But the tone is still odd with the aftermath. The Joker gets his attention much like the wicked witch of the west leaving a message in the sky for him. Then the small depressing funeral with only Bruce, Alfred, Barbara (in her wheelchair) and her father in attendance. (#7)

I have to say that Bruces' grief isn't written that well. He seems to go back and forth on whether to do things by the rules or get the Joker. It doesn't really fit. The rest of the book is rather ridiculous with only three good/interesting bits. Bruces' need to get the Joker (which should have been written with him acting more vengeful) being one of them. What's odd is that Batman actually refers to Jason by name not as Robin in front of the Joker something he will continue to do in later stories (even calling him "Jason Todd" repeatedly while punching him.) This leads the last good part in the story where Bruce Wayne stares at the Joker who stops to stare at him. He wonders if the Joker knows and the Joker laughs as he walks away leading me to believe this is when he put the pieces together. The Joker simply doesn't care about Bruce Wayne, Batman is the only one that matters to him.

A rather disappointing read. I'm not even going to touch the cultural problems this had but as a Batman book the main character is rather dense. He has no idea how much Jason needs him to be there for him and as a result makes a lot of bad choices. The whole premise of having the villain become an Ambassador is, well, laughable. It takes away from the seriousness of the tone. If Batman is grim and gritty he shouldn't be this much in control, if Superman HAD to be in this he should have acted more as his conscience that simply a reminder of something Bruce was sort of thinking about. I can't understand it when people say Jason "deserved" his fate as he was only trying to save his mother, the woman who betrayed him. His story was and still is tragic. Filled with people who don't understand him and his need for people who care about him. I'm glad he's back but he should have had a better send off.

#1 Gloria was the victim of repeated sexual attacks by an ambassadors' son that couldn't be touched by the law. Jason was the one who uncovered this and wanted to see justice done. The attacker, Felipe, taunted her on the phone in front of the heroes after he found out he was ordered out of the states. Jason finds Glorias' body and rushes over to Felipes' place to face him on the balcony. When Batman arrived Felipe was falling to his death. Although Batman asked if it was an accident or not (Jason said Felipe slip) it was never confirmed. I did hear the writer intended for it to be an accident. Personally I think it should be an accident because it makes Batmans' skepticism all the more tragic.

#2 In issue #2 of Red Hood and the Outlaws writer Scott Lobdell seemed to give a nod to the scene where Jason is taking a flight by himself and receives a coke from the flight attendant.

#3 Bat kids seem to know a lot of languages. To my knowledge Jason knows at least three different languages besides english. I might have to start a list once he uses more.

#4 Shiva looks shocked at the inquiry if she had a baby before lying about having litters of them. After she's injected Batman asked if she ever had any children. She eventually says,"No." Although it's revealed she did have a daughter, Cassandra Cain. This story was even referenced when Cass did her own search for her mother. Batman mentioned them thinking she was Jasons' mother at one point then says that Jason and Cass are close in age.

#5 There is a interesting twist to the story in Deadman: Dead Again #2 where it's revealed that Deadman was there during the crowbar/bomb scenes in DITF. Boston has a hard time stopping the Joker from hitting Jason due to his insanity but finally manages although it weakens him for awhile. The part with Sheila having a change of heart is given a twist as Boston takes over her to try to get Jason out. While the victim blaming message still comes out through Jason himself it's notable that Boston blames Batman.

#6 Another notable screw up with raising Jason was not telling him that his father was dead for months. Jason only discovered the truth by looking it up on the bat computer and was furious. Two-Face killed his dad (who worked for him) but Jason does let it go. In Under the Hood Jason even mentions him as one of the people he's willing to give a pass as he just wants the Joker dead. Catherine Todd, revealed to be his step mother, was originally said to have died of a drug overdose where it is implied that she died of an illness here.

#7 Dick doesn't find out that Jason died until the Titans come back from a mission. He takes it hard and Bruce doesn't react well when he confronts him about it. He actually blames Dick for not showing up despite not knowing what happened.

Did You Notice?: After the beating a good portion of the Jokers' outfit, his hand and the crowbar are cover in blood. Jason is lying in a pool of his own blood.

Questions Raised?: Besides how Batman can be the greatest detective if he's this dense how does Willis Todd know Shiva and a spy? That's a random set up for this search that's never addressed. Willis was a thug for Two-Face, so it's iffy if Shiva would bother with him in most cases as she might see such a person as beneath her. Both ladies seem too far beyond him to be the type to be on good enough terms to give him their addresses. But I don't think they were ever specific on what Willis did for Two-Face. He could have followed them for his boss I suppose but it still doesn't add up.

Batman The Brave and the Bold #13 & Teen Titans #3

2011-12-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Got these two at the bookstore so I just have to wait for Superboy to come in the mail and get JLD at my LCS. I never got a Batman: The Brave and The Bold comic before but this had all the Robins in it so naturally I had to buy it.

Batman: The Brave and The Bold #13:

This was cute, if you love the Robins I'd say get it whether you follow this series/the cartoon or not. There were some nitpicks, like the Phantom Stranger saying that all the Robins had to work together to save him when technically only one was needed. And why was a Robin or anyone close to Batman needed when another hero could have worked just as well? Regardless it was fun to see all the Robins together for the first time outside Tiny Titans acting more in character. Only I think they made Jason a little more distrustful than he needed to be, he should at least be comfortable with Dick being there. Also I will never think jokes like Damian knowing Jasons' fate and promising to deliver it sooner are funny.

I did like Damian assuming he'd be able to control the League of Assassins before he realizes that the wouldn't know him (at that age maybe?) in the past. Then his "so that's how you do it" when Ras orders them later. I'm not sure if it was intentional but I like that Jason knows something more is going on given his history with Ras/the pit. He's also the only Robin on panel when Ras tells what the pit does. While I have a lot more listed below I did truly enjoy this issue, I just notice things.

Say what?: I know Jason should trust Dick a little more but what is Dick talking about when he says that he only knows a couple of the other Robins? He's in his first Nightwing costume, when he was taken he was with Roy saying how his friend should change his name too. This implies it was still a fairly new change. So wouldn't he just know Jason since none of the others showed up until Jason was out of the picture?

Damian is the only one that acknowledges what happens to Jason which is pretty messed up since everyone but Dick and Jason know what's going to happen. This issue is about trying to stop a death after all.

None of the Robins knew about the pit causing insanity? Although the idea that Batman is immune because he's Batman made me go "okay sure whatever." As does Ras great plan of driving him crazy via the pit because the insanity bit never lasts long. As Dick points out it happens to Ras all the time but he's clearly not insane here.

Did you notice?: Speedy/Roy Harper has blond hair.

When Steph snaps at Jason his back is going towards the Joker card.

Given the angle of that shot through the cape shouldn't the man Batman was saving be hit? Also Batman has no visible wounds.

Apparently Tim took off his green tights in between panels, through why he wants to do that in the snow before facing bad guys is anyone's guess. Maybe to impress Steph with his manly legs?

I know they want to show all the Robins fighting together but it makes no sense to have that panel just before Ras enters with Tim and Steph in tow. Because they were outside protecting Batman.

Panel of Batgirls: Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Bette Kane, and Stephanie Brown.

Teen Titans #3:

This was a lot of fun. The two page spread with what Bart does in a blink of an eye was masterfully done in both writing and art. It shows off how fast he is, doing multiple things before the others can take notice and being, well impulsive. If not for the details in the art the joke with him getting the fire hose then thinking "that reminds me" before whistling in the next room would have gone over my head. Maybe that's more of a guy joke but I cracked up when I noticed he was in the bathroom. I haven't been this entertained by Bart Allen since he was Impulse. He's smart, obviously knows stuff through reading up on it but he messes up when he rushes in. I love it. Not sure what's going on with Solstices' powers but she still seems to be the same character.

Bunker was so much fun in this. He's comfortable with himself even if he doesn't know the full range of his powers yet. Happy to be a superhero and works nicely with Tims' personality. Hoping his hero didn't see him screw up and Tim pretending he didn't see it. I can't wait to see all of them together because the dynamics are great. Cassie continues to intrigue me and Skitter surprises with the reveal that she can switch back to her human form.

Say what?: Solstice says Barts' thoughts are too much for her head. Is she telepathic?

According to Tim the people involved in project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. are all 20 something and younger. Does he mean the field agents because the big bad has to be older than that.

Looks like Tim got his memories changed. Lobdell seems to be toying with the idea of memories in his titles.

Bruce Wayne: Bad Father?

2011-11-29T23:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sort of behind in getting my comics lately. Superboy wasn't there and work/the holiday rush kept me from getting Teen Titans and JLD. So I'll get to those but rereading some of the bat books I've been thinking about Bruces' role as a father and how he seemed to fail his kids or do horrible things. Just for an example:

He fires Dick, refuses to reconnect with him and acts very childish about adopting Jason. There's a bit with Tim desperately wanting to tell his friends and girlfriend (Spoiler/Steph) who he is. Bruce repeatedly tells him no. This causes strains with his various relationships. Then out of the blue Bruce tells Steph without discussing it with Tim beforehand. Abandons Cass for a year which leads to her turn for the worse. Only let's Steph be Robin to make Tim jealous. And don't even get me started on what he did with Jason. I'll be doing a review on Death in the Family and believe me, despite the writer not liking the idea of Robin Bruce doesn't come off that great.

I think Bruce has some great moments but there's plenty of issues there. Lack of trust, the way he pushed people away, pettiness, and what looks like favoritism. Or maybe it's just the issues I've been reading lately. At least he's not kidnapping Robins anymore.

Things to be thankful for comic-wise

2011-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for the creation of Booster Gold, his character development from Countdown to Infinite Crisis forward, having another solo title, JLGL, the Time Master mini series and the current JLI. This is the character that got me interested in DC, the reason I stuck with the company despite some of their poor choices and why I decided to give other titles a try. I'm glad Skeets got a bigger role in his series, that Michelle returned and just about anything to do with Rip Hunter.

I'm glad Scott Lobdell is writing three titles for DC because I enjoy all three of them. I'm not annoyed with Cassandra Sandsmark, Tim Drake is likable, Bart Allen has returned to his more interesting roots, and the new characters are fun. Jason Todd actually gets real development that makes sense, the outlaws have great interaction and it really hit it's stride. Superboy has managed to explore his sci-fi origin and hint at his connection to Luthor in a way that's compelling. "Red" and Rose come off very strong and have me wondering what will happen next.

While I'm not thrilled with every choice in the bat books (Babs/Batgirl) I'm glad that all the Robins and Batgirls still exist.

Booster Gold pilot being made?

2011-11-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

Since nothing has happened with the Blue Beetle show I'm not holding my breath but still awesome news.

Jason Todds' most cherished memory

2011-11-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

I seriously love this book, it's quickly rivaling JLI as the book I look forward to the most each month. Spoilers/scans from RHATO #3

Red Hood and the Outlaws #3

2011-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AND TEARS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: Jason Todd/Red Hood was told of the Untitled murdering his teachers the All Caste. Roy Harper/Arsenal and Kory/Starfire decide to help him look into the matter more than a little surprised to see how Jason reacts to their deaths.

Story Title: "Cherish is the word I use--to destroy you!"

Thoughts: I'm amused by how modern some of the All Caste speech is. It's not the usual stereotypical ancient warrior stuff, at least not with his teacher and S'aru. Great guardian that he is S'aru let the big bad in without trying to stop him/it/them? Lobdell seems to be keeping a lot of the Untitled a secret which has me very curious. I'm also fascinated by Roy and his view of Jason. It seems like every issue he's learning something new and is surprised at what he finds. I'm not sure if he's being serious or not when he tells Kori that he thinks Jason is going to shoot S'aru, who he thinks is a kid. This Roy says what he thinks before he has time to progress it. It may be more of a "Jason is going to flip out" than an actual concern that he's going to hurt someone. The posing looks like he's amused as he whispers it to Kori. Like last issue Roy is stunned to see Jason in a new light as he states this isn't about revenge at the moment, it's his responsibility to stop the Untitled and learn why this happened.

Jason doesn't seem to care when his best memory is taken as collateral although Kori is more reluctant. Roy rudely/jokingly asks why that matters since she has a bad memory which she quips that she just forgets unimportant things. "Ray, isn't it?" I didn't mind this joke like some did as we still don't understand what's going on with her. Whatever it is she's not the type to take crap so I don't think early concerns will be valid.

The art in incredible on the stairway. There's a lot of details and with the Jokers' mouth as a door you have to wonder if all of these doors go to their memories. Do they? It leave you wondering who's door is that? They don't seem to go into their own memories but it's pretty weird nonetheless. Jason says from there you can go to anywhere and anywhen so does that mean they could go to possible futures? He says the path leads you where you need to go. Roy wonders if this place is why Jason is screwed in the head and I'm curious what Roy actually thinks of him. In the first issue he stated the things he heard of Jason being crazy but he never seems to act like he's around someone who's crazy. Jason doesn't sound as ticked as you'd think he'd be at someone saying this but I get the impression he truly wants to see how they view him.

S'aru is a bit of an ass, not only letting the Untitled go but peeking into memories that he knows is against the rules? Then again who is going to yell at him if his peers are dead? He figures it's okay to look at Starfires' memories because she's an alien and that's not really in the rules. He notes that she processes memories in an unusual way that's nearly impossible for him to unlock. This is different from the way Jason described it in #1 as he made it sound like she was sort of dismissive with humans. I'm really not sure where this particular storyline will go. I think it might have to do with her race needing to see/smell others to get the whole picture. Jason did allude to that and her race did evolve from cats.

I wasn't expecting little Kori to kill the solider but she states he was being sanctimonious. Either her race all have these starbolts now or she was experimented on at a early age. Yeah, I also see a lot of anger over her "most cherished memory" being that scene but again, S'aru said it was hard to tap into her memories. Yes it would have to be cherished to be with him (unless this process worked differently on aliens), I could see her being proud that she didn't break or depend on anyone else. She stood up for herself, this is the start of her fight for freedom.

I'm not surprised that even though Jason never entered the place before he knows about it because he studied it. Jason says that he's being left breadcrumbs he's expected to follow leaving me to wonder if this is actually about him as opposed to making it his business. Kori senses a trap reminding them that she was trained in the art of war. The boys shrug off the concern saying they can take care of themselves only to be shocked when spikes shoot out of the floor. Only the spikes are the top of a giant beast head. Roy declares this is seriously his new favorite memory because it's awesome. And I am amused at this exchange since everyone in comics always seem to be aware of what's going on in the fight even though they can't see everything:

Kori: (Monster wraps it's tongue around her trying to pull her into it's mouth.) Untongue me, creature!

Jason: (While falling with his back to her) ?! What am I missing?

Since he already broke the rule once S'aru decides why not look into another memory. He choose Roy hoping for some amusement. Past Roy is getting the crap beaten out of him by Killer Croc. He tells Roy to stay down (we see his bow is broken and he's out of arrows) a shaky but smiling Roy quips that it doesn't get any downer than him. Croc realizes that Roy is trying to use him as a means to kill himself and wants no part of it. S'aru thinks it's almost sweet that Roy was willing to recapture his heroics by fighting for the little guy despite losing so much. Although he thinks it's kind of pathetic too. (BTW Roy remarked that he hopes S'aru wasn't looking at their memories because it makes him feel unclean. Opps.)

Roy worries about Kori but Jason says she'll be okay. He just needs a distraction to find the clue left for him. It's more than amusing to see what's left and his reaction to it. With all the supernatural things going on you'd expect something else, he sure did. Kori once again steals the limelight by blowing up the creature and grabbing the boys.

Roy Harper: (Frowning with his arms crossed while Kori carries them off.) Not too emasculating, eh?

Jason Todd: You know what is really emasculating? Getting killed. Get over yourself, Harper.

It took me a moment to get the full impact of Jasons' statement as I was just focusing on him being okay with Kori saving them. But think about it, he's saying this as someone who died. Ow. They return to a surprised S'aru to get their memories back although Jason is more interested in asking if the clue means anything to S'aru. It doesn't. Roy tries to play off his memory as a sexual dream but the guardian basically rolls his eyes at that. S'aru calls Jason back to get his most cherished memory but Jason says to keep it.

We see what the memory is and I honest to god cried. Jason by far has the best of the memories that makes it the most heartbreaking. He's sick but wants to go out with Bruce as Robin only to be kept at home. Bruce decides to put off crime fighting saying it's okay to take a break. He sits down with Jason on the sofa asking what their watching. It hurts to see this because you know how things end. But it's also the flip side of Under the Hood. Jason was asking Bruce to put him first but he chose the mission over Jason. Here he choses Jason over the mission. Now it hurts for Jason to remember it so he gives it up.

This was already a good issue before the end but that made it gold. This is the first of the 52 to get me emotional. While S'aru broke the rules I really like the character and hope we see more of him. Kori was a strong warrior that doesn't take crap but at the same time has a innocence about her when she doesn't get Roys' joke (Jason gets it but doesn't find it's funny.) She saves the day (again) and is the strongest member in terms of emotional and physical strength. Her flashback shows that she has a strong will something that elevates her over the guys in regards to their memories and how they react to them. She values her freedom in all forms.

Roy is the funny guy that tries to be upbeat but is still struggling to make sense out of his life. While he can come off rude even to his teammates it's obvious he cares about them. Whether it's his concern about Kori or his curiosity with Jason. He's a guy that loves adventure, does things in the spur of the moment and seems to be the one who wants them to be a team the most. His memory shows him at a low point when he finds hope from an unlikely source but unlike Kori he needed to get inspired. She could be strong for herself as a slave but Roy was ready to give up. He's better in present day but he still has that vibe of someone who's very unsure about himself something that's been shown with him and Jason. Roy values hope, something to live for.

Ironically Jasons' most cherished memory is the normal one (as normal as you can get being a Robin anyway.) It shows that he wants that closeness, that sense of family and the fact that Bruce was willing to be there meant everything to him. But he knows things won't be like that anymore and that kills him. Something that should give him joy only makes the distance between Bruce and him worse. We got the impression that he's trying to sever all connections to the family in issue one when he stated why "Gotham sucks." Dismissive, sure, but he honestly wants nothing to do with them anymore. Forgetting the good times is just part of that to him. While Kori can deal with her past Jason can't, not now. This is how he's trying to move on.

Say What?: What is the deal with the All Caste? Why are they so old? Why does S'aru appear younger than the rest? Does this mean Essence is older than we'd guess? I don't mind it being unanswered in story but I'd love to learn more.

What's with the time? In the first issue it took Jason 12 hours to get from his beach house to the All Caste. Last issue made it seem like less but we did pick up during the flight so we already missed things in between. But now it's a half hour? I know they say it's a half hour since the Untitled broke in to the Chamber of All but what kept it/him/her/them from getting in 12 hours ago when Essence told Jason about it? Was the Untitled still killing them? We don't know how many there were and Jason did say the All Caste were the best that won't get taken out by anything less than an alien invasion.

I know the breadcrumb statement is sure to get laughs from some Jason Todd fans although I don't agree with the reason they'd find it funny. Basically there's a meme online that Jason loves bread because he was shown breaking into a bakery to eat a loaf. I don't find it funny because he was brain damaged at the time and starving. It's distasteful.

A little of Roys' past is cleared up it's revealed that he lost all his shares in Q-Core and he stole his current arrows from it as well.

Did You Notice?: S'aru seems to have the ability to warp out of the All Caste or create whatever he want because he has a sub and bottled soda. Or he could simply be making it appear that way. I love it when details in the art leave me wondering things like this. It really adds to the story.

The smoke S'aru is smoking looks the same as the memories he pulls out. Are those the memories of others that failed?

If one of the doors lead to the Chamber of All then where did the others go?

As Rip Hunter once wrote "Don't worry about Countdown focus elsewhere": In various parts of Countdown (not to mention the tie ins) Jason seemed shocked to discover things outside the norm. This always seemed odd to me because his mentor regularly worked with such people and Jason himself came back from the dead. At one point Jason completely dismissed a girl of being a witch because of her apparent age. I'm glad to see that at least part of Countdown is being ignored because Jason is already well aware of ancient powerful beings being able to look younger than they are.

Demon Knights #3

2011-11-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What happened previously: Jason Blood/Etrigan, Madame Xanadu, Shining Knight ("Sir" Ystin), Vandal Savage, Al Jabr, Exoristos, and the Horse Woman are fighting to protect a village. Xanadu makes a sacrifice to protect the people allowing her magic to expand.

Story Title: First Sacrifices

Thoughts: I liked the other two issues better but it was alright. There were surprises to be found, some were unpleasant while others cleared things up. Two likable villagers were killed in gruesome manners much like the baby in issue one. The first was a priest that was unlucky enough to be close to Etrigan when he was in a bad mood. At first it looks like he'll live but he knows the truth, that he's being dragged into hell as his face burns. This does show that Etrigan isn't really a hero, the only interest he has in Xanadu and it's not clear if he feels more than lust for her. He does claim that everyone will pay if her beauty is gone. Xanadu basically flips what she said to Etrigan when Jason returns making it sound like she prefers him to the demon. Ex is sicken by the flip flopping saying it reflects badly on their sex. Ystin still pretends that she is a he.

The saddest part is the second death. The girl from last issue that was amazed by Ex wants to be a hero in her own right and claims she knows a way out to go for help. Much to the horror of Ex and Ystin she's murdered in front of them with her head severed on the last page. While this isn't a book I'd recommend for children it was tastefully drawn without showing too much detail. It fits the time period while making it less gory than comics that take place in present day settings. Which makes it a bit scarier since we don't see everything. The priest death is a little more graphic as it shows his face steaming but I don't think it would translate as well if we didn't see some detail. I'm interested in seeing where the character interactions will lead. A decent read that has me curious.

Say What?: I don't know too much about Jason Blood and Etrigan so I didn't know how their body switch worked. I kind of assumed they were two beings sharing the same body. Which is sort of true but apparently Etrigan is in hell until he's called, Jason goes to hell while Etrigan is on earth.

Batman: The Cult

2011-11-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

This is truly one of the most horrific Batman stories I ever read and I'm not just talking about gore (which might be considered tame by todays' standards.) This one is brutal and scary because for most of the story Batman has no control of the situation. He's not the flawless badass that we know today that even has a plan for being mind controlled. This one stands out for a lot of reasons, it's also the second most known Robin tale for Jason Todd where he plays a rather interesting role. So why is this such a well known story for Batman fans?

SPOILERS for ALL Four Books

Basically homeless people are missing and crime is getting cut down. Literally. Batman isn't at his best here, even before he gets messed up. The only reason he finds out the truth is because he was careless one night and one of the murdering undergrounders kills the man who shoots him then drags Bats to their hideout. The villain of the piece is one Deacon Blackfire. A man that promises a 'better way' while brainwashing his people into following him: hence THE CULT. When word reaches the people of Gotham of his brutal methods of cleaning up the street the city is split down the middle on whether the man is what they really need.

Batman is taken for a week where he is deprived of food and when he is feed it's drugged. Blackfire breaks him long before Bane ever does (although why he never unmasks him is beyond me.) Under his influence Batman joins the cult and under a hallucination kills a man WITH A GUN. Which is never mentioned again neither in the book or elsewhere. Bruce doesn't even seem to make the connection. I mentioned the Bane incident but there are other storylines that look like they could have been copied from this. One of them being No Mans' Land. Yeah, the US government gives up on the city in NML where else they bring in the National Guard here. The people are completely overtaken, half leaving to flee to Jersey (dear god they were desperate, I kid I kid.)

Most of the story deals with the gore of the attacks for the undergrounders, the reports on the news and Batmans' drugged addled mind (Morrison anyone?) Blackfire is given mythos that his people give their new members of his immortality. Strangely enough these stories appear to be true since Gordons' men find years upon years of files of Blackfires' previous crimes dating back years where the man couldn't have been alive. We sort of get a explanation later on why it's possible though it's never really confirmed. Batman doesn't know what the true story is at the end although I think he really doesn't care at that point.

The writer Jim Starlin was known for his Jason-bashing so it seems odd that he writes Jason to be a damn good Robin in his story. It's actually a prefect example of why he needs a Robin without beating you over the head that Robins' supposed to be the light to his darkness. The funny thing is that you can see how these events could shape Jason into the man he becomes, hell you get to see a glimpse into the skill set he'll need to be the Red Hood. He takes it upon himself to go to the undergrounders lair himself where he finds a completely crazy Batman in a truly horrific environment. All while wearing Dicks' insanely designed costume with panties and pixie boots. He witnesses awful things in both the carnage around them and Batmans' mental state.

Jason also gets the greatest moment of any Robin by slapping Batman to get him to snap out of his drug induced fit. This story shows the absolute worst of humanity. This is the kind of stuff Jason will be fighting to stop. Really you get a sense that he's being stripped of a lot of his innocence here. He's shocked at the intensity of everything yet he keeps it all together. He has to, he's Batmans' strength.

They break out with Robin--okay he is a little gleeful at kicking ass but he's a Robin. (Even at this age Jay has no qualms with bringing guys down with a swift kick to the nads and when the other guys have axes you can't blame him.) They both know that Batman is really out of it and that it's up to Jason to do most of the work. And he does. Throughout it he's the one that Bruce reveals his darkest fears to and you can tell it's not easy to hear.

I have to say that the most surreal moments for me aren't the ones where we see Bruces' freaked out visions. One of them is having the dynamic duo picked up by Alfred in a limo, which is actually an awesome Alfred moment:

Jason Todd: Have any trouble getting here. Alfred?

Alfred Pennyworth: (Holding a hand gun in a half shrug) Nothing I couldn't handle.

Batman tells them their getting out of Gotham which Jason takes to mean that their calling in reinforcements. But no, he means that their leaving because it's Blackfires' city now. It's a very disturbing moment where you feel just as shocked as Alfred and Jason. There's also the batmobile they return in that made me wonder if it was supposed to be humorous. Probably not but let's just say it's a G.I. monster truck. I also felt a little unsettled that Batman doesn't even attempt to save a woman thinking that all that matters is getting Blackfire. Something that he later repeats about his freaking Robin!

But back to Jason. He tries to be upbeat and you can tell he wants Bruce to be okay. Like a lot of his term as Robin (the original run not the retconned stuff) I don't think Bruce does a good job of being there for him. Yeah he snaps out of his funk to help Jason at different points, he's just not being a very good teacher. Unlike the other stories it's perfectly logical that he's not in the best of places to be giving moral speeches. Oh, and he teaches Jason how to shoot with a gun. A tranquilizer gun but even so it give Jason pause.

Jason Todd: Seems strange, us having to use guns.

Bruce says that their not facing criminals, their facing an army so it's okay. BTW they have dummies set up for them to shoot. Jason gets off three shots that land: dead center on the forehead, the neck and in the heart. Batman puts him in charge of gunning down the crowds with these darts later on. Oddly enough there's text that reads "in games like this you don't get second chances" in the panel with Jason shooting.

They make their way to the Deacon when a shot grazes Jasons' leg (maybe if he wore pants he'd have better protection Bruce.) You gotta love how nonchalant Jason is about the whole thing. He doesn't even react to the pain just ties a bandage around it, asks for the other tranq gun and promises to watch Batmans' back while he presses forward. Damn good soldier.

Taking the hand gun from the man who shot Robin he goes off to face Blackfire. Yes, Robin clearly sees him doing this too. All too ready to die in order to inspire his followers Blackfire engages Batman, enraged that the gun is thrown away. He beats the crap out of the Deacon wanting to cause as much pain as possible. Seeing their leader weakened and begging for mercy breaks the followers. His right hand man tries to kill Batman before it gets out of their control but Jason takes him out. When the crowd rips Blackfire apart Batman stops Jason from trying to save him. The last panel with Jason in it you can only see his mask up. Where Batman seems in control again Jason looks really uncomfortable.

In Death Of the Family Bruce briefly mentions that he's still recovering from his fight with Blackfire so this might have been a big factor with Jason having a death wish. (Although his death had nothing to do with that.) Is this a good book? I won't say it was. I think it could have been better told but you can see the inspiration for a lot of Batman tales. And something a lot of Batman writers fail to do, showing him being human.

Say What?: Since Blackfire comes back in Blackest Night it seems The Cult still happened. Well in that canon but most of the Bat canon transferred over.

Questions Raised: A lot but I'll settle for this. Why are actual guns banned in the Bat Family except when used by Alfred? It's suggested he used the gun here and he shot Rip Hunter in Booster Gold so we know he'll pull the trigger.

Dc puts out release dates for the new 52 trades

2011-11-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not planning on getting all of these but it's always interesting to see what warranted Hardbacks, how many issues are packed in and the different prices.

Coming in May 2012:

JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 1 HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6
$24.99 US, 176 pg

BATMAN VOL. 1 HC
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Collects: BATMAN #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan and Marco Castiello
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

Justice League has one less issue than Batman. They have the same number of pages? Hey wait a second, doesn't this mean that the Batman story finishes up a couple months before this trade is released? Do trades always come out this fast? I only get the ones that interest me and it never seemed like they came out within the next arc. Maybe this has to do with the survey the released awhile back? Regardless just JLI for this month which is a paperback, same amount of issues as JL but only 144 pages.

Coming in June 2012:

BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 1 HC
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Ryan Winn and Sandu Florea
Collects: DETECTIVE COMICS #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

BATWOMAN VOL. 1: HYDROLOGY HC
Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J.H. Williams III
Collects: BATWOMAN #1-5
$22.99 US, 144 pg

Tony Daniel is getting the Hardback treatment? Really? I know it's a Batman book but I was under the impression that he wasn't that popular. Another 1-7 collection. Only I want to get Batwoman but come on, it's two dollars cheaper because it's only 5 issues? Looks like I may have to wait until this one goes to paperback.

Coming in November 2012:

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Collects: RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

Although the wait sucks I like that it's 7 issues for this price. Makes you wonder how they decided to spread these books out.

More Pricey Superhero Dolls

2011-11-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the Teen Titan dolls with Raven, Dove and Starfire? Well here's a few more.

New figure Donna Troy (proving there's someone out there looking out for her fans.) Wonder if their do the boys. I mean Dove is known for having a partner and no Nightwing? Maybe their afraid to do his disco outfit.

And for Sally. No rear shots were shown but Hal loves the camera.

Now I wouldn't want to get these per se because most of them are giant and expensive but they do make me want to continue my customs. Only I can't sculpt heads but I'm thinking of looking into that.

The Woes of being a Comic fan

2011-11-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

This year I'm trying to do my Christmas shopping early but no one is being particularly helpful when I ask for ideas. (So they shouldn't be surprised if I end up giving them gift cards.) This kind of confuses me because I was under the impression that you want to get things you like as gifts. Not that anyone seems to care what I want either.

I made a list and lo and behold no one takes me seriously when I put that I want a subscription to the comics I listed. I like comics, this would save me money on a few series and gas money. What's not to love? Sure it's not something you can really wrap under the tree but believe me I'd love it!

Justice League International #3

2011-11-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

What Happened Previously: International superheroes were gathered for an elaborate P.R. stunt. Since Booster Gold is a good salesman and they think he'll be easy to control the U.N. agree to let him be the leader. Guy Gardner was not thrilled with this arrangement and only returned to the team after Ice was injured. Batman has faith in Boosters' abilities, but others still question it. The Hall of Justice got blown up by protestors and the team retreats after being overwhelmed by the giant robot. There are more robots over the world who call their alien master.

Story Title: "The Signal Masters part 3"

Thoughts: I can see readers getting frustrated with the pacing or the most of the team are "doing the same thing." But it doesn't matter to me, I'm all about the character interactions. That said is this the weakest of the three issues of JLI? Yes but I still got a kick out of it. First we have Briggs and Esposito worrying over the state of JLI. While intelligent Briggs doesn't see the big picture like Max did/does. All he thought about was the end goal. I like the little touch of Esposito trusting in the team to set things right. It's a small touch that shows how she differs from Briggs. Guy listens in on their conversation which leads to him getting knocked out when meeting up with the new alien menace. (Guy always has the best expressions.) I did wonder if Batman suggested he keep an eye on Briggs but I believe he's just doing what he thinks he needs to do since he's not into the teamwork now. Which cost him and the team some information. (Although Batman deduces a third party.)

The two man teams were fun and I wish we got to see more of them. Vixen is a character I adored on Justice League Unlimited but in the comics I've seen her in she always seems to have problems with someone. That said I like the detail of her deciding to call Bea by her nickname because it's what her friends call her. I'd love to see all the women on the team forming a tight bond. We're reminded that Bea still loves attention and she comments about distracting men. I was wondering how two flirter (three with Booster) on a team could work but thus far Bea hasn't show interest in any of the men on the team.

Although Gavril IS very interested in Bea. He's still a lot of fun when he's with Ice reminding me of how much I loved him in JLGL. The fact that Jurgens is still using the romantic subplot from that series makes me very happy. I do wonder if he's going to have three relationships going on at once or tease a couple for awhile. I don't mind if he does but how amusing would it be if Bea,Tora and Dora thought it'd be fun to triple date? Seeing Gavril, Booster and Guy trying to be with their dates and not each other would be a great one shot.

My second favorite mini team in this issue was Godiva and General August in Iron. I'm really starting to like the guy. He's understanding of the problems on the team and doesn't blame them on his team members. He's a leader but doesn't try to assume command over Boosters' head. The closest he gets to being snippy is when Godivas' shocked to learn he's not wearing armor. As for Godiva, I figured she'd run into some trouble in the field. Not only is her power ill suited for some missions there's been some hints of her not having enough battle experience and being used for P.R. reasons. Batman called her on not fighting as much as the others, something she doesn't really address claiming it's not her style. This is the first time she's not flirty or talking causally with someone. There's really a feeling that she's unnerved by the fact that she's in over her head. I liked it, this may have been the only time I read this situation come across so well in a team book without making the character in question look like a coward or weak. Because she still fights, she may not win and yeah she yells for help but she's making the effort even though she knows it's beyond her. Godiva doesn't ditch the General. This could make a good story.

My favorite mini team was of course Booster and Batman. This is the first time the two of them have really fought with each other since Batman became his secret keeper. I love the dynamics. I've heard that Batman is a little too friendly but I don't have a problem with this. Back in early Giffin/DeMatteis he was super encouraging to Booster before he slowly got annoyed with the team. Since Batman gets Boosters' potential I could see him wanting to see him reach it and knowing that doubt is Boosters' worst enemy. Plus I really do believe he wants JLI to work with someone he can trust in charge. Their funny together, even unintentionally so as I keep thinking Batmans' not really listening once he looks at the computer screen. Poor Booster has been getting sexually harassed ever since Emerald Empress expressed unwanted interest in him.

Did You Notice?:

Toras' face is bandaged, last issue it was bruised. I love details like this.

Bea is mentioned as being Toras' friend.

Static Shock #3 and Animal Man #3

2011-11-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

Static Shock #3:

What Happened Previously: Getting settled after his family moved to New York Static tries to put a stop to a gang that had a S.T.A.R.S. Lab pilot killed. Static learns that he's more powerful than he realized once he's able to put his severed arm back in place. For whatever reason there are two Sharons, one of which is a clone although the family doesn't know who it is. The Slater gang sets Static up for another show down.

Story Title: "Turnabout"

Thoughts: This issue was hard to get into, I couldn't find the story all that compelling. The villains don't really stand out except for Virule who talks in the third person and that just became annoying. Virule only seems to care about replicating himself and apparently discovers that Static is the only power source capable of giving him the right energy for the job. That came off pretty rushed as we know next to nothing about Virule before this was crammed in. The Slaters all come across as pretty generic with no personality traits that really stand out. The closest thing I can recall was one of them having an accent that I think is supposed be Jamaican. Then there's the Pale Man who I thought was the Joker last issue. I couldn't find this guys' backstory online so I assume he's new but why would you have a character that rips off the same look? It's confusing and adds nothing to the story except a guy commenting on it before he's taken out.

The technobabble isn't quite as bad as the first two issues. There are two things that I would put on the positive side in terms of storytelling but even those are iffy. I liked Virgil being able to causally get information about the gang by playing up his own history. That was well done and while I don't question that gangs would be interested in recruiting after hearing this information it's hardly proof. The Slater says he thought Virgil was a poser but he's only talking about things that happened, no one there actually knows it's the truth.

Then there's the Sharon subplot. I like clones, the concept is interesting and I enjoyed the character struggles. But this isn't like one I've read before. There's nothing besides different clothing to tell the two Sharons apart. They refuse to be called anything else so how are we to know who he's talking to when one of them is freaking out over the idea of being a clone? Or the mean one that tells Virgil that the other one can't be trusted because she's a fake? Yeah it creates a sense of confusion and if this situation played out in real life I could see this happening but for new readers? Not good. There's too many elements that are tossed in here and don't work. I think this is a drop but I'm not sure if I want to stick around for the end of the arc.

Animal Man #3:

What Happened Previously: The Baker family learned that the youngest, Maxine, had develop powers greater than her father Buddy Baker (Animal Man) and his own powers are changing. After she causally uses her abilities creating a bit of chaos Buddy takes Maxine to figure out what's happening to them by following her directions to enter the Red. Meanwhile the Hunters have decided to put an end to the family.

Story Title: "The Hunter part 3: Totems"

Thoughts: The strongest part of this series is the family ties. Whether it's Maxine wanting to calm her father when he's scared or Ellen trying to play a violent video game with Cliff to calm her nerves. I want to support a book like that but this issue was pretty weak. Maybe it would have been better if they didn't inform us what the sickness/hunters were going to do beforehand. I thought it was just gory for the sake of being gory. Yes this is a horrible comic and yes this would all be frightening in real life but it didn't do anything for me. It would help a great deal if there was more suspense. That was a huge part of Hitchcocks thrillers and these stories can't carry much weight without it. As a result it was pretty predictable.

Not sure if I want to keep this on my pull list either.

Justice League International #3 Preview

2011-11-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Along with a interview with Dan Jurgens.

Justice League Dark #2

2011-10-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: Enchantress has gone insane and a band of supernatural heroes are gathering to stop her. Madam Xanadu sees them all dying as a result.

Story Title: "Underground and Overwhelmed"

Thoughts: Deadman is more messed up than I thought. I'm glad Dawn expresses concern and disgust with his idea of being together. Yes I expected it to come up in their relationship but this was uncomfortable. Especially the elephant in the room neither actually brings up that by having Boston use another body to have sex with her it's raping the person he's using. Because that person has no say in the matter. Seriously, why isn't this a bigger deal than Starfire being with two different guys? Yeah he doesn't do it because Dawn doesn't want to but he tries it again with Junes' body (who went to him for help) and threatened to use another body to have sex with someone else if Dawn wouldn't. WHAT. THE. HELL?!

The team still isn't together, I think they haven't even introduced the last member yet. Other than Constantine trying to find Zatanna no one tries to gather anyone in this issue. I liked seeing how differently the two set about to use their abilities, John using pain to focus his powers better. The ending is rather confusing as I'm not sure why Madam Xanadu is doing such a reckless thing. As I don't know the character well I can't say if it's out of character or not.

I'll see this arc through but the Deadman bit was wrong. I know it's supposed to be in order to show how these characters are "half insane and broken" but the mere suggestion should have been enough and no one says what's really wrong with it. It's treated like Dawns' upset because it would be cheating on him since she's with "another man" not because the persons' body is used without their say.

Questions Raised: If Shade could create a fake woman as a lover couldn't he create a body for Boston to use?

Teen Titans #2

2011-10-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is hunting down superpowered teens from all over the world. Tim Drake/Red Robin has taken it upon himself to put a stop to it. He found Cassandra Sandsmark/Wonder Girl before she could be killed. Kid Flash accidently made himself look bad on tv and was knocked out while trying to help firefighters. The director decided to use Superboy to hunt Red Robin and the others.

Story Title: "Underground and Overwhelmed"

Thoughts: Like RHATO and Superboy the second issue of Teen Titans was better than the first. Cassie might steal (which is really just expanding her original origin) and have a bit of a chip on her shoulder but I still like her WAY better than her last version. I could not see the appeal of her in the old DCU. Here she takes care of herself and has a hard time trusting people. It makes sense for her to be like this with people trying to kill her. She still saves Tim, speaks her mind and knows she's powerful. Tim is Tim. Smart and caring. He knows that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would leave him alone if he went away but helps because he's a hero.

Skitters' story is rather sad but really reminds me of the X-books, in a good way. Her sister is a little naive but hey at least she cared. I liked Barts' scenes and the rather short bit with Superboy although it might be rather repetitive to people reading both TT and Superboy to see Red keep saying the same thing about Superboy not being ready. Not sure what to make of Solstices' redo. I like what little I saw of the character so I'm glad to see she'll be used. Hopefully she'll keep her positive outlook.

Did You Notice?: I have to wonder about the Danny that was next to Barts' cell. The only Danny I know about in the Teen Titans was Danny Chase, perhaps one of the most hated characters in comics. He's mainly known to fans as the guy that coldly informed Dick Grayson that Jason was dead in a way that had Dick ready to throttle him. Last mentioned as a joke by Rex Hunter to Rip Hunter in Booster Gold when the former mocked Rip for who he recruits.

Is this Danny invisible?

Tim Drake wearing a Green Lantern shirt. A overweight Batgirl(man?) in the backround.

Takes place in October, the night before Halloween then I guess on Halloween. I found this interesting Lobdell seems to have TT and Superboy moving along our time period while other books seem to condense their timelines. There's a Superboy issue in December taking place around Christmas while TT have a battle with Superboy on New Years Day.

New tech on Red Robin as he can now hang on walls (al la Batman Beyond) and seems to have nightvision goggles like Nightwing currently does. The wings also appear to be razor sharp.

Say What?: Although it was recently announced that this is the first incarnation of the TT by the higher ups at DC Red Robin thinks that this might have been the shortest incarnation of the TT. So unless they try to get rid of that in the future every thing except for the Formerly Young Justice group joining still happened.

Birds Of Prey #1

2011-10-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Who: At this point just Black Canary (Dinah Lance) and Starling (Ev Crawford)

Why I chose this title: I had some extra money to blow and saw a second printing for this. I'm always trying to get into this book at different points by trying out a issue here and there or in one case a trade. I don't know why but I've never been interested enough to stay on board.

What I expect from the book: Not much. Female bonding while beating up the bad guys?

Thoughts: Another book that feels shorter than it should. We only have two members of the team present, which I don't have a problem with but it doesn't really tell me too much about Ev and Dinah. That's the point, to build up interest in finding out. I just don't have much interest. I'm not sure how to feel about this one. It's okay, I adore the art and the writing is good. The villians designs certainty stand above the crowd as their pretty memorable. Starling, I've gotten the impression that most either love her or hate her. I don't feel one way or another about her. I can see her becoming a notable character but I think Zinda could have filled this spot just as well. The one thing that bugged me about this was the appearance of Barbara Gordon. I will say that I found it more in character than the scans of Batgirl I've seen (although it's hard to form an opinion of something you haven't read the entirety of) but even so it's rather cold. Kinda of sad but at least their not forgetting the two had a friendship in the past.

Did You Notice?: Thought bubbles seemed to have been replaced by narrative text boxes in DC Comics. I'm amused to discover that instead of the usual icon such as Booster Golds' star Dinahs' is her fishnet stockings. Guess that means Zatanna has her top hat.

Verdict: It certainly raises questions to get readers interested but I'm not staying on to find them out. Nothing is truly wrong with this title but I have other books that I would rather keep on my pull list.

Lady Flashpoint

2011-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hmm, I figured she would show up again but I'm not interested in JL, now if it was JLI I would be all over that. It would make sense too since Boosters' a Time Master in training. I hate when he's pushed aside in things he should be starring in. Time Travel is his thing, his son is Rip Freaking Hunter.

Bruce being creepy and the boys being cute

2011-10-25T18:31:00.001-07:00

This is the next time we see him after a wide eyed Jason gets pulled into the shadows with Batman. I have no idea how he went from terrified to confidently wearing a costume when he doesn't know who Batman is.

But to highlight how controlling he is Bruce decides to track Jason. (No it's not important to the plot as this is never used.)

The book isn't without it's cute moments like Dick and Jason working together.

And my favorite scene for either Dick or Jason is this one. While looking for Alfred they come across a number of questionable activities taking place within the same building he's being held. Dick arrives first then covers Jasons' eyes when he spots what looks like some flesh piece is being shot. Why do I love this bit? Because Dick is being an adorable big brother and Jason is so innocent and concerned for Alfred. While not in this picture Dick also refers to Jason as "Little Wing."

Batman "recruiting" Jason

2011-10-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

Like I said this scene from Nightwing Year One really had me looking at Bruce in a bad light. Because kidnapping someone to be your sidekick (someone who is obviously scared) is the pretty disturbing. As far as I know this is still part of Jasons' origin. (Although no one mentions it.)

Bruce Waynes' lack of Parenting Skills?

2011-10-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing arguments on how Bruce should know how to be a good father by now and how he pretty much did a good job with his other sons. Which reminded me of Nightwing Year One (a.k.a. Nighting Vol 1. issues 101-106) This was a retelling of how Dick Grayson became Nightwing and to a lesser extent how Jason Todd became Robin. Taking another look at it you see how truly messed up Bruce Wayne is because he has some serious issues with dealing with the boys. Writer Chuck Dixon even had Bruce doing something to Robin before Frank Miller did!

While the story is mainly told through Dicks' view it's pretty clear to see that Bruce is screwed up. The origin of Nightwing changes on how they broke apart, once because Dick was shot as Robin. Here Bruce is furious because Dick a.) is always busy with the Titans i.e. not acting like a partner/sidekick and b.) he's acting more independent/not always listening. When he fires Dick he adds insult to injury by telling him to leave the new costume Alfred made him behind basically telling him that he can't be Robin anymore. Not surprising or that alarming right?

Well it gets more disturbing. After getting advice from Superman Dick heads to the circus to find himself again. Although he doesn't realize it for a while he's being watched by Deadman, who isn't just looking after his own love ones but apparently spying on Dick for Bruce. Meanwhile Alfred comes down to the cave believing Dick has returned. This is where it gets down right creepy. The post-Crisis Jason Todd origin was basically stealing the tires off the batmobile then Batman stupidly sending him to a school run by criminals. Jason informs him of this and they fight together to take them down. Impressed by the kid Batman decides to take him in. I could see wanting to take Batmans' goof with the school out but at least in that version he sees what Jason is capable of before deciding what to do.

Here Alfred finds a boy tied up and gagged thinking it's Dick only to find a clearly terrified Jason Todd. (At least Miller didn't have Batman tie Grayson up.) Batman explains the tire snatching, orders Alfred to make sandwiches (yeah that's better than Miller) as he leads a freaked out Jason into the shadows saying their going to talk. The next time we see Jason he's in the Robin suit asking how he looks to a shocked Alfred. Many have taken this scene to mean that Jason took the suit without asking but Bruce is in the cave with him without a mask. He's not surprised. Jason asks if Bruce is his real name which means that Batman didn't tell him before giving him the suit. Since the last time they showed Jason he was scared and now he's happily taking the Robin job without getting any information I can only draw one conclusion: Jason has Stockholm Syndrome.

Batman makes a freaking tracking device to put into Jasons' Robin belt which even Alfred has to give a snarky reply about Batman working on his trust issues. Alfred is actually pretty clear on his stance that Batman pushes too hard and has impossible standards.

Batman is frankly horrible to the boys as he has Jason study the footage of Nightwing, not bothering to tell him who is behind the mask. Oh Jason knows about Robin/Dick Grayson (one of the few things Batman bothered to inform him of in this story) but he doesn't get the connection to Nightwing until Dick let's it slip that Jason is wearing his old costume. This is how they meet and Dick finds out he's been replaced. Batman had Barbara set Nightwing up to meet the new Robin and since he never bothered explain anything (we never get the whole plan) the boys are understandably annoyed with each other. Jason even assumes that Batman set this up as a test for him to fight Nightwing. (Since it's his first time out that doesn't go too well.)

What makes it worse is that the plan to test the second Robin has Alfred dressing up as Two-Face. The story reminds us that Dick has bad memories of Two-Face beating the crap out of him and almost hits Alfred because of it. Another fact that isn't stated in this story is that Two-Face killed Jasons' father (he discovered that on the computer because Batman never told him.) Even if his father wasn't killed yet Batman had to have some idea Willis Todd was working with him, so all around it looked like a bad plan to get rises out of the boys. In the end Dick and Jason work together and for all it's flaws it is an enjoyable story. But I can't read it without thinking Bruce has some serious issues. So let's hope he grew some for Damians' sake.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2

2011-10-20T21:49:00.001-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: (Former dead Robin) Jason Todd a.k.a. the current Red Hood saved Roy Harper/Arsenal with the help of Kory/Starfire. They relaxed at Jasons' safe house on the beach. Fans lost their cool when they learned that Kory had sex with Jason then proceeded to have sex (not within the same time period) with Roy. Jason gets a call from a friend named Essence (who no one else could see), she asks him to investigate the reappearance of "The Untitled" since the All Caste that was supposed to stop it were murdered. Upon arriving he mourns the loss of a woman killed then takes aim as he's attacked by those killed.

Story Title: "Shot Through The Heart--And Who's To Blame?"

Thoughts: Although I was looking forward to this issue I did feel pretty tense reading it because of previous online reactions. I kept thinking "are people going to be pissed with this"? They might be but if they are it's likely because they already formed a opinion of this book. No, what Kory is going through isn't explained yet although Jason does think that she is hiding from the world. She seemed happy enough last issue to be on Earth although she knows people don't want her here. I think it's being implied that she's "hiding" from her other friends and not being as public about her appearances as she used to be to keep off the radar. Kory very pointedly does not travel with the guys either time they go by plane. She also covers up more when their in a limo, I assume because it's a fashionable outfit. The only thing showing is her face, legs and hands.

The most she flirts or mentions anything in a sexual way is when she misunderstands Roy thinking he's using a different sort of slang for Jasons' "buns." Which BTW are impressive in a totally human way. Roy and Jason are actually more sexual in this than she is outside her outfit and a couple mentions of her fling with Roy last issue. I don't mean that in a "they got the hots for each other" sort of way although I suppose you could make a case for Roy crushing on Jason if you wanted to. Kory certain thought he was checking out Jasons' rear. At one point Roy tries to bring something up after Jason shoots down the team idea. The way it's phrased has me wondering if he's asking for a threesome or they had one and refuse to talk about it. Whatever the "300 pound gorilla" in the room is. Kory snaps with Jason likely because Roy keeps pestering them but overall she's very Kory in this. I especially like her laying a comforting hand on Jason when he's grieving.

Jason does make it clear that Kory is not his girl and is free to be with whoever she wants when Roy nags him about it. They have a fun chemistry as Roy won't shut up and Jason quips back. Jason flirts with a flight attendant and I have to say I found it adorable. (The only problem being the panel when the flight attendant leans over to talk to him. She sounds like she's trying to be playfully professional while flirting. You don't do that but leaning over in an empty seat.) Yes he's a flirt but like Roys' "a you" comment last issue it seems Jason doesn't really see himself that highly. He thinks how cute the lady is but it's a good thing for her that their never meet again. When Jason discovers she slipped him a napkin with her number he's startled. The vulnerability displayed really adds to the small touches Lobdell adds to his character growth as well as playing into how Winick wrote him as letting the woman make the move.

Apparently Kory and Roy followed Jason after he found them together. Which was a little confusing but not really important to the plot. He's a bit annoyed with them although he tries to pretend he's not getting fond of them. There's really a lot of growth for Jason within this as he admits that he doesn't have the desire to kill like he used to. Taking down zombie versions of his teachers upsets him. It's a moment that you have to wonder if he also feels for them because he knows what it's like to come back, he even refers to them and himself (prior to the pit) as zombies. When it's over Jason shows them the respect he didn't in the flashbacks.

After learning that the Red Hood saved a village Roy even comments that Jason has a soft side. Granted I think he would have saved people regardless but nice to see someone noticed his efforts. There's also a lesson from his teachers of letting go of his rage that actually shows a real attempt to lead him on the road to redemption that many writers failed to do *cough* Countdown *cough*.

There's new information about the boys. Roy confirms that he doesn't have a good standing in the superhero community. We learn for the first time in text how Jason currently gets his money and the trouble it brings. Confirmation that Jason came back from the dead before going into the pit. The issue ends with Jason accepting Kory and Roys' help.

Did You Notice?: The cover art covered up Jasons' area which was rather eye catching before. You have no idea how hard I'm trying not to make a joke based on his codename.

Roys' baseball cap seems to show that he's anti-Superman. Or at least mad because no one in the JL returns his messages.

The electric wings Jason uses, perhaps a nod to Nightwing having glider wings and now Tim using them. They don't look like the others.

LOTS of information on Jason starting with a link between Lost Days as Talia bringing him to the All Caste to train.

Last issue I wasn't sure if Lobdell was intentionally giving nods to A Death In The Family. This issue it seems impossible that he's not. First he had Jason save a former sidekick stuck in political red tape from a middle eastern country. Now he has a scene that reminded me so much of bit from ADITF that I had to pull out my trade to check. Although the art doesn't match too much there are similar beats. Both have Jason on a plane staring out the window as he ponders. He's in a window seat.

Both have a blond stewardess approach that gives him a non-alcoholic drink (he asks for one in ADITF only to get a coke here he gets a soft drink.) Both have him wearing a suit without a tie but what's interesting is that the colors seem to have changed. ADITF has him wearing a white suit with a black shirt. Here it's a gray suit with a white shirt. Symbolism or me reading too much into it? When asked why he's there he answers "A Death in the Family."

In the draw Jason has his dagger from UTH although he doesn't seem to carry it now.

Say What?: This is the first time it's been said that Jason returned without his soul or that the pit brought it back. Winick did play with the idea that something went wrong but never said what preferring to let the readers guess. Green Arrow also came back without his soul in the old 'verse.

How much time has passed between saving Roy to present? The caption last issue said that it has been three weeks. Which makes sense as Roys' wounds have healed. Here Roy says they were together for three days. Does he mean on the mission?

Why do so many people know his real name? That kind of links back to Bruce Wayne. Not that this wasn't a problem before. Countdown was the worst offender.

Didn't Jason get his helmet last issue? Although that would be a pain to get it and his weapons through customs.

Why does Roy wear a mask if he shows off his tattoo arms all the time?

It's been hinted at with Essence that the All Caste might be more than fighters but is Jason able to do more or see more? Neither Kory or Roy saw Essence and it's unclear if they saw his mentors' ghost. Why did the others turn into zombies?

What is the Untitled? Is it a being, a group or something like the 7 sins in Captain Marvel?

Verdict: This issue was a big improvement. Like I said last time it was spoiled for me and that ruined it some. It reads so different than most of the bat books in a more lighthearted way despite them being anti-heroes and killing when needed. I recall it being said that Dick Grayson didn't become a truly great character until he stepped away from Batman to be with the TT. I think that can happen with Jason, and to an extent Tim. I was blown away but the All Caste design which is like something out of a fairytale compared to Gotham. This feels like spy movie, a buddy comedy and so much more. The characters all work well together, there's tons of plot that makes this book denser, great character development, nods to past canon and action. Glad I kept reading and yes I plan to keep reading.

Superboy #2

2011-10-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD Highlight to Read

What Happened Previously: Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. runs tests on Superboy, who was created with the D.N.A. of Superman and a human donor. One of the doctors nicknamed "Red" has a fondness for him and sees him as a lifeform rather than a lab rat. She's concerned that in every test they ran in the V.R. Superboy shows no interest in saving people in danger. Rose Wilson is employed to kill Superboy if he loses control. One of the workers at N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is leaking information to Lois Lane but is afraid revealing the whole truth will cost his life. The man in charge Templar demands they use Superboy to go after the Teen Titans, Superboy thinks is a good deal if it means he'll be free.

Story Title: "Superboys' And Their Toys"

Thoughts: Still have to wait until Teen Titans comes out but so far I have to say Lobdells' second issues are better than his first. I was thinking that this and Static Shock would be on my drop list after the first arc but I really enjoyed this issue. The little twists really make it a good read. I will say that I bought Superboys' more Lex Luthor like moment of "studying" the soldiers more than I ever did with Geoff Johns. It might be because this is more focused on the science (be it made up or not) of what Superboy is. But I also think Johns and other writers that followed the Luthor trend made it, well dull. It's unsettling to see Superboy smiling while tossing guards but I still like this Superboy.

His confusion and frustration with the world around him is fascinating. He is following the example of others on how to act. Only Red treats him like a being instead of a thing. I especially love the line about how Red is worried that he'll become a killer yet they let Rose walk around free. He knows it's not fair and it's helping him form opinions of those around him. On what action he wants to take.

Red is called by her first name pretty much confirming that she is Fairchild from Gen 13. She is trying to ensure that Superboy becomes a good person and when he goes too far she puts him in his place in an awesome tease of what she's capable of. If you read into what's not said you could guess that she feels for Superboy because she understands what it's like to have powers. She hides it from the people she works for because they are hunting teens that have abilities. Rose also gets her moment to shine as she puts down one of the shark brothers and banters with Superboy.

I'm also blown away with the level of raw power Lobdell is giving Superboy. It's creative and frightening in ways I can't recall anyone doing. He's not the mini Superman he became in the last DCU. I like that a lot.

Verdict: Looks like I might be sticking with this one for awhile. Very pleased with this issue and how it all ties together with Teen Titans.

Thoughts on Solicits

2011-10-17T21:49:00.001-07:00

ANIMAL MAN #5 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN and JEFF HUET Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ With Ellen and Cliff’s lives hanging in the balance, Buddy finally faces off against The Hunters Three! But the fight doesn’t go as planned, causing the Baker family to go on the run. What dark new threat is chasing them – and why? Find out as the first arc of DC’s surprise breakout hit comes to a startling conclusion!

Thoughts: I think this is the freakiest cover of the bunch. Yes even more than the random animal parts trying to grab them on the second cover. Maxine can be very unnerving. Hmm, maybe her and Damian would be good pals.

STATIC SHOCK #5 Written by SCOTT MCDANIEL Art by SCOTT MCDANIEL and ANDY OWENS Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Sending Static to a watery grave has earned Joey Piranha and his freakish Bang Baby Army the coveted security role in the secretive Crime Alliance. Shocking connections begin to be revealed between the mysterious Hawkins family tragedy and this brutal criminal enterprise. And how might the unpredictable agenda of the Pale Man and the true price of Dr. Nemo’s Q-Juice send this criminal storm spinning wildly out of control?

Thoughts: I just can't find myself interested by the solicits for Static Shock although this one caught my attention because of the new art on the cover. Still unsure if this will be a keeper with the confusing story elements.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #5 Written by DAN JURGENS Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT RYAN Cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T The JLI has one last chance to stop the alien powerhouse known as Peraxxus before he and his SignalMen bring about the end of the world. Will the team be able to work together, or will they bear the responsibility for Earth’s destruction?

Thoughts: Does the bad guy remind anyone else of Black Hand on this cover? For some reason Godiva is gone and the mystery woman is back. Interesting.

DEMON KNIGHTS #5 Written by PAUL CORNELL Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT Cover by MIKE CHOI On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T The pressure is mounting as the Horde prepares to breach the walls of Little Spring – but inside the town, our heroes are at each other’s throats! With their fragile alliance in tatters, and the enemy whispering in their ears, someone’s going to break – but for a reason you never saw coming!

Thoughts: Well I guess I knew the bonding from the first two issues was too good to last. Still sounds good and it looks like Al will get more focus which I'm looking forward to.

SUPERBOY #5 Written by SCOTT LOBDELL Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN Cover by SHANE DAVIS and JONATHAN GLAPION On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T They created Superboy to be a weapon, not a hero. But on the eve of his conflict with the Teen Titans, Superboy will make the first truly moral choice of his short life – though he might not be prepared to live with the consequences!

Thoughts: Not overly fond of the cover art. It's not bad but what is with Red gasping in horror as Superboy holds her with her foot in the air? It looks so awkward.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #5
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
On sale JANUARY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
With Jason going one-on-one with the ancient evil known as the Untitled and Koriand’r barely able to crawl to his side, it’s up to Roy to stand alone against the monstrous threat known as Crux!

Thoughts: I'm past caring what Kory wears (she's an alien who has gone naked before) but what is that at Roys' knee? Her blood? Her hair cut off? I looks like her hair but it's a different red. I adore Roys' expression in this because it's obvious he cares deeply for her.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #5 Written by PETER MILLIGAN Art by MIKEL JANIN Cover by RYAN SOOK On sale JANUARY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Enchantress is out of control and more powerful than ever. She has brought a nation to its knees through her arcane powers. Will Madame Xanadu, John Constantine, Shade the Changing Man, Zatanna, Mindwarp, Deadman and June Moon be able to work together to defeat her? One thing is certain: One of these heroes will not make it out alive!

Thoughts: *Sighs* Do we really need characters dying this early? Plus I'm pretty sure Deadman is, you know, already dead. He can't get much deader.

TEEN TITANS #5
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:25 Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale JANUARY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.
In their first battle as a team, The Teen Titans square off against N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s most powerful weapon... The Superboy! But can the cunning of Red Robin, the speed of Kid Flash and the psionic might of Bunker stop a threat that has already taken out the powerhouse known as Wonder Girl? The fight rages from a battle cruiser docked in the Hudson River to the Central Park Zoo, but as a world stands up and takes notice, there is a very real possibility the Teen Titans might not survive their high profile debut!

Thoughts: Behold Bart in Tims' Robin costume! That's worth it alone. BTW did you guys spoiler the previous issue? Because that was something I was looking forward to reading.

Demon Knights #1 & #2

2011-10-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Spoilers Ahead

The Who: A band of heroes that come together fighting dragons. Jason Blood/Etrigan, Madame Xanadu, Shining Knight ("Sir" Ystin), Vandal Savage, Al Jabr, Exoristos, and the Horse Woman.

Why I chose this title: Writer Paul Cornell earned my respect for being nice enough to personal address the concerns of a fan and pitch this book. The more I thought about it the more I realize I wanted to try new genres like swords/magic and horror. This ironically was my first pick outside the superhero titles although I'm getting it rather late.

What I expect from this book: To be kind of epic and have kickass women.

Thoughts: I enjoyed it although I still need more of a feel for the characters. Cornell does manage to get a lot of detail about his group within two issues that as a new comer to these characters I appreciate. BTW Merlin is a jerk for binding Etrigan to Jason. I mean I knew that he did it but I was under the impression that he asked first. That Jason did it for the greater good. But back to the characters, the set up is pretty fast pace and fun. This is the second title with Madame Xanadu I'm getting so it's interesting to see how she differs. She's more overwhelmed with her visions in JLD while here in the past she's more carefree. Apparently in a relationship with both Jason and Etrigan although the demon thinks she's misleading Jason. She gets along fine with both.

The couple already know Savage since the three of them are immortals. Savage is rather funny here, admiring virtues in others although he has no regard for having those virtues in himself. I liked seeing his glee at the dinosaur looking dragons. Not only commenting on how tasty they were but eating them after the fight. It's also rather refreshing to note that while the town seems to be bias against Al Jabr for being a foreigner the "team" doesn't seem to care nor do they say anything against Shining Knight pretending to be a man. Ex in fact stands up for Al Jabr in a way that makes me think she's an Amazon. Her dynamic with Shining Knight is interesting because she doesn't hide her female form in armor and uses that as an advantage in a fight.

Horse Women interested me before I even got this book because of the tidbits of information that was released before Demon Knight came out. She's different in a way that I never saw explored in any medieval setting. Of all the characters I feel I know the least about Al Jabr in terms of what he can do and who he is. But I like all of them nonetheless. The villains? Honestly there's not enough of them either but I'm more interested in the heroes right now. It may not seem like it but I am reviewing issue one and two. There's not much for me to say outside my feelings on the characters. The art is lovely and the writing makes me happy

Did You notice?: Lady Flashpoint in the crowd at the beginning of #1.

Did You Know?: In previous canon it was revealed that Vandal Savage is related to Roy Harper. I found this interesting given the Horse Woman is a red headed archer. Maybe it won't happen but I'd love for Roy to be related to her.

Verdict: The one thing about this title that did bother me was the baby being used to summon someone then blowing up. Granted this was more tastefully done than some would draw it. And yes, the rating is T for teens. Otherwise a book I wouldn't mind following.

DC Panels

2011-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Not much was revealed in these DC panels but a few things stuck out from Justice League, Batman and Young Justice.

Justice League:

Okay that thing with Aquaman stuck in a desert sounds funny.
Like the team up in JLI with Booster/Batman and RR/Ice. I can't recall Gavril and Tora interacting much.
Seriously people bring back Wally, every panel has people asking for him.
Booster DOES have memories about Flashpoint (not mentioned if their pre-Flashpoint) but their repressed. Skeets was damaged so there's a pretty good reason for him not knowing. Okay what does Jurgens have up his sleeve if he keeps teasing with his Rip Hunter answers?
Okay I smiled when they said the Hooded Woman was Wally West.
Why was the Catwoman/RHATO controversy brought up in a Justice League panel and not the Batman one? Either way I lose respect for the speaker when they start name calling/shaming Kory. Bruce Wayne can sleep with three different women a month and he's not called a slut. I've seen it mentioned by a few different people that there's more to the story in RHATO than we've seen so this is reassuring because it does have it's glitches. Glad to see DC being supportive of Lobdell but I thought it was hilarious that they don't address Catwoman or Winick directly. I can see Winick being used to it by now.
For some reason when they said "Artemis" I thought of Young Justice even though I don't watch it. Sad to hear she's not in WW because I always thought she was cool.

Batman:

I didn't read the Tony Daniels book but I'm someone that couldn't sit through the movie Face Off so I can't imagine sitting through an entire arc about it.
The Ventriloquist using a dead cop as his "doll" ...O_O....I really don't like the mental picture that gave me.
I used to read Nightwing off and on so maybe I missed this, but were tasers really a big part of his costume?

Young Justice:

Bart apparently wears Tims' old Robin costume (the red one) to taunt Superboy.
It wasn't so much the Spanish that bugged me in BB as the fact it was used so randomly with English. Not happy with the idea of Paco having a bullet wound in his chest. Yes, that was a terrible joke. How many mentors can Jaime have? Yeah he didn't have a solid one but he had Peacemaker, Guy, Batman, Booster and I forget how many other people helping him. I know new canon. Booster could be his mentor, I mean we have Wolverine in everything at Marvel, once time travel is working again we'd have an excuse for Booster.
Aren't the anti-Hawk and Dove each other?
Wait---their the first Teen Titans ever? What about all the writers mentioning Dick being in the Titans and certain eras still happening? Were they called something else? Did DC just change their mind about that? Tim might not be an orphan but they said IC happened.
See! Another Wally West mention!
Yeah Beast Boy and Raven!

Lots of comics next week

2011-10-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is turning out to be a nice b-month with all the comics I'm getting even if I dropped a couple of books. While I still haven't gotten Superboy yet last month had enough issues left to convince me this month will too. I found a decent deal online for two issues of Demon Knights which I should get soonish. I've been staying away from spoilers so I should be fairly surprised plus this will be the first time I can review issues back to back. That's going to be a joint review.

I plan to get the Justice League Generation Lost Vol. 2. trade when I get my comics (Superboy & RHATO) next week but I keep thinking I'm forgetting something. Is anything else out in trade? I think the latest animated Batman film might be out but I'm always iffy on getting those. I loved Batman Under the Red Hood and Batman/Superman Apocalypse but I was bored to tears with Superman Doomsday (likely because of how much they changed the story. No JLI.) But we also have the DC panels this weekend so hopefully we'll get some good stuff.

Writers Block: Winick and Jurgens JLIs: Who is Rocket Red?

2011-10-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

How different is Judd Winicks' version of the JLI to Dan Jurgens new series? They have similar story beats but differ in presentation. Naturally they can't connect directly since Flashpoint changed the history of the characters involved in Jurgens' version. They were never teammates before because there never was a Justice League International. I will try to be brief with connections from the original Giffin/DeMatteis run when it comes up but with JLI it's bound to get a mention or two. But first let's start with a character that doesn't have as much history as the rest: The new Rocket Red, Gavril Ivanovich.

Introduced in the fourth issue of JLGL Gavril was once the leader of the Rocket Red brigade who was disgusted by the western influences in his country. Having declared himself a true Communist he attacked food chains and such (although he made sure no one was present to be hurt in his attacks.) Gavril is a hypocrite that doesn't seem to realize he is one. He blogs information about himself and joins a team that works with the United States (most of the members being from that country) because he's a huge fan. Indeed he's very excited to meet the group and prove himself worthy of them.

Like Booster Gold originally had problems with sayings from this century Gavril always gets them wrong or has trouble phrasing things in english. Or as Booster put it, "His english stinks. And he's kind of showy." Which coming from Booster really says something about his fighting style. Gavril believes running away from a battle is the way of the coward. Even when injured he's determined to get back to work to do his part for the greater good. He's funny, even if it's unintentional, but rather brilliant with machines.

In Jurgens JLI there are notable changes to the character. His speech isn't as rough as it was in JLGL, it's still flawed but not as much. He can pronounce "w" instead of saying things like "ve vill help." Both play with him for laughs although Winick used his accent and speech while Jurgens seems to use his conflict with Chinese teammate General August in Iron which seems, to me, a little more forced. While he had conflict with Captain Atom taking issue with his trash talking about the U.S.A. Gavril put aside his difference while he seems more annoyed with the remarks GAII makes.

No mention is given to Gavrils' political status which seems strange as General August in Iron is from a country that shares those views. Something that's underlined in JLGL when he stalls for time at Checkmate to ask why they don't recognize Communist ideas before it's pointed out that China has a office there. In JLI Gavril seems surprised when Booster says the two countries will be close allies in the future. As if the idea that he could become friends with them was too strange of a concept to think about.

The fanboy glee is present when he says he's happy to be part of the team but his respect for the others isn't quite as high. Likely because this is the first time many of them (if not all of them) are even on a Justice League and haven't quite earned it yet. There does seem to be some familiarity between him and a couple of his teammates. While the beginnings of a romance he shared with Bea isn't touched upon she does defend him to Godiva when his abilities are questioned. His conversation with Booster brings up the fact Booster is from the future something Gavril doesn't really question. He does gripe more when Booster isn't acting the way he thinks a leader should. But more on that when I get to Boosters' portrayal.

Newsarama interviews Jurgens on JLI

2011-10-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Jurgens gives some very interesting insights like Boosters' reaction to Godiva, things to come like more Skeets, and a spoiler for the Rocket Red/General August in Iron dynamic.

Adding to my books to buy this month

2011-10-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm getting the second volume of the hardback Justice League: Generation Lost. I don't care if it's not canon anymore I love that series. Yes it had that problem with Tora but overall this was my favorite series for an entire year. I looked forward to each issue, felt excited about the series and didn't have to wait an entire month for the next issue. Plus it was one of the three books Booster Gold was starring in. Good times. Yes I miss things from that series, like Jaime and Captain Atom being part of it, the Gavril/Bea romance, the sense of history with the team, but mostly the Max/Booster relationship. If not for this series (which originally was planned to be something completely different) we probably wouldn't have another JLI. We wouldn't have Gavril. Nate and Jaime got their own series and Booster is officially chosen as the leader.

I'm thinking about doing another meta to compare JLGL to the new JLI but I may wait until the first arc is done first. On another note I still haven't found Demon Knights for a decent price and I might be getting Superboy the week after it comes out because of transportation.

International Exchange with Dan Jurgens

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Where Jurgens talks about the interactions in the book. How well the members know each other and more.

Max? Is that You?!

2011-10-05T19:04:00.001-07:00

Not really what I was expecting. Not sure how to feel about this.

Justice League International #2

2011-10-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: International superheroes were gathered for an elaborate P.R. stunt. Since Booster Gold is a good salesman and they think he'll be easy to control the U.N. agree to let him be the leader. Guy Gardner was not thrilled with this arrangement and quit. Batman has faith in Boosters' abilities, thinks the JLA and JLI should have a good working relationship. Hair controlled powered Lady Godiva had the hots for Booster. The Hall of Justice got blown up by protestors and the team finds a giant robot to fight.

Story Title: "The Signal Masters part 2"

Thoughts: I don't know how some of these characters know each other or what happened in their past but I don't mind. This is still JLI. No, not the Giffin/DeMatteis one but that's okay. It's still driven by the characters and their struggles. Some say J'onn was the soul of all the Justice Leagues, I always thought Blue and Gold were the heart of the old JLI. So it's fitting that Booster is the heart (and perhaps soul) of this version. What makes him fascinating no matter what incarnation is how human Booster is. How hard he tries, the way his failures weigh him down and how much we the readers cheer for him when he succeeds.

I honestly believe that if you don't feel for Booster in this you are determined to hate the character without actually reading about him. This isn't something he demanded but he's the leader put under tremendous pressure. He's trying but there are people who don't like him telling them what to do, question his actions and it's apparent that he doubts himself. I don't mind Gavril being the one to call Booster on things since retreating was his idea of being a coward in JLGL. But did he just become the GUY of the group with Batmans' "sit down" bit? I'm pretty sure that's a call back to him saying the same thing to Guy in the old JLI.

Speaking of Batman I love how he's written here. His bond with Booster is one of the things I love most about him. It's one thing to be there for his family or for the JLA members but Booster isn't seen like the others. Batman knows he's a good hero and is there for him when he needs him. Not so much for his skills but for being one of the few people that actually sees him for what he is and can be brutally honest. Batman is honest here. He knows any failure the team suffered wasn't Booster fault but at the same time tells Booster to make sure it doesn't happen again. Then he offers his support later on when it counts. (Although he did put Booster in a spot by showing up in the first place.)

August General in Iron surprised me a little. I never read anything with him in it before so I was under the impression that he'd be someone who wanted to lead. Yet he says he's honored to be led by Booster. Lady Godivas' support made me laugh because I know someone will take that panel out of context. I'm half expecting to find a fanfic based on it. I do enjoy her character even though she only seems to be attracted to Booster because of his looks. I wouldn't mind them dating, it would be interesting to see her react to his history. Not sure if she'd be Rips' momma although the color scheme fits. I might start reading Rips' voice with a British accent now. Of course Booster would have to get over his reaction to her hair first.

Briggs wasn't in this much but I thought the Hall of Justice blowing up would be something Max would cause while Briggs shrugs it off figuring they might be able to use it.

I do wonder what Fire and Ice think of Booster as leader. Neither of them add their two cents about whether he's a bad leader or join the support side.

Say What?: Guy obviously cares deeply for Tora although it seems that they only went on a few dates and she doesn't feel the same. I wonder where this will lead.

Apparently the controversy last issue caused was forgotten by the readers in light of others. No, not a comment on the book but I found it ironic.

Skeets still exists in the Booster cave! (Which I am calling the new time lab.)

Questions Raised?:

Did Booster just stop a potential one punch with Batman and Briggs? Since Guy is back to question his leadership and Booster is in charge does that mean he gets to punch Guy?

Verdict: Loved this issue! Glad that it's in my pull even though I mourn the loss of the Booster Gold book and his supporting characters. The group interactions are interesting and there's a chance Booster might actually *gasps* have a on panel love interest!

Animal Man #2

2011-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: The Bakers are having money trouble and Maxine wants a pet. Buddy says he can't give her one because he can't bond to any one animal because of his powers. He goes off to stop a dangerous man with a gun that refuses to believe his daughter died at the hospital. Buddys' eyes bleed even though he wasn't injured. Returning home he has a disturbing dream of things to come. He awakes to find his family in the backyard with Maxine surrounded by dead animals she summoned because she wanted a pet.

Story Title: "The Hunt part 2: Maps"

Thoughts: It's hilarious, perhaps unintentionally so (?) how the family reacts to all this. Yes their bothered but once Cliff gets over his shock he wants to film the whole thing. He does inside the house and causally goes outside with a shovel when Buddy tells him to cover up the graves. Ellen just wants the dead animals off her counter tops and for some reason Maxine thinks she can give a skeleton milk. Buddy is miffed that he has a red veiny "tattoo" that won't go away.

Maxine calmly explains that it will go away but it's actually a map of a place they need to go. It's more than a little spooky that she knows so much and thinks dead creatures are "pretty." More so when they find out someone wasn't pleased to find Cliff in their yard with a shovel. He calls them all freaks, hurting Cliff and pissing off Buddy. Until his hand turns into a bird claw, Maxine means it when she says to let her brother go. She doesn't want to turn Mr. Duffy's hand back but does so when Ellen tell her to. Only it doesn't come back the same.

Ellen doesn't take this well and is scared someone will take Maxine away from them. Buddy plans to go with Maxine to this "Red Place" and leave Ellen with Cliff to keep them safe. I'm greatly amused by Maxine telling them what to do while wearing shades. The WTF scale seems to be competing with JLD as the stomachs of hippos at the Zoo expand to gross levels. Maxine takes Buddy into the red and the hippos give birth to the things Buddy saw in his nightmare. They feed on the zoo workers then take their forms.

Say What?:

Buddy calls Maxine "Little Wing." I don't know if it was ever her nickname but it was Dick Graysons' nickname for Jason Todd when he was Robin.

Verdict: A lot more wild than last issue. I liked it better but I'm still unsure if I like it enough to keep. Loved the family moments and interested in seeing where this arc takes it.

Static Shock #2

2011-10-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS AHEAD

What Happened Previously: Having moved to New York Static learns that being a hero in the big apple doesn't mean people are grateful for your efforts. Having a job at S.T.A.R.S. Lab he was able to follow a pilot who was murdered right before his eyes. Mainframe, a mentor of sorts, is helping Static by equipping him with what he needs. The bad guys do a backround check on Static and figure they need to take him out of the picture. During an attack it appears that Statics' arm is blown off.

Story Title: "Disarmed"

Thoughts: Static seems to unintentionally be causing a lot of trouble. Last issue he accidently caused damage during a fight that royally ticked off the public. Here he causes a blackout when he's attacked. These incidents aren't really his fault but I can see it becoming a problem. Two of the places that were powered down WERE life and death matters. One being a hospital during surgery and the other seems to have connections to nuclear power judging by the warning symbol. I was confused by Virules' third person speech. Granted it can be amusing when the villain does it (Doctor Doom always makes it work) but with a character you don't know? It leaves you scratching your head.

The attempt on Statics' life doesn't work because none of them truly knows what he is capable of. I like that detail being added just like deduction that since Static is a minor he likely lives around the area he patrols. And that since they know he was from Dakota they should see who recently moved from there. Bad guys using their brains? Shocking I know. (See what I did there?) Static is amazed that the damage to his arm isn't worse and starts to wonder what else he can do. I do wish they'd go back to thought bubbles because Static seems to talk aloud--with no one else around--a lot.

What is it with superheroes being too proud or in this case too worried of how others will react to ask for help? He clearly is out of his league in terms of his injury but he doesn't want to bother Mainframe who already did so much for him. It seems rather random to have the Joker appear who seems rather out of character to me. I also have NO IDEA what is going on with Virgil having not just two sisters but TWO SHARONS. They shared the same dream and according to Virgil no one knows who is the real one. That's really too confusing for the start of a series.

Granted it's more tasteful than most comic art but his hormones led him to checking out the girls' rears and one of their chest. Teenage boys *sigh* Well at least he was being checked out too (although we don't see any shots of his body.) Anyway the whole thing ends not with him being outed as a superhero but with Static being led into a trap.

Say What?: One of the bad guys claims heroes are hard to kill apparently even teenage ones. Seems she never heard of the Teen Titans or most of their death count is gone. I'm going to go with the latter and how this means Kid Devil is back.

Not only does Mainframes' tech look over Static to list his injuries it also asks if he needs a doctors' note to be printed out so he doesn't have to do physical things at school and work.

Frieda, his friend/sorta love interest is mentioned. It's stated that she's the only one who's close to him that knows he's a superhero. She still lives in Dakota.

The school Virgil goes to is named The Dwayne G. Mcduffie Center for Science and Mathematics.

After Static quotes Scarface a wriers' note box says : "Recognizable, but not very good Al Pacino as Tony Montana Impersonation."

Verdict: The techobabble does tend to bore me and I can't imagine younger readers being drawn in by it either. There are a lot of good moments and Static is very likable (yes even despite leering at girls for a moment, I blame his hormones.) He has an idea what he's doing in terms of getting information and fighting. But there are a lot of things that don't work. Most notably the two Sharons and the fact neither wants to give up their name for the other. I might not stick around after this arc.

Justice League International #2 Preview

2011-10-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yep it's up. Looking forward to more Booster Gold and those other guys. Now we get to see just what it's like for Booster Gold to be a leader for JLI under all sorts of pressure. I put spoiler thoughts under the cut and in white out text.

Wow, that is some nasty pressure on Booster here. Gavril is being kind of a jerk but his stance in here is in character. Back in JLGL he wanted to stay and fight when they took him away from the other Rocket Reds. He thought running away was the cowards way. I'm a little surprised that GAII is sticking up for Booster but then again he's not taking Gavrils' side as the two have started to bicker. A nice call back to the old JLI as Batman gets Gavril to be quiet much like he got Guy to.

Batman is pretty decent to Booster as he could have been a lot worse. He recognizes that this was all thrown together pretty fast but tells Booster to learn from it so it doesn't happen again.

Relaunch Questions

2011-10-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Relationships between characters have changed and in some cases we have no idea what certain characters mean to each other now. So my questions are: Would you buy a comic you usually don't get in order to read about a character you like? Or get a issue of something you don't pick up in order to see how these characters interact now? I've heard that Max Lord will be appearing in Omac for example. And that Green Arrow will interact with Black Canary and Roy (I think he's Arsenal now?) at some point. I'm not sure if I would for those but if Booster appeared in Omac WITH Max? Oh yes.

Justice League Dark #1

2011-09-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

SPOILERS ahead

The Who: Heroes in the world of magic fight against the mad Enchantress. Seer Madame Xanadu, reality shaper Shade the Changing Man, John Constantine, Zatanna, and Deadman all start to realize their needed.

Why I chose this title: It seemed like a lot of fun with random happenings and a world most superheroes can't fight against. Loved most of the character designs and the art is lovely.

What I expect from the book: To get me into the crazy world of magic and see why their needed. I have no real experience with most of these characters so I'm pretty open minded to whatever happens in this title.

Thoughts: While I enjoy the writing one has to question the Justice Leagues' thinking. They send three members (Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg) to fight against a powerful witch they suspect of being mad? Kinda surprised they never formed a magic group within the JL before. The story really sets the mood well with very strange happenings that leave you wondering what will happen next. While it doesn't get into the magic heroes too much in this book what you do learn gives insight on who they are and what they can do.

Madame Xanadu can see the future and acts as the narrator. She takes drugs to stop herself from constantly seeing visions. Shade is lonely enough to use his powers to create a lover. I think that's the first time saw this idea being used without it coming off as creepy. It more sad than anything else. Constantine uses his powers for personal gain. Zatanna decides to heroically fight against overwhelming odds. While Deadman doesn't do much of anything he's still staying with his love Dawn Granger (Dove.) Like Shade later says most of them are seen as a danger or damaged goods. It makes you wonder how their all going to interact once their team forms.

While reading I didn't know who June Moone was but I figured the name was supposed to be important. I had to Wikipedia it but it turns out she is actually the Enchantress. But she seems to be split from the more insane version of herself. That's a neat twist.

Verdict: I enjoyed this a lot and look forward to the next issue. Really not too much to say but it was a blast regardless. Given the fact that I barely know anything about most of the characters that's pretty impressive. (Funny that I like two of the three JL titles but I have no interest in the main book.) One of my three titles staying on the "plan to buy for the long run" list. Yes there are other titles I'm keeping at present that are fine but I still need a better idea of what to expect. With Justice League Dark I might not know what's going to happen but that's part of the fun.

Teen Titans #1

2011-09-28T12:14:00.001-07:00

SPOILERS ahead

The Who: Tim Drake former Robin (the third one) now called Red Robin tries to help superpowered teens in a world that's turning against them. Kid Flash is a speedster that wants to make a name for himself but is a little too quick for his own good. Cassandra Sandmark is Wonder Girl and Superboy is project N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s' lab rat.

Why I chose this title: I was curious to see what was being done and I was already reading one of the writers' book.

What I expect from the book: A new take on the Titans and seeing how they bond. Nothing much besides fun. Like the characters but their not my favorites.

Thoughts: A good read but it felt so short. In all the issues of the relaunch I've read none of the dislike of metahumans/superheroes was as strong as it was here. Yeah people were jerks to the heroes trying to save them but this is the first time it's really made clear that this is a genuine fear that's building up. Not surprising since Lobdell already has experience writing about a world that hates & fears a group of people, he wrote for the X-Men books for years.

The first character we meet is Kid Flash who arrives to led his assistances whether it's wanted or not. I like the touches with the art showing that he's clearly wearing a homemade costume. As far as characterization goes he seems to be closer to his Impulse days (which is a good thing) than the Geoff Johns version of Kid Flash. Although he does retain the trait Johns added of being able to keep the knowledge of everything he reads. He's just to, well impulsive for his own good. He's knocked out leading people to think he ran away from something he caused.

Superboy doesn't show up until the last page but I don't really feel cheated since I read his book. It's sort of a treat because I first saw the big bad, Red and the others in the Superboy issue.

Wonder Girl, Cassie that is, has always been a character I think I'm supposed to like but never got. I didn't read Young Justice so I apparently missed out on her most beloved version. I really disliked the Johns' Cassie who seems to be around just to pine for Superboy and later make awful leadership calls. This Cassie is fun but let's get the thief thing out of the way first. She is not a lock picking con artist. She stole an artifact to get her powers and a car to escape from people who were chasing her. I like that her powers seem to come from her wrist bands, it reminds me a lot of the Linda Carter changes (although I never actually saw that show just the clip.) Cassie is tough and a little funny interacting with Tim. So far I like her.

Tim is awesome in this book. I like the character well enough although he's my least favorite Robin. I heard that there was some dislike because he seems a little nerdy but come on, he started out as a fanboy. And really he's far more impressive than geeky in this issue. Tim doesn't have to be helping these superpowered teens, he doesn't have powers of his own but he does it because he knows it's right. He impresses the big bad with his hacking skills, blows up his penthouse and finds Cassie. I don't even consider myself a Tim fan and I was happy with his portrayal.

Not too much happened but I look forward to seeing the rest of the arc.

Say What?: In interviews Lobdell has mentioned that Barry and Iris are Barts' grandparents although their not together in current canon. After Barts' stunt it's said that Flash (Barry since Wally disappeared) doesn't know who he is. Bart apparently showed up "months" ago.

Tim, Cassie, Bart and Connor never met before.

Since N.O.W.H.E.R.E. tracked Tim down (and saw him without his mask) does that mean they know who he is?

A nice little jab at Lobdell being a former X-Men writer as the mansion that explodes is located in Westchester. The outside even looks like the mansion in the X-Men movies.

Cassie is 17 years old. Naturally one has to wonder how this makes Tim Drake. Lobdell has said that Tim is either 16 or 17 but doesn't think it matters right now. Since the writer of Nightwing says Dick Grayson is 21 all the bat kids seem to be closer in age. Jason was supposed to be two years older than Tim.

Did You Notice?: What is with the colorist making Barts' hair red? His hair is brown, WALLY has red hair.

On Tims' computer the following heroes are shown : Kid Flash (with a Bart Allen note) , Static Shock (seen without his costume using his powers), Beast Boy (in two different animal forms), Starfire (with question marks), a Bat creature, Raven, Miss Martian (knocked out in rubble), Solace (reports from India showing a figure in blinding light) new character Bunker (shown being arrested but reported that he escaped), and a mother trying to find her daughter.

Lady Flashpoint is behind the cop when he comes to get Cassie.

For some reason Tim has a frame picture of Batman and himself (in his Robin costume from 52.) Not that it's out of character as he became Robin after fanboying Batman and Dick Grayson.

Verdict: I liked it well enough to keep getting it. Too early to tell if I'm sticking around for the long haul.

Short reads and new review plan?

2011-09-28T11:59:00.001-07:00

I got Teen Titans and Justice League Dark. I already read TT and I'm struck by how short it seemed. I mean JLI seemed a lot longer by comparison, likely because it had more characters in it but still. Superboy, which was written by the same writer as TT also seemed longer as well.

I haven't even started on the reviews yet but I think I'll try to post them either Thursday or Friday. Next month I think I'll drop a couple books, Captain Atom for sure. The reviews will be a little different since I'll be dropping the introduction summaries for the characters. We'll see if Lady Flashpoint sticks around for another month. At present I feel it's still far too early to judge the relaunch as a whole. There have been good and bad changes but I think we all can agree that their taking some chances. We'll see if they pay off.

Question

2011-09-22T10:22:00.001-07:00

Since the topic of text size came up in the past I was wondering something. I was wondering if whiting out spoilers bugs anyone. Not really tags per se but you can read it just fine if highlighted. I've been thinking of doing it for things that are too short to fit under cuts. Like for example:

Booster Gold is actually Michael Jon Carter and his son is Rip Hunter.

Yes? No?