Archive for July, 2012

What’s red and yellow and awesome all over?

July 26, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

It’s the last Wednesday of the month! With only four books on the menu, as usual, I know I should feel sad. But I can’t be sad. Because it’s new Flash day. This is a big deal, for me. It’s one of the few books that produces next to no rage from me, and I won’t let the fact that Teen Titans also comes out this week spoil it for me.

On a completely different note, Green Lantern! It looks like the main character status will be switching from Sinestro to Hal, which means that my enjoyment of this book will soon be impacted. But for now, I’m going to let the good times roll. Black Lanterns are a thing again! Which means that the reboot didn’t affect Blackest Night or, I’m assuming, Brightest Day. Crisis on Infinite Earths never happened, but Rainbow Lanterns Go did. Take a minute to digest that. My bitching aside, it’s nice to see William Hand back in print. He’s one of those classically creepy as fuck characters who, under Geoff Johns’ pen, has evolved into a nightmare of humanity that literally makes my skin crawl. His goal for the duration of this story, if not his new mission in unlife, is to kill people. He is going to kill lots of people, reanimate them, and have them kill other people. That’s his whole thing. Well, good to know that his time wearing an Indigo ring did absolutely nothing to impact his personality, which is the entire reason the rings exist in the first place.

Okay, before I say anything else, weren’t these guys on an island? Where is the island? A Bart solo story will be taking place on the island in DC Universe Presents next month, you’d think they’d still be on the damn island. Oh wait, no, Danny the Street transported them back home last issue in an act that was so completely last minute, I forgot it even happened. Sigh. Anyway, this time on Teen Titans, complete fucking insanity. No, I’m serious. Bart, Miguel, and Kiran fight a new potential teammate Miguel picked up on ‘Gregslist’ (one guess as to what that is parodying), Cassie’s evil ex is honing in on her armor, Kiran and Bart are ‘just friends’ in love, and Cassie’s armor is freaking out, causing her to lose control on it and go evil. There. That’s the entire issue in a sentence. I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I know I’ve likened Teen Titans to an abusive partner before, but this is getting ridiculous. It’s wounding me on a spiritual level, now. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

A little history for you. Kid Eternity, in his original incarnation, was a child who had died 75 years too early. So, he was returned to life as an agent of Chaos and given the power to bring back dead people, who helped him fight bullies and stuff that a kid would use the ghosts of famous people for. His next incarnation, a Vertigo series, had the Kid using his powers to locate the next Dalai Lama. The most recent version of Kid Eternity was cheated of his full potential, big time. He still had the power to bring back the dead, but this time, he became them for only a few minutes at a time. He was also eventually murdered by the Calculator, who used him and his power to bring back his son, Marvin. Another thing, Kid’s real name was Kit, short for Christopher Freeman, and he was the long lost brother of Freddy Freeman, aka Captain Marvel Junior. With the way Freddy is in the reboot, I really don’t think I want to see them interact. But to the story!
The reboot version of Kid Eternity isn’t much of a kid at all…in fact, he’s 27, and he works as a police coroner. He and his father were both shot in a drive-by, but Chris came back, and now he has the power to bring back the recently deceased to try and solve their murders. An interesting origin to start with, and certainly a lot cooler than a guy who runs around bringing back dead superheroes and fighting crime. Our story follows an ordinary day in the life of Christopher, as he solves the murder of an antique shop owner. I’m not going to ruin the mystery for you if you haven’t read it, because the story is really quite good. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s penned by Jeff Lemire, after all! Sorry, I’ve had a ridiculous respect for this man ever since I first read Sweet Tooth, and his work with Animal Man hasn’t helped my hero worship boner at all. Cully Hamner and Derec Donovan are on the art. You may remember Hamner from the latter half of the 06 Blue Beetle series, and The Question: Pipeline, as well as a few issues of the recent Shade series. Derec Donovan’s most notable DC storyline, to my knowledge, was Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood. Either way, they’re great artists working with an amazing writer. The National Comics initiative is going to feature one new character a month, and while this is the first we’ve seen of Eternity, I’m crossing my fingers that it isn’t going to be the last.

I’m going to admit this right off the bat: While I’m not crazy about Mick Rory’s costume change and new powers, I never actually cared enough about him in the first place to be extremely mad about it. Not that Heatwave is my least favorite Rogue, that honor goes to Girder, he’s just never been that high on my priority scale. To the issue! One thing that was never really addressed in Wally’s series, that I can remember, was where the criminal element hung out. Keystone City had its share of Rogues, but it also seemed like a generally clean place full of hard-working people. In this issue, however, we’re introduced to the rougher side of the city, ‘the Keys’, which is supposedly as bad a place to live as Crime Alley in Gotham. Well, at least we’re still keeping to the trend of having all of our criminals in one basket. Another thing that seems to be a holdover from the past, Len is terrible with women. I mean, wow. That pick up line? I love Captain Cold, and even I would have slapped him. A break in the story to check in on Patty, David, and Dr. Elias. Patty and David, you guys should be friends. I mean, you’re dealing with similar things. Patty believes the man she loves to be dead, and the man David loves has gone back to being a vigilante, against his wishes. Oh gosh, please don’t let them have broken up over this, that would be really tragic. Can I take a second to say that Marcus To should draw David forever? Because my god, even in the throes of anger and quiet heartbreak, that is one beautiful man. Dr. Elias, however, is turning into a bit of a scumbag. Invented a new energy source, huh? How about you tell the people where that sudden spark of brilliance came from? Were you quick to find it? Did it come to you in a flash? What I’m trying to say here is, stop being a douche and blaming things on the Flash, when it was his power that actually solved all your problems to begin with. You folks remember from last issue, how Barry decided that he was going to stay dead? Well, he’s going by Al now, and he’s the newest bartender at a villain hotspot called the Keystone Saloon, which looks like it’s the oldest bar in the damn country. Oh my. Marcus To, you also have my permission to draw Len forever, too. Pfft, oh lord. For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with terrible literature, there’s this new mom porn book that’s been going around called 50 Shades of Grey. Len likes alluding to shades of gray in the world of vigilantism and villainy, as seen here:

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And now, here:

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(Flash fact: I went to Tumblr hoping to find a scan of that panel in the Len Snart tag, and it was literally at the top of my Dashboard. The Rogues fandom is the best fandom.)

Anyway, shortly after Barry has the main bartender in charge fix Len a drink that won’t freeze up on him (complete with a pink umbrella, naturally), all hell breaks loose in the form of Mick. Heh. I like how Manapul took a page from the fans and had Barry call the fight between Len and Mick a ‘domestic dispute’. Because they’re like an old married couple, get it?! Sorry, I’ll take the bad jokes and puns and just…no, I’m not going to go anywhere. Puns are half of the reason why the Rogues are so dear to my heart. Hell, Mick started the issue off with a pun! Anyway, one fight scene full of vague exposition later, Barry has decided to keep his bartender gig, and our boys are being hauled away in a paddywagon. Argue argue, snipe snipe…Lisa?! Damn, girl! I’m going to be honest again, I’ve never been fond of Lisa’s old costume. This new one reminds me of a combination of Marvel costumes, truthfully; 80s Dazzler, Wind Dancer from the New Xmen, and Emma Frost, when she puts on clothes. An odd combination, but I do like it. And boy oh boy can the next issue not come soon enough! I’ve been dying to learn how Lisa got her new powers since images of her in her new costume were leaked.

Well, that was this week in comics! I’m thoroughly pleased with everything I’ve read, how about you? As always, I’d really love to hear your personal opinions about the books you picked up. Didn’t read something that was reviewed here? Tell me about it! I’m always looking for new books! As with every week, I am Touch of Grey. Hope to see you back here next Wednesday!

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Ladies week strikes back!

July 19, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

This is going to be the biggest week I’ve done in a while, with eight new books and the issue of The Shade my comic shop was shorted last week, so if it’s all the same, I’m going to just jump right in.

So, a show of hands as to who figured the Silk Spectre book would dive headfirst into a plot about drugs. I kind of figured they’d deal with that sort of thing, San Francisco in the 60s hello, but second issue in order to make it the primary plot of the mini? That take balls. Calling it now, Laurie’s boyfriend Greg is going to die. That’s the reason she ends up going back to her mother. As usual, I’m more enamored by the look of this book than the actual story going on. Amanda Conner’s psychedelic clothing designs are really rocking my world, but believe it or not, they’re second to the backgrounds she’s been laying down. From the grim and gritty warehouse in the opening scene to the interiors of the hippie pad where Laurie is living, the scenery is just blowing me away. Here’s hoping DC gives Ms. Conner more work in the very near future.

I’m done with Justice League. I can’t stomach it anymore. I can’t. Steve Trevor hasn’t been mentioned in the Wonder Woman book once, yet he’s all over this book. Hell, he’s probably considered a main character. He’s dead now, though, so I hope none of you were very attached to him. God, this book. Eight pages dedicated to Diana and Hal having a slapfight that the entire League gets pulled into, six pages of stuff that’ll actually be relevant for more than an issue. Nope, I’ll pass. The back up is a bit better, somehow. Billy is still behaving like a little shit, but at least he’s a little shit that is thinking about others? No, I lied, this is still terrible. Ugh, next book.

Why am I doing this to myself? Most people would give themselves a little breathing room between terrible books, but not me, baby! I soldier on! And speaking of soldiers, time for Kori to get yet another origin story. Seriously, she’s had like, three in eleven issues. Give Roy a chance sometime. So anyway, in this new origin, Kori and her sister Komand’r actually like each other! I guess? Because Komand’r does a bit of a 180 by the end of the issue…oh yeah, and this issue is told as a flashback story from Roy’s point of view, so there’s that. For the most part, this isn’t a bad story. The pacing is a bit better, I’m really starting to like the character of Isabel, and Kori’s crew is pretty interesting as well. I don’t really have much to complain ab- hahaha Komand’r what are you wearing?! Girl, you look like you mugged Lobo for his clothes and eyeliner! Maybe it’s just me, but I’m actually losing my taste for Kenneth Rocafort’s art. His women have begun to seem a bit too flawless, and his men, especially Jason, look too scrawny. So, what’s keeping me here? Well, I love Roy Harper. I love Koriand’r. And while I’m not fond of this version of him, I love Jason Todd. It’s a devotion to the characters I adore that’s keeping me reading a book where they are at their worst. This…does not say good things about me.

This month’s issue of Batwoman really did a great job of marrying the three story lines into one flowing plot. Sune the shapeshifter has escaped from right under Kate and the D.E.O.’s noses, the Bette coma plot was resolved nicely, and Kate and Maggie are no longer in danger of breaking up. Let’s start with Bette who, after several issues of unconsciousness, was finally roused from her slumber. Did her body finally heal enough to allow her to wake up? Was she just too stubborn to die? Was the promise of getting to put a mask on again to tempting to pass up? We may never know, but I like to think that it was a combination of the three things that brought her back to us. The Kate and Maggie plot was resolved in a bit of a hurried fashion, with Kate disclosing information about her family, both dead and alive, and Maggie talking about her daughter seeming to bring them closer than ever before. It’s one thing to lose someone you care about, but losing everyone, and feeling like you’re alone in the world, is what really linked them. As for the Sune plot…it’s not over. Not by a long shot. Falchion is dead, and Sune is now in charge of the monsters he created. This story is in its middle game, with the end still out of sight. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I’m really enjoying Legion of Superheroes again, and all it took was Brainy getting kidnapped. So, to add to the things I was generally unaware of regarding Dominators: they eat people? I guess that can’t be considered cannibalistic, as the people they eat aren’t of their kind, but they still eat sentients. That’s kind of gross. I’m not ashamed to admit that Brainiac 5 is my favorite character in this book, but today, Mon-El came super close to winning my heart. Go Mon! You call Rokk out on his douchiness! In a final turn of ‘the fuck did I just read’, the biggest Legion fangirl in the known universe shoots a core Legionnaire in the back. Why, Grava? Why? I’m guessing post-hypnotic suggestion, as she does say that someone ‘told’ her to, but I can’t be sure. Guess we’ll have to find out next month…before our heroes end up as dinner!

I don’t know what it is with my shop and The Shade, but it’s like no one wants me to read it or something. Why is that? I love this book! The art has me a little thrown, but the writing! The dialogue! The banter, mother of god, the banter! I’m home. Truly, I am home. If The Shade has done anything at all, it has reestablished James Robinson as a fantastic wordsmith, not someone who is completely bugfuck insane. “Welcome to pain.” Pah! Nothing painful about this. In this eleventh issue, we finally find the rhyme and reason behind Shade’s world tour, and that’s…Egyptian gods? Yes, okay. I wasn’t really in this for the ongoing plot, anyway. You see, if there is one thing I’ve always loved about Richard Swift, it’s how clever he is. He sees that his great-grandson and company have gods powered down and enslaved, so he fakes powerlessness in order to free them. Smart man, that Shade. Though, now he has to fight gods to save London, so I suppose that intelligence is relative. The endgame approaches! Two issues until the sure to be stunning finale, and I’m on the edge of my seat. Here’s to not being shorted next month!

Okay, no. Just from the cover, no. Jaime, what are you doing. Booster, what are you doing. Stop that. Be friends. Ahem. The plot of this issue of Blue Beetle is actually pretty cut and paste. Jaime goes looking for someone who can help him, Booster says he can help him, it’s a trick, they fight, rinse and repeat. But the details…Blue Beetle exists to break my heart. I asked about Ted Kord at the New 52 panel at Florida Supercon recently, and I was told to “Forget about him for a while.” I know this issue was written long before I asked my question, but Jaime yelling at Booster that he thought they could be friends, and Booster replying, “Not in this lifetime!” just killed me. I will say, Jaime’s grandmother is pretty badass, and the Paco and Brenda subplot is going to be really good once it reaches its head, but goddamn, this book is just bringing on the heartbreak harder than the Mariah Carey cover.

And the comeback kid strikes another one out of the park! Supergirl is one of two books that clawed its way back onto my buy list simply by refusing to just give up and suck. Now, the fight scene in this issue was pretty interesting, but I’m more invested in watching Kara learn about her powers and slowly grow out of being alternatively terrified and angry at everything around her. Also, Siobhan and her brother Tom? Probably among my favorite new/retooled characters of the reboot, simply because they can just roll with a freaked out Kryptonian. That takes some serious balls. In any case, who remembers Simon Tycho, our Big Bad from the early issues? Looks like he’s paying people to find Kara again, which means that he’ll probably be back in the picture soon. Whoa oh, but not as soon as next month’s guest star, the big blue boy scout himself, Superman!

Diana really just needs to put a harness on Zola, the rate this girl gets kidnapped. Seriously, didn’t they just pull her out of hell? And now she’s ascended, alive, into the realm of the gods known as Heaven. Hey, at least she’s getting some sightseeing done during her pregnancy, right? In any case, with Cliff Chiang back on the art, Strife no longer looks terrifying! Hera, however…in her defense, Hera is just a terrifying individual. She was willing to give up Zeus’ throne to Apollo in order to get her hands on Zola. There’s crazy, and then there’s Hera crazy. You don’t fuck with Hera crazy. So, a battle for the throne is soon to be at hand! Though, an important question I’d like to ask, is Lennox…dead? Because he looked like he might be dying after that fight with Artemis. I hope not, I like him very much. I suppose only time will tell.

And that’s this week in comics. Ugh, late by two hours, again. My sincerest apologies, I’ve been plagued by a migraine literally since I woke up yesterday morning, and it has sort of impeded my ability to focus. I’ll do better next time. Until then dears, I am, now and forever, Touch of Grey.

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Night of the (yawn)…no, let’s focus on Minutemen instead

July 12, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

Once again, my comic shop was shorted copies of The Shade. Sigh, I just can’t catch a break with that title. So instead, I’ve decided to review the first issue of Marceline and the Scream Queens, a spin-off from the popular animated series-slash-comic book, Adventure Time. Shall we begin?

Read this new Adventure Time book and tell me that Marceline and Bubblegum aren’t girlfriends. You tell that to me, and I shall say to thee, nay. All shipping aside, it’s actually a decent comic. The main plot is that Marceline and her band, the Scream Queens, are going on tour, with Bubblegum coming along as tour manager. No hijinks have been had yet, except that the normally-uptight Princess has fallen hard for rock and roll, which is amusing in itself. Altogether, a good read. I’d even recommend it to people who aren’t already fans of the show.

I’m constantly blown away by the quality of the work of Darwyn Cooke. I’m forever the first to jump up and applaud his amazing art, but I always seem to forget just what a prolific writer he is as well. Which is stupid, really. Cooke gave us new Spirit stories, and the incredible DC: New Frontier series, plus he’s the writer on the other Before Watchmen series I’ve become invested in, Silk Spectre. So, how did I jump into Minutemen completely unprepared for the amount of awesome that would be presented to me? For starters, hats off to Larry the manager for being a complete douchebag in everything he does. I mean, wow. “We’re not going to go after child trafficking rings because they’re not ‘happy’ crimes.” What. Still, that gives me an excuse to talk about how impressed I am with the portrayal of the Silhouette. In the original Watchmen, she’s ‘the lesbian’. That’s her role. She’s the member of the Minutemen that was murdered because of her sexuality. Here, she’s one of the true heroes. She’s not in it for publicity, but to do what’s right. She wants to save children from horrors inflicted upon them by adults, and I find that admirable. Oh! Speaking of characters and themes barely touched upon in the original Watchmen series, how about that Hooded Justice/Captain Metropolis sequence? While I found it sort of awkward to have it spliced between the sequence with Silhouette, Nite Owl, and Mothman going after a child kidnapper and a sequence about kidnapping featuring the creepiest damn nursery rhyme I’ve ever heard, their story itself was still…wow. Hopefully, Cooke will fully capture, not simply hint at, the perils of an unhealthy relationship that one partner finds himself unwilling to leave. Because Captain M? He doesn’t seem like he digs bondage very much. Not to mention a prior panel where it’s made pretty clear that Hooded Justice talks down to him. Though the sequence before that, where Larry basically tells HJ that he’s going to have Sally as a beard whether he likes it or not, was pretty powerful. It really shows that this book takes place in a time where you couldn’t be out and have authority, that you had to choose one or the other. I’m surprised I had this much in me to say about Minutemen #2, because after I first read it, I kept turning to my boyfriend and just going, “It’s so good. I didn’t think it was going to be this good. It’s so good.” Minutemen #2, everybody. It’s good.

Okay. Hold up. Backpedal. When last we left Superboy, he was on an island with Wonder Girl and the rest of the Teen Titans. How’d he get back to a city, and into a swanky new apartment? It’s called continuity, Lobdell. Please, try using it sometime. Anyway, back to the present. While I’m glad to see Miguel hanging out with Kon, I have a feeling it’s all going to end with a plot about him having a crush on Superboy over in Teen Titans. Just call it a gut feeling. I can sense terrible romantic choices a mile away. God, I hate this book so much. Superboy’s casual detachment from humanity is played for laughs, for fuck’s sake! Silly clone, he doesn’t know better than to not rob a bank. I can’t. I can’t, book. Oh, then there’s the tattooing sequence which, okay, at least it gives us an origin for Superboy’s tattoo that was on all of the promotional stuff for Teen Titans, but Bunker’s tattoo, which is supposed to be one of his psionic bricks, looks like a Pez. No, really. It looks like a piece of candy. Get a better tattoo artist, lads. One that actually gives you some proper tattoo covering before you leave, and doesn’t just let you walk out with the damn thing unwrapped. But onto the fight scene! This issue’s big bad is the robotic consciousness known as Detritus. Remember him from Teen Titans a while back? Well, he’s dead! No, seriously. After establishing that they had a similar backstory and could probably bond about it, Superboy punched their enemy so hard he shattered into a million pieces and fell in the river. Nice. I don’t know about all of you, but the writer change-up can’t come soon enough for me. I’m so sick of Superboy right now, I could vomit.

Here it is, folks. The finale to the Court of Owls mini-event. After last month’s reveal, I’m kind of stoked. Though, upon reading issue 10 of Batman, I find myself not knowing what to say. There’s a lot of exposition, mainly by the main claiming to be Thomas Wayne Junior, about how the Court found him, took him in, trained him up, and planned to set him on the world as the other Wayne heir. There’s a lot of hate in Thomas, and it’s all directed at his brother. But then…Thomas Wayne Jr died as a baby from the traumas of a premature birth and other defects caused by a car accident? So…who is the Owl man? See, this is the kind of thing I don’t like about Batman comics. Maybe I’m not smart enough to understand. But it seems to me that Bruce Wayne has certain…let’s call them personality quirks, that cause him to push away everyone and alienate himself until he needs the help. Then there’s his near-obsessive compulsive need to solve every mystery presented to him. Is Lincoln March actually his brother? Was Jarvis Pennyworth killed by the Court of Owls? Will any of this matter a year from now? I, I just don’t know. And worse, I don’t know if I care.

That was this week in comics! Apologies for this update technically being posted on Thursday, that pesky blossoming social life refuses to leave me be.

Hey, South Floridians! Are you going to Comic-Con? You are?! …asshole. You aren’t?! Me neither! You should go to Tate’s Comics this Saturday for Not At Comic-Con, a five hour event with free stuff, fun, frivolity, and a trivia contest! Hope to see you there!

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Better late than never!

July 6, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Welcome back to the ToG Blog for, uh, let’s call it hangover Thursday. Not that I actually had a hangover this morning, mind you…ah well. All excuses aside, it’s time to get to those comics!

I’ve got issues with Earth-2 that have nothing to do with Alan Scott. James Robinson, we need to have a chat. While I find it fantastic that you’re apparently enjoying Animal Man as much as I am, having Alan be the representative of the Green on Earth-2 instead of controlling the power of the Star Heart is…a little offputting. Especially considering the third storyline this issue deals with…I’ll get to that in a sec. To address the thing that pretty much everyone reading this book has been bitching about on the internet since the previews came out, Sam is dead. He had one issue of existence, and now it’s gone. I’m very disappointed in you, DC. You had this whole “We’ve got a new gay guy! Very iconic! You’re gonna love him!” thing going on, you give Alan a cute partner that people wanted to know more about, and then you kill him. Way to go, you. So yeah. The first story is focusing on Alan being chosen to protect the Earth as a representative of the Green. The second story involves Jay ‘fighting’ Hawkgirl. I’m actually sort of excited to see which Doctor Fate James Robinson plans to put on this Earth. I hope it’s Hector Hall, if only for the chance that his wife Lyta might be around too. Now onto the third story. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that JR was inspired by the current run of Animal Man for this but…the Rot is on Earth-2, and its champion is Grundy. Last we saw Grundy, in the old DCU, Bizarro was flinging him into the sun during Blackest Night. I’ve always like the character of Grundy. From the infamous ‘Solomon Grundy want pants too!’ commercial from my childhood, to his friendship with Hawkgirl in the Justice League animated show, to ‘smart Grundy’ in The Tornado’s Path, to the Grundymen in Morrison’s Limbo Town, to his various appearances throughout the DCU as a whole, Solomon Grundy has just been entertaining to me, as well as the right amount of creepy. I’m looking forward to seeing exactly what his presence on Earth-2 means for everyone living there. He seems to have the same life-sucking powers as everything we’ve seen from the Rot over in Animal Man, but who knows? Anyway, next month? Al Pratt! Woo!

You don’t want to know how long it took me to get an issue of The Shade. It came out three weeks ago, and my LCS finally got their copies from Diamond yesterday. In the defense of the shipping company, my shop probably orders less than 20 copies a month, because not that many people pick it up. Personally, compared to all the Grimm Fairie Tales issues they order, I find it a travesty, but that’s a complaint for another day. I’m not as familiar with Frazer Irving as I have been with most of the other artists on this book. I know he worked with Grant Morrison on the Klarion mini for Seven Soldiers of Victory, and he did a few pre-boot issues of Batman and Robin (specifically, the issue where Damian beats the shit out of the Joker with a crowbar), and I’m fairly sure I’ve seen his art connected to the John Constantine books once or twice, but it’d take a bit of Google-fu I don’t quite feel like doing to confirm that. It’s funny, I just realized that I spend more time talking about the creators on Shade than I do the actual story. Maybe it’s because, as entertaining and interesting as the content is, the main appeal behind this book, for me, is getting to see different artists at work on a single storyline. Still, the Shade story is coming to a head. Richard is back in London to confront his errant descendant about his cultist activities as of late. It’s really a funny issue, as Shade’s almost condescendingly bored quips at Dudley really showcase his specific brand of humor. As always, I highly recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of Starman in the past, or anyone who wishes to be a fan of James Robinson now.

Goddamnit, Dan Jurgens. I just…what happened between last month and this month that suddenly turned on Booster’s hidden heterosexuality? He’s taunting me, I’m telling you. Anyway, this month was the epic fight scene, as opposed to next month, which will involve burying the dead. Godiva got a chance to be awesome, Guy finally got his internal monologue on, August General kicked some ass, and it was just generally fun. Best part, though, was just after the fight, when OMAC (the team’s giant whiny baby. My god, I hate that guy) is still pissing about on his little half-rampage, and Booster steps up to calm him down, sans-forcefield. It was pretty rad. But then he went and kissed Godiva and I just…why? No really, why? Last issue, he was going on about it being ‘awkward’ that she wanted him, and he didn’t want her, now he’s getting her hopes up with a smooch. Okay, Booster. You do that. Oh, and then we have the new villain set-up. Remember Lightweaver’s brother, who was all, “No, don’t be a dick! Don’t use your powers like that!”? Well, Lightweaver died. So now the brother is going to use his own powers to fight the JLI, probably at Gavril’s funeral. Classy.

So you know how I keep saying that Animal Man is the best thing to come out of the New 52? I finally pegged why. Buddy Baker will do anything for his family, up to and including finding a way to get himself a new body after he dies and his old one is taken by the Rot. This is the one marriage editorial didn’t touch. The one family they didn’t retcon or destroy. No matter how hard the Rot tries, Buddy will never abandon Maxine. Will never allow their enemies to hurt Cliff. He would die for any one of them, Ellen, Cliff, Maxine, even Ellen’s mother. Because they are his family and the place from which he draws his greatest strength. It’s been shown that things will happen to Cliff in the future, that Buddy will eventually die and leave Maxine alone to fend for herself, but for now, he fights on. Also, a good question was raised this issue. Who is the avatar of the Rot? If it’s Grundy again, I’m going to be both pleased and a bit miffed. Who is borrowing from who, in this respect? I suppose it could be an entirely new character, or maybe someone like Garbageman. Oh! Or it could be Black Hand, who was the embodiment of death on Earth for a while, and has recently become a Black Lantern again over in the main Green Lantern book. Before he passed out, Cliff mentioned the name ‘Arcane’. I’m not reading Swamp Thing right now, but could he mean Abby Holland’s uncle, Anton Arcane, a practitioner of dark magic? Actually, a quick search has revealed that yes, that’s exactly who he means…but he also means Abby’s brother, William, who is a new character within the 52. Oh, and apparently he is the avatar of the Rot. Well, then. I guess that answers that! Okay, you’ve got me, I’m more than a little pumped to read Swamp Thing next month. I’ve been hearing good things about it, I may go and pick up the past ten issues early.

Well, that was this week in comics. Sorry it was late but I, heh, I’m only human. As far as you know. See you next week when we take on Batman, the next installment of the Minuteman mini, Superboy, and this month’s issue of the Shade. Here’s hoping I actually get a copy this time!

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Happy 4th of July!

July 5, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged ,

Yesterday was Independence Day in the United States. While the new comics were released, and I did buy them, family obligations and a nice bit of rum have ensured that I’m going to be unable to review them until later in the day. So, stay tuned for Animal Man, Justice League International, Earth-3, and the issue of The Shade that my comic shop was shorted a couple of weeks ago.

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