DC Happenings - Detective #854

It is my new goal to write more than a blurb about each comic title when talking about it. I will take the time to be a little more specific about what I like and dislike about them. Since i vaguely touched on Marvel from last week I will touch on a DC title now.

Detective #854 introduces us to the new era under Greg Rucka with Batwoman as the main story and the Question as a backup. I have enjoyed most of Rucka's previous writing and feel that he is one of the few remaining good storytellers left at DC. It kinda saddened me to see that this was going to be a continuation of the Crime Bible stories of last year as they really didn't appeal to me. I was actually very surprised to see the longest running comic title in history handed over to a relatively new character with no real history in the DC universe. The opening story relaunches us into the battle she is fighting against the Religion of Crime and sets up for her battles to come. The more enjoyable part for me was the backup Question story. I have always enjoyed Renee Montoya and her transition to the Question in 52 was a good read.

Rucka is signed on for 12 issues so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

This Week in Comics - Marvel Comics

Sorry for the lateness again but this week we received 11 titles and it has taken me some time to work through them. As always X-Factor is a pure joy to read and floats to the top of the stack for what I read that week. While on the topic of X titles, Uncanny leads us into a crossover with Dark Avengers called Utopia. Matt Fraction is doing a great job writing our favorite mutants and the road to the Dark X-Men looks to be a great read. On the other hand, Astonishing X-Men has sunk to the bottom of the pile and is almost a pass. Warren Ellis has done very little to follow up Joss Whedon's great two year run. New Avengers wraps up its story arc that lead us to our new Sorcerer Supreme, Brother Voodoo. Bendis has once again scored another great story and made the Hood an A grade villain.

I have yet to dig into the DC portion of my stack, how sad is that. But if Animal Man is any indication then I might have been right to hold off this long.

A League of Their Own

The restaurant that I work at has entered a softball league this year. We are about one third of the way through the season with only one win. When it was looked into, we found out that we were placed in the "competitive division." Competitive softball strikes me as a fantastic example of an oxymoron, somewhere after jumbo shrimp. To us this was suppose to be a fun thing that we could do once a week to get some exercise and hang out with staff outside of work. No such luck. Other teams are rolling in wearing complete matching uniforms, we just have t-shirts with our restaurant logo on them. They also have $500 bats and other professional looking equipment. We are losing by about an average of 17 runs per game, and it's not like we are horrible. These guys are taking it so seriously that i wouldn't be surprised if they compiled their stats for the season. I remember hearing a radio broadcast once where Jim Rome told a story of a disgruntled softball player choking out an eighty year old volunteer umpire for making a "bad call." I think that it is a pretty sad statement that your shining glory in life was beating the snot out of someone in rec softball. I will bet that the summer softball league is what these people do while they wait on their child's hockey season to start up so they can yell "rip his head off!"

Aunts before Wives and Wishing Away the Marvel Universe

I've heard men say "Bros before Hoes" and "Money over Bitches", but thanks to Peter Parker and the brain trust at Marvel Comics I have learned a new one: Elderly old aunts before wives.

Yes I understand that Aunt May Parker is a comic book icon, perhaps even on the level of Alfred Pennyworth, but come on. Back when the House of M event happened I had heard that Joe Quesada had two major beefs with the Marvel universe.

1. There were too many mutants, and that they should be more of a minority. This one I agree with but having someone just wish them away could have been done a bit better. All off a sudden the total amount of mutants is under two hundred and readers are left wondering if their favorite character still has powers.

2. Spider-Man should be that lovable single loser who never makes it with the ladies because he is fighting crime. That is fine and dandy, but Mary Jane has been around for over 20 years. So how do you dump a major character and completely change 20 years of Marvel history. Simple, you make a deal with the devil, something every hero would do....right? Yes this deal was made with good intent, to save his ailing Aunt May once again, but really, the devil. Couldn't Doc Strange or Reed Richards throw you a bone for all of your years of service and conjure up something to prolong your deal old Auntie? Some friends...

So now we have Brand New Day, which i will say is a good read, i just don't like how they got there. Readers get good stories from the new Spidey brain trust, 3 comics a month and Mr. Quesada gets his way. Win/Win. Just please, no more wishes for a while, it's becoming as watered down as the word Crisis.

Friday Favorites - Sidekicks edition

When I originally found out that they were going to introduce the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, I kinda wondered what they were thinking. 'Son of the Demon' was an Else Worlds story in DC where Bruce and Talia did have a child, but it played no part in what was going on in normal continuity.

Surprisingly last year, Talia shows up at Bruce Wayne's doorstep with a young boy and tells him it's time he put in some parenting. It took me a long time to warm up to the little brat, mostly because the 'Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul' story wasn't all that great.

Strangely since the ending of the 'Battle for the Cowl' i have really enjoyed the new young Robin. He is brash and speaks his mind, kinda like another former Robin who took a few crowbar shots to the head. The one major difference here is that Damian has a life of training from his mother and the League of Assassins. He is also well aware of who his father is and what legacy that leaves him with. With Dick Grayson now being Batman, Damian fills the void of the condescending and cold Dark Knight that Bruce was while in costume. It will be interesting to see how they develop him so he doesn't turn into another Jason Todd type character, who has floundered since his return.

I am sure that Dick and Damian will have some great sparring sessions, both verbal and physical. If well written, this combo could do wonders...boy wonders.

Return of the Mod

So here is the finished product of Domino. I did a repaint of an Indy comic character named Scarab, and gave her the arms with guns from a different one. I also used some grey stuff to add more hair to make it look right. The hardest part is painting small details like the facial features. The sculpting part will be a challenge and some day I hope to make a character completely from scratch. For now though, I will continue to do repaints and mods to current existing figs.

Next week : Iron Patriot

Starting on a Good Note

With the relaunch of the Bat-titles under way, I want to take this time to say that I am loving every one of the new series. Batman and Robin was suprisingly good after a subpar run by Morrison in RIP and Final Crisis. Batman and Red Robin are also well done and great foundations for the upcoming year. Bruce Wayne is dead and the people filling the gap are headed in the right direction. Dick is doing a great job as Batman, and i'm not just saying that since he has been one of my favorite characters. Detective is yet to come but if it is the same quality as the titles we have seen so far, then Gotham City is in good hands. Each player has found their niche in this ongoing story. Tim is seaching for Bruce who he is convinced is not dead. Dick has grabbed the mantle of the bat. Damian is now learning the ropes as the new Robin. Batgirl, Batwoman and Manhunter are yet to come in the new era of Gotham.

I look forward to the Dick Grayson years as Batman.

Read This! Wedesday Comics

Once again it burns my britches as a lifelong DC fan to recommend a Marvel Comics title. Here I find myself totally loving the Messiah War, which doesn't even involve any major Marvel titles either. Cable and X-Force house the crossover event taking place in the future. The development that took place over many months of build up in the X-titles has paid off big time to make this a quality story. Many big names are in the story including Apocalypse, Deadpool, Bishop and Wolverine but it is the way that each person is portrayed that counts here. Every member of the story has their own agenda and how it is being played out is pure reading joy, right down to Deadpool's ridiculous comments. I am enjoying this story so much that I have backtracked and picked up the first trade of X-Force and can't wait to read it.

Do yourself a huge favor and read this story, it's another piece in the solid foundation of writing going down at Marvel Comics.

Care Bears vs Blackest Night

I think that everyone that knows me and has talked to me about the upcoming event Blackest Night has heard my tirade about it. Why shouldn't I unleash my opinion on the unsuspecting interweb as well.

In case you haven't heard, the next big event in DC Comics involves all of the dead heroes coming back as Black Lanterns. Ohhhhh boy, only 5 years after Marvel Zombies, way to be up with the times. The build up to this event has seen the addition of six, yes six, different types of lanterns. No shock here that each is a color of the rainbow with its own "emotion."

Red : Rage
Orange : Avarice (greed for idiots like me)
Yellow : Fear
Green : Willpower
Blue : Hope
Indigo : Compassion
Violet : Love

Now that you are up to date with the rainbow fun they are having down at DC Comics, add to the mix the Black Lanterns, or zombies if you will. Every DC character that has managed to stay dead for more than 5 minutes will now be returning with a black power ring in full on zombie battle.

What do the Care Bears have to do with this you say, good question!

My prediction for this potentially lame ass event is that to finally defeat the black ring wearing zombies (who include a version of Superman!) is that all of the rainbow color lanterns will have to band together to create a white light that will save the universe. I can see it now, Hal Jordan side by side with the leader of each lantern corp. performing a Lantern Stare and laying these poor zombie souls to rest.

I am sure the 2010 DC event will be something along the lines of a Strawberry Shortcake plot.

What's in a name?

Over the past few years in DC Comics they have introduced many superheroes from Asia. What i like about their hero names is that when translated it is pretty much a description of what they do. Superman is a general term, but Accomplished Perfect Physician pretty much tells you where the guy is coming from. Sure Batman lets you know that he is dressed like a bat, but Immortal Man in Darkness pretty much gives you a heads up on what you are dealing with here. Other greats include :

August General in Iron

Ghost Fox Killer

Mother of Champions

Socialist Red Guardsman

Most Excellent Superbat

Big Atomic Lantern Boy

Well spoken Sonic Lightning Flash

...and my favorite Shiny Happy Aquazon.

Not much fear comes from their names, but then again Green Lantern is just as guilty.

I think my asian hero name would be Funny Tall Blogger Man.

Lovable Grouch sues Theatre Production

Long time Sesame Street resident Oscar the Grouch says that he has finally "had enough of this ongoing theft and insult." Innovator of the trash can drum, Oscar feels he deserves compensation for what is his intellectual property. As first reported in the Sesame Street Herald, Oscar is seeking upwards of six figures in retribution for losses and mental distress. Producers of Stomp the Musical were not available for comment. The first court date is set for early July and proceedings could last well into the new year.

I miss the Chimp

Final Crisis Aftermath features 4 different titles :
Run!
Ink
Dance
Escape

I am not sure why after a horrible Final Crisis i even dared pick up these titles. Run! had me excited as i do enjoy Matt Sturges but the first issue didn't really catch me. The other three i decided to give a chance to as well. I understand that it is only one issue in for each but none of the opening issues really caught me as a must read, something happening alot at DC Comics lately.

I was hoping for the quality that we received when DC did another four title run building up to Infinite Crisis. Villains United, Days of Vengence, OMAC Project and Rann-Thanagar War had some quality writing and also made me a future fan of the Secret Six and Shadowpact. I am on the edge of straight out cancelling all four of these titles unless something really good happens in issue #2 of each. DC is walking a fine line of crappiness lately that borders on just plain bad. They are leaning on Morrison and Johns so much that everything else has fallen to the side. Honestly, if Blackest Night doesn't live up to the hype i can see some changes happening around the DC office.

Friday Favorites - Madrox Edition

Well after a very lazy birthday week, i find myself behind in the blog game. It's no suprise that on a day of multiple posts that i will wind up talking about Madrox, the Multiple Man.

I first started reading X Factor because i really enjoyed Peter David's run on the 90s Aquaman. The first trade of it was recommended by a friend so i picked it up and was astounded. After previous years of laughing at "lame" characters like Strong Guy, i found myself loving a very well done character driven series. All of the characters in X Factor are considered B grade at most, but because of the writing you don't even care if they are "superheroes." The main character, Jamie Madrox, is easily one of my top 5 characters of all time, hence the blog name as well. The nature of how his dupes work is brilliant writing and can lead to so many tales over the years that the potential for him is endless. I will get into the full roll call of X Factor another time, as each character does deserve their due.

Each week David finds a new way to add a twist to Madrox's life, each story on its own is just a fun ride. From having a baby to tracking down every one of his dupes in the world, the life of Jamie Madrox is one to read.

Mod of the week

For those who don't know me very well i will fill in one spot of info. I really like to play a game called Heroclix. Lately i have taken to making my own figs and dials for it. My goal is to make one really nice mod in a weeks time. This week i am going to try and make Domino of X-Force. Check back in next week and i will have a finished product and announce my next attempt.

Wednesday Comics (late edition)

What is the world coming to when a life long DC fan is reaching for an X-comic before all of the Bat-titles. Thanks to a lofty substandard run at DC Comics i have taken a new liking to the Uncanny X-Men. The latest run is fantastic, with great character development and good stories for them to take part in. This weeks Uncanny is the final chapter in a story arc involving the Sisterhood of Evil. Lame name aside it is a cast of some great female villains in the X-universe. Spiral and Deathstrike have always been favorites of mine, and this story uses them very well as a combined team.

Once again Marvel hints at a return of Jean Grey (sigh) and thankfully does not go through with it. It seems that they add a new member to the lineup each comic, with the latest being Northstar and Dazzler. The story arc is great and even has a suprise appearance from Domino. In the end we also get the return of another favorite character of mine, Psylocke. With Dark X-Men on the horizon the X-franchise is doing very well and can only get better.

The World Needs a Frank

First off, this isn't me telling everyone to pick up a gun and start a war against crime. It is more a matter that i am actually shocked that some angry parent or relative hasn't avenged some crime against them or their family with a Punisher style assault. If one has happened then it was such a feeble attempt that it didn't even make the news, or they got swallowed up by the mob on their first run. The concept of the vigilante has been around for a long time and a character like the Punisher isn't so far off that someone with the right training and motivations couldn't do it. To think that a police officer or military person hasn't been a victim of crime is pretty much impossible, so what is stopping the world from seeing its first Frank Castle?

Also on this note, if there was a person on a killing spree against criminals, would the police put in a huge effort to halt it? If the crime rate in a city dropped to record lows out of fear, what would happen in other cities? It would probably spawn a bunch of copycats which would lead to greater problems everywhere.

Anyways, I for one will not be suprised one day if someone does take the law into their own hands on a large scale. I just hope they don't do it dressed up as a bat.

Friday Favorites

Emma Frost

By no means is this list in any sort of order, I am just choosing to write about what ever hero/villain is fresh in my mind. This first time around I am going to talk about Emma Frost, co-leader of the X Men.

X Men as a franchise was by no means a must read of mine over the years, but they do have characters in it that I think are very cool or interesting. There are the obvious choices like Wolverine, but he is actually farther down on my X List. As far as the current lineup I would have to say that Emma Frost ranks up near the top for me. I don't know what it is about her entitled attitude and no bull approach to leadership that i dig so much. She has underlying tension with many of the X Men because of her Hellfire Club days, but when it comes to the crunch time, she is a proven leader. I understand that many fans dislike her because she is the replacement girl for Jean Grey, but i was never a fan of the Scott/Jean relationship. Her role as Scott's love and leader of the team are both unquestioned and rock solid. Only lately with her joining Norman Osborn's Cabal has she shown any signs of her old ways. A few writers have hinted at her returning to the Hellfire Club, but in the end she has remained on the team.

Matt Fraction is the newest writer on Uncanny Xmen and it is by far my favorite writing since I started reading the title a few years back. The Brubaker run was muddled by a year long story arc that revolved around the Shi Ar Empire. Fraction does a great job of writing the characters the way i always imagined them, and Emma is really well done.

Time will tell if Emma ever returns to her evil ways, but for now she is a perfect fit to the new era of the X Men. I can't wait to see how her role in the Cabal and Dark Reign as a whole pans out.

Wednesday Comics

It's the best day of the week again, comic day.

This week i am going to talk about Batman and Robin #1.

The creative team of Morrison/Quitely are now in charge of the greatest duo of all time. The spin on it was for fans to wonder who would fill the roles coming up to the Battle for the Cowl event. With that now over the shoes of Bruce Wayne have been filled by none other, the original Robin Dick Grayson. The role of Robin is a tricky one, it is Bruce Wayne's love child Damian. For those who didn't know, Bruce Wayne actually has a child that isn't just his ward or adpoted child. DC Comics decided to make a story called "Batman : Son of the Demon" a reality. Damian has been trained his whole life by his mother Talia and her league of assasins, which is problem enough.

Time will tell if both Dick and Damian fill their new roles well as the Dynamic Duo. They stand to be a more upbeat version of the tandom, with Dick never being the hardass that Bruce was, but then again Damian is more of a no nonsense type of person.

The first issue is very good and introduces a new villain named Pyg, and there is a sneak peek in the back of the issue of things to come. After Batman RIP and Final Crisis i had lost all hope in Grant Morrison, this may have swung me back in his favor for the time being.

I recommend this title, as the writing and art are both very good Did i mention there is a new flying Batmobile! How cool is that.

This week in history...

This week in 1997, i finally witnessed my first Metallica concert. I have been a fan since the late 80s and this was my first chance to see them live. My sister suprisingly was the person to get the tickets and also to give me a place to stay while in town. She is not a huge heavy metal fan, but i caught sight of her enjoying the show.

This fall I will be on my way to see Metallica for the 6th time, but the best time was watching the "accident" and a man burst into flames with my sister.

Thanks!

God has his reasons

This week i "celebrate" the 12th anniversary of destroying my knee. When i was younger i fancied myself a basketball player and figured that would be my way of life. I went to university pretty much to make the basketball team, and never really took the school part of it seriously. I came close to making the university team but fell short in the end making the junior varsity team. I pretty much coasted out the rest of the year in the school department and took a "year off" to work and think things through. In my head it was time off to get in better shape and take another crack at the basketball program. During this time i got a job at Blockbuster and moved in with some friends still taking classes. One day that summer i played a pick up game of ball with my friends and some local kids that were at the courts that day. At some point during the game one of the opposing players under cut me and i landed awkwardly while still spinning around trying to land. I heard a crunch sound and hit the ground. Being in sports a long time, you hear all kinds of great crunching sounds come from your body and move on. Only this time when my friends helped me to my feet, my lower leg slid into the upper leg and i hit the deck again. They rushed me off to the hospital with my leg completely dislocated and sticking out sideways. Upon arrival to the ER i was put into a "temporary" cast until i could return the next day and see a real doctor. That night i cried myself to sleep with the notion that i'd never play basketball again. I was told the next day that i had torn my ACL, MCL and ruptured my meniscus, the cartilage wasn't doing so great either. The doctor i saw was convinced that i could rehab this injury without surgery, only if i promised never to play sports again. This was a bold statement for a 22 year old at the time, but i assured him that i could do it. I moved back home with my parents and started the long rehab process, and never once did they question what had happened to me. They probably noticed me crying once again on the way home as I had hit what i felt at the time was rock bottom. The next three months i spent in a cast from hip to toes and feeling sorry for myself. I can't thank my parents enough for being supportive and never letting me get too down on myself during these times. I returned back to my roomates months later, and also had my job waiting for me too. It was a rough transition to being a "part time" athlete, which also lead to a follow up surgery 6 months later when the knee finally had enough.

All of these years later i have distanced myself greatly from basketball and rarely watch it. This is a far cry from my obsessive youth where i knew every player and watched every game on TV. With the condition of my knee i barely take party in sports at all, for fear of it failing me again. I believe the doctors exact words were "you can take part in a light game of tennis occasionally". At the time he told me that, you may as well of shot me.

I lead a nice sportsless life now, and a smile comes to my face when my young son dunks his basketball on his mini hoop.

My dirty little secret...

So as many of my friends and co-workers would tell you, i have developed a liking for Men Without Hats. This in its own is odd because the group has been disbanded since the 90's and had their greatest success in the early to mid 80's. What would make a man jump on board a long lost bandwagon you ask?

It started last year when I was surfing You Tube on a daily basis looking for songs from my youth to put together a fun playlist of old music videos I enjoyed. Safety Dance was on that list and when looking for a descent version of it I came across a video of them performing it live. It was a copy of a DVD performance that they released a few years ago of one of their concerts from when they were in their prime. The version of Safety Dance was quite different from the MTV version that most of us came to love, midget and all. Also in this live version, they band had incorperated more standard rock equipment, and not just a synth keyboard. The different version with more of a rock feel to it was quite catchy, and i added it to my favorites. I continued to watch other songs from that concert and found myself liking quite a bit of their performance, shocking on its own because of my heavy metal background. I looked around the internet for the original versions of these songs, and the studio versions didn't hold up to the live ones. The album recordings were very pop and synth driven, not my real cup of tea. I now own that DVD, not suprisingly called Live Hats It was a Christmas gift from the wife when she realized my new obsession with that concert. I still play the DVD on occasion, if only to watch my son dance around to the catchy beats.

Check it out for yourself : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JsKlZaYNnM

Mom would be so proud...

As I sat in the basement playing video games as a youth, mom would yell out "why don't you get outside and get some exercise?" Sadly the Atari 2600 didn't have the options that the Nintendo Wii now has, so I spent my childhood not in the greatest of shape. Today I purchased the EA Active pack for the Wii and can't wait to give it a shot. We already own a Wii Fit and the Personal Trainer package, both of which I have used. With having my son to watch over in the afternoons and some mornings, going to the gym is out of the question. Hopefully during his nap times I can bust out some good exercise time on the Wii and get back into somewhat descent shape.

I know what you're thinking, a video game is not going to be the same as going to the gym. I have watched the evolution of how game companies are using the Wii and some of these exercise "games" look pretty legit. If it gets me to break a sweat I will know it's working. EA Active is getting rave reviews and time will tell if it will work for me.

Not even a sniffle?

Back in the early 90's when DC Comics decided it was time to kill Superman, there was an extreme backlash from the public. It is still the one of the highest selling DC comic of all time as well. It even got to the point where the writers and staff were receiving death threats from crazed fans who could not believe that the longest running hero in print would meet his demise. All these years later Clark is just fine and DC has moved on to bring back most of its major dead heroes : Green Lantern and Green Arrow for starters.

Fast forward to now, Batman is 'dead'.

Was it covered on the news? Nope.

Was it a compelling story that made it worth the read? Not even close.

Did it cause a fan frenzy to buy up all the copies and send death threats to the heads of DC? No sir.

Apparently the second biggest name in DC Comics doesn't get the same love that Superman does, nor does he get the quality of writing that he deserves. Batman RIP is a horrible journey that leaves the casual reader confused and the hardcore fan fuming with rage. You are teased with the prospect of Thomas Wayne still being alive and Bruce falling in love and walking away from being Batman for good. None of this happens of course as Batman is the world's greatest detective and saw it all coming a mile away...again. The ultimate slap in the face was that after the entire story arc of RIP, Batman returns to actually "die" months later in the major event of Final Crisis (both stories by Grant Morrison suprisingly). Batman also dies while using a gun, something he has vowed never to do.

RIP and Final Crisis were horrible displays in story telling and not worthy of being comic events. I have never come so close to cancelling my subscription to the Bat titles and walking away in disgust. Battle for the Cowl was just as bland with the obvious choice of Dick Grayson moving on to become Batman.

Batman has the deepest pool of great characters and villains just waiting to be used in a well written story. It has been a long time since a great story like Hush, and the fans deserve that quality again.

I wish the new Batman creative team all the luck in the world, because no one in the world even knows what just happened to poor Bruce Wayne.