Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 - That sound you just heard was my head exploding (see Justice League: Generation Lost #13 for a visual representation of what that looked like).
Birds of Prey #6 - This issue was, to quote Doug Benson, fucdiculous. The resolution was so outrageously "everything works out for everyone, hooray" in a Tempest fashion. There were a few nice moments (Shiva giving Huntress a new moniker springs to mind), but overall it was hideous to look at and not much more pleasant to read. Teetering on the "drop pile".
Booster Gold #38 - You know, until a few years ago, I didn't really realize that characters such as Mr. Nebula, Blue Jay, Silver Sorceress and General Glory from the much beloved Giffen/DeMatteis run of Justice League were analogs of Marvel characters. Yes, I can be kinda dense sometimes. Anyway, this is a wacky WWII caper involving Booster Gold and General Glory and it's the first issue of the GifDeMat run on the title that feels 100% like the old JL (except the art is a little clunky). I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not.
Justice League: Generation Lost #13 - Holy poopies. Some stuff actually happens this issue. Like (SPOILER) shooting (SPOILER) in the face with his (SPOILER), and making his (SPOILER) go all 'splodey. I honestly didn't see that one coming, mainly because Geoff Johns isn't writing this book and he's usually the one to dismember and 'splode people. I've long objected to Max Lord being d-bag #1 in the DCU, but I'm starting to enjoy disliking the a-rod. Mighty Crusaders #5 - Wow, Inferno's a T-800. I would say "SPOILER" but nobody's reading this book so I can pretty much give away anything that happens and apathy towards it will continue to abound.
Red Robin #17 - If my wife weren't picking this (or Robin prior) I can't say I'd be reading this with any regularity, but with the exception of the first few issues of this new series, I'm actually really enjoying it. Nicieza really does well managing Tim Drake: Teenager, Tim Drake: Wayne Enterprises figurehead, and Tim Drake: Superhero, now merging in elements of Tim Drake: Playboy, and Tim Drake: Son.
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 - Don't think I didn't notice that both licensed-properties books that came out this week (also Mighty Crusaders) were $3.99, DC. Then again so was Return of Bruce Wayne #6. I'm not sure anymore what the connection is. As for the book itself, it's a very Greg Rucka-esque presentation (a good thing) featuring more of the behind-the-scenes aspect of a UN sponsored super-powered fighting force than the men (and women) wielding the power. Not sure if it'll continue like that (I'd like it to), or if it'll take a turn into more conventional, follow-the-powers story. I'm on board, and curious about the old stuff, since I know, literally, nothing about the original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.
Tiny Titans/Little Archie #2 - okay, issue one was fun, but this one is full on "aw yeah!" Josie and the Pussycats are invited to Pet Club (where the first rule is, naturally, to not talk about Pet Club), and a party breaks out in the Titans treehouse, as Captain Pureheart and the Archies-as-heroes gang show up. It's utter crossover madness, with more puns than you can shake a stick at. Directionless, but absolutely delightful.
Unwritten #19 - ahem, still not caught up yet. Residing comfortably with a pile of Unwrittens stacked neatly beside the bed.
Chew #15 - a lovely "Last Supper"-esque gatefold cover adorns this interlude issue in which Tony goes home for Thanksgiving and we learn all about his family and his family troubles. Plus, a serious game-changer ending which will either mean exciting changes or an unwelcome shift in the story.
Tron: Betrayal #2 - So very surprising that a comic book interlude actually accomplishes anything, but Betrayal actually develops Kevin Flynn in a way that the first Tron never did, observing as he struggles with his corporate life, his family life and the virtual reality world he built. The Grid is also grown from seed to, likely, where it is at when Sam Flynn arrives in the new movie. It's not a perfect story, but it is pretty darn good, add that to the new trailer my already unbridled enthusiasm for the new film has grown exponentially.
It Came From Beside The Bed
Classic G.I. Joe Vol 8. - I've been slowly working my way through the highly ridiculous Classic G.I. Joe comics (though not nearly as ridiculous as the 80's cartoon), but I've fallen behind with volume 9 and Special Missions vol 1 & 2 still waiting. But I powered through volume 8, which contained an arc which at up half of its ten issues. In a crazy case of mindboggling overkill, Serpentor and Cobra Commander (who's really a dude named Fred) are locked in a civil war on Cobra Island (a land mass created a few volumes back from a "Superman Returns" style plot) and somehow Serpentor managed to get the Joes on his side. Toss into the melee Destro and his own private army, and it's a three-way tug of war. After it all ends (in but a whimper) the Joes are livid and seek to take on their handlers who forced them into the fiasco. But virtually the entire (now mammoth-in-size) Joe crew are arrested and publicly called out for treason while a few underground Joes scribble together an A-Team like plan to clear their name and expose the politicians who are behind it all. It ends abruptly with a one-panel appearance by Destro who swings in to save the day (seriously). Larry Hama is not a great writer, but for some reason his unintentionally screwball take on highly unrealistic characters and situations hits a certain ironic tone with me and, especially when it comes to G.I. Joe, seems to fit it like a glove.
4 comments:
You know, I wanted to care about the Red Circle titles and the characters, but why did DC have to section them off so that they had no interaction with the DCU other than right at the beginning? Why not have the Hangman show up in Azrael? Why not have Jaguar appear in Brightest Day? Justice League of America? Why isn't the Web tangling with Oracle?
Same goes for the Milestone characters. Get them in the thick of things, mix them in. Jeez, I was so excited when I found that they'd bought up all those characters, but why not DO SOMETHING WITH THEM?! Don't stick them in their own book, and when no one buys it, call the characters failures.
DC really dropped the ball on this one.
Seriously, if you have a handle on what happened in "Return of Bruce Wayne #6", I'd appreciate some hints. My best guesses:
1) Wonder Woman drops the clue that gods fight with abstractions, so none of the details or facts is as important as the concepts.
2) Darkseid's plan was to send Batman to the end of time (like a bullet) and have a curse-made-flesh chase him. There it would destroy any efforts to loop time back on itself and restart the universe.
3) Batman figured out that the curse could follow him only if he remembered who he was, so Batman's plan was to see to it that he forgot who he was (also remaining alone, and thus failing to live up to the first truth of Batman). The fallback plan was to remember but have the curse chase him back to the 21th century where it could do little harm.
4) Batman sent the curse back through time, where -- I guess -- it will always pursue him. But since Batman is also a creature of legend (i.e. partially abstract himself), the curse cannot destroy him so long as the essential truth of Batman holds sway. That's why ringing a bell is important: because that's where the legend is born.
Ghaaah, I am typing utter gibberish. Damn you Grant Morrison.
Jeff, I'm so will you. While they had some minor DCU crossover in the Red Circle titles (and when Magog is the big guest star, I do mean minor), there wasn't much vice-versa. I did a post a while back about how this was all so mishandled
http://secondprinting.blogspot.com/2010/03/if-you-want-protection-you-cant-hide.html
I'm also in equal agreement about the Milestone characters. It seems DC basically just wanted Static and licensed up the rest to get at him. There's apparently a new Static ongoing coming in 2011, so that's something at least.
We'll see how the fourth licensed acquisition (after the Pulp Heroes, Milestone and Red Circle), THUNDER Agents, are treated
(verification word: "obcunk" .. that makes me feel all dirty for some reason)
kingb, your guess is as good as any :)
I'm in need of a complete reread of ROBW and fingers crossed that Morrison actually put in all the required details to understand what actually happened.
Did you (or anyone?) read the Dan Jurgens side-series (with Rip, Booster, Supes and GL)? Did it help clarify anything or was it just ancillary frivolity?
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