Comics are Awesome III

[andersonh1]

Green Lantern #45
Hal and Relic fight Black Hand at the Source Wall. That pretty much sums up the issue. The interesting portions of the story have to do with Hal and Relic interacting, and Relic's admission that Hal's use of the green energy actually helped prevent greater damage to the universe. This may be the first time Relic has voiced that type of sentiment, so it's a step forward for the character. Black Hand gets merged with the Source Wall, so he's out of the picture for the time being, but he's dormant rather than dead, so we'll see him again. And is that Sonar making an appearance next month? How long has it been since we've seen that guy?

Doctor Who Ninth Doctor #4
We're still in the midst of the "two warring factions" storyline that this mini-series is built around, and the writers use this issue to turn things on their head for both factions. Both have, if not sounds moral motives for what they're doing, at least understandable motivations. The Doctor and Jack help one side repair a breach in the time vortex, while Rose sides with the other side and helps them find the hidden base of the faction that the Doctor is helping, setting up a clash between friends for the final issue next month.

Batman '66 #28
The Scarecrow and Killer Croc are introduced to the Batman '66 universe in the two stories from this issue. After last issue with Bane recovered the humor we saw early on in this series, we're back to stories that just lack the overt fun that makes this version of Batman work. There are some good jokes and some absurdities that made me laugh, but it does feel like the quality of the writing just isn't the same. I'm still enjoying the book, and I'm sorry that we're getting near the end (issue 30 is supposed to be the last).

The Scarecrow is Jonathan Crane, as usual, but rather than a college professor who develops his fear gas and becomes a criminal, he's a tormented man who took advantage of the natural properties in some water near his family farm to take out his childhood phobias on the citizens of Gotham. Batman figures this out, and also that crops grown by a farming couple nearby are the key to resisting the fear gas. That extra helping of grits is what really did the trick!

Killer Croc was set up a number of issues back as one of King Tut's henchmen who drank an elixir while in Ancient Egypt. It's turned him into a half crocodile, half man, and he's delighted because he's bulletproof and strong and thinks he can't be beaten. Batman and Robin go to visit his girlfriend in the hope of tracking him down, and end up chasing Croc into the sewers, where Batman uses "brains over brawn" to beat him in a fight and capture him.

[Sparky Prime]

Green Lantern #46
Like andersonh1 said, this issue can pretty much be summed up as Hal and Relic fight Black Hand at the Source Wall. It is good to see Relic admit Hal's use of the spectrum energy helped to win the day, but overall, not really much to this issue. Black Hand gets trapped within the Source Wall and the fissure in the wall is fixed as a result. However, Lost Army puts an additional twist on this...

Green Lantern Lost Army #6
The Lightsmiths are attacking Mogo, while the Green Lantern Corps defends him. The Energy Converters attacking Mogo somehow changes the Lanterns powers as it washes over them, even turning Guy's Red ring into a second Green ring. Eventually Mogo becomes charged by the energies and expels the Lightsmiths. Deciding to investigate this later, Salaak has detected signals from their home universe... at the Source Wall. Once there they find Hal Jordan is sealing the fissure, trapping the Green Lanterns within this dying universe.

Very interesting finale to Lost Army. I wasn't expecting the crack in the Source Wall we've seen in Green Lantern to lead to the previous universe that Hal has now unwittingly trapped the GLC in. Thankfully this storyline will be continued in "Edge of Oblivion".

Sinestro #16
Sinestro visits Black Adam on Earth, having discovered Black Adam once fought and defeated the Paling on Earth thousands of years ago. Sinestro explains his intention is to be proactive about eliminating threats to his Corps rather than defending against them like the Green Lanterns. Adam agrees to give him information about the Paling he has locked away in a tomb with the history and bodies of his defeated enemies. One of the bodies entombed is the Pale Bishop of the Pailing, which Sinestro recognizes as an Oan, a Guardian of the Universe, which the energies from Sinestro's ring brings back to life.

Again, very nice twist in the story having the Paling founded by a Guardian of the Universe. It'll be interesting to learn the history behind this 'Pale Bishop' in the next issue.

Star Trek/Green Lantern #5
A full out battle erupts between the Federation, Klingons, Gorn and Romulans. While Uhura revives the Enterprise crew after Sinestro's attack, Hal tries to reason with Sinestro that they still need to work together to defeat Nekron. Sinestro remains unconvinced, but Hal gets backup thanks to John, Guy and Kilowog. Meanwhile, Spock discovers on long range sensors the planet Vulcan has apparently returned. This seems to help convince Sinestro that Nekron has indeed followed them to this universe and says they'll need his help to face him. On the way to Vulcan, Scotty reveals with the scans he took earlier of the rings, he's manage to replicate a ring. Although he admits it's not a perfect replica, he thinks it should at least give them the equivalent of a phaser, which he gives to Sulu to test it out. At Vulcan, the Lanterns, Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down, where they quickly meet Nekron, and an army of Black Lantern Vulcans.

Pretty sure TOS didn't have replicators that could make something like a Power Ring... That level of replicator technology wasn't introduced until TNG. But anyway, however Scotty did it, it's interesting to see Scotty made a ring. It appears to be a White ring, but given Scotty only had access to 6 rings (missing a Green Lantern ring), I'm not sure if it actually is or not. Nice to see a few more Green Lanterns survived and ended up in the Trek universe. Final issue is next month. Be interesting to see how they conclude this event.

[andersonh1]

I knew I missed a book. Didn't get Star Trek/Green Lantern this past week.

Superman: Lois and Clark #2
There's no slow burn storyline here. After delivering her manuscript designed to take down Intergang last issue, during which she was observed, Lois and Jonathan are attacked by armed gunmen this issue. Lois gets the call out to Clark for help, and he disarms them all using his speed so that he is not seen. He scours and cleans the site of the attack so that there's no photo or any way to trace or identify Lois. Once both are back at the farm, they discuss the final plan they have in case of being found out, and determine that it's not time to implement it yet. There are hints that Jonathan may have inherited some of Superman's powers, but nothing remotely definite... he just hit a man with a tire iron and knocked him out. We find out that Hank Henshaw was not in the shuttle that Clark brought down intact last issue.

There's also a flashback to the early days on this Earth, when Lois is writing for the local paper and Jonathan is maybe a year old. Clark is in Chicago, stopping some no-name villain in armor. One wonders if he wouldn't have been better off operating stealthily on his own Earth, given how successful he is so far, but this is an older, far more experienced Superman, and his goal is to protect his family rather than inspire. He and Lois clearly believe the people and authorities on this Earth can't be trusted when it comes to superheroics. And there is someone tracking even Superman's stealthy actions, though it's in no way clear who he is yet.

There's a lot going on, and I'm really enjoying not only a Superman that I recognize and who I read for years, but who has been allowed to move beyond the old status quo and live his life as a family man. And now he's not only lost Krypton, but his Earth as well, something Lois shares with him. This is easily my favorite book right now.

Green Lantern Lost Army #6
Sparky summed this one up pretty well. Yeah, the crack in the Source Wall as a gateway back to their home universe sort of makes sense, though with John Stewart and the other GLs in the distant past, how are they seeing Hal in the present day? And John thinks Hal is sealing them in, while Hal has no idea they're even there. I'm glad this story is continuing rather than seeing the author try to wrap it up in too short a time. There's plenty more story to tell given the setting and the characters.

Batman '66 #29
It's back to tv villains for the first of two stories in this issue as Ma Parker escapes from jail, and ends up reunited with her family in the Arkham institute. Mildly fun and amusing, but I haven't seen the episode with this particular villain, so it didn't do a lot for me. The second story sees Catwoman (the Julie Newmar version) return, having not been seen since the first issue I believe. I guess that means there are two people running around with the Catwoman identity, since we saw the Eartha Kitt version some time back. She helps Batman round up Killer Croc, Solomon Grundy and Killer Moth. Batman and Catwoman flirt and fight and work together, and Batman is clearly smitten. This one was a lot more fun, with loads of characters.

[Dominic]

At some point last week, Marvel announced that "Secret Wars" #9 has been pushed back to January. And, even if issue 8 ships this week (which it is not scheduled to), it will still be at least a week late based on the revised schedule (which ultimately pushed it back 3 months).

So, uh, yeah. "Secret Wars" reads well enough. And, it is a good Doom study. But, as an event, it is a failure. No two ways about it.

"Edge of Oblivion"

Is this the Taylor series? Has it been solicited?

[andersonh1]

It has been solicited as far as I know. First issue should be out in January.

Went to the comic shop today and picked up Green Lantern and Star Trek/Green Lantern #5. Dropped Transformers from my pull list, leaving me with no monthly Transformers books. Couldn't find the Wreckers book, but I'll check next week. I'm happy enough with the quality of Nick Roche's work that I'm willing to give it a shot, even though the main books just aren't that good any more.

Haven't read GL yet, but I flipped through the book. Spoilers below:

Now we know where

Spoiler

Parallax went after his appearance in Lois and Clark #1. He's killing members of the Sinestro Corps, and remarking how dark this universe is. If he wanted to remake the 90s DC universe because of all the tragedy, imagine how motivated he would be with the New 52 universe. The Convergence survivors continue to have an effect on post-Flashpoint DC. Makes me wonder how long it will be before pre-Crisis Barry Allen and Supergirl turn up.

[Dominic]

Response to Anderson's spoiler text:

Spoiler

Based on that, I get the feeling that Parallax might be reclaiming the role of "whiny fan proxy" from Superboy Prime. (That was definitely the character's job in "Zero Hour".) I do not think that DC is setting up for a return to how things were so much as they are telling old fans to "deal with it".

Given how haphazardly "Convergence" ended, I doubt that DC had any meaningful plans for the Silver Age characters.

On another note, I added "Edge of Oblivion" to my pull-list. I like Tom Taylor enough to jump back in for a DC book.

Couldn't find the Wreckers book, but I'll check next week. I'm happy enough with the quality of Nick Roche's work that I'm willing to give it a shot, even though the main books just aren't that good any more.

It shipped last week, so you may have missed it.

And, at this point, it is probably best to read TF as a generic comic. Pick up the runs that are buy creators you trust and skip the rest.

[Sparky Prime]

Now we know where

Spoiler

Parallax went after his appearance in Lois and Clark #1. He's killing members of the Sinestro Corps, and remarking how dark this universe is. If he wanted to remake the 90s DC universe because of all the tragedy, imagine how motivated he would be with the New 52 universe. The Convergence survivors continue to have an effect on post-Flashpoint DC. Makes me wonder how long it will be before pre-Crisis Barry Allen and Supergirl turn up.

That's interesting...

Spoiler

Sinestro hasn't mentioned that anyone has been killing members of his Corps in his title. But that might just be the result of DC being more loose with the continuity between titles. Good to know Superman isn't the only one of the Convergence survivors that has taken an active role in trying to do good in the New 52 universe. Kinda funny to think there are 2 renegade versions of Hal now. I'd have to doubt Parallax would try remaking the universe again. He'd pretty much said in Convergence he learned his lesson. But it will be interesting to see where they take this development...

[Dominic]

DC has been getting more of my attention of late. I am not likely to buy in on "Green Lantern", but I am likely to keep an eye on it. (And, given the way that Marvel has been bouncing deadlines of late, DC may get more of my attention.

I understand the model to keep these smaller, independent shops in business. But it sucks for a customer who is not necessarily part of that group, which is me.

What's the deal with Vision? (Maybe this should go in the comics thread now.)

Replying to O6 (from page 70 of the "Transformers" comic thread).


"the Vision" seems to be focusing on the idea of the Vision trying to adapt and live normally. The idea is old. But, considering that Vision has been around since the 60s, the idea is due for a modern treatment. Obviously, the Vision and his family fail at normalcy. But, the series is probably about those failures, and (by extension) commenting on people.

It is not straight capes.



As for smaller shops....ugh. They should be working harder to get people's money. If somebody walks in and wants to commit to making a regular purchase, the shop-keeper should be doing everything they can to help that customer spend money.

True stories from the metro Boston comic scene:

Late 2000:
A comic store in a recently gentrified square had been functioning for at least a decade with no competition in walking distance. The owner made money by selling trading cards and allowing a select group of "preferred" customers to go through his reportedly amazing back room. (I was never one of those select few, so I cannot comment on the inventory.) He spent no money on advertising, and would ignore people who wanted to buy things that were not immediately on hand (even if they were in the back room). He puttered along, selling "Magic" and "Pokemon"...right up to q4 of 2000.

A new comic store opened up a few blocks away. A shopkeeper 2 miles away was *scared*. He knew who the guys opening the new store were. They had inventory and they had a willingness to sell. (There was also some other stuff. But, that is not important right now.) The guy two miles away spent money on ads. He spent time organizing product in a way to played to his strengths (Joes). Meanwhile, the guy with preferred customers just puttered along.

I worked in advertising, and tried to sell him an ad. He insisted that being a local "institution" and being a few blocks closer to a train station would protect him. (Never mind that most of his customers were coming from walkable areas.)

New store opened in October. Old store was fatally wounded by November. By Christmas, he was all but closed. But, January of '01, the space was up for lease.


2010:
Another small store, in another recently gentrified square, was in trouble. They owed Diamond money. (Things happen.) This store went at least 2 weeks without a Diamond contract. (This can be enough to sink a store.)

But, they pulled through. They never turned away a customer. They are a small store. I do not believe that they have much stock in reserve. But, they have pull-files. If they can order something, they will do it. During the two weeks without Diamond, they went out of their way to get comics on the aftermath, selling them at cost to keep customers coming in while the store got itself in order. And, they offer pull-files.

[andersonh1]

Green Lantern #47
I always enjoy seeing Hal's family in the book. It keeps him grounded in a way that a lot of characters aren't. Sadly, in today's comic book market, writers can't seem to avoid the temptation to kill off a super-hero's family members. Hal's older brother and his brother's wife were killed off when Hal was the Spectre, and now it looks like his nephew may well have been the victim of a terrorist attack. We'll just have to see if he's dead or only injured, but obviously I hope he pulls through. Who wants to see a kid die to further a storyline? And the normality of Jim Jordan's life compared to Hal's crazy outer space superhero life makes a nice contrast.

And Jim forces Hal to get a haircut! Good little brother.

The villain of the story is Sonar, who hasn't shown up in I don't know how long. It looks like Vendetti has chosen to make him less of an overt supervillain and more of a terrorist, as his method of attack this issue is a bomb at a Coast City amusement park. It's very topical, and it could work for the character, as long as he retains some of his fantastic nature. I think he'll be wasted as nothing more than a guy who plants bombs and kills children. Let's hope Vendetti is a little more creative with his "reimagining".

And as mentioned before, the issue opens with two Sinestro Corps members running from and then being killed by someone they perceive as a Green Lantern. The last page reveals that it's Hal as Parallax, talking about how he can fix this universe. So we have two renegade Hal Jordans in the book now. Nice. I'm looking forward to seeing Parallax go after Sinestro (and fight Parallax the entity perhaps? Who is also duplicated if he's possessing Hal? This could get complicated.) and meet his older self. We saw a younger Hal meet Parallax during Kyle's time as GL, and now we get a chance to see an older Hal, who remembers being Parallax, meet himself. Or some version of himself. I just want Parallax to be in issue 50, so we'll have three Green Lantern volumes in a row where issue 50 features Hal as Parallax.

Green Lantern/Star Trek #5
As much fun as this series is, it's really gone nowhere for three issues now. All the various Lanterns fight each other, Hal and Kirk quip back and forth, and the issue ends with Black Lantern Vulcans. At least at the end of issue 5, Kirk, Spock, Hal and others have actually traveled to Vulcan to investigate, and they encounter Nekron there surrounded by Black Lantern Vulcans. All of this is not to criticize the book. Quite the opposite, it's been very enjoyable. It's just a story built on franchise mashups rather than a complicated plot, so there's not much to describe.

John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kilowog show up out of nowhere to rescue Hal from Sinestro. It feels like a bit of a cheat, but at least we get to see Kilowog observing Sulu fly the Enterprise, and then ask "which button do you push to make it go faster?"

To be concluded next month.

[Dominic]

Damn, "Secret Wars" is never ending. The last issue of "Ultimate End" apparently got the same "late, even after being formally delayed" treatment as "Secret Wars" #8. And, issue 9 is also getting delayed. On top of all this, Marvel is pushing their next events. I have nothing against events or cross-overs on principle. But, pushing new events when the current event is so off the tracks is just bad form.


My current pull-file (including upcoming series):
*=series has not begun

DC:
Earth 2:
I would not be reading this series if not for the fact that I really like the core premise. Abnett is scheduled to be taking over in early 2016, which is cause for cautious optimism.

*Edge of Oblivion:
I am enough a fan of Taylor to follow him on to this series, despite my better judgement.


IDW:
Sins of the Wreckers:
First issue is sitting in my "too read" pile.

GI Joe:
Very much a mixed, and uneven, bag. Not the worst thing on shelves, but arguably the worst thing on my pull-list. Unless it wows me by January or so, it is the most likely to be dropped.

Marvel:
Ultimate End: Just waiting for it to end.
Secret Wars: Ditto.

All New Wolverine: Tom Taylor on writing.

Contest of Champions: 3 issues out, along with "Marvel Point One".

Guardians of Infinity: Dan Abnett writing the Guardians.

Drax: Mostly, I am curious to see if CM Punk can write.

Illuminati: The Hood is a good character. And, the concept of the book (bad guys work together to fend off the heroes) appeals.

Iron Man (Invincible and International): Bendis has 4 issues of one series out, and the second will be launching next year. I plan to treat this as one series.

*Squadron Supreme: I have always loved the Squadron, and I am a fan of Robinson.
*Hyperion:
*Night Hawk:

Red Wolf: "1872" was a high point of "Secret Wars". I am not enthusiastic about Marvel moving the character to modern "616", but I will give the series a chance.

Vison: Vision tries to be a normal person, complete with a family in the suburbs.

Web Warriors: Costa picks up where "Spider-Verse" left off. This series, by its very existence, establishes a multiverse in post-"Secret Wars" Marvel.



After I catch up, I plan to cut this list down.