DC Bloodlines

Direct Currents: Wednesday, February 15, 2011

2012-02-15T02:03:00.002-06:00

R.I.P. John Severin, Comics Art Master Of Western, War And Humor

Scott McDaniel Speaks Out On The 'Static Shock' Creative Meltdown

DC Comics Solicitations for May, 2012

New Animated Covers By Kerry Callen [Art]

Sean Anderson Crystalizes the Appeal of Your Favorite Comic Heroes [Art]

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 02.06.12

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 02.13.12

Awesome Art Picks: Supergirl, Spider-Man, Nightwing and More

Awesome Art Picks: Jean Grey, Batman, Captain America and More

Awesome Art Picks: Batman, Wolverine, Spider-Man and More

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 02.10.12

BLOGS

The Aquaman Shrine
Top 10 Most Memorable Mera Moments
Aquaman and Mera Cosplay @ Wizard World New Orleans
AquaSketch by Rod Reis
Memories of Mera: Paul Kupperberg
Aquaman Art Gallery: Mike Allred
Aquaman Art Gallery: Luke Batt
Aqua-Family Character Designs by Ivan Reis

Brian Bolland's Blog
The Joker Who's Who from about 1990
Work in progress: Dial H #2.
Detail of the day: Invisibles cover
Detail of the day: Strange Adventures

BronzeTiger
Task Force Elite

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
JLA 100 Project Donna Troy charity art gallery
1995 DC Comics Wonder Woman Book "Dump"

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
Batman in "Bat-Murderer!" from Detective Comics #444
El Diablo in "The Fury of the Haunted Horseman" from Weird Western Tales #19 (June 1973)

El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker Presents:
Reading Crisis on Infinite Earths
Part 9: War Zone
Part 10: Death At The Dawn Of Time!
Part 11: Aftershock
Part 12: Final Crisis

Firestorm Fan
Custom Mego Firestorm Action Figure Box
FIRE AND WATER Episode 12
Classic Firestorm by Yildiray Cinar
Multiplex in Who’s Who – 1986

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Legion Lost #5 (March, 2012)
Superboy #200 (January-February, 1974)
2011 Yashuntafun Miss Martian "Casual Outfit" Cosplay Gallery
Women in Refrigerators, 13 Years Later
Gammeron
2011 "J'onn J'onesin" art by Ryan Bullard

Kevin Nowlan
Six Metamorpho covers
Superman & Batman commission
Batman Manhunter cover art

Power of the Atom
Justice League America #64 (July, 1992)

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Action Comics #6
Review: Action Comics #6 Back-Up
Review: Hawk And Dove #6
Review: Superboy #6
Review: Legion Lost #60

Comic Reader Résumé: June, 1983

2012-02-11T00:13:00.001-06:00

My memories of June, 1983 reading are fuzzy. I know at some point a copy of Power Man and Iron Fist #97 came out of a three pack, but that would have been months if not years later, and I'm not even sure it was mine. Not the strongest impression, obviously. I specifically remember looking at Alpha Flight #2, and despite being intrigued by the ferocity on Marrina's face, it was Marrina, and she was in Alpha Flight. I recall tossing through the adaptation of Superman III, whose unintended side effect was to turn me off to seeing the movie entirely. I loathed Curt Swan as a kid.

Since the summer months were less than fruitful for my new comic purchases, I wanted to take a moment to play catch-up on a few missed entries. I've mentioned Gemco a number of times here, which was a retail chain that went defunct in 1986. My family's store of choice was K-Mart, which had a fine selection of toys I liked, such as G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, Mego Pocket Heroes, and especially the various cheapskate Remco lines (Universal Monsters, Dukes of Hazzard, Sgt. Rock, The Warlord, American Defense, Crystar, Mighty Crusaders, The Karate Kid, etc.) We went to K-Mart seemingly every Saturday, if only to pick up my grandmother's prescriptions from their pharmacy. Gemco was only an occasional stop, and I loved them because their toy selection was completely different, and often amounted to out of date clearance items that K-Mart had already dumped. Unlike K-Mart, Gemco also had a comic selection, including three-packs, a spinner rack of new releases, and even some Treasury Editions collecting dust.

Sometime in late '82 or 1983, I had the opportunity to buy one (and only one) such edition. I'm uncertain of the selection, but I'm pretty confident Batman #1 wasn't part of it, as it would have provided serious competition. Detective Comics #1 might have been there, but one Batman story and a bunch of plainclothes ballast would have been easily forgotten. I'm pretty sure one of the two Wonder Woman reprints was there, which would have been awesome to read, but a combination of Harry G. Peter art, Greco-Roman bondage fantasy, and the sheer girlishness probably weren't an easy sell to a kid. I suspect All-Star Comics #3 was there, but to be honest, I thought the Justice Society of America looked like a bunch of stupid weirdos back then. The Flash's tin-pan hat was a deal breaker, but the creepiness of the Atom, Hourman's hideous color scheme, Sandman's stupid mask, and the amateur dorkiness of the rest made it a no-show. Whiz Comics #2 might have been there, but I never chose the fake Superman over the real one, and it had the same problem as Action Comics #1 of featuring one super-hero story and a bunch of other junk.

My ultimate choice was clear, Famous First Edition #9, reprinting Superman #1. I loved that book to pieces, literally. Despite my affection for the movies; between them, reruns of the George Reeves TV show, the contemporaneous comics, and even the cartoons; the Man of Steel was kind of wussy. He had so much power that he used so unimaginatively against clearly inferior opponents. In the treasury though, I saw the seminal, primal Superman of Siegel and Shuster. He was still powerful, but more on the level of a Spider-Man type, although with a vastly different attitude. His opponents were still unimpressive, but his actions were not. When a knife bent against his skin or he barged through a steel door, it was realistic, and you could feel the might being wielded. Shuster had a raw thrust to his work, just detailed enough to be tangible while clearly representing only a snapshot of figures in motion. As great as it is to fly, Superman leaping really high and running across power lines was more real to me. I still occasionally have dreams of jumping up and briefly soaring low in the air, "Matrix style," and landing to do it again. I don't think that's a Freudian sex thing, since I'm perfectly happy to have those represented graphically. I think it's more like a temporary, believable escape from the bonds of reality. Also worth noting is that on the rare occasions I do dream of flight, it's Star Brand type practical levitation.

Part of the joy of the book was that Superman could overcome any obstacle, whereas I'd grown up on him having the "off button" of kryptonite that saw him consistently crumble like a house of cards in a stiff wind. Nothing could stop this Superman, which was a thrill, but the creators still found ways to create tension. For instance, an innocent woman is set to die at midnight, so Superman races against a clock ticking away in caption boxes to gather a defense to save her. Realistically, Superman could have just pulled her out of her cell first, but shut up already, it was cool. In another story, a war profiteer is taken to join an undercover Superman on the front lines. You experience the guy's terror, as well as satisfaction in his being made to realize the means by which he was turning a buck. It was somewhat sadomasochistic at its core, but covered in wholesome morality. Superman was essentially a socialist bully, but it was easy to fall in line with his logic and indulge in the power fantasy. It was clearly more satisfying than the passive authority figure he'd become by 1983.

Another comic I would have bought around this time was a three-pack collection of Marvel's adaptation of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I was a huge fan of the film, and as recently noted by Bitter Andrew, this was the closest thing we had the video back then. I remember going to the park and spinning the merry-go-round alone as fast as I could. I would then grab a rail, and let it drag me along the ground, like when Indy trailed a truck down a desert road by the length of his bullwhip. I had a few of the Star Wars-sized figures from the local Gemco. Once, I found an Indiana Jones doll partially open at a Toys-R-Us. It was missing his gun and maybe his whip and/or hat, plus a price sticker. There were no bar code scanners in those days, so my mother wasn't sure we could buy it in that condition, which made me cry until a sympathetic stock girl made up a price ($6? $9?) and pegged it with her gun. On her own, my mother ended up buying me a Ken doll and a couple of Barbies (not all at once,) so that Indy would have other dolls in his size range to play with. I eventually got a nude Gene Simmons "Demon" KISS doll second hand, so he was the obvious villain. My grandmother worried that there might be something wrong with my having all those Barbie dolls, and consulted her doctor. He told her that since I had boy and girl dolls, it might actually be good for developing social interaction skills. He was probably right, since I've never had any feelings of confusion regarding gender or sexuality, and get along well with others. My stepfather was less secure, and gave them all away behind my back.

Anyhow, the adaptation was written by Walter Simonson, with art by John Buscema and Klaus Janson. Not a bad team, and it sufficiently jogged my memory about favorite scenes in the flick in between viewings on broadcast television before VHS came along. I still have a copy somewhere in some format, probably the comic-sized collection of all three issues.

Since this edition was meant to discuss comics bought in June, I should mention the one that made it home. Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi was a superior viewing experience for a kid, and had me waving an imaginary lightsaber out the car window on the drive home. I'd seen all three of the movies at the cinema, the first at a drive-in, and at the time it replaced Raiders as my favorite film (until being unseated by Aliens in 1986.) The first issue had nice art by Al Williamson and a memorable Bill Sienkiewicz cover, but I never bothered with the rest of the mini-series.

Direct Currents: Wednesday, February 8, 2011

2012-02-08T00:03:00.002-06:00

Enjoy the links while you can folks, because I'm going to d/c the DC a.s.a.p.

Al Rio Passes

It has been reported by Brazilian journalists that comic book artist Al Rio has recently died.

Stephen Amell Is The Green Arrow

'Watchmen' Prequel Announced by DC Comics: 'Before Watchmen'

Collecting the Legion 018: DC Super-Stars Society

In late 1977, DC proposed a fan club called the DC Super-Stars Society with a dozen chapters, devoted to a number of its popular characters and teams...

George Perez And The Death Of Lana Lang That Wasn’t

Why I Quit Static Shock by John Rozum

ScienceFiction.com's Top Ten Black Comic Book Superheroes

They’re aren’t all American, so the term “African American” doesn’t quite apply. I wish someone would come up with a more inclusive euphemism!

Fox Affiliate Demonizes DC Comics Relaunch for Sex, Violence, Whatever

Some Superhero Re-Construction Needed by Darin Wagner

Comics Everybody: The History of Donna Troy Explained

Gambling With The Dark Knight And Superman’s Erectile Dysfunction

MAD's 'Botchmen' Explores The Lighter Side Of 'Watchmen'

The Amazing 1966 'Batman' Trading Cards by Norman Saunders

Yasmin Liang's Justice League Gender Swaps and Fashion Illustration Tickle Our Fancy [Art]

The Wonder Woman Cheerleaders Of Russia

From Superman to Solid Snake, Loston Wallace Draws it All [Art]

Edwin Vazquez's Illustrations Drip With Awesomeness

Andres Romero Spends a Lot of Face Time With Your Favorite Heroes [Art]

Spider-Man's Tattooed Grandson and Wonder Woman's Hair as Envisioned by Rodrigo

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 01.23.12

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 01.30.12

Awesome Art Picks: Joker, Star Wars, Venom and More

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 01.20.12

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 01.27.12

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 02.03.12

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
GIANT PENNY WEEK, #6: Thoughts for Your Penny
GIANT PENNY WEEK, #7: Adventures of the Giant Penny!
GIANT PENNY WEEK, #8: Haikuesday with the Giant Penny
I agree with Sherri Ly of Fox News about DC Comics!

The Aquaman Shrine
Aquaman Art Gallery: Steven Morrow
JLA Puzzle
DC Super Friends My Busy Book
Aquaman iPhone Wallpaper
Super Friends Toy Car by AHI

Being Carter Hall
The Savage Hawkman v.1 Announced (Again)

Blog Into Mystery
Flash weds his lady love, that nagging shrew, Iris West

Brian Bolland's Blog
Ah! Elasti-girl!

BronzeTiger
Iron Fist vs Bronze Tiger

Comics Make Me Happy!
Two Face by Jegang

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
JLA 100 Project charity art by Joseph Michael Linsner
2000 Warner Bros. Studio Store Exclusive JLA Mug
"The Wonder Of It All" editorial by George Pérez (1986)

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
Kong the Untamed #1 (March-May 1975)
"The Sorcerer's Castle" from House of Mystery #272 (June 1979)
The Flash, Black Canary, Hawkman & Hawkgirl in Super-Team Family #3 (November 1975)
Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #8 (September 1972)

The Dork Review
Map of Smallville
Adam Umak's Villain Jam Pieces
Supergirl DVD Booklet

El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker Presents:
Reading Crisis on Infinite Earths
Part 5: Worlds In Limbo
Part 6: 3 Earths! 3 Deaths!
Part 7: Beyond The Silent Night
Part 8: A Flash Of The Lightning!

Firestorm Fan
Firestorm in Captain Atom #2 (April 1987)
Happy Birthday Firestorm Fan Blog!
Super Heroes Have Issues Too t-shirt
Putting Out the Flame of Firestorm
Episode 11 of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST
Ethan Van Sciver recent comments on DC Comics Message Boards
Darryl Banks Firestorm drawings

Giant-Size Geek
Mister Miracle by Mike Grell and Bob McLeod
Jack Kirby Fourth World Gallery: pinups by Byrne, Simonson, and more!

Girls Gone Geek
Stream of Comicsness – Week of 01.18.2012
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Trinity Mothers

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Martian Manhunter Mark III
Mars-Two?
2011 "It Even Rains in Space" Martian Manhunter color art by Michael Walsh and Adam Metcalfe
2010 "Miss Martian Manhunter" art by Matthew S. Armstrong
2011 "Have Peace Eduardo Barreto" art by Michael Netzer
Comrades of Mars: R'ell
Duffy

Justice League Detroit
1984 Vixen, Vibe, Gypsy, and Commander Steel Postcard by George Pérez
Justice League: Cry for Justice (2009-2010)

Kevin Nowlan
Ra's al Ghul card art
Another DC card: Talia
Legion of Superheroes Painting
Mary Marvel
Batman gargoyle drawing

Power of the Atom
The All New Atom Ryan Choi Index
2011 The Atom pondering art by Shelton Bryant

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
The Doomsday Book!

Silver Age Comics
The Continuing Dilemma of Brainiac 5
Brave and Bold #1

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
Suicide Squad: A Watery Grave & Captain Boomerang's "Flash back" in Brightest Day #7
Suicide Squad #5 Review: Diablo BBQs Belle Reve , King Shark eats somebody again & the hunt for Harley is on!
Here's Black Spider back in my very first comic at age 6 . Now he's in The Suicide Squad 33 years later

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Dollmaker Designs And Jamal Igle's Run
Back Issue Box: Action Comics #595
Review: Supergirl #5
New Supergirl #6 Cover
Review: Superman #5
Back Issue Box: Adventure Comics #399

Tower of Fate
A Comparison of the Babylonian Mythology of Negal (Nergal) and the DC Mythology of Negal
History of Dr. Fate Pt. 4
Doctor Fate @ Deviant Art
Doctor Fate Cake
Review: The Golden Age Dr. Fate Archives Vol. 1

Review Section

The Buy Pile by Hannibal Tabu

Comic shop comics by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Comics Of The Weak by Tucker Stone

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care by Diabolu Frank

Comic Reader Résumé: March-May, 1983

2012-02-04T00:00:00.047-06:00

ré·su·mé [rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
noun
1. a summing up; summary.
2. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

As I mentioned last time, March, 1983 was a bad month for continuing storylines. I failed to follow-up on cliffhangers in Captain America, Power Man and Iron Fist, and come to think of it, anything else. Maybe I'd tapped out my change tips from picking up packs of cigarettes for my grandmother at the 7-11? Times must have gotten tough, because I skipped April, as well.

The first book I bought after the slump was May, 1983's Alpha Flight #1. At a dollar, it was a big ticket purchase, although a bargain at its double length page count. Like most of the comic world, I loved John Byrne in his prime, and all those great looking Marvel heroes on the cover made it an easy sell. However, I soon realized that of those heroes, Alpha Flight were clearly the least. For instance, grouping Snowbird, Northstar and Aurora together made it clear that they barely had one costume color between them. Puck's defining character color is his own hairy flesh. The same was true of Marrina's jaundiced skin, her suit coming out of Namorita's closest. Sasquatch was a poor man's Beast, and Shaman seemed rejected by the Global Guardians. Guardian was the only well designed character in costume, but that costume was the sum total of his personality. The "Alphans" (blech) fought a bunch of giant muck monsters from Canadian Native folklore, which today I would find neat, but as a kid bored me. They reminded me of a movie called Shadow of the Hawk that tripped me out, but it was spooky because it was normal humans against an alien form of the supernatural. Brightly colored super-heroes following in the footsteps of Jan-Michael Vincent were considerably less impressive. For years, it was a book I'd toss through for Byrne, but not actually read.

I next bought All-Star Squadron #24, lured in by what amounted to Spider-Man versus the Justice Society. I had trouble wrapping my brain around heroes still fighting World War II in 1983, but to this day I think the redesigned Tarantula looks fantastic. I'm sure Ditko's version of Blue Beetle was a big influence, but the uncommon use of brown classed the Tarantula up. Chuck Dixon teased the character's return throughout his Nightwing run, only for Devin Grayson to pull a gender switch with necessary adjustments to the costume that ruined its gracefulness. The art by Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan was lovely, but Roy Thomas has never been a favorite of mine, and the story's the thing. I might have given the book another try, but I specifically recall buying this off the spinner rack at Gemco, the only place I ever saw the title in my pre-comic shop days. Shopping trips there were momentous, but irregular.

The New Teen Titans Annual #2 was a huge book for me. It was the debut of a new Vigilante, who I recognized as a Punisher knock-off. However, Punisher appearances were few and far between back then, and I hadn't read any but a two-parter from 1977. The Hitman had kidnapped J. Jonah Jameson, so Spider-Man had to not only save his despised boss, but also keep Frank Castle from murdering anyone, all while fighting on the Statue of Liberty. While a cool action piece, the story was only slightly less silly than average.

The Titans were comparatively hardcore in "The Murder Machine," as they pushed the boundaries of heroism in their dogged pursuit of justice for a friend's family's murder by mobsters. Basically, it was my introduction to the type of "grim n' gritty" super-heroes that would dominate the '90s. Wolfman clearly relished getting nasty and playing around with the darkest tropes of old school gangster flicks (I especially loved the game of Ding-Dong Ditch.) Perez was at his most cinematic and detailed, finally inking himself in a tour de force.

Besides looking amazing and being lethal as hell, the comic finally offered me (and likely, a generation of haters) a version of Robin to cheer on. One of my favorite comic moments was when Robin plays at intimidation in a restaurant, kicking a bodyguard in the face with his little green bootie. The mobster's bimbo says something like, "I always thought he was a boy, but he's a man!" If only Nightwing had followed through on that promise. I loved the heck out of this book, and still have most of my original copy, although some of it is in pieces. This story insured a loyalty to the Titans that would make me a hardcore DC fan in the '90s, although DC shot itself in the foot by making it direct sales only at a time when the newsstand was my only regular source of new comics.

Finally, there's The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior #3. I had wanted to try the first issue, but it was prohibitively expensive at $2.00. I liked the Crystar toys, and had inherited an interest in Dr. Strange from my uncle, so this standard issue got the nod instead. Nice cover, decent story, solid interior art, but nothing to inspire further reading. What makes my memory of the book fond was that for some reason, my grandmother decided to write my name under the indicia as a theft prevention device. It was the only time she ever did that, and while I have (mostly) lost and (occasionally) gained a great many comics through grift, I still have this one.

Green Lantern Corps #4 (February, 2012)

2012-01-31T00:00:00.016-06:00

The planet Xabas. A team of Green Lanterns with depleted power rings led by John Stewart were surrounded by robot ninja dudes possessed of emerald energy weapons of their own. Said weapons were demonstrated as useless against the ninja dudes, thanks to DNA signatures. The head ninja dude saw the fire in Stewart's eyes, even in surrender. "We spit on all treaties, and surrender's abhorrent to you as it is to us... That's why I feel you still need... the proper motivation." Head ninja dude stabbed a bald Caucasian Green Lantern in the head, spilling conveniently purple blood.

On Oa, Guy Gardner was torturing a captured ninja dude for information. Without the standard issue black armor, he looked like Chemo on Slimfast with a skeleton floating inside. Six pages in, I learned the ninja dudes are called Keepers, but I still don't know the name of the executed GL. Gardner tried to play good cop/bad cop with Salaak, but the old alien was too much of a fuddy-duddy to go full Patriot Act on the Keeper. The Keepers were slaughtering whole planets full of people, but to Green Lanterns, that sounds like Tuesday.

Elsewhere, some big rocky Lantern named Kannu was beating up actual rocks and himself over leaving a fellow corpsman behind. Elsewhere elsewhere, the reptilian Isamot Kol was trying to work a power ring with his tongue in a training session, since his arms and legs were still regrowing. Sheriff Mardin recommended he switch to his tail, since the ring apparently tasted terrible. I think these guys had all escaped Xabas, unlike poor Unnamed Cannon Fodder, who shall long be mourned. After all, John Stewart needed something else to feel guilty about.

The GL POWs were teleported to a barren world pocked by power battery impressions. "Be prepared to lose your will and maybe your lives... as you cross the Emerald Plains."

Guy Gardner continued his brutal interrogation, but not drugs nor violence nor threats could break the Keeper. From out of nowhere came the Martian Manhunter, with whom the Green Lantern apparently has no prior history in the New 52. J'Onn J'Onzz informed Gardner of his identity and position with Stormwatch, fully intending to wipe the Lantern's memory after extracting all relevant information from the Keeper's mind. As it turned out, what they kept were GL power batteries, on the plain where Lanterns could send their power sources to keep them from being left otherwise unattended. That situation turned sour, and now the Keepers were headed for Oa to claim the Central Power Battery...

"Prisoners of War" was by Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. Remember that old Stan Lee saying about how every comic is somebody's first? Tomasi doesn't. See, this was my first issue of GLC since the Mongul arc from volume one. I don't think many of the corpsmen here were in that story. I don't know these guys, and I don't feel like I got much of an introduction. Guy Gardner playing Jack Bauer was in character, but Martian Manhunter came right out of Tomasi's poop chute to get all mindrapey. You know what kind of comics I don't need to read? Vague ones with nothing new or interesting to say except to tell me that all my funny JLI issues don't count anymore. I've got a few longboxes of that good stuff, and they're the only reason I bought this book... once.

New 52's Day

Aquaman #4 (February, 2012) @ Justice League Detroit
The Huntress #3 (February, 2012) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #4 (February, 2012) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Amazing Heroes #202: Aborted Titans/Nightwing Plans (June, 1992)

2012-01-28T03:39:00.003-06:00

Click to Enlarge

Comic Book Legends Revealed #195 discussed plans for the abortive 1992 Nightwing/Starfire mini-series by Art Thibert and Pamela Winesette, under the editorship of Jonathan Peterson, and with the full blessing of Marv Wolfman. The column also linked to a selection of articles at Titans Tower in which Thibert was interviewed about the proposed mini. I was a big fan of the changes Peterson made during his time editing the Titans books, and was very disappointed at the massive turnaround that occurred with his departure. I'm especially annoyed by how Nightwing was turned into a poor man's Daredevil by Chuck Dixon, Devin Grayson, and others.

I was struck however by discrepancies in these accounts when compared to a report in June 1992's "Newsline Extra: DC's 1992/1993 Projects" article from Amazing Heroes #202. Below is their coverage, as well as the above rare promotional image, which I've never seen anywhere else...

As a companion, I thought I'd include Art Thibert's copyrighted offerings to the 1993 The Creators Universe Dynamic Entertainment trading card set, "Starwing and Nightfire." Look familiar? Reminds me of Liefeld's work on Agent America/Fighting American and Smash!

Click to Enlarge

2011 Deathstroke art by Timothy Green II

2012-01-24T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

"Deathstroke the Terminator! What a cool character. I left off some of his accessories, but it's still him. I wanted to draw the new version, but I couldn't get a good enough look at his costume. Looking forward to the book!"

This is boss! It reminds me of the Mike Zeck covers from the first solo series by way of Dave Ross!

Timothy Green II

Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
Martian ManHunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

Comic Reader Résumé: February, 1983

2012-01-21T02:44:00.000-06:00

I started this feature on another blog, and I might ought to return there, since February, 1983 and onward through much of the '80s was very Marvel-centric on my part. Let me know if I need to preserve the DC quotient here at Bloodlines, or if I can lapse into zombiedom on this blog.

While I know I read the previous Captain America issue at an early age, I'm not 100% sure I bought it brand new off the stands (three packs still being all the rage back then.) This issue made a stronger impression on me, and I vividly recall picking it up at the local 7-11, my primary source for new comics. Besides the classic, classy heroic poses on the cover, this was the first book I bought where (a) Bucky was a co-star. I really dug something about the black and white celluloid in the background, which I approach with an enthusiasm I suspect was similar to kids exposed to Showcase #4.

Spider-Woman, who I knew from her cartoon, starred in a prelude that confused me. I was young enough to wonder why she was appearing solo in the opening pages of a Captain America comic. Worse, her appearance involved leftover continuity from her own cancelled series, which I knew nothing about. On the other hand, she was fighting Viper, who I immediately took to. I'm not sure if I'd been previously introduced to her as Madame Hydra in old Steranko comics, but I thought she was bitchin' right off here.

Cap finally showed up with his Jewish girlfriend Bernie, who was kind of like an older Kitty Pryde, so I immediately approved of her. I'm not sure if she was rocking a bad perm or that Margot Kidder cut, but I forgave it either way. Cap was introduced to Jack Monroe, the mentally unstable replacement Bucky of the 1950s. For all I know, this was the first time I'd heard of any Bucky, so throwing in McCarthyism and all that retroactive continuity blew my mind. Toward the end, I also met the Constrictor. He's another guy like the Shocker who got no respect because of a funky color scheme and padded costume, but I thought he looked boss, and have always had a soft spot for him.

I loved the J.M. DeMatteis story and Mike Zeck art, but felt gypped by the lack of "Defenders" (missing the cover copy caveat) and cliffhanger ending, just as the action was finally starting. I wanted to read more, but for some reason, I never did buy #182. I know I had the opportunity, but I ended up buying other comics, until my 7-11 finally ran out of copies. I will say that I strongly suspect an aversion to Monroe adopting the new identity of Nomad, or more specifically, a half-cape and plunging neckline. Blech.

I read a copy of Avengers #231 at the old school beauty salon where my grandmother liked to get her beehive tended. My other memory of the place was playing with an Indiana Jones action figure choreographed to Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger." Anyway, the comic put me off of the team. The Al Milgrom art and character selection didn't help, but my main problem was their fighting a tree. I never warmed to heroes versus nature or animated inanimate objects.

Power Man and Iron Fist #93 wasn't my first time reading the duo, but it was my first buying them. I lived in a mixed race neighborhood, and my friends tended to have their own copies available for loan, thanks to Luke Cage. I dug the mainstream period Denys Cowan art, but Kurt Busiek missed with me early and often. You'll note by the absence of any DC purchases this month that I was already over their dated shenanigans, so the last thing I wanted was a Flash Rogue in blackface like Chemistro. On the downside, this was another cliffhanger, involving cast members getting stuck turned into glass. Marvel was as bad about multi-parters as I was about not buying all chapters, so I never finished this dumb story.

Direct Currents: Tuesday, January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

Click to Enlarge (in Poor Taste)

DC Comics Solicitations for April, 2012

ROB LIEFELD JOINS THREE ONGOING SERIES

DC "Strange Woman" Identity Revealed

“Her name is Pandora.”

First Look: Smallville's Erica Durance Suits Up as Wonder Woman on Harry's Law

It's the moment Smallville fans have been waiting for...

History Lessons With Peter Sanderson

It sounds like a dream job – getting paid to read comics and take notes. Very few ever get such a chance. Peter Sanderson did, twice...

In the 1940s, Batman protected the state of California. Seriously.

I love how reality momentarily mirrored Gotham City's newfangled crime-fighter.

Rob Liefeld To Write Deathstroke Series?

Coming through the industry gossip mills...

How Liberalism May Be Hurting Comic Book Sales by Darin Wagner

How Conservatism May Be Hurting Comic Book Sales

What Might A Conservative Comic Book Look Like? by Darin Wagner

LBFA Presents: What Is Your New Year's Resolution? [Comic]

George Perez Draws Superman, Batman And Wonder Woman Together For The London Super Con

The World of Batman Meets Dr. Seuss in Mashup Art

Comic Book Cocktail Recipes For Your New Year's Eve Party!

Coran Stone Continues to Make His Action Movie Mark on Comic Book and Cartoon Icons [Art]

Amy Mullen Illustrates Kids Costumed as Their Favorite Superheroes [Art]

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 01.02.11

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 01.16.12

Awesome Art Picks: Magneto, Batman & Ultimate Spider-Man

Awesome Art Picks: Catwoman, Galactus, Psylocke and More

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 12.30.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 01.05.12

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 01.13.12

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
The JLA Satellite Heroclix Map!

The Absorbascon's Giant Penny Week
#0: Better than Sauerkraut!
#1: Case of the Penny Plunderer!
#2: Meet Joe Coyne!
#3: Attack of the Giant Penny!
#4: Death Trap!
#5: Betrayed!

The Aquaman Shrine
Aquaman Shrine Interview with Joe Prado and Rod Reis
Super-Team Family: Aquaman and Sub-Mariner!
Aquaman After Dark
AquaSketch by Neil Vokes
DC's Fabulous Females
Justice League Japan by Cliff Chiang

Armagideon Time
Nobody’s Favorites: "The King" Standish

Atomic Surgery
"Search For A Werewolf!" from Weird Mystery Tales #13, DC Comics, 1972

Being Carter Hall
Read: The Savage Hawkman #4
Justice League Hawkman Animated GIF
Read: The Savage Hawkman #4
Analysis: Liefeld Taking Over Plots For Savage Hawkman

BronzeTiger
Suicide Squad cosplay
TIGER STYLE: 7th CHAMBER

DC Fifty-TOO!
ADVENTURE COMICS Featuring SUPERBOY #1 by Jordan Gibson
COMPOSITE SUPERMAN #1 by Matthew Allison
FLASH #1 by Adam Limbert
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 by Jamie Fay
LOBO INC #1 by Kyle Strahm
WEIRD WAR TALES #1 by Jake Ekiss

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
2002 DC Direct Wonder Woman Snowglobe
2002 DC Direct Justice League Animated: Wonder Woman Maquette

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
El Diablo in "Night of the Living Dead!" from Weird Western Tales #13 (May 1972)
"Dirty Job" from Our Army at War #241 (December 1971)
"The Second Death of the...Spectre" from Adventure Comics #440 (April 1975)
"The Supergirl Gang" from Adventure Comics # 381 (April 1969)
Jonah Hex #1 (December 1976)
Ragman #1 (1976)

The Dork Review
Legion of Super-Heroes Wedding
Gloria Steinem's Adventures with Wonder Woman
Hero Stickers and Jointed Heroes
George Perez's Robot Man
Super Powers Mini-Comic Album
January in the DC-verse
Flash's Rogue Gallery
Adam Strange's The Magic Maker of Rann
Pre & Post Crisis Photo from All-Star Squadron #60
Cool Artist: Ned Bajalica
All-Star Squadron just before Crisis

El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker: Reading Crisis on Infinite Earths
Reading Crisis: Prologue
Part 1: The Summoning
Part 2: Time And Time Again!
Part 3: Oblivion Upon Us
Part 4: And Thus Shall The World Die!

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
52 - 6 + 6 = 52
On the proliferation of new Batman titles...in 1989

Firestorm Fan
Jenette Kahn talks about Firestorm’s creation
2008 DC Universe Holiday Special
FIRE AND WATER Podcast Episode 10
Project Rooftop Firestorm by Andy Trabbold
Firestorm Custom Action Figure

Girls Gone Geek
Catwoman by Rafael Albuquerque
Friday Favorite: Starling

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Others: MICA'KEL
2011 Ziggy Stardust: Manhunter from Mars by Daniel Irizarri
2009 “H’ronmeer’s Flame” mixed drink recipe by Jacob Grier
Happy Zook Year!
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Volume XIV- Martian Manhunter (April, 1986)
Comrades of Mars: Grandmother J'onzz
JLA 100 Project: Green Lamtern & Martian Manhunter by Victor Castro & Mark McKenna

Justice League Detroit
2006 The Vixen color art by Jason Brown
2009 Vixen art by Flávia Güttler

Kevin Nowlan
Batgirl grayscale painting
Wrightson's Solomon Grundy pencils, page 22
Teen Titans Card: 2004

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
Green Lantern in All-American Comics #69 (1945)
Doll Man #6 (1943)

Power of the Atom
Martian Manhunter #1 (May, 1988)

The Quality Companion Companion
DCnU: Quality Watch
DCnU: Quality Watch 2
DCnU Quality Watch 3: Madam Fatal

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Battle of the stretchers: Elongated Man vs. Mr. Fantastic vs. Plastic Man

Silver Age Comics
DC Comics Trends Througout the Silver Age
Falling In Love #99

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
Suicide Squad #4 Review: Hail Kobra! . .er I mean Basilisk
The mysterious & curvey Black Orchid
Some kick ass Rick Flag fan art that I kinda . . sorta made
Bronze Tiger & Deadshot by Eddie Nunez, SO FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Legion Of Super-Heroes #4
Review: Superman #4
Back Issue Box: Superman Family #199
Review: Action Comics #5
Jamal Igle's Review Of Supergirl #54
Review: Hawk And Dove #5
Review: Legion Lost #5

Todd Klein
STEVEN BOVÉ’S DC LOGOS Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Tower of Fate
A Comparison of the Assyrian Mythology of Nabu and the DC Mythology of Nabu
History of Dr. Fate Pt. 3: Inza Nelson
Review: The Immortal Dr. Fate #2
You can own the Helm of Fate

Review Section

The Buy Pile for JANUARY 4, 2012 by Hannibal Tabu
The Buy Pile for January 12th, 2012 by Hannibal Tabu

Comic shop comics: December 28 by J. Caleb Mozzocco
Comic shop comics: Jan 11 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Comics Of The Weak: Every Good Boy Does Okay by Tucker Stone
Comics Of The Weak: Playing Totally For Type by Tucker Stone

Deadshot: Beginnings #1 by Nina Stone

G3 Review: Action Comics #5

Wednesday Is Anthologistic 2011 For All I Care #130 by Diabolu Frank
Wednesday Is New 53 Minus 49 For All I Care #131 by Diabolu Frank

Comic Reader Résumé: January, 1983

2012-01-13T23:30:00.000-06:00

ré·su·mé [rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
noun
1. a summing up; summary.
2. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

After my last post was published, I did some research and found that I'd missed a December, 1982 purchase. I'd so enjoyed my sampling of The Brave and the Bold that I suspect I went looking for more value for the dollar team-up action that month. The first strike out was DC Comics Presents, and the second was World's Finest Comics #289. All I remember was being disgustingly bored with it, and weirded out by its mating plant limbs and boo-hooing Superman and Batman. I was much too young to realize that the whole thing was a thinly veiled slash fiction, but between the two books, I decided Superman didn't work as a partner to other heroes. Most Superman comics I tried as a kid were crappy, dull, and dated, so I figured his talent pool infected other characters when intermingled.

Speaking of dark confessions, I've come to realize that my sudden boom in buying new comics was likely related to my mother dating and eventually marrying a scumbag, who at least offered a boost to the family economy. For instance, sometime this year I bought my first trade paperback at the mall's B. Dalton Booksellers, the 1979 Simon And Schuster "Fireside Collection" Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty. I try to stick to brand new, off the stands comics with this column, since covering back issues across a span of years would spin things right out of focus. In this case though, it was a momentous purchase made from a retail outlet, so I'll let it slide. Beyond the patriotastic Dave Cockrum painted cover were reprints of the 1965 version of Cap's origin, his big revival as an Avenger, his swell first solo story of the Silver Age, the return of the Red Skull, and first the Cosmic Cube epic. That's all-killer, no-filler there. In a bit of jackassery, the cover only credits Stan Lee, but Jack Kirby was in perfect fighting form on all those stories. Bouncing bombastic battle action with the acrobatic Avenger as he tossed terrorists torsos to and fro! This one also included a rockin' battle with the Hulk drawn by the incomparable Jim Steranko, then a wah-wah ending battle with the Scorpion by the usually great Gene Colan, though I never felt he fit Cap at all. Regardless, this book was pure comic crack, and though I was already a Cap fan by the time I got this, the collection sure synched the deal.

I brought the Fireside book up because this month marked my major plunge in Cap fandom, as I bought two new appearances. The first was Captain America #280, where he battled Marvel's serial killing Scarecrow in a story by J.M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck and John Beatty. While I recognized this one was a rip-off, I think one of the reasons I never got into DC's version is because I always found this contortionist killer creepier. I immediately fell in love with this creative team, and they made this the first comic I followed consistently month after month (although a case could be made for my spotty Brave and the Bold patronage.)

It took me a few more months, but Uncanny X-Men #168 would mark another ongoing fixation of mine. I can't explain why this was the first issue of X-Men I decided to buy, since I already was exposed to them through friend's copies and (I think) their appearance on Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. I could maybe blame being raised by women, because this was likely the girliest issue ever produced. I'd never seen art like Paul Smith's before-- so lovely, clean, and delicate. Chris Claremont's story was all about a teenage girl whining about school and her mentor, taking place in dorm rooms, dance studios, and other centers of estrogen. Storm even took a page to explore her secret tumultuous feelings while on a stroll. There was even a page in the back devoted to outfits in her closet. You'd think I was a Friend of Dorothy, if Kitty Pryde hadn't ended up being my first fanboy crush. She was my four-color girlfriend until I outgrew her, then got grossed out when she started sexing up Pete Wisdom. She's only fifteen (for thirty years!) I still have my original copy, which of course is missing its cover, first pages, and the paper is about as auburn as her hair.

The final Captain America purchase of the month was Marvel Team-Up #128, which totally had me at the photo cover. To this day, I love fumetti, the precursor to cosplay. I'm fairly certain that's Joe Jusko as Cap, and it may be Bill Sienkiewicz as Spidey. There was a nifty feature on the shooting inside. Funny thing though, is that the story was plenty good enough to not need any gimmicks. Once again, J.M. DeMatteis wrote the tale, and if he couldn't be joined by Zeck, no worthier replacement could be found than Kerry Gammill. This was the ultimate point for "on-model" artists who still brought dazzling individual flare, before the age of the auteur/"artiste" expanded the horizons of the medium (but were buzzkills for the Official Handbook style uniformity geeks relish.) The story wasn't all that memorable, since Vermin was just a furry Lizard, but it was enjoyable and a feast for the eyes. It also fueled a growing pro-Marvel bias. Batman was of inconsistent quality solo, better teamed-up. Superman was of consistently low quality, worse teamed-up, and at a nadir with Batman. Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Cap owned individually or as a pair...

The Great Comic Book Heroes: Superman

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

In his 1965 book, Jules Feiffer observed, "The advent of the superhero was a bizarre comeuppance for the American dream... Once the odds were appraised honestly, it was apparent you had to be super to get by in this world." He went on to note that all the pulp heroes like the Shadow and Green Hornet were fakes getting by with gimmicks, while Superman was essentially omnipotent. That being the case, Feiffer questioned the geeky Clark Kent put-on. "Superman as a secret masochist? Field for study there... why not a more typical identity? ...The truth may be that Kent existed not for the purposes of the story but for the reader. He is Superman's opinion of the rest of us, a pointed caricature of what we, the noncriminal element, were really like." Fans of "Kill Bill" may recall Tarantino and Carradine swiping the argument. I beg to differ.

Who amongst us talks to children openly as equals? That don't wish to be arrested, or at least become scorned by society? How can you be anything but at least a little patronizing and reserved amongst minds that just are not mature enough to be subjected to naked truth? It isn't that Superman critiques mankind-- it's just that Clark Kent is as close as he can come comfortably to our level. Yes, he's talking down to us, but with the best of intentions.

"It seems that among Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Superman there existed a schizoid and chaste menage a trois... it appears he wanted Lois to respect him for his fake self... to be there when he pretended he needed her. She never was -- so, of course, he loved her. A typical American romance. Superman never needed her... Lois chased him -- so, of course, he didn't love her... Clark Kent acted as the control for Superman... Our cultural opposite of the man who didn't make out with women has never been the man who did -- but rather the man who could if he wanted to, but still didn't... Real rapport was not for women. It was for villains. That's why they got hit so hard."

Alternately, Superman could be the overprotective guardian. Lois wants Superman, in ways a child should not want her super-daddy. Superman, naturally, races to protect her when she once again is endangered, but is then skeeved out by her advances. However, Superman is a loving authority figure who doesn't want to damage the girl's self-esteem, so he provides her with a safe, undesirable affirmation of her womanhood-- Clark Kent. Just a theory.

Next we could consider Larry Niven's 1971 essay, Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex. Suddenly, his heartbreaking, repetitive returns to save doomed Krypton make so much sense. Even if the Strange Visitor from Another Plant were willing to stoop to pedophilia/bestiality and lie with creatures of another species, who's to say they wouldn't "break." Of course he'd know unfathomable longing for his time-lost movie star lady love... it's the reciprocity I wonder about. Sure, Superman would be a sweetly naive, rugged brute of a man to a native Kryptonian. That might keep your interest for a while. Then it starts to set in that this guy has not spent his life amongst his super-intelligent brethren, but simple grade-schoolers. Likely the "special" kind. What would you talk about? Further, if there's one area Superman would fall short under the circumstances, it's "experience." Faster than a speeding bullet? More powerful than a locomotive? These are not quite accolades when applied to one's tender nether regions. Perhaps it was best to leave Krypton as it no longer stood? They'd always have Argo City...

I once had similar thoughts about the Martian Manhunter, until he went through a streak in the 90's when he started bed hopping. I came up with another idea for him, which can be read here.

Comic Reader Résumé: Fall-Winter, 1982

2012-01-04T05:05:00.000-06:00

ré·su·mé [rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
noun
1. a summing up; summary.
2. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

In 1982, a standard size comic new off the rack cost sixty cents. Meanwhile, I could buy loose back issues at the local flea market for a quarter or less each. Even in my youth, I appreciated value for the dollar. This helps to explain why I took much of the rest of 1982 off as a newsstand collector. In September, it took Masters of the Universe #1 to get me to pay full cover again, and it pretty much immediately put me off. I'd been buying the toys, so I was surprised when Skeletor appeared to die from catching He-Man's sword in the chest after a Superman team-up in DC Comics Presents. When this #1 seemed to open with an epilogue, and declared Skeletor totally alive, I felt cheated. Alfredo Alcala did a fine job livening up George Tuska's pencils, but to a kid there was something oddly icky about Alcala. I couldn't articulate it then, but he had a 70s Eurocentric vibe that, when applied to half naked barbarians, made me feel squicky. I guess you could call it an early bout of homophobia, although I should point out that I came to love Alcala later on horror titles. Anyway, the book felt misaligned with the mini-comics packaged with the figures, and came across as a Conan wannabe even from my far less critical formative perspective. The story by Paul Kupperberg did not hold my attention, and in fact Kupperberg would disappoint me so often in my youth that it was a revelation when I connected the dots years later. "The blotting Kleenex-- the eyelash curlers, the exfoliating stone-- a single father... of course dad was a transvestite!" I skipped October and November.

Now December was a banner month, though. When I saw that blood trailing down Black Cat's arm in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #76, I had to have it. I'd read one other Black Cat comic, but I had that bonding through familiarity that only children and the mentally disabled can produce with such ferocity. Unlike the Skeletor tease, Felicia really was stabbed, smooshed, and slashed all to hell by the arms of Doctor Octopus and the forces of the Owl (yes, the Owl had forces back then.) Also, this all happened while she was in bondage wearing a skintight outfit with deep cleavage. In another contrast with He-Man, this was probably my first pass at sadomasochistic pulp exploitation, which I was perfectly alright with. There was even some great melodrama as Peter tries to pass a college final in a daze while thinking about his girlfriend in critical condition. Whatever his faults as a plagiarist, Bill Mantlo could write circles around Kupperburg's functionality. Jim Mooney was also an inspired embellisher over the often stiff Al Milgrom, giving him fluidity, softening the edges, adding romance, and yes, sex appeal. Milgrom was great with conveying emotions, though. I haven't read the story in decades, but I remember it so vividly that I don't really need to.

Then there's DC Comics Presents #55, which I don't remember so well. I'm not really sure why I bought this one. I liked Superman, and he appeared to be crushed to death in a two page spread, but it was a fake-out. I think I'd seen Parasite in a coloring book, or just thought he looked cool. I would have a nostalgia for Air Wave from then on, but of the "oh, hey... Air Wave... huh" variety. Horrible costume, dorky powers, thin connection to Hal Jordan... blech. I think there was a villainous train conductor riding a mini flying choo-choo in this, and I know the original Air Wave wore roller skates that let him ride on top of telephone/power lines. That's something, of some sort. I never really warmed to Bob Rozakis (or much of DC's writing pool at the time,) and Alex Saviuk was sort of my personal Paul Kupperburg of art.

Finally, there was another awesome The Brave and the Bold, #196. That title was a perfect gateway drug, with a generation's Batman writer & artist using him to introduce all manner of DC irregulars to new readers. So of course DC canceled it four issues later for a garbage X-Men knock-off, the loathsome Outsiders. My affection for this take on Ragman outlived that for Black Cat, probably because there still aren't many humanist slumland five & dime super-heroes running around. Turning him into a wimpy Spectre with a minority angle to trot out on Hanukkah was less than inspired. As with the Spider-Man, what sticks with me are images like Vietnam vet Rory Regan standing at a sink, unable to wash the blood off his hands, or his father's drunken group of friends being slowly electrocuted. The identity switches were novel, and Jim Aparo drew the Caped Crusader with an unparalleled grace. Bob Haney scripts were always a gas, but this one resonated in a way specific to a guy probably aware that his writing days were almost done, giving his all on the way out the door. That is a striking cover as well on a childhood favorite.

DC/WS DreamWar #6 (November, 2008)

2011-12-31T01:07:00.002-06:00

Mr. Majestic relished almost being killed by a beast as "magnificent" as Doomsday. Superman kept being a "boy scout" while Apollo and Midnighter kept cursing, being homicidal, and ribbing the Man of Steel.

Chimera birthed a Sun-Eater within the moon, as detected by Green Lantern Hal Jordan and relayed telepathically by the Martian Manhunter. All the DC and Wildstorm heroes gathered in one room like you're supposed to for Crisis events to be badly drawn in cramped quarters before being deployed. There was arguing, reminders that there's a gay couple in the room, and that Grifter managed to shoot Dr. Fate to death with silly looking guns. Brainiac 5 was irritable and patronizing. Most everybody ended up on the moon.

The Doctor went onto the dream plain to try to convince Chimera to stop being a genocidal jerk, but he was a "petulant brat" who put his own hurt feelings above the welfare of billions.

Midnighter and Raven had a suspicion, and returning to the Larkin, Arkansas trailer, found it defended by the Shadow Thief (who made an unfortunate reference to rapey Dr. Light.) Defeating him, they learned the Atom's size-altering belt had been removed from his trampled body and used to conceal Chimera's sleeping nerdboy form. The Engineer was able to detect and reveal him. From the moon, Superman convinced Jenny Quarx to order Chimera to be woken up.

Everybody involved on the Wildstorm end woke up from "one bad damn dream."

The Doctor visited Morgana at the Athenaeum to return the DC book. It lifted light, as pages were still missing. At least Chimera would not be a problem, as the Doctor made it so that he could never sleep again.

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part six, "...Perchance to Dream" was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. It was an ugly, painful thing to endure, and to no real end besides a series of cover commissions pairing up two universes' characters for a fight.

DCnÜ Year's Wildstormin' Eve

Captain Atom: Armageddon #9 (August, 2006) @ Power of the Atom
Demon Knights #2 (December, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Justice League #1 (October, 2011) @ Justice League Detroit

Direct Currents: End of 2011

2011-12-29T22:35:00.001-06:00

The 50 Greatest Moments In Comics: #20-11

The 50 Greatest Moments In Comics: #1-10

Bu. Wah. Hah. Ha.

'Wonder Woman': The Best Modernized Superhero Pantheon

If you've tried and failed to love Wonder Woman before, give this book a shot...

Happy Hanukkah from Jewish Superheroes (and Jon Morris) [Art]

Every Major Batman Costume in One Convenient Infographic [Art]

Kevin Wada Takes the X-Men and More into the World of High-Fashion [Art]

George Kambadais Cuts Loose With Redesigned Superhero Costumes [Art]

Third Rail Design Lab Celebrates Superheroines With Pin-Up Series [Art]

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 12.19.11

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 12.26.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - Holiday Edition 2011

BLOGS

The Absorbascon's JLA FORTNIGHT
Black (Canary) Widow
Race war to the stars!
BETRAYAL!
Dennygration

The Aquaman Shrine
Plastic Man Special Ad - 1979
Aquaman During The Crisis
Brave and the Bold Kite
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #12 - Oct. 1959
Young Justice #10 - Jan. 2012
The DC Vault
Aquaman Art Gallery: Yildiray Cinar

DC Fifty-TOO!
COMPOSITE SUPERMAN #1 by Matthew Allison
FLASH #1 by Adam Limbert
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 by Jamie Fay
LOBO INC #1 by Kyle Strahm
WEIRD WAR TALES #1 by Jake Ekiss

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
JLA 100 Project charity art by Alex Ross
2008 Mark Texeira Wonder Woman Commission

The Dork Review
Alex Toth's Wonder Woman Sketch
Cool Artist: Michael Dooney
Custom Justice League Unlimited

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
New Watchmen comics I'd be totally okay with

Firestorm Fan
Jenette Kahn talks about Firestorm’s creation
Holiday Comics on FIRE AND WATER Episode 9

Girls Gone Geek
2011 Memorable Moment: A Scandalous Threesome and the Venomous Six

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
JLA 100 Project: Martian Manhunter by Jeff Lemerie
The Vile Menagerie: THE LIZARD MEN

Justice League Detroit
2010 Vixen Sketch Card by Manuel Hernandez
JLA 100 Project Zatanna charity art by Chrissy Zullo

Power of the Atom
JLA 100 Project The Atom & Aquaman charity art by Mark Buckingham

The Quality Companion Companion
Plastic Man and Blackhawk Foldees (1966)
Quality Comics: Further Reading

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Busterella strikes again!: Pokemon JLI
Justice League International: The Movie

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Sales Review: November 2011
2011 In Review: Part One - What Might Have Been
2011 Year In Review Part Two: Top Supergirl Moments: Honorable Mentions
2011 Year In Review Part Three: Wrap-Up And Top Ten Supergirl Moments
Happy Holidays And Merry Christmas
Review: Legion Lost #4
Review: Supergirl #4

Tower of Fate
History of Dr. Fate Pt. 1
Dr. Fate Fan Film on Youtube
History of Dr. Fate Pt. 2

Review Section

Best Shots Comic Reviews: The BEST of 2011!

Comics shop comics: December 21 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Wednesday Is New 52-2 For All I Care #129 by Diabolu Frank

The Buy Pile by Hannibal Tabu

Showcase '93 #12 featuring The Creeper (December, 1993)

2011-12-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

Is it still Christmas Eve at 3 A.M.? That's how the story goes, with the Creeper sitting on a payphone in Boston in the snow, talking to a phone sex operator. "I just don't believe anyone called Paula Passion would spend her Christmas talkin' dirty to guys like me! ...So... where exactly do you stand on abortion? Foreign aid? Infrastructure investments? Saxophones? You into sax, Paula?" She hung up on him. "And I thought a democratic administration would make a difference! Ha ha ha... guess not!"

The Giggling Ghoul made his way to a bar with a friendly tender named Chalky, where he announced, "The road to enlightenment is pitted with moist orifices!" The Creeper was invited to partake of the cheap karaoke set-up, on which he tortured the Tom Jones hit "Delilah." Chalky asked him to give it a rest, especially in light of the hostage situation on the news.

Dave was an unbalanced religious nut with a gun pointed at his wife and infant child while voices in his head told him to kill. Snipers on adjacent rooftops were just waiting for a clear shot. The Creeper shimmied down an air vent to the apartment's basement, then worked his way upstairs while singing the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive."

The Leaping Looney leaped loonily through Dave's wooden door, and was mistaken for the Demon. "Hey, I resent that! I'm much better looking!" A beating later, Dave was subdued, and his wife plead with the Creeper not to hurt him. "Don't worry. My strict moral code won't let me kill him!" The Macabre Manhunter then pushed the wife and child out to the hallway to keep them safe around the undoubtedly jumpy snipers outside. The Creeper poked fun at her perfume and outfit while making a racket within the apartment.

The Creeper explained to Dave that all the cops outside were all wound up, and he feared they might take that pressure home with them and abuse their loved ones. "You're going to relieve that tension-- Good luck, guy!" The Giggling Ghoul had bound Dave to a makeshift wooden dolly with his gun hand extended. Then, the Creeper hoisted Dave up from his feet, and the snipers did the rest. As his wife screamed, the Creeper explained, "Honey, he was a maniac. He was going to kill you. By his own strict code, it was his duty to die! Christmas? Sheesh! Who'd have it?

The Warbling Weirdo returned to his bar, where he sang "Dirty Water" by the Standells.

"A Cold Night in Hell" was A Tale of a Happier Holiday Time by Keith Giffen (Plot/Breakdowns,) Alan Grant (Dialog,) and Ted McKeever (Art/Colors)

2006 Superman Convention Sketch by Jae Lee

2011-12-23T01:19:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

I dug this Shusteresque piece, and decided to share.

DC/Wildstorm DreamWar #1-5 (2008)

2011-12-20T00:00:00.006-06:00

Like Captain Atom: Armageddon, this was a series I started covering earlier this year, only to abandon due to lack of interest from all parties (myself included.) I guess the main problem was all those tedious links involving poorly used characters, plus I was trying to concurrently write character-specific coverage of the same insipid stories for other blogs. Unlike Armageddon, I hadn't realized that I only needed to cover one more issue, which I had not yet written (whereas Armageddon has sat completed in the can since December of 2010,) plus I didn't even need a bunch of new scans (as I chose to do for Captain Atom.) It's been so long, and I want to link to the final two Captain Atom issues, so I decided to "reissue" coverage on this mini-series prior to the concluding chapter.

DC/WS DreamWar #1 (June, 2008)

Happy Harbor, Rhode Island was rocked by a tsunami. The Silver Age Justice League of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow and the Atom looked on from the cave entrance to their Secret Sanctuary.

The Carrier trawled "the edge of existence" known as The Bleed, a space that flowed between realities in the Wildstorm multiverse. Aboard, The Authority viewed a number of anomalous entries into their universe: a T-shaped tower on top of Riker's Island Prison... a rocket ship in Siberia ("as envisioned by a grade school kid.")

Mr. Majestic investigated the former, and was taken down by The New Teen Titans. He recovered just after Spartan came to his aid. A scuffle ensued, and the Titans escaped. That is, except for Cyborg, possession of whom came into dispute when the Authority hit on the scene.

In Tranquility, Oregon, Alan Scott, Jay Garrick and Ted Grant looked into a retirement home.

In Siberia, Stormwatch argued with local authorities over access to the crash site. Invisible Kid and Chameleon Boy spied on both parties.

In a Larkin, Arkansas trailer park, a fat man with a slit throat sat in a chair. A younger, heavyset man lay in bed. Superman looked in on him as he slept and smiled. "Kf... Never again."

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part one, "Chimera Rising," was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott.

DC/WS DreamWar #2 (July, 2008)

In New York City, Wonder Girl and Starfire attacked Gen¹³.

Within their rocket ship headquarters, the Legion of Super-Heroes considered how they were going to move against their foes. "Chimera Lad wants us focused on Stormwatch. The Justice League will see to The Authority."

During an interrogation aboard The Carrier, Cyborg told members of The Authority and the WildC.A.T.s that the heroes of the DCU had come to bring down all the crumb bums of the Wildstorm Universe. To illustrate the point, the Justice League of America teleported onto the ship and started busting heads. Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow gravitated toward the Carrier's power source, while Green Lantern, the Flash, Superman and Batman addressed Cyborg's captors. Jenny Quarx, The Engineer and Jack Hawksmoor escaped the ship through a teleportational door, but most of their cohorts were taken down. However, Green Arrow was killed in the confrontation.

Meanwhile, the Justice Society of America began systematically destroying Tranquility, Oregon.

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part two, "First Strike," was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott.

DC/WS DreamWar #3 (August, 2008)

In Siberia, Stormwatch and the Legion of Super-Heroes had a brutal confrontation.

The Amazons of Themyscira launched an attack on the vampire nation from Wetworks.

The Justice Society of America continued their assault on Tranquility, Oregon. Grifter gunned down Dr. Fate.

Batman, Superman and Green Lantern launched an attack on the WildC.A.T.s headquarters. After a lengthy battle with Zealot, the Dark Knight died by her sword. This shook Superman to the core, as he realized something was very wrong when Green Lantern never mourned the death of his own best friend, Green Arrow. Kal-El reached out to Martian Manhunter's telepathy, only to have the Alien Atlas again assert that Chimera wanted the Wildstorm heroes dead. "Tell me who Chimera is, J'Onn. J'Onn?"

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part three, "Mettle!" was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott.

DC/WS DreamWar #4 (September, 2008)

Back at the Carrier, Superman helped the Justice League of America remember who they were, then began working with the Wildstorm protagonists to help wrangle the other murderous DC super-teams. The Doctor (with telepathic tag along Martian
Manhunter) metaphysically learned from his predecessors that Chimera was the trailer park kid from WS Earth that could add to reality from his imagination and a volume stolen from the "mother of all libraries," the Athenaeum.

Gen¹³ was attacked by Raven and Changeling from The New Teen Titans. The Atom was sent to rein them in, but was knocked out before he could reveal himself.

Deathblow, the WildC.A.T.s and Stormwatch fought a war with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Only Bouncing Boy seemed to recall the Legion's prohibitions against killing, and with the help of the Flash (and only after having been stabbed by Warblade,) honor finally prevailed.

The Doctor spoke with Chimera on another plane, learning his stepfather had killed his mother and made him do... "stuff." The kid murdered the man, and figured out a way to "piggy-back" so he could watch the s.o.b. go to Hell. En route, he found his way to the Athenaeum, and stole the DC Comics volume from the library. However, Chimera had used heroes to do the work of villains, which wouldn't stand once their realization in the Wildstorm reality was complete. After all, they were heroes. Chimera recognized his error.

Apollo and Midnighter were waiting outside of "Chimera's" trailer in Arkansas when Doomsday burst out of it. "I knew we shoulda wasted the little #&@% when we had the chance!

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part four, "Resurrection!" was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott.

DC/WS DreamWar #5 (October, 2008)

Doomsday was rampaging, and Mr. Majestic vouched for the man this "Superman" was supposed to be, so the pair flew off to help Apollo and Midnighter.

In Tranquility, Oregon, a whole host of DC super-villains fought the assembled heroes. Among them were the Golden Age Cheetah, Mano, Blockbuster, Solomon Grundy, Captain Cold and the Royal Flush Gang. Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick convinced a skeptical and justifiably hostile Grifter that the assembled heroes needed a field commander with military experience. "We're outnumbered and on the defensive. That's how these things are lost... Tactics, son. Organization. Looks like you're just the man for the job..."

In Siberia, Stormwatch and the Legion of Super-Heroes battled Validus and the Thunderers of Qward.

Back in Larkin, Arkansas, Midnighter let the Superman tackle Doomsday while he ran into the trailer in hopes of gutting the sleeping Chimera and ending this mess. He was halted by an armed Joker. "Batman Lite, I presume."

WildC.A.T.s headquarters was being torn apart by Giganta, with help from Dr. Light, the Iron Age Cheetah, the Weather Wizard, Firefly, Charaxes, Dreamslayer and more. Martian Manhunter, Jack Hawksmoor and Zealot emerged from a door to help.

The Aegean was dominated by Starro the Conquerer, whose possession of various Amazons, Coda warriors and followers of Kobra troubled Wonder Woman and Wetworks. One had trouble with the term "Super-villains?! And said with a straight face?" Diana replied, "I'm glad you find this so amusing." The Amazing Amazon was just about to take the battle directly to Starro when it fell from the sky dead from indigestion related to a Wildstorm character.

The Carrier continued traveling the Bleed and observing the situations from afar. The Doctor explained to Jenny Quarx that Chimera hadn't recognized the intrinsic heroism of his first constructs, and was retaliating against their betrayal of his goals with the second batch. The Doctor could affect Chimera on his home turf, so other avenues had to be pursued.

In Tranquility, the Flash helped relay Grifter's orders to the troops. Vampires joined the other warriors in the Aegean, who easily routed Kobra to secure the Aegean. Siberia was still in play overnight, as the Legion refused to use lethal force, which gave Stormwatch fits. Cyborg managed to talk down the New Teen Titans and Gen¹³, but not before the Atom was confirmed as "squished." The Halo Corporate headquarters was wrecked, with casualties in the triple digits. Martian Manhunter was shown confronting Charaxes.

In Arkansas, Midnighter dodged gunfire until Apollo blasted the Clown Prince of Crime in half with eyebeams. Unfortunately, Superman prevented the killing of Chimera, giving him time to find an even more dangerous threat from out of his volume from the Athenaeum...

DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar part five, "Bad To The Bone" was by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott.

New 52's Day featuring Wildstorm

Aquaman #3 (January, 2012) @ Justice League Detroit
The Huntress #2 (January, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #3 (January, 2012) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Captain Atom: Armageddon #8 (July, 2006) @ Power of the Atom

Direct Currents: Sunday, December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T01:34:00.001-06:00

Oi vey! Seriously, how long can I keep this up? I was going to call this the Hanukkah edition, but despite running two days later than planned, I didn't quite reach that point...

Joe Simon (1913-2011) and Ed Barreto (1954-2011)

Joe Simon, one of the most influential figures of the Golden Age of Comic Books, has passed away, according to multiple reports later confirmed by Marvel Comics. He was 98.
Eduardo Barreto, the artist best known for his work on DC Comics' "New Teen Titans" in the '80s and, more recently, the "Judge Parker" newspaper strip, has passed away. He was 57.

Steve Pugh Back On Animal Man At DC Comics

Other changes for March at DC that we may not have known about before include...

DC To Publish Batman: Black And White Sequel

The collections have become perennial best sellers, while providing material that appears in other collections such as Killing Joke.

Obsolete Inking

I doubt your average comic book reader can tell the difference between digitally produced work and traditional work, nor would they care. I certainly wouldn’t want to lose traditional inking, but I could see it happening in most but a few cases.

Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, Storm and Catwoman for Breast Cancer Prevention

Mozambique Fashion Week's breast cancer campaign is a collaboration with the office of first lady Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza.

Comicvine's The 50 Greatest Moments In Comics: #20-11

Not awful selections for a top list... of a hundred or two... towards the back end...

Whatever Happened To… The 1988 Death Of Superman?

If you go back and look at stories between 1988 and 1992, you find several story situations that kept pointing at the Sand Superman door.

LBFA Presents: What's Your Greatest Christmas Wish? [Original Comic]

Man on the street reporter Clark Kent is back to ask the question of the season: What's your greatest Christmas wish?

Daniel James Cox Paints With Blockbuster Style [Art]

DC Comics In Cardboard Form

We showed off Ryan Hall‘s Doctor Who cardboard display at Orbital Comics in London. He also has a display of DC superhero and supervillains right next to it. £25 a piece, aren’t they just adorable?

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 12.12.11

Awesome Art Picks: Captain America, Iron Man, Psylocke & More

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 12.15.11

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
JLA HQ: Split-leveling the scene!
JLA HQ: The Origin of Happy Harbor
JLA HQ FORTNIGHT: A Tornado is a disaster, by the way

The Aquaman Shrine
Justice League of America #200 30th Birthday!
Young Justice #9 - Dec 2011
Multi-Tasking: The Work of Bill Walko
An SNL Digital Short: "Batman"
General Mills: Justice League #4
Aquaman Art Gallery: Dustin Nguyen
Aquaman Shrine Interview with Joshua Williamson
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #29 - Nov. 1961
Young Justice - "Revelation"
"Thrifty" Mego Ad - 1973
Aquaman Light-Switches

Armagideon Time
Nobody Else’s Favorites: Hourman
Nobody Else’s Favorites: Young Heroes in Love

Being Carter Hall
Gentleman Ghost Temporary Tattoos!
Funko POP Vinyl Hawkman

Brian Bolland's Blog
unused idea for an Invisibles cover

DC Fifty-TOO!
CLAYFACE #1 by Alex Cox
DIAL H FOR HERO #1 by Bill Walko
POLICE COMICS #1 by Eric Schock
PREZ #1 by Jake Ekiss
THE SPECTRE #1 by Tait Howard

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
The Top 20 Wonder Woman Covers of the 1980s
Fetal League of Utero

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
"The Ice Age Cometh!" from Justice League of America #139 (Thanksgiving 1976)
Batman in "Death-Kiss" from Detective Comics #456 (Thanksgiving 1975)
Seven Soldiers of Victory by Samachson, Dillin, Chaykin, Elias, and Grell
Seven Soldiers of Victory by Samachson, Chua, Garcia Lopez, and Dillin
"The Captain Marvel of 7,000 B.C." from World's Finest #262 (January 1980)

The Dork Review
Green Arrows Arsenal and Car
1988 Super Powers Calendar
Superman's Supermobile
Frank Miller's Superman
Copycat Cover: Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson's Batman and Robin
Cool Pin-Up: Carmine Infantino's Flash Family
Superman VS Flash Race
The Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt Part 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Model Sheet
Jack Kirby's Super Monster Model Sheet

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
Reveiw: Batman: Birth of The Demon

Firestorm Fan
November Comic Sales Figures
Unusual Suspects: Darkseid versus Firestorm

Firestorm Fan's Pozhar Week
Mikhail Denisovitch Arkadin
Mikhail’s Fashion Show
Supporting Cast
When Mikhail Met Jason
The New 52

Four-Color Shadows
500th Post!--Batman-Jerry Robinson, et al-1942

Giant-Size Geek
Berni Wrightson Wraparound Swamp Thing Covers
Mike Grell Legion of Super-Heroes Treasury Covers, Re-mastered
SHAZAM! A Galley of Captain Marvel Pin-Ups by Wieringo, Aparo, Newton, Hembeck and Stevens
Amazing Heroes: Crisis on Infinite Earths covers by George Perez
Amazing Heroes: Post-Crisis Superman cover by John Byrne
Amazing Heroes: Post-Crisis Batman Year-One Cover by David Mazzucchelli
George Perez: Post-Crisis Wonder Woman cover from Amazing Heroes
1970s era Neal Adams poster featuring Batman, Deadman, The Spectre & Green Arrow!
Superman Gallery 1993 Wraparound Cover by Walt Simonson
Brian Bolland Wonder Woman cover from Amazing Heroes 197
George Perez: Teen Titans Poster, Amazing Heroes, Newsletter covers

Girls Gone Geek
2011 Memorable Moment: Damian Goes Dark

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Top 10 Martian Manhunter Covers of the 1980s
2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by George Pérez
2011 "Martian Babe" by Jeremy Sorrell

Justice League Detroit
The Top 10 Aquaman Covers of the 1980s
2009 The Vixen art by Marcio Pazin

Kevin Nowlan
Golden Age Star Sapphire vs. Alan & Jay
One more DC card: The Joker
Batman and Solomon Grundy: Wrightson pencils, Nowlan inks

Power of the Atom
The Top 10 Atom Covers of the 1980s

The Quality Companion Companion
Paul Gustavson Stamps from Finland
Mark Evanier discusses Blackhawk and Plastic Man

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Mystery of the unidentified Dibny pics (help needed!)
The Case of the Elongated Thing
Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man: Personality Profile

Silver Age Comics
Tomahawk #81

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
To all the belly aching Harley Quinn fans, when words aren't enough it's time for some specialized fan art

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Action Comics #4 Steel Back-Up
Review: Hawk & Dove #4
More From Jamal Igle's Blog
Review: Superboy #4

Review Section

Comics shop comics: December 14 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

The Buy Pile by Hannibal Tabu

Comic Reader Résumé: Summer, 1982

2011-12-13T04:30:00.000-06:00

ré·su·mé [rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
noun
1. a summing up; summary.
2. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

You would think a kid set loose for the summer would be all over comic books, but these were pretty much dead months to me. In June, I only picked up Weird War Tales #115, around the time the Creature Commandos feature merged with G.I. Robot. Robert Kanigher and Fred Carrillo crafted the affecting tale "You Can't Pin a Medal on a Robot," which impressed me with its stoicism and depressed me with its pathos. Those poor disabled soldiers, fighting for countries that dubbed them freaks and sent them off on suicide missions.

My one new comic for July was Batman Annual #8, which I pulled off a spinner rack at Gemco. I was fascinated by "The Messiah of the Crimson Sun" by Mike W. Barr and Trevor Von Eeden. I had never seen art or coloring like that before, the latter provided by Lynn Varley of eventual The Dark Knight Returns fame. It was beautiful, striking, and had scope of apocalyptic magnitude, up to and including the appearance of a Christlike figure. It was my first Rā's al Ghūl story, who remains one of my favorite villains, Batman or otherwise. Of course, any time I read a Rā's story of less grandeur or with art inferior to the high standards set here, I feel the creators are just plain doing it wrong. I still have my original copy, sans cover and some early pages, plus a complete reading copy. This was the first "graphic novel" I ever read in terms of feel and quality, despite it simply being an annual. Has DC ever collected all the '80s Barr Ra's stories in a trade paperback? I'd much prefer to see something like this in a hardcover than the umpteenth repackaging of Alan Moore stories. I guess that I was so bowled over, I skipped August entirely.

Direct Currents: Saturday, December 10, 2011

2011-12-10T19:06:00.005-06:00

I suspect that this will be the final Direct Current, at least of this scale, for 2011. We'll see...

R.I.P. Jerry Robinson, Creator of The Joker

Jerry Robinson was an innovator, a pioneer in storytelling.

JG Jones To Draw The Comedian In Watchmen 2

The Ethics Of Watchmen 2

Whoever is involved, whenever it is scheduled, DC Comics do seem to be continuing with the production of a series of Watchmen prequel comics by a variety of talented writers and artists. But should they?

Gail Simone off The Fury Of Firestorm, EVS on art

Ethan being joined by Joe Harris.

Paul Cornell Off Stormwatch After Issue 6

Body Bags Artist Jason Pearson Posts Suicide Note to Facebook

Yesterday, comic artist Jason Pearson sent chills through the comic book community...

A Chat With Michael Uslan

Michael Uslan has to be one of the world's most powerful comics fans. Meet a Comics Movie Producer.

The 50 Greatest Moments In Comics: #40-31

Last time was okay with one exception. This one indicates some sort of developmental challenge on at minimum a third of the options.

The 50 Greatest Moments in Comics: #30-21

Seriously, Comicvine should be seen and not heard. This list is pure bimbo. Ke$ha is on this list's soundtrack.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Batman Kitchen Collection

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 12.05.11

30 DC Comics Characters Drawn In The Best Single File Line Ever [Art]

Awesome Art Picks: Aquaman, Iron Man, Judge Dredd & More

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 12.02.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 12.09.11

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Green Lantern Filmation: Sirena's Final Hissy
Grim and Forbidding Haiku

The Aquaman Shrine
Aquaman Shrine Interview with James Tucker
Super Friends Storyboards by Alex Toth
Aquaman (Vol.8) #3 - Jan. 2012
"The Greatest Aquaman Stories Ever Told"
Ideal Super Queens Ad - 1967
Black Manta Lead Figurine
A is for Atheist, A is for Aquaman

Being Carter Hall
Read: Hawkman v.2:no.5
Imaginext Hawkman... Just Out Of Reach!

DC Fifty-TOO!
AZRAEL #1 by Paul Lavallée
BATMAN BEYOND #1 by Andrew Huerta
BLACK ORCHID #1 by Kat Roberts
POWER GIRLS #1 by Caanan Grall
LEGION OF SUPER-PETS #1 by Brodie Brockie

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
1991 Wizard Magazine #9 Unused Wonder Woman cover art by Bart Sears

Diversions of the Groovy Kind

The Dork Review
1978 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters
Alan Davis's Speedster Poster
F'ed Up Super Friends & Space Ghost by Cho
Legion of Super-Heroes #1-35
1976 Super DC Calendar
Wanted TPB: Bruce "Superman" Wayne
Wanted TPB: Post-Kirby Pre-Byrne OMAC

El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker
Captain Cold Makes a Comeback!
Everybody's Linking For The Weekend

Firestorm Fan
Fan Art by Thuddleston and AlexMax
Firebird of Soyuz
OFFICIAL: Joe Harris replaces Gail Simone; Van Sciver draws two issues

Four-Color Shadows
The Mad Planet-Virgil Finlay-1954
Sticky Mitt Stimson-Russell Cole-1938
Superboy--John Sikela/George Roussos--1946
Captain Marvel-Pete Costanza-1944

Giant-Size Geek
Gabriel Hardman Gallery of Weird DC Comics Heroes
Introducing the NEW Wonder Woman
George Perez Commissions: Superman, Wonder Woman, and 1970s Avengers
April Fools Day 2011 with Major Bummer by Arcudi and Mahnke

Girls Gone Geek
Isis by J.G. Jones
Lightning by Cafu

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Manhunter from Mars #201 (April, 1981)
The Others: DAL'EN
2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Walt Simonson
DCnÜ: What We Know 3 Months In...
Previews Vol. VI, No. 9 JLA Cover (September 1996)
The Greenwashing of M'gann M'orzz
CSBG's "The Greatest Martian Manhunter Stories Ever Told"

Jim Shooter
Jerry Robinson

Justice League Detroit
Justice League of America 100 Project: Black Canary & Vixen by John McCrea

Kevin Nowlan
Solomon Grundy
Old Man-Bat & Batman commission
"Old-timer"

Power of the Atom
2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Andy Smith

The Quality Companion Companion
The Spirit: First Appearance on ebay
Dick Giordano's Cover Art
Blackhawk: The 1970s

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Darwyn Cooke's Spirit
Ralph Dibny, the World yadda, yadda blog on The Fire and Water Podcast
Art for Absolute Identity Crisis: BOO-YAH!!
Art for Absolute Identity Crisis: BOO-YAH!!

Silver Age Comics
The Flash's Final Fling--Twice

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
Beautiful mixed media rendering of Nightshade

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Back Issue Box: The Brave And The Bold #160
Rejected Supergirl The Movie Posters
Mike Maihack Supergirl/Batgirl Web Comic
Review: Action Comics #4

Review Section

Comics Of The Weak: Just Saving Myself Til I Get Raped by Tucker Stone

Comics shop comics: Nov. 30th by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Wednesday Is Old New 52 For All I Care #128 by Diabolu Frank

The Buy Pile by Hannibal Tabu

The Top 10 Doom Patrol Covers

2011-12-07T00:00:00.005-06:00

It would have been easy to do a top 25 Doom Patrol cover countdown. Hell, 50. Something like 75% of the covers to Doom Patrol volume 2 aren't just among the best of the 1990s, but could be validly held up as museum quality works of art. Someone could devote an entire blog just to critiquing individual covers in depth. Beyond the avant guard Vertigo material, the DP has inspired some truly remarkable covers for the super-hero genre, and have rarely bothered with outright bad pieces. Trying to sort through it all seems a harrowing proposition, and given my limited exposure to the material between the covers, I don't feel qualified for that level of analysis. For the sake of my sanity and to make a point, I decided to stick to ten of the most eye-catching and best representative images of the team itself, with commentary on why out of all possibilities, I selected these options.

Dishonorable Mentions

Doom Patrol #3 (October, 2004)

Despite his professed love for the team, John Byrne projected lighthearted Silver Age sweetness and Bronze Age hokey melodrama at a team that seemed to be bitter, queer and creepy from its earliest days. This cover represents a complete rejection of anything Vertigo-tinged and the embrace of the appearance of the most blandly off-brand of super-teams. This looks like one of those covers Byrne did for small press operations during the black and white boom, cannily incorporating a lack of interior color into the crumby costume design. I especially dislike Nudge's "edgy" fishnet stockings, Negative Man's gnarly skeleton form and the big dumb grin on Rita's face. At least characters like Grunt and Vortex were comparably awful to prior team additions. Byrne did offer a couple of fun cover spins over his run though, #8 and #13.

Doom Patrol #8 (May, 1988)

What kind of person looks at a team or art of this caliber and says, "mmm, gimme some of that?" Friggin' hideous, and Erik Larsen drew several more like it.

Honorary Mentions

Secret Origins Annual #1 (1987)

I feel bad for slagging on Byrne earlier, as he's a fine artist who in his prime offered several lovely team covers, like 1986's Official Doom Patrol Index #1 and #2. Have you ever seen such well kept graveyards or specters so clearly prepared for hand holding and a few rounds of "Kumbaya?" This is of course exactly the problem, since a "Doom Patrol" should never seem so well adjusted and clean cut.

My Greatest Adventure #80 (June, 1963)

Not their greatest cover, but certainly their first!

Doom Patrol #1 (December, 2001)

Reflecting the new team in Robotman's dome and his dire assessment of the group from jump was novel. The final cover of this volume did a Maguire riff, duplicating the basic image with Robotman confirming the title's predicted doom. The run also did a nice job of recalling the Vertigo years on #3, plus a soft jab at revisionism with #13.

10) The New Teen Titans #13 (November, 1981)

George Perez is one of the most gorgeous, shiniest artists in comic book history. Therefore, he is one of the worst possible fits for the Doom Patrol. Check his slick cover for 1982's DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #19 and tell me that isn't Anyteam, U.S.A. Perez is swell at soap opera, but the DP are a troubled lot with a disconcerting quality that Perez is too pleasant to convey. However, this was a key issue in returning the DP to readers' minds, and Robotman's dangling body warding off snoopy kids is a previously unseen variation on the DP grim tableau.

9) Doom Patrol #89 (August, 1964)

The debut of the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, the kind of bizarre menace that defined the DP and set the standard for the demented threats to come.

8) Doom Patrol #5 (February, 1988)

Steve Lightle is a favorite cover artist of mine, and the first five issues of this series featured rare interior art by the man. However, the book was clearly intended to treat the team like an X-Men knock-off when DC was already knee deep in the same. Lightle was a perfect choice for the book at a time when he was forced to draw hideously gaudy New Mutants rejects, and even his wraparound cover for the debut issue made a silk purse out of a generic battle scene. I feel the graveyard is where the DP's heart really lies.

7) Doom Patrol #86 (March, 1964)

The first issued comic book bearing the Doom Patrol title, and the first appearance of Monsieur Mallah and the Brain. Does any cover better represent '50s B-movie mad science than a French guerrilla gorilla and a brain in a jar? Only if you threw in a gigantic insect of some kind, and maybe a flesh-eating animated inanimate object. Simon Bisley did a cool ape, as well.

6) Doom Patrol #120 (August, 1968)

This one loses points for being a tad forced and sappy, but your teammates/family turning their backs on you after you've literally fallen to pieces is messed up. That one enlarged eye and Cliff's anguished cries earn points back.

5) My Greatest Adventure #82 (September, 1963)

There are lots of covers with Robotman in some state of disrepair, but the implied ultimate sacrifice and the degree to which he's melted put this image over the top. That one crimson eye staring at the reader and a skull so deeply caved in that Cliff's brain must be boiling in its pan are deliciously gut-wrenching.

4) Doom Patrol #13 (October, 2010)

Matthew Clark produced a couple dozen attractive covers for volume _{1, 2, 3, 4} 5(?), but this was the only one to sneak into the top ten. #1 and #7 are relatively conventional but still slightly askew team shots, but #18 is Byrnesque in its commercialization. On the other hand, this fractured image of Rita Farr's face foreshadows the revelations within, and prove that she's psychologically and physiologically damaged enough to reside with the freaks out of more than just pity, but instead true kinship.

3) Challengers of the Unknown #48 (March, 1966)

There are whole host of covers in which the DP interacts with other super-heroes/teams, such as the wedding of Rita and Steve Dayton in #104 or battling the JLA at various points. That's typical group activity in comics. Becoming a "grim burial squad" for the Challengers, complete with a setting son and a robot seemingly on the verge of (non-emo Red Tornado) tears, is so DP. Also, the Challengers are about the only DC team with a comparable mortality/casualty rate, making it extra apropos.

2) Showcase #94 (September, 1977)

This works on multiple levels. It's a new Doom Patrol debuting in a different anthology title. The original DP was as much a product of the '60s visually as these guys were in the '70s. There's Robotman carrying his own rusted husk to the mass grave of the original team. While on the surface more conventional, the new DP was doomed to even greater failure and far more permanent deaths than the first team. Finally, this cover set the standard for DP launches opening on a dour, pessimistic note. There is no trumpeting the arrival of a glorious new incarnation, but instead a second wave stepping over the corpses of the first with similarly dim odds of survival.

1) Doom Patrol #121 (October, 1968)

This is how you end a series. Whenever someone points to Jean Grey as the first major death in comics, they need to be reminded that an entire super-team was snuffed out twelve years earlier, with Rita Farr staying dead about seven times longer than Phoenix, and the readers themselves were to blame.

Their Top Covers of the 1980s

The Atom @ Power of the Atom
Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
DC75: Top Character Covers of the Dodranscentennial

1992 Wizard Magazine Unused The Demon cover by Val Semeiks

2011-12-05T00:24:00.000-06:00

Direct Currents: Friday, December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T01:06:00.001-06:00

Andy Kubert To Draw Watchmen 2 (UPDATE)

Other people previously named include Darwyn Cooke (as the equivalent of mini-series showrunner), JMS, John Higgins and JG Jones. Oh, and Dave Gibbons.

Comic Vine's The 50 Greatest Moments in Comics: #50-41

Animated Comic Covers of Spidey, Demon in a Bottle, Dark Knight Returns

We've seen some pretty impressive Silver Age-themed art from ComicsAlliance favorite (and occasional contributor) Kerry Callen, but now he's decided to try his hand at something a little different: animated comic book covers! Watch the thunder crash on the front of Dark Knight Returns, see Tony Stark get the shakes in "Demon in a Bottle," and observe the Justice League spinning endlessly on the terrible Wheel of Misfortune!

5 Things Wrong With DC’s New 52 Comics Reboot

Is DC really serious about The New 52? Or do their actions run counter to the stated message?

Diesel DC Boxer Short Licence Is Hilarious

So here’s what’s happening. There has been superhero underwear around for ages. You know, for kids. Then they started making them in larger sizes. For big kids. But they still looked the same.

For the fan who has everything: generic superhero Snuggies!

If the rapid approach of the holidays has pushed you into panic mode, just relax, because you’ve already found the perfect gift for the superhero-comics fan in your life (or, y’know, yourself): a superhero Snuggie, or as the trademark sticklers prefer to call it, a “Comfy Throw Blanket With Sleeves”!

Impressive Fan Made Poster For Live Action Justice League Movie

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Henry Cavill, Christian Bale, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, Bridget Regan, Doug Jones and Justin Hartley, check out this impressive fan made Justice League theatrical poster for a live action movie.

Awesome Art: Wonder Woman by Jeff Chapman

Jeff Chapman does fantastic photorealistic art, and he has a real flair for comic book women. Check out his portrayal of classic, pre-'New 52' Wonder Woman, along with Queen Hippolyta, Artemis, and villains Red Panzer and Baroness Von Gunther.

Andre De Freitas Illustrates the Dead and the Beautiful [Art]

Andre De Freitas paints portraits that will stare holes straight through your head-and that goes doubly for the ones with flaky zombie flesh and holes in their own heads. De Freitas has zombified a couple of normally unassuming fellows with his Tintin, Waldo and Iron Man studies, and his living subjects are just as impressive.

LBFA Presents: What Are Superheroes Thankful For? [Original Comic]

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 11.25.11

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 11.28.11

Awesome Art Picks: Batgirl, Aquaman, Catwoman & More

BLOGS

...nurgh...
1980 S W Studios Masquerade Make-Up Kits ad

The Absorbascon
Green Lantern Filmation: The Guardians Order Take-Out!

The Aquaman Shrine
My Morning Aqua-Jacket
Aquaman vs. Sharktopus!
The Argyle Sweater - 10/21/11
Thatababy - 11/14/11
Justice League #3 - Dec. 2011
Young Justice - "Alpha Male"
Brave and the Bold: "Mitefall!

Armagideon Time
Nobody’s Favorites: Sonic Disruptors

Being Carter Hall
Read: Hawkman v.3:no.6

DC Fifty-TOO!
HAYWIRE #1 by Kiel West
SHOWCASE Featuring MANHUNTER 2070 #1 by Buster Moody
SUPERGIRL #1 by Eric Johnston
WARLORD #1 by Steve Seeley
WILDCATS #1 by Paul Milligan

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project Donna Troy by Gene Ha

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
Batman in "The Warrior in a Wheel-Chair" from Brave and the Bold #100 (November 1971)
Groove's Countdown: Top 5 DC Reboots of the Groovy Age
"The Ultimate Weapon" from Weird War Tales #15 (April 1973)
Hawkman in "The Invisible thief of Bleakhill Manor!" from Detective Comics #428 (July 1972)
"The Glory Boys!" from Our Army at War #235 (June 1971)
"Check the J.C. Demon Catalogue Under...Death!" from House of Mystery #245 (July 1976)
"The Hole in Reality's Heart"! from Time Warp #4 (January 1980)

The Dork Review
Davis Covers for Batman Year 2 - European Editions
Marvel Family Model Sheets by Mike Kunkle
Legion of Super-Heroes Five Year Gap
DC-verse Spanking!
1980's DC Marketing Message

The Factual Opinion
The Comics Journal Thirty-Eight

Firestorm Fan
Another Yildiray Cinar Brightest Day Firestorm Sketch
Happy Thanksgiving from FIRESTORM FAN!
FURY OF FIRESTORM #3 Review & FIRE AND WATER Episode 8

Four-Color Shadows
Johnny Thunder-Stan Aschmeier-1945
Oscar the Gumshoe-Bob Kane-1939
Federal Men-Siegel and Shuster-1936
Inferior man-Al Stahl-1943
Rockhead McWizzard-Jack Farr-1949

Giant-Size Geek
Legion of Super-Heroes commissions by George Perez, Part 1
Legion of Super-Heroes commissions by George Perez, Part 2
The 1960s era Batmobile in Pleasanton, California for FCBD 2011
Green Lantern in San Francisco
Gene Colan Commissions: Flash, Wonder Woman, Silver Surfer, Shazam vs Dracula, Howard the Duck
Reboots, Deaths, and Rebirths Are Getting Me Off the Monthly Comics Grind

Girls Gone Geek
Silver Banshee by Candra
G3 Gift Guide: Part E.
G3 Gift Guide: Part V.

Gone and Forgotten
The Sword of Superman

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Commander Blanx Exhibit
Martian Manhunter #1 in 2012?
Comics Should Be Good’s Top 100 DC and Marvel Characters 2011
The Vile Menagerie: MALEFIC
2011 Martian Manhunter I-Con pencil commission by Samuel Clarke Hawbaker
How DC Comics has Failed the Martian Manhunter
The Vile Menagerie: MONGUL (Bronze Age)

Justice League Detroit
2011 Mari McCabe Sweater Post by Hanie Mohd

Kevin Nowlan
Adam Strange origin for "52" page 1
Adam Strange origin for "52" page 2
Action #795 cover art step-by-step

Mars Will Send No More
Animal Man 5: The Coyote Gospel!
Animal Man 7: The Death of the Red Mask!

Once Upon A Geek
Doctor Fate Fan Art by Thuddleston and AlexMax

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
Blackhawk #97, from 1956

Power of the Atom
2006 "The JLA" painting by Rhiannon Owens

The Quality Companion Companion
The Quality Implosion

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
The Elongated Man Action Figures!
An ear -- In the Fireplace!: Reviewing "Ten Miles to Nowhere!"
The Elongated Man and Wife: Embargoed?!
Elongated Art: The Elongated Man Vs. Darkseid!

Silver Age Comics
Lois Lane #36
Lois Lane, Foreign Correspondent

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Brian Bolland Supergirl
Sara Richard Commission
Who's Who Matrix
Review: Superman #3
Fan Submitted Supergirl Costumes

Review Section

The Buy Pile by Hannibal Tabu

Comic shop comics: Nov. 23 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care #127 by Diabolu Frank

Grifter #1 (November, 2011)

2011-11-29T03:00:00.001-06:00

One look at "Mr. Argent" could tell you something was off. His suit was ill-fitting, and his twee eyeglasses did not go with his mutton chops or greasy slicked back hair. Still, Mr. Valdez knew going in that Argent was a con man, and was clearly involved in nefarious business of his own. Valdez paid Argent in counterfeit bills, and Argent gave him a suitcase weighted down with decks of playing cards. Somehow, Argent came out ahead on the deal, and left behind his brilliant disguise of spectacles while trying to catch the redeye of New Orleans.

On his way to the airport, an otherworldly being dragged the grifter into an alley. Grifter woke up strapped to a table next to a tank in which a translucent extraterrestrial floated. Grifter burst his bonds, but was disoriented and hearing voices in his mind. Grifter grabbed a pipe and searched for an exit. He ran into a bald man in a suit, who psychically alerted "Brothers, one has escaped the transfer--" Grifter beat the man silent, if not to death.

Hitting the street, Grifter realized he'd lost seventeen minutes to this misadventure, and raced to the airport. He heard another voice in his mind. "The host body... escaped. Find it. Stop it. Do not... risk exposure..." The voices continued to plague Grifter on the plane, and his discomfort and distraction attracted unwanted attention. A woman who seemed to initially want to comfort the man instead produced a knitting needle from her flesh. Grifter heard her murderous thought, and stabbed her through the eye with her own weapon.

Using a miniature bottle of alcohol, Grifter pretended to hold a bomb detonator, and demanded to exit the slowly ascending plane. A steward turned out to be another killer alien, and both parties ended up free-falling into the ocean. Grifter had snapped his assailant's neck on the way down.

Two hours later, Grifter called his con artist partner Gretchen, who was supposed to meet him in San Juan. As it turned out, Grifter had lost seventeen minutes and seventeen days. Gretchen had connected Grifter to the terrorist on the plane, and figured he'd already screwed her on the Valdez con, so she dumped him. Gretchen was seen approaching a New Orleans police precinct.

"Christopher Argent" was a wanted man, but that was only an alias. At the Pentagon, they knew he was really Cole Cash, a former officer of Delta Special Operations. It was bad enough he'd turned into a grifter, but his former commanding officer would not allow the national embarrassment of his being linked to terrorism. To this end, Master Sergeant Max Cash was enlisted to take his brother out of the public eye by any means necessary.

Cole Cash, friendless and alone, was hiding in a cemetery. He wanted these "demons" voices out of his head, as they discussed pressured timelines and the need to tear Grifter apart. Donning an orange and black mask, Grifter was intent on confronting his "demons," and dared them to find him first...

"Grifter: 17 Minutes" was by Nathan Edmonson, Cafu, and Jason Gorder. I vaguely remember reading the original Grifter #1 back in the '90s, which had the misfortune of being a side story in a crossover event. That book failed to impress, as did this one, for somewhat similar reasons. The issue opens on an airplane, with Grifter hearing voices, being attacked, and falling into the clear blue sky. It might have worked to start in the middle of the action in a movie, but it fails miserably as a comic. Since the reader likely knows Grifter is the hero of the story, there's no confusion about his role. His attackers are also obviously evil and something other than human. The scene therefore does not misdirect or surprise the viewer, and as a comic does not need to immediately hook the reader on an action beat (especially a lackluster one,) so all it does is confuse and disengage.

Then the flashback starts, including an extension of the title sequence, which grinds the breakneck pace to a whiplash halt. It's this nighttime office building rendezvous game of nitwits-- con artistry on the level of putting your thumb between your fingers and claiming to have another person's nose. At least Grifter is finally owning the meaning behind his kewl Image name, if nearly twenty years and a whole bunch of John Cusack movies too late. Tension and reveals have to be built up, all to return to the opening sequence of the book, on which a full page of recap is wasted. Worse, the resolution of the "cliffhanger" lasts exactly one panel, and if Grifter has super-powers that would allow him to survive a midair dive from an airplane, that might ought to be spelled out. The grinding gears of shoddy pacing strip the story of traction. What when laid out sequentially seems like a decent introductory episode feels slight as disarranged modules.

The last few pages are spent dumping exposition that a better writer could have worked into the story, including the completely unbelievable notion that the protagonist's military background would lead a Pentagon official to send his brother after him with extreme prejudice. Let's not get a highly capable but personally disinterested agent to track down Grifter, but instead send a blood relative. No massive, obvious conflict there. Old readers will shrug and say "this again?" New readers will just shrug. This is one of those comics written by someone whose knowledge of the world comes from other comics and video games. Part and parcel, it helps to read other "Edge" line books like Voodoo to fully appreciate the extent of the hand-me-down, been there/done that experience.

Given all my complaints about the story, I want to make sure to point out that the book's grace is in the art. I liked Cafu's work on Vixen: Return of the Lion, but it was soft and stiff. His work with Jason Gorder flows better, with tight inks that lend mood and weight. There's a strong resemblance to early Gary Frank, without the excessive detailing that mars his art today. I understand the miserable Scott Clark takes over art chores in a few issues, so hopefully that means the present team move on to a book that could better utilize their talents.

New 52's Day

Rejected DCnÜ Aquaman design by Jim Lee @ Justice League Detroit
DCnÜ Wonder Woman design by Jim Lee @ Diana Prince
Demon Knights #1 (November, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Bonus: Captain Atom: Armageddon #4-7 (2006) @ Power of the Atom

2011 Nightwing Color Commission by Mike McKone

2011-11-26T00:00:00.003-06:00

Click To Enlarge

DCnU! These scans are enormous, so be sure to check them out in their full glory!

Mike McKone's TwitPics

2011 NYCC Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
2011 NYCC Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit
Martian Manhunter Style Guide/Turnaround @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Direct Currents: Turkey Day, November 24, 2011

2011-11-24T00:00:00.005-06:00

SyFy Orders 'Booster Gold' TV Pilot Script

A pilot script for a hour long series has been comissioned, with Greg Berlanti (No Ordinary Family, Green Lantern) as exec producer and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe) writing, with an exec producer credit for DC.

Letting my black-girl-geek flag fly

It was a long time before I let my nerd flag fly proudly, though in retrospect, my status couldn’t have been more obvious.

Marc Andreyko, on Manhunter and Being Out

It was the little comic that could, DC’s equivalent of Spider-Girl, coming back multiple times when cancellation came calling. Manhunter had the critical acclaim and the brilliant characterization that everyone says that they want, but ultimately it would not be enough.

Bizarro Back Issues: Batman in The Worst Thanksgiving Ever

Wonder Woman as a stunning Renaissance superhero

Presented without comment.

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 11.21.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 11.18.11

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Green Lantern Filmation!
Green Lantern Filmation 2: SIRENA!
Green Lantern Filmation 3: Angry Birds!

Amazon Princess
Happy Birthday Darwyn Cooke

The Aquaman Shrine
DC vs. Marvel #1 - 1996
DC vs. Marvel #2 - 1996
DC vs. Marvel #3 - 1996
DC vs. Marvel #4 - 1996
Super Friends Promo Art - 1979
Young Justice #8 - Nov. 2011

Armagideon Time
Occupy Fawcett City

Being Carter Hall
Savage Hawkman #2 Sales Figures

Brian Bolland's Blog
Here's a detail from a Batman story I drew in the 80s

Comics Make Me Happy!
Just a random list of things I miss...

DC Fifty-TOO!
CATWOMAN #1 by Dustin Darnault
HAWK AND DOVE #1 by Rich Bernatovech
JONAH HEX #1 by Alexis Ziritt
JONAH HEX #1 Variant Edition by Alexis Ziritt
LOIS LANE #1 Variant Edition by Anthony Vukojevich
WONDER GIRL #1 by Lee Leslie

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Anthony Castrillo

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
El Diablo in "Satan with Spurs!" from All-Star Western #4 (November 1970)
If You Blinked You Missed...Iron Wolf
Captain Fear's remaining adventures from Adventure Comics #'s 429, 432-433 (June 1973, December 1973, and February 1974)

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
This week's links.

Firestorm Fan
Yildiray Cinar Early Firestorm Try-out
Mystery of the Vanishing Temples
Satan in Firestorm? No, it’s just the Satin Satan…
Remember Captain X on Veterans Day
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 7

Girls Gone Geek
Jade by David Mack
Wonder Woman by Terry Blas

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Vandal Savage Exhibit
2011 Justice League: Doom Trailer
The B'rett Exhibit
Menagerie Viewing: An Art Gallery of Martian Manhunter Rogues
Stormwatch #43 (December, 1996)
Stormwatch #44 (January, 1997)
Stormwatch #45 (February, 1997)

Four-Color Shadows
The Mouthpiece-Fred Guardineer-1942
Starman-Emil Gershwin-1945
Mister Terrific-Stan Aschmeier-1944
The Super Cook of Space-Mike Sekowsky-1959
Johnny Thunder-Stan Aschmeier-1945
Oscar the Gumshoe-Bob Kane-1939

Jim Shooter
Rude Dude
Superman Syndicated Strips
Comic Book Distribution- Part 3

Justice League Detroit
2010 "Behind the Mystique of Vixen" watercolor by Shelton Bryant
2007 "Aquaman Theme Song" by Odd Man Out Films

Kevin Nowlan
Metal Men page 1 pencils
Elongated Man origin: Page one
Batman Confidential #26: a half-inked panel
Elongated Man origin: page two

Mars Will Send No More
Complete Jack Kirby Portfolio from 1971!
“Mon-El’s One Man War” from Superboy #236, 1978

Once Upon A Geek
Support ACE KILROY the webcomic!

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
The Face in the Atom Bomb Cloud! from Strange Adventures #143, 1962

Power of the Atom
2011 THE ATOM: Original Art by Shelton Bryant

The Quality Companion Companion
Lady Blackhawks
Toonopedia: Quality Stuff

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
The Dibnys and the new Crisis-Free DC Universe!
Ranking the stuff that makes me love comics!
The best of the new 52: October 2011

Silver Age Comics
My Greatest Adventure #73

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Superboy #3
Review: Supergirl #3
Review: Legion Lost #3
Review: Legion Of Super-Heroes #3

Legion: Secret Origin #1 (December, 2011)

2011-11-22T03:12:00.001-06:00

"Beyond the borders of the United Planets in the 31st Century: For 327 years, the U.P. has been peacefully reconnecting Earth with its former colonies, with planets 'seeded' by humanity, and even truly alien worlds like Colu and Durla... Then our starcruiser arrived on Anotrom, a world thought to be living a self-sufficient, even bucolic existence, according to the gossip on the starwinds... and we realized that Pax Galactica wasn't complete. Whoever- or whatever- had visited Anotrom ahead of us hadn't signed the treaty." U.P. soldiers, who hadn't seen true warfare in human lifetimes, were unprepared for the carnage visited on the planet.

Captain Dajone had found a small device amidst the bodies, and Admiral Allon sent it out for study. His man accidentally blew himself up investigating. Thankfully, in an unusual move, Colu was willing to offer their 12th level super-intelligence "Querl Dox, Brainiac Five" for the task.

The U.P. Council allows three sentients incomparable access to information requiring intuition beyond the abilities of even the most sophisticated artificial intelligence. The Security Directorate consists of the Coluan Zarl Jax, the Naltorian Anisa, and the Earthling Mycroft. These three were the first to become aware of the importance of a trio of teenagers on an interplanetary flight. Imra Ardeen of Titan, Rokk Krinn of Braal and Garth Ranzz of Winath uncovered and foiled an assassination plot against a fellow passenger, wealthy philanthropist R.J. Brande. Both the Directorate and Brande took a keen interest in the kids and the plot, with Brande and Mycroft meeting to discuss the matter face-to-face. Mycroft wanted more control over the kids' course, but Brande cut him out, and Mycroft seemed to have an ulterior interest.

The U.P. soldier M'tobo tried to steer Querl Dox away from danger as they revisited Anotrom, but Brainiac 5 was smug and dismissive. Dox set off another explosion, but was protected by a personal force shield of such protective power as to be unheard of, even in the 31st Century. "Family secret."

Ardeen, Krinn and Ranzz were introduced to the media by their code names Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad. With their abilities of telepathy, magnetism manipulation and electrical generation/discharge, these three would serve as the founding members of a projected Legion of Super-Heroes.

On Anotrom, Brainiac 5 was scared stupid by the sudden unannounced appearance of Tinya Wazzo of Bgtzl, who could past immaterially through matter like a phantom. "If you're finished having an anxiety attack, I'd like to explain why I came through that wormhole from Bgztl... and the terrible danger I think your 'United Planets' is going to be in."

The Security Directorate observed all, and were concerned. They also noted Luornu Durgo of Cargg, a Triplicate Girl, being sworn in as the first addition to the Legionnaires...

"From The Wreckage" was by Paul Levitz, Chris Batista and Marc Deering. I've had a lifelong interest in the Legion, beginning with the fantastic art and character designs seen in DC Comics house ads for books that never reached the newsstands in my neck of the woods. Years later, I read some occasional Legion back issues, but the property is notoriously convoluted, so those tastes were not enough to help me wade into a continuity that served as the basis for the X-Men soap opera. I finally jumped on in 1994, when the entire franchise was rebooted in the wake of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. Mark Waid wrote a strong introductory #0 issue, and writers like Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw kept me buying the book for the rest of the series' run. I also dove into back issues, reading nice fat chunks of the esteemed Paul Levitz and controversial Keith Giffen runs.

Beginning in 2000, DC launched a series of renumbering schemes intended to introducing new readers to the Legion. In eleven years, there have been two volumes of Legion Lost, one of Legion Worlds, one of Adventure Comics and three volumes of Legion of Super-Heroes (one top-billing Supergirl,) plus the animation tie-in The Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century. I spent six years happily collecting at least two Legion series a month, and have sampled every single offering since for various durations, but have yet to buy more than thirteen consecutive issues.

Legion: Secret Origin will not change my mind. I already gave the 21st Century Paul Levitz a chance on Adventure, which I thought was terrible. This book was just mediocre, but as a jumping-on point for new readers, it's the pits. There's nothing but soldiers, bureaucrats, and scientists talking for seventeen of twenty pages. Much of what is said is vague or of no great importance, and the only characters truly introduced were Brainiac 5 and Phantom Girl, but not in such a way as to inspire anyone to want to read more. The Legion origin adventure takes place off-panel, and we're instead stuck with a boring contrivance tacked on to the already burdensome Legion continuity. The only good thing I can say about this book is that it's some of the slickest, smoothest work I've seen from Batista, which may be the influence of his inker. In truth, the only reason I ordered this book was to get a free Legion flight ring, and my supplier didn't send me mine, so I got nothing I wanted out of this purchase.

New 52's Day

Aquaman #2 (December, 2011) @ Justice League Detroit
Stormwatch #2 (December, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Voodoo #1 (November, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Bonus: Captain Atom: Armageddon #1-3 (2005-2006) @ Power of the Atom

1984 Green Lantern John Stewart, The Predator and Eclipso art by Rob Liefeld

2011-11-20T04:18:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

Image Founders

2008 Aquaman color head sketch by Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair @ Justice League Detroit
2006 Wolverine, the Atom & Batgirl by Jim Lee & Amanda Conner @ Power of the Atom
1990 Martian Manhunter art by Whilce Portacio @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Woman Gallery by Jim Lee @ Diana Prince

Direct Currents: Friday, November 18, 2011

2011-11-18T04:32:00.000-06:00

Putting Frank Miller’s Words Into Batman’s Mouth

A scene from Batman Year One, rescripted…

The Geoff Johns Literalism Method: A Primer

What is it that Geoff Johns does so well when it comes to revitalizing characters? It's very simple: reduce the character or team into a single core idea and rebuild every aspect of the mythology around that idea. I've termed this "Johnsian Literalism," and it's an approach that's becoming more widely used.

Superman Trolls the Golden Age Flash in Kerry Callen's New 'Super Antics'

Nuno Plati Tears it Up With Elektra, Green Lantern, Iron First and More [Art]

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 11.14.11

Awesome Art Picks: Robin, Emma Frost, Captain America and More

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Veteran's Day
The Secret Sanctuary

Amazon Princess
Tom Bancroft

The Aquaman Shrine
Aquaman Meets Ace Kilroy!
Brave and the Bold: "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!"
Black Manta and The Octopus Army
The Aqua-Family by Luke Daab
Young Justice - "Homefront"
AquaSketch by Jason Ho
South Park Aquaman

Armagideon Time
Nobody’s Favorites: Arion, Lord of Atlantis

Being Carter Hall
The Savage Hawkman #6 Advanced Solicit!

Brian Bolland's Blog
Here's a cover I did for Lobo.

DC Fifty-TOO!
DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE #1 by Charles Guthrie
GEN13 #1 by Jim Rugg
JUSTICE RIDERS #1 by Dennis Culver
LEX LUTHOR #1 by Mark Stockbridge
LIBERTY BELLE #2 by Joel Priddy
OMAC #1 by James Edward Clark
WORLD'S FINEST #1 by Ron Salas

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 (September, 2009)
Justice League: Cry for Justice #5 (January, 2010)
Justice League: Cry for Justice #6 (March, 2010)
Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 (April, 2010)

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
"Horoscope Phenomenon or Witch Queen of Ancient Sumeria?" from Weird Mystery Tales #1 (April 1972)
"Don't Look Now!" from House of Secrets #153 (June 1978)
Man-Bat in Detective Comics #'s 458-459 (January-February 1976)
The Top 5 Marvel/DC Should-Have-Beens of the Groovy Age
The Batman in "Murder in the Night" from Detective Comics/Batman Family #481
The Batman in "Night of the Body Snatcher!" from Detective Comics/Batman Family #482 (November 1978)

Firestorm Fan
Firestorm and The Hero Initiative JLA Covers
John Ostrander’s farewell letter from FIRESTORM #100
October Comic Sales Figures

Girls Gone Geek
Big Barda by Reilly Brown
Poison Ivy (and Batman) by Sergio Quijada

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Brave and the Bold #152 letter column poll (July, 1979)
2009 Miss Martian & Krypto art by Chou-Roninx
The Vile Corpus: Maxwell Lord
Return to the Rogues of Wikipedia
Reviews of Diabolu: Stormwatch #2
What is The Vile Menagerie?
The Vile Menagerie Redux

Jim Shooter
Comic Book Distribution
Comic Book Distribution - Part 2

Justice League Detroit
2007 The Vixen art by Rocky Howard
2011 Aquaman Watercolor by Shelton Bryant

Kevin Nowlan
Pencils for the Legends of the Dark Knight #101 cover
Death Gallery sketches: 1994

Once Upon A Geek
Where The Heck Has Shag Been?!?!

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
"George Washington's Drum" from Superboy #2, 1949
"The Mark of X," from House Of Mystery #2, 1952
Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold #44, 1962
Veteran's Day 11/11/11

Power of the Atom
2011 The Atom negative charge Watercolor by Shelton Bryant

The Quality Companion Companion
The Blackhawks of Earth-One

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Surviviors of the Golden Age!
Top 10 grounded DC characters.
The best of the new 52

Silver Age Comics
The Iron Giant

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Mahmud Asrar's NYCC Commissions
Review: Action Comics #3
Review: Hawk And Dove #3
HERO Initiative JLA #50 Covers
Back Issue Box: Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl #1
Dan Brereton Commission

Review Section

Comics shop comics: Nov. 16th by J. Caleb Mozzocco
G3 Review: Free Enterprise
Wednesday Is Not-So-New 2+2 #126 by Diabolu Frank

2007 The Huntress/The Question: Conquest '52 Fan Music Video

2011-11-15T02:29:00.003-06:00

I discovered Patti Page's 1952 hit "Conquest" in a collection back in 2006, and wanted to share it, but I couldn't find an actual video. The line about "the huntress" also ate at the comic geek in me, so I finally caved and decided to make my first fan video(s.) I've liked the Huntress since the first time I read her as a back-up in an issue of Wonder Woman, and I've dug the Question since the Denny O'Neil series. I thought it was great when the Justice League Unlimited cartoon made them a couple, and that's the focus of this video. However, I had so much material left over, I decided to make a more action-packed video for the White Stripes' cover of "Conquest." This also doesn't count my first attempt, which was much different (and sadly, better timed overall, but lacking pizzazz.) I hope you'll check out and enjoy both. This was a real learning experience for me in working with old programs in new ways, so if these go over, I'd like to try making more (and better, and please God faster!)

This is a non-profit fan production that is in no way intended to infringe on the various copyright holders for video, characters, and music. Please don't hurt me Warner Brothers/DC Comics!

Direct Currents: Friday, Eleven-Eleven-Eleven

2011-11-11T23:11:00.003-06:00

THE [WASHINGTON] DC REBOOT

Ward Sutton unmasks the candidates as comic ‘superheroes’

Australia to Offer Official DC Comics Vehicle License Plates

Already high on the list of "if I could move to anywhere" places for its beautiful landscapes, excellent weather, and exotic wildlife, Australia has given superhero fans another reason to emigrate: official DC Comics license plates. Click after the cut to check out the options for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Supergirl, all of which will only enhance the beauty of Australia.

Zatanna And Emma Frost Come To Superhero Parody Porn XXX. In 3D.

Superheroine 3D featuring Alexis Texas playing Emma Frost and Chanel Preston as Zatanna...

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 11.11.11 (<----OMG)

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 11.07.11

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Cool and Unusual

Amazon Princess
The Donnas

The Aquaman Shrine
Brave and the Bold: "Powerless!"
Justice League #2 - Nov. 2011
Young Justice #7 - Oct. 2011
Aquaman Shrine Interview with Geoff Johns
DC Super Heroes - "Prisoner of the Stars"
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 6
Aquaman (Vol.8) #2 - Dec. 2011

Atomic Surgery
The Lady In Black! by Nick Cardy (1958)

Being Carter Hall
Hawkman by Joe Jusko

Brian Bolland's Blog
Yet another detail from Camelot 3000.

Bronze Tiger
Harley Ouinn: Crazy Sexy Cool

Comics Make Me Happy!
Adam Strange by Ardian Syaf

DC Fifty-TOO!
ALL-OUT WAR #1 by Aaron Gillespie
BAT LASH #1 by Daniel Schneider
INFERIOR FIVE #1 by Bruce McCorkindale
PLASTIC MAN #1 by Jon Morris and Stephen DeStefano
ZATANNA #1 by Eric Bonhomme

DC Women Kicking Ass
The shoes inspired by DC Comics that NEED to come to the states

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
10 WONDER WOMAN Stories Worth Checking Out
2009 "The Wonder Woman" Watercolor by Shelton Bryant

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
Green Arrow in "Nothing but a Man" from World's Finest #255 (November 1978)
"Death's Bridegroom!" from Ghosts #1 (1971)
Neal Adams' Elongated Man in "Secret of the Waiting Graves" from Detective Comics #395 (October 1969)
Starfire #1 (1976)
"Battleground: Oa!" from Green Lantern #127 (January 1980)

Firestorm Fan
Firestorm and The Hero Initiative JLA Covers
Firestorm Icons for Your Desktop
Big Bang Theory – Sheldon Wears Firestorm
Firestorm RPG Stats from DC ADVENTURES by Green Ronin
Yildiray Cinar sketch from NYCC for FIRESTORM FAN
Eddie Earhart – The Man Who Created Firestorm
Happy Halloween from FIRESTORM FAN!

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2011 Spitballin' Comics Miss Martian Week
2011 Pleasure Chests - Martian Manhunter ACEO Sketch Card
The Top 20 Martian Manhunter Covers of the 1960s
2011 Teen Titans #100 Pin-Up by Amy Reeder
The Vile Menagerie: RIO FERDINAND
4th Year of Diabolu
Stormwatch Sourcebook #1 (January, 1994)

Justice League Detroit
2010 The Vixen art by Rajinder Kaur Randhawa

Kevin Nowlan
Remembering Bob Oksner...
1986 Outsiders Annual cover art

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
The Phantom Lady and the Blue Beetle (1947)
Kubert's Newsboy Legion in Star Spangled Comics #50, 1945
Ibis the Invincible #1, from 1942
Captain Marvel in "World Of Your Tomorrow" from America's Greatest Comics #7

Power of the Atom
Thunderbolts' Customs Captain Atom & Nightshade Action Figures

The Quality Companion Companion
1983 Interview with Will Eisner about Blackhawk
The Spirit Quality Index

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
The Elongated Man and the Silver Age Timeline!, pt. I: Pre-Classic
The Elongated Man and the Silver Age Timeline!, pt. II: Classic
The Elongated Man and the Silver Age Timeline!, pt. III: Post-Classic
The Elongated Man and the Bronze Age Timeline!

Silver Age Comics
Silly Panel Saturday

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
Suicide Squad #3 review

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Superboy #2
Review: Legion Lost #2
Review: Supergirl #2
Review: Legion Of Super-Heroes #2
Review: Superman #2
Polly Pocket Supergirl For Halloween
Adventure Comics #408

The Thought Experiment
Daily Batman: the Long Halloween

Review Section

Comic shop comics by J. Caleb Mozzocco
"The Phantom Stranger don't shiv!" (Nov. 10th's comic shop comics)

Comic Judgment by Girls Gone Geek
Stream of Comicsness – Week of 11.02.2011

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care by Diabolu Frank
#125: Leftovers

2002 Unused TV Guide Birds of Prey Cover Art by Joe Jusko

2011-11-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

Painted art of Ashley Scott as the Huntress for the short-lived TV show, which was cancelled before the cover could be used.

"Birds of Prey" TV Guide Cover Sketch "A"
"Birds of Prey" TV Guide Cover Sketch "B"

Joe Jusko Thursday

Hawkman @ Being Carter Hall
2002 Unused TV Guide Birds of Prey Cover Art @ DC Bloodlines
1999 Wonder Woman painting @ Diana Prince
2009 Zatanna Convention Sketch @ Justice League Detroit

"Whatever Happened To Dr. Mid-Nite?" in DC Comics Presents #29 (January, 1981)

2011-11-07T00:00:00.003-06:00

Dr. Mid-Nite was wrestling with would-be narcotics dealer Alvin Miller in Memorial Hospital's medical supply room, even though his infra-red goggles now did little to help his fading eyesight. Applying a blackout bomb to a situation that once would have been a cakewalk, Mid-Nite found "It's far worse than I feared! I'm becoming totally blind-- even in the dark!" Dr. Mid-Nite had to rely on his experience and hearing to knock Miller out, right before the cops showed. "Luckily, I know the layout of this hospital well enough to get back [to his office] without revealing Dr. Mid-Nite can't see! Having a blind super-hero and a blind doctor would be too much of a coincidence!"

Dr. Charles McNider contacted his old friend and ophthalmologist Dr. Gordon Ogilvy in hopes of saving his super-hero career. Ogilvy had developed glasses that worked like sonar, and was testing them a young man named Tim when McNider rang his telephone. Gordy explained to an insistent Tim the glasses still needed work, but told McNider over the phone they were coming along great. Tim beat Ogilvy to death with his cane, leading Dr. Mid-Nite to rush to the scene. Mid-Nite's vision returned intermittently, so he combined it with his detective skill in search of Tim. Luckily, two toughs on the seedier side of town just happened to discuss a $1,000 bet that blind Timmy couldn't swipe one of Senator B.J. Potter's collection of sculptures in McNider's earshot.

Dr. Mid-Nite caught up with Tim inside the senator's mansion, but the former's night-sight was again fading fast, so the latter slugged him easily. "A blackout bomb will blind him-- What am I thinking about?! This guy is able to see in the dark-- better than I can!" Worse, Mid-Nite's night-vision finally conked out!

Mid-Nite's only advantage was that he knew Tim's glasses only drew shapes through movement. The Doctor hugged a wall, leading Tim on. The murderous thief decided "this time I'm doublin' up my fist-power" and punched a statue draped with Mid-Nite's cape with both his now broken hands. The big ball of stupidity wrapped with the senator investigating via lit candelabra, as though the story took place during the late 19th century.

Alvin Miller, dude raiding the hospital supply room, was provided a surname for two pages of work. Tim should be so lucky, as he was sent up, and his victim put in the ground. Millions lost out because of a "foolish wager," though Mid-Nite hoped to adapt Ogilvy's glasses for his own problem. "Combined with my infra-red goggles, Gordy's seeing-eye-glasses will enable Dr. Mid-Nite to continue his fight for justice!"

This silly back-up story from DC Comics Presents #29 was bungled by Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk and Joe Giella.

Direct Currents: Saturday, November 5, 2011

2011-11-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

The 10 Best Episodes of 'Batman: The Animated Series'

With over a hundred episodes produced from 1992 to 1998, Batman: The Animated Series is commonly regarded as not just one of the greatest cartoons ever made, but one of the best depictions of Batman in any medium in the character's 70-year history.

DC Comics Smashes Marvel Marketshare In October, Takes 51% Of Sales

Derek Fridolfs And Dustin Nguyen On Unnamed Batbook?

DC Pays 75% Of Occupy Metropolis Press Ad

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 10.31.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 11.03.11

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Sword of the Atom map!

The Aquaman Shrine
The Trench Character Designs by Ivan Reis!
The All-New Super Friends Hour: Episode 12
The Super Friends by Phil Noto
Young Justice - "Terrors"
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 5
AquaSketch by Joe Prado
AquaSketch by Rod Reis

Being Carter Hall
Read: Hawkman v.4:no.21
Read: The Savage Hawkman #2

Brian Bolland's Blog
Detail of the day. More Camelot pencils
Another detail from Camelot 3000.

Bronze Tiger
Two for the Money: 2nd CHAMBER

Comics Make Me Happy!
Martian Manhunter by Dave Perillo

Cornered
Flynn Nichols corners SWAMP THING

DC Fifty-TOO!
ATARI FORCE #1 by Zack Soto
BROTHER POWER THE GEEK #1 by Brendan Tobin
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #1 by Steve Bryant
HER NAME IS DEATH #1 by Steve Rolston
NIGHTWING #1 by Corey Lewis

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
The Huntress #1 (December, 2011)
The Warner Bros. Studio Store Wonder Woman Lithograph by Brian Bolland
2006 Wonder Woman on Paradise Island sketch by Mike Wieringo

Diversions of the Groovy Kind
"The Slayer" from Claw the Unconquered #12 (May 1978)
"The Collector" from House of Mystery #251 (December 1977)
"The World Within" from Korak #46 (February 1972)
Batman in "Killer's Roulette" from Detective Comics #426 (April 1972)
"The Poster Plague!" from House of Mystery #202 (March 1972)
The Rose and the Thorn in "The Ghost with Two Faces!" from Lois Lane #117 (October 1971)

Firestorm Fan
More Firestorm Cubees
Firestorm’s New Symbol
Geoff Johns on Gehenna’s Death in “Blackest Night”
September Comic Sales Figures – DC on Top!
Fury of Firestorm #1 – Did you notice…
German Blackest Night with Firestorm Variant Cover
Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #1 Alternate Cover

Girls Gone Geek
Stream of Comicsness – Week of 10.26.2011
Blue Beetle by Roger Robinson
Comic Judgment: Surprises and Comeback Kids

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
1999 Fanzing Interview With John Ostrander
DCnÜ Domino Dancing: Bloodwynd
2011 San Diego Comic-Con International Miss Martian and Artemis Cosplay
2011 Bel Juz Commission by Brian Denham
The Vile Menagerie: CAY'AN
Gypsy: Her Best Covers
Post-Pointal Discussion: The Cover To Stormwatch #1 Revealed

Jim Shooter
The Startling Conclusion of the Submissions Saga
Three Comic Book Weddings, or Holy Matrimony!
Forget Paris and More Items of Interest
DC Comics the New 52 Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
New 52 General Conclusions and the Secret Origin of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe

Justice League Detroit
Aquaman #1 (November, 2011)
2010 The Vixen color art by Georgel McAwesome

Kevin Nowlan
The Inferior Five
Batman, Batgirl and Robin

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
The Boy Commandos in "When Hitler Came Back," from Detective Comics #125, 1947
"Secret of the Ages" from Mystery In Space #2, 1951
"My Brother Is A Robot" from 1960's My Greatest Adventure #42 & "Bang! Bang! You're Dead!" from Tales Of the Unexpected #102, 1967

Power of the Atom
2011 Ryan Choi Atom art by Andrew Willis
Dragon*Con 2011 Damage Cosplay

Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
My Problem with the New DCU:
A Rant About Something I Haven't Read...
A Long, Confused Ramble About the Wall

The Quality Companion Companion
QC Bibliography: Online Resources

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
New Dibnys pics by Busterella and Perpetual Insomniac
The Pied Piper's Double Doom!

Silver Age Comics
The Luckiest Character Ever?
Tracers: The Ape Cover Limit

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Mahmud Asrar's Steampunk Supergirl And More
The Rest Of My DCnU Week Four Purchases
Review: Action Comics #2
Back Issue Box: Action Comics #677
Mahmud Asrar Interview
Review: Hawk And Dove #2
Hero-Clix Bizarro Girl

The Thought Experiment
Daily Batman: Ink-blots
Daily Batman: Cthulu edition
Daily Batman: Hanging out
Daily Batman: A salt is no joke
Daily Batman: O.G. wisdom

Review: DC Comics Presents #29

2011-11-02T06:00:00.002-05:00

Anj: Hello to everyone. It’s Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary. And welcome to DC Bloodlines, a blog that looks at some of the dustier corners of the DCU and a place I occasionally post my non-Super-related comic thoughts. Bloodlines is the brainchild of Diabolu Frank who runs this site as well as the fantastic Idol Head of Diabolu, the pre-eminent Martian Manhunter blog. And today Frank and I are going to tag team review DC Comics Presents #29, the last part of a three part story which had Superman guest starring first with J’Onn J’Onzz, then Supergirl, and finally the Spectre. The first two parts are reviewed here and here.

Frank: You’re too modest, Anj. You contribute great material around here on a fairly regular basis, and I always appreciate your slumming with me. It’s nice to just chime in on a post with my random opinions, instead of all that laborious synopsizing and scanning you put in. Anyway, elements of this story arc stick in my craw, but I’d say it was overall pretty darned good, even with the weird turn in chapter three.

Anj: As for me, this is a great ending to a pretty important story, one which brought the Martian Manhunter back, introduced Mongul and Warworld to the DCU, and explored what it means to be Superman with his level of power and confidence.

But while the first two issues are more straight forward action comics, this last chapter is a bit more cerebral and trippy. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin have Superman learn some hard lessons from the Spectre and a very special Guest star. As always, Starlin shines here in this cosmic psychedelic landscape.

Frank: This story definitely contributed to the Martian Manhunter’s comeback. Readers often wrote letters to editors asking “whatever happened to” characters, and guest appearances often followed. J’onn J’onzz had a banner year in 1977, with a short run solo strip in Adventure Comics crossing into World’s Finest Comics intended to turn ongoing, until the DC Implosion wiped out all such plans. J’onn had a minor guest appearance earlier in 1980, but I think his major brawl with Superman is what really raised his profile. Team-up titles like The Brave and the Bold and DCCP were great about reminding people of awesome if forgotten heroes.

Anj: I completely agree. I loved the team-up books growing up because it allowed me to meet some characters I otherwise wouldn’t encounter. DCCP and B&B introduced me to Dr. Fate, The Unknown Soldier, Firestorm, Mister Miracle … the list goes on and on. I especially loved when characters I did know and loved teamed up with Supes or Batman like the Legion and Supergirl issues. On to the issue!

Anj: The issues is aptly titled ‘Where no Superman has gone before’ and picks up right where last issue left off. Superman and Supergirl have destroyed Warworld. But Supergirl, who basically shot herself through the planet like a bullet, was left unconscious for her efforts and careened undeterred and at high speed through space.

I liked this opening panel as a determined Superman vows to find his cousin. I liked the visible representation of Supergirl in his thoughts here, transparent and looming over him.

Frank: Where the first part of the story was thrown together by a whole studio of guest inkers, the two chapters involving Supergirl were quite pretty, thanks to the heavy embellishment of Romeo Tanghal. Starlin is one of my all-time favorite artists, but I think his cosmic cavemen were best tempered here, allowing for a classically handsome Superman, fair Maid of Might, and a general softness that better conveyed the familiar concern at the heart of the journey. I did miss the big alien thuggery of Martian Manhunter and Mongul though, who each in turn dropped completely out of the story with little explanation.

Anj: I never quite understood why J’onn wasn’t part of the ongoing mission. He had defeated Mongul in the past, Warworld was his responsibility, and certainly he could help Superman and Supergirl. But he was out. I think the next time I saw him was in Justice League of America #200.

Anj: After a nice panel of Superman doing some complicated super-geometry and calculus in his head, he determines Supergirl’s trajectory and begins to follow her. But given her head start, Superman has to pour on the speed, breaking every barrier there is to break until he shatterd the ‘bonds of Eternity’. That top panel is wonderfully composed, with the cosmos trapped in infinity, a sparse white environment around him. It nicely and simply conveys that this is more than deep space, this is an otherworldly landscape.

Luckily, Superman’s math was right because Supergirl is flying a short distance ahead of him.

Frank: It’s such a simple thing, but that panel combining a bit of geometry and pathos reminded me of how super Superman was at the time. It’s so much cooler than tossing off a word balloon as he flies through space. What follows is another example in this story arc of using panel progression for maximum effectiveness in a way that only comic books can. The artist controls the readers’ perception of time and space as Superman shatters both dimensions in pursuit of Supergirl.

Anj: I should have scanned that math panel. It worked for me too. I’d rather be shown than told. When words and art work together to tell the story, comics are special. Such a small panel in this issue, but it clicked.

Anj: Before he can reach her however, Superman slams into a giant Spectre, landing roughly on a nearby planetoid.

It was great to read this story now, reminding me that at one point the Spectre was the top dog of the DCU, unbeatable and unstoppable. This was 6 years before he fell to the ‘giant black thumb’ in Alan Moore’s SwampThing #50. Back then if the Spectre lost a battle it meant something. Now anyone seems to be able to defeat him.

I also got the sense that this Spectre carried some of the characterization he had in the famous Fleisher/Aparo issues of Adventure Comics.

Frank: The Spectre’s power levels were “Marvelized” Post-Crisis, wimping him out to make him more “relatable,” which of course utterly misses the point. At his best, the Spectre should be as scary as any villainous threat, because the guy is an agent of an unfathomable and often merciless deity most readers themselves worship. Fleisher and Aparo introduced that “Wrath of God” fearsomeness, and I think Ostrander &; Mandrake did a fine job restoring it in the ‘90s.

Anj: It’s almost comical how the Spectre has deteriorated. When he got crushed in Swamp Thing, as a reader, I knew this ‘anti-light’ was something unworldly. Now the Red Lantern avatar can beat him. I never read Ostrander’s take. I might have to hunt some issues down.

Anj: The Spectre tells Superman that he was approaching a place that no mortal eye can see. That the Man of Steel simply shall not pass. Supergirl is safe, and is she is unconscious is not witnessing what she must not.
One of the themes of this three-parter has been Superman’s overconfidence. Despite the Spectre’s warnings, Superman is going to continue onward. But this is the Spectre. Superman’s efforts of strength and of speed to get around the Spectre are ineffective against the Spirit of Vengeance.

I did like that Superman’s love of his cousin is so paramount that he doesn’t want to pause to discuss things with the Spectre.

Frank: I didn’t take it that way, at least in part. Since the first chapter, Superman’s supposed motivation was his concern for imperiled loved ones, but that mostly came across as ego excusing id. While the Martian Manhunter may have thrown the first punch, Superman closed off all other options with his callous disregard for the entire universe outside his close personal friends, not to mention his supreme overconfidence.

Superman then treats Supergirl as a tag-a-long and tells her a highly subjective version of the previous issue’s events, when she ended up being instrumental in halting the threat of Warworld. Here, Superman’s arrogant willfulness sees him spit in the eye of God Almighty. The irrationality inherent in Supergirl’s plight aside, how could he think a battle with the Spectre could be wrapped up in time to be of help? I can’t think of a single story arc that better exemplifies the concept of “Superdickery.”

Anj: Interesting take and one I probably missed because of my Supergirl slant. I always want to see the best in Superman when he interacts with Supergirl since so many of his stories with her involve him either exiling, disparaging, or fighting her.

His extreme chest-thumping in this story is a consistent theme here and this scene really is no different.

Anj: When Superman simply won’t listen to the Spectre, the Agent of the Voice decides that it is time for some old-fashioned education. Effortlessly he grabs Superman and sends him into a warped world where those hard lessons will be taught.

And I thought the lessons were classic Spectre, a hint of ‘let the punishment fit the crime’ irony here much like in those Fleisher issues. In those issues villains pay the ultimate price for their crimes … a murderous barber is cut in half by giant scissors, a woman obsessed with beauty is aged until she becomes dust, etc.

Frank: For its time, that material was as twisted as anything out there. Harlan Ellison said as much, calling Michael Fleisher a madman in an interview, and inviting an equally insane lawsuit from the writer. Comics are a crazy place.

Anj: And so Superman has to be taught about the limits of power.

First, he is set before a small Krypton, about to explode. Despite all his power, Superman cannot even stop this Krypton from exploding.

Frank: Symbolism aside, you can’t “hug it out” with an exploding world. His moobs alone would take out the Northern Hemisphere of Krypton.

Anj: (laughing)

Anj: And next, he can’t stop Death from mowing down Pa Kent again. I have to say when I read this issue as a kid, this scene creeped me out to no end. It was a simpler time.

But I thought these were great scabs for the Spectre to pick at, probably the two biggest failures of the Silver Age Superman (although admittedly, I never liked the ‘Superman tries to save Krypton’ stories). This is psychological warfare, the cruelest lessons that can be taught.

Frank: I didn’t read this story until the late ‘90s, so I was much too polluted to appreciate the effect. I do wonder why no one ever played the mommy card on him. It was always “My Two Dads” with Superman. No wonder he has so many issues with women.

Anj: But there is one more lesson. Superman is forced to face his dark self, a being of immense power with a capacity for violence, a machine of anger. Of course, it would take but a nudge to push the real Superman into becoming this thing. After all, just a few pages before he lashed out at the Spectre without thinking.

Superman ends up losing this fight before realizing that this is the final exam. There is something important to be learned here. Power is important yes, but power with intelligence and compassion. Once he realizes that is what the Spectre is trying to teach him, the dark Superman dissipates.

Frank: Folks must have really liked this story arc. That scene totally anticipates his material identity struggle in Superman III, and John Byrne’s 1986 revamp is largely predicated on veering as far from this outsized conception of Superman as possible toward the more serene, accessible benevolence of the Donner interpretation.

Anj: You’re right that the ‘evil Superman’ here looks like the Kryptonite-fueled jerk from Superman III. Even now, stories like Grounded look at what it would mean if Superman was out of control or if people feared him going out of control.

Anj: And with the lesson learned, Superman calms down. The Spectre reveals that Superman was travelling so fast he was about to enter heaven!

And then the top secret Guest star shows up. God talks to Superman, calling him a good and faithful son. God talks to Superman!

THAT JUST HAPPENED!

Well I suppose if I reviewed Beowulf cutting off Satan’s ear here, Superman can talk to God personally.

Frank: I loved the simplicity of representing the divine as a light blue calligraphic font bathed in white light without the borders of a dialogue balloon. What was it about the ‘70s and holy rolling in comics?

Anj: Superman takes it all in stride, amazingly.

He finally simply asks the Spectre for help in finding Supergirl. It turns out all Superman needed to was ask. Supergirl materializes in Superman’s arms.

Frank: Well, if anyone was going to be comfortable talking directly to God after trying to punch His Divine Agent in the solar plexus, it’s the guy who has spent the last three issues telling everyone how fabulous and infallible he is.

Anj: Superman admits to the Spectre that he has been taught a great lesson … "With Great Power Comes Great Respon" …. oops. Umm .. that is ... power for power’s sake is worthless, it must be tempered with a conscience. Thank goodness he finally learned it. After all, in this story alone Superman has battered an old friend, endangered the universe by giving a villain access to an all-powerful weapon, and tried to break into heaven and beat up an angel.

Supergirl awakens and the two cousins fly home.

Frank: Again with the anticipation. Superman cradling a Supergirl literally at death’s door. All they need now is copious amounts of blood and a sweatband.

Congratulations to Len Wein for crafting a variation on Job that makes practical sense and involves a Death Star. It’s a vast improvement, by my impious reckoning, even with the thinly veiled Yellow Peril revival a generation removed from Sax Romer and the war in the Pacific.

Anj: I have to say I liked this issue and this story a lot. This was my first experience with J'Onn and the Spectre. I thought Wein did a good job capturing just who the Spectre was at this stage of the DCU. The hallucination scenes were appropriately scary and thought provoking. And like the best comics, there is some moral at the end of the fable. The story as a whole had some longstanding impact on the DCU both then and now. And it really was a nice story of the super-cousins acting together to save the universe.

I am giving both the issue and the arc an ‘A’ grade.

Frank: This is the scale and emotional impact all team-up books and crossovers should have, but so rarely do. Nobody died, no one switched to an all-black costume, continuity wasn’t massively reworked, and yet this story is more memorable than most any Crisis to come down the pike in the thirty years since. Speaking of sense, I don’t think this story has ever been collected in the States, but the British turned it into a hardcover annual a couple of years later with a Brian Bolland cover. Imagination and heart go a long way, but it best not conflict with the latest printing of Prelude to Infinite Crisis...

Anj: This was a blast Frank. Glad we got to do this together as this story really meshed both our comic foci.

Direct Currents: Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011-10-30T03:02:00.002-05:00

Ivan Brandon Leaves DC Comics’ Men Of War After Issue 6

The book, despite internal leaks to the contrary, is not cancelled and will continue.

UPDATE: New Photos of Henry Cavill on the Man of Steel Set

Photographer Susan Gittins snapped these shots (via YVRShoots) of Henry Cavill filming a rescue scene for Zack Snyder's Superman movie Man of Steel in Vancouver. Even better photos are expected to surface as the paparazzi was there as well.

Superman, DC Comics v. Pacific Pictures Corp, And The Toberoff Timeline

With this case, we’re getting a glimpse behind curtains that don’t usually get parted.

Brian Azzarello on Crime and Superheroes

“I don’t change my approach to anything, and I approach everything the same way;” Brian Azzarello says. “To come up with a story that, hopefully, is different than what you expect.”

The Super-Rich Super-Heroes Respond To #OccupyWallStreet: We Are The (Fictional) 1%

Comic Book Legends Revealed #302

Alan Moore on BJ & the Bear

Comic Book Legends Revealed #338

Burton's Vicki Vale, Storm's mohawk, and Loboless R.E.B.E.L.S.

How Did Wonder Woman Lose Her Pants?

Artist Clint Hilinski has decided to answer this question by way of a piece of original art being sold on eBay…

October 30 is Women of Wonder Day, Benefiting Victims of Domestic Violence

20 Awesome Comic Book Themed Jack-O'-Lanterns!

10 Amazingly Bad Retro Halloween Costumes: What Exactly Was Wrong With Your Parents?

With their unintentionally terrifying masks and bizarre plastic coverall-style suits, the Halloween costumes produced by Ben Cooper, Inc. have become downright iconic in American pop culture through sheer awfulness. From the '50s to the '80s, they were a staple of Halloweens across the country and are still valued as vintage collectibles, despite the fact that they are -- and this is putting it nicely -- hilariously awful.

21 of the Best, Worst and Weirdest Halloween Costumes For Kids

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 10.03.11

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - 10.11.11

Best Cosplay Ever (This Week) - New York Comic Con Edition!

Cosplay Photo Highlights From New York Comic Con 2011

Awesome Art Picks: Dark Phoenix, Venom, Jonah Hex & More

Some of this week's coolest comic book art you won't see in comic books.

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 10.07.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 10.14.11

Best Art Ever (This Week) - Year Two Begins Here!

Best Art Ever (This Week) - Halloween 2011

In honor of Halloween, we've compiled the darkest and spookiest selections from Best Art Evers past.

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
ACTION!

The Aquaman Shrine

Being Carter Hall
Read: Hawkman v.1:no.2.2
Read: Flash Comics #21

Brian Bolland's Blog
Detail of the day: Camelot 3000

DC Fifty-TOO!
AMETHYST #1 by Jon McNally
ANGEL AND THE APE #1 by Scott Faulkner
THE DEMON #1 by Adam Watson
HECKLER #1 by Benjamin Birdie
KLARION #1 by Jemma Salume

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
1992 Wonder Woman #68 Unused Cover Concept Sketch by Brian Bolland
2010 Wonder Woman Redesign art by Brett Booth

Diversions of the Groovy Kind

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
I guess now that Barbara Gordon has gone back to being Batgirl...

Firestorm Fan

Girls Gone Geek
Mary Marvel by Kris Anka
Friday Favorite: Wonder Woman
Bride of Frankenstein by Ming Doyle

The Idol-Head of Diabolu

J.M. DeMatteis's Creation Point
Giffen & DeMatteis: THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY

Jim Shooter
SUPERMAN – First Marvel Issue!
Son of Items of Interest

Justice League Detroit
Dragon*Con 2011 Vixen Cosplay
2006 "Princess & King" Wonder Woman and Aquaman Commission by Eric Canete
2010 Zatanna Convention Sketch by Ted Naifeh

Kevin Nowlan
Batgirl pin-up
Batman pin-up: Inks over David Finch pencils
Supergirl sketch

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine

Power of the Atom
The Top 20 Atom Covers of the 1960s

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man

Silver Age Comics
What's that the Challengers are Drinking?
The Curious Case of the Time Trapper

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
More Suicide Squad members make debut in Young Justice episode "Revelations"
I year for this blog today, time for a vacation

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

The Thought Experiment

Review Section

Comic shop comics by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Oct. 26

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care by Diabolu Frank

#124: Buck BOOM!

2007 The Question convention sketch by Whilce Portacio

2011-10-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Image Style

1985 Captain Atom, Blue Beetle and The Question art by Rob Liefeld @ Power of the Atom
1990 Martian Manhunter art by Jim Lee @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2005 Wonder Woman San Diego Comic-Con sketch by Whilce Portacio @ Diana Prince
1986 Vixen fan art by Rob Liefeld @ Justice League Detroit
2010 Zatanna Commission by Rob Liefeld @ Justice League Detroit

1992 Glonth Alien Parasite Form Character Design by Arthur Adams

2011-10-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Let's Glonth again, like we did that summer! Yeah, let's Glonth again, like we did in that year (1992!) Since Glonth was one of the best and most prolifically employed Bloodlines parasites, I'm surprised it took so long to finally locate a model sheet for his alien form. Now I've almost got a complete set to show off for this blog, but Pritor remains ever elusive!

The trouble is doubly odd because art from this design turned up not only in the Bloodlines trading card set, but in almost every DC Comic cover dated June 1993. Glonth was shown tearing through the editorial page "DC Universe 8," which while a cute breaking of the fourth wall, is kind of self-defeating from a marketing perspective. You see, Glonth obscured copy related to the Bloodlines event, when he maybe should have veered toward the "Metropolis Kid" or the announcement about DC's rotissery baseball league. Also worth noting was that Glonth was colored differently both times (the ad coming closer than the card.)

There's a batch of Bloodlines Parasite scans taken from reference material sent out to creators on the annual event, and they're courtesy of "The Online Home of Chuck Dixon," THE DIXONVERSE!. Check out all of his offerings in this gallery!

Direct Currents: Friday, October 21, 2011

2011-10-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

I'm finally back to calling them "Direct" Currents, since many of these blogs are current to the month of October, and I'm catching up wit them what ain't...

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
Heads up, DC!

The Aquaman Shrine
Underoos Commercial - 1978
Black Manta Character Designs by Joe Prado
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 3
Aquaman Logo - 1988
Young Justice #5 - Aug. 2011
Happy 70th Birthday Aquaman!
Aquaman Character Designs by Ivan Reis

Armagideon Time
The Astonishing Yeast Menace
Nobody’s Favorites: The Ghost Patrol

Being Carter Hall
Savage Hawkman Sketch by Philip Tan!

Brian Bolland's Blog
Detail of the day: The cover of Camelot #11 and an unpublished Superman page
Comicon 76
Detail of the day: Camelot 3000 pencils

Comics Make Me Happy!
For those of you who just can't understand Adam Strange, this won't help

DC Fifty-TOO!
BIG BARDA #1 by Sean Esty
IMPULSE #1 by Tracie Mauk
THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #1 by Evan Shaner
WEIRD WESTERN TALES #1 by Evan Keeling
WONDER WOMAN #1 by Nathan Fox

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
Dragon*Con 2011 Wonder Girl Donna Troy Cosplay
2011 Wonder Woman Unreleased NBC Pilot Pictorial Review

El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker
Composite Spy vs Spy?!

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
Action Comics Weekly #610: The one where Nancy Reagan gets called out
This week's link post, now fortified with NYCC announcement reactions
DC's January previews reviewed

Firestorm Fan
More Firestorm Custom Statues
Super Friends Firestorm Interviewed!
Rogue’s Gallery: Firestorm’s Nuclear Nemeses
Rogue’s Gallery: Deathstorm Fan Art
Rogue’s Gallery: Bug & Byte
Stuart Moore: Exclusive Interview with FIRESTORM FAN
Todd Nauck Firestorm Sketches

Girls Gone Geek
Dragon*Con 2011 Photo Album
Lucifer by Chris Moeller
WTF? Wednesday: Punishing Diana
Harley Quinn by Marcio Takara
Spider Jerusalem

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2011 B'rett Comicpalooza Color Art by Nick Pitarra
2011 Mongul Comicpalooza Commission by Isaac Mardis
2011 Miss Martian “Puppy Love” art by Ryan Bullard
2011 Mister V Comicpalooza Commission by Phil Hester
2011 Flashpoint Martian Manhunter designs by Kevin Nowlan
2011 Martian Manhunter Icon Wallpaper by Richard Manship
New Beginning, Again

Jim Shooter
Fatal Five design drawings, 1966
Writer/Editors Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Justice League Detroit
The Top 10 Aquaman Covers of the 1960s
2011 DC Fifty-TOO! Plastic Man #1 by Jon Morris and Stephen DeStefano
2005 The Falcon & Vixen art by Peter Temple

Kevin Nowlan
Cover art: The War That Time Forgot #7
Wonder Woman #50 pin-up
Batman: Sword of Azrael TPB cover art
WildC.A.T.S / Aliens page 28

Power of the Atom
2011 The Golden Age Atom art by Andrew Willis
2010 Teen Titans Zero Hour in color art by Bill Walko

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Showcase Presents: The Elongated Man, vol. 1
The Many Names of Randolph W. Dibny
The top 20+ Rubbery Rivals of Ralph
Top 20 Elongated Man Deviantart
Kid Flash Meets the Elongated Man!

Silver Age Comics
Inflation Since the Silver Age
The Secret Origin of the Atom (Ray Palmer)

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Superman Family Statue
Review: DC Retro-Active Superman 1990's
Mike Maihack' Supergirl/Batgirl Book
Anj's DCnU Pull List
Review: Superman Beyond
Review: Action Comics #1

The Thought Experiment
Daily Batman: the irretrievably lost world inside
Daily Batman: All the news that’s fit to meh!

Review Section

Comic shop comics by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Comics Of The Weak by Tucker Stone

Generally Speaking, There's No Learning Curve To Intercourse

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care by Diabolu Frank

Review: My Greatest Adventure #1

2011-10-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

My Greatest Adventure #1, the new DC anthology book, came out last week and featured the new Robotman of the DCnU. Now I have talked about my love of the Doom Patrol here at Bloodlines in the past and the team has been covered here extensively. My Greatest Adventure was the first book the Doom Patrol appeared in way back in the Silver Age and with Robotman as one of the stars, I thought I'd review the book.

This book is the direct continuation of the recent Weird Worlds anthology book and the other two characters featured here, GarbageMan and Tanga, are back to continue their stories. Lobo, the weakest feature in Weird World was dropped in favor of the Robotman feature. I think it is worth mentioning that the GarbageMan and Tanga features literally pick up where Weird Worlds left off. New readers picking up MGA are joining a story mid-stream. If I were DC, I might have at least done a recap page or paragraph.

But I am concentrate mostly on the Robotman story here, written by Matt Kindt and drawn by Scott Kolins. It is hard to know if the Doom Patrol has existed in the DCnU. There is no mention of the team anywhere here. In fact, I am assuming that this Cliff/Robotman is Cliff Steel. The new look of Robotman is a bit evocative of Joe Staton's version in the "New" Doom Patrol seen in Showcase.

So right from the start, we realize this isn't the typical Robotoman. The opening action sequence shows a flying Robotman, composed of nanobots, his body unfolding into new configurations. He pretty effortlessly sinks a drone battleship.

I have to say I don't like a flying Robotman. One of the things about the older versions of Cliff is that he needed to plod along. As the most 'grounded' member of the team, that seemed appropriate. I do like the bug-like head ...nice design.

This Cliff runs a 'Adventure Agency', a place where he takes interesting cases to solve. The latest one is to track down a missing scientist named Dr. Turing.

Despite having a close co-worker, there is a feeling of isolation here. The headquarters is a lone tower in the Nevada desert, the land terraformed by the nanobots into an oasis. People don't just wander by.

The co-worker is a low level telepath named Maddy Rouge. Hmmm ... some relation to Madame Rouge the stretchable villain in the Brotherhood of Evil? Regardless, she senses something isn't quite right in this Turing case.

How these two got together isn't revealed yet, although some event has happened in Utah is hinted at, one which weighs Maddy down with guilt.

These scenes show Cliff's body literally unraveled and being tuned up, a very odd and off-putting picture.

That sense of isolation ... of otherness ... is pervasive here. While the old Cliff tried to remain linked to humanity as much as possible, this one seems to have simply given up. He continues to point out why he isn't human but the veiled pain in these lines shows some humanity still exists.

But the old Cliff wore pants and a shirt, a way to feel more a part of humanity. This one remains naked, unfolding to reveal more and more inner mechanics.

The case for Turing leads Cliff to Cuba where he is attacked by Zombies which begin dismantling him. Nice Cliff-hanger.

I don't know ... I miss the Doom Patrol. I enjoyed the recent Giffen book and have always had an affinity for the characters. I wonder when/if the Patrol will reappear in the DCnU. As for this Cliff, it is a sort of new take on the character, although the 'am I human' piece of Cliff remains a big part of his characterization. Kindt is able to drop us into the character pretty neatly and quickly here. And Kolins art is smoother than I have seen in the past and looks nice

But Robotman is only 1/3 of the book.

GarbageMan continues the story of this 'trash encrusted mockery of a man'. There is a bit of a Swamp Thing feel about this strip as the character tries to come to grips with his new life as a monster.

This issue gives some back story showing Richard (GarbageMan) Morse's prior relationships, his failed marriage, his flirting with his co-worker. The chapter ends with GarbageMan in Gotham, which might lead to an interesting encounter with Batman.

Aaron Lopresti writes and draws the script. I am a huge fan of Lopresti and think his work is stunningly beautiful.

But for me, the best part of the book is Kevin Maguire's Tanga strip. Tanga is sassy, powerful, short tempered, but heroic in the end. She'll save innocents but then wants to get drunk in the nearest bar. The current story has her feuding with a local hero named Za who is basically a powerless fraud but wants to bed her. (In the end I think he wants to drain her of her power.) This is a fun strip and I hope eventually gets collected as a trade. I love Maguire's work too.

So overall, this is a decent sci-fi/horror anthology with some great talent and some very good stories. It is $3.99 but is full of story and great art.

Overall grade: B/B+

The Huntress moon color art by Bruce Timm

2011-10-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Bruce Timm Bits

Nightshade and the Question animation concept art @ Power of the Atom
Wonder Woman Flying color pin-up @ Diana Prince
The Vixen animation concept art @ Justice League Detroit
2001 Justice League Lunar art by Bruce Timm @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

InDirect Currents: Thursday, October 13, 2011

2011-10-13T14:25:00.005-05:00

Ann Nocenti to write GREEN ARROW

Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman Series Planned For 2012 “Or Thereabouts”

BLOGS

The Absorbascon
1001 Ways to Defeat Green Arrow, #12
Green Arrow #1 Review
Rage of the Red Absorbascon....!
The Madness of Queen Jean Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Editor's Interlude Part 4

The Aquaman Shrine
DC Super Heroes Trading Card - 1982
The New 52: Swamp Thing #1
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 1
The Fire and Water Podcast: Episode 2
The Aqua-Family @ Dragon*Con 2011!
Justice Kids! by Justin White
Aquamen by Jean Sinclair

Armagideon Time
Nobody’s Favorites: The Protector
Nobody’s Favorites: Jason’s Quest
Nobody’s Favorites: Scarlett

Being Carter Hall
Hawkman and Hawkgirl Cosplay At DragonCon
More Cosplay From DragonCon 2011
Savage Hawkman #1 Review Roundup!
Philip Tan & I on Twitter
Read: The Savage Hawkman #1
Savage Hawkman Revealed!

Brian Bolland's Blog
Here are some step-by-steps.
COVER STORY The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland
Detail of the day

Bronze Tiger
36 CHAMBERS

Comics Make Me Happy!
Laura Hudson says it better than I can

DC Fifty-TOO!
BIRDS OF PREY #1 by Amy Mebberson
BLACKHAWKS #1 by Scott Godlewski
KID ETERNITY #1 by Neal von Flue
LOIS LANE #1 by Anthony Vukojevich
RICHARD DRAGON KUNG-FU FIGHTER #1 by Tony Esteves
STRANGE ADVENTURES #1 by Joel Carroll
SUPERGIRL/BATGIRL #1 by Mike Maihack

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
2011 DCnÜ Wonder Girl Design Sketch by Brett Booth
2011 Rejected DCnÜ Wonder Girl Concept Art by Brett Booth

Every Day Is Like Wednesday
Supergods: Not quite an industry tell-all, but closer than usual
I am going to discuss Catwoman and Batman’s sex lives in great detail, because DC Comics asked me to*

Firestorm Fan
Firestorm Rubik’s Cube
Firestorm Elemental Tattoo
Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom Exclusive Interview
Justice League and Justice Society Pin-up by George Perez
Firestorm in DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide
Before They Were Stars – Ed Brubaker
Rogue’s Gallery: Brimstone

Girls Gone Geek
Ravager
Nightwing

Gone & Forgotten
And don't let the big gold door hit you where the good Rao split you.
Crisis On Infinite Earths in the Front, Party in the Back!

The Idol-Head of Diabolu
My Funny Martian
2011 Martian Manhunter Comicpalooza Commission by Nick Pitarra
Creators of Mars: Gene Colan
Miss Martian and the New World Order
2011 B'rett Comicpalooza Commission by Nick Pitarra
The Magnificent Seven Revised Again

Jim Shooter
Superman, the Playboy Club, Decorating Higgins, the Secret Theater and More Strange Tales
The Secret Origin and Gooey Death of the Marvel/DC Crossovers Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, the Last

Justice League Detroit
2008 The Vixen art by larthosgrr8
2008 The Vixen art by Marsonite
2009 The Vixen Digital 3-D Pin-Up by Gustavo
2006 "A Call to Arms, Part 5" by Darryl Banks

Kevin Nowlan
Old Superman and Batman commission
Batman Gargoyle
Martian Manhunter designs
Batman specialty piece

Power of the Atom
2011 Ryan Choi Atom art by Andrew Willis
2009 Evan “Doc” Shaner's Justice League

The Quality Companion Companion
About The Quality Companion

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man
Mystery of the Elongated Man!
The Elongated Man's Secret Weapon!
The Elongated Man's Undersea Trap!
Squeaky wheel: Elongated Man in Justice League Unlimited
The Elongated Man's power control
The Space-Boomerang Trap!

Silver Age Comics
Wonder Woman 155
Green Lantern #24
Repetitive Plots in Sgt Rock
Our Army At War #175

Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD (Task Force X)
From Darkseid to iran's ayatollah khomeini, whatever evil you fear most
Everybody was Kung Fu fightn: Bronze Tiger vs. Batman plus, the 3 reasons Bronze Tiger is a badass you never knew about!
Suicide Squad #2 review. Be warned I spoil everything!

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Review: Justice League Of America #60
Back Issue Box: Detective Comics #509
Streaky In Grant Morrison's Animal Man
Review: Supergirl #67
Review: Action Comics #904
Back Issue Box: Detective Comics #510

The Thought Experiment
Daily Batman: A story in stills, “The Electrical Brain” edition

Tommy Tejeda
Wonder Woman vs. Captain America...rough...
Wonder Woman vs. Captain America

Weekend Review Section

Comic Judgment by Girls Gone Geek

Comic shop comics by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care by Diabolu Frank

Comics Of The Weak by Tucker Stone

Action Comics #1 (November, 2011)

2011-10-11T00:00:00.004-05:00

Metropolis was a city where well armed fat cats made their own "law" through financial leverage and gun barrels. For six months, a young vigilante in a blue t-shirt and red cape had been been trying to bring justice to town and a level playing field for the common man. Of all the wheels in this town, Glenmorgan was the biggest, but his night had finally come. Police pursued the so-called "Superman" (so dubbed by reporter Lois Lane) to Glenmorgan's penthouse, and found its owner dangling over the balcony. "I'll put him down... Just as soon as he makes a full confession. To someone who still believes the law works the same for rich and poor alike." Failing that, Superman jumped off the balcony with Glenmorgan, and managed to cushion their impact on the street below to avoid a lethal finish. Glenmorgan crawled to the police waiting below. "I'm guilty! What do you want me to say? ...I used illegal cheap labor... no safety standards... I bribed city officials... I lied... I lied... to everyone..."

Superman was still a wanted man. After warning Detective Blake about a throbbing ulcer detected through x-ray vision and literally catching a bullet, the Man of Steel was back on the run. From a secret base, General Sam Lane and industrialist Lex Luthor observed, plotting a means of capturing the increasingly powerful and problematic Superman. A wrecking ball against an inhabited tenement halted Superman's getaway, as he stopped to rip it free of its crane. He was next hit with an electrified net, but ripped free. Superman wielded the loose wrecking ball like a mace and smashed a tank that had been leveled against him. The bomb's blast of a second take dealt Superman real damage, but citizens rescued from the tenement took to the streets to form a human shield. Superman warned them not to put themselves in danger, but made use of the opportunity to get back home.

On the roof of his rundown apartment, a bulky sweater and round spectacles made a Clark Kent out of Superman. Landlady Mrs. Nyxly worried about the beating Clark had taken, explained as retribution from a story run about Intergang. Mrs. N saw Kent as an inspiration thanks to his fearless articles, which were read by everybody, but she needed the past two weeks rent, which Clark supplied. They both also liked Superman for going after neo-Nazis, wife batterers, and the like.

Clark rang his best friend Jimmy Olsen. Lois Lane, a reporter for a rival newspaper, had joined Jimmy in following Glenmorgan's ex-enforcer Gus Grundig onto a subway train that wasn't supposed to be running. Clark warned them off, but Lois ignored him. "Don't you just love how he tries to sabotage our stories?" Unaware, Clark called in a story to his editor on his cell phone, but upon learning his advice had been ignored, raced after the train. On board, Jimmy and Lois found themselves at gunpoint. Off board, Superman literally caught the train, blood streaming from his ears and the bullet continuing to fly. Up ahead, an explosion took out the tracks.

Lois and Jimmy managed to tie up Grundig, but the train was soon skidding down a city street after falling off an overpass. In secret, Sam Lane raged over his daughter having been imperiled, but you can't argue with results. Superman had stopped the train, but was left pinned and unconscious against a building.

"Superman Versus the City of Tomorrow" was by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, and Rick Bryant. I liked the art, and since a Treasury Edition of Superman #1 was one of my first comics, I dug the return of a lower powered Man of Steel as social avenger. Still, folks giving this glowing reviews must be totally high off All-Star Superman, because this baby is paced like manga. It's two action set pieces sandwiching a few pages of ~~Peter Parker~~ Clark Kent scraping by. Nice update, lots of potential, but don't you dare ask me four bucks a month for something so slight as this, especially when acting under the guise of working class heroism in a bitterly recessive economy.

DC New 52

Aquaman #1 (November, 2011) @ Justice League Detroit
The Huntress #1 (December, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #1 (November, 2001) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

The Huntress in "Trial by Fire" (October/November, 1978)

2011-10-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

The Huntress woke up tied to a chair in a burning building. Using this to her advantage, she threw herself backward, shattering her wooden seat. Still bound by rope, she hung her bonds over the fire, though she also set her cape ablaze. Leaping up to a barred window, the Huntress used her vanadium steel crossbow as a wedge bar to pry herself free.

After taking a shower and leaving her robe open to the navel while arching her back and propping her legs on a desk (is "sideass" an internet term yet?) Wayne decided that she would have to remain presumed K.I.A. until Councilman Gresham made his next move. There was also something about the likelihood of the Councilman having peeked under Huntress' mask and recognizing Wayne, whom he'd previously met at a fundraiser, underneath. Helena threw a blade at a wooden bureau though, just so we didn't forget how tough she was.

A week later, Councilman Gresham finally showed back up in public in anticipation of his touring South Gotham with federal authorities to assess the need and degree of government aid needed in the district. The Huntress set a literal trap for Gresham on the tour so that he could be caught with a bomb actually in his hands. The Councilman slapped the damned thing away, denying everything but his desire to kill this chick already. The bomb was set off by impact from their tussle, Gresham was burned alive, and the Huntress snuck off so no one knew what a boner she'd pulled.

Later, the government aid rolled in, and Councilman Gresham even got a memorial building out of the deal. Police Chief O'Hara, ever on the ball, assumed the bombing was purely accidental, although Gresham's aide Jason Kelshaw took flight before he could be questioned. No further mention had been made to Wayne's potentially compromised identity, and she wasn't shedding any tears over that involuntary manslaughter of hers. Besides, her anthology title had been canceled, so bygones.

This story from Batman Family #20 was by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, & Bob Layton, marking the end of the artists' uneasy collaboration. While sometimes an awkward pairing, it still meant future installments would be purer grade Staton, rarely a good thing. I think my contempt for this idiocy came through in the synopsis, so I'll pass on elaborating, beyond mentioning I put down my copy of the Darknight Daughter trade paperback for a long while after this farce.

DC Retroactive

Wonder Woman - The '80s #1 (DC, 2011) @ Diana Prince
JLA - The '90s #1 (October, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
JLA - The '80s #1 (October, 2011) @ Justice League Detroit
JLA - The '70s #1 (September, 2011) @ Power of the Atom

Comic Reader Résumé: March-May, 1982

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

ré·su·mé [rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
noun
1. a summing up; summary.
2. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

March, 1982 was a decidedly off month for me. My copy of Conan the Barbarian #135 by Steven Grant, Mark Silvestri & Josef Rubinstein came out of a grocery store three pack purchased by my father four or five years after publication. I probably bought The Saga of Swamp Thing #2, but only because I was a sucker for photo covers, and that might have just come out of a cheapie bin as late as 1989. I have no recollection of either story.

I definitely picked The Warlord #58-61, because I was really into Mike Grell's riff on The Man in the Iron Mask. I'm just as confident I bought them a year or two after the fact at the flea market, and that I could never force myself to read the Arion back-ups.

By comparison, April of 1982 was boffo. DC Comics Presents #47 came home with me because it was the first Masters of the Universe comic book tie-in, and I was totally into He-Man at the time. Paul Kupperberg's story was okay, I guess, but I totally hated the art by Curt Swan and Mike DeCarlo. I could have sworn Skeletor was killed when He-Man threw his sword into the villain's chest, so I was confused when he turned back up again in another comic. When Conan stabbed somebody, they tended to stay dead. I always found super-heroes mingling with licensed properties weird, and I was somehow savvy enough even then to recognize instances like this where it occurred. I have absolutely no memory of the back-up, "Whatever Happened to Sandy the Golden Boy?"

The Rose and the Thorn had an origin recap in The Brave and the Bold #188, and the multiple personality disorder feminist angle tripped out my unsophisticated brain. The cover and interiors by Jim Aparo were striking, and writer Robert Kanigher had me hooked with the title, "A Grave as Wide as the World." The Nemesis back-up by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle was less impressive, as I found the art ugly and a disservice to the reservedly cool look of Nemesis, sort of a Steve McQueen type.

I recall looking through a buddy's copy of Marvel Fanfare #3 with the sweet Michael Golden art, which was likely my introduction to Ka-Zar and the Savage Land. I also really dug my pal's Avengers #221 because of the novel voting ballot cover to select two new team members. I distinctly recall reading Avengers #222 at the beauty salon where my grandmother got her hair done. The team of Jim Shooter, Steven Grant, Greg LaRocque & Brett Breeding did a fine job by my standards, as I retained a soft spot for Masters of Evil Moonstone and Tiger Shark for years. I especially thought Whirlwind was cool, aside from the dippy helmet, because he could deal so much damage while protected by his tornado. Egghead was the odd man out, a wimpy scientist amongst scary villains.

I guess I was a bimonthly reader. I don't believe I bought anything in May, except perhaps the second part of the Rose & Thorn team-up in The Brave and the Bold #189. Just as likely, I fished it out of a back issue box years later. It had nazis, who were pretty ubiquitous thanks to Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it didn't not stick to my brain like the first part.

The Huntress in "Gotham Town Is Burning Down!" (August/September, 1978)

2011-10-02T00:00:00.002-05:00

The Huntress returned to the alley where she had previously lost her suspect, and after tossing aside some crates, found a passage to a slum. She deduced that this might be a neighborhood base of operations for the arsonist, and staked it out until a stray light caught her attention. Watching from the windowsill, the arsonist was conveniently situated where he could work on bombs without being seen. Worse, the Huntress wasn't discrete enough to keep her own cover, and shots fired sent her diving off the ledge (yet somehow too slow to catch up with a man forced to run down several flights of stairs to a getaway car.)

Helena Wayne returned to work, where Cranston took her obvious fatigue as a sign of how seriously she took her partnership in the firm. Meanwhile, Roger Demerest was once again insufferable as he took advantage of the only TV in the building, situated in Wayne's office, ignoring her protests. Councilman Gresham was on the tube, announcing that he was seeking government funds to help rebuild his increasingly burned out district. Roger thought this was the type of guy the firm should be backing, and Wayne agreed. Over a dozen nights, the Darknight Demoiselle fought fires by night, her firm aiding the councilman by day.

Wayne's penthouse apartment was outfitted with furniture that concealed an elaborate gym in plain sight. After a workout, Wayne watched a televised debate between Councilman Gresham and Roger Demerest with enough pregnant comments to make obvious a connection to the arsonist. "My God! After all my hunting, is it really as simple as all that? Did I just have to turn on the television to find the clue I needed?"

The Huntress broke into the Councilman's office in search of private papers, but was heard and caught at gunpoint by Gresham. He admitted that he was the arsonist, and after missing her in the slums, planned to write off the heroine's death as a burglary attempt. Huntress threw a stylized disc to disarm him, but Gresham's towering Nubian manservant Jason knocked her out with one punch to the back of the head. Now there would be time to kill her in a way that would in no way implicate them...

This story from Batman Family #19 by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, & Bob Layton was the exact kind of crap that was on network TV constantly at the time. It felt like an adaptation of one of those awful Marvel Comics TV shows where fantastic heroes shared mundane enemies with the likes of Barnaby Jones and Columbo. Worse yet, it took three chapters to wrap this lame case, where one would hope the Batman's daughter wouldn't be such a klutzy dolt as to fail repeatedly against a politician crazy enough to make his own bombs! I guess all those titillating shots of Huntress prancing around were meant to distract from equal number of gaping plot holes...

The Bronze Age

Wonder Woman #290 (April, 1982) @ Diana Prince
Manhunter in Detective Comics #439 (February-March, 1974) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Vixen in Justice League of America Annual #2 (1984) @ JLDetroit
The Atom in Brave and the Bold #152 (July, 1979) @ Power of the Atom

2010 DC Universe Vol.4: Going Solo The Question art by alexmax

2011-09-29T00:00:00.002-05:00

Click To Enlarge and Expand

I haven't posted a lot of Question material here, but I fully intend to as able, and this multi-character showcases' Huntress just wasn't up to par.

"Here are a few characters that, while they may have been part of a team at some point or another (because after all, what hero hasn't been a member of the Justice League?), I think they are mostly considered as loners....

Anyways, here is a rundown on what I was thinking when I was making them...

Question: A character I'm not very familiar with. Tried to make him look like his early post-Crisis (1986) appearance."

alexmax

Hawkman @ Power of the Atom
Lobo @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark @ Diana Prince
Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit