Comics-Archived

I did manage to get a sneaky store visit last week but have barely had a chance to read anything I picked up (except Amazing Spider-Man #666 – a good prelude to Spider-Island). Never the less, tomorrow brings another shipment…

DC Comics Presents SHAZAM #2 – OK, I didn’t pick up last week’s DCP SHAZAM since I was getting a lot already, but these issues from the end of the Power of SHAZAM series wrapped the run up pretty well.

DC Retroactive The ’80s – Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman All #1 – Like all the Retroactive books, I like the concept, I’d like to read them – but not at this price.

Firestorm The Nuclear Man TP – I’m a huge fan of Firestorm, and this never before collected mini series from the 1970s is a good read and intro to the character – although very much a product of its time.

Flashpoint #4 (Of 5) – I’m sure there will be some big game changing reveal at the end of the issue, like Parallax being behind it all or something. But my money is still on Barry being the cause of all these screw-up.

Flashpoint minis – Batman Knight Of Vengeance, Deathstroke And The Curse Of The Ravager, Secret Seven and The World Of Flashpoint All #3 (Of 3) – Like all the FP minis, these are worth reading in their own right (especially Batman) – but I’m still not sure Secret Seven makes the slightest bit of sense.

Superboy #10 – I felt bad leaving before Jeff Lemire got his story wrapped up, so I figured I’d run out the series.

Acts Of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus HC – At this price, not worth it unless you’re a completist or have money to burn, but there are a some great comics in here, like Simonson’s Fantastic Four issues, Claremont and Lee’s Uncanny X-Men issues with Wolverine and a reborn Psylocke, Byrne’s Wolverine, and McDuffie’s Damage Control. There’s also some dross.

Avengers Academy #17 – Okay, so last week I caved and picked up the last few issues of AA in spite of them tying into Fear Itself. What’s coming up has me interested and I just plain missed the book.

Mighty Avengers Dark Reign HC – Collecting the entirety of the Slott/Gage run on the book, this odd collection of characters actually felt like the Avengers of old to me. There are some ups and downs, certainly, but all over I’d say this is worth a look.

Punisher #1 – I have difficulty getting excited for a new #1 for ol’ Frank, especially as it’s his, what, eleventh non-MAX #1 not including one-shots?

Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 (Of 6) – So I hear there’s a half-black half-Latino Spider-Man? The Ultimate U is not my thing, but I’m sure this will sell big time.

X-Men Fallen Angels HC – Perhaps the oddest X-related mini ever, starring an on-the-lam Sunspot and Warlock, Vanisher, Siryn, Madrox, Boom-Boom, Devil Dinosaur, Moon Boy and two sentient lobsters and their pet human. I can only assume there was a lot of pot involved in creating this. It may be your thing, it may not. But it’s definitely weird.

And the pick of the week -

Dungeons And Dragons #9 – For crying out loud, just pick up this book already, okay?

I didn’t get to the store last week and I’m probably not going to get there this week either – but when I finally get there…

Action Comics #903 – In spite of being hugely disappointed by Paul Cornell’s Lex Luthor arc, I decided to pick up the last few issues of his run as they’re the last few of this volume of Action and part of me hopes that there’ll be one last Lois and Clark scene. That said, this story is a mess.

DC Comics Presents SHAZAM #1 – It’s a crime against comics that Jerry Ordway and Peter Krause’s Power of SHAZAM! series remain mostly uncollected, so ‘ll be picking up this arc from towards the end of the series (#38-41) in the hope that it nudges DC to a couple of nice big hardcovers.

DC Retroactive The ’70s One Shots – Green Lantern, Justice League Of America, Superman – Like last week’s Retroactives, I like the idea of these enough to check them out in the $1 bins or in trade, but at $5 a pop I’ll pass.

Flashpoint Minis – Hal Jordan, Kid Flash Lost Starring Bart Allen, Lois Lane And The Resistance, Project Superman – All #2 (Of 3) – As I’ve said countless times, I’m really enjoying these books. There are some I’m enjoying more than others, but that’s always the way. As a whole, though, they’re painting such a comprehensive and interesting picture of the Flashpoint DCU that I’m kind of sorry that it’s going to be wiped clean by the DCnU. An Untold Tales of Flashpoint series of books, please!

Justice HC – I missed this when it was two trades, and didn’t want to shell out for an Absolute, but a single HC collecting all 12 issues? That sounds like a deal to me.

Teen Titans #98 – It’s almost painful to watch this once-great book in it’s current death throes (although I really liked JT Krul’s Blackest Night minis), but I. Can’t. Look. Away.

Skullkickers #9 – Consistently one of the most entertaining books on the stands. Highly recommended!

FF #7 – After last issue’s nigh-unreadable Black Bolt debacle, I am actually on the verge of kicking this to the curb once and for all. Just a terrible, terrible issue in a mediocre book. I know people hail Hickman as a great writer and plotter, and I certainly agree that he seems to plot way ahead of most writers but what he fails to do is make individual issues engaging. You should not be bored reading a comic.

Spider-Man Blue TP – If you only know writer Jeph Loeb from his more recent work, check out this collection of his second Marvel mini with the incredible Tim Sale. It’s a beautifully illustrated love letter to the Silver Age Spider-Man, and it’s one of the first books I double dipped on.

Spider-Man Fantastic Four TP – Really liked the Spider-Man/X-Men mini by the same team of Christos Gage and Mario Alberti. Both books take team-ups from different eras, and given the rich history of the FF and Spidey, this should be fun.

Spider-Man The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Volume 1 TP – And speaking of fun, there’s a lot to be had in this collection. Granted, the Clone Saga became bloated and repetitive, but there’s no denying that the first few months of Ben Reilly coming to terms with being Spider-Man were different from any Spider-Man we’d seen in years. It was fun to watch the former Peter Parker reconnect with heroes and villains, and build a new supporting cast and life. Unfortunately it was only five or six months before Peter and MJ were reintroduced and the writing was on the wall; but these issues at least seemed like a fresh new start. This collection focuses on Ben’s final adventures as the Scarlet Spider and his transformation into the new Spider-Man. And the New Warriors. Can’t go wrong there!

Venom #5 – While I’m generally enjoying this, it’s not quite clicking for me yet. Even so, the close ties to Spider-Man and the creative team will keep me on board at least until Spider Island is over. Which brings me to…

The Pick of the Week

Amazing Spider-Man #666 – After months of teases, Spider Island kicks off with Manhattanites developing Spider powers left, right and center. I like that at least part of the story will apparently deal with the fact that Peter no longer has a unique power, so does that mean he no longer has the responsibility – but obviously we know the answer to that is yes. In any case, I am looking forward to this one, even if I am slightly disappointed this issue number wasn’t used to have Spidey giving Mephisto a good kicking, just out of principal.

Over the course of SDCC, Marvel has been revealing pre-production art of the Avengers – and they fit together…

(Click to make a bit larger)

Black Widow, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Agent Coulson all look pretty damn good here – and honestly, I’m getting a little excited by next year’s movie especially after the post-credits bit on Captain America…

Oh, and if the Skrulls are in the movie as rumored, I’d say the chances of Coulson being one are pretty damn high, no?

Okay. Looks like things don’t get any better for Rick and company now that they’re getting out of Atlanta…

As expected, in the DCnU Clark Kent and Lois Lane are no longer married. In fact, they were never married.

And, as big a fan as I am of the marriage (and I’m a huge fan of it), I’m okay with that.

Why?

Because unlike the dissolution of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane marriage, this isn’t the result of a story point that makes no sense and is only shoe-horned in to get rid of the marriage itself, this is as a result of a line-wide rejigging of titles which is effecting change on multiple levels.

One of those changes is the nullification of the Lois and Clark marriage and the introduction of a new, admittedly douchey on first impressions, boyfriend for Lois.

And that’s okay. It’s okay to refresh the Lois and Clark relationship every now and then because it offers new creative teams (and okay, George Perez was also a Superman writer early on in the post-Man of Steel years) the opportunity to tell stories with a single Lois and Clark, and also because you know they’ll get together in the end.

The Lois/Clark relationship is, at this point, virtually pre-destined. Everyone who’s seen an adaptation of Superman in the past sixty years, or read a Superman comic, or has even a passing familiarity with the characters, knows that Lois and Clark will, at some point, end up together. It’s so strong that it will last until the 853rd century.

But, while the characters are single, I’m okay with them dating other people. Wonder Woman, Jose Delgado, Cat Grant, Lori Lemaris, Jonathan Carroll, whoever. I don’t much care, because the relationships that characters have move stories forward and eventually – spoilers – Lois and Clark end up together. Because they always do, and they always will.

Even when he has a mullet.

I mean, if she can get past that hair, you think a little continuity is going to stop her?

The low-selling Heroes for Hire book is undergoing a name change and a slight shift in focus for six issues as Misty Knight pulls together a team of bad guys for a mission.

My first thought?

“That’s just like the time Thanos formed his own Secret Defenders”

If, you know, Misty was a villain. Which she’s not. Oh, shut up, you know what I mean.

According to Marvel’s panel yesterday, Avengers Academy will be relocating to the old West Coast Avengers compound (although for some reason I thought that had been foreclosed on towards the end of that run; maybe it was just deemed unsafe due to being trashed all the time by Goliaths.

More interesting than the relocation (although I do hope the compound still has those big Doc Ock-like tentacles underneath the grounds for security) is the fact that the team will open its doors to other young heroes of the MU – such as, potentially, the Runaways – and that Julie Power is one of the first up.

I love Power Pack; the team of kids has a special place in my heart and was one of the best book Marvel put out in the 80s, a hidden gem. I like that Alex Power graduated to the New Warriors (the best book Marvel put out in the 90s) for a while, and that he now shows up in FF (definitely not one of the best books Marvel puts out right now) as part of the Future Foundation kids, even if he appears to have been deaged a bit.

Julie Power, though – Julie was awesome. She was always the smart one, the level-headed one with an inner strength. The heart of the team. She’s also apparently gay or bi, judging from a comment on the panel yesterday, which is news to me.

Any way, I’m glad to see Julie back (even if she does now appear older than Alex) – although it looks like the Avengers Academy team is short Reptil, Veil and Striker, unless this is half of a two-part cover. It looks like someone else will be joining – someone who looks a little like White Tiger, and a little like Black Panther; a White Panther?

Anyway, can we now just rebrand as the West Coast Avengers? Please?

I mean, really boring.

I know that Avengers is still shooting, and Amazing Spider-Man will still be in post, but come on – you can do better than a boring old logo or symbol tease, right?

…web…see what I did there?

Not entirely sold on this in spite of liking everyone in the cast a lot (except Sally Field; I can’t stand Sally Field). I seem to remember reading a review where the origin was showed only in flashbacks, but this looks to be incorporating it wholesale into the plot of the film. I do, however, like the inclusion of Richard and Mary Parker. Now if only Sony hadn’t made this, and we could have them going off to meet Samuel L Jackson…

And for a movie trailer, the POV stuff makes it look like a pretty good video game.

Not entirely sure if that’s a compliment or not…

…and that’s about it really. The Walking Dead has a banner at Comic-Con and it looks like this:

Click it to embiggen.

Better late than never. I know a lot of people are off to San Diego this week but that doesn’t mean that we mere mortals aren’t able to pick up some comics too…

DC Comics Presents The Metal Men #1 – I think this mainly reprints the Metal Men backups that ran in the recent Doom Patrol series, but I could be wrong. May be worth a look as I heard good things.

DC Retroactive: Batman The ’70s , The Flash The ’70s , Wonder Woman The ’70s – All #1 (One Shot) – I really like the idea of these, but I had more affinity for the 80s and 90s at DC. Also, I’ll probably just pick up the inevitable trade – or I could always raid the dollar bins at the next con.

Flashpoint minis: Deadman And The Flying Graysons #2 (Of 3), Legion Of Doom #2, The Outsider #2 (Of 3), Wonder Woman And The Furies – All #2 (Of 3) – WW aside, these feel like they need to stand on their own as they do very little other than flesh out the Flashpoint world. Outsider has an interesting new character that I’m not altogether sure of, but the first issue was strong enough (aw, Mr and Mrs Terrific) to warrant a second; Legion of Doom feels like we’ve been there before, but the final page of an ingenious break-in to prison by a character I haven’t seen in a while hooked me, and Deadman and Dick (okay, but that’s what it should be called) not only fleshes out Europe after the Atlantean attack but is also a pretty enjoyable book in its own right (also, the covers are beautiful). Wonder Woman was also good last issue, and I’m enjoying the WW/Aquaman dynamic in the new world. All in all, surprisingly good stuff.

Supergirl #66 – With all the alien-ness of the new Superfamily, I’m going to miss the wide-eyed teen take on the girl of steel for a while. It’s been fun – and this story, with her going undercover at college shows the potential in the book. Ah well.

Daredevil #1 – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited by the prospect of a more swashbuckling DD than we’ve seen in the past decade or so – I was one (possibly the only one) who really enjoyed Karl Kesel and Joe Kelly’s runs as writers on the character the last time this was tried back in the mid-90s. Mark Waid and his two art teams would seem to be the perfect fit, too. That said…although I’ll pick this up, I may end up moving to trades quickly, simply because I seem to do that with almost all Marvels these days.

Incredible Hulks Planet Savage TP – I’ve been a massive fan of Greg Pak’s run on the green giant, but I switched to trades a few arcs back. This has been one I’ve been looking forward to for a while; I’ve grown attached to Skaar, and the Savage Land is probably my favorite non-NY locale in the Marvel Universe, and one the Hulk always seemed well-suited for.

Thor Black Galaxy Saga TP – If there’s one thing the DeFalco/Frenz team did on Thor in the late 80s/early 90s (a team that I’m a big fan of), it’s pay homage to the masters. This Thor arc – that originally ran as a biweekly summer story back in the summer of 1990 – has Thor (bonded with Eric Masterson, future Thunderstrike) on a space adventure with Hercules, running into the likes of the High Evolutionary and the Celestials. It wouldn’t feel out of place in the 60s; that said…your mileage may vary.

Thunderbolts Violent Rejection TP – I wasn’t 100% on Jeff Parker’s first Thunderbolts trade, but I’m a big enough fan of his writing that I’ll give him another shot. I do kind of miss the classic T-Bolts though; I know that some of the cast is here, but it’s not the same. Okay: old man whine over.

And the pick of the week…

Turf HC – I harped on and on about this when it was being released, but the series took so long to complete that it drained a lot of readers goodwill. Well, don’t miss this if you can spend some money on it – Jonathon Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards have mashed up gangsters, vampires and aliens in prohibition New York in a story that works on a lot of levels. I’m impressed by Ross’ debut – dialog is sharp, characters are real (well, as real as you can get for a gangster bonded with an alien, and a Vampire who wants to live in peace) the plot rolls along with a minimum of slow points, and the strands of story really come together. As for Edwards – I’ve never been a huge fan of his, if only because the books I’ve seen him on never felt they played to his strengths, but his work here is nothing short of fantastic; he really captures the dirtiness and desperation needed here. Five stars. If I gave stars.

Marvel has released a second ‘It’s Either In You Or It’s Not’ teaser which shows Dr Strange and all the stuff that makes him him –

Coupling this with yesterday’s Iron Fist pic –

- I am forced to conclude that this post-Fear Itself announcement is either somehow related to a mystical-ish team of Defenders-types, probably made up of The Mighty (hey, why doesn’t Wolverine get a glowy Tron outfit?) appearing in the FI mini or the final, inevitable return of Typeface to conquer the Marvel Universe.

Yeah, I’m going with my Typeface theory.

Not a literal bell. I mean there’s no picture of Anne Hathaway in a tight leather costume ringing a bell…
…
…where was I?

Oh yes – The Dark Knight Rises has it’s first official poster:

I like it – and I admit it took a second or two for me to see the bat-symbol – but I almost prefer the fanmade one that cropped up a few weeks back.

In any case, it looks like the marketing machine is starting to move – but when I look at this poster and see the crumbling buildings of Gotham, I can’t help but think of this:

I’m sure I’m one of the few people who remembers the Batman mega-events of the late 90s/early 2000s fondly, but I absolutely loved the cascading events that seemed to dominate three or four years of the line; Contagion – Legacy – Cataclysm – No Man’s Land all had their strengths, and it’s crazy to me that almost all of these are out of print (although No Man’s Land is getting reissued in two volumes later this year). It seems like money left on the table.

Now, do I think that the movie will have the slightest thing to do with Cataclysm? Of course not – but a tiny part of me thinks that the poster could be a subtle nod to fans.

It looks like it’ll be a long year till this comes out…

Without further ado…

Lady Mechanika #2 – I enjoyed #0 and #1, but with what feels like at least a four or five month gap between #1 and #2, I think I’m past investing my time and money in this book on an issue by issue basis. A shame, too, as I seem to remember it being pretty good. Maybe in trade.

Batgirl #23 – Ah, Steph, we hardly knew ye. She might be getting kicked to the curb in a few issues time, but that’s no reason not to enjoy the hell out of this book while it’s still here.

Booster Gold #46, Flashpoint Citizen Cold, Flashpoint Deathstroke And The Curse Of The Ravager, Flashpoint Emperor Aquaman, Flashpoint Frankenstein And The Creatures Of The Unknown All #2 (Of 3) – Damn, but it’s a Flashpoint heavy week this week. Booster continues to try and fix whatever went wrong with the timeline, Len Snart is a cold bastard in any version of history, Deathstroke feels surprisingly ‘right’ as a pirate, more moping with FP Arthur (that’s what you get when you kill millions of people), and Frankenstein no doubt kicks some ass. All in all a pretty good batch here, although Citizen Cold and Deathstroke feel superfluous.

Red Robin #25 – Like Batgirl, one of the few books I’ll miss come the DCnU. But I’ll get it while it’s here.

Teen Titans #97 – Like some horrible car crash on the opposite lane that you can’t help slowing down to look at, Teen Titans continues its slow descent into being potentially the worst currently published series. And yet I cannot look away. I think (hope) this concludes the now-moot introduction of Solstice, the bright (ho ho) new star (ho ho) of the book, who will promptly vanish as of the DCnU and never be seen again.

Amazing Spider-Man #665 – The issue before Spider-Island begins, this is one that Dan Slott has been talking up, saying it plays off from something that happens way back in Amazing Fantasy #15. So it’s probably something like how did poor Peter Parker pay for the raw materials to make his web shooters. Or maybe not. Either way, I’ll be picking it up – this is the best Spider-Man has been in a long, long time.

Captain America #1 – A new #1? Steve back in the union suit? Is there a movie coming out?

Dr Strange Into The Dark Dimension HC – Roger Stern’s run on Doctor Strange is one that I’d missed when I started collecting, and one that I never went back to pick up as I’ve never had that much affection for the character – but I’m tempted by this one if only because I always feel I should like the character. Oh, and because Roger Stern remains one of my favorite comic book writers.

FF #6 – You know the drill. Irked on a number of levels but – like with Teen Titans – unable to look away. Annoying me this issue: the Inhumans returning to Earth with Black Bolt. That they’re back at all and that he’s back from the dead in particular both annoy me since they have evolved so much over the course of War of Kings and Realm of Kings.

Ghost Rider #1 – A new Ghost Rider. And this time he’s a she. Is this the 90s again?

Spider-Man The Death Of Jean Dewolff HC – An absolute classic storyline, as Spider-Man’s ally falls to the Sin Eater. Highly recommended if you haven’t read it previously.

X-Men Schism #1 – Apparently this will change everything about the X-Men. You know what? I may pick this up in spite of abandoning the book for trades a while ago (and having finally read Five Lights last week, man that was dull).

And my pick of the week…

Dungeons And Dragons #1 (Legacy Edition) – I know, I don’t tell you that this series is awesome enough. This reprint includes a couple of variant covers, John Roger’s script, and a D&D module. If you haven’t tried the book before, this is the one to pick up. It’s probably a bad sign when the comic I’m looking forward to most is a reprint of one I already have, isn’t it?

UPDATED at the bottom of the page

Marvel has announced an announcement (I hate when they do that) – Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness will be collaborating on a mini which will be titled Somebody Reborn. Given the last few we’ve had – Captain America and Daredevil - this doesn’t necessarily mean that the star of the mini has to be currently dead; they could just be in need of a bit of a push exposure-wise or a new direction. I’m also assuming that just because the promo has five dashes, it doesn’t necessarily mean the character has five letters in their name.

Well, have I got some contenders for you (in no particular order)…

10. The Aquarian

Oh, okay, this is never going to happen. But Loeb and McGuinness on a Superman-analog who became a pacifist beardy hippy instead of a defender of the world? Tell me that doesn’t pique your creative juices flowing. And the book could always co-star the Aquarian’s good buddy the Thing to provide the requisite amount of smashing.

9. Woodgood

Not as out-there as you might imagine; Woodgod – a sentient genetic experiment who resembles a satyr -actually showed up briefly in the last McGuinness-penciled issue of Hulk. Recast Woodgod as a cosmic-level environmentalist and you’ve got a sure-fire hit. Maybe.

8. The Human Torch

It seems unlikely that Johnny Storm will return in any book that isn’t currently written by Jonathan Hickman, and isn’t Fantastic Four #600, but stranger things have happened – like Thunderbolt Ross becoming a Hulk, and yet inexplicably losing his mustache when he changes. Just saying.

7. Uncle Ben

Well okay, probably not. But just imagine how awesome a preachy old guy book could be. “Why, this wouldn’t have happened in my day…” He could shake his cane at those damn kids and everything.

6. Bucky/Nomad

Not the recently-deceased Jim Barnes, but the also-recently-deceased Rikki Barnes. Originally from the Heroes Reborn universe in the Loeb/Liefeld Captain America book, this plucky young lady was brought into the mainstream Marvel U by the same team, where she had a solo mini as Nomad and some backups, joined the short-lived Young Allies, and eventually died battling Onslaught once again. Right now, the Marvel Universe is Bucky-less, and with Captain America and Bucky editor Lauren Sankovitch’s recent ‘there’s more than one Bucky‘ comment, could Rikki make a return at the hands of one of her creators?

5. Dazzler

Sure, she’s getting some panel time in the X-Men books, and there was a Jim McCann-penned one-shot that was pretty good, but what Alison Blaire really needs is a big-name creative team – and what Marvel needs is more female-led books. This could put Dazzler back in the *ahem* spotlight…

4. Crimson Daffodil

‘Who?’ I hear you say – and well you might. The Crimson Daffodil was a minor rogue who showed up in a few issue of the Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger and – wait a minute… this isn’t a Loeb/McGuinness dream project. It’s mine. Sorry. I guess this doesn’t count…

4. Nova/Starlord (tied)

Sure, Nova and Starlord aren’t so much confirmed dead as trapped in what’s affectionately known as the cancerverse battling the mad god Thanos following the close of The Thanos Imperative, and that was published relatively recently, but I can see McGuinness going all-out on a space adventure. And besides, in spite of the Butch-and-Sundance freeze frame, these guys aren’t gone for good. Right?

3. Sabretooth

Victor Creed died at the pen of Jeph Loeb in the godawful (but very pretty) Evolution arc in Wolverine, so it’s only fitting that he gets first crack at bringing the psychopathic killer back. After all, all that nonsense about the Muramasa blade blocking healing factors can be rewritten as just really slowing them down, and we can just write off the Sabretooth in hell stuff as only a part of his spirit or a hallucination. And I actually think I wouldn’t mind to see McGuinness drawing Sabretooth cut loose. I’d actually be all for this.

2. Captain Marvel

Sure, his is one of those deaths that should never be reversed, but we used to say that about Bucky and that worked out pretty well. Following the fake-Skrull Captain Marvel, there was apparently a push towards getting former Marvel Boy and current Avenger the Protector into a book as a new Captain Marvel, but it fell through. Could the time be right for the true Mar-Vell to return?

1. Wasp

Janet Van Dyne’s death was an out of leftfield moment in Secret Invasion mainly because she’d barely been featured in the book before that moment, and she’s been constantly referred to as being kind-of-alive in another dimension in both Mighty Avengers and Avengers Academy, so the Wasp’s return wouldn’t be entirely unexpected and – like Dazzler and Bucky/Nomad – any book starring a woman front and center would be a good move.

So – you have any better ideas?

UPDATE: Duh. I missed off a character whose name has five letters, who’s been dead a while, who someone senior at Marvel mentioned there was a pitch in for, who fits Ed McGuinness’ bombastic art style, and who Jeph Loeb has history with – in fact he wrote one of my favorite ever issues of any book in this character’s series – so I’m adding another to the list.

0. Cable

Yeah, this makes more sense.

Granted, I’m probably late to the party on this but as I’m not picking up X-Men these days I hadn’t paid it too much attention, but I finally nailed why the Schism #1 cover looks so damn familiar.

It’s basically Wolverine playing the Jean Grey role, isn’t it?

Does this mean we can look forward to a The Cross-Dressing Antics of Mr Howlett one-shot? Or perhaps a team-up with Deadpool?

Dare to dream, Marvelites. Dare to dream.

According to the guy at Midtown Comics, comics will be in store tomorrow even though yesterday was a holiday. I don’t know if they’ll be available in the morning, but I guess I’ll find out when I turn up at 8.30…

Flashpoint #3 (Of 5) – As much as I’m enjoying this (and I am, quite a lot), the plot needs to move on a bit. Also, a lot of the ‘background’ stuff like the Atlantis/Amazon war in Europe feels disconnected. If it’s to connect to the main Flash/Batman plot it needs to do so in this issue. If it’s just to give the world color I’m okay with that, but we don’t need to flash over to see Arthur or Diana if they don’t influence the core story.

Flashpoint Abin Sur The Green Lantern, Flashpoint Batman Knight Of Vengeance, Flashpoint Secret Seven, Flashpoint The World Of Flashpoint -all #2 (Of 3) – A mixed bag of tie-ins; I feel that the Abin Sur/Hal Jordan minis are amongst the weakest tie-ins (and they tie together) and there’s a feeling of inevitability to them. On the other hand, Batman is the strongest of the bunch, Secret Seven is good looking if a bit baffling, and I enjoyed World last time round. Getting ‘em all.

Gotham Central Volume 2 Jokers And Madmen TP – Collecting #11-22 of the incredibly popular series, this is damn good read. However for me at least the impact of the stories of regular Detectives Montoya and Allen is lessened in retrospect since they became the Question and the Spectre respectively. It takes away from the street level view a bit.

Green Arrow Volume 1 Into The Woods HC – The first six issues of Ollie Queen’s third new ongoing in the past, what, ten years (and don’t forget he’s got a fourth coming up) tie in to Brightest Day, and have the exiled emerald archer hanging out in the new forest at the center of Star City like some kind of Robin Hood…oh, I see what they did there…

Infinity Inc Volume 1 The Generations Saga HC – I’ve always been a fan of Infinity Inc (even with Nuklon’s hair), the team made up largely of offspring of Golden Age characters, but this collection – including Infinity Inc #1-4 and All-Star Squadron #25-26 and Annual #2 – feels overpriced. Then again, 1980s Roy Thomas…it’s tempting.

Saga Of The Swamp Thing Volume 5 HC – I probably need to catch up on this. Read the first volume of Alan Moore’s well-regarded work and was impressed, but apparently not impressed enough to pick up the second. Is it really as good as everyone says?

X-Files 30 Days Of Night TP- I know; licensed comics can be the bane of your life. They almost always suck all the joy out of the original source material. That said, this particular combination seems to be pretty on the money. I’m curious if anyone out there has read it, though…

Doctor Who II Volume 1 The Ripper TP – I feel obliged to point this out since, you know, Doctor Who, but I confess the only recent Who comic I’ve read was The Forgotten. Which was pretty damn good, now I think about it. Tempting…

Dungeons And Dragons Volume 1 Shadowplague HC – Originally scheduled for last week, here’s what I had to say:

Collecting the first arc of the new series, this is another book I can’t recommend highly enough. John Rogers has crafted a fast-moving, funny, and exciting story here with plenty of nods to the classic game to keep fans happy, whilst also being accessible to newbies. Andrea DiVito’s art is pretty damn good too. Seriously, if you like fun comics, this is for you. If you don’t – well then, I don’t even want to know you.

Locke And Key Volume 3 Crown Of Shadows TP and Locke And Key Volume 4 Keys To The Kingdom HC – I enjoyed the hell out of the first volume of Locke And Key, an resolved to pick up the trades going forward, then promptly forgot about it. Is it worth catching up on?

Blue Estate #4 – I’m really not sure why I’m still picking this up. I suppose the plot strands are finally being drawn together a bit, but it’s still full of what appear to pointless diversions (like the guys who get beat up outside the strip club). That said, the covers are amazing.

Heroes For Hire Control TP – I’ll pick up pretty much anything that Abnett and Lanning have a hand in these days, and I like most of the characters here. I don’t see it having a long run, but I want to pick it up anyway.

Red Skull #1 (Of 5) – Beautiful covers, and having a Nazi monster like Skull as your main character takes some balls. Pity those balls weren’t on display when Waid’s Cap issue starring the Skull was rewritten all those years ago – although I hear it may be showing up unedited in a trade somewhere.

Spider-Girl #8 – Final issue. I enjoyed this book, but the tone was all over the place. Killing off Spider-Woman’s father so early on was unnecessary. As I said months ago, not every character needs a tragic back story – especially when they’re already committed to superheroing. The inclusion of Red Hulk was an odd choice too. The story will continue in the Spider-Island tie in mini, but I’ll be surprised if Anya gets another shot at a solo book any time soon.

And finally, pick of the week…

Shinku #2 – I know, vampires feel very overused and omnipresent these days, but Ron Marz and Lee Moder’s take on them (with samurai!) is satisfyingly bloody and just a little bit sexy. This may not be everyone’s thing, but it’s off to a strong start. Frankly, after Marz’s incredible run on Witchblade I’ll check out anything he does, and I miss seeing Moder’s art monthly, so I’d recommend picking it up. There’s a preview of the first issue here – check it out.

As a Brit in America, I’m morally opposed to the 4th of July holiday, being it the commemoration of the anniversary of the day you think you won your independence.

“Think?” I hear you say. “Silly Briton, we did win our independence!”

Really? Then why do you still speak English?

Oh, I’m just kidding – and I’m fairly sure I stole that joke from Cheers.

Anyway, given the day, I feel compelled to remind you that there’s another Captain America movie which is finally coming to DVD:

Yes, the 1990 version of Captain America is coming to DVD thanks to MGM’s manufacturing on demand service. For both of you waiting for this, I’m sure it’s a dream come true. Look – press release snippet!

During World War II, a brave American soldier (Salinger) volunteers to undergo experiments to become a new super-soldier, codenamed “Captain America.” Infiltrating Germany to sabotage Nazi rockets pointed at the U.S., Captain America faces off with Nazi superhuman warrior Red Skull (Scott Paulin, The Right Stuff) who defeats the hero, throwing him into suspended animation. Frozen for 50 years, Captain America is found and revived only to find that Red Skull has changed identities and has targeted the President of the United States (Ronny Cox, RoboCop) for assassination. With America on the verge of utter chaos, it is up to one man to save the day!

I’ve seen bits of this movie (and if you hunt on youtube the whole thing is on there) and, well…let’s just say it won’t be taking pride of place next to my copy of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. (And I know the header on the front page is from the 1979 movie, but it’s just funny).

And that’s your lot for today. On the bright side I managed to get through a 4th of July post without mentioning the Force of July.

Dammit.

Ah, Canada.

The country that gave us Alpha Flight…

…Due South…

…William Shatner…

….a staggering number of Canadian Sex Acts (site totally SFW)…

…and Robin Sparkles…

You know, Canada jokes never really get old for me. Sadly.

Happy Canada Day, you crazy canucks!

He may have enormous willpower, a square jaw, and the ability to bed two of the DCU’s most independent women at the same time – but, boy, is Hal Jordan a douche. You need proof? Alright – the top 10 reasons that Hal is a douche.

1. He fakes injury to get attention from a pretty woman – that he’s supposed to love.

2. He chops the hands off friends when they won’t give him what he wants (sure, sure, yellow fear monster, blah, blah – no, he’s just a douche).

3. He doesn’t like women – even Zatanna – fighting for him, but he’s more than willing to hide behind her while he gets his ring to work. Wait a minute. Power rings can be fiddled with? What, do they have a dial or something?

4. Rather than ask somebody, Hal would rather violate someone’s mind…to find out where to get a stamp. Or he could just head to a post office.

5. Sinestro hates Hal for a reason. Because he’s a douche.

6. Late to the party, Wonder Woman? Then cut the cake. Because that’s woman’s work, and I’m hungry dammit. I don’t care if you’re Wonder Woman – WOMAN’S. WORK.

7. Protect the Guardians of the Universe? No way! Hal doesn’t just hide behind them, he uses them as a shield. No wonder they hate him.

8. Hal has no respect for other people’s property. The douche.

9. Hal steals his (not actually) dead colleague’s girl – and he starts to move in pretty damn quick. “I know Guy Gardner’s only been dead for a few hours, but of course I’ll hold you, pretty broken-English gyspsy lady”…

…because she makes him feel good. Just like Guy did. I mean, okay, so this scene is a few weeks later, but still – what a douchebag. This is why Guy Gardner hates Hal – and who can blame him?

10. Sometimes, you don’t need to explain why Hal’s a douche. He does it for you.

And a special bonus reason that Hal’s a douche: because even when he knows he should pity his old lover, Carol Ferris, he doesn’t. He handles her ‘the old fashioned way’.

Hal Jordan: douche.

(Front page header image by Jim Oakley)

(When I was looking for images for this post, I came across a similar tumblr post from a couple of weeks ago and used most of the images from there; credit where credit’s due!)