Just How Big A Crisis Is Required?

I was reading Esther Inglis-Arkell's review of Batgirl #3 on 4thletter, and learned something in the comments I hadn't known. Esther had mentioned how she liked that there was a subtle red color in the background of all the scenes. Commenter Stig explained that Red Skies = Crisis, and even though Final Crisis is over, the skies over Gotham will be crimson due to the city being in crisis. I assume it has something to do with Bruce Wayne being unavailable, and so you get Dick Grayson Batman, and Jason Todd, and now it looks like we've got Two-Face Batman, and they'll probably all being struggling to be top dog.

So, would this be limited to Gotham, or can the skies turn red anywhere? There's this whole War of Light thing - you may have heard of it, it involves some group called the Green Lanterns, and a bunch of other yahoos*? Dead bodies being reanimated, threats from, um, wherever that Nekron fellow is from, it's outside their universe, I'm sure of that, which certainly sounds like a Crisis to me. Can you have red skies in space? Would it be more like a red nebula suddenly appeared everywhere at once? That'd be amusing, like the climactic ship battle at the end of Wrath of Khan, where they stumble about, trying to find each other*. Or perhaps they'd have to enter an actual atmosphere. So, there's a big fight, they head towards some normal looking world, and the second they reach it, BOOM, red skies. That ought to confuse the natives.

Also, how big a crisis does it have to be? If I can't find my keys, and I'm going to be late for work, will the skies turn red? Maybe just the sky directly over my home? What if I said I had a really important job, maintaining quality control on a potentially world-destroying invention? Then it would be pretty important that I get to work on time. Maybe the red skies would follow me receding as I drove away from a certain location.

All snarkery aside, it is kind of a cool concept, though it seems like it might downplay the seriousness of other stuff in comparison. That battle the JSA is having against Kobra might not seem like such a big deal, what with the skies above looking normal.

* Hal Jordan: There you are Atroctious! *some sort of power ring attack* Ow, it's me, Gardner, you dipstick**!

** Man, I write the worst Guy Gardner ever.

Trying To Sort My Thoughts On Batgirl

I can't decide how interested I am in this Batgirl series that starts in August. I'm not familiar with the writer's (Bryan Q. Miller) work (I think the total of my Smallville watching came when I once flipped by it and saw James Marsters was on the show, and I watched the remainder of the episode), or artist Lee Garbett's, either. He has some pages from his work on the current Outsiders series up on his blog, but they're in black and white, and color can make a difference, so I'm sure I can judge (and there's no dialogue, so I can't tell how well his art's working with Tomasi's writing). Plus, I don't know who this Batgirl is.

I know Dan Didio said Cass Cain wasn't going to be part of the Bat-Family post-Battle for the Cowl, but I trust Didio roughly as far as I trust Quesada, which is, suffice it to say, not very far a' tall. It might not make a huge amount of sense, after all the twists they put Cass through since they cancelled her last series, to wind up 3.5 years later, with Cass Cain as Batgirl in a new ongoing series, but I'm game. If the stories in between are a concern, that they somehow, I don't know impede the idea of Cass as a hero, well, I'm prepared to ignore them. For the greater good, you see*.

Besides, DC could always say this was a back-to-basics approach to the character, and wipe that stuff off the board themselves. They have the perfect excuse: they just had a Crisis that wrapped up a few months ago, right? I'm sure of that. Red skies, Darkseid dying something like 4 times, Superman singing, Batman using a gun, the New-Earth universe collapsing in on itself. They started the whole universe over at the end, didn't they? If so, then it's never been easier to just sweep some of those contentious earlier character developments under the rug!

OK, that's probably not happening, and it's probably not Cass, and I'm OK with that, really. I am. Mostly**. Batgirl being Cass would make me more likely to buy the book, but I can still see myself giving it a whirl regardless. I think I'm going to be able to go to the store the week it comes out, so I suppose I can make a decision then.

I wonder how long they plan to keep Batgirl's identity a secret? Is it just to build suspense and interest for the first issue, and we'll find out then? Or will that be the focus of the first arc, "Who is Batgirl?", that sort of thing?

* Heck, I already do ignore everything Cass has appeared in since her series ended, with the exception of the Chuck Dixon written Batman and the Outsiders issues. It helps.

** She doesn't have to be Batgirl to still be a hero. As long as she's not back to Crazy/Angry Daddy Issues Killer Girl, the identity she runs under is really secondary, I suppose. As you may recall, I never warmed to the crazed killer/evil turn. Smacked of predestination. "Your mom is a killer, your dad's a killer, so you'll be a killer! So it is written!" That's kind of grim and fatalistic. Damned before you even start.

Takes A Lot Of Confusion Out Of It, I Imagine

Final Crisis is basically over now, I believe. As you are probably aware, I wasn't buying it for a variety of reasons, but I have been following it online, because the discussion can be entertaining. I don't mean the discussions that boil down to people calling Morrison overrated, or describing the book as incomprehensible, arguing with the people that chide their reading comprehension skills. Those don't go anywhere useful. I'm thinking more when people actually describe what they didn't understand, or what they think they understand, and then other people either agree, disagree, clarify, or whatever. It's made the series sound as though it would make more sense to me if I read it some time in the future, to the point I might even do that when the collections come out.

No guarantees, mind you, but I find that if all I hear about a work of fiction is how deep/complex/multi-layered it is, the more, intimidated I am by it. Papafred used to try and convince me how great Neon Genesis Evangelion was, discussing how there are all these clues scattered about related to major developments that occur later, plus all the Judeo-Christian symbolism in the series, without going into detail to avoid spoiling it. I didn't show any interest in watching it, so eventually he did start going into more depth, giving examples which made it sound more interesting to me. When one of his other friends asked to see the series a year or two later, I decided I did want to watch after all.

Maybe it's as simple as me not wanting to feel stupid, or wanting a more relaxed viewing. If someone lets you in on the hints before you begin, you don't have sit there poring over every sequence, every bit of dialogue searching for the hidden meaning. Now that search can be fun. I've done it here on the blog periodically, Patsy Walker: Hellcat is the current most frequent subject, I've taken film classes that were all about deciding what you thought the meaning of the film was, then searching for things in the film that might support that reading. Fun though it may be, it's more taxing (to me, anyway) than simply sitting there and reading or watching it strictly for enjoyment, screw symbolism or deeper meaning, because I do sit there and debate with myself over whether such and such actually means anything, and that's not something I'm always up for.

Maybe it's reading a mystery where you read the answer first. It takes the suspense out of it, but you can still appreciate how the creator helps or hinders your reaching the solution, and whether they did so intentionally.

I'm Clearly Being Silly Here

So Batman shot Darkseid with the same bullet that killed Orion to kick off this whole Final Crisis hoobadijoob. It occurs to me you don't typically reuse a bullet that's already been fired. The casing, sure, you can save those, reload them, and fire them again later if you know how. The part that actually gets fired through whatever it is you shoot at? That's usually a bit messed up, not really suitable for firing again.

I dig that apparently they showed Batman picking up the round and storing it in the ole utility belt*, then he busts it out and busts the proverbial cap in Darkseid's, um, upper torso region, I guess. For those of you that might have your copies handy, was the round he picked up still looking flawless? I mean, it did have to go through Orion before impacting in the pavement, and that dude is pretty tough***. Yes, it was a bullet fired backwards in time, using a copy of Metron's chair as the crosshairs, and also containing a horrible, mutagenic virus****, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be exactly like an ordinary bullet fired from an ordinary gun!

So obviously, I'm being tongue in cheek here, which I wouldn't normally feel compelled to say, but this is Final Crisis we're discussing, and that always seems to get things riled up. I'm just curious. I have to say, I haven't been reading Final Crisis, and I don't find myself terribly interested in the outcome (more than I was for Secret Invasion, though, which is saying something coming from a Marvelite such as myself), but it does provide some entertaining fodder for this here blog.

* Where did he find the gun? I'm legitimately asking, 'cause I haven't read it, you know. I'm guessing he found it sitting on a table in one of Darkseid' lackey's labs, since they were busy being dead or otherwise distracted. It seems like it was kind of large for him to have it hidden on him somewhere**.

** Maybe if he was rocking the Norm Brefoygle-style 20-foot cape. You could hide a family sedan in that thing.

*** By which I mean, his physical structure is dense, making it difficult to injure him. Maybe I should have said nigh-invulnerable isntead, but that's the Tick's line.

**** The Morticoccus virus was inside the bullet, right? And it was released, right? I mean, Desaad-in-Mary Marvel tagged Wonder Woman with it, right? How did the baddies get ahold of it, since Batman had the bullet it was delivered in? It clearly wasn't released by the bullet being fired, or the infection would have started much sooner, at the place where Orion died. Or it would have started in the future and worked backwards, so that in a sense, the first infected person might appear seconds after the bullet was fired, but more people would become infected every second, since the bullet would continue to spread the virus as it traveled into the past, and so those newly infected people in the past, would lead to more infected people in the present/future, right*****?

***** See, that's the kind of stuff that makes me hate time travel. And my own brain does it to me. Just for that, I'm gonna get blind drunk, that'll learn it.

Thinking About Final Crisis

Normally, I'd be watching football right now, but Arizona's pants-crapping against the Vikings has removed any desire for that. So on to other business. Now admittedly, I'm not buying Final Crisis, or anything currently associated with it*. I give it a lookthrough in the store, and there's plenty of places to read about it online, so that's what I'm working from here.

OK, so there's something about a singularity and Earth. I'm unclear if the singularity is around Earth, or if Earth is actually collapsing and becoming the singularity itself. I know the approaching Lanterns are going into the singularity to get to Earth, for what that's worth. If I understand this correctly, the singularity is actually the "weight**" of Darkseid's evil collapsing space***. In the meantime, he's brought about 3 billion people under his will, and appears to have been adding more all the time, and as of the end of #5, they're mimicing his words and actions, which is meant to represent their devolution to mere extensions of Darkseid. I think.

OK, so Darkseid has one world pretty much under his control, and he has it inside a singularity, which I imagine makes getting there a tad difficult. Sure, it's easy enough to just let the gravity draw you in, but you've got to survive the experience, right? Not everyone has a power ring.

I know the story isn't done yet, but does this seem a little small-time for Darkseid? I was under the impression he wanted to bring order to the universe, with the caveat that "order" will be best achieved if he's the one running everything. Which, OK fine, everybody should have a dream. But one planet is not a universe. I suppose that if one has Boom Tubes it isn't too difficult to get around a singularity, so he can always keep spreading the word if he wants, and his base would be somewhat difficult to approach. Still, they seem to be making a pretty big production out of his conquering one world. I understand it from our perspective, since the world is Earth, and it always winds up being the focal points of these sorts of things, but from his perspective, it's not that big of a deal, is it?

I was talking to Jack at the store, and he thinks that Darkseid's soul is dying and he's trying to take the universe down with him. I guess reducing existence to nothingness could be considered a form of order, but I thought Darkseid had been stabilized. His body has settled into its usual rocky state, as opposed to decaying as the body he had at the start of Final Crisis did. Or is it that he exists simultaneously in all the people who serve his will now? Either way, eh doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger of keeling over, so I'm not sure about that interpretation.

* Unless you count Batman & the Outsiders through the tenuous "RIP will carry over into Final Crisis, and BatO is currently tying into RIP".

** Or should it be mass, since weight only exists in the presence of gravity and can gravity actually interact with evil?

*** The first time I read that statement, I thought it was idiotic. Sure, I could believe Darkseid's cronies have a device that could somehow make Earth massive enough it could create a singularity. I mean, they've got Boom Tubes, so why not? Then I remembered that in some of the manga I've read, the protagonists occasionally run across a character who is so powerful, or evil, or just inhuman (emotionally speaking), that they're rooted to the spot. They can't bring themselves to move. So if Darkseid is supposed to be so incredibly evil, then I guess he could do that. I'm willing to roll with it, anyway.

Use The Mother Box, Shilo

Similar to yesterday's post, I was considering stories with similarities to Final Crisis, since I know many people complained they couldn't understand what was going on there, or what it was all about. It may be a moot point, since I'm not seeing as many of those complaints right now. Maybe Final Crisis is starting to look pretty good compared to Secret Invasion. Or perhaps the people that were complaining have just given up (people on the Internet ceasing to complain about something? Preposterous!), or they're doing so somewhere I haven't seen them (more likely). Useless or not, I already spent a good five minutes thinking about it, so now you can read it. You know, if you feel like it.

So the tag for Final Crisis has been "the day evil won". Well, this is a mainstream superhero comic, so we can be reasonably assured that evil won't still be winning at the end of the story*. So what it made me think of was watching all the Star Wars movies, from Episode 1 to Return of the Jedi, when you've already watched them once. or at least have heard what happens. So you know ahead of time the Jedi Council's efforts to halt the Dark Side will fail, but that eventually the Emperor will fall.

Right now, I think Final Crisis is somewhere around A New Hope. The first 3 issues seem to have been largely about Darkseid's forces getting everything set up, while the heroes are only dimly aware that anything is even wrong. And when they are aware, they don't seem to realize just how bad things are. Case in point: Even as he's lead away by the Alpha Lanterns, Hal Jordan reassures his friends that from now on, only Green Lanterns will be able to get on or off Earth. Whoever killed Orion and attacked John Stewart won't be able to escape. Which is all well and good, except Hal doesn't realize that one of the Alpha Lanterns is one of Darkseid's minions, which makes the blockade somewhat less effective. It's like watching the Jedis try and use Anankin to spy on Palpatine, not realizing the Chancellor will turn that around and convince Skywalker that the Jedis are a threat to peace, and that's he's Annie's friend and confidant, not any of them, so where should the boy's loyalties really lie? The Flashes try to save Orion from getting shot, but apparently couldn't pull it off. The Antil-Life equation is sent out across the world, and the heroes can only protect a few people.

A couple of other thoughts, based on that: If Final Crisis were following a similar story arc, then we can expect this assault by the heroes (assuming that happens in #5) to be a success, but to be followed up by a series of setback (Empire Strikes Back), before the final victory (which based on what I've heard about the novels that come after Return of the Jedi, will be temporary at best).

Other thought: The Trinity haven't accomplished much for the do-gooders thus far. Wonder Woman is one of those human/animal hybrids, Superman is off doing something that needs doing in a Yellow Submarine, and the Evil Alpha Lantern took Bats off the board early on. Is their absence comparable to Star Wars 4-6 with no Leia, Luke, or Han, or does their absence actually mirror the circumstances of those movies? A princess leading some rag-tag rebels, a farm boy fresh off the turnip truck, and a swashbuckling smuggler wouldn't necessarily be the people I'd entrust the overthrow of a Galactic Empire to. But they were what was available. The Jedis were basically wiped out, except for Obi-Wan, who spent his time keeping an eye on Luke, and Yoda who went and hid on a swamp world. The military was essentially under Palpatine's control, and the droids had been deactivated, so no getting them into the fray. So is the lack of Trinity, thus forcing other heroes (like Black Lightning, The Ray, Tattooed Man) to step up, a similar circumstance? I guess we won't really know until the story ends, though a part of me hopes what Superman's involved in keeps him occupied. I'm kind of tired of watching Darkseid play the Kryptonian's punching bag.

Still considering the comparisons: Darkseid is Palpatine, the massive dark power, looking to establish his will over everything. Palpatine uses the Force, Darkseid has the Anti-Life. I think Turpin would wind up being the "Vader" in all this. He's currently sharing a body with Darkseid, so if he could exert control at just the right moment, he could really turn the tide. Plus, you'd have to figure Darkseid wouldn't see it coming, figuring this small human can't override the will of Darkseid, within the shared body. I've read some speculation that Sonny Sumo is Orion, which I think makes him Luke. Since Mr. Miracle sought him out, that would paint him as Obi-Wan, but I'm more inclined to view him as Han. I think it's because he's an escape artist, and that seems to fit with Mr. Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-His Trousers. Then again, Shilo appears to have been shot in #4, so maybe he is Obi-Wan. Who gets to play Han then? The entire Super Young Team, or whatever those kids are called?

This is the second time in 2 months I've done something like this. I just find it highly entertaining for some reason.

* Though I could be very wrong about that. Morrison might just say "Screw it", and go for a major overhaul. It'd be like every hero in the DCU was the post-Civil War New Avengers, hunted and outnumbered.

What Manner Of Skylarking Has Permitted This To Occur?

Now, a brief word from the 19th Century's own Cornelius Potfiller:

Oh calamatations. This day finds me most vexed. I endeavored to inspect the electronic cataloging of illustrated stories being offered by the Timely/Atlas, oh pardon my error, the Marvel Publishing Company for the forthcoming month. It is a great enjoyment of mine to discern which serials, and how many, shall be available for my purchase each week. But woe and lamentations, my seekings found no evidence of the fourth chapter of the delightful Pasty Walker: Hellcat story listed for the 11th month of this year. This despite it having been solicited with various other (inferior, might I add) products for November several months. While I had accepted its absence in October due to there being no solicitation for that month, this was an unexpected conundrum. Where might the particular issue reside?

Further inspection revealed to me the issue emblazoned with the numeral our neighborhood sausage-maker refers to as "vier" would not arrive at my corner newstand until the eve of Christ's birth, rather than by my family's Day of Thanks, as I had hoped. Upon learning this, my visiage grew as red as the beard of the Irishman I cudgeled about the crainium this past weekend, after he made lewd comments towards a upstanding young lady with whom I had just attended the opening of A Trip To Chinatown. Truly, I was wroth, sending the housekeepers scurrying from my presence in terror. Then in my unrefined fury, I did hurl my Nana's favorite snow globe against the wall. Oh, catastrophe! This miscalculation, combined with the earlier bad news as to the multicolored novella, and with my butler Pittsley delivering the message that a shipment of silks I had planned to sell was hijacked by raiders in Manchuria, sent me into a state of severe melancholy.

Wait, what news is this? Reputable sources inform me that the hero known as the Ray has been observed performing admirably in service of Earth's defenders in another ongoing short story. That encouraging news fills me with new strength and resolve.

Herewith, I shall retain the services of Wilson Wadell, noted gun for hire, to reacquire my silks. It is a mark of my fine bearing that I hire him despite his face resembling uncooked meat which has been trampled beneath a carriage wheel, and that I instruct my servants to make no comments regarding his appearance until after he has departed the premises. Through the rear door, naturally. It would hardly be proper for those jabberwocks at the club to know I consort with a known scoundrel. Perhaps Wilson can resolve this interminable delay in the conclusion of the Hellcat story, without connecting his actions to me, of course. I believe I shall ruminate further on this with a sifter of cognac while I soak in my lithium vapor tub. That should help restore the vigor this chilling drizzle has stolen from my bones. Then, with my mood improved, perhaps I shall adorn my spats and bowler hat, and amble down the promenade, giving silver dollars to the street urchins. *pause* Oh ho ho! A pity the fellows from the club were not present to hear that jest. The merriment would have grown exponentially.

Current Day CalvinPitt: Isn't he great? Give him a big hand. Or, alternatively, throw things at him. I really don't care which, just watch out for his primary housekeeper. She's pretty accurate when it comes to throwing cooking implements from up to a furlong away (her spectacles double a telescopes).

Just Help Me Try And Figure This Out

This isn't actually related to the rest of the post, but for the people who read the Punisher, did you notice the advertisement for the new Runaways series? The Punisher seems like kind of an odd book to put that in, as I wouldn't think the two titles' audiences would overlap very much.

OK, main issue today. The Fourth Worlders in Final Crisis. So, all the New Gods died at some point prior to the start of Final Crisis, though not necessarily in the manner it was depicted in Countdown or Death of the New Gods, correct? I mean, we know Orion killed Darkseid (what with the prophecy and all), and Orion got killed by the bullet traveling backwards in time*, but other than that, do we know what killed the others? It's not really vital to the post, I was just wondering.

Anyway, New Gods die, but don't stay dead, instead possessing the bodies of various mortals, until they burn out*. The possessing is a consequence of their deaht, and loss of previous bodies, right? I can't figure Darkseid putting up with the hassle of bodies that keep decaying on him if he didn't have to**.

So here's what I'm trying to figure out. Shilo Norman, is it a case of Shilo Norman's body, but Scott Free's*** spirit possessing it, or is it Shilo Norman, the guy who was trained in the arts of escape by Scott Free, and has inherited/taken up the mantle of Mister Miracle in Scott's absence/retirement/death the mortal man, on his own?

* Which is kind of a cool idea, actually, except time travel tends to make my head hurt. It also housed the virus that transformed Wonder Woman into Super-Person with Tusks, correct?

** Which raises the question of why he hasn't tried to sucker Superman in close to try and possess the way he did Turpin. Maybe that's coming later. He could always try a robot body, that woudl probably be more resilient. Just don't use Red Tornado, that guy falls apart like he was made of toothpicks and spit.

*** Scott Free is a really cool name, even if you aren't a master escape artist.

More Scattered Thoughts

Oh joy, Jay Mariotti is one of the hosts on PTI today. I'd almost rather have Dan LeBatard. At least Adande seems to be in a good mood. I wish David Aldridge still worked for ESPN. I was always happy when he subbed for TK or Wilbon. He was very low on the obnoxiousness scale.

Last night I had a dream involving trick or treating, then a blond woman fleeing down a hallway, only to be confronted by a guy with a gun and a dog walking on its hind legs. One was named Tolliver, the other Cray*. Then Bruce Wayne showed up dressed like the Spirit, started fighting, got bailed out by a revolver toting Vince Vaughn**, who was the shot by the shadowy mastermind, and Batman started to go for the gun, except it was just a ruse to bring the mastermind close enough so Bats could kick him in the face. And somehow my mind assured me this was related to Batman RIP. Still less weird than the one with John Wayne and the kid from Kick Ass rescuing my grandmother. Or trying to, since she escaped on her own by walking through walls somehow, though she was mightily confused. That made two of us.

Completely unrelated, does anyone know why Final Crisis seems to be inspiring so much argument? I half expect that just by mentioning it, people will now appear and start throwing verbal Molotovs at each other in the comments. Maybe the Anti-Life Equation is subliminally inserted into the issues, and it's prompting all this aggression. And no, I don't know if the Anti-Life Equation could actually do that, but it's the least mundane explanation I could come up with.

* I know those names are from Suicide Squad, though I don't know which was which in the dream, or why one of them was a dog.

** Curse FX for showing Dodgeball so often! Or maybe its Fox' fault for showing Lost World on Sunday.

Perhaps Me And Crises Don't Mix

So Final Crisis has begun, amid great blogger debate over its quality. For me, the event itself falls into the same camp as Secret Invasion, which is "Don't care, don't care, so completely don't care." That being said, I am concerned about what effect it may have on the DC titles I'm currently enjoying, since books can be easily hijacked by these things. Two things sort of mitigate this: 1) I can't recall seeing much about regular monthly titles being tied into Final Crisis (as most of the tie-ins seem to be mini-series) and 2) Infinite Crisis itself wasn't terrible on the books I was reading when it came out.

Granted, Batgirl got dragged out looking for her mother and away from the supporting cast Andersen Gabrych had been building, but it also saved her from Chemo's getting dropped on Bludhaven*, so you take the good with the bad. Willingham was running out the clock on his Robin tenure, so we got lots of OMAC and villain fighting, which isn't a bad thing. Teen Titans didn't fare so well, as either very little seemed to happen or everything had already been covered in Infinite Crisis, but I think Johns' writing was being hurt by spreading himself too thin.

So perhaps I'm less concerned with what happens to Batman & the Outsiders or Booster Gold during Final Crisis, as what happens after. I mean, Infinite Crisis ended, One Year Later kicked in during March, and I dropped Robin and Teen Titans before the end of the year (Batgirl having been canceled). Robin had the whole "Cassandra Cain is his enemy now (not terrible). . . and she might be attracted to him (Terrible!)" thing that caused me to drop that book like it was a poisonous snake (complete with me stomping on it/running away afterwards). Teen Titans became entirely too joyless, and there was that dud called "Titans Around the World" where we learn the traitor in the Titans' ranks was the character we met one issue before. How unexciting. Unless Johns was counting on the return of Jericho to pep us up, and in that case, he really shouldn't have gotten rid of the mutton chops**.

So yeah, I'm concerned about what the new status quo will be in the DCU once Morrison finishes his possibly brilliant plan, and whether it'll disrupt the flow on the books I like. I know, really premature, seeing as Final Crisis won't end until, December, is it? But it's been worrying me, since I did finally find some DC titles I'm enjoying again, so you know, just felt like throwing it out there.

Oddly, I'm not that concerned about Secret Invasion, mostly because I don't think it'll really change anything. That's probably a bit of false hope, but World War Hulk didn't disrupt any books I was reading, and while Civil War didn't help my opinion of Ms. Marvel, it did get me on board the Cable/Deadpool bandwagon, and after The Other, the Amazing Spider-Man Civil War tie-ins were a welcome change, with their lack of people's eyes being ripped out and eaten***. At least initially, because it eventually leads into One More Day, and well, let's just not go there, shall we?

*That still strikes me as a remarkably extreme response from Deathstroke. Nightwing gets one over on you, so you blow up his city? Poor form, Slade.

**Really, what's the point of bringing Jericho back without the 'chops?! Not many people can make that look work! Probably including Jericho.

***JMS, Deodato, what was that about? You previously established Morlun survives by draining the life energy of the totems, so why he is actually ingesting body parts?! Gah!