Reflections #17 - Supergirl #6

Opening thought: Why is it that "into" can be written as one word, but "out of" is not? You'd think it could work equally well. The things I think of when writing essays. In case you hadn't figured it how, this is Exhibit #141 in "Calvin Can't Write Good Introductory Paragraphs".

Heh. Ragnell already detailed what DC has apparently decided is Power Girl's trademark symbol. I just thought it was interesting how her Nightwing outfit has the landing strip lights that serve to highlight her contours. Helps distinguish her from Flamebird, who is, shall we say, less developed. As for the placement of some of the lights, well I ain't going there. All joking about it aside, the costumes are pretty cool. Just didn't need those lights.

One disturbing thing I noticed. Page 3, as Kara checks out her new tattoo, her reflection bears a somewhat different expression from her face (God I wish I had a scanner). Her actual face has a sort of curious look, trying to see if it's what she wanted. But the reflection has the visible eye in kind of a glare. It just doesn't look friendly. I guess that, combined with her anger issues later on, are supposed to demonstrate she still hasn't gotten rid of that dark half she had rejoined with at the end of issue #5.

I'm not sure how Kara figures that she'll be able to find Argo with something she'll find in Kandor. It does sound like they're in the bottle (though it still wouldn't explain the aliens to me, as I'd always figured Post-Crisis Krypton was fairly homogenous), so how would a city trapped in a bottle know where a city that survived destruction would be? Am I out of the loop on Kandor's current situation? Maybe her darker half is pulling her strings, trying to escape.

I'm not sure why Power Girl would say their powers are limited. Is it because they've been shrunk down, or some aspect of the environment? Maybe the Fortress got damaged, and only a few rays of golden sun are peeking through the holes into the city?

Does anyone know what that tattoo actually says? I don't speak Kryptonian, nor do I read it.

I have to say the strongest part of the issue is Rucka's writing of the Power Girl/Supergirl relationship. Giving Karen the role of the calmer, wiser mentor, who has to remind this somewhat erratic girl that A) These people have been treated pretty badly by Kryptonians, and aren't likely to feel friendly towards them, B) Flamebird and Nightwing are supposed to be helping these people, not breaking their bones and flash frying them, and C) It is way too easy for Supergirl to do B, if she doesn't stay under control. It really was nice, after watching her kind of get led around by this person or that during Infinite Crisis. Is she portrayed like this in JSA? Some guy gave pratically the entire run to Ken to sell, I might have to pick up some of it. I think Supergirl's fighting in a way actually ties back in to that speech Superman made in issue #5 where he told Supergirl that he grew into his powers, had time to understand them and to realize he had to hold back a lot, which Kara didn't have the benefit of. Not surprisingly, she's still having trouble with that a year later, especially with her having more of a temper than Clark. You know, if I had thrown "closet lesbian" in after "Power Girl/Supergirl", I'd probably get a lot more hits. Ah well.

Given that I've admitted that art often outweighs story for me in a comic, you might believe I was disappointed in the art. Not really. I was pretty satisfied with Ed Benes' art. It looks pretty, Kara appears to have started to eat - guess it just took her some time to adjust to Earth food - but just a few too many shots from butt angle, when there seemed to be no need for that. Cannot believe I just typed that. *Sigh* does that mean I'm maturing?

Because Everyone Else Is Doing It

I'm going to talk about Infinite Crisis #7. I won't discuss whether it was good or not, whether it accomplished what it was supposed to or not. I've already spent a considerable amount of time on this blog kvetching about this huge event, and how DC seems determined to piss me off, so objectivity is a non-factor. Still, a few things need to be said.

How is Dick Grayson still alive? You're telling me Alex Luthor was firing at Batman with intent to damage fabric? That guy can recreate the multiverse, but can't kill an ordinary human? The funny thing is when Nightwing got hit I went "Oh shit! They killed Grayson! That means we have two new Nightwings, Jason Todd and the guy Todd thinks is Grayson." Of course, that isn't the case.

Why couldn't Power Girl be involved in the Kryptonian fight? I suppose I should be thankful, if she had they'd have probably killed her instead of Old Fart Superman and I'd have burned DiDio alive. Still, we can't see Power Girl wailing on SuperPunk Prime?

Now when he's powered up, the Ray is pure energy, moves at the speed of light, can travel between star systems. Yet he couldn't keep up with SuperPunk Prime. But the Supermans can, but they can't go fast enough to hit the Speed Force? I call editorially mandated bullcrap. Ray could have done some damage, hit the little punk with concentrated red solar radiation, while leaving the Supermen full powered. Would have been some serious whupping going on.

At least I got to see him one more time, before he's shifted out in favor of this guy in the new Freedom Fighters book. Ugh.

Joker killed Alex Luthor? Good. SuperPunk Prime not dead? Bad. I admit I don't know what the purpose of Infinite Crisis was, but it seems like it was meant to clean up the leftover mess from Crisis on the Infinite Earths. Leaving one of the Pocket Dimension Four alive to cause trouble does not count as "cleaning up"!

OK, I'm finished.

What I Bought 5/3/06

The jury is out on my Field Botany final. There was a moment today, Bornstein is driving the van to pick us up and take us farther down the road (to I.D. more plants), and we all stepped off the road. I was a little closer than most, and he mock-swerved at me. I didn't move. He went within 18 inches of my face. Weird moment. Not sure what that means, if anything. I may just have been sleepy. Two DC books this week, what the hell? Very early impressions, I kind of went through them in a hurry, spoiler warnings.

Supergirl #6 - Hey, I bought it for Power Girl alright? And I was not disappointed, as she was indeed cool in this issue. Very mentory to a Kara that still appears to have anger issues. Nice adult presence.

So they're in Kandor, and right off I'm confused. I thought Kandor was a city in a bottle, the last vestiges of Krypton. So why is this place riddled with aliens that don't appear to be Kryptonian?

Also, said non-Kryptonians are downtrodden and generally treated as second-class by the "true children" of Kal-El. Apparently, the downtrodden haven't converted, and are "urged" to do so, or suffer, naturally. Kara and Karen seem to be defending them, while keeping their identities secret. But Kara may have blown that with a little individual expression. I'm curious as to why Power Girl said their powers are limited in here. I remeber Kandor being under a red sun, which would suggest no powers. Clearly not the case. What's going on?

I'm not disappointed in this book, so I guess I should say "Behold the power of Rucka!" Or maybe it should be "Behold the power of well-written Power Girl!" She's awesome. 4 out of 5.

Teen Titans #35 - OK, last issue I bitched long and loud about this team. Not going to do that. This is the team Johns has made, there's no point in complaining about the roster. So I'll just talk about the book.

So Tim still can't clone Conner. Good. He needs to stop trying. Seriously, clones only lead to massive confusion. I'm a Spider-Man fan who lived through the "Clone Saga", I know these things. Also, Rose Wilson is a little frisky. I'm not sure what to make of that. I don't have much exposure to her, so I can't tell whether this should be abnormal for her or not. Pretty much every time I see her, she's trying to kill a character I like, so her being drunk and horny on Tim is probably an improvement.

Wonder Girl has taken it upon herself to stop the Brotherhood of Evil. Apparently they want to clone the Brain a new body, so he and Mallah can be together. I am opposed to Evil Genius-Gorilla marriages, call me close-minded if you must, that's just how I was raised. I gotta tell you, I still think Cassandra looks a lot older than she did before. Maybe it's the lack of exposed belly button?

Anyway, she agrees to work with the Titans, though I think Tim has ulterior motives for offering to help. What am I saying? Of course he has ulterior motives, he's Batman Jr.! Getting angry. . .

Oh yeah, guest appearence by the Doom Patrol, if that's important to you. Me? Not so much. This one gets a lower grade because I'm disappointed in the Brotherhood's plot, assuming they were serious. If they have something bigger planned, then I may raise the score retroactively. 2.6 out of 5.

Exiles #80 - So I was wrong. Power Princess did survive the Two Angry Hulks. She got her ass kicked right along with the rest of the team, but she's still breathing. Good for her. It's a little amusing to see the Exiles focusing so much on defeating the Maestro, instead of Proteus-possesed Hulk of 2099. Priorities people, remember who you're here to kill?

I tell you, when Sabretooth tried clawing the Maestro, I had the same reaction as the Big Guy: What the hell good did you think that was going to do? Man, really strong, smart and ruthless Hulk is pretty scary. So it goes back and forth, the Exiles trying to gain an upper hand, then getting pummeled, then getting bailed out by Proteus, then trying to stop Proteus. Only one small problem: he got himself a new body, and it may just be the best one for him.

I'm having a lot of fun with this. 4.3 out of 5, because I realized that they have a recap page at the start of every issue, but they still devote part of the story to recapping what's gone on in the past few issues.

And yet, they still get more done than most Bendis books. Oh yeah, next month, Heroes Reborn! Uh, whee?

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 - So apparently this issue is either fallout from Wanda screwing with reality, or it's a precursor to whatever Jamie Braddock was babbling about in that Uncanny X-Men a few weeks ago. We get to see what happens to Peter if Aunt May died by falling down the stairs, instead of Uncle Ben getting shot by a burglar. Apparently, Peter becoming a money-loving jackass. He also stars in crappy movies, where he fights a guy named "Lord Doom" and uses a lightsaber. No, I'm not kidding, though I (and Ben apparently) wish I was.

So Ben goes home after the movie, except his home is destroyed. Has been for a few months. And one of the cops that tells him this is the one that was on the scene for. . . Ben Parker's death. Oh jeez. Ben is understandably confused. You want to know who helps him out? You really want to know? He attacks Spidey at the end of the issue, and he uses a glider. OK, I'll tell you.

It's the Hobgoblin of 2211. There, now that you know, you won't buy this book, and you can avoid it like the plague. 0.9 out of 5.

The Punisher #33 - Alright, this issue is very simple. The big twisted dude we've seen sporadically in the first two issues is getting ready to go to New York to kill Castle. But wait, Frank just arrived in Miami, and walked right by the Barracuda. Barracuda gets the drop on him. Brings Frank to his house. Frank is prepared though, and the fight begins.

And I mean FIGHT. This was hardcore, like his first go-round with the Russian. Like Ali-Frazier. Like Penguins versus Pandas. Frank is using everything he can find: knife he bought at the airport, hatchet, barbed wire, fence post. Barracuda opts to just beat Frank up with his fists, or maybe his skull.

That's it, that's pretty much the whole issue. Sure, there's some stuff concerning the C.E.O., the right-hand lackey that's getting banged by C.E.O.'s wife (because she is clearly in charge), and how C.E.O.-Man knew Frank was on his way to Miami. But no one cares about that do they? The only thing that hurts this score is that Ennis got a little too graphic with some of his descriptions, and it jarred me out of the story a bit. 4.7 out of 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man #94 - Well, that solves the Mystery of "The Final Panel of Ultimate Spider-Man #93". It was odd, when Peter hit Deadpool, the art looked a little more old school for a panel. The eyes on the mask seemed smaller, like we were back to those days where they alter to match Peter's facial expressions. Was that old-school, or was that just Erik Larsen? I still don't mind it either way, it just seemed different from Bagley's usual.

As for the issue? Wall-to-wall fighting goodness. There is some talk (big surprise!) about where Xavier is, and what will happen to him, courtesy of Mojo. I got to admit, some of Mojo's points, about Xavier appearing to build a terrorist cell, are arguable and have been made by people here in the blogs, kalinara, I believe to name one. Chuck talks about unity, but cloisters his students in a school, teaching them how to use their powers in battle situations. Sure, he's got reasons (protect themselves and others), but it can be easy to misconstrue it as something else.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the fighting. Deadpool is seriously pissed at Spidey. He wants him dead. Silly, lame-ass Ultimate Deadpool, this is Spidey's title! You can't kill him! They try though, and Kitty proceeds to open up a big ole' can of whup-ass on the Reavers, disrupting electronics left and right. We also see Deadpool's face, and well, ugh.

So, the day is saved, X-Men and Spidey escape, with Xavier having apparently done something painful to his captors. I kind of like it when they portray Xavier as vindictive. It's cool. Peter's all set to tell Aunt May about his secret identity, figuring his girlfriend was on T.V. worldwide, he's pretty much got to. But what's this? A date? With MILES WARREN?!

Oh no. Oh hell no. Please no, please Bendis, I'm begging you. You'll destroy it all, if you go down this path, please don't, I'm on my kne. . . oh you wanted to know the score? Well, last page aside, good stuff, and I don't know that I should penalize this issue for the stupid shit that is being foreshadowed in it, so 4.6 out of 5. If you don't mind, I need to get back to pleading with Bendis.

Reflections #16 - X-Factor #6

I still love that cover.
It's remarkable that Peter David has made me care about Bendis' little plot device Layla Miller. Her being a child makes me have a somewhat instinctive reaction to sympathize with her. Then she sets up the hitman from Singularity to be electrocuted, and I get the feeling that wariness would be a better reaction, as opposed to sympathy. Still, I'm left with questions.

One, was she serious when she said she sprouted horns and had flame breath?

If so, why is that aspect of mutation no longer evident? Actually, I guess that's pretty solid evidence her comment was sarcasm.

Two, were her parents in the House of M world the same as her parents in the original reality? Or did her desires alter them to be more what she wanted?

If she can see glimpses of what will be, how does that connect to her reanimating a dead butterfly?

What does she mean she knows that certain things she sees are "supposed" to happen? If she saw it occur, wouldn't that mean it's supposed to happen? And if she can stop one event from happening, wouldn't that suggest all the events can be averted, therefore none of these things are necessarily "supposed" to happen?

Is this like DC saying that Superboy-Prime punching reality made Jason Todd come back to life because that is the way things were "supposed" to occur?

Is Layla Miller going to do more damage to my sanity than The Other, Finals Week and Jason Isringhausen combined?

And how does this tie-in with her apparent House of M ability to make people remember what had actually happened?

Is it because Layla knows she has to keep people from finding out the truth, and was somehow able to alter her own power as the Scarlet Witch did the whole "No more mutants."?

Who is it that is going to strike her down if she tells Madrox and Co. what's really going on? Dr. Strange? Emma Frost? Is she just being melodramatic, playing on the adults sympathy again?

What's the worst that could happen if people did find out what happened to mutants? Given no one can seem to locate Wanda, it would suggest she may not be a mutant anymore.

So even if you know Wanda's responsible, and you find her, it's isn't like she can fix it. Which measn you need the Reality Gem from the Infinity Gauntlet, and I've got no clue who has that. The last time I saw it Galactus had it.

Is Rictor right, did Layla actually hit herself to make Rahne think the kids beat on her? Based on her previous actions, and Tony Stark having Titanium Man attack him to bolster his case in Amazing Spider-Man, I vote yes.

One other question: Does anyone remember a comic book where there was a character named or nicknamed "Trip"? I don't remember whether it's spelled like that or "Tryp" or "Trp". I ask because I noticed the bad guy at Singularity is named Damian Tryp, and I know I've seen that last name somewhere before, and it's driving me insane.

And with that, I'm off to study for my Field Botany lab final. Oh joy.

The Sanctity of Marriage

Pardon me as I go mildly berserk (is that a contradiction in terms?). Lots of talk about Joe Quesada's latest dumbass statements. Seems Joey Q said Peter Parker and Mary Jane being married is a mistake, and they need to fix it. Only problem is Joe Questionable-Intelligence feels there's too much history to be able to split them apart.

To which I say, no shit Joe, you tried killing MJ off once, then had to retcon it to a kidnapping/blowing up an entire airliner to trick everyone into thinking she was dead to get out of that one. You tried sending her to Hollywood; that lasted 20 issues before she and Peter get back together (not counting Peter and Aunt May's visit to La-La Land).

I really don't see what the big deal is about Peter being married. He's supposedly "everyman", right? Well, everyday people get married too, same as millionaires and actors, they just don't divorce quite as quickly, or as often. Yes MJ is ludicrously hot, but look at the women around the Marvel Universe; they're ALL freaking smoking. Except Cassandra Nova. Guh. At any rate, there are good stories you can tell about Peter/Mary Jane. So here's what you do.

One, get the Parker trio out of the Avengers Tower. May can still see Jarvis if they like, nothing wrong with that, though I think it shouldn't go farther than a good friendship. Two, emphasize Peter's work with the school and the Bugle on a part-time basis. No Stark International; those two don't seem likely to be buddies after this Civil War anyway, so let's just forget it. Three, keep MJ doing the theater acting, but as that can be a less than lucrative career, give her something else. Maybe she gets a degree (I know, she tried once, in psychology, but I think being married to a man who dresses like a spider and fights crime could skew your views on that). I was thinking something in fashion design. According to the Spider-Girl universe, she's pretty damn good at that, so give her that to work towards. Besides, it gives you hilarious scenes of her using Peter to model homework assignments. Four, bring in some friends for Mary Jane and Peter. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not the same as friends for Spider-Man and His Wife. Avengers do not count.

What pisses me off is they had this worked out. Before JMS came on board, Mackie and Jenkins had Peter rooming with Randy Robertson, Robbie's son. They experienced the typical madcap Parker-style adventures of trying to make rent, pay utilities, and eat. In addition, they often went out with Jill Stacy and Glory Grant. Randy was interested in Glory, and supposedly the writers were trying to set up a Jill/Peter relationship. Well, forget that, but there isn't a reason those three can't be friends with MJ and Pete. Go out, do things that 20-something people in New York do together. That doesn't even include that weird "Smelly Cat" Peter found right before Mackie left. Pet, or annoying pest they can't get rid of, either way it's another everyday element.

But JMS came on the book, and moved Peter out of the apartment, and that was pretty much the last we saw of those three. Fortunately, Paul Jenkins gave Peter wacky neighbors, and had him providing a place for the now comatose Flash Thompson. When MJ came back, the two of them each helped the nurse care for Flash. The interaction was sometimes limited, but it was something, the neighbors knew Peter and Mary Jane, and they knew their neighbors, what a concept.

Then Jenkins left. Then they destroyed Aunt May's new apartment (Millar's Marvel Knights Spider-Man). Then the Molten Man wannabe destroyed Peter and MJ's apartment (JMS on Amazing Spider-Man). Then he destroyed Aunt May's house. Then Stark showed up. And the Parkers became effectively cut off from ordinary people.

I give Peter David points for trying. We've seen Jamesons, Jonah and John, Robbie, and a non-comatose Flash. Unfortunately, Flash has reverted back to his high school age (apparently a milder form of Guy Gardner's problem), which rules him out as a friend, for at least a while. Still, there isn't really anyone for our couple to interact with as friends, and that's the problem.

Speaking as someone who has seen it with his parents, when a married couple doesn't have anyone but themselves, it can tend to wreck things pretty fast. You don't have anyone else to spend time with, it magnifies all the little problems, and things start to get ugly. It helps to have other people to have fun with, to talk to about problems. So I guess that's Quesada's solution right there: Keep them cut off from normal people, let them feud and argue and start to despise each other, then do an ugly divorce where Mary Jane spitefully plans to out Peter's identity, except Peter has. . . You know what, I'll just stop here before Quesada gets any ideas.

Things I Think About #32

Something's been gnawing at me for a few days about Checkmate #1. Specifically the cover. First, let me say I like that cover. I think it's awesome. The black and white, the kinght chess piece, all very nifty. It also very cool that they seem to have given each character at least a somewhat different lighting. As an aside, I like that Alan Scott has that greenish tint, does it mean he's merely put the powers away for now?

But there was something about Sasha that kept picking at me. I couldn't figure it out, but I knew she looked familiar to me. "Well, you've probably seen this cover for months in the Previews, and in the advertisements in DC books, that's why," you might say. But,I was positive there was something else to it. Yesterday, while thinking ahead to Adult Swim that would be coming that night, I finally occurred to me. Something about that picture makes her look a lot like Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex to me.

This is not a problem for me in any way, nor do I think it's intentional, though if Bejermo is making an homage, that'd be pretty cool. More likely it's just my brain making weird connections. For all I know, I'm the only person who thinks this. I'll show you a picture of Major Kusanagi, and you can tell if you think there's something to this. I tried to pick the wallpaper I had that I thought did the best job demonstrating this.


But there are similarities between the two when I think about it.

Kusanagi: Human mind in entirely prosthetic body, one of the best available no doubt.
Sasha: Nearly went full OMAC, which would have made her one of the most high-tech things on the planet, no doubt.

Kusanagi: Has demanding boss.
Sasha: Has demanding boss.

Kusanagi: Dozens of successful campaigns in war and for Public Security Section 9 earns her respect of her colleagues/unit.
Sasha: Dozens of succesful campaigns for Checkmate, including smashing Brother Eye, earns her respect of her colleagues/unit (I'm inferring some of this based on her standing in Max Lord's Checkmate).

Kusanagi: Works for mostly unknown (by public) national security agency, which has to deal with risks of being shutdown by those with more clout in the goverment it's responsible to (Japanese goverment).
Sasha: Works for mostly unknown (by public) global security agency, which has to deal with risk of losing approval from those with the clout in the goverment it's responsible to (U.N. Security Council).

Kusanagi: Has enemy who uses influence within the governing body of her agency to shield himself (Gouda - No, not the cheese!).
Sasha: Has enemy which uses influence within the governing body of her agency to shield themselves (Kobra).

Kusanagi: Appears to be heading for conflict with boy she's loved since childhood, doesn't even know it (doomed romance).
Sasha: Appears to have been romantically involved with Batman (definition of "doomed romance").

Again, I'm not saying they used Kusanagi as a basis for the character Sasha Bordeaux. It's just that cover image tripped something in my head, and when I figured out what it was, all these similarities started to occur to me. And I don't even know much about Sasha beyond what I listed up there. And most of this is from Checkmate #1 and the OMAC Project Special.

Reflections #15 - New Avengers Annual

Nothing too complex, just some reactions to the comic as I went through it. For the purposes of this review remember, "James" is Wolverine, "Jessica" means Jessica Jones, the blushing bride, as opposed to Jessica Drew or "Spider-Woman", and of course we say "Warbird" here, not Ms. Marvel. Assemble!

Page 2: So is that an original image from the first Super-Adaptoid appearance, or is Copiel just mimicking the original?

Page 3: Why are the A.I.M. guys' helmets cylindrical? Wouldn't helmets that are rounded to match the shape of your head be easier? Also, Bendis can't let "Evil Hydra Guy" speak without babbling.

Page 4 and 5: WARBIRD! This comic is automatically 23.74% better than it would be otherwise. Luke's right. Jessica has powers, she can fly, couldn't she fly the baby and it's stuff up there, instead of climbing stairs? Or use an elevator? Gross, Aunt May has a bunch of liver spots. Peter can't even have breakfast without being in the Iron Spidey get-up. Does having a baby make women more susceptible to the charms of aging English butlers? Careful, Jessica, might end up in a throwdown with Aunt May over "Eddie". Again with the footie-pajamas comments. But can the Iron Spidey uniform count as pajamas?

Page 6: Love the look on Luke's face. Hilarious.

Page 7: "Mazel tov"? No one told me James was Jewish. Mary Jane loves being married? Too bad Quesada doesn't love you being married. The look on Jessica's face, hilarious. I love that Tony wants the Sentry to start making friends, but to leave as soon as he starts to feel unstable. That's the kind of comment that says "We trust you!"

Page 8: Not sure about the look on Cap's face. He might feeling a little bloated this morning. He certainly looks it. Man is large.

Page 10: Babies. Ugh. Did the Sentry get smacked into the window on the 36th floor, or just knocked past it? Either way, New Avengers needs more Sentry getting pummeled.

Page 11: Warbird took command. A natural born leader. Why isn't she a full-time team member again?

Page 13: And Warbird quickly assess what they're up against. I say again: Why isn't she on this team full-time? And when has dogpiling the enemy ever worked?

Page 14: Captain America reminds you kids to always buckle up, especially if being chased by a former spy, now Super-Adaptoid. Very clever idea by Cap though. Props to the Super Soldier.

Page 15: Just because you have unbreakable skin, doesn't mean you couldn't be internally injured, right? I know I read something about that in that Marvel Knights book. Woohoo, more Sentry pummeling! Greatest New Avengers issue EVER! Yes that's a weak field.

Page 16: Agh, she kissed him! Gross! Wow. James is planning ahead. What a world.

Page 17: It's a fun new game! "Pass the Worthless Sack of Crap!" Hey the New Avengers are pretty good at it! I guess between Ronin, Sentry, and "Just Stands Around" James, they get a lot of practice.

Page 18: Does Warbird's power work like that? I thought she absorbed energy, can she really draw power out of people? It sounds more like Rogue's. . . Warbird is NOT fat! Just because she isn't anorexic like that "S"-wearing tart at DC, doesn't mean she's fat!

Page 19: Here's Tony Stark! His superpower is talking down to his teammates. I forgot to genuflect when I said that.

Page 20: Peter used his brain to help. Hooray! He's collaborating with his intellectual buddy Stark, and now Tony'll devise a plan. Maybe I'm a victim of low expectations, but this is pretty good. Isn't this how these super-battles are supposed to go?

Page 21: Spider-Man solo against Really Powerful Enemy. I always like this, because it's fun to watch him win. Yes! Use the agility, and your opponent's natural stupidity! Faceplant!

Page 22: What's with the Bruce Lee background? Ygh. She grew James' sideburns! WHAM? I thought Cap's shield went BLANG!

Page 23: Seriously, how can Captain America move? He's freaking huge. And yet, he's still faster than someone who absorbed the powers of his entire team. Ha, ha, she has underwear on her head.

Page 24: Fastball Special? Isn't that a registered trademark of the X-Men, or is it OK because James was involved? Spider-Whore? That's not nice. Man, why do women always have to be so mean to each other? Don't they know words can hurt? Not as much as a hairy Canadian knocking you off a building, but still.

Page 25: 'Bigger web pits'? That's creepy, and sadly, Spider-Man does have bigger 'web pits' than Spider-Woman. Sigh. Relax Peter. Everyone one on Earth is a "kid" next to Wolverine. Except Apocalypse. And Chuck Norris.

Pages 27 and 28: Wow. All 49 different Iron Man suits. Cool. Heh. All the others are just watching. I guess that's part of the plan. Shouldn't they all be posing though? Sitting seems so Defenders-ish.

Page 29: Huh. Remote control. Now is this that whole "Machine God" thing, or did he program his suits to work like this? It sounds like it's a combination of Bingo and Battleship.

Page 30: Man street cleaners are going to be picking up pieces of Iron Mans for weeks.

Page 31: And here it loses me. So, is it her version of the Void, or his version of the Void? Or is the Sentry just using his apparently vast mental powers to fool her into thinking it's happening, and she's to inexperienced with his powers to fend him off?

Page 32: Besides, if the Void is the counter of everything the Sentry does (according to Paul Jenkins' just finished series), and all she's done is hurt people with the power, wouldn't "her" Void try to help people? You see how including the Sentry in anything hurts books? Why does the Sentry hate comics? Is he a Nazi? And if so, shouldn't Captain America punch him in the face? He did it to Thanos when the Purple Darkseid had the Infinity Gauntlet, what's the holdup?

Pages 33 and 34: And, villain's gone. I'm really surprised you can do that to an adaptoid. You'd figure it would, you know, adapt a counter-measure.

Page 35: Surrrrrre, the Sentry didn't do it. bullcrap.

Page 36: Real brave of Tony, talking shit to Spider-Woman through a remote-controlled suit of armor, when he's probably ten blocks away. But seriously, she is evil. She smokes, she hates babies, she took breast implants from HYDRA (not that I'm against breast implants), and half of her face is in shadow when she says she's not Iron Man's enemy. And the half that isn't in shadow, looks real pissed.

Oh yeah, Captain America looks real, real fat. Stop eating so many of Aunt May's wheatcakes, oh pudgy Sentinel of Liberty. Man, why don't we ever hear about Aunt May's wheatcakes anymore? Those were a staple of Peter's diet when I was reading Spidey comics growing up? Don't tell me "dying" multiple times made her forget the recipe. She gave it to MJ, she must have it somewhere! I want wheatcakes, damnit!

Page 37 and 38: Hmm, that preacher looks suspiciously like Stan Lee. Isn't he Jewish? Is this how Jewish weddings go? Has Wanda changed even this? In the last panel, who is that guy, that doesn't seem to have eyeballs? His face partially obscures Thing's. It's way too prominent of a placement to just be Random Person. It's not Purple Man in disguise is it? He's still locked up right? I mean, Cage beat the crap out of him back in New Avengers #5 or so. Please, we don't need future stories involving the guy who swore to rape and kill Jessica, and kill their kid, OK Bendis? No stories with that, or I'll let Deadpool really go off on you.

Page 39: Of course, Bendis had to have one really huge blab page. OK, fine. Man, Luke looks pretty bummed out in that one panel. She said, "yes", dude, she just wants to put it in her words. Smile! There we go. Why can't we see the preacher's eyes? He can't be trusted! He's a Skrull! No, he's Killgrave! No, he's Dan DiDio! Kill him!

Page 40: Luke and Jessica, sitting in a . . . OK I'll stop. They can both hurt me.

Page 41: Spider Woman wore a pretty revealing dress for a wedding. Hmm, this must be that wedding phenomenon I've heard about, where the bridesmaids are all ready to have "jealousy sex". Can the legends really be true?

Hope you enjoyed this ludicrous recap of a New Avengers where. . . STUFF. . . ACTUALLY . . . HAPPENED. Now if only someone would let Bendis know he can do this in the monthly issues, just with fewer pages for dialogue, we'd be great.

Kicking Down the Fourth Wall. . . And It's Puppy

You know what I'd like to see?

Deadpool, in the pages of Cable/Deadpool, to make a thinly veiled reference/shot at Bendis' Ultimate Deadpool.

Can't you just see it? Deadpool and Cable are cruising along, beating up the bad guys, Wade is making his usual inane babble about puppies, mid-90s Saturday Night Live, or how much he'd enjoy seeing Warbird and Spider-Woman jello wrestle. Then D'pool starts raving about how he's going to "kill all mutants because they're a blight on humanity."

Cable (and everyone else in panel) stops and stares at him. Deadpool stops, looks around, and says something like "Sorry, must have been channeling some lame-ass alternate universe version of myself."

Then he hits some random opponent (who looks suspiciously like a certain Brian Michael Bendis) in the face with nunchakus.

That'd be awesome.

Cover Interpretation #1 - Amazing Spider-Man #531

Just looking at that cover stirred some things in my mind. No, it wasn't that the cover lies because Captain America isn't actually in the comic. Seriously, who cares? Old Jimmy Olsen comic covers used to promise things like Jimmy killing Superman with a Kryptonite suppository. Never happened. Big whup. Back to this cover. Look at the icons. Cap, Spidey, Tony Stark, all sitting watching TV. How friendly, except. . .

Cap looks kinda pissed. His body position suggests a child being forced to sit at the table until he finishes his broccoli. Arms folded across his chest, leaned back into the cushions, he's preparing for a siege. And look at his face. he's practically glaring at the TV, with a sort of grimace on his face. He's in costume, even got the shield with him. Yep, he's ready to fight.

Tony, on the other hand, has a more relaxed position. One leg stretched out on a footstool, he's also leaning back, but in a more comfortable position. He's no less ready for that siege, but he's in a better position to withstand it. He's watching TV with what appear to be raised eyebrows, as if intrigued by what's being shown. It presents an opportunity, and he's calculating how to use it. He's not in the armor, either, but in business clothes, with the tie loosened, like an accountant at home after a hard day. He suggests the common man; the person being frightened and endangered by superhero/supervillain battles, who might want them to be better controlled.

Pete's in the middle. One leg resting on top of the other, in a fairly relaxed position. And he's got food, a jumbo bag of. . . peanuts, popcorn? Something. He's settling in, and given he has provisions, one might suggest he's the best off of the three. Except, his food is probably salty, and he has no drink, which means he'll have to move sometime, whether it's for that or because he needs to go to the bathroom. When he does, it isn't likely he'll hop over the TV; he'll have to pass by one or the other to get where he's going. Does that mean he'll be obscuring that person's view, hampering him, or that he's obscuring other's view of that person, enabling him to move more freely?

Tony's got that arm draped over the back of the couch, behind Peter's head. If the Iron Spidey costume wasn't a tip-off, this tells you Tony figures Pete's on his side. Even so he's extending the hand towards Cap, trying to get him to see Tony's right, and that they need to present a united front. Clearly, Cap is having none of it. But perhaps, Tony isn't as in charge of Peter as he thinks. Parker's mouth isn't covered by his mask, and we all know that one of the things that defines Spider-Man is how he runs his mouth. A lot. Heck, in the actual comic, he started talking to the committee. . . again. After Tony told him it was a bad idea. So maybe Pete can still talk for himself. But can he think for himself?

What about the pictures on the wall? Behind Spidey, we have Iron Man, reenforcing the Peter/Tony bond. Except Iron Man seems to be blasting off, moving away from Spider-Man. Is Tony fixing to leave Peter in the lurch, or does it mean signal that the breaking point between the two is just a little farther down the road?

Behind Tony, you got Thor, someone the government would never be able to bring under control like they want. Someone who, when he had Odin's powers, went around helping people as he saw fit. If that meant providing a clean, long-lasting energy source, regardless of the people at power plants who lose their jobs, fine. If it means, barging into an Eastern European country, to smash a government that is persecuting people who pray to him, fine. It's that kind of "I've got power, I'll use it if I want" attitude, Tony seems to feel is hurting their cause, and the reason why he may be trying to bring Spidey under his wing. Pete's that kind of guy, he tends to leap into a situation, to hell with politics, there are lives to be saved. That steps on toes, and Tony's trying to maybe reign that in.

Behind Cap? The Vision, with a very Uncle Sam-like pose. Vis, represents who Cap is trying to protect. Vision once tied himself into the world's computer network, and took over. He meant well, but had to be stopped, but not before he scared the hell out of the powers that be. As a result, they dismantled him, to teach him a lesson. Now, the country seems ready to put Speedball on trial for all the deaths in Stamford, for much the same situation. Speedball was trying to stop villains, help people, and it backfired. Badly. Now he's in deep. And Captain America is ready to defend his actions.

The thing is, to return to an earlier point, Spidey is going to have to choose, eventually. But why should he? Like I said, when he needs to get up, whether for water or bathroom, he won't jump over the TV. Why not? He's Spider-Man. His very nature is to be unorthodox, to be chaotic, right? And he's certainly capable of it. And by doing so, it would bring him right towards us, in essence bringing him to be our position. Like that Alex Luthor thing in Infinite Crisis #6, except, you know, not done with a stupid character. That's it! Marvel's going to have a special 1-800-number we can call to decide how Civil War ends! Yeah, it'll be awesome, and. . . kidding. Hopefully, Marvel isn't that stupid. The point remains; Peter, when confronted with choices "A" or "B", choose "plantain". That's how he is.

Of course, that's just my take on it. You could flip that, say Thor behind Tony represents Stark trying to protect that kind of gung-ho style, while Cap being in front of a logical machine, in a recruitment poster style picture represents Cap supporting the government, and him trying to get people to join up. The joys of multiplicity.

Oh yeah, why does Spidey's elbow seem to disappear into Stark's leg? Is it to symbolize his gradually being overtaken by Stark's dominating persona, like it's a symbiote or something?

What I Bought 4/26/06

This seemed like a very big week for comics, for me, and in general. I think it's because lately DC has seemed kind of subdued, maybe because a bunch of books are late, and others were delayed because of those late books. And now stuff is catching up. Or not. Whatever. I skimmed Astonishing X-Men (ugh, Scott Summers angst), Ultimate Fantastic Four (ha, clobberin' time), Villains United Special (if I were Catman, I wouldn't be so cocky about daring either side to come after you, based on Dr. Psycho's "pet", because they don't have nearly enough firepower to stop it), Sentry (damn, he's not dead), and Wolverine (not bad, but I swore off that title, and off I shall stay). On the other hand, I did buy one thing I said I wouldn't, and one I'm not sure I should've. Let's get started, spoiler warnings as always.

Ion #1 - Would you believe this is only the second time I've picked up a solo book, where the star is Kyle Rayner? I guess I just really liked him in JLA. As for this? Uh, not so much. First off, I don't like the art. It's OK for "Kyle", but it can't figure out what the hell is going on half the time when "Ion" is throwing green energy around. Part of the fun of Kyle Rayner having this power is seeing what he makes with it. For that, we need coherent artwork.

As for the story, well some nice groundwork is laid. People are dead, something that looks and acts like Ion trashes some Lanterns including one that looks like a cross of the Spectre and Deadman. Kyle's trying to work on his art, with annoying criticisms from the head of the retreat. Seriously, why does Kyle need to decide whether the light is standing out in the darkness, or being swallowed by it?

A future love interest is possibly hinted at, though even Kyle is smart enough to recognize he should probaby keep her distance. And someone comes looking to hit Kyle on the noggin, and even brought an appropriate instrument. Oh yeah, and the Guardians are being needlessly vague. I can't say I'll pick up issue #2, but that may be because, to paraphrase the leader of the retreat, I don't know what I wanted from this book, and this issue gave me no indication as to whether I'll like what I will get. So, 3 out of 5.

New Avengers Annual - I said I wouldn't buy this, yet I did. Strangely, I enjoyed it. As the cover suggests, Jessica Jones accepts Luke's marriage proposal, while all the ladies are cooing over their baby, and Peter is having palpitations that MJ might want to try again (might want to have someone off Norman Osborn first, just a suggestion Pete). And Jessica Drew doesn't like babies. This combined with the revelation in Warbird #1 that she smokes, confirms she is clearly, still evil. In the interests of disclosure, I don't like babies either, but I don't smoke, so I'm less evil. And lack chest implants.

Anyway, a plot thread from an earlier arc shows up on the scene, looking to trash the New Avengers. Hooray! And it's quite powerful, so it does succeed in smacking them around a bit. Hooray! But wait, are the New Avengers using teamwork to protect innocent lives? Are they acting like they've worked together in ensuring each other's safety? Are Peter Parker and Tony Stark using their brains to devise a means of defeating their really powerful enemy? Is the Sentry being useful? Is that Warbird? Holy crap! This doesn't suck! What the hell is going on here? I must be delirious from getting up a 5:30 this morning!

The art was weird, but I like the somewhat cartoony effects during the initial scenes. I would complain however, that Captain America is too, what's a delicate way to put this, thick. Cap's neck looks like it needs to be attached to those Rob Liefeld pecs, it's so large. It's not horribly out of proportion, but it makes you wonder how he could move as lightly as he does.

There was a lot I want to say about this book, but I'll save the rest for later. 4.2 out of 5.

Annihilation: Ronan #1 - Hmm, not so pleased with this. It had it's moments, that's for sure. I enjoyed seeing Ronan meet up with an old comrade, and find out what's going on with his life. Still Korath the Pursuer? Does that mean there's a Kree named Bolas the Imbiber? Just wondering.

So Ronan is no longer an Accuser, but he still has his gigantic hammer, and he still feels like butting his nose in wherever he pleases. Despite the dishonor he suffered from the Kree Council, he's still trying to help them out, while searching for the person who bore (false) witness against him at his trial. At least I assume it's false. He might have been doing what she said he was.

It seems like Annihilation is Marvel's chance to dust off all those characters we haven't seen since all those huge "Infinity (insert synonym for 'conflict') events back in the '90s. I can't be sure yet whether that's a good thing. I mean, Gamora, Nebula, Stellaris? Sadly, I actually remember Stellaris from a Thor comic I own. Eric Masterson gave up custody of his kid in that issue, and shared a hug with Hercules at the end. No, I'm not kidding.

This was weaker than the last two. Maybe too much focus on what happened earlier (the trial), and not enough on what Ronan was doing now (helping the Empire, clearing his name). Better than Silver Surfer, can't decide whether I buy #2 without question though. 3.7 out of 5.

X-Factor #6 - I love that cover. And Rictor yells at Layla. I'm forced to agree with Monet (damn); would you rather be dead, Ric? Anyway, Layla and Rahne talk, Layla gets taken back to an orphanage, and I tell you, that panel of the orphanage lady and the kids, saying how "happy" they are she's back, it was creepy. Probably the way the lady tilts her head as she smiles.

Meanwhile, Guido and Madrox decide to send a message to Singularity, about the dangers of messing with X-Factor. Honestly, I'm not sure how scared I'd be of 100 Madroxes; he really isn't terribly frightening looking. I'd probably laugh at the sheer surrealness of the sight, I do that sometimes. Guido in jogging shorts? That would terrify me.

I have to admit, when Rictor made his last little speech to Layla, I was a little shocked by it. "You're kidding, right?" I thought. Then I read the last book in my pile, and it made me wonder if he isn't right. Loved it. 5 out of 5.

Amazing Spider-Man #531 - Well, apparently we know who Titanium Man is. And we know who hired him. And that is why I don't think Rictor is crazy for being mistrustful of Layla. Spidey continues the battle with Iron Man, except he pauses to read the words on the Lincoln Monument. Real bright, Webs. "I'm fighting a guy in a high-tech powered suit, and I interfered with his plan to kill my boss. So I'll just ignore him." D'oh!

The battle continues. T-Man has the upper hand, but Spidey uses gl-, gl-, glider wings to save himself. T-Man regains upper hand, Spidey uses waldoes and surveilience equipment. I thought the waldoes were kind of fragile, but he can stab them through T-Man's armor, without breaking them? Huh. T-Man bails, because Russians are cowards - just ask the Nazis - and. . . what, I was joking! Russians are stalwarts, never say die, all that good stuff.

So T-Man provides what Tony Stark feels is some compelling evidence, and boy isn't that convenient? Peter makes a fool of himself in front of the committee. . . again. Tony plays mind games with Peter, and we seem to be up to Civil War #1. In spite of that, I had fun with this. I've accepted the costume - for now - we got super-battles, as well as talking heads. And it's funny to see someone ask T-Man to say "Moose and Squirrel". Yes Fearless Leader. 4.2 out of 5.

Green Lantern Corps Deployment

This needs to be quick. I've got 28 papers to grade looming, and a 5:30 wake-up so I can go mist-net birds. Fun. Actually, that last one may be fun, if it weren't so bloody early.

Anyway, I was thinking about my post from last night, and how much ground Lanterns have to cover. I could buy that the Guardians may not have any set size for their sectors. But just for kicks, I assumed they did. I also went with the theory of the universe being 15 billion years old, and that the universe expanded equally in all directions, making a giant sphere, with a radius of 15 billion light years.

Working from the formula of V(of a sphere)=(4/3)(pi)(r^3), and dividing the result (1.413716694 x 10^31) by the number of sectors (3600), I achieve the result of. . .

3.926990817 x 10^27 light years, or 1.20459841 x 10^27 parsecs per sector. So 6.022992051 x 10^26 parsecs per Green Lantern.

Wow. That is a hell of a lot of ground to cover. They must have warp-gates or something to get around. Still, I would think counting on a Green Lantern to be a consistent member of a team based on Earth, would be a mistake.

I'm sure it's not actually that much, as centurion pointed out there are places Lanterns don't go, so that would probably subtract from the total, but still.

Oh, and props to Centurion and Diamondrock for recognizing the Star Trek: The Next Generation quote I cited yesterday. Q is awesome. "Very clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately?"

Things I Think About #31

Holy crap. Scipio discussed Marvel comics, and found stuff he liked. Head for the bunkers, we're all doomed! If only I'd know, I wouldn't have wasted all this time on education!

In other news, I have a question. As defined by the Guardians, you know, the little floaty smurf guys, how large is a "sector"?

I know there are 3600 sectors, and apparently there are going to be two Green Lanterns per sector, but how much ground are we talking about covering here?

I've got this basic time-wasting project planned, where I try to make teams I want to see in both universes, so I'm trying to decide whether an Earth-oriented team could count on a Green Lantern to be there, or whether the G.L. would be too busy with space duties to be a more than an emergency member. Side note: Captain Picard just told Q "I need you!" Creepy.

Back on topic. Anyone have any information? We talking light years? Parsecs? Galaxies?

Reflections #14 - Wolverine Origins #1

My problem with this can be summed up thusly: it doesn't appear that it'll be what I want from a title designed to explore James' now remembered past.

Ideally for me, this book wouldn't tie into the present at all. It'd be a book of rotating authors. The authors can tell any story they want with James in some past setting, provided it doesn't violate established canon. By that I mean, it doesn't violate what was established by Paul Jenkins' Wolverine: Origin. So no James fighting as a Gaul against the Roman legions, because he wasn't alive yet.

But if Daniel Way wants him to be involved in the Greek resistance during World War 2, sure!

Peter David says he spent part of the 1950s in the Amazon, trying to get away from people and come to grips with all the lives he took in said Greek resistance? Why not?

Millar wants to tell the tale of James helping to build railroad across Australia in the 1910s? Fair game.

Basically, this title should be an opportunity to see all the crazy crap James got mixed up in from being alive in the last century, and being someone who seems to gravitate towards violence. Unfortunately, the first issue suggests it's going to be more of the same old we've come to expect from Wolverine titles: the ol' Canuckle-head trying to figure out who done him wrong and why.

Too bad. This seems like an opportunity to just let writers go nuts with the characters. we could find out that in the sixties, James was actually able to ingest enough mind-altering drugs to briefly become the greatest poet of the times. Then five days later, his healing factor fought the drugs off, and he went back to killing people.

Reflections #13 - Annihilation: Nova #1

I am really enjoying these Nova Corps Data Files at the end of the Annihilation books. For someone who's Marvel experience has been fairly Earth grounded - what with Spider-Man not getting mixed up in too much cosmic shite - it's a helpful intro to the Marvel Universe at large. Some of the things you learn are quite surprising. And some things, just raise more questions.

Nova saved the Earth from the Deathstorm? When did this happen? And what the heck is the Deathstorm? Is it it like Ultimate Gah' Lak' Tus? Or is it what happens when Eternity eats too many spicy burritos?

Richard Rider restarted the Nova Corps? And defended the world of Xandar from alien invasion? Then why was he regarded as a rookie by the other Novas? Kyle Rayner helped restart the Green Lanterns, and he seems to get respect from the veterans. I guess DC aliens are nicer, or more respectful, or something.

How was this Garthan Saal able to take all of the Nova Force, but not take the Worldmind? If he had the Worldmind, he should have been able to regulate the damage the Nova Force does to him, right? Well, OK, based on Rich's reaction to the power, maybe not. But still, if he was running around, causing damage with the Nova Force, why didn't the Worldmind just take it away? If the Worldmind "gives" out power to the Nova Corps, and can regulate how much it gives, you'd think it could take away from one that abuses the power.

So many questions. I may have to pick up all these books in the hopes I get the backstories I'm looking for.

Reflections #12 - Robin #149

There won't be a post tomorrow, I have to go on an overnight field trip for Field Botany. Joyous day. I'll be back on Saturday. As for Robin. . . (SPOILERS!)

I'd have to say kelvin nailed it.

It seems to me that Cass is working in concert with Nyssa Al Ghul in running the League of Assassins. What's interesting is how hard they're trying to convince us that the person trailing Tim last issue, and killing a blond lady this month is Cassandra. Her comments seem like we're supposed to believe it's Cassandra, but the casual killing of that woman doesn't jibe with me. This woman is too violent, not to mention too old, based on the shots we saw of her last issue. That woman looked closer to Lady Shiva's - I mean Jade Canary's - age. Meanwhile, the "Nyssa" from #148 seems more like Cassandra, with the phrase "Go in Peace." Plus, she looks younger, like someone who's still a teen, but carries themselves with authority.

I believe Nyssa is the one running around Gotham, and Cassandra is the one people think was blown up in Northern Africa. The comments by the killer could certainly be construed as coming from Nyssa, as well as Cassandra. "He wasted his time with you. You're pathetic. You aren't worthy. All we have in common is what he gave us and you chose to waste it - sister."

Sure, it could be Cass, talking about some metaphorical offspring of her father's training, but come on, Ra' Al Ghul has been around for centuries, I'm sure he's had more than two children. Cain's an assassin, and trainer of assassin's, Ra' was a would-be conqueror/savior of the world. It seems more of a waste to be a hired killer with the gifts of the latter, as compared to the former. As for the recently deceased's skill at killing, well I believe we've seen before that Talia and Nyssa aren't slouches when it comes to defending themselves.

So what is going on? Here's what I got figured. Nyssa's is sharing power with Cassandra, whether willingly or because her assassins won't follow anyone other than "One Who Is All". It seems possible that Cassandra has become "Nyssa", the more visible ruler of the League, as she's more equipped to deal with any threats to her life. The League has become like a useful version of the Outsiders, striking at those behind the evil that causes things like the destruction of Bludhaven. The death of Lynx was the League cleaning things up a bit, while simultaneously giving Tim a chance to be tested. Cassandra may be getting ready to ask him to defect.

As for the ultimatum, telling Tim he has to break David Cain out of prison, or Cassandra dies? Bluff. Cassandra is going to offer Cain a shot at redemption. It seems like when Cassandra finally became what Cain and Shiva hoped for, it helped prompt a change in Shiva, to where she goes by the name "Jade Canary" and works with the Birds of Prey. Perhaps, Cass is hoping that when her father sees that he succeeded, he'll mend his ways, maybe help their organization.

I also think the explosion was rigged. It's designed to make people believe the League of Assassins is without their leader, that they'll be scattered and in disarray. Meanwhile, Cassandra and perhaps Nyssa, will be free to carry out their plan, without interference.

What I Bought 4/19/06

Let's just get started shall we? Not as good as last week, spoiler warnings, you know the rest.

Annihilation: Nova #1 - I had hoped that the Super Skrull #1 was a sign of a new day in comics. One where the first issue is more than just exposition, so that things can happen in the second issue. Apparently, that was a pipe dream. Mostly.

Nova wakes up on a chunk of the Xandar Homeworld, most of which is falling into their star. Good news: the chunk Nova's on isn't falling into the star. Bad news: It's drifting away, and getting colder fast. Nova is the last of the Nova Corps left. . . again (Kyle Rayner?). The Worldmind is communicating with him, telling him that he needs to come find it, so that it can be downloaded and preserved with him. However, Nova would rather stagger around and talk about how terrible the loss of life is. Oh yeah, and pick fights with giant bugs. he likes to do that too. Still, with a lot of cajoling from Worldmind, and a little beating from aformentioned giant bugs, Rich finally gets to the Hub.

The sentient computer, which contains all knowledge, history, culture of the Xandarian race (Brainiac?) downloads directly into Richard. Good news: The Xandarian culture will be preserved beyond the extinction of the race. Bad news: Nova now has a computer voice in his head all the time. Good news: Richard also got all of the Nova Force, seeing as there are no other Novas to share it with, meaing he is sehr powerful. Bad news: That much power seems to have a deleterious effect on a person's mental state (Parallax?), as Ryder goes nuts, tearing apart several of the Annihilation Wave's ships before an explosion sends him plummeting back to the same chunk he started on.

So, this wasn't all exposition, and even so it does have the feel of an issue that wanted to get everything in place, so it could hit the ground running next issue, moreso than Silver Surfer #1 did. Hate the new costume though. 3.75 out of 5.

Wolverine: Origins #1 - I said I'd stop buying Wolverine, not books starring Wolverine. So James is on the loose and looking for answers. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't even find him, let alone stop him. And the President's Secretary of. . . really, I have no idea what her position is (is she supposed to be Condi Rice?), but apparently James wants to talk to her. And someone launched a cruise missile at the White House. And Shiva is inside. Oh boy, I haven't seen him since Wolverine #50! Has Shiva even been in any books since then?

I fail to see what is so special about that sword. Perhaps this is because I don't feel Steve Dillon's art is doing a good job of expressing the action. The fight scene was short, but he didn't really draw in a way that "suggested" the movement to me.

On the positive side, James went with the old brown costume. It works for him, much more so than the yellow one. It's more conducive to stealth (man, I'm really busting out the word-a-day aren't I? Don't know why) . Anyway, it doesn't seem that James managed to get any real answers, so I guess he's back where he started, only with another blast from a bygone age getting set to come after him. Seriously, if a robot made of Adamantium, with past experience fighting James can't beat him, this druggie loser is going to? Weak. 2.5 out of 5.

Robin #149 - Alright, breaking and entering! Into a police station? Uh Tim? You and the cops are supposed to be on the same side, right? I'm joking, Tim's got to get that evidence. And he does, but he gets spotted, and now he's trapped in the police station, with dozens of cops who want to arrest him. Thus, the mad dash begins. *Cue Keystone Kops*

It's nice to see a cop smart enough to tell the others not to just start firing when Robin runs through a room. As he noted, that's how crossfires get started, and crossfires aren't good for anyone, especially Tim, who lacks the superhuman reflexes. Watching Tim slip through with his variety of gadgets, and his little ruse to escape the shock troops of the G.C.P.D., highly enjoyable.

And we have a special guest pay a visit to Tim, and Tim oversteps his bounds a bit. Gotta remember who you're dealing with there, little bird. Trying to decide who's art I like better: Kerschel's (last issue) or Freddie Williams II (this issue). Kerschel's seemed a bit brighter, more suited for lighter-toned stories, which I wouldn't mind seeing in Robin, at least occasionally. But I'm more than satisfied with Williams. Leaps and bounds better than the previous year. Anyway, the issue ends with an ultimatum, but I want to go more in depth on my reactions in a later post. 4.55 out of 5.

New Avengers #18 - That cover is terrible. Seriously awful. As for the issue? Well, it burnt up the good will Bendis had earned with me last month. Mostly, the Avengers seem to be running around like the proverbial chickens with heads cut off.

Stark gets owned. Fuckin' owned. I saw that! Carol Danvers does seem to have reverted to her "Binary" days, and she still gets dropped like it's no big deal. This may be due to the fact their enemy, this "Michael", has grown very large since the previous issue, with no apparent explanation for it. James plays counselor with Carol. Uhm, ok. Meanwhile, Captain America and Luke Cage. . . stand around? Direct traffic? Lame. Spidey keeps making jokes about how he doesn't even have a license for a car, let alone a helicopter or Quinjet. We get it Pete, you don't need a vehicle, you've got web-shooters (and glider wings). Really, Johnny Storm is sorry about the Spider-Mobile, alright? You need to let. . . it. . . go. And what happened to your motorcycle? That was cool.

Oh yeah, the Sentry showed up. hoo-ray. And he takes the fight into space, and. . . he gets smoked. Congratulations, you could have at least stayed in the atmosphere and provided some nice dialogue like "Unbelieveably powerful you may be, ne'er will I yield!" Oh wait, that's something a cool character would say. Like Thor. Never mind. At least he got out of bed.

And by the end of the episode, the good guys have figured out what the people reading the book have known since #16: this fellow is lost mutant powers incarnate. Great, figure out how to disperse him, and mutants get their powers back. Then House of M is worthless, and can be forgotten, HOORAY! Total suck. 1.4 out of 5. Bendis is not building a strong case for me to stay with the book beyond this arc.

And why does he have to follow Warren Ellis' idea of Iron Man? Suck squared.

Things I Think About #30

So, I was reading kalinara's post about Dick Grayson and it got me thinking about overused storylines.

One of the things that seems to happen is that an event occurs in a character's life, that could be called defining. That's fine. The problem is when every writer afterwards feels compelled to do a story about the exact same thing with the character, beating us over the head with the importance of the event.

Dick Grayson having a falling out with Batman two decades ago, and still having issues about it, and being angst-ridden and depressed over it, and generally seeming like a codependent little child can get rather tiring to read I would imagine. The sad thing is, there are ways to give a nod to the history, without clubbing the reader with it, like we're a cute, helpless baby seal. For example:

Tony Stark has a long, and well-publicized problem with alcohol. It would be perfectly fine, within a story, to depict Mr. Stark at a dinner party, where everyone has a glass of wine or champagne, but Tony has only water. That would nicely reinforce established history. He might even politely refuse the wine list. It tells you what you need to know: Tony Stark don't imbibe the spirits.

On the other side, you have the disaster that has been the Hank Pym/Janet van Dyne relationship. Any time the two are in a book together, you can be sure there will be an entire issue devoted to Hank trying to get Jan to get back together with him, which inevitably leads to a rehash of Hank's myriad mental issues, and oh yeah, that time Hank smacked her around.

I'm not saying that should be swept under a rug, but at some point writers need to stop trying to push those characters together, because they always end it the same way. So maybe show Jan dating other men, and Hank taking it in stride, or Hank realizing that he really can't be with Jan, there's just too much history there. And then the character's move on. Maybe be friends later on down the road. Just a thought.

So, what storylines regarding a specific character would you like to see dropped/wrapped up/done away with entirely?

Things I Think About #29

In this post I asked you what characters that had returned from the dead should have stayed dead. Today, I'm reversing that, so, what characters that have died should come back to life?

It can be because the death was horribly out of character, or because it was just a way to move the plot along. Though I doubt many are clamoring for her return, Jade's death would seem to be an example of the latter. You could want the character to come back because they had so much potential that was wasted. Whatever your reason, just be sure to share with the rest of us.
Just to surprise you, I won't choose Stephanie Brown, though I would like her to come back. Her death made some sense, by which I mean that her overeagerness to prove herself doomed her, not in the sense that Leslie Thompkins let her die to teach Batman a lesson. Here's an idea Doc: When Batman comes to the hospital, tell him Spoiler's doing poorly. While he's standing over her, feeling grief, stab him in the groin with a scalpel, then tell him to leave so you can save the girl's life! It wouldn't have been anymore out of character.

Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, the character I'd bring back.

Peter and Mary Jane's baby. No dead infant, no abduction by agents of Norman Osborn. She's born, and she's with her parents right from the start. I've seen people complain that Peter was losing his everyman status at that point, being married to a supermodel/actress and all. So give him a responsibility normal people have. Make him balance his desire to use his abilities to help people, with a need to take care of his family.

I don't know. Maybe that would be horrible. But the whole scene where he runs to the hospital, after dealing with the startling reemergence of Norman Osborn, to find out the baby didn't survive, it just felt cheap. "Oh, we let Peter find out he is the original Peter Parker after all, so let's balance that by taking his kid away. The old Parker luck, you know." Except they'd already killed a guy who'd become like a brother to him (Ben Reilly), and reintroduced his greatest foe - no, not his old landlord Mrs. Muggins! - Norman Osborn to be a consistent hindrance to him, so I think any good fortune the revelation provided was already offset.

Hmm, maybe I should have asked for Ben Reilly. Except I think I was the only person who liked the Scarlet Spider outfit. It did seem efficient and functional though. And "swinging, bachelor, trying to find a place for himself" Ben Reilly was the closest they'd come to the original Spider-Man in quite some time. Which was the whole point of introducing him as I understand it. To remove all the excess baggage Peter had accrued over the years, by having a new Spidey. But we fans - including me - weren't having it. Still, they could have made him a sort of globe-trotting Spidey, wander the world. He could go to China and fight the Mandarin, or Collective Man, for example. OK, I'll stop now.

So, what character's triumphant return from the grave are you crying out for? Remember, if you clap your hands, and wish real hard, you might convince Joey Q or DiDio to resurrect them!

Things I Think About #28

Feeling kind of uninspired - or maybe just sleepy -today, so just some quick thoughts.

- Funny how things turn out sometimes. Yesterday I was debating whether to go to the Marvels and Legends and play some Heroclix, or stay at home and watch Casper on USA. What? I like Casper. Ended up playing, and ending up getting a Ralph Dibny Limited Edition as a prize. That was a close call.

- When you're laying in bed trying to sleep, and you hear a noise, do you ever see lights in front of your eyes? Used to happen all the time to me in the dorms. My roomie, who's a diabetic would get up to get some juice from his mini-fridge, and when he'd close the door, I'd see this flash in front of my eyes, which is odd, seeing as my eyes were closed. Always thought it was pretty cool. Had a professor suggest that my eyes were darting in the direction of the sound, and that movement caused the flash of light.

- Really looking forward to Robin this week.

- Also really looking forward to Annihilation:Nova #1 this week. Hopefully it'll be more than your standard "set everything up so something can happen next issue" first issue. In other words, more Super-Skrull, less Silver Surfer.

Things I Think About #27

I was, for some reason, reflecting on Batman yesterday, why he had become a jerk who trusted no one. He hadn't always been like this, what changed?

- Batman said he created his elimination strategies because of some "Agamemno(?)" situation, where the Leaguers bodies were stolen. He felt someone needed to be ready to stop the heroes if they went rogue.

- I assume the Brother Eye was an offshoot of that philosophy.

- It could be because he subconsciously remembered being mindwiped, and it twisted him against his friends.

But it seemed like the changed occurred sometime after Knightfall. Batman gave his mantle to Jean-Paul, and honestly, Jean wasn't quite ready for that. Or to put it another way, he wasn't ready to accept that title, and still play it the way Bruce had. Things didn't go well. Jean-Paul began to use tactics more suited for the Punisher, or at least Wolverine, which was a big no-no to Bruce Wayne.

So Bruce rushes himself back into the business, cutting himself off from his friends and partners to an extent in the process (I don't know that Nightwing or Robin knew Bruce went to Shiva for training). He tries to get Jean-Paul to stand down, but the future Azrael feels like he's better suited to protect Gotham, forcing Batman to square off with him.

Ultimately, Bruce Wayne regains the title of Batman, but I don't think he was ever really the same. He trusted Jean-Paul, when it may simply be that Jean-Paul needed more time to be ready. With more seasoning, he could have done things Bruce's way, but it was too soon. Robin wasn't able to keep Jean-Paul under control the way Batman asked, which wasn't really fair to ask of Tim either.

Still, you could argue that from Bruce's viewpoint, trusting people had turned out poorly for him. I just wonder if it had any effect on his gradually cutting himself off from others.