Honestly, virtually everything has been making me happy in my comics lately. I mean how many weeks do you get to see the Supercar ... twice? How often does a fellow blogger make a contribution to Green Arrow's Rogue's Gallery like the Hideous Closet Pastry?
Best moment of the week? Lots to choose from, but one hands-down winner:
Skeets and Speedy fighting Dr. Polaris with a yo-yo.
I mean, unless the Phantom Stranger shows up with Vibe in tow, there's really no way anything gets better than that. Although later in the story, Speedy does manage to stop Dr. Polaris from hurling the earth into the sun, armed with nothing more than a stonehead arrow from Hawkgirl's bedroom and Booster's familiarity with the Battle of Agincourt. That's a close second to the yo-yo thing.
The story give us not only a Booster Gold who is a scholar/athlete but also a nice spin on Polaris's portrayal, an ingenius twist of his traditional dual personality. DC doesn't really need an "Ultimates" line, folks, just more of you buying its "animated" titles.
This month's Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters continues its patented brand of lunacy and I love every panel of it, like this one where Uncle Sam defeats his enemies armed with nothing more than the truth, the power of the media, and size 412 shoes.
This image makes me feel so ... warm.Hot, really. God, I love my country.
Elsewhen, Palmiotti & Gray freshen up Jonah Hex with the introduction of a new character: Tallulah Black, the Woman Wronged. We like her. If Jonah's new spunky "sidekick" isn't enough, the story's also a bouquet of little moments like Xtreme FGM, dynamitic decapitation, little girls breaking men's necks, and shoe-shopping with Jonah Hex. Really, I don't why Western comics aren't more popular.
52 gave us the wonderful and long-brewing donnybrook between Lex Luthor and John Irons, representatives of the Worst and Best of humanity. We also get giant crabs (um ... in the story, I mean), Osiris's interesting quest, and a lovely reminder (so rare in comics) that you really can die from falling two or three stories, leaving you just as dead as if you'd been incinerated by a megarod.
I really like the new Sargon the Sorceror, even if he is rather a Starbellied Sneech. Using his haircut to evoke the original's turban is a darned clever design touch. And he has a nice sense of humor when it comes to killing people ironically. I mean, the Spectre's the master at it, but you just know he never really gets the joke. DC: I want to see Sargon again, please. If possible, on a shopping trip with the new Black Condor and the Phantom Stranger.
Do NOT miss the Annual of Action Comics. Not only it is full of little vignettes and stories that fill holes in the Superman storyline but also the kind of fun stuff that's been missing from comics too long, such as overviews of the Fortress of Solitude, Kryptonite colors, and Superman's rogues galleries. This comic is everything an Annual should be. Thank you, DC.
Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil is wonderful; do yourself a favor and buy it (which I only did because Devon made me). I understand now why Jeff Smith is so acclaimed. Somehow, it is both as terrifyingly creepy as Captain Marvel can be and as winningly innocent as Captain Marvel should be. Finally, a book I can read along with children; I simply must go and rent some!
Finally, a book I can read along with children; I simply must go and rent some!
ReplyDeleteI have a ten-month-old I may be looking to sell, if she doesn't start sleeping through the night PDQ.
I must say, I too was rather taken aback by that last line. It almost seems extraordinarily sleazy.
ReplyDeleteWell,I assume you have to rent them, it's not as if you can just check them out at the library or something.
ReplyDeleteOr is it one of those "you can't take them home with you, sir" things, like bowling shoes?
I know, that Uncle Sam splash was SO wonderful and SO over the top!
ReplyDeleteMe wuv Amerwican Uncle Sam and his big white...monument.
DC really has been hitting them out of the park lately in terms of pure fun comics.
ReplyDeleteMonster Society is amazing, and I'm going to buy a few extra copies to give to all my little cousins, nieces, and nephews. It's the perfect book for anyone.
Yeah, I ended up spending twice as much as I usually do this week.
ReplyDeleteIn Nightwing, Dick goes back home and has a pleasant reunion with Bruce and Alfred, something he's needed for a long time. Oh, and Detective Comics had the team-up of the century! I'm really hoping this Riddler Rehabilitated thing lasts. It seemed like every comic I read was better than the last.
And yet the only Marvel comic I got was one I was picking up for someone else. Huh.
Damn them. I *really* wanted to the throw the Earth into the sun.
ReplyDeleteOr is it one of those "you can't take them home with you, sir" things, like bowling shoes?
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone want to take the bowling shoes home? Does anyone have outfits in their closet that go with red and blue striped shoes with a number on the back?
Uncle Sam does.
ReplyDeleteBut do they make bowling shoes in size 412?
You know, it occurs to me that the only two activities in my life for which I've had to rent the shoes have been bowling and getting married. I have yet to win a trophy for either.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was QUITE a nice week wasn't it?
ReplyDeletere: Action Comics annual 10 - was that a retcon in the segment with Zod/Ursa/Non, ie. prior to this issue had Zod tried to lead a coup so as to overthrow the council and evacuate Krypton? Was Non always considered a former scientist and friend of Jor-El?
ReplyDeleteVery useful material, much thanks for the article.
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