Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Things That Made Me Happy

... in my comic books this week.

  • Always good to see Wonder Woman versus a nuclear missile.
  • A visit from Cabal. Okay, that's actually something that happened in my comic book store, but that's close enough.
  • 57 cents.
  • Ah, so THAT's why Thom got a job as a gravedigger. Wasn't expecting that. But, as always, Brainy forced it to make sense.
  • Superman was fascinating this week, without a Superman at all. Robinson, doing what he does best, has made Metropolis and its characters come alive.
  • Whoa. Magical Siamese elephants.
  • The Riddler starts Gotham Sirens, I see... .
  • The nameless tombstone.
  • "Another room full of ice. I'm starting to sense a pattern." I always loved that little guy!
  • A dog in a dentist's office is one thing; but an owl...?
  • Orange versus Blue and Green. With Violet and Red and Yellow lurking in the wings. Oh, this is going to be one sweet and pretty war... .
  • "I followed it step-by-step with little success." Not only one of my favorite character's but one of comics' greatest comedians.
  • Eating the candles.
  • The power of Lex Luthor's hair.
  • T.O. Morrow might destroy you, but he doesn't want to see you cry.
  • Al makes Grant sing.
  • "Leviathan, is that you?" Yeah, I cried.
  • Okay, that return/reveal was definitely worth a two-page spread.
  • "Everyone like ice cream."
  • Tellus.
  • While Two-Face was poorly characterized in Gotham Underground, everyone else was just great, and I enjoy their interaction.
  • That's... not what I expected from the Time Trapper.
  • Ares' gift looks... unpleasant.
  • Zatara vs. Jimmy Olsen; advantage, Olsen.
  • Hal's attitude toward "stealth" as a "superpower".
  • And, of course, it's good to see Central City still looking as ridiculous as ever, just as it should...

15 comments:

Mr. Bretterson said...

"Leviathan, is that you?" Yeah, I cried.

Me too!

I'm in denial though. She was pretty much my favorite 90's character! I like to think she's just transforming again. I mean, red-headed telekinetics don't stay dead. They just don't...

Diamondrock said...

I take it Barry's caption box is referencing the skyline...

Scott said...

Cabal, as in Neil Gaiman's white Alsatian?

SallyP said...

There was just so MUCH to be happy about this week! And of course, everyone likes Ice Cream!

steve mitchell said...

"That's... not what I expected from the Time Trapper."

After four issues, I'm saying "That's not what I expected from Legion of Three Worlds." Geoff Johns has ridden his hobby horse into the Legion clubhouse and has utterly trashed the place.

My expectations were high when this series was announced: all three Legions together, George Perez art. . .well, I just knew it was going to be the greatest Legion story ever told.

Instead, it features Prime as the main villain. Prime, one of the most boring villains ever (unless you think whiny mass-murderers are interesting). Prime, who has no logical connection to anything Legion.

And it brings Bart Allen back from the dead. Well, that's nice, but it just dilutes the focus on what should be a LEGION big event. If Bart had to come back, it should have been handled in a Titans special.

Ditto Connor Kent. Gee, another Titan comes back from the dead. . .oh yeah, guest-starring the Legion.

But the final, beyond belief, and insanely maddening reveal: Prime is the Time Trapper.

Not alternate-future Cosmic Boy. Not anyone else integrally connnected to the Legion.

Instead, the Trapper is Prime. Prime, who never even met the Legion before this series. (And as if he's smart enough to be the Time Trapper anyway.)

What a major disappointment this has turned out to be.

Jacob T. Levy said...

The way I see it, the identity of the Time Trapper is something that's singularly subject to change as the timestream adjusts. Seeing a new face under that hood is like seeing dinosaurs in Gotham-- a sign that screwy things are afoot, not a meaningful change in the status quo.

At the end of the story Prime will be defeated, his rise to Trapperdom prevented... bu tthere will still be a Time-Trapper. Right now he's just Dr. Doom wearing the Beyonder's power like a suit.

SallyP said...

I had the opposite reaction to the Legion of 3 Worlds story...possibly because I usually can't STAND those snotty teenagers. I'm glad that Bart and Conner are back, and I've been enjoying the heck out of it.

Scipio said...

That's a very interesting concept, Jacob; I like it.

The Time Trapper is simply ... a necessary concept in the DCU, then. Who he may or may not be at any point becomes unessential to the character.

That helps me deal with this second unsatisfying TT reveal. I've never thought the Time Trapper was or might be anyone other than... the Time Trapper.

Martin Gray said...

I'm with Steve - this mini has been a huge disappointment (thoughts at terrible length on my blog, click on my name blah blah). Prime, Bart, Kon-El, Sodding Yat . . . isn't this meant to showcase 31st century characters?

Anonymous said...

I'm calling it: the next Time Trapper is Wonder Tot.

Or possibly Vibe.

Jacob T. Levy said...

Y'know, I was thinking about what a dumb-ass Prime is, and it occurred to me (this is *probably* one step too metatextual for them to explain in-story; on the other hand "Superboy-punch" *is* part of Jason Todd's canonical life story now)...

Before Prime started punching walls, Kon-El was the tactile telekenetic Kid, clone of Paul Westfield and with no Kryptonian DNA. A cool, fun super-hero, but no match for a Kryptonian in a fight.

After Prime started venting his frustration, Kon-El was the half-Kryptonian unholy clone offspring of Superman and Lex Luthor. That allowed Superboy to grow into a *much* greater power level... great enough to eventually cause Prime all kinds of grief.

The dumb-ass brought about his own downfall.

TotalToyz said...

I've never thought the Time Trapper was or might be anyone other than... the Time Trapper.

I rather think the Time Trapper is the future self of the Lord of Time; who himself is the future self of Per Degaton. (Am I an Englehartian, or what?)

ScottM said...

Sorry, but there are so many nostalgic high points in Legion of Three Worlds that still make it a worthwhile pickup. What I was hoping for though was the "pocket" Superboy to be Time Trapper, which makes Time Trapper responsible for his own creation. (Although I always liked the Cosmic Boy angle to.)

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