I didn't buy much today, just my weekly issue of Booster Gold and JSA #10. So here's me talking about JSA #10. Exciting, right?
Hey, lookit, it's an Alex Ross cover with more than one character on it! ZOMG! Next step: have them do something other than stand around please?
I don't usually comment on ads, but, and I don't know about your copy, but the one inside my front cover is for "Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane". Think up your own Snakes on a Plane joke; I'm too lazy to.
Anyway, I'd just like to say that I rather like Eaglesham's artses. I mean, look at Maxine on that first page there. She's adorable.
"I watched all of you die." Superman-22: Not exactly the World's Greatest Conversationalist.
Wrong Crisis, Jay. Superman-2 died in IC, not CoIE.
The thing about Starman is that you can never entirely tell if what he's saying has significance or not. Like, there was a bit in the 2nd issue where he's pretty clearly referring to when Maxine got kidnapped by T. O. Morrow, but sometimes I'm pretty sure it's just nonsense. All out of yellow, I'm thinking is nonsense. Or it could somehow reference the Sinestro Corps War. Although it seems by the solicits that there will still be a Sinestro Corps of some sort post-war, so maybe not. Hrm.
I skipped the Lightning Saga. Who was supposed to be going back instead of Starman? Or is that the basis of the Karate Kid storyline in Countdown? 'Cuz I'm not paying attention to that, either.
It takes Alan an entire page to do the mental math for 52-30. Then again, I imagine that Starman speaks very rapidly, so I suppose it probably would take that long to parse what he was getting at there.
Y HELO THAR, Alex Ross interiors! I do recognize a good bunch of these characters from KC, yeah, though there are some I definitely don't. Not even I can memorize everything instantly. But I'd just like to say that Captain Atom's spine hurts me. D:
So, is this before or after the Sinestro Corps War? 'Cuz I kinda figured the Sinestro Corps War would clue everybody into the "new Multiverse" thing, since that's one of the reasons that the Corps was after Earth, mmyes? Hmmm.
If the GL in KC was Alan, then why did he end up representing "New Oa" at the UN at the end? Mystifying.
Am I misremembering KC, or didn't Magog kill Joker in court?
I rather like the border of the 2nd panel and how it leads into KC Supes's ear in the 4th. S'nifty.
What we don't see: The rest of the JSA going "O SHI-" after ol' Ted points out that the Brownstone is not exactly sound-proof.
Yes, that's right, the JSA is solely responsible for the lack of Kingdom Come-itude going on. Nothing else could influence it. Nothing.
A hole blown through his torso like has been happening to the New Gods? Oh, don't tell me that that's getting mixed up in here. I like living in my world of denial where nothing bad is happening to them. :/
One wonders what's up with Dr. Mid-Nite 'n' that "GO".
So, am I interpreting this right, and this Supes got dragged out of KC right after the bomb was dropped?
OK, Ma Hunkel had the shirt, but where did the rest of the costume come from?
Dogpile on the Kryptonian! And they knocked Jay's hat off! For shame.
Hunh, KC Supes doesn't have a cape, does he?
Don'tcha think Supes could've at least tried to mention that he was going to stop a suicide?
Cosmic Treadmill = Auto lawls.
"I've never been comfortable with time travel." I so very much want to blame Booster for this. I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks.
Again, I hope this isn't tying into Death of the New Gods.
And Superman meets Superman should be interesting. Lookin' forward to it. If only it weren't so far away. :(
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Well, I Spent Altogether Too Much Time on This....
So, I didn't really feel like talking about anything today-technically-yesterday, so I decided to phone in a doodle, again, but, being me, I took forever actually drawing the silly little things. Aheh. But, hey, at least now I have wee drawings of the Conglomerate line-up.
(For reference's sake, that's Booster Gold, Gypsy, Praxis, Echo, Vapor, Maxi Man, and Reverb.)
You can tell where the part of my brain that's actually good at this gave up right around Vapor. But I'm actually rather pleased with the first 4. Eh.
(For reference's sake, that's Booster Gold, Gypsy, Praxis, Echo, Vapor, Maxi Man, and Reverb.)
You can tell where the part of my brain that's actually good at this gave up right around Vapor. But I'm actually rather pleased with the first 4. Eh.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
I Promise to Get Off Your Lawn Posthaste, Sir, but Could I Please Have Your Autograph First?
Got my new debit card yesterday, so I went comics shopping today. Bought my weekly issue of Booster Gold, Flash #233, and that Green Lantern shirt I told myself I wouldn't buy last week. (I realized that I owned black pants and could therefore use it as an excellent basis for a Halloween "costume." I also live in southern California. So if I die of heatstroke, it was totally my fault.) I also Byrne-stole the Superboyman Special. ...Mostly to see if Booster did anything particularly noteworthy in the background. (He caught Miss Martian, for the record. Totally important.) Additionally, my copy of JLQ #1 arrived in the mail today, so it's a pretty good comics day for me. :3 Expect a rant about JLQ #1 at some point, because that's pretty much everything great about Booster concentrated. But I'mma talk about Flash right now. Or, more accurately, a tangent off of Flash.
There was a back-up by John Rogers (writer of Blue Beetle), you see, which is, incidentally, why I bought the issue. It featured Jay Garrick. Which is where I go off on my tangent.
So, I'm a big fan of the Badass Old Dude type. Honestly, I'm probably reading JSA more for Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Ted Grant than I am for any of the younger characters. I harbor a great deal of <3 for Peacemaker over in Blue Beetle. There's something really charming about that, y'know? These guys could retire. I mean, they're old; it's not like anybody would really hold it against them, right? They've fought the good fight since WWII or thereabouts, you can't say that they haven't done enough. But they keep fighting anyway, because they're just that great.
Like the Flash back-up with Jay. Technically, of course, Jay is still rather young at this point. Still courting his lady love, even, but you can still see a lot of the foundation that makes him a Badass Old Dude. The guy's just been teleported from his lady love's front porch, mid-conversation, by an alien dogosaurus, and while he's trying to get an explanation, these crazy aliens break in screaming about murder and rape and the like, and what is Jay's response? "I know bad guys when I see them." And even "Where I come from, you knock before barging in!" It's kinda hokey and cheesy, but that's kind of the point. Even Gorflack (the aforementioned alien dogosaurus) narrates that "Yes, he really said that." Jay is old-fashioned. That's his charm. He's all about the "yes, sir" and "no, ma'am" and church on Sunday and Ma's apple pie, straight from the oven. In JSA #1, Wildcat says that "polite" describes Jay in one word, and this is very much the case.
Jay so very much encapsulates what it is to really be a hero that he manages to inspire an entire planet, whose society was on the very brink of destruction, to fight back and repel their invaders. Freedom, justice, and family. That's the JSA, right there. It's just plain pure heroism. I love it.
And, y'know, Jay's the heart of it. That's what makes this story specifically a Jay story. It's all about the heart. Of the JSA's Big Three, Alan's the brains, Ted's the brawn, and Jay's the heart. So, when these guys finally retire or die or whatever it is DC decides to do with them when having folks who fought in WWII still be active just isn't feasible anymore, I really do hope that the three of them get to go together. I'm not sure it'd feel right to have it any other way.
There was a back-up by John Rogers (writer of Blue Beetle), you see, which is, incidentally, why I bought the issue. It featured Jay Garrick. Which is where I go off on my tangent.
So, I'm a big fan of the Badass Old Dude type. Honestly, I'm probably reading JSA more for Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Ted Grant than I am for any of the younger characters. I harbor a great deal of <3 for Peacemaker over in Blue Beetle. There's something really charming about that, y'know? These guys could retire. I mean, they're old; it's not like anybody would really hold it against them, right? They've fought the good fight since WWII or thereabouts, you can't say that they haven't done enough. But they keep fighting anyway, because they're just that great.
Like the Flash back-up with Jay. Technically, of course, Jay is still rather young at this point. Still courting his lady love, even, but you can still see a lot of the foundation that makes him a Badass Old Dude. The guy's just been teleported from his lady love's front porch, mid-conversation, by an alien dogosaurus, and while he's trying to get an explanation, these crazy aliens break in screaming about murder and rape and the like, and what is Jay's response? "I know bad guys when I see them." And even "Where I come from, you knock before barging in!" It's kinda hokey and cheesy, but that's kind of the point. Even Gorflack (the aforementioned alien dogosaurus) narrates that "Yes, he really said that." Jay is old-fashioned. That's his charm. He's all about the "yes, sir" and "no, ma'am" and church on Sunday and Ma's apple pie, straight from the oven. In JSA #1, Wildcat says that "polite" describes Jay in one word, and this is very much the case.
Jay so very much encapsulates what it is to really be a hero that he manages to inspire an entire planet, whose society was on the very brink of destruction, to fight back and repel their invaders. Freedom, justice, and family. That's the JSA, right there. It's just plain pure heroism. I love it.
And, y'know, Jay's the heart of it. That's what makes this story specifically a Jay story. It's all about the heart. Of the JSA's Big Three, Alan's the brains, Ted's the brawn, and Jay's the heart. So, when these guys finally retire or die or whatever it is DC decides to do with them when having folks who fought in WWII still be active just isn't feasible anymore, I really do hope that the three of them get to go together. I'm not sure it'd feel right to have it any other way.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Review: Teen Titans #52
So, Teen Titans #52. Get the 52 jokes out of your system now, because there are none in this book. Even though I swear that Booster Gold coming out of nowhere and then kidnapping Jaime would be a great way to end this arc. But I never claimed to be unbiased.
We open with Jaime staring that the JLers, complaining that he misses out on all the cool imprisonments. This is not a bad thing, Jaime!
I like how Jaime looks on the top panel of page two. And, lollers, Flash pun.
I do not, however, particularly like how Tim looks on the next page. Something about the hair, I think. Personally, I think Tim!Bats has some good points, but eh. I kinda don't really care for the idea that with most heroes it's either you never, ever, ever kill ever, or else you kill all the crackpots you can. Why can't we have more heroes like Diana, who killed because she didn't have any other choice, but isn't exactly kicking herself over it (or, at least, shouldn't be)? One of the many things I like about Booster, if you'll forgive this temporary tangent, is that, while he hasn't killed anybody yet, he has threatened it several times, and made it very clear he wouldn't have any qualms about it, but he isn't running around trying to kill everybody who crosses him. It's just one of many viable options. I like that. And it makes me anxious for Booster trying to save Ted, because of course Booster's going to aim to kill Max, and, well, Ted is very, very much one of those never, ever, ever kill ever type of heroes. That's practically drama in a can, folks!
I like evil!M'gann's skirt. The wrappy thing is cool. And that she's invulnerable to fire is extremely interesting. How does that work? Tell me more, McKeever! I'd like it if we could decide whether or not M'gann's shirt front is open or not.
I feel vaguely worried that that firefighter got M'gann and J'onn confused. They don't look that similar!
Interesting how future!Tim and M'gann seem to be at least kind of sort of trying to help their past selves. With Bat!Tim's "think about it" thing and White!M'gann's talk about potential and warrior heritage and stuff.
And then Red Devil's just kind of a douche. And seems to have quite the particular hate-on for Rose. Hrm.
The "no problem with hitting a girl" and "neither do I" make me smile. :D I do so like it when Kara is written as smarmy instead of elitist/whiny/what-have-you. Smarmy's likable in a character, elitist/whiny/what-have-you is not.
Cassie is another future Titan that's being helpful/supportive/whatever to their past counterpart.
Also, Cassie needs to get a tougher shirt, it seems.
Bat!Tim, loving somebody who's in love with somebody else is hardly a new kind of torture. It's pretty much one of the oldest ones in the book, really. There have been so many country songs written about it, you'd think it was the only subject the genre had sometimes.
The absence of Cassie on the page of the Titans getting their collective rears handed to them is a telling one.
I think Booster's new series has forever ruined the phrase "The greatest ____ the world will ever know", even if the actual tagline of the series was "The greatest hero the world will never know!" (And they've swapped it out now for "The greatest hero you've never heard of!")
Scarab Speak Translation: "Trap him."
Note that as soon as Jaime listens to the Scarab, he takes Bart out like a little punk. This is why I figure that Jaime's going to be on more of a reserve status once this arc is over than a regular member of the team. He's just vastly overpowered, really, and it's only his own inexperience that is keeping him from being able to take all comers. (Not that being vastly overpowered is really a bad thing, of course, I mean, this is superhero comics, y'know, every third character is vastly overpowered. It's just that Jaime's vastly overpowered compared to the rest of the Titans, so I wouldn't say he's really conducive to a team book, usually.)
I'd like to know how Rose managed such a perfect, exact cut with a blow that shattered her sword. Where's the sense in that?
I do kind of like that Eddie has to double-check his impression of the rules of time travel with Rose. Vaguely amusing.
J'onn leaves as soon as being freed. How sad. :(
I question the accuracy of Jaime's mouthiness at Supes here. He was raised better than that! And I'm not sure why Diana's so irritable about it, either. But, awww, wookit Wally being woobieful about Bart.
I understand that they needed to get the JLA out of here, but I do wonder if they're going to explain exactly why the JLA had to rush out. (Also, don't they have a Hall instead of a Watchtower these days? Whoopsie!)
Jaime's flailing amuses me in its Jaimeness. :D And then Kid Devil calls him "bug butt." I really am getting a buddy feeling off these two. But Red Devil's "kill you twice" and the January solicits make me think that McKeever's aiming in the opposite direction. Crying shame!
Also, Red Devil must've gotten a helluva power boost from Neron's collection of his soul, considering Jaime's previously mentioned vastly overpoweredness.
Check out that smile on Bat!Tim's face as he leaves. That is freaking scary.
Interesting how the future Titans memories change as their past changes, but that they're aware that they've acquired new memories. Possibly this mostly interests me because it's pretty much the only theory of time travel that hasn't been applied to Booster Gold.
That last page is quite the oh, snap!, is it not? What sticks out the most to me, for no particular reason, is that we've got a Hawk with no Dove, which is never a good thing. (Do we ever end up with a Dove with no Hawk? Because that wouldn't be a good thing, either.)
I don't recognize all of these Titans, but I do recognize a good chunk of them, and I'm vaguely proud of that. I'm mostly confused about the rocky guy, the green chick, and the chick with the fire visible in between Luthor's legs.
We open with Jaime staring that the JLers, complaining that he misses out on all the cool imprisonments. This is not a bad thing, Jaime!
I like how Jaime looks on the top panel of page two. And, lollers, Flash pun.
I do not, however, particularly like how Tim looks on the next page. Something about the hair, I think. Personally, I think Tim!Bats has some good points, but eh. I kinda don't really care for the idea that with most heroes it's either you never, ever, ever kill ever, or else you kill all the crackpots you can. Why can't we have more heroes like Diana, who killed because she didn't have any other choice, but isn't exactly kicking herself over it (or, at least, shouldn't be)? One of the many things I like about Booster, if you'll forgive this temporary tangent, is that, while he hasn't killed anybody yet, he has threatened it several times, and made it very clear he wouldn't have any qualms about it, but he isn't running around trying to kill everybody who crosses him. It's just one of many viable options. I like that. And it makes me anxious for Booster trying to save Ted, because of course Booster's going to aim to kill Max, and, well, Ted is very, very much one of those never, ever, ever kill ever type of heroes. That's practically drama in a can, folks!
I like evil!M'gann's skirt. The wrappy thing is cool. And that she's invulnerable to fire is extremely interesting. How does that work? Tell me more, McKeever! I'd like it if we could decide whether or not M'gann's shirt front is open or not.
I feel vaguely worried that that firefighter got M'gann and J'onn confused. They don't look that similar!
Interesting how future!Tim and M'gann seem to be at least kind of sort of trying to help their past selves. With Bat!Tim's "think about it" thing and White!M'gann's talk about potential and warrior heritage and stuff.
And then Red Devil's just kind of a douche. And seems to have quite the particular hate-on for Rose. Hrm.
The "no problem with hitting a girl" and "neither do I" make me smile. :D I do so like it when Kara is written as smarmy instead of elitist/whiny/what-have-you. Smarmy's likable in a character, elitist/whiny/what-have-you is not.
Cassie is another future Titan that's being helpful/supportive/whatever to their past counterpart.
Also, Cassie needs to get a tougher shirt, it seems.
Bat!Tim, loving somebody who's in love with somebody else is hardly a new kind of torture. It's pretty much one of the oldest ones in the book, really. There have been so many country songs written about it, you'd think it was the only subject the genre had sometimes.
The absence of Cassie on the page of the Titans getting their collective rears handed to them is a telling one.
I think Booster's new series has forever ruined the phrase "The greatest ____ the world will ever know", even if the actual tagline of the series was "The greatest hero the world will never know!" (And they've swapped it out now for "The greatest hero you've never heard of!")
Scarab Speak Translation: "Trap him."
Note that as soon as Jaime listens to the Scarab, he takes Bart out like a little punk. This is why I figure that Jaime's going to be on more of a reserve status once this arc is over than a regular member of the team. He's just vastly overpowered, really, and it's only his own inexperience that is keeping him from being able to take all comers. (Not that being vastly overpowered is really a bad thing, of course, I mean, this is superhero comics, y'know, every third character is vastly overpowered. It's just that Jaime's vastly overpowered compared to the rest of the Titans, so I wouldn't say he's really conducive to a team book, usually.)
I'd like to know how Rose managed such a perfect, exact cut with a blow that shattered her sword. Where's the sense in that?
I do kind of like that Eddie has to double-check his impression of the rules of time travel with Rose. Vaguely amusing.
J'onn leaves as soon as being freed. How sad. :(
I question the accuracy of Jaime's mouthiness at Supes here. He was raised better than that! And I'm not sure why Diana's so irritable about it, either. But, awww, wookit Wally being woobieful about Bart.
I understand that they needed to get the JLA out of here, but I do wonder if they're going to explain exactly why the JLA had to rush out. (Also, don't they have a Hall instead of a Watchtower these days? Whoopsie!)
Jaime's flailing amuses me in its Jaimeness. :D And then Kid Devil calls him "bug butt." I really am getting a buddy feeling off these two. But Red Devil's "kill you twice" and the January solicits make me think that McKeever's aiming in the opposite direction. Crying shame!
Also, Red Devil must've gotten a helluva power boost from Neron's collection of his soul, considering Jaime's previously mentioned vastly overpoweredness.
Check out that smile on Bat!Tim's face as he leaves. That is freaking scary.
Interesting how the future Titans memories change as their past changes, but that they're aware that they've acquired new memories. Possibly this mostly interests me because it's pretty much the only theory of time travel that hasn't been applied to Booster Gold.
That last page is quite the oh, snap!, is it not? What sticks out the most to me, for no particular reason, is that we've got a Hawk with no Dove, which is never a good thing. (Do we ever end up with a Dove with no Hawk? Because that wouldn't be a good thing, either.)
I don't recognize all of these Titans, but I do recognize a good chunk of them, and I'm vaguely proud of that. I'm mostly confused about the rocky guy, the green chick, and the chick with the fire visible in between Luthor's legs.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Late Review: Blue Beetle #20
Apologies for the lack of blogging yesterday and Tuesday, but I kind of got mugged on Monday night, so blogging about comics has not exactly been at the forefront of my mind. :)
What I bought (technically, what my sister bought for me, on account of my getting mugged):
Blue Beetle #20
Teen Titans #52
So now it's time for a play-by-play summary of my thoughts on Blue Beetle #20. I'll do TT #52 tomorrow. Here be Spoilers, folks.
For starters, the cover. Me being me, I chuckled at the pun. And, of course, Sinestro does not appear in person in the entire issue. Which kind of makes sense, honestly, since this is peripheral to the War at best. And the solicit kind of made it sound like Jaime or his Scarab would be getting the yellow ring, but apparently this is also not the case.
So we open up with a splash featuring a fight over Mt. Rushmore that really makes me wish I wasn't tradewaiting this war, with a box of narration from our buddy Peacemaker. I went through the first two trades again last night (I was trying to see if any mention had been made of Brenda's last name or Paco's family period, but apparently not, interestingly enough.), and the box does, in fact, match up perfectly to the last time Peacemaker provided some narration. (His explanation of how he got the Scarab's programming in his head during WWIII, for the record.)
The Reach are from Sector 2. Not being a Green Lantern reader myself (umm, yet?), this doesn't really mean anything to me. Is there anything special of note in Sector 2, or is it just a random number?
Scarab Speak Translation: "Did you feel that?"
Scarab Speak Translation: "Christopher Smith". Am I reading this right and Peacemaker's Scarab has the same name as him? Interesting.
So, the Reach are a bunch of slimy jackasses, Y/Y? Gotta love the random terrified dude in the background of the top panel of page 5. A 99% chance of destruction of the GL Corps, you say? Mr. Reach "Negotiator" (does this guy have a name of his own? Usually I'd check my floppies instead of asking, but circumstances beyond my control make it a bit difficult to access said floppies at the moment.), I think you are either drastically overestimating Sinestro and his guys or drastically underestimating the GLs. Or both.
"Kid Devil and his sidekicks, the Teen Titans" amuses me, perhaps, a bit more than it should. In between this and the interaction between Jaime and Kid Devil over in TT #52, I gotta say that I'm feeling something good happening there, though I've kind of got no reason for said feeling, and the "interaction" between Jaime and Red Devil in TT gives off the opposite feeling. Sad.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Uh-oh." As Jaime helpfully translates, as well.
The way the Army guy speaks to Jaime makes me wonder whether or not the public at large has any idea that the guy in the bug suit is just a teenage kid. That said, it's nice to see an authority figure of some fashion being helpful to their local hero.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Reach-Tech."
The Infiltrator is very spiky. *Nods like this is insightful input*
Scarab Speak Translation: "Identity True" and "Sinestro Corps"
Can't fault Nadia for not having any strategic input of worth, really.
Dawur calls Jaime "the false Beetle" which suggests to me that if Jaime's Scarab was working like it should, then the Blue Beetle name would still be used. Not entirely sure if that's really significant in any way, but I find it interesting.
Earth and Earth alone seems kind of like a low goal to aim for, in perspective, (and not a wish that seems likely to be granted, given the hate-on certain members of the Sinestro Corps seem to have for the ol' Blue Planet,) but I wouldn't put planning for future back-stabbery past the Reach.
The "Peace" bit is, of course, important on account of the whole Peacemaker being in there thing. You don't need me to tell you that, I hope.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Order! Fear!"
It gives me a fun sort of glee to see that Guy gets so much respect in the Corps these days that Brik actually tells Jaime that he's not even worthy enough to say his name. Alright, Guy! \o/
Tangentially, I rather like it that Brik is entirely covered, save some of her face. Always nice to see a female character (even if it is an alien) as such.Tangent: Bring back Goldstar!
I wonder if the Scarab actually did call Brik a bitch or if Jaime's just making that up for the sake of symmetry.
The Infiltrator is certainly a good sort for the Sinestro Corps, considering that, from my impression of Sinestro (again, not a Green Lantern reader yet), that's pretty much his way of thought right there in that one panel of dialogue.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Peace."
Shouldn't we be aiming for Deduction instead of Induction here, Jaime? Or am I confusing my terms here?
Scarab Speak Translation: "Messy."
"Blue Beetle! Surrender and I will kill you somewhat less slowly!" makes me chuckle lots. :D Great incentive there, Infiltrator!
Scarab Speak Translation: "Messy" again.
Page 17, last panel: *Cue wibble wibble wibble sound effect*
Scarab Speak Translation: "Scarab Speak." x2 I figure this is a mistake on what I suppose is the Letterer's side. Which is a crying shame.
Jaime is right: Peacemaker needs therapy (then again, what character in comics doesn't, am I right?), as the next page or so handily demonstrates as well.
"There's no frikkin' spoon or whatever!!" Hee! :D
The Scarab as Faceless!Beetle is interesting.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Scarab Speak." again.
Nice to see the Scarab demonstrating free will of its own. Eat that, the Reach! :D
Interesting how Peacemaker's corporeal body shows the same damage his mental one did. I'd figured it was just symbolic or whatever. Guess not!
Peacemaker cutting the Infiltrator Scarab out of his own spine: Bad. Ass. Also, probably physically impossible. But awesome!
This is just woobieful, y'know. The whole "I was the monster I was afraid you would be" just kind of gets me, y'know? Maybe it's part of the going through the first two trades again last night that makes even more heavy-hitting, but ouch. It hurts 'cuz it's true, y'know?
There seems to be some debate over whether or not Peacemaker's a goner now. The Reach did, after all, say that they couldn't remove the Scarab from Jaime without killing him, and Peacemaker was not exactly delicate about carving the thing out of him (so badass!), but Peacemaker is considerably more hardcore than li'l Jaime. Then again, that is a lot of blood he's lying in in that last panel there. Personally, I'd figured he's good as dead, but I guess he could survive, if Rogers wanted him to. If he is dead, I gotta say, this is a helluva way to go. He'll be missed, of course, but that's the point. There is no shame or anger in a death like that.
In short, good show, Rogers! Though that is pretty standard fare for this book, granted.
What I bought (technically, what my sister bought for me, on account of my getting mugged):
Blue Beetle #20
Teen Titans #52
So now it's time for a play-by-play summary of my thoughts on Blue Beetle #20. I'll do TT #52 tomorrow. Here be Spoilers, folks.
For starters, the cover. Me being me, I chuckled at the pun. And, of course, Sinestro does not appear in person in the entire issue. Which kind of makes sense, honestly, since this is peripheral to the War at best. And the solicit kind of made it sound like Jaime or his Scarab would be getting the yellow ring, but apparently this is also not the case.
So we open up with a splash featuring a fight over Mt. Rushmore that really makes me wish I wasn't tradewaiting this war, with a box of narration from our buddy Peacemaker. I went through the first two trades again last night (I was trying to see if any mention had been made of Brenda's last name or Paco's family period, but apparently not, interestingly enough.), and the box does, in fact, match up perfectly to the last time Peacemaker provided some narration. (His explanation of how he got the Scarab's programming in his head during WWIII, for the record.)
The Reach are from Sector 2. Not being a Green Lantern reader myself (umm, yet?), this doesn't really mean anything to me. Is there anything special of note in Sector 2, or is it just a random number?
Scarab Speak Translation: "Did you feel that?"
Scarab Speak Translation: "Christopher Smith". Am I reading this right and Peacemaker's Scarab has the same name as him? Interesting.
So, the Reach are a bunch of slimy jackasses, Y/Y? Gotta love the random terrified dude in the background of the top panel of page 5. A 99% chance of destruction of the GL Corps, you say? Mr. Reach "Negotiator" (does this guy have a name of his own? Usually I'd check my floppies instead of asking, but circumstances beyond my control make it a bit difficult to access said floppies at the moment.), I think you are either drastically overestimating Sinestro and his guys or drastically underestimating the GLs. Or both.
"Kid Devil and his sidekicks, the Teen Titans" amuses me, perhaps, a bit more than it should. In between this and the interaction between Jaime and Kid Devil over in TT #52, I gotta say that I'm feeling something good happening there, though I've kind of got no reason for said feeling, and the "interaction" between Jaime and Red Devil in TT gives off the opposite feeling. Sad.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Uh-oh." As Jaime helpfully translates, as well.
The way the Army guy speaks to Jaime makes me wonder whether or not the public at large has any idea that the guy in the bug suit is just a teenage kid. That said, it's nice to see an authority figure of some fashion being helpful to their local hero.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Reach-Tech."
The Infiltrator is very spiky. *Nods like this is insightful input*
Scarab Speak Translation: "Identity True" and "Sinestro Corps"
Can't fault Nadia for not having any strategic input of worth, really.
Dawur calls Jaime "the false Beetle" which suggests to me that if Jaime's Scarab was working like it should, then the Blue Beetle name would still be used. Not entirely sure if that's really significant in any way, but I find it interesting.
Earth and Earth alone seems kind of like a low goal to aim for, in perspective, (and not a wish that seems likely to be granted, given the hate-on certain members of the Sinestro Corps seem to have for the ol' Blue Planet,) but I wouldn't put planning for future back-stabbery past the Reach.
The "Peace" bit is, of course, important on account of the whole Peacemaker being in there thing. You don't need me to tell you that, I hope.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Order! Fear!"
It gives me a fun sort of glee to see that Guy gets so much respect in the Corps these days that Brik actually tells Jaime that he's not even worthy enough to say his name. Alright, Guy! \o/
Tangentially, I rather like it that Brik is entirely covered, save some of her face. Always nice to see a female character (even if it is an alien) as such.
I wonder if the Scarab actually did call Brik a bitch or if Jaime's just making that up for the sake of symmetry.
The Infiltrator is certainly a good sort for the Sinestro Corps, considering that, from my impression of Sinestro (again, not a Green Lantern reader yet), that's pretty much his way of thought right there in that one panel of dialogue.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Peace."
Shouldn't we be aiming for Deduction instead of Induction here, Jaime? Or am I confusing my terms here?
Scarab Speak Translation: "Messy."
"Blue Beetle! Surrender and I will kill you somewhat less slowly!" makes me chuckle lots. :D Great incentive there, Infiltrator!
Scarab Speak Translation: "Messy" again.
Page 17, last panel: *Cue wibble wibble wibble sound effect*
Scarab Speak Translation: "Scarab Speak." x2 I figure this is a mistake on what I suppose is the Letterer's side. Which is a crying shame.
Jaime is right: Peacemaker needs therapy (then again, what character in comics doesn't, am I right?), as the next page or so handily demonstrates as well.
"There's no frikkin' spoon or whatever!!" Hee! :D
The Scarab as Faceless!Beetle is interesting.
Scarab Speak Translation: "Scarab Speak." again.
Nice to see the Scarab demonstrating free will of its own. Eat that, the Reach! :D
Interesting how Peacemaker's corporeal body shows the same damage his mental one did. I'd figured it was just symbolic or whatever. Guess not!
Peacemaker cutting the Infiltrator Scarab out of his own spine: Bad. Ass. Also, probably physically impossible. But awesome!
This is just woobieful, y'know. The whole "I was the monster I was afraid you would be" just kind of gets me, y'know? Maybe it's part of the going through the first two trades again last night that makes even more heavy-hitting, but ouch. It hurts 'cuz it's true, y'know?
There seems to be some debate over whether or not Peacemaker's a goner now. The Reach did, after all, say that they couldn't remove the Scarab from Jaime without killing him, and Peacemaker was not exactly delicate about carving the thing out of him (so badass!), but Peacemaker is considerably more hardcore than li'l Jaime. Then again, that is a lot of blood he's lying in in that last panel there. Personally, I'd figured he's good as dead, but I guess he could survive, if Rogers wanted him to. If he is dead, I gotta say, this is a helluva way to go. He'll be missed, of course, but that's the point. There is no shame or anger in a death like that.
In short, good show, Rogers! Though that is pretty standard fare for this book, granted.
Monday, October 22, 2007
To Continue Some of My Previous Train of Thought, But in a Completely Different Direction...
WARNING: Looking at anything on the TV Tropes Wiki runs the high risk of something like this happening, but somehow worse. Here's hoping you roll a natural 20 on your Will Save.
It amused me greatly to find J2 mentioned in the examples of this trope. And they are, of course completely right. In fact, somewhere around the middle of the run, there was a letter that basically went something like "Wait, how does this even work?" and the reply was basically, "We have no idea! :D Anybody got some good suggestions?"
Y'know when the last time I got such amusement from a letters page was?
This.
Unfortunately, only about two suggestions regarding J2's power source made it to future letter pages, and neither of them were anywhere near as gloriously cracky as Booster Gold: Descendant of Braniac. Which is a crying shame. But I do suppose that's setting the bar a bit high.
But it's stuff like that that makes me miss letter pages. I mean, sure, we have message boards all over the place now 'n' all, but message boards don't get preserved for posterity in the pages of the comic themselves. I get to cherish forever the many, many theories people had about Booster's origin (remember, his origin was never told until the sixth issue of his series, giving the readers ample time to come up with workable ideas that were completely wrong. I <3 all of the misleading clues that Jurgens dropped. That that, Identity Crisis!), despite the fact that I wasn't even born until years after the series ended, but the many, many theories that people had about Supernova will be lost to the ravages of the Internet in time.
Which Supernova am I referring to there? Wouldn't you like to know? (OK, yeah, both. Hush.)
To bring this entry full circle, Booster appears as an example in a number of tropes, including one named after his JLU episode.
And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to waste the entire rest of my day trawling TV Tropes.
It amused me greatly to find J2 mentioned in the examples of this trope. And they are, of course completely right. In fact, somewhere around the middle of the run, there was a letter that basically went something like "Wait, how does this even work?" and the reply was basically, "We have no idea! :D Anybody got some good suggestions?"
Y'know when the last time I got such amusement from a letters page was?
This.
Unfortunately, only about two suggestions regarding J2's power source made it to future letter pages, and neither of them were anywhere near as gloriously cracky as Booster Gold: Descendant of Braniac. Which is a crying shame. But I do suppose that's setting the bar a bit high.
But it's stuff like that that makes me miss letter pages. I mean, sure, we have message boards all over the place now 'n' all, but message boards don't get preserved for posterity in the pages of the comic themselves. I get to cherish forever the many, many theories people had about Booster's origin (remember, his origin was never told until the sixth issue of his series, giving the readers ample time to come up with workable ideas that were completely wrong. I <3 all of the misleading clues that Jurgens dropped. That that, Identity Crisis!), despite the fact that I wasn't even born until years after the series ended, but the many, many theories that people had about Supernova will be lost to the ravages of the Internet in time.
Which Supernova am I referring to there? Wouldn't you like to know? (OK, yeah, both. Hush.)
To bring this entry full circle, Booster appears as an example in a number of tropes, including one named after his JLU episode.
And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to waste the entire rest of my day trawling TV Tropes.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thinking of All the Money I Could've Saved Hurts Me a Little Inside
So, after a bit over two months here, I finally bothered to set up a pull list at my LCS. Turns out I get a 15% discount for that. Saving money: Always a good thing!
My Real Life Pull List, as it turns out, is a bit longer than my Theoretical Pull List, if we discount the multiple copies of Booster Gold on the Theoretical List.
My Pull List:
Booster Gold
Blue Beetle
Teen Titans
JSA
Brave and the Bold
Atomic Robo
Also managed to guilt myself into buying the latest issue of Brave & the Bold, and managed to resist the urge to buy a T-Shirt. We'll see how long that lasts.
BatB was, for the record, rather enjoyable. I like that Peej and Diana have different facial features. Good show, Perez! And I think, though I'm not entirely sure, that Peej's facial features match with Supergirl's. If they do, then even better show, Perez! I love the little button nose, too. S'cute.
Anyway, I read J2 yesterday, and it was enjoyable enough, as far as series go. I wouldn't recommend running down to your LCS and ravaging the back issues in search of it, or anything, but it's not a purchase I regret making. It's corny and cute. And I must say, Wild Thing is what X-23 should look like, with her short, stubby head 'n' all. But X-23 just plain mystifies me, anyway.
But, ummm, highlights! Because these bits amused me and I feel like sharing! \o/
(My favorite part might be that he's trying to thread the needle on the wrong end. Hah!)
(OK, so I'm secretly 12 and I find toilets automatically hilarious. Nyeeeeer.)
As you may have noticed, it's a very wordy book. Very wordy. I'm not sure there's a single panel in all 12 issues without words of some sort in it, even discounting sound effects as words. And that'd be annoying with a lot of other characters, but it kind of works for li'l Juggie. Zane there definitely strikes me as the type to mentally narrate his own life.
It's also worth noting that every issue has at least two stories in it. It's an interesting way of doing things, I suppose. It also has the side effect of making me think that things happened later in the series than they did, so imagine my surprise when something I had thought happened in the 4th issue or so actually happened in the 2nd. Aheh.
Biggest surprise: Random, bizarre appearance of Deadpool. OK, what? (And he wasn't even talking in yellow. For shame, whoever had that responsibility!)
All in all, I'm not really surprised that this only lasted for 12 issues.
My Real Life Pull List, as it turns out, is a bit longer than my Theoretical Pull List, if we discount the multiple copies of Booster Gold on the Theoretical List.
My Pull List:
Booster Gold
Blue Beetle
Teen Titans
JSA
Brave and the Bold
Atomic Robo
Also managed to guilt myself into buying the latest issue of Brave & the Bold, and managed to resist the urge to buy a T-Shirt. We'll see how long that lasts.
BatB was, for the record, rather enjoyable. I like that Peej and Diana have different facial features. Good show, Perez! And I think, though I'm not entirely sure, that Peej's facial features match with Supergirl's. If they do, then even better show, Perez! I love the little button nose, too. S'cute.
Anyway, I read J2 yesterday, and it was enjoyable enough, as far as series go. I wouldn't recommend running down to your LCS and ravaging the back issues in search of it, or anything, but it's not a purchase I regret making. It's corny and cute. And I must say, Wild Thing is what X-23 should look like, with her short, stubby head 'n' all. But X-23 just plain mystifies me, anyway.
But, ummm, highlights! Because these bits amused me and I feel like sharing! \o/
(My favorite part might be that he's trying to thread the needle on the wrong end. Hah!)
(OK, so I'm secretly 12 and I find toilets automatically hilarious. Nyeeeeer.)
As you may have noticed, it's a very wordy book. Very wordy. I'm not sure there's a single panel in all 12 issues without words of some sort in it, even discounting sound effects as words. And that'd be annoying with a lot of other characters, but it kind of works for li'l Juggie. Zane there definitely strikes me as the type to mentally narrate his own life.
It's also worth noting that every issue has at least two stories in it. It's an interesting way of doing things, I suppose. It also has the side effect of making me think that things happened later in the series than they did, so imagine my surprise when something I had thought happened in the 4th issue or so actually happened in the 2nd. Aheh.
Biggest surprise: Random, bizarre appearance of Deadpool. OK, what? (And he wasn't even talking in yellow. For shame, whoever had that responsibility!)
All in all, I'm not really surprised that this only lasted for 12 issues.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)