Independence Day

It's the 4th of July! If you're inclined to celebrate do so with The Shield, one of the first patriotic American super-heroes!

Thursday Night Thinking #105

Tonight: Thursday Night Thinking! I'm running out of time! Must... Find... Ridiculous thoughts... Superman, help!

You can always count on the Man of Steel...

It's Coming

There are only two weeks remaining until Blackest Night.

It seems like the buildup has been going on forever. And sure, it hasn't been forever. But it has been for a long time. If you go back to Rebirth you can see the seeds of Blackest Night being planted. They started growing into little plants, then they got bigger and now they're choking vines.

I think I'm getting a little carried away. But you can't deny that what initially seemed solely like a Green Lantnern event is turning into something that will have huge ramifications on the DC Universe as a whole.

There isn't a single corner of the Earth -- or the universe for that matter -- that seems to be safe from it. And maybe I'm naive, but I really do believe that Blackest Night could "change everything."

Countdown to Green Lantern #43. Then Blackest Night #1.

Scenes

What sorts of things in comics make you leap out of your chair and cheer aloud?

We've all got things we just love to see in the comics. Scenes that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and make you feel like you're staring through a magic window into a miraculous world.

For me it's a classic sort of Superman scene. We've seen it many, many times but I never get tired of seeing it. I imagine we'll be seeing a similar scene very soon in Superman: Secret Origin and I'm excited to see how Geoff Johns plays it.

Here's how it goes: something is happening. It's bad. It could be a crashing space plane or a meteor from space or robot bent on destruction. There is nothing that can stop it. It's absolutely impossible that whoever is caught in this predicament (though it's usually Lois Lane) can escape. They are dead. There's no way around it. They can't survive.

But then the plane stops falling. Or the meteor is diverted. And the people in the crowd (becuse there is always a crowd) look to the sky. It's a bird, they may say. Or maybe a plane. But in the end they find that it's a flying man. A man who can do the impossible. It's Superman.

What common, oft repeated scene takes your breath away?

Back it Up

So far I've been pretty pleased with the backup features in the books I'm reading. I didn't even hate the Ravager backup in Teen Titans! How about that, huh?

I'm also pleased to hear that the backups will be collected in their own trade paperbacks at some point. I just can't rationalize buying every book that has a backup. I just don't have the cash for all that.

Still, the backups in the books I am reading are turning out to be quite fun. Blue Beetle, of course, is fantastic. And The Question is looking like it should be pretty cool. It's great getting more than one story for the price of one. I really feel like that extra story is worth the extra dollar.

The backup I'm looking forward to the most is still on the horizon. More than anything I'm excited about James Robinson and Greg Rucka writing Captain Atom in Action Comics. That's going to be a blast.

What backup features have you liked the best?

Thank You

Thank you, James Robinson. Thanks for remembering that there actually are cities in Japan besides Tokyo.

I know those shrines well, in fact. I used to ride past Nagata Shrine on my way to work every day on the bus. And on many a weekend my friends and I would cut through Ikuta Shrine to cut a few minutes off the walk to one of our favorite restaurants.

*sigh* I miss those days...

Thursday Night Thinking #104

Some things never change. This is one of them. This is Thursday Night Thinking.

Tonight: a classic Batman cover that asks the age old question that we've all struggled with: "am I Batman?"

Good thought, better question.