Version Two

So I was thinking about Salvation Run the other day. Specifically the planet. I don't care if you call it "Hell Planet" or "Salvation." The thing that sprung to my mind: Lex Luthor is there. And Superman ain't.

And if history tells us anything it's that when Luthor finds himself on a planet with no Superman he ends up running things.

I'm just saying...

Thursday Night Thinking XXXVII

Thursday Night Thinking:

Presented to you entirely devoid of context.

Time For A Change

I've been thinking about my life. And I realized that there was only one time when anybody paid attention to me. Only one time when I was respected. I'm talking about when I was a villain.

You all remember when I took over as Batman. I grew increasingly paranoid and violent. And I got my face on lots of covers. Sure, I was the bad guy. But I got respect because of it. And you know what? I want some of that back.

So here's what I'm saying, everyone. Know that next time you see me posting here, I'm going to be grim, gritty, and evil. Because it seems that only the villains seem to get respect. And girls. I've seen the women Doctor Polaris hangs around with. I want some of that!

Wild Dog Returns!

You all remember Wild Dog, right?

Of course you do. After all, who could forget the Midwest's favorite gun-toting vigilante? Especially after all that effort I put into Wild Dog Week.

But here's something you don't know about Wild Dog Week: there was a single Wild Dog story that I did not talk about. Tonight, we remedy that situation. And this is a very special Wild Dog. Because my friends... Wild Dog gets a sidekick:

Of course, Wild Dog doesn't want to take a kid along while he's engaging in violent, hardcore vigilantism. He's not stupid. No, the kid tags along of his own volition. Oh, and his codename? Wild Pup, of course.

Now, seeing as Wild Dog wants nothing to do with Wild Pup, this dynamic duo doesn't exactly have a Batman/Robin relationship...

No, Wild Dog wants nothing to do with the kid. Because from the first moment he shows up he starts cramping Wild Dog's style. Wild Dog can't just do his thing with a bratty kid running around.

You see, when the kid is around people get shot. But not by Wild Dog. And that, my friends, is just senseless. To top it off, Wild Pup's presence forces Wild Dog to sometimes shoot guys even when Wild Dog doesn't want to.

Take the case of the wild-eyed, maniacal vegetarian killer (sample demand: "the president must declare vegetarianism mandatory") who takes a burger joint hostage. Wild Dog had planned to just rough the guy up a bit, maybe shoot him in the legs. But when Wild Pup intervenes...

Though to be fair, I'm pretty sure that guy was going to be the next Hitler.

But things take a turn for the worse thanks to Wild Pup. Throughout the entirety of this story Wild Dog has been hunting for a lady killer who is slaying her old boyfriends as part of an elaborate, twisted revenge. This is something Wild Dog can sympathize with (they were all assholes) but still cannot condone.

Unfortunately, Wild Pup gets in the way and gets himself stabbed. This, of course, leads to our Death in the Family moment.

Wild Dog -- despite not having dressed Wild Pup in short pants and then bringing him along to face the Joker -- feels really guilty about what has happened. Wild Dog does what he does because he feels. He does it because he cares.

And as Wild Dog sits by that poor boy's bedside the serial killer who stabbed him comes a callin'. She wants to turn herself in. She feels guilty because she never wanted to harm an innocent. Wild Dog has to decide whether to take her down or take her word.

"And she was. It was a judgment call, but I left her there with the boy."

If Wild Dog is anything, he's a good judge of character. So you better not lie when Wild Dog asks you if you've been good this year. Because Wild Dog will return.

500

And so, on this day my blog reaches 500 posts. I honestly can't believe I've kept this up for so long.

I know sometimes (specifically the weekends) I don't post as much as I should. There are people who have been doing this for as long as me who have nearly twice as many posts as me.

But that's not what's important about this thing. It's not about how many posts I make. It's about how every time I do make a post and get a comment, I feel like I'm linking up to that great big community of comic book fans. And that's why I started this thing in the first place.

The next five hundred begin tomorrow as Wild Dog Returns! I ain't stopping anytime soon...

Thursday Night Thinking XXXVI

That eternal dance... Thursday Night Thinking!

Tonight: a woman's life holds in the balance. The only thing between her and certain death is the World's Greatest Detective!

What do you think her chances are?

Up and Coming

I do not care what Dan DiDio says. There I am, right on the cover of Gotham Underground #8 And it is well known that Dan DiDio lies sometimes.

You all know -- perhaps better than I -- that in this day and age of the Internet it is difficult to keep secrets. Especially since comic fans desperately wish to find out any and all information they can about everything. Thus, the best way to hide a secret, surprising resurrection scene is by lying about it!

Imagine: you pick up Gotham Underground #8 and begin reading it. You expect Spoiler, the Penguin, and Batman vs. Vigilante because the solicitation tells you to. But despite my image being on the cover, you don't expect me to show up. Because Dan DiDio told you not to.

And then you get to the last page... The cliffhanger. Who do you think appears? Why, it's none other than Azrael! And you are surprised (hopefully pleasantly so) because you did not expect it.

Then I will be happy because I'm back in the comics. And you will all be happy because you can once again read about my adventures! Right? Right?

For a Rainy Day

Long have I been absent. Rest assure that I have been engaging in fruitful, terrifying villainy. But that is not why I am here. I am here to resume discussion of the continuing saga of my insidious doppelganger.

A recent preview of Justice League of America #18 reveals the impostor. Kneeling meekly before the warriors of the Justice League. This, of course, assumes that that is not me. If it is, then clearly I am employing a masterstroke of misdirection.

Regardless, I would like to thank Black Lightning for the kind things he has said about me. He describes Polaris -- possibly me, possibly not -- as one of the Ten Worst Criminals in the World. Too true. And he makes it clear that Polaris is the most powerful of the lot.

As such, Jefferson Pierce has earned himself a "Get Out of Being Crushed By Two Tons of Steel Free" card. I hope he saves it for a rainy day. Because rainy days are coming.

The Human Flame

Final Crisis is only a few scant months away. But will it live up the hype? It's difficult to say. We know that Grant Morrison is writing it. And this guy -- The Human Flame -- plays a big role:

"No, Joey -- a crime suit! With this, no one on Earth will be able to stop me!"

Holy crap! This is gonna be the best Crisis ever!

Thursday Night Thinking XXXV

When it comes to Thursday Night Thinking, love is in the air. Among other things...

Happy Valentine's Day

Serve in Heaven

So. That wacky Keith Giffen is writing a series called "Reign in Hell." Upon reading the interview I have to say: I'm looking forward to it. A lot.

Keith Giffen has been writing comics for a long time. And there's a reason for that: he's very good at it. And now he's delving into a subject that I find absolutely fascinating (yes, I am one of those weirdos who is into angelology and demonology).

Even more than that, though, it's Keith Giffen's motivation for taking the project that makes me the most excited. Namely, World-Building. Keith Giffen says he loves world-building. And you know what? So do I. I literally spend hours most days building complicated worlds in my head on the bus, on the train, and when I'm supposed to be working.

And unlike some things, this is one of those things that I like watching other people do as much as I like doing it myself. It's one of my favorite things about Fables. I am entranced as I watch Bill Willingham build this amazing world from everything he can lay his hands on.

I have no doubt that watching Keith Giffen build a mystical world will be just as entrancing. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing how he recreates these characters and steers the DCU's hell away from Dante's (something long overdue). It'll be a wild ride, no doubt...

Requiescat in Pace

Comics writer Steve Gerber has passed away. I have had little exposure to man's work... But what I have read I have enjoyed immensely. I had hoped to get the opportunity to enjoy more of Mr. Gerber's work. Alas, it is not to be.

We are all poorer for the loss. Mr. Gerber was clearly a man of integrity, character, and creativity. My heartfelt condolences go out to his friends and family.

Second Time's the Charm

Thanks to the illustrious Scipio I have learned that the WizKids 2008 convention exclusive DC Heroclix will be none other than me:

It was the darkest time in the Dark Knight’s career. Broken and beaten by the super-humanly enhanced Bane, Batman was replaced by Jean-Paul Valley (who eventually became Azrael). Valley became far darker than Bruce Wayne ever could and the Knightfall Batman was feared by criminals as never before. The DC HeroClix: Knightfall Batman will be offered at WizKids attended conventions in 2008 with the purchase of $50 in DC HeroClix product.

This means that there will be a second Heroclix verson of myself. To say that I am excited is an understatement. Any exposure I receive can only be a good thing. It increases that tiny chance that I might come back into comics -- even if only by a tiny bit.

I mean, there are a lot of characters that have gotten a Heroclix. And there are probably a lot that have gotten a second one. But how many people can claim that they were a convention exclusive?

I must acquire money, go to a convention, and purchase a tiny plastic version of myself. It is now my sole reason for living...

Unsurprising

So, DC has announced their next weekly as Trinity. Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman. Here's the thing, though: I knew this was what it was going to be.

You can believe me or not, but I guessed quite a while ago that this is what we were going to get. In fact, I bet a lot of you out there guessed the same thing. The signs weren't exactly subtle. Hell, I even managed to guess the title.

There are bigger questions, of course, that we don't have answers to. What sort of comic is Trinity really going to be? How connected to the DCU? And of course, how will it be related to the next inevitable event that DC does?

My hope is that Trinity will be more or less a stand alone story. I think there's a lot that can be done with the Big Three as a team. Keith Giffen gave us a taste of that in Four Horsemen.

But me? More than anything I'm looking forward to the backups that'll introduce new characters. I love that sort of stuff.

Thursday Night Thinking XXXIV

The horror... The horror... Of Thursday Night Thinking!

Ah, my dear Flash... I think we all feel that way sometimes...

Lights, Camera...

Okay, so I'm back. Let's talk about movies!

There can be no doubt that despite some awesome films (well, Batman Begins) Marvel has done a helluva lot better than DC in turning its properties into movies. Nearly every Marvel character -- from Spider-Man to freakin' Elektra -- has gotten a film.

And I think that that has a lot to do with their success. Sure, movies like Elektra were flops. But basically Marvel is just throwing everything they can out there. They're diving into the third and fourth tier of characters for movies (Man-Thing, anyone?).

DC needs to consider doing this. DC has a lot of very cool minor characters that could potentially star in their own films. I'm sure I could name a dozen if I took the time. But instead, I'll just name one: Doctor Mid-Nite.

Doctor Mid-Nite would make an awesome movie. A killer costume, a unique concept, and powers that wouldn't require a lot of special effects (the movie could probably be shot with a relatively small budget).

Plus, they don't really even need to look hard for a good treatment of the character. Matt Wagner's done all the work already. If you haven't read the Wagner/Snyder Doctor Mid-Nite miniseries go read it now. It's conveniently been collected in trade paperback. Go on. I'll wait.

Are you back? Now tell me that wouldn't make a great movie. It's an origin story with an intriguing protagonist, good villains, and even one of those love interests that Hollywood loves so much. The Doctor Mid-Nite mini is the best comic movie adaptation ever made. Even if the movie doesn't actually exist.

With the right director and cast, Doctor Mid-Nite would be a huge hit. I can see it bringing in far more than the meager amount I'd imagine they'd have to spend on it.

There are lots of characters in the DC Universe just like Doctor Mid-Nite that would make great films (even if they aren't ready-made like Doctor Mid-Nite). But unfortunately, DC is locked down by Warner Bros. They can't open their doors and toss the characters out to roam free. The result is one DC movie every few years. And when they're coming so sporadically, the misses are easier to note than the hits...

Intermission

Apologies for the lack of posting, my friends. I have been struck by an insidious disease that has left me with little time for anything but sleeping and coughing.

Luckily, my body's natural defenses seem to have successfully beaten the foul invader back. As such, expect regular posting to resume tomorrow.

Good night.