True Eloquence

Know this: I, Doctor Polaris am mightily pleased by the events that transpired between the pages of this week's Justice Society of America.

Also, the Atomic Skull is my new best friend.

My surly, bearded replacement "Mr. Polaris" made great pains during the issue to annoy and generally aggravate all around him. The other villains did not respond to it well; perhaps they remember the golden age when the true Doctor Polaris soared above them, unconcerned with the pitiful mercenary work of the villain underclass.

Still, only one of their number had the fortitude of spirit to say what needed to be said. You should know that I was as surprised as any to find that that one was the Atomic Skull. Mr. Skull pulled no punches, telling it exactly as it is. Of the M. B. A. he said:

"You're one to talk, you pathetic excuse for a replacement villain!"

With that, the Atomic Skull has earned a place of glory among the great thinkers and philosophers of our time. To him, kudos.

Happy Birthday to Someone

Well well well. What have we here. Why, it's a birthday. Specifically my birthday.

The question becomes: what to do with this day? The opportunities, they are ripe for exploitation. The world is at hand and there is nothing to hold me back. What should I do?

Really, I'm thinking of finishing my homework and then going to bed early. I think I've got a bit of a cold coming on. What do you think of that idea, Wild Dog?

That's what I thought you'd say. Good night everybody!

Deathstroke's Titans

So, Dan DiDio is trying to save the Titans book (which has been pretty much a trainwreck since the beginning. That and they've lost half the team to the Justice League. What's Dan's prescription for making the book viable again? Make Deathstroke the leader of the team.

Now, I want to make something perfectly clear here: I think Deathstroke is way overexposed. He seems to be in every damn book these days. Ever since Brad Meltzer used him in Identity Crisis we haven't been able to get the guy to go away.

That said, this is just the sort of crazy thing that could work. Personally, I like things like this. As long as this isn't just another "Deathstroke creates a team of anti-Titans" storyarc. If Deathstroke's Titans becomes the honest-to-God ongoing feature of the book it could work. Though I have no experience with it, I believe Marvel's Thunderbolts is an ongoing series about a team of villains. Why shouldn't DC have something similar? (and no, Secret Six isn't about villains; it's much more complicated)

It will be a tricky tightrope to walk though to make it work. The team they put together will need to be just right. But if they can get all the elements together it's really a concept I can see working.

Thursday Night Thinking #116

Thursday Night Thinking returns! Tonight: everybody's favorite lovable idiot Hal Jordan!

Oh, Hal. I don't think you understand women as well as you think you do...

Always the Smartest Man Around

I noticed something today when I was picking up my comics at the local shop. Take note of this Spider-Man cover:

Now, here's what I noticed. Whenever clueless idiot Peter Parker has the opportunity to kiss someone (which, by all rights should be never) he's got to take his mask off at least part of the way. That seems odd, considering how often I have people tell me that Peter Parker is "really smart."

You'd think a guy would plan for that occurrence. But no, Peter Parker constantly has to be pulling up his mask for smooching. You know who doesn't have this problem? This guy:

Batman, as we know, is ready for anything.

Go Ahead and Try

Well, the solicitation for the third issue of the new Azrael series is out. And still no mentioning of me.

But hey, it's not like I'm upset or bitter or anything. Oh, dear St. Dumas no. There's nothing wrong with ignoring the guy who started the whole Azrael legacy in comics (setting aside my ancestors who held the position before me).

That said, how long do you think this guy's comic will last? Eleven issues? Fifteen? I'm going with the middle ground and guessing thirteen.

Oh, and in case you forgot my series ran for one hundred issues. I'd like to see the new guy beat that.

December Solicits

Oh, you know it's time for solicitations!

What, pray tell, do we have in store for the month of December?

BLACKEST NIGHT #6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis
The secrets of Nekron are revealed as darkness consumes the DC Universe.
Everything else: TOP SECRET.
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with three covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Rodolfo Migliari). For every 100 copies of the Standard Edition, retailers may order one copy of the Sketch Variant Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale December 23 • 6 of 8 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Well, Blackest Night will be hitting the home stretch. But what will we see? Wait, TOP SECRET? I suppose that means we're going to get some sort of continuity altering event? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, I'm sure we'll get more super-powered zombies ripping out peoples' hearts...

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #10
Written by Greg Rucka & James Robinson
Art by Pete Woods
Cover by Gary Frank
Variant cover by Dustin Nguyen
New Krypton is a planet so fresh, s experiencing countless things for the first time. Its first spring. Its first blooms. Its first birth of a child. And now its first homicide. When an important figure in Kandor is murdered, the suspect seems obvious to everyone but Superman. But can he make Zod or the Council believe this is more than an open-and-shut case? And can he uncover the real killer in time to save the life of the accused? s a dark mystery, but R.E.B.E.L.S. star Adam Strange arrives in time to help find answers& even though the truth may blow apart the civilized trappings of Kandorian society in the process.
This action-packed arc leads all the way to the series final issue, which itself sets the stage for huge happenings in the DC Universe next summer!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Gary Frank), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Dustin Nguyen). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale December 2 • 10 of 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

It sounds like something big is brewing for next summer with the Superman books. I'm actually looking forward to that even more than I'm looking forward to the post-Blackest Night status quo.

Oh, and my prediction is this: the "murderer" is Superman's New Krypton "pal."

JSA ALL-STARS #1
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art and cover by Freddie Williams II
Variant cover by Ryan Sook
An all-new ongoing series! The Justice Society spin off group struggles to pull itself toward some semblance of order after the s devastating split! New home base, new training methods, new villains all bringing the JSA All-Stars face-to- face with one of their greatest villains again for the first time! Join writer Matthew Sturges (JUSTICE SOCIETY, JACK OF FABLES) and artist Freddie Williams II (ROBIN) for a new chapter in the JSA legacy.
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Freddie Williams II), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ryan Sook). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale December 2 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

The big JSA split happens this month, and I'm still not sure what I want to do. I have favorites on both teams as well as characters I don't like on both teams. Also, I don't have infinite money. What's a guy to do? I'll probably at least try out the first issue of All-Stars. But who knows if I'll stick with it. I mean, it's got Magog.

POWER GIRL #7
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art and cover by Amanda Conner
A blast from the past! The alien Vartox has come to Earth to claim a wife and her name is Power Girl! PG may have wanted a boyfriend, but not quite like this! The fan-favorite team of Palmiotti, Gray and Conner craft another winner!
On sale December 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

VARTOX! VARTOX! VARTOX! I'm so glad I didn't drop this book.

What are you looking forward to in December?

Time Out

I'm far too tired to do a proper post tonight. Instead, I ask that all my loyal readers head on over to SallyP's blog and read her post about Blackest Night #3. I heartily endorse everything she says.

If you happen to be SallyP, here's a picture of Kyle Rayner's ass:

Good night everybody!

Thursday Night Thinking #115

For tonight's Thursday Night Thinking: a blast from the past!

Really, did you think "New Krypton" was the first time someone had thought about taking Kandor out of the bottle?

"Invasion of the Super-People" indeed...

Blackest Night #3

I'd say things are looking pretty bleak for our heroes in Blackest Night. Really, we've seen the deck stacked against the good guys many times (most recently, of course, in Final Crisis). But I really don't think we've ever seen it this stacked.

What were seeing here is the heroes being completely overwhelmed. All evidence says that this menace is just too big. The good guys can knock down or take out one of the Black Lanterns... But so what? The most recent issue has shown us that you don't even have have had superpowers to be dangerous as a Black Lantern. And there are a lot more dead people on (or in) the Earth than there are alive...

Still, there's one thing that's been nagging at me. It's probably been the same way with you. What is Black Hand doing with the skull that everyone assumes belongs to Batman?

I think this is going to be a big key to the mystery. The identity of the owner of that skull is part of it, sure. But an even bigger question is this: why haven't they raised that person as a Black Lantern? Have they chosen not to? Or is it that they can't?

Whoa

Holy crap, have you seen this? They're doing an animated multiverse story! With the Crime Syndicate! That means it's a Crisis story.

And wowee wow. Take a look at that voice talent. Most specifically I'm referring to Mark Harmon as Superman. That means Agent Gibbs is Superman.

Holy crap.

Endings

After last night's post I've been thinking about the whole "New Krypton" thing. I'm believe that loyal commenter Jake is right -- it's not going to tie into anything else and it will wrap up around the time that World of New Krypton comes to a close.

The big question is this: how is this all going to be resolved? We know a few things. For instance, we know that Mon-El will end up back in the Phantom Zone eventually. He needs to be there so that the Legion can pull him out in a thousand years. And I think it's safe to say that eventually New Krypton is going to go away. That situatio is not sustainable. We can't have a planet full of Kryptonians in the Sol system indefinitely. It just won't work.

So what's going to happen? I honestly don't know. There's been so much new ground broken with this storyline that I don't know what to expect. There's nothing to say that Zod has to go back in the Phantom Zone or Kandor has to go back in the bottle. Heck, maybe I'm wrong and New Krypton doesn't even have to go away!

But in one sense it does. The tension between Earth and New Krypton can't last forever. Something is going to break. Somebody will cause that spark. And something will happen.

How do you think the New Krypton story will end?

His Time is Soon

The current big event in the DCU is Blackest Night. The last big event was Final Crisis. What will the next big event be?

I don't think there's any question that there will be one. But what's it gonna be? Will it be Flash-centric? Probably not, considering it'll take at least two years for Geoff Johns to build up to whatever grand Flash plan he's got brewing (you so know he's got a grand Flash plan).

My guess? The big event will either be something that ushers in the return of Batman or is the huge climax to this whole New Krypton thing.

Actually, what if it's both? Things spiral out of control, Zod up and invades the Earth and only the World's Finest can stop him. So somebody has to go back in time and find Batman because he's the key to stopping the Kryptonians for some reason.

We need somebody who can time travel. That means... The next big event will focus on...

Booster Gold!

I can't wait.

AHHHHHHHH!

Thursday Night Thinking #114

Thanks to the holiday, comics were delayed this week. There are so many good comics to talk about...

But there's no time for talking, only thinking! This is Thursday Night Thinking!

Back on Track

Here I was, all set to talk about the hideous new Batgirl costume when Warner Bros. goes and reorganizes DC (likely in response to the Disney acquisition of Marvel) and...

You know what? Screw it. That sort of stuff isn't really my cup of tea anyone. I'm sure smarter people than me are already talking about it. Let's go ahead and talk about the hideous new Batgirl costume after all. Take a look:

Good Lord, that's a hideous costume. Poor Stephanie. I mean, really. Even if you didn't like Cassandra's Batgirl costume (and let's be honest, most of the people who didn't like it hated it because it wasn't Barbara's Batgirl costume) have to admit that Cassie's made a lot more sense.

I get that they're trying to tie it back to Stephanie's old Spoiler costume. But there were a lot of practical aspects to Cassandra's Batgirl costume. The fact that it was all black sure helped. And let's not forget that Cassie (and Steph as Spoiler) kept her hair tied up so as not to allow any villains to grab at it. Didn't Dick Grayson recently admonish Batwoman for this? Isn't that why the Question got her hair cut?

All the practicality has been thrown out the window in what I would see as a misguided attempt to tie Steph's Bargirl costume to her Spoiler costume. The purple just doesn't work. The leg pouch is all 90's "anti-symmetry." It just looks bad. And again, the free flowing hair is just going to get in her way. Couldn't she tie it back in a ponytail or stuff it in her cowl like she did with her hood? Honestly, how many women athletes do you see competing with their hair loose? If a runner or a soccer player doesn't do it, then a vigilante certainly shouldn't.

In conclusion, I'm sure you can gather that I think the costume -- to put it frankly -- sucks. Despite my love of Cassandra I'm really hoping Steph can be successful as Batgirl. But that costume sure ain't gonna help...

A Quick Aside

Those of you who follow the goings on in the comic blogosphere (or at least the part I care about) know that Scipio and the Absorbascon have gone on hiatus.

Now, Scipio isn't clear on how long or why he's taking a break from the blog. That's his business and pretty much irrelevant anyway.

What I want to mention is the importance in the Absorbascon to my being here today. Yes, I know that sounds melodramatic (as though "here today" is President or alive). But it's the truth, and since I'm very happy to be here today I think it bears mentioning.

I started this blogger account for the sole purpose of being able to comment on another blogspot blog about comics. That blog was the Absorbascon. When I found the site it was as a revelation; here was someone who had tastes in comics similar to me and was writing about them. No only that, but he didn't muddy up the waters with posts about "Spider-Man" or the "X-Men" or anything else with hyphens in its name. Here was a blog that spoke to me.

I can't remember what the first post I commented on was (though I believe it had something to do with DRAMA). Not long after I decided to try my hand at the blogging myself. I think I've done okay these past few years (even if I haven't these past few weeks).

So I guess what I'm saying is: thanks, Scipio. Thanks for all the fun and all the laughs. I'm sure going to miss it all. I wish you good fortunes in all your endeavors... And I hope we'll see you around these parts again.

Thursday Night Thinking #113

It's Thursday... So it's Thursday Night Thinking!

Tonight we have a classic cover (and classic thought) from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen!

I can think of a few reasons, James. Starting with that bow tie.

Dear Dan,

Dear Dan,

China is in East Asia, not Southeast Asia. Nice try!

Sincerely,

Guy Who Used to Live in East Asia

A Disturbing Trend

I'm a bit concerned about what's going on with the whole "New Krypton" thing. Specifically, I'm worried that it's becoming a bit too Marvellike.

In what way, you ask? Well, my biggest concern comes from how the "average" person on the street seems to be reacting to this whole thing. They're starting to get a wee bit too close to the way Marvel civilians react to superheroes. By that, I mean they're being easily fooled and stupid.

Now, to be fair the people trying to trick them are a lot more powerful and intelligent than any of the so-called masterminds of the Marvel Universe. And I can understand people being wary of Supergirl, considering that she's done a whole heap of stupid things up to and including recently.

But I never thought I'd see the day that the people of Metropolis lost their faith in Superman. Sure, we've seen similar stories where something like that happens. But never to this degree. People believe in Superman. They always have. And I thought they always would.