Thursday Night Thinking #158

It's Thursday Night Thinking and the Strange Adventures continue!

There's another one of those convertibles...

It's Someone's Birthday

Today was my birthday. In celebration I will not be exerting my limited mental energy on making a post. How do you feel about that idea, Wild Dog?

I thought as much. Good night, everybody!

Sandmen

I really like this variant cover for the Action Comics #894. I'm also particularly looking forward to the upcoming appearance of the Sandman Death. Not because I'm a fan, per se... Rather, because I've never actually read Sandman.

Don't get me wrong; I know it's supposed to be a classic and I'll get around to it eventually. But you know, the only Sandman for me is this guy:

Under New Management

Well, apparently the big news today is that Bob Harras has been named Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics.

Honestly, I have no idea what this means for the company or its comics. I imagine Dan DiDio is still going to have a pretty big hand in things on the publishing side of DC Entertainment, so I"m not sure how much will really change.

And while Bob Harras seems to be a known quantity within the world of comics, he's not much of a known quantity for me. I know that he worked for Marvel in the late 90's. But as you all know I don't read any Marvel stuff. Plus, I didn't even get into comics until 2001.

Yeah, I'll give that shocking fact a second to sink in.

Anyway, I'm sure this will affect some changes in the way things are done at DC, but I don't know what they'll be. All I know is that I thought Breach. was pretty good. So there's that.

A Response

Brian Michael Bendis: you are a fool.

You disparage the writings of comic bloggers as "knee-jerk reviews and cut and paste blogging." Never once have I cut or pasted a large block of text. My opinions on the news and comics of my day are mine alone. Such opinions are powerful enough to stand apart; they serve as a shining example for others.

I have no need for "knee-jerk" reviews. If I believe something to be unworthy of my attention I will dismiss it -- it need not be mentioned at all. And if I consider a work to be a masterpiece I will say so. When I do, I shall express myself eloquently and at length. With correct capitalization and punctuation. Unlike some popular Marvel writers I might mention.

I am not alone in this. Recently the great and powerful Scipio has returned to blogging at his bastion The Absorbascon. He is intelligent and articulate, informing and enlightening us on comics, their history, and the very nature of the medium. Without much thought I could name many others who would put your ill-supported claims to shame.

And know this, Bendis: never once have I demanded payment for my services. Years of efficient bank robbery and extortion have left me comfortably well off. No, I write purely for the joy of it. And the chance to prove fools like you wrong.

Thursday Night Thinking #157

As always... Thursday Night Thinking!

That's some jacket there, guy. Are you sure that's not the accessory that's destroying the Earth?

Jimmy Olsen Feature

After finding out that the Jimmy Olsen backup in Action is already available online through iPhone and iPod apps I went ahead and downloaded the DC Comics app for my iPod.

I've always been the type to eschew the "digital comics revolution." I like my floppies just fine, thank you. But I've been looking forward to the Jimmy Olsen feature and I found that I just couldn't wait. And seeing as it was free I had no reason not to check it out.

Let me say that I was presently surprised by the format (I'll get to the content in a minute). The app is pretty well streamlined and I was easily able to find the Jimmy Olsen feature by tapping on the "free" tab. From there it was easy to download it. I wasn't sure how the digital comics would work, but there was an answer to that as well! When I tried to open my downloaded comic I was asked if I would like to see a short comic on how to read the comics.

Curious, I allowed it and was stunned to find that Superman himself would be my guide to the world of digital comics. What an age we live in. It turned out to be pretty simple; I tap on the right side of the screen to advance and the left if I want to go back. I discovered that the app was by default set to zoom in to panels automatically as a sort of "guided tour" of the comics. I was a little leery about that at first.

But in the long run it worked out quite well. It was actually quite a treat in some cases, as it hid other, surprising or revealing parts of the comic from my sight until I got to them. I still don't think I want to give up the experience of seeing the whole page at once, but reading comics on my iPod will certainly make for a nice side trip when I'm on the run.

As for the content of the the feature... They had me from "that time I was a genie." Though the comic is very modern in its sensibilities it still has that core of wackiness that made all those old Jimmy Olsen stories so fantastic. If things continue in this direction for the story it'll make for one hell of a comic.

Before I go I should say a quick word about the introduction of Chloe Sullivan. Apparently Chloe Sullivan fans (hardcore fans) are kind of... I'm not sure what word I should use. Did you know they paid for a commercial in honor of Allison Mack to commemorate her part in Smallville? That's dedication. Though I've seen all of Smallville up to this point and am a fan of the character, I don't really have anything to say about the comic version. She's not the same Chloe Sullivan after all -- and I didn't expect her to be.

Just like any number of transfers from one media to another, this version of the character is going to have to stand on her own. In time we'll see if she can do that.

Restructuring

Well, the big in comics today is DC's big restructuring. Everything except the comics part of "DC Entertainment" is moving west to California. The question becomes: how will this effect our favorite comic books? In the long run, probably not much at all.

Since the thing I care about most is the comics -- and that's not changing locations -- I imagine the DC restructuring won't effect my weekly Wednesday habit. On the other side of things there may be a bigger shift. Comics as a serial medium is really important to me, but so are the characters in those stories. And if the move of the non-publishing stuff to California will give us better stewardship of DC's characters to film, television, and other media then I applaud the change.

That's not to say there aren't going to be any significant changes on the publishing side. We've already seen some of that, with the elimination of the Wildstorm and Zuda imprints. But here again this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know there are fans out there of the Wildstorm stuff but in the long run I think it's important for DC to focus their super-hero energies on the DC Universe. Undoubtedly we'll see the Wildstorm characters again after a hiatus and they may end up being better for it.

Outside of super-heroes, there's not reason why it shouldn't all (with the exception of Vertigo) be folded under the DC banner. In some ways Wildstorm had transformed into a side imprint for licensed comics while the Wildstorm Universe became an afterthought. Since the idea is to create a stronger DC brand, having all the comics (again, with the exception of Vertigo) under the DC bullet is a smart thing to do.

These are just my ideas, of course. It could turn out that the whole restructuring is a terrible mess or just a waste of time. We'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.

December 2010 Solicits

Good Lord... It's the DC December solicitations. That puts us only months away from the dawning of the terrifying year 2011. It sounds like the future, but it feels like... Now.

Anyway, solicitations! What looks good and what looks bad in the final month of 2010? Let's see, shall we?

AZRAEL #15
Written by DAVID HINE
Art by CLIFF RICHARDS
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
The prophecy is fulfilled! Azrael has been found crucified, and a mystery swirls around his fate. It’s time for the world’s greatest detective to step in and figure out how this destiny came to pass. And how will this continue to play into the founding of Batman, Inc? Guest-starring The Dark Knight!
On sale DECEMBER 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

What the..? I know one of my co-bloggers has been exploring this issue, but really? This comic is still going on? It seems bizarre that a solo comic featuring a spin-off character from an event who is a legacy character of a replacement character could make it to fifteen issues. Is it selling really well or something? Only eight-six issues to go if they want to break the record...

KNIGHT & SQUIRE #3
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by JIMMY BROXTON
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE & MICHAEL LACOMBE
Cyril and Beryl have the fight of their lives on their hands when Shakespeare’s most evil monarch, Richard III, returns! And he’s brought with him a cloned army of all the worst Kings of England, intent on taking back the country through the use of social networking! Yes, that’s the plot!
On sale DECEMBER 8 • 3 of 6 • 32 pg, FC $2.99 US

I may be one of those people who think Richard was actually innocent, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to this story. Paul Cornell has been doing fantastic stuff with Lex Luthor over in Action, and I want to see how well his wacky DC Universe Britain stacks up with the second-hand information I've received from British friends...

ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #13
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by MARCO RUDY and ED BENES
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
While present-day Lex Luthor is busy fighting an array of the DCU's most vile foes over in ACTION COMICS, this annual takes a look back at two formative encounters Luthor had before he became the bald mad genius we know and love (to hate) today! Marco Rudy illustrates a story of young Lex and Darkseid, while Ed Benes tackles a tale starring Luthor and Batman foe Ra's al Ghul!
On sale DECEMBER 1 * 56 pg, FC $4.99 US

Speaking of Paul Cornell... This is going to be a hell of a lot of fun. I imagine in thirty-two scant pages Mr. Cornell will prove once again why Lex Luthor is the greatest villain in the DC Universe. Those other guys don't stand a chance...

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #46
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art by SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by SHANE DAVIS & SANDRA HOPE
With Monument Point still down after Scythe's devastating attack on U.S. soil, looting begins! Enter Collatoral Damage, a new team of villains set to lay claim to the riches yet to be found in the rubble of the once great American city! Luckily, there are new heroes flooding into the JSA's new hometown to help stabilize and rebuild alongside Earth's First Super Hero Team!
On sale DECEMBER 29 * 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I'm intrigued by Marc Guggenheim's upcoming run on JSA. Some will say that taking the JSA away from New York is a bad idea. But I've always been a fan of the "Fictionopolis" model. You can't really build a city if you have to deal with the real thing. Here's hoping Monument Point will be a welcome -- and refreshing -- member of DC's league of cities.

That's all for tonight... What are you looking forward to at the close of this year?

Thursday Night Thinking #156

Thursday is my busiest day, and I'm really tired. But in the long run that's not important. What is important is Thursday Night Thinking!

Saving the Day

When I began to read through this week's Brightest Day I started to worry. I became concerned that this new Aqualad -- a boy by the name of Jackson Hyde -- was going to have his origin suffer in the way so many origins do.

As Jackson and his adopted father fled from the menace of Black Manta I was afraid that Jackson's father was going to die. It don't think it was an unreasonable worry. After all, Geoff Johns has killed Superman's father, Hal Jordan's dad, and Barry Allen's mom. Why wouldn't he give poor Jackson the same tragic origin?

My concerns seemed justified as I watched Black Manta fire a harpoon at Jackson's father with the chilling words: "He is not your father. He is nothing but another man I've killed." It was going to be the same story all over again.

But I was wrong.

When all hope seemed lost, Aquaman appeared. Maybe this is what Brightest Day is about. It's not about some pie in the sky brighter world where evil doesn't exist. It's about a world where -- when all seems lost -- a hero appears. And saves the day.

Stories like that are why I read superhero comics, after all...

Batman, Inc?

I'm here to warn my successor: don't join Batman, Inc!

I can attest to the following: nothing good comes form being Batman when you aren't the original. Dick Grayson thinks he's okay for now, but this will come back to hurt him the same way it came back to hurt me.

I mean, look: before I became Batman I was a maladjusted, brainwashed super-assassin for a religious organization dedicated to the teachings of a phantom pseudo-saint (St. Dumas be praised!). Then I became Batman and everything when to heck. Who could have foreseen such a downward spiral?

Know that I don't want the same thing to happen to my successor. The new guy seems to have his share of problems -- a tormented past, encroaching madness, etc. But I fear that becoming a Batman could only make things worse.

Stay away from that cowl! It's a thankless job, and a death sentence besides...

Strange and Mysterious

I don't really have time for a real post, but that gives me the opportunity to share another of those fantastic Strange Adventures covers. Enjoy!

Thursday Night Thinking #155

What madness is this? Why, only the madness of Strange Adventures and Thursday Night Thinking!

Behold: another beauty from the nearly infinite well that is the covers of Strange Adventures:

Some of these covers are so good that I'm going to have to find opportunities to post even the ones that don't feature thinking...

Substitutions

These days everyone seems to be... Franchising.

Whether it is those dimwitted rainbow lanterns corps or "The Bat-Man" everyone seems to be expanding their heroism (or villainy) into a multifaceted franchise.

I know what you are expecting me to say. You are expecting me to announce my own brilliant expansion. Something along the lines of "The Polaris Corps" or "Doctor Polaris, Inc." To those who are expecting just such an announcement I have this to say: you are a dimwitted fool!

Though the value of the unique may have lost currency among some, that is not the case among those who know what they are truly worth. Despite the imitators I know that there can only be one Doctor Polaris. None can compare with the things that make me unique.

Undoubtedly this applies for Batman was well. A pity he is fool enough to think otherwise. Once, in long ago days I counted him as a man of intelligence and integrity. But I fear that the mighty have fallen. To make such moves into the crass commercialization of one's identity is hearbreaking.

Know this. If you seek to find Doctor Polaris then you must find him here. Accept no substitutions. They do not exist.

Batman Knows

I realized something after thinking for a while about a teaser image posted recently. You know, the one featuring Batman outside the Justice League International embassy? I realized that Batman knows.

Now, obviously Batman knows lots of stuff. He's one of the smartest guys around. But I'm thinking of something very specific. During Blackest Night Batman was dead (or at least was assumed so). Most importantly, he wasn't on Earth during our time period (as far as we know). He wasn't around when Max Lord came back.

And he wasn't around when Max Lord mindwiped the planet.

That means when Batman does get back (hopefully sooner rather than later) he'll remember Max Lord. And it's a whole different ballgame when one of the people who knows the truth is someone other than the disgraced members of the JLI.

Max Lord didn't count on Batman. But Batman counts on everything.

Thursday Night Thinking #154

We return again Thursday Night Thinking... And the covers of Strange Adventures!

There are more of these classic covers to come... Lots more!

Music, Music

I'm actually kind of excited about the really random "The Music of DC Comics" CD that they're putting out.

A lot of those are songs I've heard; but a lot of them I haven't. And regardless, most of them are tunes I've wanted to listen to at one point or another. But you can't really do that when you only have them in videos.

I'm one of those people who likes to have background music for a lot of things. Reading my comics is one of them. Usually I have to just select music from my collection that I think feels appropriate at any given time. But soon enough my music will really fit.