Friday Night Fights - The Last Blow Sounds

As the onomatopoeia themed fights come to a close with this final round, I wanted to go big and back in the 80's, few things were bigger than DC's universe ending epic, Crisis On Infinite Earths.

As the end draws near, the Anti-Monitor - scourge of the multiverse - faces off against dozens of heroes until he is confronted by Earth-Two's Superman, Superboy-Prime and Alex Luthor. Seemingly unstoppable, help comes from an unlikely source as Darkseid pitches in.

Using Alex as a conduit, Darkseid fires a blast at the Anti-Monitor that sends him plunging into a dark star.

But it's not enough - he will not die! A huge, living fireball launches itself toward Superman forcing the elderly hero to take final, decisive action.

SKRABLLAAAMM! That's the sound of the last punch as the Anti-Monitor explodes.

Will there be another Friday Night Fight? Only Spacebooger knows!

This multiversal multipart crossover super-punch first appeared in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12, cover dated March 1986, written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Perez and Jerry Ordway.

Final Crisis For Real

Ah, crap.

No sooner do I joke about getting my arse into gear and finishing the Final Crisis #6 annotations than I find out that #7 is due to be released tomorrow!

Newsarama has a preview available which I am studiously ignoring - I'm not going to be able to get my copy till Saturday and don't want to spoil the surprise.

I'll be trying to catch up with everything as soon as I can.

Final Crisis - 1986 Style - Part 1

You know, when I should be sat here at my PC, frantically catching up on the annotations for Final Crisis #6 (not to mention giving a precis of Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #2 which I haven't even had time to read yet) I instead find myself going through some old magazines that a friend gave me.

There's a lot of stuff about Watchmen - most of the mags are from the mid to late 80's - as well as interviews with people like Ian Gibson (did you know DC's dreadful Millennium cross-over event from 1988 was originally due to be written by Alan Moore? I didn't) and all sorts of other bits and pieces.

There was also an A5 programme from the 1986 Birmingham Comic Art Show which had a collection of comic strips by a guy called Johnny Lowe. I've had a hunt round but can't find anything on the net about him - if by some miracle he's out there, I hope he doesn't mind me showing his work here on my little blog.  I've deliberately kept his name in the scans as well as the copyright info.

So without further ado, here's Crisis Crossover Part 1 featuring Cathy.

Tune in next Tuesday for part 2!

Friday Night Fights - Hail To The Chief

While I'm tucked away in a cold corner of Britain, I'm not unaware of what's happening on the other side of the Atlantic and with a new President settling in this week, I figured I'd go patriotic.

Come back with me to the wild days of 1941 as America becomes involved in the Second World War and Latin salsa bands command radio controlled bomber planes with the sound of Wagner's Ride of The Valkyrie.

Told you they did. But never fear - America has a new heroine to hand:

Miss America in her first outing, destroying the bombers with some sort of non-tactile telekinesis, and the salsa band leader isn't happy.

But Miss America doesn't need fancy powers - a quick Judo flimp and WHOMP! the Latin leader's on his behind.

Who will lead the band now? Only Spacebooger knows!

This patriotic punch-up first appeared in Secret Origins #26, cover dated May 1988, written by Roy and Dann Thomas with art by Grant Miehm.

Friday Night Fights - Men Are So Easily Distracted

It's true, we are. Even in the realms of the DCU, and without wishing to sound sexist, gentlemen are not above being distracted by the charms of a lady.

In this case, though, we have neither a gentleman nor a lady as Merlyn, the black-clad archer and sometime foe of Green Arrow, faces off against Carmen Leno of the Body Doubles.

That arrow may have missed but, unknown to Carmen, it's an ultrasonic arrow that quickly lays her low. Pinned down and at the archer's mercy . . . well . . . what's a gal to do?

Shocking, isn't it? A grown woman using her . . . er . . . womanly wiles to distract her would-be killer. But then he is trying to kill her so I guess he deserves what he gets:

Oh yeah! A sharp WHAK to the nose! That'll teach him!

Would Carmen fare so well against our referee? Only Spacebooger knows!

This blatant display of immoral behaviour first appeared in New Year's Evil: Body Doubles #1, cover dated February 1998, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Joe Phillips and Jasen Rodriguez.

Secret Files Notes Published

Ah, what the heck, eh?

I managed to get the notes for Final Crisis: Secret Files done as they weren't that difficult.

They're up at the Annotated Final Crisis.

Submit Notes Published

Spurred on by the fact that Final Crisis #6 is due this week (I'll probably get my copy on Saturday as normal) I've got to work and written up the notes for Final Crisis: Submit . . . you know, the one that came out months ago.

Anyhow they're done and up at the Annotated Final Crisis site; only Final Crisis: Secret Origins to go and I'll try and get that done tomorrow.

Resist Notes Published

Damn sight later than first intended but the brief synopsis of Final Crisis: Resist is up over at The Annotated Final Crisis site.

At this moment in time I have Final Crisis: Submit and the more recent Final Crisis: Secret Origins to write up.

It would be nice to say I'll have them done before the next issue of Final Crisis itself comes out but I guess we'll need to wait and see what happens.

It's Good To Look Back

I mean, seriously . . . I don't like the whole net speak abbreviation thing . . . but really, just . . . y'know . . . WTF?

Friday Night Fights - Too Young To Fight?

Fun comics are too few and far between these days - Blue Beetle's due to finish in a couple of months, The All New Atom's already gone so all my hopes are currently riding on Booster Gold.

A few years back, though, things were different as Young Justice still made me laugh on a monthly basis. How the team - along with a teenaged Lobo thanks to the whole Sins of Youth event - ended up on New Genesis is a story I won't go into but suffice to say they bumped into the Forever People who, in turn, transformed into the Infinity Man . . . with the added bonus of Impulse. Cue a misguided attack by two mating super-cycles bonded into one Transformer like robot (don't ask) and what's a guy to do but stand back and light up.

But as we all know, smoking's no good for you . . .

Lobo was never the quietest guy but a random blast from a pair of mating super-cycles that ruins his cigar is going to do nothing to improve his mood. And being congratulated by an Impulse'd Infinity Man?

Oh yeah - old school KAPOW will follow!

And how do they get off New Genesis? Only Spacebooger knows!

This graphic depiction of the dangers of smoking near two mating super vehicles first appeared in Young Justice #29, cover dated March 2001, written by Peter David with art by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker.

So You Think Catman's Cool?

Gail Simone really surprised everyone a couple of years ago with her successful reinvention of Catman in Villains United and later the Secret Six. It wasn't that long ago that he was simply the straight man for one of the most . . . unusual Green Lanterns:

Yep, back when he was still wearing bright yellow jumpsuits and, frankly, being nowhere near as cool as he is now, G'nort was on his tail.

And you know what they say: birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, dog shaped Green Lantern gotta chase two bit Batman villain!

And where do all good dog-cat chases end up?

Ah, Catman, who'd thought you go on to bigger and better things after this?

Friday Night Fights - What's A Guy To Do?

It's no holds barred, full-page fighting this week - seriously, every page of Guy Gardner: Warrior #20 was a single panel.

Guy Gardner, armed with the yellow power ring he stole from the corpse of Sinestro (hey, don't ask, okay? This was a while back) takes on that hero turned mad-man, Green Lantern Hal Jordan - now running round as Parallax - above the skies of Oa.

Poor old Guy - for once he's on the side of the angels but there's no hope for him this time round.

Parallax takes Guy's ring leaving him powerless and subject to being sent hurtling to the planet below!

WHACCK! THOOM! That's the sound of Guy's face planting into the sands of Oa, leaving Parallax to try and recreate the universe to his own satisfaction in Zero Hour . . . much like Spacebooger!


This planet kissing battle between former comrades first appeared in Guy Gardner: Warrior #20, cover dated June 1994, written by Beau Smith with art by Mitch Byrd and Dan Davis.