Cocktail Of The Year 2013

Yes, it's that slightly embarrassing, self-concious moment once again when I tally up which comics have made me the happiest throughout the year.

As regular readers know, each week I get my comics and run through them, posting a short review and what I did or didn't like about them. At the end of each week's reviews, I post a panel that, quite simply, made me smile that week and it's those panels that earn their respective titles the Cocktail for that week. I've gone through the 2013 Cocktail posts and using a hideously complicated process that I'm not going to bore you with worked out who gets the awards.

Taking over from Paul Cornell on Demon Knights was, in my opinion a hard act to follow but Robert Venditti managed it; he did the same picking up the reins from Geoff Johns on Green Lantern as well. The team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray are consistently good on All Star Western which is a delight to read month in, month out.

However, it's Geoff Johns who with his work on Justice League, Justice League of America, Green Lantern and even Forever Evil that gave me something to smile about the most this year.

Johns's work on Justice League of America helped it make a good run for the top three and, as mentioned above, All Star Western is still one of the best comics around - each month in terms of writing and art it's consistently excellent.

That said, though, with writing duties being split between Geoff Johns, Robert Venditti and a splendid one-shot contribution from Charles Soule, it's Green Lantern that takes the top spot this year.

Thanks very much for reading Crisis on Earth-Prime whether you do it regularly or have come here looking for some very specific things - there's a lot of comic blogs on the net and it's appreciated that you spend some time here. Even more so if you choose to leave a comment! :)

Have yourselves a great New Year whatever you're doing and see you in 2014.

Monday Memories #52 - Young Justice #31

Each Monday this past year I've been taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics were chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I didn't know what I'd be looking at in the weeks ahead!

And now here we are, number 52, one entire year's worth of posts completed. What am I going to do on a Monday now . . . ?

Christmas Comic Books

The lovely Mrs Earth-Prime bought me two comic-related books for Christmas this year: Mail-Order Mysteries by Kirk DeMarais looking at all the old stuff that used to get advertised in comics in the 50's to 70's:

and The Horror! The Horror! by Jim Trobetta which discusses and reprints a whole host of old horror comics that fell victim to the US Congress censorship mania in the 50's:

That's my reading matter sorted for the next couple of weeks!

Hope you al had a good Christmas, folks.

Merry Christmas!

Judge Dredd by Carlos Ezquerra - does it get much better?

Have a good Christmas everyone!

(I told you this was coming months ago...)

Monday Memories #51 - Eclipso #5

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

No Cocktail Today

A combination of being busy in the run-up to Christmas and a couple of other things meant that I didn't get to pick up my last delivery before Christmas hits in a few days; not a massive worry as there was only three comics this week.

With the exception of a couple of pre-planned posts I'm probably not going to be around much this week so will take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from Earth-Prime - have fun however you're celebrating (or not!) and be nice to each other.

See you in a week or so!

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer

I thoroughly enjoyed the Rise of The Planet of The Apes from a couple of years back - for all my bitching a few days ago about reboots and remakes, that was one that worked. It took the original story and built something new from it rather than simply hitting reset and remaking the same thing again.

With that in mind, I will definitely be watching the sequel:

Monday Memories #50 - The Punisher #8

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #254

Oh, that's going to end well

DC's March Solicitations

FOREVER EVIL #7

It’s evil versus evil in the shocking “take-no-prisoners” conclusion to FOREVER EVIL! What will be the fate of Lex Luthor and his Injustice League? Who will live – and who will die? And why is The Hooded Man the most feared being from the Syndicate's world? Do not miss this startling finale that will leave the DC universe reeling and reveal the secrets to the future!

Yet another "things will never be the same" promotion for the end of the first line wide crossover that, with the exception of Villains Month doesn't really seem to have impacted most of the titles I read.

And I'm still betting on Earth-3's Alex Luthor as the Hooded Man's identity.

You're Looking For What, Now?

As regular readers now, I occasionally dip into the search terms that people use to either find this blog deliberately or find it by accident while looking for something else. In today's search terms I noticed what has to be the most . . . ummmm . . . shall we say "specific interest" in the comics world?

Skipping over the "angry cuckold comics" I'd just like to highlight this one:

Someone out there (and it was a single person on one day) found their way to my little corner of the web by searching for crisis on infinite earth detroit breasts.

Lord knows there are plenty of places on the web to find the most debauched variation of whatever your hobby is - not for nothing has Rule 34 (link is SFW) become well known - but I have to admit to being surprised as the exactness of the term.

Not just breasts but breasts from (presumably) the Justice League Detroit era. And not the whole era, either, just the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

I'm really not judging someone else's particular interest, but if you know that much, if you know of Crisis and the Detroit League, would it not have been simpler to search for Zatanna, Vixen or Gypsy followed by breasts?

Man, with that many mentions of breasts I'm going to get a lot more people looking for superhero boobs now, aren't I? Best if I get the Power Girl cosplay out of the way:

Wait, What? There's A Terminator Reboot Coming?

Have I been living under a rock recently? I know this blog's comic related but I read a lot of news sites that talk about films as well for a good reason: I love films as well as comics.

But somehow I appear to have missed the news that The Terminator is being rebooted and might even have a title of Terminator: Genesis.

Admittedly Terminator: Salvation wasn't as good as it could have been but, to my mind, I don't think it was as bad as many people think, either. I'd much rather see a new film set post-Salvation than starting over again; it just seems a little tired and predictable to think "Most people who saw the original are old now - hell, they must be at least in their forties - so it's time to bring the original story to a new generation."

Yeah, you know, the generation that can watch the original any damn time they please just by putting a DVD in the player.

I'm not against remakes - John Carpenter's The Thing is still one of my favourite films - and some reboots do work - I'll take Batman Begins over Batman any day - but I think there's a difference between the Batman films and the Terminator series. Just about any actor can put on a batsuit and pretend to be Batman (may I refer you to Val Kilmer and George Clooney) but with the Terminator film, hell the entire series of films, you have something that are so closely associated with one actor - dear old Mr Schwarzenegger - that it's impossible to separate him from them. Even Salvation found a way to put him in there in a believable manner and any reboot is going to have to deal with that somehow, in the same way Fury Road is going to have to cope without Mel Gibson.

Why can't we have something new in the same universe, a continuation of the post-Judgement Day world? Who here who saw T2 in the cinema twenty odd years ago didn't think the future battle scenes were the most intriguing aspect of the film? Who didn't want to see more of that terrible, blasted landscape littered with human skulls? And who wasn't disappointed when the glimpse we got in Salvation and the promise of more was cut short?

Another reboot?

Monday Memories #49 - Spider-Man/Black Cat #1

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #253

Judging by the construction of his sentence, I'd say it's fairly obvious he's not using it

Killing Joke - Spot The Difference

Here's a published page from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's Batman: The Killing Joke which I'm sure we've all seen before:

(And yes, that's from the original - I'm not breaking the spine of my Deluxe Edition copy for a single page)

Over at Brian Bolland's blog, he posted the original version of that page:

which I'd never heard of, let alone seen so I figured I'd share it.

Presumably DC Editors were happier with blood stained buttocks than they were with bare breasts in a Batman book.

"breasts" and "Batman" in the same sentence - I dread to think who's going to find this blog with those search terms.

Perusing Previews - December 2013

Apart from the Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter I've mentioned in a previous Previews post, I think this might be the epitome of merchandising.

Monday Memories #48 - The Gunwitch: Outskirts of Doom #1

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #252

I hear that all the time, though thankfully never from Mrs Earth-Prime

Batman/Superman/Worlds' Finest Crossover

I'm not a big Bats or Supes reader - I don't get any of their titles though I'm happy to pick up the occasional trade every now and then. I do, however, read Worlds' Finest and it's with some trepidation that I read of a crossover between that title and Batman/Superman next year.

Basically Power Girl's powers are still up in the air come February next year (really? It's taking that long to resolve this issue?) and Huntress convinces her to seek help from this Earth's Batman and Superman with, I'm sure, hilarious results.

One line from the article jumped out at me on first read:

"At the heart of the story is the two women's quest to get home to Earth 2, but it also has ramifications beyond the two titles, as Superman and Batman become aware of the DC multiverse"

Ummm . . . did they not become aware of the multiverse with Forever Evil and the appearance of the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3?

But this also cropped up:

"Levitz: There's a host of interesting personality reactions. You can play mix or match with the characters, and that's part of what we did in the plotting. 

How would Helena react to a Superman who's basically her age range? She might not want to get his current girlfriend pissed off, because she's kind of a tough lady. But there might be some attraction there."

So Huntress would be attracted to a younger version of the man she would normally view as an uncle figure? Anyone else find that a little icky?

Monday Memories #47 - JLA: Earth 2

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #251

You tell him, Carol.

Storm's End

DC have announced that Stormwatch is to end with issue #30 in April and, I have to admit, I'm not surprised about that. What does surprise me is that they're letting it continue till then.

I've said in just about every Cocktail post that mentions the title, I have no idea how Jim Starlin's getting away with what's happening in his crazy-ass little corner of the DCU. First he completely reboots the team, not just shaking up the membership but changing the versions of the established characters. He literally re-writes the history of the whole team, regardless of how this affects other titles and characters such as those featured in Demon Knights. He also appears to have ignored the new version of Lobo that DC introduced a couple of months back, though that might be dealt with over the next six months.

I was thinking of dropping this title anyway but with just a few issues left, I may as well stick around and see what else he does with it.

Off This Week...

...celebrating the lovely Mrs Earth-Prime's birthday on Thursday.

Will be back for the usual Cocktail on Sunday.

Monday Memories #46 - Zero Hour #1

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #250

Stargirl's pleased for me reaching 250 Cocktail posts.

DC's February Solicitations

FOREVER EVIL #6
The final fate of Nightwing! The most unlikely of allies have set the Crime Syndicate in their sights — and they’re playing for keeps while the life of a hero hangs in the balance! Plus, the identity of the mysterious man in the hood is finally revealed!

Nightwing - will he live or die? And the man in the hood? My money's still on Earth-3's Alexander Luthor who will join forces with this world's Lex to defeat the Syndicate.

Perusing Previews - November 2013

You know, I'm positive I've featured these before . . . but what the heck, they're cool.

Monday Memories #45 - Watchmen Trade Paperback

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #249

Bad guys saving the world? Seems to be a theme this week.

Charles Soule's Alan Moore's Swamp Thing

Last week's Swamp Thing Annual #2 featured the current version - Alec Holland turned into the Green's Avatar - meeting the classic version as written by Alan Moore - the Green's avatar made to think he was Alec Holland.

It's done nicely, with both an artistic nod to Moore's version as well as the dialogue and there's a last conversation between the current, green, version and Moore's blue which made me wonder if writer Charles Soule was giving Moore's Swamp Thing the opportunity to vocalise Moore's own thoughts and principles:

I might be reading too much into it, but that sounds like Alan Moore's approach to me.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #248

It's important to know the difference

Monday Memories #44 - Who's Who #20

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Happy Halloween!

Watchmen Reworked

Recently discovered this tumblr: Watchmen GN Manips where the author fools around with one of the best comics ever like so:

Just genius!

Nemo: The Roses Of Berlin

“Sixteen years ago, notorious science-brigand Janni Nemo journeyed into the frozen reaches of Antarctica to resolve her father’s weighty legacy in a storm of madness and loss, barely escaping with her Nautilus and her life. Now it is 1941, and with her daughter strategically married into the family of aerial warlord Jean Robur, Janni’s raiders have only limited contact with the military might of the clownish German-Tomanian dictator Adenoid Hynkel. But when the pirate queen learns that her loved ones are held hostage in the nightmarish Berlin, she has no choice save to intervene directly, traveling with her aging lover Broad Arrow Jack into the belly of the beastly metropolis. Within that alienated city await monsters, criminals, and legends, including the remaining vestiges of Germany’s notorious ‘Twilight Heroes’, a dark Teutonic counterpart to Mina Murray’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. And waiting at the far end of this gauntlet of alarming adversaries there is something much, much worse.”

Well this is definitely going to join my collection.

Monday Memories #43 - Bloody Mary: Lady Liberty #4

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #247

Can I get an "Amen" on that, people?

Superman Vs Batman Gossip

No real news - heck, there's not even the confirmation of a title of the forthcoming film - but over at CBR there's a couple of quotes from Warner Bros. executive Greg Silverman concerning various rumours, specifically those saying that Wonder Woman would turn up in the new film:

“We have been doing a lot of thinking for years about how to best use all those characters and we love them. Wonder Woman is an amazing character. I think it’s a great opportunity both for box office success, but also to have an amazingly powerful female superhero.”

It's a shame that "thinking for years" is pretty much all they've been doing, to be honest, while Marvel gleefully romps away with the superhero film market neatly sewn up. That said, and if they're quick, Warner Bros (and DC by extension) could still pip Marvel to the post in being the first to bring a successful film with a central female superhero to the market.*

Wonder Woman is perfect from the point of name and image recognition and - as the fan made trailer showed a couple of weeks ago - if she's treated with respect, imagination and like the mythical goddess-like character she can be, there's no end to the stories that could be told.

It's a shame any potential Wonder Woman movie could be launched from whatever Superman Vs Batman ends up being called rather than as a standalone, but it's better than nothing.

*  And no, dear god, no, I am not counting Catwoman. I said successful, okay?

Monday Memories #42 - Star Wars: A Long Time Ago #1

Each Monday this year I'll be taking a look back at a random comic, prestige format issue, graphic novel or collection of reprints from amongst my 3,000 or so comics that date from 1962 to 2003 - I figured anything in the last ten years would be too recent to hark back to.

The comics are chosen completely at random and apart from a four week lead-in period, even I don't know what I'll be looking at in the weeks to come!

No Cocktail Today

This week has been stupidly busy in work and at the weekend so I didn't get chance to buy my week's comics, hence no Cocktail today.

So have a picture of a female Blue Beetle for the hell of it:

Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short

I've never been the biggest Superman fan in the world but this:

this is just great.

DC's January Solicitations

All-Star Western #27

Hex’s journey through the modern age continues! Guess whose attention Hex attracts as he makes his way to Metropolis!

Hex facing off against Superman - can't wait!

New York Comic Con Cosplay

With nothing else to blog about at the moment, I'm reduced to trawling through the cosplay photos from the recent New York Comic Con, picking out a handful that made me chuckle.

Kudos to this guy - those octopus arms look really well put together. Wonder if they moved?