Monday Memories #39 - Martian Manhunter #1,000,000

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? #244

I know, right? That's why I cycle.

Monday Memories #38 - Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #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? #243

Glass half full, man.

What's Geoff Johns Going To Write Next?

Over at the excellent Slay, Monstrobot... blog, snell asks the following:

Whither Geoff Johns? 

So, Geoff Johns has left Green Lantern, he's leaving Aquaman, he's leaving JLA. When Forever Evil (eventually) ends, the only book he's known to be writing is Justice League. 

Which is interesting, because Johns is the Golden Boy, the one writer guaranteed to goose sales substantially. Remember how they had him co-write the first issue of Vibe, just to trick people into reading it? 

So it seems unlikely that DC is going to allow their "indispensable man" to script only one book, even if it is the flagship. Surely he has to be writing at least one more mag?

He then offers up a few "wild ass guesses", leading off with what I think is an inevitable series, Shazam! Following the success of the back-ups in Justice League that launched the character, it makes sense for Johns to continue with it.

Snell makes plenty of other guesses, as do some of the commenters but one title popped into my head as I awoke this morning around 6:45 and, selfishly, I thought rather than post it as a comment on snell's blog, I'd do it on mine!

I Feel Bad Now

Over at the DC Comics blog they posted a picture of the Crime Syndicate reviewing their choices for recruitment and asked readers to put a caption to it.

I looked at it and instantly thought of this:

It's a cheap joke and not even one I totally agree with . . . but it was in my head and on my screen before I could stop myself.

I blame the corrupting influence of Grand Theft Auto V which turned up on Tuesday. If I'm not around much over the next few days, you'll know why.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #242

Who said romance was dead?

Monday Memories #37 - JLA: Scary Monsters #6

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

I'm on my way back from a weekend in the big city of London. While you wait for me to get, read and review my comics, have a look at this:

Isn't that just gorgeous? I would so buy that.

Borrowed from the lovely people over at Super-Team Family.

DC's December Solicitations

ALL-STAR WESTERN #26

Trapped in modern times, Jonah Hex sets out to find the money he left buried around the southwest. But a chance encounter with John Constantine sets the Civil War vet on a collision course with the occult.

Jonah Hex on a bike and running across John Constantine! Why isn't the rest of the DCU this much fun?

Monday Memories #36 - Legend Of The Hawkman #3

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? #241

Oh, how things could have been different...

Variant Lantern Corps

I'm not one for variant covers on the whole - I've picked up a few over the years but mostly consider them to be a vain attempt by comic publishers to get more money out of us. With the wonders of the internet, of course, we can all view the covers of all the comics for free and I've recently discovered that the Green Lantern family of titles has been doing something that almost makes the variant covers worthwhile: they've been running their own storyline, Relic: Fall of the Lightsmiths, right there, on the cover, offering a bit of background to the new villain, Relic.

Here they are, in order, to date (click to embiggen):

    

    

    

    

    

Now I'm not judging the content of that story (there's only so much you can do in what is essentially a single panel with a limited amount of text) but the idea of a variant cover that actually does something and adds to a story is a nice one.

Perusing Previews - September 2013

I mentioned a while back about branching out from DC but I still have a fondness for superheroes. This collection from Dark Horse might tempt me . . .

Did I Miss Anything?

So, I was away from the internet for most of last week . . . anything happen in the comic world? Any announcements about Oscar winning actors being picked to play iconic superheroes? Anything like that?

I caught some of the firestorm about Ben Affleck being picked to be the new Batman - it really is laughable when the internet just melts in a fireball of anger and indignation because a choice has been made that down't fit with what some people wanted.

What are the chances that the choice for the new Batman would have met with universal agreement? If Actor A (star of many films, proven track record, has won awards) was chosen, Film Fan would be happy but Comic Book Reader would not. If Actor B (appeared in several fan films, understands the character, firm fan favourite) then Comic Book Reader would be happy but General Viewing Public would be scratching their heads while saying "Who's he?"

My take is let's wait and see what Affleck does with the role. If he's great then all's well with the world. If not then lots of people can say "I told you so!" while feeling smug. Either way, we're not going to know for a while yet.

Like I said, getting a universal agreement (on many roles, let alone Batman) was likely to be impossible, but the vitriol and anger poured out by the internet is just pointless.

And it makes Batman sad.

Trinity War Re-Speculation

Trinity War came to an end last week in the pages of Justice League #23 and, on the whole, I happen to think it was pretty good. The big reveal of the Crime Syndicate at the end was done well, although I had to chuckle at Madame Xanadu's line "...it was the number... the true number of evil. Three. Earth-Three!" You have to wonder how, in the New 52 when clearly no-one's met the Crime Syndicate before that she knows Earth-Three is the home of evil - heck, they could be from Earth-Two for all she knows.

Silly things like that aside, it was enjoyable as I said.

It did also make me revisit my post from last year when I speculated about Trinity War following the reveal of the Free Comic Book Day teaser. There were something things I had wrong (thinking it was Black Adam, not Shazam; thinking Simon Baz was John Stewart in a new costume) though I was pleased that I included the line

"we may be looking at a new Earth 3 which, at a push, could link up with the trinity aspect."

and then in the comments

"My gut's saying an Earth 3/Crime Syndicate story and they'll time it for JLoA #21/#22 to hark back to the first JLA/JSA crossover."

Not too far off the mark, then?

Going back to last week's Justice League #23, we're left with one more mystery: the identity of Superwoman's prisoner.

I'm going to go for the obvious and suggest that it's Earth-Three's Alexander Luthor or possibly his son Alexander Luthor, Jr seeing as Geoff Johns killed the latter at the end of Infinite Crisis; it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for him to want to redeem the character he besmirched. Plus, that would possibly tie in to Forever Evil where Luthor is seen fighting this Earth's bad guys; could the Earth-Three Luthor get free, take his duplicate's place and then fight for the good guys?

I guess we wait and see.

Monday Memories #35 - The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 2 #6

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? #240

It's a fear a lot of men have, you know...