Crisis On Earth Prime

DC + Aardman Animation = Genius

2012-01-25T13:00:00.000Z

Over here in the UK, Aardman Animation has been a mainstay of quirky British humour for years and to find that they've teamed with DC and produced a short film featuring Superman, Batman and others in the style of Creature Comforts just made me smile so much.

Enjoy:

DC Nation - Aardman by redruger

Can we have a full half hour episode, please?

Global Guardians #1 - Who's Who?

2012-01-24T13:00:00.000Z

Back last year, I had some great fun - okay, some of it wasn't that great - looking back over two incarnations of the Justice League, specifically the much derided Justice League Detroit and the mostly forgotten but should be remembered and derided a bit more Jurgens League.

While I was wondering where to go next, commenter Jeremy Patterson wrote:

"How about instead of looking at another League, let's try to focus on some of the 'lesser light' superteams of the DCU, either:

* A look at one of DC's two attempts at revamping the MLJ heroes: The early 1990s Impact Comics or the 2009-2010 attempt to integrate them into the DCU. (With 'New Crusaders' coming in 2012, it is time to take a look at the subject!).

* Or at the many attempts to give focus to the Global Guardians, as the Global Guardians seemed to have never existed at all in the DCnU, so it is intriguing to see what went wrong with the G.G.!"

Having never read any of the Impact / Red Circle comics, I decided to go with Jeremy's second suggestion and take a look at the Global Guardians.

Please . . . try to contain your excitement.

Click here to read the rest...

Who Was Who Is Who #4

2012-01-23T13:00:00.000Z

BEN BOXER - another Kirby character, this one's tied in with Kamandi and the Great Disaster so unless he turns up on Earth-51 as part of Mutiversity, I don't think we'll be seeing him, either.

BIG BARDA - with the first villain of the relaunched Justice League's title being Darkseid, there's a good possibility that the New Gods may be viable characters once more. That is unless some version of Final Crisis took place between the start of the League and the current Year 5 or so which is when most DC titles are taking place. If Final Crisis didn't happen (and I hope that's true) then the New Gods aren't dead - and yes, that includes Beautiful Dreamer - and so could be brought back, which means Mr Miracle and Big Barda could be back in business. I'm going for a possible on this one.

BIG BEAR - same applies here as with Beautiful Dreamer above: the Forever People really are just too dated a concept to be brought back, I think.
Click here to read the rest...

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #163

2012-01-22T13:00:00.000Z

That's something we've all had to contend with, I'm sure.

Click here to read the rest...

Don't Ask... Just Buy It! Justice League International #8

2012-01-20T13:00:00.000Z

From the solicitation:

"The plan was for the JLI was to be installed as Earth’s official protective team. But once Breakdown attacked, that all came to a swift and sudden end. Now, as the pall of death and injury hang over the team, all that matters is survival. Featuring the introduction of a surprise new team member!"

A "surprise new team member"? Would that be Batwing on the cover? If so, it's not much of a surprise. Unless they're referring to the JLI's mystery woman?

Click here to read the rest...

Was Brad Meltzer Right?

2012-01-19T13:00:00.000Z

With Earth-2's announcement the other day (and yes, I'm really excited about it) the possibility of a crossover between it and Justice League of America started to occur which, in turn, made me remember this page from Brad Meltzer's run on JLA:

The Earth-2 that's shown there features characters from both the classic Justice Society and what appears to be the satellite-era League (am I the only one who prefers that blue and white costume on Zatanna?)

Will we see anything like it over the next year or two? Difficult to call when, but it would be just like Geoff Johns and James Robinson to do a crossover between the two titles when JLA gets to issue #21 in eighteen months or so . . .

New Guys On The Block?

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000Z

Most, if not all, of DC's latest issues (certainly the ones I saw last week) featured a double page spread of "sneak peeks" at the back, showcasing "some concept sketches of characters you may be seeing in upcoming months" and invited us to guess where they'd appear.

I'm not going to go through all of them, but there were a few that caught my eye:

That sure as heck looks like Nighthawk to me and I figure he's going to be turning up in the pages of the wonderful All-Star Western sometime soon.

Click here to read the rest...

A Sensible 'Aircut

2012-01-17T13:00:00.000Z

Godiva's made something of an impression in the pages of the new Justice League International book, turning into an interesting character with a nice sense of humour.

Strange, then, to see how she was originally, particularly her wonderful or-fentik Bri'ish di-a-log:

That's right - she's using her hair as a pair of wings.

I'd love to say where that's from, but I'm afraid I pilfered it from this apparently long-dead site which I stumbled across while researching my look back at one of the DCU's lesser-known teams . . .

Tune in every Tuesday for the next few weeks as I re-discover twenty year old comics once more, just because a reader suggested I do so.

Who Was Who Is Who #3

2012-01-16T13:00:00.000Z

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #162

2012-01-15T13:00:00.000Z

That's what comics need: good, old-fashioned politeness.

Click here to read the rest...

Liefeld On Hawkman? I'm Out

2012-01-14T13:00:00.000Z

A couple of Cocktails ago, I wrote about The Savage Hawkman:

"Of all the New 52 titles that I've picked up, this one is closest to being ditched. A few more issues and we'll see what happens."

In the announcement of the Second Wave of New 52 titles, Hawk and Dove, originally pencilled then written by Rob Liefeld, was one of the series to be cancelled with #8 in a couple of months. It seems, however, that whatever incriminating evidence Liefeld has on DiDio, Johns and Lee has proved useful for the guy as DC announced on its Source blog:

"This May, writer/artist Rob Liefeld will take on an expanded role in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. He will be joining three titles – DEATHSTROKE, GRIFTER and THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN – beginning with their ninth issues."

Hawkman wasn't really working for me this time round which is a shame as I like the character. I've said before, in many cases I've stuck with a character regardless of my feelings on the writer/artist - Green Arrow under Winick or Kreisberg and Sienkiewicz, Teen Titans under Henderson - but this time round, I shan't be bothering.

I've never liked Liefeld's art, his writing or his "edgy" reputation and will take this opportunity to bid farewell to The Savage Hawkman.

Sometimes I Hate Being Right

2012-01-13T13:00:00.000Z

Just a couple of days ago, I wrote a post about the possibility of some DC titles being cancelled fairly soon and ended with this:

"if I had to put my money on one book I'm getting that won't make it to a number 12 . . . I guess I'd have to offer up Mr Terrific."

And what do I read over at the DCU Source blog just a day or so later but this:

"In May of 2012, DC Comics will release a “Second Wave” of titles as part of its historic DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 initiative. Six new, ongoing series will build on the shared universe and bold concepts introduced in September 2011 with the renumbering of DC Comics’ entire line of comic books . . . The six new series will replace BLACKHAWKS, HAWK AND DOVE, MEN OF WAR, MISTER TERRIFIC, O.M.A.C. and STATIC SHOCK, all of which will conclude with their eighth issues in April."

So, farewell Michael Holt, it was a nice experiment, just a shame it didn't work.

Still, there's some good news as the six series replacing these include the following:

"EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs."

Earth-2 we sort of knew about as the Justice Society title that's been spoken of for a while, but check out Worlds' Finest - Huntress and Power Girl in an ongoing with art by George Perez and Kevin Maguire!

It's official - today is a good news day.

Have A Little Faith

2012-01-12T13:00:00.000Z

Seriously, guys? The first appearance of four giant robots that begin to strip mine the Earth and that's it, the end of the world, pray for us, amen?

Come on, how often have the superheroes saved your world? You'd think people would have a bit more faith in the Justice League by now, wouldn't you?

Come In Number 8, Your Time Is Up?

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000Z

I tend not to worry about where the comics I'm reading place on the top sellers lists that Diamond produce - after all, other people have a greater interest in where their comics are placing, not least the creators and publishers. Me, I'm happy to read what I enjoy each month.

Having said that (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) this article over at Newsarama where two of DC's sales execs talk about December's figures got me thinking.

In it, they talk about DC not leading the market share for the first time since the New 52 launch which, to be fair to them, they knew was coming at some point and they've never been interested in getting it. At least that's what they've been saying.

Click here to read the rest...

JLI's Mystery Woman Is Back

2012-01-10T13:00:00.000Z

Sometimes, I miss the obvious and have to have things pointed out to me like the following.

Last week's Justice League International #5 cover by David Finch:

Notice anything different there? Nope, nor me until I read this interview with Dan Jurgens over at The International Exchange.

Take a closer look about Guy Gardner on the right of the cover and you'll see this lady:

Click here to read the rest...

Who Was Who Is Who #2

2012-01-09T13:00:00.000Z

AQUALAD and AQUAGIRL - if the whole of Who's Who is set out alphabetically, as you'd expect for any good reference book, why then, either reading from top to bottom or left to right, does Aqualad come before Aquagirl? Just makes no sense. Anyway, despite Geoff Johns launching a new and successful (at least in terms of fan acceptance) Aqualad in the pages of Brightest Day, it would appear that unless he re-introduces the character in Aquaman, neither the new kid or poor old Garth won't be back any time soon. Tula's been long gone and it looks like her replacement, Lorena Marquez, won't be around any time soon, either.
Click here to read the rest...

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #161

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000Z

Come on, Godiva, most of us would kill to be in space. Some of us have . . .

Click here to read the rest...

Summer Can't Come Quick Enough

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000Z

Dark Knight Rises and Lego Batman 2 due in a few months.

Can someone hit the fast-forward button to summer, please?

Green Arrow To Be Fun, Apparently

2012-01-05T13:00:00.000Z

Green Arrow gets his third creative team since the relaunch with original writer J.T. Krul being replaced by Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens from issue #3 and now with new writer Ann Nocenti taking the reins from issue #7 onwards.

I've not read anything by her so was interested to read the interview with her over at Newsarama where she talks about Ollie and what she wants to do with the series and there's one thing she keeps mentioning that gives me hope for the series.

Sure, she mentions that Ollie will start to develop his left leaning politics, that he'll be doing a bit more travelling and that his Achilles heel - the ladies - are going to be an important part in his adventures. Oh, and she's planning to beef up his rogues gallery as well which is something that never really been done successfully. Seriously, how many recurring villains for Green Arrow can you name? Merlyn the archer? Brick and Drakon from Winick's run? Any others that aren't already established villains for other heroes like Dr Light or Solomon Grundy?

But anyway, the main thing that cropped up in Nocenti's interview that caught my eye was the following:

"The main thing you'll see with Green Arrow is fun. I want Green Arrow to have fun. I don't want him to be a tortured hero . . . I am not going into Green Arrow's past to find something that will torture him. He's a happy guy. He's going to have fun."

I've said it time and again, it's the entertaining, fun comics that keep me reading and if Ann Nocenti can make me really look forward to reading Green Arrow each month, I'll be more than happy with that.

I Do Have A Name, You Know

2012-01-04T13:00:00.001Z

And apparently, it's Pandora.

They couldn't have chosen Brenda or Ethel or Agnes, then? Oh no, had to be something portentous, something doom-laden and dark, something that foreshadows death and despair.

I'm assuming all this, of course - old Pandy there could turn out to be a great laugh who makes the new DCU a place of light and laughter, with only fun and exciting comics being published every week.

Would anyone care to take a bet on that happening? Anyone?

This Makes Perfect Sense

2012-01-04T13:00:00.000Z

I like cats and am not advocating trying this at home. Though if you do and it works, please send me a picture.

Taken from Tomorrow Stories Book 1 by Alan Moore and Kevin Nolan.

Look Not So Much Alikes

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000Z

One of the books I had for Christmas was Volume Two of Showcase Presents: The Phantom Stranger collecting a whole bunch of stuff from the adventures of DC's mysterious man. The Showcase volumes are great value, reprinting old and hard to find issues in relatively cheap formats, the costs kept down in part by eschewing colour, showing everything in black and white.

One of the issues that was reprinted in Volume Two was Justice League of America #103, where the Stranger meets up with the Justice League at the Rutland Halloween festival. Having read the issue before (and blogged about it ages ago) I really only skimmed through it, eager to get to stories that I didn't know.

As I flipped through it, though, something about a handful of the panels caught my eye. In the story, the League battle Rutlandites under the control of Felix Faust. They come up against people in fancy dress some of whom wear costumes of heroes that were published by DC's marvellous rivals, making it the first (if unofficial) crossover between DC and Marvel.
Click here to read the rest...

Who Was Who Is Who #1

2012-01-02T13:00:00.000Z

So for want of anything better to write about on a Monday, and with DC's New 52 well under way (how long are they keeping that title do you think?) I'm going to go through all my copies of Who's Who and see who's made it over to the new DCU, who might make it and who hasn't got an Aegeus's chance.

ABEL - portly keeper of the House of Secrets and late of the Dreaming, I've no idea whether Abel made it through. The number of Vertigo titles I pick up has dropped over the years to approximately none. Not a single one. Anyone seen him around lately?

ABNEGAZAR, RATH & GHAST - really, these should have been listed under Demons Three, don't you think? Can't see these guys coming back any time soon.

ABRA KADABRA - long time (pun intended!) Flash villain it wouldn't surprise me if he came back in some new, updated fashion.

ADAM STRANGE - now here's one I'm pretty certain is going to find his way back to us, either in the pages of DC Universe Presents or Justice League and my bet would be on the latter title. Geoff Johns is an unashamed fan of the silver age and Adam Strange was always popping in to the satellite headquarters before dragging the League off for some adventure or another so it wouldn't surprise me at all to have the bloke turn up before the end of 2012. There you go: my first solid prediction.

AEGEUS - seriously? A Greek terrorist riding Pegasus, flinging thunderbolts at Wonder Woman? Hands up who thinks this guy will ever be seen again.
Click here to read the rest...

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #160

2012-01-01T13:00:00.000Z

If you have to make something with a grenade, I'd vote for a curry.

Click here to read the rest...

Cocktail Of The Year 2011

2011-12-31T13:00:00.000Z

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 2011 Cocktail posts and using a hideously complicated process that I'm not going to bore you with worked out who gets the awards.

Click here to read the rest...

What Brought You Here In 2011?

2011-12-30T13:00:00.000Z

Every now and then I have a look at the keyword searches that brought people to this little corner of the comics blogosphere and, as a sort of end of year post, I figured I'd look at the biggest searches throughout the year . . . and some of the oddest.

Top of the list? The name of this blog:

Come on, people - while I'm really glad you're coming over here, just bookmark the damn thing!

Then there was that bloody picture that consistently skewed my stats every time Roy bloody Lichtenstein appeared in the news. You know, the one on the left there that I have deliberately not mentioned by name in this post and have even gone so far as to re-upload, calling it something else this time round so that people looking for work by that bloke who copied and "transformed" other artists' work won't come across this blog.

Sorry, bit of a rant there.

Anyhoo, it's not all doom and gloom that people come here for as a large number of searches - often, but not always, including Wonder Woman - were looking for dear old Power Girl:

Seriously - the amount of "Power Girl vs Wonder Woman" or "Wonder Woman vs Power Girl" searches that ended up here is kinda worrying.

For someone who's not a huge Batman fan, I found it perplexing that so many came here looking for "Damian Wayne" but I guess that was balanced by those looking for "Blackest Night annotations" (you're welcome, by the way), the Secret Six or Ambush Bug all of which, like Power Girl, I'm a fan of.

Click here to read the rest...

A Very Alan Moore Christmas

2011-12-27T13:00:00.000Z

I hope Santa brought you what you asked for rather than what you deserved. I had a bunch of graphic novels from my lovely wife including some collections that I've been meaning to pick up for years:

The first of the Tom Strong trades and the two Tomorrow Stories collections. When America's Best Comics first came out, I pretty much stuck with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as there's only so much money to go round. Since then, it's always been in the back of my mind to pick these up.

Talking of Mr Moore's work, I checked my news feeds the other day and Bleeding Cool have revealed the first character work for the forthcoming Watchmen prequels . . . which I had posted below but have removed since Bleeding Cool had a letter from DC . . . and I really don't want to piss off the lawyers.

I still want this to be a complete hoax but it's looking a little more likely that DC are going to go ahead and do it. That Bleeding Cool gets the scoop on this just adds to the bad taste it leaves in my mouth.

And yet, perhaps, sometimes things should be allowed to end.

Monday Memes #52

2011-12-26T13:00:00.000Z

There really was no question of what I was picking for this last Monday Meme:

Merry Christmas everybody!

So that's it - 52 Monday Memes, one a week throughout the year. I hope you've enjoyed them!

Call in next Monday for the start of a new weekly series of posts called Who Was Who Is Who where I try and guess who's going to turn up in the new DCU by the end of next year.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-25T13:00:00.001Z

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #159

2011-12-24T13:00:00.000Z

Salaak obviously hasn't seen anywhere near enough buddy cop movies

Click here to read the rest...

Watchmen 2 - The First Pages Revealed

2011-12-22T13:00:00.000Z

You can't keep anything a secret on the internet, we all know that. With all the talk of Watchmen sequels, prequels and spin-offs, it wasn't long before some pencil art started appearing . . .

Click the picture to go to the first of three full pages of new Watchmen art, my friends.

Click here to read the rest...

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #158

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000Z

Parents - they have no idea how to talk to your girlfriend, do they?

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #51

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000Z

And as we enter the final stretch, I thought I'd once more dip back into the cover meme that sums up one of my favourite eras, when comics were still fun even amongst the serious stories: the Justice League group shot

Ah, the good old days, when Max Lord was still a good guy and Elongated Man was still alive.

And here's the issue that introduced the JLEurope group along with the last issue of Justice League: Generation Lost. I guess it's an indication of how strongly these characters are linked to the JLE/I that everyone on the 2011 JL:GL cover appears (even if as earlier versions) on the cover of the 1989 Justice League International cover.

Frankenstein, Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #7

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000Z

I'll include the solicitation:

"The siege on S.H.A.D.E. City comes to a bloody conclusion, and it may mean the end of the Creature Commandos! With the Hub under Humanid control and Nina’s evil monsters staging a coup, S.H.A.D.E. headquarters is in total disarray. But nothing can prepare Frankenstein for the terrible secret that lies beneath it all!"

but seriously, that cover should be enough to persuade anyone to buy it!

Just Add Boobs

2011-12-14T13:00:00.000Z

Can someone please tell me how you get from this:

to this:

Oh, right . . . the Zenescope effect.

Perusing Previews - December 2011

2011-12-13T13:00:00.000Z

Seriously? There are nine of these films now? The first one was a good, low-budget horror movie, the second a nice follow up, the third was okay, the fourth had some nice ideas ruined by the studio but nine? Can we stop them now, please?
Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #50

2011-12-12T13:00:00.000Z

For the last Friendly Fire covers meme, I figured I'd do something special, something that highlighted one character that I've read in various incarnations over the years that always seems to end up fighting the people he works with.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Guy Gardner Friendly Fire Special:

As we saw in the recent Jurgens League posts, Guy and Superman were pretty much always at odds with each other and it didn't take long for them to come to blows.

And yes, despite the Hal Jordan costume, that is Guy getting punched by Power Girl in an alternate timeline story where he became Green Lantern first and she was still Arion's grand-daughter.

And talking of Jordan, here he is as Parallax having a go at Guy after he became Warrior . . . and then, years later, Guy's strangling Jordan.

Get a room, you pair.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #157

2011-12-11T13:00:00.000Z

Uh-huh . . . that's how to start a story, alright.

Click here to read the rest...

RIP Jerry Robinson

2011-12-09T13:00:00.000Z

Jerry Robinson has passed away.

This makes me sad.

Why So Scared?

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000Z

Last week I mentioned next year's Lego DC Super-heroes game that features not just Batman but a whole host of other DC characters. Over at the Bricktuts site, they've got pictures of some of them:

I'm kinda wishing Lex Luthor came with a detachable wig, and note that you get either peace loving or warrior Wonder Woman, but the one that made me chuckle (and gave me this post's title) was Robin:

Why is his extra/alternate head so scared?!

What else can we expect? Hal Jordan being hit on the head with a variety of objects? Aquaman with a detachable hand? Pantha with a spring-loaded head?

Watchmen 2. Again.

2011-12-07T13:00:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I put up a post about the rumours flying around the net about a Watchmen sequel or prequel or series of prequels that DC are apparently planning to announce and produce sometime next year.

Following that post, I set up a Google Alert for a couple of keywords around the subject and the links have flooded in.

Comics Alliance threw together a bunch of things they'd heard on Twitter with people mostly chiming in about how ridiculous the whole concept was - well, all except Rob Liefeld who's all for it if Dave Gibbons approves!

Topless Robot cover it as well while over at MTV Geek, Alex Zalben is positively salivating at the thought of some continuation / exploration of the Watchmen characters:

"So if we imagine that we’re not getting different events, so much as Silver Age set stories of the original Watchmen characters, why wouldn’t that be great – in the right hands, of course? We LOVE the characters in Watchmen, that’s why the book has had such a lasting and continuing aspect. Why not spend a bit more time with them on the comic book page?"

And he's not the only one. TheOptimist over at Comic Vine has put together a post where they not only say they're up for a Watchmen prequel but also a sequel as a "fully developed 12 issue mini-series detailing an entirely new saga featuring all the characters brought together once more for a new challenge." TheOptimist also challenges that issue of Alan Moore not being involved in any way and how that would affect fans' opinions:

"I'd first like to address the issue of Alan Moore. While perhaps I misread the tone of those times I encounter his commentary on the modern comics community, Alan Moore is one of those creators that I find to have the most negative attitude on the whole business. While his rationale may be supported by personal opinion and even some passionate evidence, his attitudes mirror that of a basher and a troll. Certainly this allowable, however, my appreciation for Alan's past work does not make him immune to my standard reaction to such dismissive and rude behavior, which is typically to respectfully disagree and then distance myself from that commentator in search of people looking for a more creative approach. If Alan hates the community so much, he should use his apparently omnipotent powers as the God of all things to do something about it."

Is it me or does that last sarcastic sentence not really tie up with their approach of "respectfully disagree"? TheOptimist then offers up ideas of what can be done with the characters; they're all as horrible as the ideas I threw off the top of my head in my original post.

Click here to read the rest...

Finally!

2011-12-06T13:00:00.000Z

Just read that Lady Mechanika #3 is out in a couple of weeks.

And about bloody time, too!

Monday Memes #49

2011-12-05T13:00:00.000Z

When looking for Face Off covers, I knew I had to include this one from the Justice League of America if only for the sight of an elephant wielding a mace against Wonder Woman not to mention a giraffe lunging a spear at Hal Jordan.

A spear held in its mouth.

Gerry Conway in the 70's everybody.

And look - this cover of Suicide Squad actually uses the term Face Off! Me and John Ostrander, man, we're totally, like, on the same wavelength, you know?

No Cocktail This Week

2011-12-04T13:00:00.000Z

Awesome!

2011-12-02T13:00:00.000Z

I know I posted a picture from Our Valued Customers just yesterday, but I saw this:

and just had to share it!

From The Mouths Of Babes

2011-12-01T13:00:00.000Z

From the excellent Our Valued Customers site

Click here to read the rest...

That's Next Year's Birthday Present Sorted

2011-11-30T13:00:00.000Z

I've never been a huge player of video games; I have an X-box with maybe half a dozen games and they all fall into two categories: Grand Theft Auto and the like or Lego. Sure, that's one extreme to the other but while I love the open world, mayhem inducing freedom of the GTA series, I thoroughly enjoy the light-hearted approach of the Lego games, particularly the Star Wars ones which I'm currently re-playing for the hell of it.

Imagine my delight, then, when I stumble across this bit of news - Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes to be released next year!

According to the article:

"This time, various characters from the "DC Universe" will be joining the never-ending battle on the sides of both good and evil. You can expect to see Lex Luthor, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and others battling alongside and against the Caped Crusader, each possessing their own special abilities."

As it's due to be released next summer, I know what I'll be getting for my birthday.

No, You Didn't

2011-11-29T13:00:00.000Z

The Crisis on Earth-Prime Corrections Service is once again happy to provide you with the following completely gratis.

First, a little context:

And now the corrected panel:

Feel free to print it, cut it out and stick in over the penultimate page of last week's Teen Titans #3. Doing this makes the dialogue between Red Robin and Bunker understandable.

Thank you.

(I really need to get out more.)

Monday Memes #48

2011-11-28T13:00:00.000Z

Whether International or Young . . .

whether All-Stars or Society . . .

If there's Justice somewhere in your team's name, at some point you'll be charging towards us.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #156

2011-11-27T13:00:00.000Z

Yeah, Kyle, you'd have thought that, wouldn't you?

Click here to read the rest...

So She Said . . .

2011-11-26T13:00:00.000Z

The Crisis on Earth-Prime Corrections Service is pleased to present to you the following item at absolutely no cost:

Save the above picture, print it, cut it out and, using the child-friendly adhesive of your choice, paste it over the same panel on page 6 of Voodoo #3.

That way this panel now makes sense and your enjoyment of this otherwise splendid issue can continue unabated.

You're welcome.

Watchmen Sequel?

2011-11-23T13:00:00.000Z

The idea of a Watchmen sequel has been floating around for a year or two now and Timothy Callahan over at CBR tackles the question, posed by a reader, of "How do you feel about the prospect of "Watchmen" spin-offs in general and about Darwyn Cooke's upcoming effort in particular?"

Of course, the question takes for granted that a) there will be a spin-off and b) that Cooke is going to be connected to it in some way. Before tackling that question, Callahan offers up something that's worth remembering:

"Alan Moore himself talked about telling more stories in the Watchmen universe. He would have written a Minutemen miniseries, had he not scuffled with DC and ended his tenure there. "Watchmen" was not, at the time, or even for a few years after, regarded as a monolithic masterpiece. It was just a comic. A really good one."

It's very easy to have a knee-jerk reaction about a sequel to Watchmen, particularly as we can be 99.99999% certain that Moore will have absolutely nothing to do with it and will pour laconic scorn over it as soon as someone tells him. If he's not going to be doing it - and Dave Gibbons has sort of said that DC shouldn't do it - then no-one should, right?

Click here to read the rest...

Won't Somebody Please Think Of The Children!

2011-11-22T13:00:00.000Z

From the back cover of last week's The Stand: The Night Has Come #4:

And from that very same issue:

Come on, Marvel - if you're going to put a label on your comics advising of "strong language" don't $%^#ing £*!^y out and censor the $%~@ing words!

Monday Memes #47

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000Z

I've been lucky a few times this year with these Monday Meme posts - Valentine's Day fell on a Monday so I went with Romance; 4th of July got the I Want You posters; and most recently Halloween provided me with a chance to show some appropriate covers.

So today being the 21st November, I thought I'd go with Romance again.

Why? Because it's my wife's birthday!

Here's two titles Ly's enjoyed over the years: the excellent Preacher and the stunning League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

She's a big fan of The Boys as well but the Green Arrow / Black Canary Wedding Special is in here just because I like Amanda Conner's art!

Happy birthday, darling!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #155?

2011-11-20T13:00:00.000Z

See? It's not all bad.

Click here to read the rest...

Not Coming To A Comic Shop Near You

2011-11-18T13:00:00.000Z

So there I was, browsing the net the other day, following links from one page to another when I ended up on deviantart. I've browsed there a few times but found myself looking at - and then searching for - mocked-up comic covers.

What can I say? It was a quiet afternoon on a weekend.

Here's a few I liked:

Batwoman by RottenVomit

Click here to read the rest...

So If A Stranger Calls You . . .

2011-11-17T13:00:00.001Z

When the new 52 titles were being released earlier this year, there were two main reasons I decided - after a little deliberation - to pick up Voodoo despite knowing next to nothing about the character.

One was the artist Sami Basri who has surpassed all my expectations when he replaced Amanda Conner on Power Girl, producing gorgeous, clean lined art that was different from Conner's distinctive style but which still worked on the title.

If Basri was going to be doing the art on Voodoo, that was a point in it's favour for me.

The other main reason - perhaps the biggest one - was the writer: Ron Marz.

Being a long-time DC fan, one of my favourite characters was always Green Lantern Hal Jordan. And then, in the midst of what I thought was a good run, DC elected to boot Jordan out of the title and have Marz introduce a complete new guy, someone we'd never seen before: Kyle Rayner.

Click here to read the rest...

All Star Western #6

2011-11-16T13:00:00.001Z

From the solicitation:

"Jonah Hex fights a giant bat to the death! But even with his winged foe slain, will he and Amadeus Arkham survive being trapped in a cave with the lost tribe of Miagani Indians? Hex and Arkham must enlist help – including some familiar faces and some surprising saviors – if they’re going to make it out of this death trap and bring justice to the enslaver of Gotham’s underprivileged children."

Seriously, just that first line of "Jonah Hex fights a giant bat to the death!" should be enough for you to know you have to buy this.

Darkseid's Back

2011-11-15T13:00:00.001Z

Actually, it's his front that's been revealed as DC show off Jim Lee's redesign of the DCU's big villain who, as they say, "has not appeared inside a DC comic since early 2009" . . . unless you count Justice League: Generation Lost #14 (November 2010) or DCU: Legacies #8 (February 2011) that is.

But anyway, here's the new look Darkseid:

Is it me or has the old fella put on a couple of pounds in the last couple of years when he's been hanging around in Limbo? He was always a sturdy chap but now he seems sort of . . . portly.

Still, at least he's lost the little mini-skirt he had for a while which left nothing to the imagination and led to more than one Basic Instinct style moment, like the time he flashed his own son Orion:

or when he gave Mary Marvel a bit of a shock in Countdown To Final Crisis:

No wonder she dropped her Soder Cola.

Monday Memes #46

2011-11-14T13:00:00.000Z

J.G. Jones must have known he was tapping into an iconic look when he took Superman's classic flying pose and gave it to Lex Luthor on the cover of 52 #39.

And here's two cracking Green Lantern covers featuring Hal Jordan just for the heck of it.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #154

2011-11-13T13:00:00.000Z

Always good to know what you're sitting on.

Click here to read the rest...

Too Clever For My Own Good

2011-11-11T13:00:00.000Z

I really wish I hadn't made the post about that damn picture - it keeps skewing my traffic results. Look at the top keywords that brought people to the blog over the last week:

And is it just me or does anyone else wonder why someone's searching for "guy gardner in ice" or, indeed, "ice in guy gardner"?

What sort of blog do you people think I'm running here?

DC Trades

2011-11-10T13:00:00.000Z

DC have released a list of the collections they'll be putting out next year, bringing together the early issues of their New 52 titles. Obviously I won't be picking up collections of the series I'm getting but there's a handful of titles that I'm sort of interested in:

Click here to read the rest...

The Wisdom Of Solovar

2011-11-09T13:00:00.000Z

Why indeed, Solovar, why indeed?

From the strangely enjoyable Showcase Presents: The Trial of The Flash which I picked up earlier this week.

Perusing Previews - November 2011

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000Z

What I know about Mouse Guard: The Black Axe is exactly what I've read in the solicitation above. Why that solicitation doesn't mention how superb the sight of a tiny mouse with a big axe hacking away at a fox is, I don't know.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #45

2011-11-07T13:00:00.000Z

Villains taking over, or villains saying goodbye . . .

Sneaking a peek at what's inside or finding out what's showing . . .

In each case, the title of the series plays a part in the cover and I like that!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #153

2011-11-06T13:00:00.000Z

Adam shows he's not best at forward planning.

Click here to read the rest...

Spot The Clue - The Answer

2011-11-05T13:00:00.000Z

Yesterday I posted this comic strip:

which asks whether you could work out how Imago knew the bum was the criminal.

To find out, click below . . .

Click here to read the rest...

Spot The Clue

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000Z

So I'm still trawling through those old magazines that I found after my house was turned upside down by the electricians recently and in the pages of Fantasy Adviser I came across this little strip:

I love the sound effect of "spong" when Imago punches the bum!

Anyway, I'm not having you reckless kids turn this blog upside down to find out how Imago knew the bum was the culprit - instead I'll post it tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you think you know how he knew, leave a comment.

The Graphic Novel Of The Eighties

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000Z

Mention those two terms - "graphic novel" and "the 80's" - to a comics fan and chances are there'll be two or three titles that instantly spring to mind.

Watchmen, I think, is a given and possibly defines the whole decade of comics.

The Dark Knight Returns will likely be on anyone's list of 80's graphic novels.

And there's a good possibility that Maus will be on your shelves, too.

But apparently, we've all forgotten one. Not just any one, but the graphic novel of the 80!

Click here to read the rest...

Watchmen Poster

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000Z

The rewiring work that's been done on our house recently forced me to move a whole bunch of stuff and have a bit of a clear out. One of the things I found was an issue of Arken Sword from 1988 or so that a friend of mine gave me, containing an interview with Dave Gibbons. It also had a picture featuring the Watchmen characters, including Rorschach in his original outfit:

I think the overcoat and hat works better in retrospect!

Jurgens League #6 - Blood Secrets

2011-11-01T13:00:00.000Z

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #76 - #77 - written by Dan Jurgens with art by Dan Jurgens and Rick Burchett.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #44

2011-10-31T13:00:00.001Z

Happy Halloween everybody!

Here's two traditional Halloween style covers:

And here's two that you should hunt down and read today to creep you out:

I do like me some Lovecraft.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #152

2011-10-30T13:00:00.000Z

Some people ask the stupidest questions.

Click here to read the rest...

Switched On

2011-10-29T13:00:00.000+01:00

My electrics are back up and running so I should be back to normal over the next couple of days . . . if I can find my comic boxes which are currently hidden beneath dust sheets.

Anyone seen my scanner . . . ?

Not Enough Power!

2011-10-25T13:00:00.000+01:00

No, not Black Lightning - my house. I had hoped to get the last Jurgens League post ready before now but with electricians rampaging through our home rewiring the antiquated system we have, there's just no way I could get round to it before now.

So, while I suffer the loss of my PC for up to three or four days (which I'm not looking forward to) why not have a look at these lovely blogs:
Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #43

2011-10-24T13:00:00.000+01:00

Goggles. Seriously, a bad idea, guys.

And if blood's been spilt . . .

You know the culprit's going to be reflected in it.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #151

2011-10-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

Hal Jordan showing how NOT to win friends and influence people

Click here to read the rest...

More Ships Than You Can Count

2011-10-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

Snell over at Slay, Monstrobot... has already picked up on one aspect of the ~~secret files and origins~~ confidential information written by Geoff Johns at the back of this week's Justice League which purports to be a transcript of a conversation / interrogation between Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor but something else caught my eye right at the start of it, in the second paragraph:

You read that? Trevor has "saved over twenty-three lost ships"

How many more? One or two? Then why not say twenty-four or -five? Ten more? What's wrong with saying thirty-three?

If it was "saved over fifty lost ships" or "saved over a hundred lost ships" I could understand but who the hell stops counting at twenty-three?

Apparently Geoff Johns does. I wonder if he has trouble keeping track of the "over one series" he's writing for DC at the moment.

Catwoman Controversy Continues

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000+01:00

After all the heated discussion on the internet the other week about Catwoman and Batman getting it on in a manner some deemed too graphic, I'm shocked to have to tell you that there's more.

Click here to read the rest...

Warning! Pun Approaching!

2011-10-20T13:00:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry - I saw this and couldn't resist sharing!

Demon Knights #5

2011-10-19T13:00:00.000+01:00

Simply because Demon Knights has been splendid fun so far and I can't see this being any different right now.

Seriously, if you're not buying this title, you're missing out.

Jurgens League #5 - Destiny's Hand

2011-10-18T13:00:00.000+01:00

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #72 - 75, written by Dan Jurgens with art by Dan Jurgens, Rick Burchett, Bob Smith and Romeo Tanghal.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #42

2011-10-17T13:00:00.000+01:00

These covers not only fit into the Friendly Fire category but are also among my favourites in general:

The crossover between Justice League International (as it still was in the early days) and Suicide Squad show the same fight scene from front and back with the stars of the respective titles facing away from the reader.

And you just gotta love Guy Gardner's expression!

And okay, technically Silhouette is a bad guy in Ghost but she's still her sister; and yeah, Terra's mind is that of the Ultra-Humanite but I figured they were close enough to count!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #150

2011-10-16T13:00:00.000+01:00

Or gender, and rightly so.

Click here to read the rest...

Perusing Previews - October 2011

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000+01:00

I've said it before, I'll say it again - I don't need a 4GB flash drive . . .

but one styled as Boba Fett . . . man, that's tempting. Damn you, George Lucas!

Click here to read the rest...

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #149

2011-10-12T13:00:00.000+01:00

Adam One's a bit thirsty at the dawn of time.

Click here to read the rest...

Jurgens League #4 - Doomsday!

2011-10-11T13:00:00.000+01:00

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #69 - 71, written by Dan Jurgens with art by Dan Jurgens, Sal Velluto and Rick Burchett.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #41

2011-10-10T13:00:00.000+01:00

With the recent news that Crisis on Infinite Earths never happened in the new DCU, I thought it apt to showcase one or two (well, four actually) pastiches of the iconic cover to Crisis... #7

First two out and out homages:

and then two with a slightly different spin:

By the way, I picked up the Complete Major Bummer Super Slacktacular trade paperback last week and it's great! Thoroughly recommended to anyone who enjoys fun comics.

Oh Happy (Julian) Days!

2011-10-06T13:00:00.000+01:00

Nothing from me for the next few days as I'm off for a long weekend away. In the meantime, check out the blog roll on the left and go look at some other lovely comic blogs.

Back next week!

How To Avert A Crisis

2011-10-05T13:00:00.000+01:00

A few weeks back, Erin over at Exploring The Time Lab posed a straightforward question:

"What would you change or keep in canon if you were in charge of the DCnU?"

I posted my reply which basically started off by saying keep everything pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths because then you get to keep Crisis... itself. Seemed fairly sensible to me.

Apparently Dan Didio disagree - with the concept, not me specifically.

He posted on Facebook (and DC Women Kicking Ass got it) that

"there have been no Crisis events in the New DCU."

That's fairly big news - Crisis on Infinite Earths never happened. The sequel, Infinite Crisis, gone. Zero Hour and Final Crisis kaput. Even things like Countdown (no great loss) and the old annual summer events like Final Night and Armageddon 2001 . . . all gone.

That's going to make a lot of fans unhappy, I'm guessing.

Still, at least one person won't be too upset.

Jurgens League #3 - Atom And Aliens

2011-10-04T13:00:00.000+01:00

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #66 - 68, written by Dan Jurgens with art by Jurgens, Rick Burchett and Jose Marzan Jr.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #40

2011-10-03T13:00:00.000+01:00

I don't care what era you're from or what continent you're on, there's one immutable law in the DCU:

If you're in the Justice League, you're going to get your asses kicked at one point or another.

And if you think bad guys are the only ones you have to worry about . . .

Well there's always Martians and ladies to take into account as well.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #148

2011-10-02T13:00:00.000+01:00

Jonah Hex: as forthcoming after the relaunch as he ever was

Click here to read the rest...

Where's What's Her Name? Week 4

2011-10-01T13:00:00.000+01:00

DC have dropped cameos of this person:

from Flashpoint #5 into all the new #1's coming out this month.

Here's where she turned up in the issues I got this week:

Click here to read the rest...

With Great Power

2011-09-30T13:00:00.000+01:00

. . . comes the ability to click on the picture above to get the rest of this strip which brightened my day.

Jurgens League #2 - Starbreaker

2011-09-27T13:00:00.000+01:00

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #63 - 65, written by Dan Jurgens with art by Jurgens and Rick Burchett.

Despite Superman's protests, Max Lord still has a hand in the League's business and after defeating the Weapons Master (see last week's entry) Lord does a deal with the UN which gets the team their own, brand new building right next to that of the UN.

Click here to read the rest...

Monday Memes #39

2011-09-26T13:00:00.000+01:00

Wondering who to invite on to your new team or wondering if you've got the right people already on your team? Grab a bunch of photos and shuffle them round:

Oh, and if you're in the Justice Society, having them upside down from your point of view makes no sense at all!

And if you're advertising something, then a poster or graffiti's the way to go.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #147

2011-09-25T13:00:00.000+01:00

Captain Atom gets some bad news

Click here to read the rest...

Where's What's Her Name? Week 3

2011-09-24T13:00:00.000+01:00

DC have dropped cameos of this person:

from Flashpoint #5 into all the new #1's coming out this month.

Here's where she turned up in the issues I got this week:

Click here to read the rest...