Who Was Who Is Who #33

So for want of anything better to write about on a Monday, I'm going to go through all my copies of Who's Who and see if I can predict who will make it over to the new DCU by the end of 2012, who might make it and who hasn't got a Nuclear Family's chance.

NIGHTSHADE - pretty sure the last time we saw Nightshade was in Shadowpact which folded far too quickly for my liking. Don't think she's made it into the New 52 yet (as at the start of April) and while it'd be nice to see her, I don't think it likely.

NIGHT-SLAYER - a Batman villain that sounds like a metal band. Don't think Bruce needs to worry about this guy turning up again.

NIGHTWING - having survived and editorial edict to kill him off during Infinite Crisis, Dick Grayson's alive and well and in his eponymous title so he goes into the "in place" column.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #130

The Spectre gets all snitty with Zatanna

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #102

Larfleeze shows why he's the one getting his own Christmas special this year

• BOOSTER GOLD #37 - you're almost left with the thought that either Giffen or DeMatteis is occasionally tapping the other one on the shoulder and saying "Didn't we have a plot we were following at some point?" This is still a great fun series but it does delight in wandering down various sub-plot alleyways before being wrenched back to the main one! And methinks we haven't seen the last of Estrogina!
• GREEN LANTERN #58 - finally, Carol Ferris slaps down Hal Jordan's expectations, reminding him of his girl back home while she gets on with her life. Meanwhile Salaak begins to get suspicious of Jordan's activities and hey, the Flash turns up.
• GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #3 - the Red Lantern Bleez seems to be along for the ride, but at least she can speak now. Sodam Yat finds he's being hunted by his own father and that creepy, floating dwarf who's behind the draining of Lantern's rings shows up again.
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #11 - this issue's pretty much all about the Metal Men attacking Fire, Ice and Rocket Red which ends up with Ice being forced into her new persona, the origin of which we meet in the next issue and which I moaned about earlier this week.
• JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 80 PAGE GIANT 2010 - I've said it before: the thing with anthologies is you have to take the rough with the smooth. The Obsidian story was well done though it was little more than an origin tale; Jesse Quick helps a battered woman (as an aside - a trash can lid can deflect bullets? I don't think so!); Mr Terrific's tale was a little empty; Cyclone battles through some some spiteful people and discovers a new power; Sand shoots a cop (but he deserved it); the Wildcats get closer to each other; and Dr Fate manages to help someone in death. Mostly okay stories, though the Mr Terrific one was, as I said, just a little less than the others.
• KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #1 - I've never picked up a book before on the strength of a preview, but had to give this a go. It's wonderfully British and I applaud DC for publishing it. Storywise it does little except establish some characters but does so with humour and charm. Well worth getting.
• UNTOLD TALES OF BLACKEST NIGHT #1 - basically an anthology so again a little hit and miss. I think the most pertinent thing to come out of it was the recruitment of Lyssa Drak by the floating, creepy dwarf from the Green Lantern titles.

And what made me smile:

Induce vomiting! Kiss her!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #100

The Ultra-Humanite displays his "legendary impatience"

Blimey! 100 Cocktail posts and the vast majority of them completed and published every Sunday at 1pm. Okay, enough patting myself on the back - time for comics!

• CROSSED: FAMILY VALUES #4 - as I mentioned last time, Javier Barreno's art here has just become a little too cartoony to take seriously which is a shame when you're dealing with a subject matter of this sort. The violence loses its shock when the characters are edging towards human versions of Wile E. Coyote. So people get shot to bits, so characters get run over, so what? It doesn't matter that much when they look like cartoons. A shame as the story's okay but the art let's it down; I'm not saying it's bad, just not the right style.
• GREEN ARROW #4 - so Martian Manhunter visits briefly, just like he did in Brightest Day #9 - actually the first few pages of this issue are basically a retread of that issue's visit which explains my sense of deja vu! Aside from that, there seems to be a new bad girl in Ollie's city who's threatening his new friend Mary. Certainly not terrible, but this series seems to be treading water a little.
• JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #43 - this, an epilogue to the recent cross-over between Justice Society and Justice League, was easily the best issue of the lot. Robinson crafted a discussion between Green Lantern Alan Scott and Obsidian that was heartfelt and genuine without being melodramatic or saccharine. Of course, establishing a rule that Obsidian and his sister Jade can't come within half a mile of each other runs the risk of another writer or artist simply putting them in the same place together at some point down the line. And once that happens, the internet will scream its indignation! Seriously, though, this was a really nice issue.
• JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA SPECIAL #1 - this, on the other hand, was a little bit messy, wrapping up as it did the storyline from the recently cancelled Magog series. A little sprawling, perhaps due to a four or six issue arc being crammed into one issue, it still ends on something of a cliff hanger which, in all likelihood, won't get picked up ever again. Ah well.
• TEEN TITANS #87 - for the first time in months, an issue of Teen Titans that I really, really enjoyed. Not that I read it, simply that it's the last issue with Henderson writing. I skipped over pretty much the whole thing and can't wait for JT Krul to take over next issue. Anything has to better than the last year or so.
• Co feature - COVEN OF THREE - nicely wrapped up even if the three protagonists are shown to be in a worse emotional state than when they started.
• TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT #3 - while I prefer the dorsal-finned, bulked up, UN flag wearing version of Despero to the lateral-finned version here, it's nice to see the guy back in business. Not to mention the Linear Men - I'd been wondering where they were for some time. You can count on Dan Jurgens for some straightforward storytelling (and trust me, that's not a complaint) along with some lovely art and this series continues to supply both.

And what made me smile:

Rock in the face!