Co-Feature Blues Joy!

I blogged a few weeks ago, bemoaning the fact that Captain Atom was getting a co-feature slot in Action Comics, a title that I don't get.  I finished the post saying "So I guess I'll have to settle for reading about it on the net and hope against hope that the Captain Atom story will get collected some point down the line."

Oh happy day! I've just read over at Newsarama that "[Senior Story Editor Ian] Sattler said that the co-features will be collected into their own volumes, but the "hows" and "whens" of the process are still being worked out."

Oh yeah! Captain Atom collected trade in the future!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #42

Here's the weekly run down of the comics I picked up this week:

• The Brave And The Bold #24 - don't know much about Static so this issue seemed a little lacklustre - not bad, just nothing notwworthy;
• The Dark Tower: Fall Of Gilead #2 - this series just keeps getting better and better;
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #2 - what are they doing to Rising Sun?  The guy deserves better;
• Green Arrow And Black Canary #21 - has Andrew Kreisberg actually read any Black Canary stories before? Last month it was all Canary's fault because of some repressed teenage angst, now he has her being a dumb blond thinking to herself: "I hope that whatever that is in her hands isn't more complicated to operate than a Dust Buster because when it comes to me and technology..."  Jeez, Kreisberg - she's the chairman of the Justice League for frick's sake!
• Masquerade #4 - a damn fine mini-series and I can't wait for Project Superpowers to continue;
• The Boys: Herogasm #2 - oh dear, someone's watching Hughie . . .
• Power Girl #2 - really enjoying this but I have a complaint: the Ultra-Humanite gets an origin story that completely ignores his Golden Age appearances?! Where's Delores Winters?! The All-Star Squadron?! Jimmy, Justin - sort this out!
• Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #0 - hey look, I can't wait for it to continue and here it is!

And what made me smile this week:

Power Girl's method of dealing with overly talkative villains!

I Want It Now!

Just read this over at the Dan DiDio 20 questions piece at Newsarama:

9. A pretty simple question from a reader: Will we see Ambush Bug #6 before Blackest Night #1? 


DD: (laughs) It’s good that we hit this question every time. I know exactly where Ambush Bug #6 is - it’s still in the same place it is the last time I was asked this question. I might have put my money on "yes" for a while given those choices, but now, I’m going with 50/50. 


NRAMA: What’s the holdup? 


DD: We’re just working out some of the last changes on it, and right now, everybody’s plate is full, to be honest. We’re ready to roll with it as soon as Keith is ready to go - Keith’s been working vey hard on Doom Patrol and Magog, and really doing great stuff. Once he has that stuff in hand at reaches a point where he can catch his breath, we’ll get it out. 


NRAMA: So really, Keith just drew every character in every panel on every page flipping the bird? 


DD: (laughs) See, I only wish it was that interesting.

C'mon - give us our Ambush Bug #6!

Superman: Red Son Deluxe Edition Hardcover

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #41

Thanks to Blogger's scheduling function, I can post this even though I'm enjoying a long weekend away with family and friends!

• Booster Gold #21 - Blimey! Black Beetle's back, beats Booster 'n' Batman!
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #2 - okay, anyone have a clue what's going on here?
• Green Lantern Corps #37 - ha! Guy Gardner's recurring enemy is Bolphunga the Unrelenting! Fail!
• JSA vs. Kobra #1 - well look at that, a JSA title where Power Girl actually acts like the leader of the Society. Kudos!
• The Punisher #71 - Deep South? Check. House in the middle of nowhere? Check. Cannibalisitic inbred rednecks? Check. Cliches galore? Check.

And what made me smile this week:

Matthew Sturges is back writing Blue Beetle in the co-feature of Booster Gold #21! Oh yeah!

An American Writer In Britain?

Being a part-time writer myself, I've met plenty of other writers over the years, mostly novelists but a few screenwriters and comics writers as well. Most of those meetings have been here in the UK and most of the writers British. I've met several America writers as well, though, also over here so it's not unheard of that folks from the other side of the pond come across.

I have to wonder - having recently re-read Millennium - whether Steve Englehart had ever been to Britain in 1988:

That's Birmingham in 1988, apparently, and Celia Windward is about to be tapped to (eventually) become Jet, one of the New Guardians. Two of those captions need a closer look:

In 1988, Britain was ruled by the Conservative Party under their leader Margaret Thatcher. They're definitely to the right of mainstream politics but even being the pinko, liberal, commie, left-winger that I am (slight exaggeration but not much) I wouldn't call them fascists. They gutted the manufacturing industry in Britain during their rule, privatised most if not all of the nationalised services and utilities and brought unemployment to new heights. Sadly, twenty years on, the current Labour Party haven't been a whole lot better. But still . . . fascists?

9am and it's still dark! That's right, folks, Britain doesn't get daylight until at least 3 in the afternoon, and only for ten minutes!!

But it gets worse - days later, Batman, Green Lantern and Mr. Miracle head off to collect Celia so that she can become Jet:

For once I'm going to ignore the dialect spoken by Celia - while it's obviously more Jamaican influenced than Brummie, there's nothing to say that Celia was born and bred in Birmingham - but just look at the weather: middle of the day and most of the street is hidden by fog!

Fog!!

In the middle of the day!!!!!

If it weren't for those captions talking about the lack of daylight, I'd blame Joe Staton for being lazy and not wanting to draw backgrounds. As it is, I'm extending an open invitation to Steve Englehart to come over to the UK and take me to a large city which has fog rolling down the streets up to people's knees.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #40

Will be back to more regular posting next week once the busy time in work calms down again. In the meantime: comics!

• Back To Brooklyn #5 - Ennis and Palmiotti wrap up the series with a wonderful display of brotherly love;
• The Boys #31 - more Ennis madness with The Boys, but this time Carlos Ezquerra joins in!
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #2 - I swear I can't wait for Sturges and Willingham to start on Justice Society of America; this issue's excellent and it's only written by one of them;
• The Punisher: Naked Kill - a brutal and inventive way of getting down the outside of a building;
• Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #3 - well thank goodness that wrapped all the loose ends up and explained everything . . . oh, wait a moment . . .
• Secret Six #10 - can't help feeling for these guys . . . and only then realising that they're the bad guys - damn, this is good;
• Strange Adventures #4 - Starlin's plans to bugger up Hawkman's origins have obviously been short-circuited as he's no longer going to be involved in this series.

And what made me smile this week:

For the first time that Secret Six has been in the list, it gets trumped by the wonderful Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! and the Human Flame seriously misjudging those cute little doggies!