Who'd Like A Cocktail? #237

Haven't we all?

Monday Memories #29 - Justice League Annual #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? #229

Ladies and gentlemen: Hawkman summed up in four words.

WTF Was That All About? Part 1

Last week saw the final gatefold covers of DC's aborted WTF Certified event in April. The name of the now non-event was widely derided after it was revealed, and rightly so, but the covers themselves - the main cover supplemented by a surprise on the gatefold - was a neat idea. I tried to remain as spoiler free as I could, both in the run up to it when covers were being released on the net, and in my weekly Cocktail posts.

Now it's all over, I figure it's time for a quick look at the ones I bought. So, in alphabetical order...

Still Missing, Still Missed

With all the hoo-hah over Superman and Wonder Woman kissing in Justice League #12 this week, DC revealed a top ten list of their favourite super-couples:

There's some obvious ones there - Batman and Catwoman - and some that give me hope for characters we've yet to see in the New 52, specifically Mr Miracle and Big Barda.

But as soon as I read that, one couple instantly sprang to mind and it's a shame not to see them on the list:

You can keep Lois and Clark - Ralph and Sue Dibny were the best couple in the DCU and it'd be nice to have them back.

Who Was Who Is Who #30

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 Mirage's chance.

MINDBOGGLER - can't think of a logo for your superhero costume? Just get an old T-shirt and write your initials on it. Seems to work in the old days. Don't think it'll work in the New 52.

MIRAGE - not the one-time Teen Titan, rather one of Batman's villains. I think the Titan has a better chance of appearing again than this guy.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #91

Hawk gets some dietary advice.

• BATTLEFIELDS #8 - Anna gets promoted and her mild flirtation with Golocyachev comes to an end. Oh, and she's carrying on a conversation with her dead friend. Out loud.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #6 - The two Firestorms seem to be in trouble as they finally realise someone else in in the Matrix; Mera admits she was an assassin sent to kill Aquaman; and Martian Manhunter discovers something terrible in the Australian outback.
• THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER - THE JOURNEY BEGINS #3 - we see Roland deal with the death of his friend (and traitor) Hax the cook.
• DCU LEGACIES #3 - ah, the Silver Age begins! There's a wonderful page where Wein and co. just how mental the stories were back in the old days, and I don't doubt that they're referencing actual tales. It was nice to see John Jones wandering around as well, being a detective, along with the formation of the Justice League of America. Really enjoying this series.
• JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #41 - heroes and villains going crazy because of the Starheart takes up the majority of this issue, with page after page of fighting. The actual story only kicks into gear in the last few pages which seems a bit of a waste. Still, nice to see Mr. Miracle back again.
• NEONOMICON #1 - Cthulhu mythos stories written by Alan Moore; I'm not sure it gets any better than this! Really liked The Courtyard from a few years ago and this follow on promises much.
• POWER GIRL #14 - oh my . . . this used to be such a fun title, now it's all "My life's ruined!" amidst fight scenes. Still, the artwork's nice.
• TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT #1 - Dan Jurgens writing Superman again, with Booster Gold thrown in for good measure, along with Goldstar. Six issues which, I suspect, will be gone all too soon, but it's off to a good start.
• ZATANNA #3 - I'll admit to being a little surprised that the first story arc wrapped up here; I figured six issues minimum. Very well done, though, and so nice that Zatanna didn't have to fight her father; that was resolved with a good deal of care and affection. All round top story!

And what made me smile:

Superman using dialogue from Superman The Movie! Nice touch!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #90

The new Rocket Red gets into the spirit of the JLI

• BOOSTER GOLD #34 - this may be the first time I've looked at Giffen's artwork and just thought "Ugh!" Still, the issue as a whole was great with Giffen and DeMatteis teaming up Booster and Blue Beetle once more, just like it was back in the good old days. Mr Miracle and Barda were welcome guest stars - they're sadly missed after the whole Death of The New Gods things and it was great to see them back. This book is easily top of the list right now.
• THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #35 - I think this might be the first issue of this title that I've really enjoyed since Straczynski took over. Don't get me wrong, his earlier issues have been good, but with my fondness for weird and wacky stories, this stands out.
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #5 - things get a bit serious as the reformed in all but name Justice League International agree to stick together and take on Max Lord. One very slight gripe: I know it's an artistic device but that last panel when they're all standing and looking out at the reader with grim expressions, having decided to get Max Lord . . . why aren't they stood around facing each other?!
• MAGOG #11 - sadly Scott Kolins's run on this title is being cut short as it's only got a couple of issues to run so it feels a little like marking time. I just wonder if James Robinson knows someone's going to make a mess of Opal City.

And what made me laugh:

The fourth wall gets broken, Dan Didio is confirmed as a character in the DCU just like Grant Morrison and John Ostrander, and the Inferior Five return to mainstream continuity!

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? #26

After a month off due to a hectic work schedule, the Cocktail post returns as I run through what I've bought this week.  And what a bumper week to return, as well, as there seemed to be shed-loads of comics.

Ah, Ambush Bug, the DCU is a better place for having you in it.  Ambush Bug: Year None #5 continues the irreverant, nonsensical but above all funny exploits of Keith Giffen's wonderful creation as he hops from one alternate world to another, searching for . . . well . . . a job and . . . er . . . Dan Didio?! It lurches from one gag to another with little regard for plot, let alone continuity, and is all the richer for it. It'll be a shame when this finishes with the next issue but we can hope the Bug will show up somewhere in the DCU soon - hopefully with the Heckler in tow!

Booster Gold #15 picks up from #12 and now regular writer Dan Jurgens carries on Chuck Dixon's unfinished story of museum thefts and time-travel. After a brief visit to the 16th Century where Booster's sister Goldstar turns out to be the model for the Mona Lisa, they return to the present to find Rip Hunter and his lab missing, all because a knife wasn't replaced following the museum theft from several issues back. Cue more time travelling and an awkward reunion with the Elongated Man and a mysterious villain before Booster ends up stuck in what appears to be World War I.

The nastiness (and that's putting it mildly) continues in the pages of Crossed courtesy of Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows as the survivors struggle to come to terms with their new world. A simple mistake by one of their number means they're on the run once more and are quickly made to realise that the diseased Crossed are smarter than they first might appear . . . and a damn sight more disgusting as well. They come up with a novel way of spreading their disease (and yes, that's a pun) which results in another death among the survivors as they move off, heading for a safe haven. It's a tough, visceral story that makes me wonder how it's all going to end.

The Project Superpowers universe expands a little more as well with The Death-Defying 'Devil #1. The silent martial artist with the steel boomerangs gets his own series and, apparently, his own set of bad guys, one of who is dressed the same as himself but with green instead of red on his costume. I'm enjoying the new world these old characters are establishing and am looking forward to the rest of the specials spinning out of Project Superpowers.

Final Crisis #5 finally arrives and starts to tidy things up a little. The whole Green Lantern/deicide charge is brought to a close with the revelation that Granny Goodness is inhabiting Alpha-Lantern Kraken and the Guardians of the Universe charge Hal Jordan with saving the universe.  In 24 hours, no less. Poor old Dan Turpin has been subsumed and is now simply Darkseid who intends to end the entire world while Mr Miracle attempts to save it with the help of Checkmate. An assortment of heroes attack Darkseid's base in Bludhaven prompting a fight between various Shazam powered characters. Meanwhile the exiled Monitor, Nix Uotan, begins to remember things about his previous life as Libra heralds the arrival of his dark lord. It's all going very wrong for the heroes and I like it but, despite the tie-in series, it still doesn't feel like a big enough event. Something like this should have been a crossover series in the truest sense - we should have had to pick up half a dozen issues of series we don't normally buy because as it is at the moment the DCU we're seeing here isn't reflected in any of the normal monthly series. How can this be a universe-shattering event if no-one else knows it's going on?

Talking of the Final Crisis tie-ins, Final Crisis: Revelations #4 was out as well and I still think it's one of the better tie-ins, if only for the central conceit that long-time villain Vandal Savage is actually Cain, the Biblical murderer. With the use of the Spear of Destiny he manages to separate the Spectre from his mortal hose and subjugate it. The Question puts up resistance with the aid of the Radiant and Huntress but it seems to be too little, too late as Savage/Cain uses the Spectre to release the Anti-Life Equation on the world.

In what appears to be the definition of "jumping on point for new readers" new writer Andrew Kreisberg gives us all a run down of who Green Arrow is in Green Arrow/Black Canary #15. It's neatly done, as well, running us through his origin in a handful of pages before, via a flashback, we get a scene where he sweeps out the supporting cast. Ollie's son Connor, fresh from the Judd Winick written "coma and new powers" nonsense, decides to split just as Speedy decides to leave as well as her new boyfriend lives in London. All of this is sandwiched between a framing scene where Ollie and Dinah take down a low-level thug and appear to have (unknowingly) created the new Fiddler. Not a bad issue, but Kreisberg seems to think the title of the comic is still Green Arrow - where's Black Canary's origin? If it's not in the next issue, there will be words.

Justice League Of America #27 had me at a bit of a disadvantage. That nice two page spread where a whole bunch of characters are introduced? I had no idea if they were brand new or part and parcel of the whole Milestone Comics event that happened a few years ago. Still, I went with the flow and the story's shaping up nicely. Best part of the whole issue, though, was Black Canary finally standing up as the leader of the League and chewing out Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman over their secret meeting room.

More Garth Ennis goodness as he and long time collaborator return to the Punisher with Punisher: War Zone #1. It's been a while since I've seen any of Dillon's art work and it's nice to see it again; his clean lines and excellent facial expressions are a joy to see. Couple that, of course, with Ennis's writing and it's going to be no surprise that this Punisher series will be a success even if the dreadful looking film it shares a title with isn't. Chimps flinging junk, lesbians beating up men and the return of Ma Gnucci whom the Punisher killed years before all add up to the sort of story that defines entertainment, at least in my home. I think I might need some help.

Gail Simone fills the gap left by The All-New Atom's demise with her run on Secret Six as the gang try to get the Get Out Of Hell Free card across the country. As Tarantula keeps saying, the card plays on their fears and guilt and they slowly begin to turn against each other before they arrive at Las Vegas only to find that the monstrous Junior is already there, along with a whole host of super-powered mercenaries. Chief among them is Cheshire who saves the mercenaries the bother of killing the Six by having poisoned their last meal.

Finally Trinity #28 continues the whole alternate Earth storyline as the should-have-been friends of the main heroes try to set about bringing the missing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman back to where they're needed. While that's going on, the villains of the piece are causing problems for the Society of this world by releasing villains from all sides before Tomorrow Woman arrives and attempts to help. It's still good fun that romps along at a cracking pace and while it may be unfair to compare it to Countdown, you can't help but think that this is how that series should have been handled.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #11

"Well, cut my calories and call me skinny!" as Animal Man said back in Crisis On Infinite Earths #11. To my surprise, as well as Animal Man's, Countdown To Final Crisis gets its second Cocktail and in consecutive weeks to boot.

Teen Titans #53 was just too much - everything was crammed in with not enough room to breathe; while the series is normally excellent, Blue Beetle #21 was simply okay, possibly due to the fill-in writer; Garth Ennis's Dan Dare #1, while promising much, was simply a scene setter; amongst the other titles I picked up, the only other near contender was Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #3 but, as you can see, it was Countdown that I went for.

At the risk of repeating much of what I said last week, Countdown's come in for some flak over the last six months but it appears to be shaking that off and moving the stories along, though some fare better than others - there's been no sight of Holly Robinson and the Amazons for some time now.

Mary Marvel and Eclipso managed to survive the attack by Lord Havok's ships in last issue and, it appears, Mary has finally realised Eclipso's no good for her.

Stuck on Apokolips, Jimmy Olsen's fortunes seem to swing from bad to good and right back to worse; rescued by Mr Miracle, the New God then forces Jimmy to play at one of those trust exercises that were so big in 1990's training seminars. Usually, one person gets another to fall backwards, trusting that the first will catch them, thus teaching them to be more trusting of others.

Mr Miracle's version, as shown on the right, is a lot more extreme risking the Fire Pits of Apokolips instead of the risk of falling flat on your backside. As one of the early Countdown posters said, Jimmy Olsen must die. The chances of it being at the hands of Mr Miracle, however, are fairly remote.

After the torture and beating he endured in last week's issue, Mr Mxyzptlk returns to the Fifth Dimension where he's met and consoled by his wife. Beaten to within an inch of his life, he decides to seal the entire dimension off from the Third and proclaims that he can never go back.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that at some point, Mr Mxyzptlk will actually get back to the Third Dimension. Saying something will never happen in comics is a bit . . . well, silly really. It wouldn't surprise me if a few years down the line, the wholesale slaughter of The Death Of The New Gods not withstanding, we'll see the return of a hale and hearty Big Barda, Metron, Lightray and all the others that are currently being picked off.

But I digress.

The big reason Countdown got the Cocktail this week was the apparent culmination of Trickster and Pied Piper's story. While it's been a little hit and miss and some of Trickster's jibes about Piper's sexuality have seemed more bigoted than the sort of thing long-time friends can get away with, the shocking end to their story came as a hell of a surprise. Whether this, too, is something that can be undone - like Mxyzptlk's statement of not returning will be at some point - only time will tell. Either way, it's a hell of a cliff hanger and, once again, next week's issue can't come soon enough.