Who Was Who Is Who #37

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 Reactron's chance.

PUZZLER - umm . . . who, now? Apparently an old Superman villain, "obsessed with games, tricks and puzzles" who was intent on outwitting Supes. Yeah, don't think we'll be seeing him.

QUAKEMASTER - pretty sure this is one Batman villain that we won't be seeing again.

QUEEN BEE - there's been a couple of versions of the Queen Bee: the original alien seductress and her modern-day JLA version along with the Queen of Bialya who caused trouble for the Justice League way back when it was funny. Will we see either in the New 52? I don't think so.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #132

Butcher illustrates one of the reasons why The Boys is a mature readers title

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #125

Someone's lacking a sense of proportion

It's Sunday afternoon - what did I think of this week's comics?

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #120

Firebrand bemoans the budget deficit

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #85

Black Alice produces the best Etrigan rhyme ever!

Bumper week this week following the no-show of my comics last weekend.

• Booster Gold #33 - understandable that the title's tying in closely with Justice League: Generation Lost and the whole hunt for Max Lord thing, but it was nice seeing the JLI-era League once more.
• Brightest Day #3 - nice, too, to see J'onn J'onnz being a detective once more, working out who was brought to Earth before him; and is it me or is Ronnie Raymond looking waaaaaaaaaaay younger than ever before?
• Doom Patrol #11 - oh man, and they thought Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol was weird! This is cool, though, with Ambush Bug helping the team out - the line about "saving that for last" almost got the Cocktail post this week as I literally snorted when I read it!
• JSA All-Stars #7 - from the cover you'd expect the service to be a closed casket affair as Damage is laid to rest; there's a touching eulogy from Judomaster which runs throughout most of this issue, giving it a quieter, respectful air. Very well done.
• Co-feature Liberty Belle & Hourman - the good guy / bad guy team up continues to make this an enjoyable story even if it is starting to drag a little.
• Justice League: Generation Lost #3 - it's Fire's turn to be tricked by Max Lord into becoming a renegade as the team, now with extra Blue Beetle which is always good, continue the hunt. Great line from Ice when she explains she doesn't know what the OMACs are - "I'm pretty sure I was deceased when they showed up the first time!"
• Justice Society of America #39 - now that, my friends, is a cliffhanger! Excellent issue!
• PunisherMax #8 - three stories running in parallel this issue with lines being crossed by the end of it.
• Secret Six #22 - aside from the splendid rhyme quoted above, this issue had several cool moments ranging from the cold with Catman and his father, to the sad with Black Alice and her father, to the funny with Ragdoll . . . just being Ragdoll, really.
• The Stand: Hardcases #1 - the focus of the story shifts to the bad guys as Flagg begins gathering his troops.
• Superman: New Krypton Vol 1 - picked up the trade of this pretty much on a whim so will read it over the next few days.

And what made me smile:

Booster Gold stands up for the JLI!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #75

Gee, would you look at that - 75th edition of Who'd Like A Cocktail?

• Doom Patrol #8 - a quick one page summary of Blackest Night and Giffen's right back to his own storyline. It should be nutty enough to please fans of the old Morrison run but, for my money, nowhere near as needlessly pretentious. This is good, solid (if weird) superheroics.
• Justice League: Rise And Fall Special - poor old Green Arrow's gone and done a bad thing and all his friends are angry with him and "have to stop him -- before he kills again!" Strange as it's not the first time he's done it but there you go. I like the character so will tag along for the ride and see what happens.
• Magog #7 - with the whole Mother of Magog sub plot bubbling away, it looks like next issue we get a visit from Tommy Tomorrow and the Planeteers!
• Punishermax #5 - the Kingpin storyline concludes, nicely leading in to the next round where Bullseye looks to be getting a pseudo-Colin Farrell makeover. This is shaping up to be a cool series, and not just for the Steve Dillon artwork.
• Secret Six #19 - Black Alice and Ragdoll getting sweet? Awww, how nice! That last page, though? Can't wait for the next issue!

And what made me smile:

Never has a next issue box looked so good! (Giffen + Doom Patrol) x Ambush Bug = Awesome!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #67

• Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 - missed this last week so picked up now; gorgeous artwork from Nicola Scott and Eduardo Pansica and despite knowing what was going to happen to Wonder Woman (having read Blackest Night #6) the story still held me . . . right up till the end. Even though Aphrodite's intervention was kinda fitting within the confines of the story, it was still "all just a dream." Disappointing.
• Booster Gold #28 - I can't help wondering, given the recent news about Giffen and DeMatteis taking over this title, whether Dan Jurgens is building up to a big finale - wouldn't be the first time he's had a hand in destroying Coast City!
• Blue Beetle - oh, Jaime, what have you done now? Looks like this, too, is building to a finale and it'll be a shame to see Beetle go.
  
• Catwoman #83 - have to admit I was looking forward to these resurrected titles but they seem to be fairly formulaic now - villain rises as Black Lantern, attacks hero, is destroyed after fight. Still, halfway through so I'll grab the rest.
• Green Arrow/Black Canary #28 - I'm just sticking with this title because of the characters now; I don't like Sienkiewicz's art, I don't like Kreisberg's writing though I do approve of his attempt to beef up Green Arrow's rogues gallery. But that's about it.
• Green Arrow - what do you know? A second feature that doesn't actually feature any of the main characters.
• Magog #5 - Giffen continues building up to the inevitable conflict between Magog and the Justice Society.
• Neonomicon prologue - all new Alan Moore! Just when you thought this week's comics were a little light on substance! Can't wait for the series to begin proper later this year.
• The Power Of Shazam #48 - again, a little formulaic as the Catwoman issue above but, to be fair, there's the slight spin of Osiris actually fighting against the black power ring from the start.
• Punishermax #3 - what is it about Steve Dillon drawing horrible old ladies?
• Secret Six #17 - the Six pretty much get shafted by Amanda Waller, the Suicide Squad and the Black Lanterns. Another tightly plotted issue by Simone and Ostrander.

And what made me smile:

Ah, Ragdoll . . .

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #27

My infrequent reviews of the comics I pick up each week - the Cocktail posts - have gone through a couple of formats: concentrating solely on one comic at first, then trying to summarise everything I had.

Both of those approaches took way too much time (I have a life outside reading and occasionally annotating comics) so here's the third version - simple snapshots of something that made me think or laugh or wince and a favourite moment to round it all up.

• Back To Brooklyn #4 - Garth Ennis really has got something against old ladies in wheelchairs;
• The Boys #28 - only in this title are decapitated heads used as lethal weapons;
• Secret Six #7 - wait a moment - when did Sonar II get his original costume back and lose all the metallic implants? Or am I confusing the guy second from left, page 15, panel 1 with someone else? And why am I worrying about this?
• Strange Adventures #1 - Jim Starlin still has his eye on Hawkman but be warned, Starlin: the continuity people are watching;
• Terror Titans #6 - So that's where she's been hiding all this time?
• Trinity #40 - The big three are back but John Stewart's looked better.

And the thing that made me smile this week:

"Fetch."

Splendid!