Who'd Like A Cocktail? #157

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

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #140

Deadshot asks what we've been thinking for a while

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? #110

Edward I continues his cross-border relations policy

Missed out on my comics last week so a bumper haul this week - possibly the last of 2010!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #107

Because he's the Batman! Duh!

• THE BOYS: HIGHLAND LADDIE #4 - I really like Starlight. She's honest and smart enough to realise that something's fishy with how Wee Hughie got sight of that footage. And she's willing to put them both through the wringer in an attempt to salvage their relationship. Another excellent issue.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #14 - Deadman gets taught a lesson as we have a quick tour through his past and hey, what do you know, the resurrected Batman turns up. Oh, and Deadman and Dove get together at last - Hawk's going to be pissed!
• DC UNIVERSE: LEGACIES #7 - wait, John Stewart became Green Lantern after Armageddon 2001?! That makes no sense at all! Nice to see the highlights of the Death of Superman as well as Knightfall, though. And hey, Brian Bolland artwork on Camelot 500! Damn fine issue.
• GREEN LANTERN #59 - "You can't erase your crimes by putting on a ring." Ummm, isn't that kinda what you did, Hal? I don't see you serving time in a Sciencell for the death of Kilowog or Sinestro. Oh and I don't know what's funnier: Larfleeze stealing Flash's wallet or the fact that somewhere in that skin tight uniform Flash finds room to keep a wallet!
• GREEN LANTERN CORPS #54 - interesting bit of back story on the Weaponer and who knew that skinny Sinestro could fight so well hand-to-hand?
• JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51 - heh - the Atom explaining about parallel worlds to Alan Scott; like he needs a lesson on the Multiverse! Another big fight with lots of exposition.
• POWER GIRL #18 - you know, with the recent balls-up of Ice's origin over in Justice League: Generation Lost, I was expecting Winick to mess this title up as well. Thankfully, he's surprised me by turning in a decent story again of Power Girl vs Divine, but I'm still nervous about the long-term prospects.
• THE STAND: HARDCASES #5 - the Free Zone Committee are in place and everything starts to gear up now.
• ZATANNA #7 - a fill in issue is always a bit worrisome but Adam Beechen turns in a great one-shot issue. This really is a charming series!

And what made me smile:

I shall now be using this repeatedly for the Friday Night Fights!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #103

Even demonic cat familiars like Lolcats, apparently

• THE BOYS: HIGHLAND LADDIE #3 - poor old Hughie's well messed up and the arrival of Starlight at the end of the issue probably means #4 isn't going to be a laugh a minute either.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #12 - I am so glad that the other green Martian didn't turn out to be J'onn's wife - that would have been dreadful. 
• DC UNIVERSE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2010 - another anthology title so a little hit and miss; the Scarecrow story was good, Wonder Woman and Deadman in their first real team-up worked but the best was Blue Beetle and Miss Martian.
• DC UNIVERSE: LEGACIES #6 - the tail end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the formation of Justice League Detroit and the whole, sorry Legends event get featured in this issue.
• GREEN LANTERN CORPS #53 - despite being mostly one big fight, this was an okay issue with new villain the Weaponer kidnapping Soranik Natu and forcing Kyle Rayner to work with Sinestro. One query, though: the Korugarans that Rayner saves - why aren't they red skinned?
• JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #50 - so if you're planning to totally wipe out one of the alternate Earths (off screen as well) why pick on the only one out of the 51 available that has any sort of real exposure? Bang goes Earth-9 and the whole Tangent heroes universe. And why were the Crime Syndicate after the body of Alexander Luthor? He's from the pre-Crisis Earth-3 while the Syndicate's from the Anti-Matter Universe.
• POWER GIRL #17 - so Divine gets her first full appearance and, unless I'm mistaken, she seems to be a clone of Power Girl herself.
• RAGMAN: SUIT OF SOULS #1 - I was hoping for a bit more than an origin retelling, maybe featuring the Shadowpact, but it wasn't bad.
• THE STAND: HARDCASES #4 - I'd almost forgotten this series was going on it's been so long since the last one.

And what made me smile:

The Daily Planet's post-Crisis headline!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #101

You won't find Anna Fortune getting teary eyed with nostalgia

• THE BOYS #47 - aw, crap . . . Wee Hughie loses it with Starlight in a scene that had me cringing. You know you're emotionally invested in fictional characters when you just want to grab them and say "Stop f*****g things up!"
• BRIGHTEST DAY #11 - Firestorm throws down against his evil counterpart while Aquaman and Black Manta have a huge fight. Oh, and the Black Lantern version of the twelve resurrected characters reappear. Strangely, the best part of the issue for me was that last two page spread of a huge forest covering the surface of Mars.
• DOOM PATROL #15 - the Chief goes completely off the rails as the Kryptonian powers he's absorbed send him more than a little crazy. The fight between the Doom Patrol and the Chief is touching and sad though I somehow doubt that this is the end of Caulder. And who'd have thought a pelican could look so startled?
• FREEDOM FIGHTERS #2 - another solid issue as Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters go up against the renegade shamans from the past . . . and get their butts kicked. A little standard, plot wise - issue 1 introduces the threat, issue 2 the threat beats the heroes, issue 3 the heroes try but fail to beat them before realising/finding a key idea/item, issue 4 the heroes beat the threat - but no less enjoyable because of Palmiotti and Gray's cracking dialogue and the lovely art by Travis Moore. Once passed this story which is establishing the team for new readers, I've no doubt this series will really kick into gear.
• JSA-ALL STARS #11 - did Atom Smasher miss the meeting about giant-sized fights in the middle of a city? Can't help thinking that's not his brightest move. Elsewhere, Cyclone's back, Power Girl recuperates (how else is a solar powered hero going to recharge other than by sun-bathing!) and Atom Smasher and Anna Fortune start some serious flirting.
• Co feature LIBERTY BELLE AND HOURMAN - so this story that's been drawn out a little too long comes to an end. As I've said before, it's good - the characters are well written and the art's great - but it's just felt a bit stretched. But hey, a nice resolution.
• SECRET SIX #26 - if ever there was a place where Bane fitted in, it looks like it's Skataris. The two teams go head to head a lot sooner than I'd expected and that last page . . . not sure where that's going to go next issue.

And what made me smile:

Oh, Ambush Bug, you are a one.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #97

Phantom Lady shows name-calling is a part of fighting villains

• THE BOYS #46 - Butcher shows his sensitive side . . . right before he shows he's still something of a bastard after all as he allows Wee Hughie to discover just what Starlight did to get accepted into the Seven. It's masterfully done by Ennis and throughout the entire issue you can't help but think Butcher's not such a bad sort after all. At least right up till that last page.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #9 - So the new Aqualad's Black Manta's son? Blimey. And Martian Manhunter's having a bit of a hard time as well. This series keeps romping along nicely.
• FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1 - I was really happy when this series was announced, having enjoy Palmiotti & Gray's earlier Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters series and this was no disappointment. Always nice to see Nazis taking a kicking and some nicely done introduction scenes for the main players before leaving the issue on a cliff hanger.
• JSA ALL-STARS #10 - In between the All-Stars kicking some divine butt down in Parador, King Chimera and Cyclone's tentative romance moves on apace, at least until her supersonic sneeze! Power Girl steals this issue, though, by effectively beating the crap out of the gods - until her own self-confidence lends them a hand in beating her.
• Co feature LIBERTY BELLE & HOURMAN - once again an enjoyable few pages but, really, the plots been a little thin since the start so while each episode has been fun, it hasn't really gelled for me.
• SECRET SIX #25 - despite feeling like I missed an issue somewhere along the line (last month's foray into the Wild West anyone?)  this is still one of the best titles out there. Looks like we're going to have two teams face off against each other in some weird alien / dinosaur dimension. Best thing, though, is the possibility that Gail Simone will get some payback for the death of the Atom by having Giganta stomp all over Dwarfstar.

And what made me smile:

New sword please!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #93

Negative Man speaks the truth in Doom Patrol #13

Life gets in the way sometimes, hence nothing much happening here over the last few days, but hey, look: comics!

• BLACK TERROR #11 - I think Phil Hester's settled in to the writer's role now; Black Terror's dialogue is fun to read and, for most of this issue, he's simply not interested in navel gazing. Fighting a duplicate of himself that's meant to shake him to his core? He doesn't care, he's just having fun beating the crap out of it! On the whole, this is pretty good stuff, though there was one thing that made me laugh but that's at the bottom of this list . . .
• THE BOYS #45 - that lovely, innocent looking cover belies at least one cat getting out of the bag in this issue: Starlight coming out as a supe to Wee Hughie. It's a sad tale that leaves the poor lad in a hell of a state, particularly when Butcher makes an apparently honest attempt to reach out to him.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #7 - so the White Lantern finally explains to everyone it brought back why it did so. And, of course, the answers are about as enigmatic as you'd expect. Anyone thinking we were going to get straightforward reasons must be disappointed! Still, nice to see Miss Martian looking better than she did at the end of last issue.
• CROSSED: FAMILY VALUES #3 - as brutal as this issue is, it wasn't the subject matter that left me feeling a little uneasy, rather it was the art. For some reason, this issue's artwork seemed more cartoon-like than any previous, more amateurish almost. Some of it felt just a little too gratuitous, really, a feeling that Jacen Burrows's work on the original series never induced. I hate to sound so negative (I do try to be fairly upbeat about comics on this blog) but the art just let this issue down.
• DOOM PATROL #13 - whereas this issue that focused on Elasti-Girl was, quite possibly, the best of the run so far. An origin tale of sorts, Rita reveals her big secret to the rest of the Patrol and looks to be settling her divorce in a permanent way. This is a really nicely done issue which lets us get inside Rita's head and heart and shows that Giffen can do more than laugh out loud funny.
• JSA ALL-STARS #9 - as Cyclone calls King Chimera on whether or not he's going to make a move, the rest of the All-Stars meet up with their old friend Brainwave who's obviously on exposition duty this month. And just in time, too, as the kids he's been looking after turn out to be Paradorian gods! Damn, I love this book!
• Co-feature LIBERTY BELLE & HOURMAN - you know, I could see Icicle, maybe even Tigress, reforming after this storyline. They work well together with the two JSA-ers and it'd be something of a shame to have them return to villains of the month once this story wraps up.
• MAGOG #12 - so that wraps up this series, then, although there's the forthcoming special that'll tie-up the actual storyline. An enjoyable series on the whole, mostly down to Giffen's writing again, but not, I think, one that actually had any lasting impact. Sure, Magog gets a name-check in Brightest Day this week as someone that Max Lord has to stop, but I think it likely he'll either fade away or become a JSA anti-hero/pseudo-villain as Black Adam did.
• SECRET SIX #24 - how often to you get to enjoy an issue without knowing what the hell's going on!? The Six are in some alternate dimension/universe/dream state and it looks like Junior's behind it all. The banter between Jeanette and Deadshot was wonderful and the Punch and Judy dolls looking like Joker and Harley Quinn was just genius! Can't wait to see where this goes.
• THE STAND: HARDCASES #3 - oh Harold Lauder, you sad, pathetic man.

And what made me laugh out loud:

The. Worst. Costume. Ever!

People moaned about Wonder Woman's new look that was unveiled a couple of weeks ago, but seriously, this has to be the most ill-conceived design for a costume I've ever seen. Two bandoliers criss-crossing her chest?! It's like something a 13 year-old boy would come up with - bullets and boobs!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #89

Robotman gives Negative Man fair warning in Doom Patrol #12

• THE BOYS #44 - I swear, seeing the Homelander singing the Bee Gees almost made the Cocktail post this week! Garth Ennis mixes in evangelical Christianity with his take on superheroes and I think we all know it's not going to be pretty. And that last page . . . poor Hughie and Starlight . . .
• BRIGHTEST DAY #5 - Mera and Aquaman are attacked by a foe from the past, forcing Mera to reveal a secret she's been keeping for nigh on fifty years; while Deadman is forced to attempt a resurrection; and the Hawks... the Hawks don't look as though they're in a good place right now.
• DOOM PATROL #12 - the Doom Patrol have their behinds kicked while behind the scenes the Chief is forced to compromise. The end of the first year is traditionally a round up of a major story arc but that doesn't happen here; instead more hints are laid for upcoming issues. Here's to the next year!
• JSA ALL-STARS #8 - still one of my favourite reads every month, a superhero team that works well together and, while having plenty of action, also has characters that develop as well: Anna Fortune drops a nice hint about her origins when she says "The only flying machines they've got in my day are hot air balloons." Really enjoying this title.
• Co-feature LIBERTY BELLE & HOURMAN - for me, it's the character interaction that still leaves this story rattling along; I've long forgotten what the plot is about this book and statue the heroes and villains are after. Still, I'm not complaining as it's a quick, fun read.
• SECRET SIX #23 - a done-in-one guest slot from John Ostrander was something I was looking forward to. As it is, it's a little disappointing. A not entirely original set-up and the Six are very quickly shown to be in no real danger so we pretty much know nothing's going to happen to them. All in all, nothing special.
• THE STAND: HARDCASES #2 - As Flagg continues to draw his followers to Vegas, this adaptation continues to be solid and dependable.

And what made me smile this week:

Roxy gives the All-Stars plenty of warning!