Monday Memories #50 - The Punisher #8

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? #166

You can't say fairer than that.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #162

That's what comics need: good, old-fashioned politeness.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #159

Salaak obviously hasn't seen anywhere near enough buddy cop movies

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #154

Always good to know what you're sitting on.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #150

Or gender, and rightly so.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #146

Madame Xanadu displays her grasp of British colloquialisms.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #141

Forever? Well, at least until September.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #138

Lady Mechanika points out the obvious to an alcoholic.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #133

What some people will do to get a promotion

With all the DC relaunch / reboot news over the last week or two I figured I'd run a quick poll to gauge the feelings of my lovely readers - check it out at the top of the page.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #129

I guess Captain Thunder isn't talking about the David Kelley pilot

Here be Flashpoint #1 spoilers, people so continue reading at your own risk . . .

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #126

Max Lord spots a problem

Look at that - hardly worth calling in to the comic shop this week.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #121

Negative Man lets us know who'll be playing Batman in the new movie

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #117

Just how does Batman prepare for every eventuality?

Monday Covers #15

Punisher #20

I think Tim Bradstreet became as closely linked with the Punisher as Garth Ennis during the latter's run as writer. There were many examples of Bradstreet's covers I could have chosen but looking through them, this caught my eye.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #96

Bullseye gives a lesson in how to make a threat

• BATTLEFIELDS #9 - good god - a Garth Ennis hero who doesn't die at the end of the story! Okay, Anna Kharkova doesn't exactly finish her tale in the happiest of places but at least she managed to get out alive.
• GREEN ARROW #3 - it looks like Green Arrow definitely followed in his father's footsteps when it came to his lousy treatment of women while he looks set to battle his darker side.
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #8 - Winick continues to surprise me with his writing on this title along with Power Girl; maybe if he stuck to this sort of thing - fun, humourous stuff - people wouldn't hate his work so much. Rocket Red is turning out to be the unexpected star so far . . . and is Fire flirting with him?
• JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #48 - there were a couple of things that bugged me about this issue but I plan on dealing with them in a separate post, probably on Tuesday. Story-wise, it still seems a little all over the shop, blundering from one fight to another although the Supergirl / Power Girl / Congorilla entrance was kinda cool.
• PUNISHERMAX #9 - I missed this a couple of weeks ago, apparently, which is a shame as once more, this issue shows just how good this title is. Anyone got a magnifying glass for Bullseye's dialogue on page 7? And the "favorite color?" signs were just brilliant.
• TEEN TITANS #86 - yet another issue skimmed over without paying any real attention. I'm simply marking time till J.T. Krul takes over.
• Co-feature COVEN OF THREE - the three magic users are double-crossed by the Demons Three and wind up in Hell.
• TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT #2 - holy crap! Starfire's back! No, not the one from the Teen Titans that everyone knows, but this one! Couple that with Claw the Unconquered and it's like the 70's all over again!

And what made me smile:

An illegal arms dealer learns not to call the Punisher's bluff!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #71

Horrendously busy in work over the last week, so much so I didn't even get a chance to post a Friday Night Fight. Still got my comics, though:

• Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 - missed this last week but have to be honest and say I have no idea why Mera's rage is so great, what the big secret was or what Wonder Woman hinted at. No idea at all.
• Booster Gold #29 - the destruction of Coast City's about to happen all over again and Booster's right in the middle of it.
• Second Feature: Blue Beetle - ah, all good things come to an end, I guess. I shall miss Blue Beetle both as a series and a back-up in this comic. It was a good, fun series which is what I like but at least Matt Sturges was able to finish off his storyline.
• The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill #3 - oooooh, traitors everywhere, it seems.
• Green Arrow/Black Canary #29 - warning! The cover of this issue does not in any way reflect the contents! As usual, clumsy dialogue, horrible art and . . . I'm sorry, but . . . Hilt?! Bwah-ha-ha! Oh my dear lord that has to be the crappiest, most contrived villain name in the world! A guy with a knife handle sticking out the back of his head, whose name is Hilton, is being set up to become a bad guy called Hilt?!
• JSA All-Stars #3 - Power Girl and Magog throw down just before the events of last week's Justice Society Annual and sub-plots galore are introduced.
• Second Feature: Liberty Belle & Hourman - light and fun, this isn't exactly taxing but it's pretty good.
• Punishermax #4 - Jason Aaron turns in a good Garth Ennis pastiche with the advent of the Mennonite taking on the Punisher, ably helped along by gorgeous Steve Dillon art.
• Secret Six #18 - the identity of Mockingbird is revealed in a sort of "Why didn't I see that coming?" kind of way and the Six and the Squad team up against the Black Lanterns.

And what made me smile:

I remember a similar scene in Young Justice with Superboy and Impulse complaining about their books getting cancelled but this made me chuckle. Farewell, Blue Beetle . . .

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #66

Oh yes! My Cocktail posts have a new banner where each week I'll be including my favourite quote from the comics I pick up!

• The Boys #38 - the origin of the Female as provided by Frenchie shows that the poor woman's as messed up as the rest of the Boys.
• Doom Patrol #6 - Giffen takes us through the various incarnations of the Negative Man in a wonderfully understated little tale.
• Metal Men - more Metal Men mayhem and mirth. I wonder if this is going to bite the dust along with the other Second Features?
• JSA All-Stars #2 - Ah, Matthew Sturges and Freddie Williams deal up more Justice Society larks with the villain behind the attempted abduction of Stargirl finally revealed. Really enjoying this series already!
• Liberty Belle & Hourman - an okay start to a murder mystery that pits the married couple of the Justice Society against the unmarried couple of the Injustice Society.
• PunisherMax: Get Castle - living about half an hour's drive from the setting of this story, it was kinda nice to read some believable Welsh-accented dialogue! Oh, and for the benefit of the Americans in the audience, when Kevin says to the Punisher "Alright, butt? How's tricks?" he's not calling him an "ass" It's a Welsh term that means "mate" or "friend." Don't say you never learn anything reading this blog.
  
• Red Tornado #5 - things come to a head as Red Volcano goes after Red Tornado's family. Only one issue to go to find out if Reddy manages to save Traya.
• Suicide Squad #67 - Blackest Night resurrects dead series as well as dead heroes and villains! Great to see Gail Simone and John Ostrander writing together with loads of guest stars dropping in as well.
• Weird Western Tales #71 - this one's not as effective as Suicide Squad as it seems solely an excuse to show some of the Old West DC characters but hey, nice to see Renato Arlem's work as I like his art.

Should have picked up Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 as well but due to a snafu on my part, that's going to have to wait until next week.

And what made me smile:

Roxy, the All-Stars' new in-house AI messes with Power Girl's head!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #45

Another quick round up of this week's comics:

• Booster Gold #22 - anyone want to take a guess at the shadowy guy directing Black Beetle? Booster's dad again? Too obvious?
• Green Arrow And Black Canary #22 - since Andrew Kreisberg took over this title, all Canary and Arrow seem to do is bitch at each other - dude, they were happily married before you came along!
• Green Lantern #43 - Blackest Night is shaping up to be one hell of a story line!
• The Punisher #72 - wait a minute . . . two people manage to creep up behind Frank in one issue?!
• The Stand: American Nightmares #4 - Flagg and Lloyd Henreid in the prison is one of my favourite scenes from the book and while it's necessarily contracted here, it still works.
• Wednesday Comics #1 - on the whole this was pretty good though I have to wonder whether Amanda Conner illustrating the Supergirl strip will impact on her work on Power Girl - as much as I love her work, she's not exactly known for being fast and with two gigs at once . . . ?

And what made me raise an eyebrow this week:

Sapphire's hoping for "the mother of all pearl necklaces"?! I can't be the only one to think Neil Gaiman can't be ignorant of the double meaning of that phrase can I?

A Thought For The New Year

Just a thought . . .

Happy New Year!