Friday Night Fights - The Last Blow Sounds

As the onomatopoeia themed fights come to a close with this final round, I wanted to go big and back in the 80's, few things were bigger than DC's universe ending epic, Crisis On Infinite Earths.

As the end draws near, the Anti-Monitor - scourge of the multiverse - faces off against dozens of heroes until he is confronted by Earth-Two's Superman, Superboy-Prime and Alex Luthor. Seemingly unstoppable, help comes from an unlikely source as Darkseid pitches in.

Using Alex as a conduit, Darkseid fires a blast at the Anti-Monitor that sends him plunging into a dark star.

But it's not enough - he will not die! A huge, living fireball launches itself toward Superman forcing the elderly hero to take final, decisive action.

SKRABLLAAAMM! That's the sound of the last punch as the Anti-Monitor explodes.

Will there be another Friday Night Fight? Only Spacebooger knows!

This multiversal multipart crossover super-punch first appeared in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12, cover dated March 1986, written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Perez and Jerry Ordway.

Final Crisis For Real

Ah, crap.

No sooner do I joke about getting my arse into gear and finishing the Final Crisis #6 annotations than I find out that #7 is due to be released tomorrow!

Newsarama has a preview available which I am studiously ignoring - I'm not going to be able to get my copy till Saturday and don't want to spoil the surprise.

I'll be trying to catch up with everything as soon as I can.

Final Crisis - 1986 Style - Part 1

You know, when I should be sat here at my PC, frantically catching up on the annotations for Final Crisis #6 (not to mention giving a precis of Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #2 which I haven't even had time to read yet) I instead find myself going through some old magazines that a friend gave me.

There's a lot of stuff about Watchmen - most of the mags are from the mid to late 80's - as well as interviews with people like Ian Gibson (did you know DC's dreadful Millennium cross-over event from 1988 was originally due to be written by Alan Moore? I didn't) and all sorts of other bits and pieces.

There was also an A5 programme from the 1986 Birmingham Comic Art Show which had a collection of comic strips by a guy called Johnny Lowe. I've had a hunt round but can't find anything on the net about him - if by some miracle he's out there, I hope he doesn't mind me showing his work here on my little blog.  I've deliberately kept his name in the scans as well as the copyright info.

So without further ado, here's Crisis Crossover Part 1 featuring Cathy.

Tune in next Tuesday for part 2!

Friday Night Fights - Hail To The Chief

While I'm tucked away in a cold corner of Britain, I'm not unaware of what's happening on the other side of the Atlantic and with a new President settling in this week, I figured I'd go patriotic.

Come back with me to the wild days of 1941 as America becomes involved in the Second World War and Latin salsa bands command radio controlled bomber planes with the sound of Wagner's Ride of The Valkyrie.

Told you they did. But never fear - America has a new heroine to hand:

Miss America in her first outing, destroying the bombers with some sort of non-tactile telekinesis, and the salsa band leader isn't happy.

But Miss America doesn't need fancy powers - a quick Judo flimp and WHOMP! the Latin leader's on his behind.

Who will lead the band now? Only Spacebooger knows!

This patriotic punch-up first appeared in Secret Origins #26, cover dated May 1988, written by Roy and Dann Thomas with art by Grant Miehm.

Friday Night Fights - Men Are So Easily Distracted

It's true, we are. Even in the realms of the DCU, and without wishing to sound sexist, gentlemen are not above being distracted by the charms of a lady.

In this case, though, we have neither a gentleman nor a lady as Merlyn, the black-clad archer and sometime foe of Green Arrow, faces off against Carmen Leno of the Body Doubles.

That arrow may have missed but, unknown to Carmen, it's an ultrasonic arrow that quickly lays her low. Pinned down and at the archer's mercy . . . well . . . what's a gal to do?

Shocking, isn't it? A grown woman using her . . . er . . . womanly wiles to distract her would-be killer. But then he is trying to kill her so I guess he deserves what he gets:

Oh yeah! A sharp WHAK to the nose! That'll teach him!

Would Carmen fare so well against our referee? Only Spacebooger knows!

This blatant display of immoral behaviour first appeared in New Year's Evil: Body Doubles #1, cover dated February 1998, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Joe Phillips and Jasen Rodriguez.

Secret Files Notes Published

Ah, what the heck, eh?

I managed to get the notes for Final Crisis: Secret Files done as they weren't that difficult.

They're up at the Annotated Final Crisis.

Submit Notes Published

Spurred on by the fact that Final Crisis #6 is due this week (I'll probably get my copy on Saturday as normal) I've got to work and written up the notes for Final Crisis: Submit . . . you know, the one that came out months ago.

Anyhow they're done and up at the Annotated Final Crisis site; only Final Crisis: Secret Origins to go and I'll try and get that done tomorrow.