up and down

drive-by readings

Superman #700 (DC) "The Comeback" James Robinson Bernard Chang Blond "Geometry" Dan Jurgens Norm Rapmund Pete Pantazis "Prologue: The Slap Heard 'Round The World" J. Michael Straczynski Eddy Barrows J.P. Mayer Rod Reis John J. Hill Gary Frank/Brad Anderson (cover)

have not been following the Man of Steel that closely after All Star Superman ended, save for some peeks at War of the Supermen, and i was kinda turned off with the whole let's-bring-back-the-Kryptonians thing. turns out they're all gonna be whacked anyway. but still.

the lead story from outgoing writer James Robinson, has the long-awaited reunion between Lois and Clark. if anything, i was happy for the two of them, and i haven't felt like that in a while. you take these two for granted too much.

there's a fill-in story (but doesn't feel like one) by Jurgens in the early years when Robin disobeys Bruce Wayne's orders and goes after some gunrunners, and his bacon gets saved by Superman (along with his geometry assignment). its weird to see Dick in his classic child-molester-attracting duds, but hey, that's part of history multiple Crises can't erase.

what really intrigues me is new direction set by Straczynski, who takes over the main book and will set the tone for the Superman stories to come (who isn't excited about Paul Cornell putting Lex Luthor on center stage in Action Comics?). in this prologue, Superman attends a press conference in the aftermath of War of the Supermen, and his previous dalliance with the idea of New Krypton, and a distraught woman slaps him to everyone's surprise (this recalls a similar incident in the Marvel Universe where a woman spits on Tony Stark during Civil War). Superman hears her story out, and though its an unfair burden, seeks out the meaning of what is "important" in the scheme of things and as the premier superhero of the planet. where this takes him will shape how he will be reacting to the DC Universe from hereon.

losing my religion

"Standoff"
Thor vol.2 #58, Iron Man vol.3 #64, Avengers vol.3 #63
Dan Jurgens/Mike Grell/Alan Davis/Robin Riggs/Mark Farmer


this is how the Steve Rogers' death in Civil War could have been prevented, or how to stop World War Hulk. but that's not gonna happen, 'cause some people need to pay mortgages.

quick recap: this story arc revolves around a certain segment of a country's ("Slokovia") population worshipping Thor (who parked Asgard right above Manhattan - i must've missed the NBC special on that one). Slokovia's dictator doesn't condone religious tolerance and whacks the dissenters. Thor hears about it and righteously kicks the Slokovian military's ass. the US, not wanting to agitate Slokovia's bordering country, Latveria (Dr. Doom's little slice of heaven, for those not in the know), wants Iron Man to rein in his fellow Avenger, or else.

here's a foreshadowing how Tony Stark's futuristic mindset becomes a grating pain in the ass for his friends.

i mean, if Thor knew Tony was playing around with his DNA and would clone him one day and sic him against their friends, he'd take Tony's head off right there and then.

i swear, i think a 7-year old is a lot more mature than these superheroes, or even most of the world leaders today.

"that's my American Doll!" "no, it's mine!"

here's something you don't see everyday:

Cap: "this won't look good with the troops, i gotta say something heroic ..."

as Civil War showed, who needs bad guys if your heroes act like this and can beat the pulp out of each other easily?

one powerful scene written up by Mike Grell and beautifully rendered by Alan Davis shows the persuasive power of Steve Rogers.

Tony: "brain? what brain? it does not compute ..."

if Tony wasn't actually going up against Steve in Civil War, maybe Steve could have convinced him otherwise. or maybe not. Tony would have attempted to neutralize Cap as soon as.

even if you don't respect your commanding officer, you RESPECT the Flag Man.

commanding officer: "ahhh ... shit. hello, Gitmo latrine duty ..."

if Thor had been around during Civil War, who would he side with? you can't arrest a God, much less make him register. and with the Hulk trying to stomp everyone into mush, Thor's rumored return to the Marvel Universe is critical.

each issue treats us to at least one spectacular Alan Davis splash page ... this one here's my favorite:

and thou shall not have other Gods before me ... so forget democracy!

Cap's shield gets dented, but a few well-placed hammer blows and the thing's as good as new. eh? wasn't this shield supposed to be indestructible? not so. here's a record of the rare events when the supposedly impossible happened.

all in all, its nothing we've seen before (justice vs. status quo), but nicely woven into Marvel mythos, specifically the friendships between the Big Three. it took just a dented shield for uh, detente to happen, but this event already sowed discord within their ranks. Thor goes nuts and thinks himself as a Savior, reshapes the world in his image, feels guilty, resets the timeline, starts Ragnarok and plays the game until he goes comatose. no, i mean he disappears and until now, he's M.I.A.

so, hell, its about time, dammit!

one annoying thing i hate when artists draw Iron Man is they try to make the mouth of his facemask just like a ... cloth mask. People, that's metal!! as in armor made of metal! this isn't Robert Patrick/T1000. and what about those teeth?? aaargh.

gee, that rant made me almost lose my religion. or my lunch.