illegal immigrant gives up citizenship, breaks Internet

ah, the brouhaha that comics cause nowadays. the medium has gone a long way from merely sending conservatives into a frenzy because it allegedly poisons the minds of kids. oh, wait. we're still in that era, aren't we?

it has been awhile since Supes has made a blatantly political statement (hmm, we should probably count his "Walk Across America" campaign last summer). basically he's leaning closer to Batman's politics. not so much, but closer.next stop: Batman, Inc.

and what does Marvel have to say about this?

nahh, that's Glenn Beck masquerading as the Thing. we all know Benjie's a hippie and moved to France (let the surrendering jokes commence) during Marvel's Civil War.

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Action Comics #900, FF #2

worming up

drive-by readings

Action Comics #891 (DC) "The Black Ring Part 2" Paul Cornell Pete Woods Cafu Bit Rob Leigh Brad Anderson David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald (cover)

what we learned: Mr. Mind is much more cuter than you think, and i hate caterpillars or multi-legged creatures (even Spider-Man has only two!). and turns out he's the son of the original and he almost got Lex trapped in a state of mind. but "almost" doesn't count with Luthor.
oh shit moment: Superman as an outlaw in Sheriff's Luthor's mind? i smell a mini-series!
what's next: who put up the worm to this? suddenly i want Lex Luthor to kick his ass. Paul Cornell got me hooked. in the absence of Captain Britain and MI:13, this will do for now.


aaaaawww, isn't he cuuuuute??

snaps: Batman - Odyssey #1

... where Neal Adams returns to writing/drawing the Bruce Wayne Batman and he gets off being hairy, getting shot and scaring the Commish. and he deals with stupidly-named illegal aliens.



ever wondered why Batman didn't have Brillo pads in his utility belt? now you know.



the legendary Michael Golden, is now an assocate. for those who don't know, assocate means a dainty delicacy from the town in the province of Como, Italy.



see, if he carried guns all the time, he wouldn't need Arkham Asylum or Blackgate prison, and wouldn't worry about villains escaping all the time.



"ABDOMEN!" that's what you wanted to say, right, Bats? ABDOMEN!



this man is very serious. he talks like a hip El Paso yuppie. and he calls Batman "The Stupid".


see, he even has an exit strategy! quick, make this man our financial adviser, pronto!!


oh, his exit strategy is to blow himself up?? aw hell no!! you suck!!!



didn't you do the same thing, Jason? oh wait ... is that you, Dick?



and on weekend nights, he masquerades as a luchador. Maniaco? WTF.



and this is why secretly Jim Gordon prefers Dick Grayson as Batman. Bruce was liable to kill him with a heart attack as much as Killer Croc biting his head off.

snaps: The Brave & The Bold #34

... where the LoSH Big 3 encounter a black hole and narrowly escape with their lives, and resolve to go back in time to enlist the Doom Patrol ("someone who can control ridiculous amounts of energy" - what, Firestorm, Firestar, or Green Lantern wasn't available?) and set things back the way they were. i guess my suggestions wouldn't be offbeat now, right?

OH. GOD. THE GULF COAST OIL SPILL HAS ARRIVED IN THE FUTURE. DAMN YOU, BP!!! RUN!!!!!!


yeah, you should see the strip mall, 12-screen cineplex and the golf course they added in there!



and you're reading this blog, because THEY stopped IT from happening! hurrahhhh!!



ROBOTMAN. MORE MAN THAN ROBOT. (wait, did Imra imply she didn't mind Cliff's randy thoughts?)



leave them a time machine, dammit. but then again, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll end up exactly in your timeline, Rokk.



NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

Russel Crowe wants you ...

... to buy Green Arrow #1, on sale in June!



oh, you mean he's not Green Arrow?? didn't he have a movie opening today??

snaps: Justice League of America #42

... where we take up James Robinson on his tweet the other day:

Whatever hater goes nuts on me for JLA 42, God bless you. But I love the color from Pete Pantazis. The use of refined color in flashbacks brought me great enjoyment. A very talented fellow.

hey, am not a hater. i just try to poke fun at what i read. you, sir, on the other hand, chop off characters' arms just for the heck of it.

and oh, the ego.


oh wait, that was Donna talking ...


he-hey! don't these guys look familiar? Dr. Impossible? Hunter? a moron on a Chair? Neon Black? big athletic woman with a mace?



i think you should throw in "unhackable" in there, Cyborg. because i have one word for you: Amazo.



do you really tell anybody they're "going to die"? and ask them if they heard you?



you'd think after all this time, the Watchtower would be more secure.



oh hey! look who's going a trip down memory lane. specifically, JLA #8-9, Aug/Sept. 1997, back when a comic book still cost less than 2 bucks.


Connor Hawke survived that time. the last archer on the roster almost didn't. i almost expect Robinson to do something very, very bad to Ollie.


but hey, Pete Pantazis' colors are so awesome!

aaaaaaaaaaand ... we're back.

the DC Universe is so circular. who are they gonna bring back next??



/uhh ... Batman?

your Saturday night eeewww moment

/goes to clean nose just in case Ray Palmer has to operate on me

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The Brave and the Bold #31

snaps: JLA #39

... where the barely-Justice League of America celebrates Black Friday with their dead friends.

1) no, i was thinking along the lines of Robocop and Six Million Dollar Man, but that's just me.


2) once a rapist, right? and why is he called "Curry"? isn't he "Arthur Light"? oh! oh! did somebody not perform his editorial duties??


3) Z has a creepy father. yeeechhh.


4) Paco Ramone, you have just been chosen to join Zombie Menudo!!!


5) Z has leprosy!! (these backward pronunciations are getting annoying)

James Robinson is going for shock. Mark Bagley's art seems shoddy compared to his Ultimate Spider-Man and even Thunderbolts days. too bad, because with this issue, JLA seemed to regain some traction it has been losing of late.

showing the seeds

drive-by readings

Justice Society of America #31 (DC) "Old Blood, New Blood, Spilled Blood: Bad Seed, Part 3" Matthew Sturges Bill Willingham Jesus Merino Allen Passalaqua Rob Leigh

more mysteries, and the only thing that woke us up was ... oy! that would be telling. suffice it to say that the cockfight between Magog and Wildcat ended ... well, in an adult manner. ohhh, maturity! we're not sure yet why Stargirl is the target of the bad guys, and why this All-American (Wussy) Kid did what he did. there is a master villain waiting in the wings - and i sure hope to Kingdom Come it's not Amos Fortune, or Roulette. or the Key. wait, wrong Justice book. let me also just say Jess Merino draws an awesome Magog - who would not be scared stiff at the sight of this golden horned armored god? ok, moving along ...

unmellow yellow

drive-by readings

Green Lantern #46 (DC) "Feared" Geoff Johns Doug Mahnke Christian Alamy Tom Nguyen Randy Mayor Gabe Eltaeb Rob Leigh Hi-Fi Andy Kubert/Alex Sinclair (variant cover)

what's the best thing about this issue? the inevitable showdown between Sinestro and Mongul. and guess who wins!

Blackest Night, as an event, seems to be overburdened by its own hype. i mean the series itself is something worth following, but the nature of the whole thing demands it has to spill over to the DC Universe, inadvertently making it like DC's version of cough, cough, Marvel Zombies, with a twist. Blackest Night is inherently a Green Lantern story, but by encompassing all the major titles (incidentally, where's Blackest Night: Wonder Woman?), i have the feeling that it kind of overreached a bit.

of course you need to tell other stories that may be tangential to or build something toward the main storyline. here we have the beginning of the melding of colors - Green Lantern, Sinestro, Star Sapphire and Indigo-1. Blue should not be a problem, but Red (Anger) and Orange (Avarice) may need a little more prodding to play ball. along the way, Hal Jordan, all coiffed up and ready to fight, has time to flirt as well (hel-lo, Carol!). hey, perks of the hazardous job. the Indigo Lantern said it best (referring to our flyboy): "Despite what the Zamarons preach, love cannot conquer all - you are a living example of that." of course, he is. he's the one who has one night stands with like half of the Birds of Prey.

next issue promises to be more of relationship exploration, as more dead friends come back to life. Arin Sur? who's Arin Sur? exactly. you sly Sinestro, you.

drive-by readings: Justice Society of America #30

Justice Society of America #30 (DC) "Hot Pursuit: Bad Seed, Part 2" Matthew Sturges Bill Willingham Jesus Merino Allen Passalaqua Rob Leigh

this is what we waited in bated breath for? ("well, who asked you, jerk?" - Billingham & Matturges, Inc.) team's on the ropes, Mr. T bleeding to death, then (the newest) Dr. Fate steps in and villains turn tail. the problem with a team book (grudging agreement here) is that more often than not teammates inevitably clash, and that's what we're left with - Magog and Wildcat going boot to paw over strategy and principle. did i mention this was just part 2, hence prepare to be bored in spots?

drive-by readings: Superman/Batman #63

Superman/Batman #63 (DC) "Night and Day" Michael Green Mike Johnson Rafael Albuquerque David Baron Rob Leigh

we've had Villains taking over the world before and we've had villains taking over the world before. Mike & Mike (Green & Johnson) kept me engaged throughout this scary new 'one world under Grodd', and THEN threw me a curveball. nice one. actually, this scenario is intriguing enough probably for a JLA storyline or the next summer crossover. or maybe its too simple. sigh. anyway, for Bruce Wayne fans, this is the only comic now where you'll still see your favorite playboy detective. and he's still the man with the plan. and the man who rarely eats dinner. i don't how Alfred puts up with that crap.

drive-by readings: Justice Society of America #29

Justice Society of America #29 (DC) "Bad Seed: Chapter 1, Fresh Meat" Bill Willingham Matthew Sturges Jesus Merino Allen Passalaqua Rob Leigh

now there's a team book. thank goodness the JSA can still be name-checked. although it may be headed for changes too, as this is the debut issue of Fables writing team of Billingham and Matturges. and what a debut. the team gets ambushed once, even with an almost full deck (yes, i know, Hawkman isn't here - you know why), and are on the ropes. much worse, they get ambushed twice, with Mr. Terrific back home investigating the devolvement of Obsidian into a stone, getting knifed in the back (that's not Fair Play!) by a mind-controlled recruit. the whole thing reads just like Fables, and other fans may need to get used to it. no matter, excellent cliffhanger and we all await with bated breath for the next issue to arrive. and oy! welcome back, Jess Merino! haven't seen you in a while.

drive-by readings: Justice League of America #35

Justice League of America #35 (DC) "Royal Pain: Chapter 1, Luck of the Draw" Len Wein Tom Derenick Pow Rodrix Marlo Alquiza Rob Hunter Walden Wong Dan Green Pete Pantazis Rob Leigh Eddy Barrows/Ruy Jose/Rod Reis (cover)

welcome to the JLA farm system. with all the big names gone, we're only left with Vixen and Firestorm to lead the troops against ... gasp! ... the Royal Flush Gang. actually, with Dr. Light, Red Tornado, and (yaaaayyy!) Plastic Man along for the ride, they're still powerful enough to take on anyone. but that being said, it still doesn't feel like a JLA book to me. the reveal of having Prof. Amos Fortune and Roulette was ho-hum as well. maybe they do have plans down the line for the League, and having the wordy Len Wein write a storyline is a holding pattern, but it looks like Justice League of America has ceased to be a top-tier book for now.

drive-by readings: The Mighty #6

The Mighty #6 (DC) "Blue Moon" Peter Tomasi Keith Champagne Chris Samnee Rob Leigh John Kalisz Dave Johnson (cover)

i admit, i am torn between The Mighty and Mark Waid's Irredeemable. the two are fairly similar, but diverges slightly in execution, as the latter explores the conditions that drive a beloved superhero to evil, while in the former, the protagonist/antagonist Alpha One has dark secrets that the other protagonist Gabriel Cole has to unravel. in this issue, Cole finally realizes what the vagrant Taylor Rhines, ex-Section Omega, was trying to tell him. we all know Alpha One killed him, and its up to Cole to (prove it and) find out why. his closeness and friendship with Alpha One is a big problem, but it seems like Alpha One doesn't trust him anymore anyway. the tension is building, and this may not be a big DCU title, but its worth checking out.

Hal Jordan says ...

"i don't think that's the way to amputate a smoker's haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAARRGHHHHH!!!!!"




moral lesson, kids: quit the damn sticks.

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Green Lantern #41

where have i seen this before?

superteam headquarters covered in black goo? no one can come in or out?


i guess the Avengers Mansion Siege was a dear dear story in Jerry Ordway's heart. as it is in mine.

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Justice Society of America #27

i don't think this is a good idea.

mashups, just for the sake of being mashups, sound lazy. maybe it was fun in the '90s, but no one's laughing now. well, maybe some. at the ridiculousness of it all.

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Superman/Batman #60

Green Arrow is still a horndog ...

... that's why he's joining Hal Jordan's new Justice League ...


... so they can ogle more chicks!

(because his wife is chairwoman of the current League, and damn if he'll be able to get away with it!)

hey, i didn't make that up; Newsarama did!!


(btw, the censored parts of that DC Memo were "retcon", "Final Crisis" and "Batman R.I.P.")