Before we begin the column, everyone had better have picked up their FREE copy of Fallen Angel #1 last week. If you didn’t, run off to your to you comic shop and buy what is possibly the best superhero comic on the racks today. B, don’t you agree? Absolutely, M! I was busy last week because Megan left for school so I didn’t make it into the shop, but I’m hoping my friendly neighborhood retailer has extra copies lying around this week. –B
Well it’s Wednesday, so that means its time for you weekly jaunt into the DCU. B and I will be your guides as usual. B, anything big happen last week? Outside of me adopting this cool orange font color for this column? Well”¦yeah. Like I said, Megan left for school on Sunday, but not just any school. She’s at a very top notch theater conservatory (the name and location of which I can’t reveal for fear that her legions of fans will swarm and disrupt the creative process) where they have to work 7-10 Monday through Saturday then 2-10 Sundays”¦this isn’t college, it’s boot camp! Anyhow, she’s very happy (if tired) so far, and rest assured I will have regular Megan updates here and in my column, because, frankly, M worries about her. -B
It’s the L-I-(N)-K-S
DOL is quality every week.
Joe Reid has some news and views on the upcoming Superflick.
Hayhurst is like the go-to Movies guy and he’s celebrating a one year anniversary. Celebrate it with him.
The TV Zone is up.
Go ask Games when the 100 Bullets game is going to drop.
SportsM is full of NFL.
Figures is going to cause me to get a second job.
Music will cause me to get a third.
Not only is the DC vs Marvel Tournament still running strong but at least two debates are raging! Plus; can you believe Nightcrawler beat Batman and Wolverine beat The Flash? “¦ -B
B, is there anything that you wanna link? Yeah”¦my own column should be up by the time this is, featuring the winners of my JLA movie contest as well as a sort of open letter to Brian Michael Bendis on the current Avengers going on. Also, Matt Morrison wrote an excellent Looking To The Stars this week talking about the various Ages of comics history that definitely bears checking out. -B
Last Week’s Reads
I’ve been writing nonstop since last week. So sadly I’ve only read what I had to review. But I’ll cover what I left out this week, next week. Got it?
100 Bullets #53 I’m loving this book. So seriously ask Games when the game is going to drop. Review forthcoming.
Action Comics #819 I’m surprised that lots of folks seem to dislike the Superman title, yet dig this one. I’m also glad that I’ve gotten some feedback of people that think like me. Read my review.
Outsiders #15 Judd keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for him to get himself out of. I want to believe that he’s a capable writer, or at least capable of fixing the messes he’s created. But at this point he’s venturing toward Dan Jolley & Howard Chaykin and quickly approaching Mark Waid & Geoff Johns territory, in terms of the writing ability to make things right. Read my review.
Touch #6 This was one of the best concepts in recent memory and it’s over. Please pick up a copy of Fallen Angel to prevent quality books from being canceled. Review forthcoming.
Fallen Angel #15 Quality book. I can’t wait to sit down and read this issue. But this series. I may have to do a money back guarantee about this title. I’ll definitely consider it when my plate clears up.
Challengers of the Unknown #4 Another book that I can’t wait to read. I’m sure the entire story will read great in one sitting. But this book is very interesting.
Aquaman #22 I flipped through this issue, and it got me salivating. I really love this new team. Hope you’re not too attached”¦Will Pfeiffer is out and John Arcudi is in as writer as of December. -B
Bloodhound #3 This is yet another quality new launch. Jolley, Kirk and Riggs. They’ve yet to disappoint.
Bite Club #6 The grand finale and I’ve yet to read it. I’m practically shaking in anticipation.
Teen Titans #15 Hopefully this issue will end the boring storyline. Check out the Roundtable for a interesting debate about the Titans.
Green Arrow #42 This isn’t at the top of my reading list, even with the cliffhanger. It would have been near the top, but then I read Judd’s other book this week, which has dropped his stock considerably.
JSA #65 This book isn’t as fun as it used to be. I didn’t really miss Sand, so the last two issues seemed like a waste of time. But Tyler is in this issue, so at least it’ll be good in that regard.
Joshua Hoskins you correctly placed the lyric at the end of the last column. Fire away.
What heroes/comics do you think make it purely on sentimental/recognition value, and not merit in the character or stories about the character?
This is a very interesting question. I think everyone knows who’s first on this list; Superman.
Superman
Superman is published because he’s Superman. If any other character took a slide like he did, they’d have been axed long ago. This guy’s had three titles, that don’t sell all that well, for almost twenty years. They experience the occasional spike in sales, but they inevitably fall off.
Yes he’s the first superhero. But more importantly he’s DC’s Icon. All three of his books have run for at least a couple of hundred issues, with Action Comics quickly approaching #850. They can’t cancel the guy; he’s too big for that. He’s been published consistently since his first appearance. His invulnerability is due to history of service rather than recent events. If Supes was canceled that’d be the equivalent of when they cut off Frank Sinatra at the Grammy’s in the 90’s; bad business.
Look at it like this; when creators are asked about their favorite Superman stories, they usually go for some two-decade-old yarn written by Alan Moore. Two decades! If that isn’t sentimental I don’t know what is. Thankfully Action Comics #775 came out to give Superman a modern story that’s classic, but I think most would be hard pressed to find a Superman story that they enjoyed in the last decade.
And does anyone remember when Waid and Morrison pitched a Superman story to DC, that DC vetoed? I think their rationale was “Superman would never be written by a writer who was a bigger draw than the character.” Supes is past his prime, right B? I’ve very much enjoyed the last few trades collecting the Loeb/Kelly/Casey/Schultz era”¦but hey, that’s just me. I also really thought the Death/Return saga was something special, to go a bit old school. -B
Legion of Super Heroes
This is a book that will always be around because of sentimental value. Some books may be quality (Vol. 4) others may not be (the post Zero Hour book.) But because when someone thinks of DC, the Legion is one of the concepts that they think of, the Legion will always be around, and not because of pure merit. Does the Legion have any merit B? It’s a great concept, the ultimate form of escapism for teens: a club of super-powered youths in a world where adult supervision seems virtually non-existent. LSH will always have legs, it will just go through cycles of good and bad creative teams. -B
Teen Titans
Another team that will always be around. The original Titans’ sentimental value spawned the New Teen Titans. The New Teen Titans was a huge success that DC has been trying to recapture ever since. And not just DC, but creators too.
Anyone remember the Teen Titan’s with a Zero Hour de-aged Atom on the team? How about the Titans, which was thankfully canceled (because B & I would still be reading it right now if it hadn’t been.) I’m pretty sure that if you looked up creator comments about these projects they would mention Perez and Wolfman and that Titans book from the early 80’s. Even the current Teen Titans title is unabashed in it’s attempt to recapture that vibe, complete with a Titans Tower on an island, a Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Starfire, Gar Logan and Cyborg.
Now the current book might have begun on sentimental value, but it’s around because of merit. B, I know you have thought on the Titans. Frankly M, you more or less said all I would say. I’ve written columns about the subject. I don’t think there is that much sentimentality for the original concept though, as Marvel certainly has survived for its entirety without teen sidekicks, but like you said, the Wolfman/Perez book was a true classic and DC and creators will always be looking to recreate it”¦which I think the latest book is at least coming close to doing (though nothing ever really can). -B
Wonder Woman
As much as I hate to admit it Wonder Woman isn’t being published on merit. She’s being published because she’s an icon. Disagree? Answer this; how many female characters have solo titles? Now, how many have had a continuous solo title for five years? How about ten? Fifteen? Close to twenty? (I know I probably had you after the first one, but I had to prove a point.)
I read the Flash & Green Lantern because I wanted those abilities when I was a kid. Comics are aiming for a mostly male demographic. Guys (and kid guys) generally aren’t going to pick up a book with a female lead. Don’t believe me? When was the last time you saw a Wonder Woman review here at the Nexus?
Wonder Woman, like Superman is beyond cancellation due to the years of service to the company and the industry. B, am I right? You may have a point there, but that’s not to say WW hasn’t had good runs; I liked the Jimenez run a lot and would probably still be buying the book if he hadn’t left. -B
Hal Jordan
A lot of people will say that Hal should be on this list. I’m not going to say that. But I will say that lots of folks (creators included) have sentimental value invested in Hal. He’s without a doubt returning because of sentimental value. But I have every bit of faith that he’ll stick around because of merit.
Hal’s situation is similar to the one faced by the JSA after Crisis; both were essentially disrespected and cast aside. Fans were outraged, but creators more so. DC eventually decided to lax up on the banishments, thus opening the door for their return.
And in Hal’s case, with Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns in his corner, doesn’t sentimental value actually equate merit? B, agree or disagree? Cautiously agree. -B
Who is published based on merit? Batman of course is. He has his dips in sales, but he’s remained pretty popular over the years. He’s also spawned spin-offs (proof of his merit) in the form of Robin, Nightwing, Catwoman and Gotham Central, and to a lesser extent Bird of Prey. (Superman had a few spin offs; Superboy, Steel, and the extremely fantastic Supergirl, all of which were canceled.)
Flash and Green Lantern are also around due to merit. Justice League books are much like Teen Titans or Legion, only they generally have more merit than sentimental value, but the sentimental value is still present.
Those are basically the only books/characters who I think fit the bill. Hawkman & Plastic Man don’t really qualify. The JSA is horse of a different color. Fallen Angel and The Monolith don’t count. B, do can you think of any others? Actually M, I think you’ve missed the biggest perpetrator as far as characters that have remained published more on sentimentality and recognition than anything else: Aquaman. He’s on, what, his fifth series now? The book is always cancelled due to the character failing to garner a decent fanbase, but is always inevitably re-launched because he’s an “icon,” even when the creative team re-launching him are on the book more because of the aforementioned recognition factor than any real sentimentality, but the latter is the reason DC keeps giving him chances, so both play roles. In my humble opinion, J’onn J’onzz is the far more interesting character yet has gotten but one regular series. -B
Geez I really went on with that last question. Let’s try for a query with a more brief response, shall we?
Parallax2814 is on quite the lyric placing streak. Do you have a topical question?
Since Deathstroke is finally getting the exposure he deserves can you give me his history and whatnot?
Way back in the 5/2/03 column I said;
Slade Wilson is a highly decorated military dude. He underwent an experiment that endowed him with super quick reflexes, an extremely fast healing factor, and near super strength. Of course he used these abilities to become a mercenary, Deathstroke, the Terminator.
Being a really good merc means pissing people off and getting some rivals. One such rival wanted some info so he kidnapped Slade’s son, Joseph, and held a knife to his neck. Being the stand up guy that Slade is, he refused to divulge any information. Then Slade attacked, killing the rival, but not before the dude slashed Joseph’s throat severing the vocal cords.
Well Slade’s wife Adeline put her foot down. She could accept that her husband was a murderer for hire. She could even live with the fact that her children would always be in danger because of his actions. But now not only would she never hear her son’s awkward prepubescent voice again, Joseph would be forced to wear turtlenecks! Even in the summer! Well that was just too much. But she took her marriage vow of “till death do us part” seriously, so she shot Slade in the head.
Fortunately his reflexes saved his life. Unfortunately HE WAS STILL SHOT IN THE HEAD, and he lost his right eye. But what he lost in depth perception he made up for in moxie”¦and superhuman abilities. This dastardly villain even planted a mole in the Teen Titans so that he could learn their weaknesses.
He is currently hassling Nightwing.
As for his powers I refer to the good old “Who’s Who” to give you “Slade’s strength and speed has been quadrupled. His reflexes are virtually instantaneous.” Did you read that? Quadrupled! Not doubled. Not even tripled. Quadrupled! Can you even wrap your mind around that? That is like, I don’t know, four times as fast as he was before. Of course if Slade were a couch potato, quadrupled would put him right about average.
Then, a year later I added to the in the 5/5/04 column I answered InsidePulse’s own Aaron Cameron’s question about whether Deathstroke is “good or bad” with;
Deathstroke doesn’t worry about “good” and “bad” he is more concerned with “paying” and “non-paying” or “challenge” and “easy target.” Deathstroke hasn’t really ever been a “good guy.” He’s fought on the side of angels a few times, most notably during his own title. John Babos coined the phrase “elastic continuity” and Deathstroke suffers from it. Regardless of what good deeds he did in his own book, when Teen Titans was being relaunched Geoff Johns wanted Deathstroke to be a bad guy again. Thus he is. And even if he didn’t blow of Impulse’s kneecap, he did some pretty dastardly things in Teen Titans ½. So I’m saying he’s a bad guy, because regardless of all the good he’s done, he’s done way more bad things.
Update: last month he demolished some members of the JLA (possibly the JL of A, and even the JLI and JLE.) The guy is not joke.
So there you have it. Anyone wanting to get in on the annual Deathstroke question in May, you really only have around seven months so get cracking. B, what was up with 5/2/03 Mathan, he thought he was a funny guy, didn’t he? I still await the day I can build a time machine, go back to May of 2003, tell him that he’s not, break his spirit, and stop him before I have to endure over a yea’s worth more of bad jokes and puns. -B
Joonya it looks like you’ve got Deathstroke on the brain. Care to share?
I was very impressed with Deathstroke’s appearance in Identity Crisis. He seems like a formidable foe for any hero. I would love to read a Batman/Deathstroke story. That sounds like a pretty even match. Any suggestions?
Deathstroke and Batman have met up a couple times. The most notable; they met up in the seventh issue of Deathstroke’s title and in Detective Comics #710. Now most fans think that Slade bested Bruce two of the three times they tussled.
They say Bats’ took an “L” in Deathstroke’s book (understandable) and in the first battle in Detective Comics. They point out that Slade walks away, leaving Batman face down on the floor.
But c’mon the guy has quadrupled reflexes! QUADRUPLED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joonya, still got a case of Deathstroke fever?
What about any run-ins with Nightwing?
Nightwing and Deathstroke have fought on many occasions. I’m sure B can cover the times they fought in Teen Titans, I’m going to go over the most recent fights. In Nightwing #18 they two fought and Deathstroke was winning. But Dick battled back and managed to turn the tide before he escaped.
In Nightwing #80-81 Deathstroke showed up in Bludhaven working on a hit. Unfortunately Nightwing had an arm injury, which made him easy pickings for Slade. Fortunately Batgirl showed up and basically fought Slade to a standstill. The wounded Nightwing found a very interesting way to deal with Slade. Some fans enjoyed it, others didn’t. Pick up the two issues and make your own mind up.
B, any Dick Grayson/Deathstroke battles from the Titans that stick out in your mind? Usually the whole Titans would get their asses handed to them by Slade, but the one memorable Deathstroke/Dick Grayson “fight” would be from The Judas Contract. Deathstroke ambushes Dick in his civilian identity (having gotten it from Terra”¦meaning he probably knows who Batman is, if it’s never been mentioned) and Dick takes a multi-story dive out of his apartment screwing up his ankle in the process to escape. Dick manages to escape into the street and ultimately elude Deathstroke. Grayson victory or no contest? Up to you”¦-B
Bill DeBarr do you have an Identity Crisis question, since issue #4 is on stands today?
So I just picked up Identity Crisis 2 & 3 an well I’m, like everyone else, trying to figure out who the killer is and I had a moment where I realized that the targets being the family members might mean more. So anyway besides Deathstroke I can’t think of any super-criminals with families and well we know it wasn’t him because when Jean got hung he was a little busy. There is also Captain Cold but his sis was killed by Ice-Pick 547 and we saw how he dealt with that in Flash. Honestly its neither of there styles so all this amounts to am I forgetting any super-villains that have families?
Villains with family members, eh? I guess we should start with some well-known offspring of villains.
Cluemaster’s daughter is The Spoiler/Robin IV.
Brainiac’s son is Vril Dox of L.E.G.I.O.N. fame.
David Cain’s daughter is Batgirl.
Joker almost had a kid (which proved to be a catalyst for his current self); he’s also allegedly the father of Anarky, (a story that was supposed to be debunked, but never was.)
Deathstroke had three kids: Ravager I (dead) Jericho (incapacitated) and the current Ravager, who wants to be just like dear ol’ dad, at any cost.
Cheshire has a daughter Lian. Lian’s father is the hero known as Arsenal.
Brainwave Jr, Jade and Obsidian all have criminal parents (Brainwave and the Golden Age Rose)
Ra’s al Ghul has two daughters Talia and Nyssa, the latter who has recently taken his place. (Poor Ra’s, all he wanted was a Son in Law.)
Now for the lesser known family members.
Lex Luthor has a daughter, Lena.
Weather Wizard has a son.
Punch and Jewelee have a kid.
Um”¦gee I’m really drawing a blank. I can’t think of any other villains who have kids. Just because they haven’t been mentioned doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Look at Captain Boomerang’s kid (perhaps in the current issue of Identity Crisis?) For the record I think Ray “Atom” Palmer is behind Identity Crisis. B, help me out are there any other villains with family ties? The Icicle is a second generation villain following in his fathe’s footsteps, but his father is dead. Wonder Woman’s archenemy, Circe, has a daughter. I’m not sure whether or not Mr. Freeze’s wife is still cryogenically frozen in the comics or as been killed at some point. JSA villain Tigress is the daughter of the original Huntress while her former Injustice Society teammate Killer Wasp is the son of the deceased Golden Wasp. Alan Scott’s son Obsidian went bad for a little while, but he’s better now”¦though he’d be an interesting target. Unless I’m mistaken, Catwoman has a little sister. On the hero side, nobody’s mentioned the father-daughter connection between Black Lightning and Thunder of the Outsiders. That’s all I’ve got for the time being, but I’m sure we’ll have more Identity Crisis to talk next week. -B
My man Juan Francisco Gutiererrez Santiago do you have a messed up question?
That had me thinking also, which characters were most messed up by an editorial decision? What I mean by this is that there have been heroes who have been messed up because DC wanted something different for them. The one I can think of right now is Guy Gardner since I read an article by Beau Smith. There he said he wanted Guy to be a normal guy with no super-powers and he could do it for about 2 issues, but then DC wanted Guy with super-powers (just for the 90’s) so Beau gave him some, but DC wanted an even more powerful Guy, which Beau had to do. At the end they canceled the comic and even later killed the character some years later. I think the comic was relatively successful but DC didn’t really gave the writer the chance to develop Guy the way he wanted. And there are also others like him, which I’d like to know of. Grr”¦-B
Many characters have been messed up by editorial concerns. As I mentioned earlier the proposed Waid and Morrison take on Superman was vetoed because of the creators. The Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner debacle was the result of the editorial concerns (but you can get a peek at what could have happened right over here.) And who can forget the Captain Atom/Monarch/Hawk fiasco?
Here’s a list of some off the top of my head.
Captain Atom – was supposed to be Monarch, but Monarch became Hawk at the last minute to keep the surprise. Has never quite recovered from that.
Hawk – See above. Became a villain, for no reason. Recently Geoff Johns redeemed him posthumously and left the door open for his return.
Wonder Girl/Troia – When George Perez made Wonder Woman #1 the characte’s first appearance, Donny Troy had to be given a quick retcon. None of her many origins really worked. Nor did here many identities ( Donna Troy, Darkstar, Troia.) She was then killed, to fan outrage (she can’t even rest in peace.) Huge Donna Troy fan (and big name creator) Phil Jimenez has plans for her.
Guy Gardner – Eh, no loss. Double grr”¦I’m glad they cancelled Touch. -B
G’nort – Huge loss, much larger than Guy Gardner. The result of Emerald Twilight left G’nort with no home. Thankfully he’s turned up in a Darkstar uniform. Yipeeee!
Legion of Superheroes – Geez where to start? Crisis takes away Superboy, thus the inspiration for their existence. When things finally settle down and start to even out Zero Hour reboots the future completely. It eventually gets canceled, and brought back. The book does moderately well. Then when the end is near, it completely sucks. Now it’s supposed to be coming back, and this time it’s better then ever! (Yawn, isn’t that what they say every time?)
Hawkman – This guy gets really messed up with Zero Hour. And it’s almost a complete decade before anyone can fix the mess that was Hawkman. But now he’s cool. Thankfully.
Justice Society – The World’s first super team or DC’s redheaded stepchildren? You decide. Crisis destroys Earth Two, home of the JSA. If that isn’t bad enough, the JSAers who banished to Rangarok to fight gods to the death, over and over again. Meanwhile outsider of limbo they are replaced by some kids. Then they make it out of limbo, only to have a series canceled. Then Zero Hour put them back in retirement, some of them permanently! Finally due in large part to James Robinson, Grant Morrison, David Goyer and Geoff Johns the JSA return to DC’s forefront.
Aquaman – Editorial clashes cause Peter David to leave this critically acclaimed book. Then the powers that be decide to give the book to Erik Larsen, not to draw – to write!! The new direction stinks like an Easter Egg, y’know the one nobody found, until the smell found you. Dan Jurgens takes the book, and then it gets a little better before the axe falls. Then Aquaman dies. But he gets better and his own book again. Unfortunately the new book starts out with a year of garbage that not even Oscar the Grouch would touch. The current direction is pretty cool though. But it looks like DC is primed to screw it up again”¦-B
Hal Jordan – First he goes crazy, and then DC can’t commit to that so they kill him. Then he comes back as the Spectre and gets his own book. The book looks cool, but reads like a migraine. Now he’s coming back as Green Lantern, which has some fans screaming bloody murder.
Jason Todd – The editors let a 900 number decide the kids fate. That’s not cool.
Rumor has it that the whole “Nemesis is dead” controversy started because Devin Grayson wanted to use the character in a Catwoman story. The editor said “ok, but he has to die before the story ends.” Again, this is just what I’ve heard, but it seems kind of sadistic to make a writer do that. Of course as B always say “masters of disguise are hard to kill” And Geoff Johns agreed with me. I bet Beau Smith would too”¦I miss Beau Smith. -B
B, who are some other victims of editorial concerns? You were pretty thorough, so I’ll be predictable and cover the two greatest victims of Titans editorial tomfoolery outside of Donna Troy: Terra, who was resurrected after a classic death, and Jericho, who was killed off to generate sales when he was still a decent character begging for an update; Changeling/Beast Boy will most likely soon join the ranks thanks to John Byrne’s new Doom Patrol. -B
Brother D also correctly placed the lyric. What’s on your mind?
Well when Zero Hour ended Kyle and Hal had disappeared. Hal used his energy to transport them to Oa, the former base of the Guardians of the Universe and HQ for the Green Lantern Corps. Hal tries to recharge his powers, so he can fix what went wrong in his life. He even persuades Kyle to give up his ring. But Kyle changes his mind. They fight and end up in the Green Lantern Corps tomb. Hal gets distracted, Kyle gets his ring back. But Hal has already recharged and can easily defeat the inexperienced Kyle. Just then Kyle has a brilliant idea; he’ll destroy Oa. So he overloads the planet core and Oa goes all Krypton (it explodes.) Hal is nowhere to be found, and Kyle limps back to Earth, from the center of the universe. B, aren’t you looking forward to a Kyle and Hal rematch? Only if Guy comes in late and outclasses them both. -B
Shiv’kala I know you have a related question.
I’m still trying to collect the GL stories in Action Comics Weekly and I have gotten some of the Malvolio issues…he’s not as impressive as people have made him out to be. Kind of a poor man’s Sinestro. Anyway, do you think Hal possessing his ring turned him into Parallax?
Malvolio is a bad guy. His mom was from England hundreds of years ago. His pop was a Green Lantern from sector 1634. They hooked up Malvolio was born. He tracked down his pop and killed him, took his ring and went crazy. He ended up getting imprisoned in lightless dimension.
Hal, who was just chillin in space at the time, stumbled into Malvolio’s dimension. He was pretty excited to see another Green Lantern, especially since when they killed Sinestro most of their rings were destroyed. All the folks in that dimension worshiped Malvolio. Hal and Malvolio were cool, until Hal saw that Malvolio was crazy.
Hal was intimidated by Malvolio’s power; Mal’s ring had no weaknesses. So Hal fought Malvolio. Malvolio used a yellow weapon to destroy Hal’s ring. Ringless Hal ran. But when they faced off again Hal put a makeshift arrow through Mal’s chest killing him. Hal took Mal’s ring and bounced. But after Hal left, Malvolio stood up and took the arrow out of his chest. Then everything around Malvolio disappeared. It was all an illusion, part of a plan to get Hal to take the ring.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on here.
One is the idea that Malvolio’s ring had no weakness. That idea comes from the thought that the weaknesses in the rings are only there to keep their bearers from going crazy. Remember; absolute power corrupts absolutely. In actuality the rings have no weaknesses. But the rings run on willpower. So the Guardians put weaknesses in the GL’s minds so that they never get too full of themselves. If they think that yellow is their weakness, they will be humbled and not so drunk on power. Since Malvolio was never a Green Lantern, he never had a weakness, thus he went crazy. I think it’s a pretty cool concept.
Second is the plan of Malvolio. Why did he want Hal to wear the ring? Why did he cast all those illusions? How powerful is he? He wasn’t followed up on because of an editorial decision.
Third is the idea that Malvolio’s ring is the cause of Hal losing his mind. It’s not a bad escape route. It’s like all the pieces are there, why isn’t anyone connecting them. If anything it would give Hal fans the excuse “well Hal was corrupted by Malvolio’s ring, it wasn’t really him.” It also gives DC the chance to say “see we didn’t ruin Hal, it was the ring and someone else thought of that.” But it’s also like when Grant Morrison had Jay Garrick sign that autograph in Flash #134. Later on in JLA J.J. Thunder appears. You look back at that issue of Flash and say “wow, cool. That led to something.” It’s like DC has that at their disposal with Malvolio’s ring, but they refuse to use it.
As for me, I’ll admit that I was hurt when Hal lost his mind. Hal brought me into comics. But I loved Parallax as a character, so I didn’t mind that much. I imagine that losing what Hal lost would be a serious strain. It wasn’t too unbelievable. People crack up all the time. The decision behind it sucked, but at the time I wasn’t that enlightened, so I didn’t mind. I rolled with the punches.
Perhaps the Malvolio “out” should have been used. I don’t have a problem with them not using it. I have the utmost faith in Geoff Johns. At the very least he’s made it possible for a DC Direct Parallax figure to dominate all my other DC Direct G.L. figures. I even go the JLA Kyle figure just for costume accurate beatdown. B, let’s get back on topic, is Malvolio a good plot thread to pick up? Maybe it would have been ten years ago, but I’ve heard it thrown out as a theory so many times since Emerald Twilight that to pull it in now would be silly. On a side note, Twelfth Night, featuring the original Malvolio, is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays; I played Sebastian in the version my college put on three years ago and I was EXCELLENT. The only better performance of Shakespeare is the Nexus’ own Tim Sheridan as Hamlet; buy the DVD! -B
Folks, I’m calling this column done. It was a blast as always. Before I forget (like I did last week);#1 Why aren’t you reading Fallen Angel & #2 What’s your theory behind the killings in Identity Crisis?
“And if we, still ain’t sold platinum or gold, that’ll be the biggest lie you ever told b.”
