Big happenings in the world. I know this is just a comic column, but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t at least make not of the Pope’s passing before I devote several paragraphs to the fictional passing of man who wore goggles and compared himself to an insect. So, to those of you who are Catholic out there, my sincerest condolences on his passing and best wishes that the College of Cardinals chooses a smart, kind, and progressive leader who proves worthy of the title Pope and the burden of infallibility.
Now let’s get to that insect fella.
Have No Fear, Giffen is Here
Last Wednesday, DC Comics released their latest universe-spanning event “Countdown to Infinite Crisis,” which sets things in to motion for a massive storyline that will unfold over the next year or so. This follows the success the publisher had with “Identity Crisis,” and given the fact that DC announced “Countdown” has already sold out of its first printing, it’s clear this latest event is experiencing a similar level of success.
While both books contain very different stories, fans have found something of a common theme running through them – the death of high profile members of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’ version of the Justice League team, now known as the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Justice League” group of heroes. In “Identity Crisis,” fan favorite character Sue Dibny was murdered, while her husband Ralph Dibny AKA Elongated Man, has been forever changed by the events in that book. In “Countdown To Infinite Crisis,” two more members of the “ICBINTJL” cast have been altered forever – former Justice League leader Maxwell Lord shot Blue Beetle AKA Ted Kord execution style. Fans of the original series that ran during the ’80s and two recent mini-series cried foul, claiming DC is targeting these second-tier character for removal out of some vendetta. Of course, that’s not the case and CBR News caught up with writer Keith Giffen to discuss this and get his perspective on the events of “Countdown to Infinite Crisis.”
Oh come on. Do I really have to tease this interview at Comic Book Resources to get you to check it out?
What a cool guy and what an authentic reaction. I do have to say that I think it is funny that he basically said, “I haven’t really read it yet,” and Comic Book Resources still went ahead and asked him about it, but the quotes are so good I can certainly understand it. On the whole, he’s pretty fair about the whole thing, pointing out that he disagrees with some of the moves that DC did, but that that doesn’t necessarily invalidate those decisions. Will this stop people from claiming that DC is out to ruin his stories (or “raping” them as some call it, a move that never fails to turn my stomach. Let’s keep perspective here shall we?)? Of course not. But it is nice to have those quotes in the world for those of us who are really curious who he feels about it and not just interested in the conspiracy theory aspect of it all.
Welcome Back Ol’ Chum
The signs had been showing up here and there for months and months, and this week, what fans had been alternately anticipating or dreading (depending on your persuasion) happened….wait….
Ahem…the name of these styles of articles is “Spoiler Sport” for a reason, that reason being…they spoil things. This one, specifically, this week’s Batman #638. So, if you haven’t read it yet, don’t want to know, or are holding out for the trade. Stop now.
“And the Red Hood is…” Help open the envelope at Newsarama
You knew when…
…Oh, by the way, spoilers…
…the possibility of Jason Todd returning first raised its head during Hush I really, truly hated it. Why couldn’t we just leave something alone, just one thing, and let it stand. Can’t the rule be expanded beyond just “only Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne’s parents stay dead”, just this once?
To be honest though, the idea grew on me. First, on a purely superficial level, the Jason Todd wearing Hush costume was one baaaaaaaaad outfit Jim and I have to say that I am weak enough to respond to that sort of thing. And because of the coolness factor of the clothes, the possibility of him really coming back (which I didn’t actually buy at the time) hung around my head a bit.
So now, while I still don’t necessarily love it, I do admit that it was a great reveal when he pulled off that helmet. It didn’t suck, the world didn’t end, all of my family members are still alive, and no one kicked a puppy because of it. So, welcome back JT, don’t make me regret being so inviting.
Hey…Nice Skirt
The Superman family grows by one in August with the debut of Supergirl by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill. Prior to the start of her own series though, late May sees Superman/Batman #19, a stand-alone issue featuring Loeb and Churchill telling a Supergirl story that will set up the new series.
We sat down with Loeb to talk about the return of Supergirl, his view of Kara Zor-el’s place in the DCU, and her future among the heroes.
Check out those gams…err…that unselfish, inspiring attitude at Newsarama
I don’t really see how introducing another Supergirl into the DCU really simplifies anything. Of course, the casual fan, might not really know about all those other incarnations, so maybe this does the trick for them. Either way, I still don’t think Supergirl being Superman’s cousin is a “great” or even good origin. I think it is pretty friggin’ uncreative. But I realize I am spitting into the wind on this one so I’ll let it go.
As for the costume, I see the Superman (the color scheme, that subtle S shield) and the Wonder Woman (the boots, the generous amounts of exposed flesh) but where the heck is the Batman? I’m not saying she should have Batman’s costume in mind when designing hers, but Loeb specifically mentions that there are pieces of each of the DC trinity in the outfit.
Nice to see Churchill’s art looking so good though, obvious lack of Batman influence not wishstanding.
Hollywood is Going to the Dogs
Once, in a simpler time, he was just the pet dog of a little boy named Kal-el. Add a rocket, a yellow sun, and a hefty dose of fate, and starting Monday on Cartoon Network, he’s Krypto the Superdog, star of his own animated series, and, audience acceptance willing, the new star of playground talk of pre-schools everywhere.
Slip into the K-Dawg’s (what…that’s funny!) trailer and stroke his ears oh-so gently at Newsarama
Much like the Supergirl story above, I find it difficult to even feign interest in this project. Thus, in this case, I won’t. I shall let the article speak for itself. Bark away, Newsarama, bark away.
THIS WEEK IN DC SELLS OUT
The Most Surprising Sell Out Ever
Two days before arriving in stores on March 30, the spectacular 80-page COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS Special has sold out at DC Comics.
Now, DC rushes this pivotal, can ‘ t-miss comic back to press for a second printing with a new, variant cover by Jim Lee & Alex Ross that reveals the shadowy figure in Batman ‘ s arms as the ____________.
Make sure your sitting down before you go to Newsarama because this one’s a stunner!
That’s right, somehow, the biggest single issue in terms of importance since Identity Crisis, a book that boasted a hefty 80 pages for a dollar, managed to sell out. Surprised, aren’t you?
No, I suppose not. What a lot of you were surprised by, however, was the Roundtable this week. Not the back and forth between Jesse and I about Daredevil (apparently that surprised no one), but rather the angry reactions to Countdown. Many of you were stunned that the Nexus, who typically struck you as being even handed or perhaps “too” fair, would become so hot under the collar and expressive, in often hyperbolic ways, about this event. I get that view. Most of us do try to be fair and even here and rarely go as apocalyptic about comic book events as other sites or posters on the net do. However, sometimes people reach a tipping point. I won’t argue against the idea that some of my peers might have come on too strong, but I will argue that the passion they displayed if not necessarily a bad thing (provided that it does not dominate every topic every where). Many of them loved the JLI years and felt that this and ID Crisis were assaults on those stories, that these “events” disrespected the characters of that era of the Justice League. Right or wrong, that’s how they saw it. And for 8 paragraphs, if they breathed fire and brimstone about it like many others on the net did, then so be it. This was a big time moment in DC and DC wants the debate, trust me. The Roundtable was giving that debate in spades.
I think you’ll come to see, as those initial raw feelings die down and we get deeper into the Countdown fallout, the debate will continue, but the tone will return to levels that you have grown used to. However, for now, I think every one of us Roundtablers deserves a chance to holler out our lungs if we want to, right or wrong. Heck, why should Jesse get all the fun.
Oh, and for the record, if you couldn’t tell from my advanced (but spoiler free) review last week, I thought this book was a hell of a story. I don’t think it was flawless. The lengths that the book went to establish Beetle as being on the outs, a sort of never ran hero were necessary, perhaps, but a bit tough to swallow at times. Batman as impatient jerk worked for me (he was all angry about the mind wiping and also, Batman) but J’onn not even throwing Ted an Oreo and some love (pre-Rann emergency) didn’t. Similarly, the idea that Wonder Woman would say, “I believe you” and then offer no help was odd. All in all, it was an ends justify the means sort of move and I thought the ends were quite powerful. However, I certainly cop to getting were others point to moments such as those and say that it derailed the story for them.
Zero is Also the Number of Copies Left
SEVEN SOLDIERS #0, the powerful 48-page special written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by J.H. Williams III that leads into seven new miniseries, has sold out at DC Comics. Now, DC sends this landmark issue back to press for a second printing, which is scheduled to arrive in stores on April 20.
SEVEN SOLDIERS #0 Second Printing (FEB058324) will feature a variant version of the original cover by Williams. This updated cover will feature the faces of the new Seven Soldiers team.
See Iain’s man clean up at Newsarama
It is always good to see a Morrison book sell out and go back to press, especially on a project this ambitious. I can only hope that this is a sign of things to come.
Well, He is a Crafty Business Man After All
LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL #1 (JAN050288) has sold out at DC Comics. The debut issue of this stunning 5-part miniseries written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo sold out twelve days after arriving in stores on March 2.
Drop in on the raucous Luthorcorp Shareholders Meeting at Newsarama
Wow…another one of my opinions validated by sales figures. This is getting weird.
And Speaking of Sales…
Having missed their shipping dates in January, DC Comics’ current sales flagships SUPERMAN/ BATMAN, GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and SUPERMAN are back with a vengeance in the February Top Ten. Although each of the three titles shows a modest sales increase, however, none of them managed to knock Marvel Comics’ NEW AVENGERS and ULTIMATES 2 from the Top Two spots.
Other notable DC publications in February include the first chapter of the long-awaited “I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League” in JLA CLASSIFIED #4, the launch of Grant Morrison’s modular epic in SEVEN SOLDIERS #0 and the first issues of the new Vertigo series VIMANARAMA and HELLBLAZER SPECIAL: PAPA MIDNITE, as well as WildStorm’s TWILIGHT EXPERIMENT.
Also featured this month are the debut of Top Cow’s HUNTER-KILLER, Dark Horse Comics’ STAR WARS titles and Devil’s Due Publishing’s Aftermath line of books, among others.
Many, thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2 for allowing us to use their figures for these calculations. An overview of ICv2.com’s statistics can be found here:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/1850.html
Check out the figures that I dare not speak the name of at The Pulse
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Another small week from DC, Inc sees me only really looking forward to one title besides the two I cover below in Reviews from the future. It should come as no surprise that this title featuring the name “Morrison” prominently in the credits box.
SEVEN SOLDIERS ZATANNA #1
Morrison jumping off to relatively dormant properties to handle Zatanna, a character running on a bit of a high post-ID Crisis? And it involves superhero support groups? I can hardly afford to miss that now can I?
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
BATMAN #638
Easily the most satisfying Batman book on the shelves. Top notch characterization, smart dialogue, and great looking art make this the one Bat book that I continue to pick up these days. Winick reveals the mystery of the Red Hood (see article above…hint: It ain’t Clayface) but still has not caught us up the present time that he laid out in the first issue. Surprisingly, I don’t mind at all. The issue’s ending (not the reveal, but the whole event) is one of the more disturbing/satisfying (and thus more disturbing) battles I have seen depicted in a Bat book for some time now. All in all, this guy is consistently the pleasant surprise of the week that it finds its way to my reading stack.
FLASH #220
Rogue War! Worth the wait? Yes.
RICHARD DRAGON #11
Okay…I’m grateful to Dixon for giving some spotlight time to Connor, I am. But…what the hell? There is never a convincing argument why Connor decides to pick a fight with Dragon or why he says they must continue even when they realize how evenly matched they are. And for such an evenly matched fight between the two most dangerous male hand to hand combatants in the DCU (yes, more so than Batman), why is it all so boring? And why is Neron here? Well, I know why he’s here, but why is he here? Know what I mean. Good news is that it is all over in one more issue and I can go back to believing the Dixon doesn’t make mistakes.
****REVIEWS FROM THE FUTURE****
LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #2
Good news: that first issue was no fluke. Art and writing wise, issue #2 is every bit as interesting and gorgeous to look at as issue #1 and Lex (under Azzarello’s pen) is all sorts of complex and complicated. As for the ending, even if you have been keeping up with the solicitations, it is still a satisfying, if minor, bit of a surprise. For my money, this is the best book out there playing in the Superman piece of the DCU.
DEADSHOT #5
Featuring so many villains (including a few that I think I’d like to see get a shot at the A- list) it damn near blew my mind. Gage again takes a deck that is wildly stacked against Deadshot and still manages to realistically give Floyd a shot. Gage also demonstrates his knowledge of the way the character acts by ending the mini in the only way that would really be fair to the characters and to the readers. I usually don’t care for the Mobius strip approach to storytelling, but here is one of the few times that it is well utilized. This is one miniseries that ends on one of (if not the) best chapters.
SHOOTING BACK AT THE GRIMACE
Haven’t done one of these in a while, but I figure what the heck. As always, if you’d like to see you name up here in lights, feel free to drop me a line at parallax2@juno.com or just click the e-mail link below.
Hey Tim,
Guy Fawkes Night isn’t a holiday-we don’t do themed holidays in Britain instead having the big three (Easter, Christmas and New Year) and then a collection of random Mondays off. However, it is a big deal with fireworks and bonfires, etc. If we were like America it’d be a holiday.
Btw, you’ve gotta read V for Vendetta, brilliant book-just make sure to read ALL the writing even prose on pages…my favourite part of the book is hidden away like that.
–Will Cooling
Thanks for the explanation Will and I promise that V is next on my to-read TPB list. Should have it all wrapped up by next week, I expect.
Congratulations on going insane. Completely insane.
–Ben Morse
Thank you, Ben.
Can you think of a better place to end this column? Cause I can’t. See you next week.
Un Gajje Drinks Milk and So Should You… Dammit
