Tim, I’m sorry you didn’t have a lot of news to report this week. Have you ever considered faking the news? Y’know like putting some obvious fake stories in? How about DC To Launch New Steel Series Based on the Shaq Film. I’d like to read that story. And what about your revamp feature. I liked how you made Gunfire cool…ish. C’mon man! Give the people what they want!
Oh, I fully intend to give the people what they want. I just have to find the right character to revamp before I go ahead and commit to it. Trust me, I’m always looking into it.
As for fake news stories…who’s to say I’m not already doing it? Oh, did you feel that…that was your mind being blown.
Moodspins has everything from practical advice to political opinions.
Games makes me want to dust off my old Gamecube and plug in again.
Music has some of the most distinct voices at IP.
Movies has news on Sin City
Figures has multiple points of articulation.
Sports has more news on Tiger Woods dominance!
TV has all of your “reality” needs.
And of course you’ve got to check out The Forums. There are many debates and discussions going on over there.
Tim, care to link this week?
Just one. Some jerk at Comics Nexus decided to write about continuity. What a moron.
What Was Read
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #2 – This is how Lex should be. Not wearing a purple and green suit. I can’t wait for an entire month to pass.
I’ll second that evaluation.
Y The Last Man #32 – Whoa, I did not see that coming. Seriously, whoa.
Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 – This is the stuff of fanboy dreams. Not the strongest issue, but a solid one.
Justice League Elite #10 – I’m really going to miss this book. I’m loving this mini. Tim, you’re missing out.
That may be the case, but I’m pretty okay with that.
Superman/Batman #18 – Nice to see an adult Legion. I don’t think I like how S & B can still remember what happened in those divergent timelines. This was a fun storyline. It cleared my mouth of the taste of that awful previous one.
Zatanna #1 – I loved this book. I like how it tied into Seven Soldiers #0. I loved the art. I dug the story. Man, I’m loving this storyline.
Firestorm #12 Review Forthcoming.
The Losers #22 – Read my review.
Papa Midnite #3 – This could turn out to be my favorite Vertigo mini by years end. I wish more people were trying this book out. Plus John Constantine makes an appearance his issue.
Deadshot #5 – Eh, I guess I’m in the minority, but the mini isn’t up my alley. It’s just not my thing. I can’t rave out it because I didn’t work with me. Damn, I’m out of “Tim-isms.”
When exactly did it become funny to mock the fact that I don’t read every book on the shelves and my reasoning isn’t something like, “Superman suck,” or “Winick blows!”? Man, a guy tries to be decent…
Time for questions.
Joshua Hoskins placed the lyric and thus takes the lead. Everyone else must follow!
My question revolves around everyone’s (and by everyone I mean me) favorite new comic: Manhunter. We just saw former Manhunter Dan Richards get killed, but wasn’t he killed by his granddaughter (post-Crises) by his granddaughter the Harlequin?
Dan Richards was indeed attacked by Marcie Cooper AKA Harlequin II. It was during the Millennium event. She was working with THE Manhunters and she shot him.
But he didn’t die. In fact he was later seen in Infinity Inc #51 at the wedding of Hector and Lyta Hall.
Sadly it does look like Manhunter #7 is the end of Dan Richards. The story is still developing so I’ll be there for the long haul. I completely trust Marc to make the death meaningful.
Tim, I know you’ve got some thoughts the death and the character.
Manhunter is also my favorite new book. I am loving the story and I think that each issue is becoming richer in content as the story progresses. I thought the death and its aftermath were suitably spooky and brutal. It definitely makes it clear that this killer is not a matter to be taken likely. With all the Manhunters on the table, it is going to be interesting to see who lives and who dies and what this is all about.
I just hope it is not one of the robot Manhunters behind it all. Not that I couldn’t buy it if it was, but I just think that they have been cast as villains often enough that such a revelation would lack certain dramatic punch and also limit the human pathos such a resolution could mine.
JohnBritton hunted up his very own interrelated interrogative:
Speaking of Manhunter, is the new hero in the Manhunter book wearing an old Darkstars uniform? And what the heck happened to those guys, anyway?
Well the Darkstars are still out there. They’re just not getting a lot of attention right now. The Darkstars ended (with issue #38) their bosses, the Controllers, weren’t too sure about the effectiveness of the program. The Controllers believed that their agents were focusing more on their personal issues than on what they were charged to do. After all every ancient alien race that creates an interstellar policing agency has their own agenda.
The last time the Darkstars were prominently featured was in Green Lantern #74-75 while defending Rann from an attack by Grayven. The Darkstars were decimated, (John Stewart, a Darkstar at the time, had his back broken). Oh and G’nort showed up in the last SuperBuddies miniseries in a Darkstar uniform, so not only are they still around but clearly their standards have diminished.
I’m guessing that we’ll see an appearance or two by Darkstars in the upcoming Rann/Thanagar War. It deal with a space war between planets and promises to touch upon DC’s space elements.
Tim, are the Darkstars up your alley?
I wasn’t much into comics during the time that their series was running, but I did like their appearance in that aforementioned Green Lantern storyline. Though “space opera” is one of the lower comic storytelling genres for me, interest wise, it was space opera done very well and was probably the first storyline that made me a true Kyle Rayner fan.
So to answer your question: yes, in my limited exposure, they were up my alley. No real interest in hunting down back issues though.
Steve takes the current direction of these questions and makes it his own with this little ditty:
With an old favorite, Vril Dox Jr, having a somewhat prominent role in Rann/Thanagar War, I was wondering if you could give a summary of what he and the L.E.G.I.O.N. have been up to the last 10 years, since the creation of the Darkstars (which is where I gave up on comics for a time). You can skip Lobo, as he will probably double the length of the explanation, and I just never cared for the character.
Dude I love Vril Dox II. Let’s let a past me say a bit shall we?
From the 1/14/04 column
Vril Dox II is another favorite character of mine. I really loved L.E.G.I.O.N. That book seemed so cool to this young Legion fan. I mean it was the precursor to the Legion of Superheroes. The book starred some of my favorite Legionnaires ancestors! Plus Vril was like a green skinned Lex Luthor. He was cold, manipulating and ruthless. I loved the guy. Plus he had an even worse son, Lyrl Well Vril’s R.E.B.E.L.S. overthrew L.E.G.I.O.N. in that titles last issue #17. Vril then retired. Captain Comet took over as head of L.E.G.I.O.N. Vril was last seen in Showcase ’96 #12 fighting along side his descendant, against his father. Ah the joys of time travel.
I’m guessing that L.E.G.I.O.N. is still keeping some planets out in space safe. Rumor has it Barry Kitson has plans for a relaunch, and he’s DC exclusive now.
We’re still waiting for that relaunch, but with Kitson on Legion of Super-Heroes there’s a chance that he’ll try to utilize some plans on that book.
And I never really cared for Lobo either.
Tim, how do you like your Vril Dox; bald or blonde?
Bald is beautiful. Blonde is…eh.
The Nexus’ own Iain Burnside posted this on our thread devoted to the Legion of Super-Heroes;
Although as I am also currently reading – and loving – ADAM STRANGE, and am sadly lacking in knowledge of the potted history of interstellar DCU events, I am a bit confused as to if and how the L.E.G.I.O.N. from that book ties into the LOSH here. I mean, beyond both being run by a really smart green guy. Explanations, please?
Well Iain, you’re in luck. As a fan of both teams I happen to know a bit about the both of them and what ties them together.
From the 11/3/04 column;
L.E.G.I.O.N. spun out of Invasion! and served a variety of purposes.
First it was an attempt to provide an inspiration for the Legion of Super Heroes who would come about in the 30th century. The pre Crisis Superboy had served as their inspiration prior to 1985. But after Crisis, Superman never was Superboy, therefore the Legion had not inspiration. L.E.G.I.O.N. (I’ve got to figure out a better way to type that or avoid it all together.) would try to fix that.
Secondly it attempted to replace the Green Lantern Corps. The Corp was no longer in the universe protecting business, so L.E.G.I.O.N. (darn it!) would provide that protection, for a fee.
Lastly it was a way to explore the DCU. Not too many heroes ventured off Earth, yet DC has a rich cast of aliens. So L.E.G.I.O.N. (gah!) could explore the DCU and visit planets and races that would provide a back-story for the 30th Century universe.
One of the links to the Legion was the Durlan. The Durlan was an early member, and reluctant member of L.E.G.I.O.N. (this is irking me). It turned out that due to some time tampering from Glorith, he went from the 20th Century to the 30th Century. Once in the future he created the identity of R.J. Brande, who financed the Legion, pre Zero Hour. It was a great twist and showed some amazing creativity. If you want to read one of the best L.E.G.I.O.N. (oh my god!) stories pick up L.E.G.I.O.N. (seriously, c’mon.) #23. It’s one of my favorites.
Vril Dox II was an ancestor for Brainac 5. Lyrissa and Lydea Mallor were ancestors of Shadow Lass. Strata was from the same race as Blok and the two even met, as witnessed when Blok was killed in Legion V4 #3. Garryn and Marj’in Bek both possessed the Emerald Eye of Ekron. And it turned out that Pulsar Stargrave a villain from the Legion of Super Heroes was just the Computer Tyrants of Colu.
I love the pre Zero Hour Legion of Super Heroes. Volume 4 is one of my favorite books of all time. As a result I also love L.E.G.I.O.N. (but not typing it.). I’m working on getting a complete run of L.E.G.I.O.N. (I can’t take much more), so I’m always on the prowl when I hit the cons. There seem to be perpetual rumors of Barry Kitson working on a relaunch. I’d love it, because the DCU hasn’t really been explored since that book ended.
When we last left L.E.G.I.O.N., Captain Comet was running the show. But as witnessed Adam Strange, Vril Dox II has resumed control of the organization. Clearly there is a tale to be told.
Tim, would you rather be a member of the Legion, L.E.G.I.O.N., or Darkstars?
What kind of choice is that? I’m out of the Legion’s demographic, the L.E.G.I.O.N. has all but disappeared from the DCU stage, and joining the Darkstars means joining a second rate GLC AND most likely getting killed or crippled. No thank you.
I’ll stick with the Ultramarines. They’ll do nicely.
Steve, thank god, breaks the vicious cosmic cycle and wonders aloud,
As I always enjoy the change of pace of a villain who isn’t afraid to kill, I was wondering who in the DCU has the highest “Earth-1 Body Count.” Off the top of my head, I know that Mongul took out Coast City and a few million inhabitants, and Vandal Savage nuked Montevideo. Anyone have more “in canon” human blood on their hands, without the cop out of a timeline re-set (Parallax) or destroying other planets/dimensions (Anti-Monitor)?
I think that you have to give credit to the heroes of the DCU because I can’t think of any incidents that come close to the ones that you mentioned.
Mongul (with some help from Cyborg) destroyed Coast City. Vandal Savage did indeed destroy Montevideo. Cheshire also detonated a nuclear bomb in Quarac. When Sub Diego was created many lives were lost, but we still don’t know who was behind that. During Invasion millions of people got sick when the Alien Alliance detonated a gene bomb in the atmosphere.
Um, that’s about all I can think of.
Oh, in the Pre-Zero Hour Legion the moon, which was colonized, was detonated, causing debris to rain down on Earth killing even more people. It was detonated by Travis O’Connell, one of the Linear Men. It was a cool story that kind of still happened because Superman was involved.
Again, you’ve got to hand it to the heroes; they do their part to keep things like this from happening. So let’s have a big round of applause for the heroes of the DCU who keep regular Joes and Janes save every night and day.
Tim, did I miss any mass killings in the DCU?
Hmm…no, I don’t think you did.
Sorry if that’s not an interesting response, but it is a truthful one.
Ryan C. likes photos. But he also likes to know who’s in them. Thus, he asks,
Hello there my 2 fine friends. I have 1 humble question for you guys this time around. Could you give me a run down on all the characters that were featured in that awesome splash page at the end of the current Teen Titans issue? I know the more recognizable ones, but there were a few who I was clueless on. Thanks in advance.
Ok, this is going to be a tough one, considering we don’t have an image to go off of. But if everyone could turn to pages 20 & 21 of Teen Titans #22 we can begin.
Ahem, that means you “Shiv’kala!”
On page #20 I’m going to skip Cyborg, Raven, Robin, Beast Boy, Flash, Kid Flash, Superboy and Hawk.
Standing behind Cyborg is Tempest, the former Aqualad. He’s been living in Atlantis with his wife, Dolphin and their child. Standing behind Flash is Mirage, she was a member of the Team Titans. We now turn to Comic Industry Big Shot Ben Morse to give us a rundown on all things Team Titan;
from the 3/31/04 column;
Anyhow, the Team Titans first appeared during “Titans Hunt,” then their “origin” was given during Armageddon 2001, when Waverider touched Nightwing and saw a group of future Titans, led by ‘Wing, fighting in a future run by Lord Chaos, Donna Troy’s son grown up very wrong. The Teamers came back in time, minus their Nightwing, to try and kill Troy before she gave birth, but instead they ended up teaming with the original Titans and defeating Lord Chaos, who followed them back, and somehow preventing Donna’s son from ever becoming him. After that, they stayed in the present for awhile, living with Donna and her husband Terry Long, and their Nightwing came back as well, but hooked up with Raven, who was evil at the time, and became Deathwing, a poorly dressed villain with two nipple rings, which was lame, as opposed to my one, which is cool. However, Zero Hour revealed that the future the Team Titans thought they came from had never actually existed; Extant, aka Monarch, aka Hawk, aka Hank Hall, aka a continuity nightmare, had created their, and hundreds of other timelines, with “Titans” in each whom he could activate a mental control over and make into an army of slaves at his whim. He did so during Zero Hour, pissing off people who had read the title and suddenly saw all their favorite characters become mindless zombies in an army of nameless hundreds; to make matters worse, after Zero Hour, they all ceased to exist…except for Mirage, Terra II and Deathwing, who for some reason did not vanish. During the “Year One” Annual, the Time Trapper showed up and revealed to the three that they were actually from the DCU proper but he/she had implanted them with false memories so they could be sleeper agents in Extant’s army…one would at this point wonder why the Trapper thought three sleeper agents, none of whom were particularly powerful, would do squat against an army of hundreds…but I digress. Mirage was some South American chick, Deathwing was just some thug and Terra didn’t want to see who she was, because she was afraid she was the original psycho Terra, resurrected by the Trapper. Mirage and Terra would serve a bit more time with the core Titans team until they disbanded; Deathwing faded into obscurity and is probably currently residing in the Bay area. Mirage and Terra still do cameos during big Titans events like JLA/Titans; in the second Titans Secret Files & Origins, Terra had gone to Markovia to visit the original Terra’s brother Geo-Force and have a DNA test done to figure out who she was; G-F told her she was not the original Terra, relieving her, but the test results he withheld showed she was in fact the original; to this day, it’s still kind of up in the air, but current Teen Titans writer Geoff Johns has said he’ll probably get to it eventually.
CM3 is the Captain Marvel Jr looking character hanging from the helicopter.
Beneath him is Mal, I covered Mal in the 2/23/05 column;
Mal is still around. Mal was just a regular Joe when he first teamed up with the original Titans. He later got the Gabriel Horn and became the heroic Herald. The Gabriel Horn would open portals in space.
He married Karen “Bumblebee” Beecher and basically retired from the hero gig.
He currently is the owner of a coffee house, The Buzz, while Karen brings in the big buck from S.T.A.R. labs.
In the pre-Crisis continuity Mal adopted the identity of The Guardian (he wore a costume that was identical to the Jim Harper version of the character). But in the current DCU he never took up the mantle of that The Guardian.
Argent is the bluish young lady standing next to Mal. She was part of the youthful Atom’s Teen Titans. They were half aliens. She has the ability to create silver constructs. It’s kind of like Green Lantern energy, only silver. She was also a member of the terrible, horrible Titans squad.
Standing next to Kid Flash is The Wildebeest. Once upon a time there was a Wildebeest Society. They experimented with things of a genetic nature. One such experiment was a Baby Wildebeest.
The Society was dismantled by The New Titans, who sort of adopted the Baby Wildebeest. It could grow to be a full grown and powered Wildebeest. When that team called it quits Pantha and Red Star cared for the Baby in Russia.
Phew! Now on to page #21.
I’ll skip Starfire, Wonder Girl, Arsenal, and Nightwing.
Standing behind Nightwing is Duela Dent here’s what Comic Industry Big Shot Ben Morse and I had to say about her from the 3/13/04 column
Duela Dent is a mixed up individual. Back in the wacky Silver Age she first appeared claiming to be the Joker’s daughter but she wasn’t really bad. Then later on, but still in the Silver Age she claimed to be Two-Face’s daughter. Then the Crisis happened, and while everyone complained about Barry Allen, Supergirl, Hawkman, Power Girl and Wonder Girl, no one ever worried about a character that had no real continuity but was still messed up by this catastrophic event nonetheless.
Since the Crisis, she has appeared in various issues of the various Titans series, including the Titans Secret Origins and Files #2. She is usually portrayed as a confused woman who is claiming a different villain parentage every time she comes into play. She has become a joke, and an example of an idea that wasn’t fully thought out when it was introduced.
Personally I’m waiting to read the quote in Wizard where Geoff Johns is describing a future storyline in Teen Titans as “Huge. I’m really going to shake things up. You are going to see some familiar faces from the Titans past. Not only will I make Duela Dent a force to be reckoned with but I finally reveal who her real dad is, and his identity will surprise you.” Look for “Who is Duela Dent” in Teen Titans #75-100 beginning in about five years. B, are you looking forward to that storyline?(I’ll ignore your hopeless delusions of grandeur and give our reads the full Duela Dent skinny they deserve. Duela’s first appearance in the New Teen Titans was in issue #50 of the first volume, as a guest at Donna Troy’s wedding; she had gained some weight and teased Dick Grayson as she was clearly too old to be Two-Face’s daughter but refused to reveal who her real father was. However, that appearance was apparently wiped out by Zero Hour, meaning the first glimpse the comic got of Duela after like twenty plus years was in a cameo in Team Titans; she was spending time in an insane asylum. As joke, in the final issue of Team Titans, there was a fake next issue box about Duela Dent manipulating Zero Hour to remake the universe in her image; premature cancellation wiped out whatever plans writer/artist Phil Jimenez had for either Duela or Kole, the presumably dead Titan chick who also showed up in the shadows of Team Titans. In JLA/Titans, one of Vic Stone’s Cyberion probes sprung Duela from the same asylum to help the Titans combat the natural disasters being caused by the Technis; she helped out Pantha and mocked her, saying she was the Wildebeest’s daughter. Duela would next appear in Titans Secret Origins & Files #1, getting a bit tipsy at a bar, watching the Titans reformation on TV and ranting that she was Doomsday’s daughter. Her last appearance to date was in T SO&F #2, crashing the Titans West party with villains Fear and Loathing and going toe to toe with former teammate Flamebird.
Speak of the devil, standing beneath Nightwing is Flamebird, once again we go to Comic Industry Big Shot Ben Morse from the 11/23/04 column (which was also his final one);
Yes, she did begin her career in order to impress Robin; pre-Crisis, she called herself Bat-Girl and was the niece of Batwoman (Kathy Kane); post-Crisis, she is Flamebird and may or may not have gotten the name from Kryptonian legend just like Nightwing.
As Flamebird, Bette was a founding member of Titans West alongside Herald, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, Lilith, Harlequin, Hawk & Dove.
For many years she was portrayed as a pathetic Nightwing fan and fame seeker, but Geoff Johns did a more serious take on her in the Beast Boy mini-series as she hooked up with Gar (as partners, no romantically) and proved herself a capable crime fighter.
Flamebird founded Titans L.A. along with Beast Boy and a bunch of other folks, but that went nowhere and she’s currently back in limbo; however, as a Geoff Johns favorite, don’t bet against her showing up in Titans occasionally, either in the fictional flesh or as an easter egg as in Titans Tomorrow.
Standing behind Arsenal is Pantha. Remember those genetic experiments that the Wildebeest Society was conducting? Well Pantha is another one of them. She’s now a cat/human hybrid, complete with cat like reflexes and skills. She hooked up with the Titans to stop the Wildebeest Society. She was in Russia rearing the Baby Wildebeest with Red Star.
Ah Red Star, he’s the gent standing behind Duela Dent. Leonid Kovar is a “Cold War” character who’s future is in limbo considering most of current “Teen Titans” aren’t even old enough to remember The Cold War.
Anyway, he’s from the Soviet Union. He was off on a jaunt with his archeologist pop when they encountered the wreck of an alien craft. As luck would have it, the craft gave off an energy and Leonid basked in it. The energy gave him powers, including super strength. He joined up with Teen Titans, but eventually found himself back in Russia with Pantha trying to raise Baby Wildebeest.
And I think that’s it. I hope we gave you enough information to enjoy the book that much more.
Tim, come, join in our Titantastic rundown!
Umm…how? You covered it all.
Colin wishes to play a little compare and contrast
In Flash, Murmur looks suspiciously like the Chainsaw Vigilante, from the Tick. Which villain came first? I know Tick is a send-up, but was Vigilante supposed to be a direct knock-off of Murmur? Even his leap in Flash at Heat Wave looks exactly like when the Vigilante leapt at Arthur after taking out the Civic-Minded Five. “Resistance is silly!”
I always enjoy questions that force me to do research. The Chainsaw Vigilante clearly appeared first, way back in The Tick #9. Murmur on the other hand appeared in Flash: Iron Heights in 2001. As to their similar appearances, you be the judge; Chainsaw Vigilante and Murmur.
Tim, aren’t you friends with Geoff Johns? Perhaps you could shed some light on the subject.
Hmm…conspiracy perhaps?
Or, more likely, hypertime.
You see, Murmur is not a rip off of Vigilante and Vigilante is not a rip of Murmur. Instead they are……..wait for it………..the same person, just from different dimensions!
One lives in the DCU, one lives in the Tick-verse, but both are united by their love of blades, faceless masks, and leather. Not unlike Mathan’s mom.
*awkward cough*
No? Too far? Okay, okay, I retract the statement.
John Maclachan wants to know all about a certain Kryptonian mutt.
How the heck did Krypto the Superdog get back into continuity? He just seemed to show up in a Batman/Superman comic!
It’s a funny story.
Ok, it’s not a “funny” story, it’s just a story but you asked.
Kal El has returned to Krypton a couple of times. Each time he journeyed back to Krypton he was actually taking a trip into The Phantom Zone and visiting a world created by Brainiac. Anyway Kal got a glimpse at how great life on Krypton could/would have been. As one of the parting gifts from a trip “Jor El” gave Kal Krypto. Thus Krypto has returned to the DCU.
One could argue that Krypto is really just highly advanced AI, but he’s still a super dog.
On a related note I caught the Krypto cartoon and I was appalled at the continuity mistakes. It was just absurd. How can DC allow this cartoon to be produced with such glaring continuity gaffes? A talking dog? Hello, that’s just stupid.
Wait, you mean it’s a cartoon for kids?
Nevermind.
My only response to Krypto is ugh. It doesn’t matter how much Loeb tells reporters that Krypto is a vital companion to Kal/Clark/Superman, it just never stops being silly to me. I can’t accept that a dog with a cape really opens up many storytelling avenues worth taking. But then, I am cynical ol’ chap, so who knows.
Moonknight25 needs to be taken to school!
Can you give me a history lesson on Huntress?
Can I ever! Again, let’s check in with Mathan from the past.
From the 1/28/04 column
The Huntress is an interesting character. Y’see she actually comes from a crime family. Her pop was Guido Bertinelli, a very powerful mob boss. When she was six she was kidnapped by a member of a rival family, in order to persuade Guido to seeing things their way. When she was returned it was clear the experience had traumatized her. Before the abduction she was outgoing and optimistic. Afterwards she was distrustful and reserved. She realized that her lavish lifestyle came with a price.
She tried to make a place of herself in the world, and went to college. Her pop worried about her and sent a bodyguard, Sal, along with her. She resented his presence and ditched him to go to a family gathering. Well someone else also attended the gathering, Omerta the Silencer. Any you’re right he does sound like a killer. In fact he killed the entire Bertinelli clan, except for Helena who survived by playing dead.
But she wasn’t safe for long, as her survival was found out. Fortunately Sal showed up and trained her in that art of self-defense. He even taught her how to use a crossbow. Eventually she adopted the identity of the Huntress and sought vengeance for her family.
Well it turned out that Omerta was none other than her family’s consigliore, their lawyer and counsel. But he was also working for Mandragora who wanted Guido’s fortune. She took them both down. After that she was with the Justice League for a spell. Then she joined the Bat family, kind of. Her methods are a bit extreme, even to Batman. She’s teamed up with Robin on some occasions. She joined the JLA, on Batman’s blessing. She was even Batgirl during No Man’s Land, for a short while. Oh, and she and Nighwing “hooked up” in the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries. She is currently part of the “Birds of Prey.” Oh yeah, she was in last week’s Outsiders.
For some good Huntress reading, pick up her series, but specifically the first eight issues. Her first solo miniseries was really good. So was her mini with Nighwing.
As for the Pre-Crisis Huntress and a comparison of the two let’s check in with yet another Mathan from the past.
From the 9/21/04 column;
Well the old Huntress was the daughter of Catwoman and Batman back on Earth 2. Both of her parents were killed, which made her bitter, so she became Huntress. But she also had an active public identity; Helena Wayne was a successful attorney. She also had the support of Earth 2’s Dick Grayson, who was also still Robin (the man wonder?) Since she still operated in Gotham she fought more of the costumed foes than the regular bad guys.
The current Huntress had no ties to Batman. She is Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of mob boss. Her family was killed on a mob hit. She survived the attack. Then she trained to protect herself and eventually adopted the role of the Huntress. She is much more driven than the Pre Crisis Huntress. She’s also more brutal. She attacks, often with viciousness.
While she originally operated independently of Batman, and his cronies (she originally battled regular baddies, like drug dealers, serial killers, and assassins) she has since become more integrated into the Gotham backdrop. Now she’s part of the Bat fam. They wanted to show that she didn’t have any ties to Batman, but essentially the similarities between the two characters proved too strong to ignore.
Basically the Pre-Crisis Huntress was more of a Silver Age hero, while her Post Crisis version debuted when comics were darker and grimmer. I actually just picked up the last half of the Huntress series from ’89, and I’m loving it. The art is amazing and the stories hold up surprisingly well. I would recommend that people check out that book, as well as the first Huntress miniseries. As for the rest of her books, I can’t comment I haven’t read them, yet.
I think the Huntress deserves a bigger spot in the DCU. But that could just be because I’m ignoring Birds of Prey. Tim, agree or disagree?
I agree that she deserves a prominent spot in the DCU, but I would argue that BoP has been giving that to her. So, I guess I both agree and disagree.
I must remind you that you ignore BoP at your own risk my friend. If I was to express it in a mathematical way, it would read something like 10000000(Elites) < 1 (BoP). In other words, 10000000 Elite issues provide less entertainment than one issue of Birds of Prey. You have been informed.
George likes to promote hate across company lines and that’s why it is no surprise he wants to know:
Who wins in a fight Guardian or Captain America; or Guardian v. U.S.Agent?
You’ve got to go with Cap and Agent. I’m not even going to say that “I love the Guardian” but clearly Cap and Agent were both trained, not only by the Government but for war. The Guardian gets beaten soundly and decisively.
I mean, unless you’re talking about a Guardian of the Universe.
Tim, can you conceive of a way that Guardian could possibly win?
Sure. Marvel and DC could decide the victor via phone polling like that bogus DC v. Marvel thing where Storm beat Wonder Woman. I mean, really, what the hell!
Oh, wait…Guardian wouldn’t stand a chance in that contest either. No, I guess there is no possible way then.
Here we are at the close of another column. If you’ve got any questions you want answered post them on The Who’s Who in the DCU Thread or email them to me. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of questions with all the shake ups going on in the DCU.
My question to you this week; Are too many characters being resurrected too soon?
“She got me L-O-V-E T-K-O, like Teddy P. what ever she say goes.”
