Tim, I’ve been listening to DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing while working on this column. In fact I really wanted use DJ Shadow as the lyric to close the column, but no luck. Anyway Tim, what’s been on heavy rotation in your neck of the woods?
Let’s take a look in the ol’ five disc changer. Alright, I’ve got one disc of Fountains of Wayne’s two-disc B-sides collection Out of State Plates, Elliot Smith’s XO, Kayne’s new one, David Gray’s White Ladder, and, finally, Shake Your Money Maker from the Black Crowes. Also this past weekend on the way up to Boston, Jamie Hatton and I did our damnedest to embarrass his future Mrs. by indulging fully in our enjoyment of female singer-songwriters (the Fiona Apples, Liz Phairs, etc of the world).
Links
IP Music has Aaron Cameron listening to albums so you don’t have to!
IP Movies is sure to have reviews of the new The Warriors DVD!
Or you can just read mine here: SO AWESOME!
IP Games has everything handheld to console.
IP Figures might seem small but really packs a punch!
IP TV has some pretty big things in the works. (And since last week Tim asked for my thoughts on TV here they are).
IP Sports has the latest on the baseball playoffs!
Moodspins features political comics!
IP Culture strives to make us all better people!
Our DC Forums have been kind of silent, but I may have to stir things up later.
Tim, what will you link for us this week?
I will link a whole lot of NOTHING. Just no inspiration this week. Please don’t hit me.
What I Read Last Week
Plastic Man #18 – DC’s most fun book shouldn’t be getting the axe. There is no justice.
The Flash #226 – Talk about your fill-in issue. Ouch! (Searching desperately for positives), um I did dig Lightle’s new style.
From the promise of Darwyn Cooke to this. Disappointing.
Batman: Journey Into Knight – Pretty solid issue. Again, I liked Bruce interacting with his parents. I’m really digging the rookie Bats.
The Losers #28 – Someone dies, but I’m not really happy about it. I don’t see how that ending can be positive at all.
Adventures of Superman #644 – Pretty powerful issue. Toyman has never been creepier. I’m digging how Zee is responsible for unmaking or making monsters.
The OMAC Project #6 – Ouch. That ending is not going to be good for business. That ending is not going to be good for anybody. I just hope that Archway never gains sentience.
Legion of Super-heroes #10 – This book is so amazing. I love it more than almost any other book out. I have to make sure that I’ve got no other distractions when I read this book, because it deserves my complete and utter attention. Tim, you’re missing the boat.
JLA Classified #12 – Eh, kind of a slow issue. But the art and writing were solid, it’s just not too much happened.
Superman/Batman – Man, I really want to hate this book. It reintroduced Armor Lex. But the current issue features two of my favorite “Elseworlds” characters. Damn you Loeb! *Shakes fist*
JLA #119 – Tim, I’m going to disagree with you. I completely accept that Bats is upset over what may have happened to Selina. At the very least it makes him seem like less of a prick. Also count me among those who think that’s the Golden Age Superman at the end of the issue. The guy’s got motive and opportunity. He completely fits the bill of the “person who wants their timeline back” that we’ve been hearing about forever.
Again, I’m not saying he wouldn’t he upset about Selina. I’m just saying that he’d still be pretty pissed about it happening to him too. I dug the rest of the issue though.
Vigilante #1 – I’m going to have to reread this one. I read it once, but the number of characters got me lost.
Batman #645 – Again Tim, I’m going to disagree with you. I think that this issue is pretty important since many current readers are only familiar with “Jason Todd” as a concept rather than a character. This issue showed him in action and gave a glimpse at how reckless he was. It may not have necessarily advanced the overall storyline, but it it’s pretty important nonetheless.
If this had occurred without the two fill-in issues in a row, I would totally agree with you. In this case though, I was just itching to dig back into the story and this hijacked that possibility.
Hey Tim, guess who placed the lyric at the end of the last column? That’s right; no one.
Come on people! That’s Dear John from Ryan Adams. Pull it together here!
No Hawkgirl will do for Andy C., He needs a Hawklady (or, barring that, a Hawkwoman)
Who is this Hawkwoman character showing up in Rann/Thanagar War?
Shayera Thal is the Hawkwoman who showed up in Rann/Thanagar War. She’s a cop from Thanagar who first appeared in Hawkworld #1, (aka the book that began the messing up of Hawkman continuity).
She and Katar Hol came to Earth and became Hawkwoman and Hawkman. They operated as heroes in the Hawkman title from the 1990’s.
Is any of this ringing bells? Nope? No problem; she died in Rann/Thanagar War #5 so the whole thing is really academic at this point.
Forget about her, she’s dead and she’s staying that way.
Unless of course Shayera Thal is…Mockingbird?
Tim, wouldn’t that be the ultimate swerve? I mean killing off a character in one mini only to reveal that character as the identity of a mysterious figure in another mini? No one would see that coming, right?
No, I suppose no one would. Putting forward that theory would be kind of like that guy on the corner who keeps telling you the world is ending. He might be right, but mostly it just sounds like the rantings of a mad man.
Ovronnaz is a bird brain
Who’s Golden Eagle and can you tell me what’s going on in Hawkman?
Golden Eagle is still in a bit of a flux as a character. Y’see originally he was Charley Parker, guy who thought he had a link to Hawkman. But in the post Crisis DCU Charley Parker became characterized as a slacker. Then he was killed by the Wildebeest Society.
But now he’s back! When Carter was recently killed on the pages of Hawkman Charley had just come to St. Roch to try to link up with Hawkman, who he claims is his father. Charley has shown a new dedication to being a hero, which has included his masquerading as “Hawkman” after Carter’s death, to try to flush out the killers.
However, the most recent issue (Hawkman #44) ended with Charley forcing himself on Kendra and sounding unlike himself, speaking about Thanagarian women (I hear they’re friggin’ easy. Not like drunken sorority girl with low self esteem easy, but pretty close) and still claiming to be “Hawkman’s son.”
The current speculation is that he’s Fel Andar’s son (A Thanagarian spy who once pretended to be Hawkman, just in case you aren’t up on your Thanagarian history), but that’s not proven yet. I’m sure everything will be crystal clear when #45 comes out.
Tim, what do you think it would take to make Hawkman a Top Ten book?
The cancellation of Superman/Batman, New Avengers, All-Star Batman and Robin, All-Star Superman, Young Avengers, Batman, Superman, Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Detective Comics, Astonishing X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Daredevil, The Ultimates, Infinite Crisis and its related miniseries, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Justice, House of M and its related miniseries, Supergirl, Green Lantern, JLA, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Teen Titans, Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Iron Man, Wolverine, JSA, Flash, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Supreme Power, Captain America, Serenity, JSA Classified, JLA Classified, Iron Man, Wildsiderz, Marvel 1602, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Outsiders, Daredevil Father, Batman Journey into Knight, Wonder Woman, Seven Soldiers books, New Thunderbolts, Nightwing, Birds of Prey, Green Arrow, Punisher, Legion of Superheroes, Powers, Gotham Knights, Daredevil vs. Punisher, Robin, Defenders, Exiles, Shanna the She Devil, Batgirl, Astro City, Spawn, Runaways, Soulfire, Y the Last Man, New X-Men, Marvel Knights 4, Cable Deadpool, Legends of the Dark Knight, Fables, Fathom, Neverwhere, X-Men Unlimited, GI Joe, Marvel Team Up, Kitty Pride, and Manhunter.
Barring that, I don’t know, maybe a sweet chromium cover, some shoulder pads, and a huge gun?
John Babos makes his triumphant return to the column to ask…about an amorphous blob of dirt?
Any speculations on who DC’s newest Clayface is? Someone we know? A newbie?
John actually posted this in our DC forums months ago. But since the answers are finally out, I figured I’d respond here.
Johnny Williams was a fireman who responded to a blaze in an abandoned warehouse. An abandoned warehouse that had been used as an illegal waste dump. There was an explosion and the floor collapsed. Johnny and his unit were stuck. Suddenly there was another explosion. Only Johnny made it out.
But Johnny was a different man after the fire. He became cold and uncaring. He even committed a murder.
Later when Hush was tying up some loose ends Hush came across a thug in that very same warehouse. The thug was staring at a person who looked exactly like him. Hush shot the thug in the head and the doppelganger began to melt. Hush took some of that liquid and analyzed it. He realized that it became whatever it came in contact with.
Hush hooked up with “Johnny” and convinced him that they should work together. Thus a new Clayface was born!
Yes, it is one too many, but it clears up the whole “Hush and Tommy Elliot being in two places at once conundrum.”
Tim, you’d really get rid of Hush’s solo book? Really?
One hundred percent really. He’s just not an interesting character yet to have this much focus and by giving it to him, DC has essentially ensured that he never will be.
Chaos has paternity concerns.
Oh – and Spoiler had a baby?
Yup. But the kid is not my son.
Nor it is Tim’s (Stevens). Sure Tim and Steph hooked up a couple times but it was never serious, never did it ever get to that point.
Heck, it’s not even Tim Drake’s kid. Steph was knocked up by some dude named Dean. Readers found out about the pregnancy in Robin #57 and the kid was born in Robin #65. Steph gave the child up for adoption and then continued on her crime fighting crusade.
Until she was killed by Black Mask in what Tim Stevens Monthly called “the greatest crossover event of the past 25 years, bar none”; War Games.
Tim, your mag really gave that storyline glowing praise. What’s up with that?
I love you man, but right now…I hate you so much.
George floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. Or, he’d like to anyway.
Since Ali beat Superman, who else in the DCU could he beat? Is there anyone Ali can’t beat? Or is Ali at a Brian Boitano (as shown in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut) state of heroism?
This book is a bit before my collecting began, so I’ve sadly never read it. However I’ve done some digging and found out that this fight took place under a red sun.
Now I could be wrong, but doesn’t that automatically give Ali the advantage? I mean isn’t Superman under a red sun essentially just Clark Kent? Even Tim could beat Clark Kent. Well maybe not that dreamy Tom Welling from Smallville but the stereotypically square Clark Kent would get thrashed by, yes, even Tim.
We, kind of, saw Ali get beat by Ted Grant in New Frontier, which brings his rating down further.
Don’t get me wrong, Ali is as close as we get to a larger than life hero here, but in the DCU Ali isn’t the be all end all. He could take out any Dr. Mid-Nite, and probably both Mr. Terrifics. But he’d be hard pressed to get a win against anyone in the Bat Fam or Team Arrow for that matter.
Tim, where do you put Ali in the DCU, and yourself for that matter?
Ali in his prime I’d put in roughly a tie with Wildcat and just ahead of The Question. Of course, like that boxer character in Street Fighter, Ali would always be at a disadvantage in a brawl because he is a fists only fighter. Those fists though…so devastating.
As for me, in straight up, knuckle brawling combat, I’m not sure. I could friggin’ embarrass Billy Batson though (Billy, not Captain Marvel). He’d be crying for that wizard Shazam so hard when I was done making that pretty face ugly. Er…ahh…next question!
Brett wants to make sure he isn’t scamming on another man’s woman.
I got some older DC books (1993ish) in a grab bag and one of them was Flash #81. While I was reading it Wally referred to Starfire being Nightwing’s wife. I seem to have remembered the wedding as not happening but that period is kinda hazy for me. So were they married at one point?
Nightwing and Starfire was supposed to be wed in New Titans #100 but it was broken up by the Raven who was kind of drunk evil at the time.
Did I ever tell you about the time that Arsenal ruined my Prom?
Roy and I were both going to prom with our respective dates so we decided to double. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. I figured that Roy would be able to get the Arrow-car and everything would be kosher?
Yadda yadda yadda we’re at Prom and I mentioned how I couldn’t wait to “score”. He basically concurred with me. Little did I know that we were talking about two different types of “scoring.” Roy stumbles out of the bathroom with his arm still tied off and collapses in the middle of the dance floor. So not only did I have drive us and our dates home, without seeing any action (although the Arrow-car is one mean machine) but I also had to sneak Roy into his room without Ollie hearing. Fortunately Dinah was over, so it wasn’t too hard.
What was the question again? That’s right, Kori and Dick were never married. But they did recently hook up, responsibly on the pages of Outsiders #28
Tim do you think Dick and Kori will get back together again or is Tim (Drake) going to be batting clean up?
I’m not sure what kind of creepy arrangement you see the Bat family having (Dick gets things starts and tags Tim in to complete the job?) but I want no part of it.
As for whether or not Dick and Kori will reunite, I think that that time has passed. However there is a whole contingent of fans (including, I believe Wizard’s own Ben Morse) who believe that the two were meant to be together. Of course there is another equally rabid fanbase (including Jamie Hatton’s fiancée Danielle O’Brien) that our big fans of the “Babs and Dick Forever” school of thought. Personally, I think it would be regressive to pair the former love birds, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do it.
Brett likes timelines
I was just curious as to the lineage of the Justice League name and the series it has been featured in. What is the chronology and reasons for the splinter groups like International, Task Force, and Europe?
Well I’m guessing that you’re familiar with the original Justice League of America, which started the whole thing off, as witnessed in JLA: Year One.
There was this miniseries called Legends in which there was a huge anti super hero sentiment that was sweeping the nation, it was the result of Darkseid’s manipulations. Anyway the President of the United States actually ordered all heroes to stop their heroic activities. That meant the end of the Justice League of America.
After the whole thing in Legends was cleared up a new Justice League was formed. This was the team that was featured in the Justice League title. It was in the seventh issue of that book that it became Justice League International because the team had hooked up with the United Nations.
Justice League International #24 saw the birth of the Justice League Europe which was based in Paris. It wasn’t really a splinter group, it was just a different branch of the Justice League International. This is evidenced by the Justice League International book becoming Justice League America with issue #26.
(There was also a Justice League Antarctica but the less said about them the better. But if you want to read more check out the hilarious Justice League America Annual #4.)
However as of JLA #60 & JLE #36 the Justice League International lost it’s U.N. backing. But the teams kept on going. As of #50 Justice League Europe became Justice League International.
The Justice League Task Force began when Hannibal Martin, an official in the U.S. government, got together a group of heroes for some covert missions. But the birth of Justice League Task Force didn’t end either the JLA or JLE titles.
But in Justice League #91 and Justice League International #67 the different branches of the JL went their separate ways. It also spelled the end of the Justice League International. J’onn spent his time with the Justice League Task Force and Wonder Woman took over the Justice League America.
In 1995 Captain Atom became dissatisfied with how the Justice League was handling business and made his own Justice League that does things his way. Their exploits were chronicled in Extreme Justice, but the team just called themselves “Justice League.”
(There was a book called Total Justice but it was basically just a book that was created to hawk a toy line.)
Extreme Justice ended with issue #18, Justice League Task Force ended with issue #37 and Justice League America ended with #113.
Justice League: Midsummer’s Nightmare featured the beginning of what eventually became the current JLA.
Justice League Elite was a splinter group of the JLA which was more of an undercover group formed to deal with threats before they became too large.
I think that should pretty much cover the Justice Leagues. Tim, did I explain that clearly enough, because if not we can always cover it again next week?
Ooooooooooooooooooooo, could we? Cause that would be AWESOME.
Or, as an alternative, I could explain the epistemology of some of our favorite words. Like “the” or “if”. That would be ROCKING too.
Aaron is concerned about the fate of great cats.
Any idea as to where DC was going with the character Pantha? There was this great, mysterious build-up and then the character was dropped, lock, stock n’ barrel, when Jonathan Petersen left the Titans title in 1993(?) Has she ever been heard from again and, more importantly, does everyone pretend that the baby Wildebeest character never existed?
Ah Aaron I’d love to say something like “DC was just trying to add some color to one of it’s teams” but I can’t confirm that.
Pantha was probably going to be the next big thing, I mean like Wolverine huge, but she wasn’t handled well. She was saddled with the Baby Wildebeest and used for comic relief.
She has appeared since then. She has been known to pop up when there’s a Titan get together (like the recent face off with Dr. Light). And she does indeed have Baby Wildebeest in tow.
Oh and Aaron, you might be interest in knowing that the Outsiders/Teen Titans Secret Files & Origins 2005 featured bit of a follow up to Titans Hunt.
One time I went into this video store and rented a movie that I thought was titled “Titans Hunt.” But when I got home I found it was actually titled “Titans Hump.” Dude, they have some serious explaining to do. Man was that story hard to follow.
Tim, who is your favorite Titan?
Could it be anyone else by Dick “Mean Gene” Grayson. No…no it couldn’t. But if I was forced to choose someone else, I guess it would be Roy. If for no other reason then he ruined your prom.
JohnBritton just had to bring up the unholy Hypertime
How does Hypertime affect Batman’s mission to protect Gotham? Why doesn’t he take responsibility for the millions of other Gothams out there, some of which don’t even have a Batman? Does it make him feel even more like a drop in the bucket? Does he believe in Hypertime? Do you? Does DC?
This is an interesting question. The first time around (5/29/03) I wrote this;
Uh why would he? Does Bat’s care about Keystone? How about Opal? Not really. Bruce has a self appointed duty to his Gotham. That’s all. Period. Superman might feel the need to protect the planet, but not Batman. Plus do you really believe that Batman believes in Hypertime? I have a hard time believing in it.
I pretty much stand by that answer. I still believe that Batman wouldn’t care about another Gotham any more than he would care about any other city in his DCU. He might pretend to have a ‘war on crime’ but it’s really just a ‘war on crime…in Gotham.’
I don’t think that he’s a believer in Hypertime. It’s a bit less than quantifiable, that I think that he’d need a bit more proof to be a believer.
Does DC believe in Hypertime? I’m going with “yes.” I’m basing this on their use of Hypertime in various books (The Flash, Superboy and (shudder) The Titans.) I’d also point to Gog’s recent appearance as pointing towards the existence of Hypetime. He showed up during The Kingdom which also gave us Hypertime.
Oh yeah, Hourman also dealt with Hypertime. So that mean’s I’m a firm believer in the concept. Plus if I believe in Hypertime, that means that somewhere in that vast concept Jack Knight did indeed visit Jor-El and give him the coordinates to Earth.
Tim, do you believe in Hypertime?
I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, (if I say this enough, maybe I can banish it from existence), I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime, I don’t believe in Hypertime
Chaos wants a ticket to the next Knight family reunion
Are there any books about Starman’s history with his Aunt the Phantom Lady (errr… I guess that mean’s Jack Starman’s aunt)
I looked it up and I’ve found nada. This may have been something that James Robinson meant to delve into but didn’t have the time. Or it may have just been something that he meant to leave out without ever getting into it. Who knows?
I’ve love for James to revisit the universe, if not Jack or Shade, than perhaps some of the supporting characters from Opal or Starman mythos. I’m sure that any fans of Starman would love to see James return to the DCU in some way, shape or form.
Tim, who would you like to see James Robinson tackle, outside of the Starman group?
Anything having to do with comics that does not involve the words “League” “Extraordinary” or “Gentlemen”.
Hope Lorenzo B. is prepared to be confused
I heard this from a friend, but wasn’t Bloodwynd just the Martian Manhunter in a different form?
Yes. And no. It’s kind of nutty.
Y’see Martian Manhunter was impersonating Bloodwynd when “Bloodwynd” initially hooked up with the Justice League. However despite J’onn’s penchant for creating heroic alter egos (Big Doof, Bio Armor Jade Warrior, Dervish, Bronze Wrath) Bloodwynd was an actual hero in his own right.
Bloodwynd was the descendant of slaves. He had inherited the gemstone with magical powers and had been doing the hero thing.
He’s been pretty M.I.A. lately, appearing most prominently in JLA: Black Baptism.
Personally I think the guy’s been given the shaft. I mean I could think of one recent title that he could have played a role in but never appeared in.
Hey Tim, if you want I could do a guest revamping with my ideas of how Bloodwynd should make his return to the DCU?
I, and the fans, would love it. Make it so good sir, make it so.
Julian L. Smith is in heav-ENNNNN
Where is Zauriel these days?
Ah the last Justice Leaguer alphabetically will always be the first JLAer in my heart. Actually not really, I just thought that I’d give him some props on the off chance that poor forgotten character was reading this.
Zauriel has been chilling on Earth since drifting away from the JLA. He was hanging out with Hal Jordan during The Spectre series. He even had a cameo in Day of Vengance #1, which I might add Bloodwynd was nowhere to be found in.
Zauriel? Wait a minute! Zauriel, Mockingbird, the whole wing motif. How could I have been so foolish? Zauriel is Mockingbird!
Tim, doesn’t that make all of the sense in the world?
Of course it does, Mathan…of course it does.
Syxfactor looks to the future for answers
By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, whatever happened to Batman Beyond? I thought that the whole concept was awesome, and if it was a comic series I’d gladly read it.
I actually caught the Batman Beyond concept late in the game. And by “late in the game” I mean when the show was canceled and on the Cartoon Network.
I think that the show started after I’d abandoned cartoons, so I missed out on the early hype. When I did catch it I dug it. I dug the concept. I dug the title sequence. I really dug Darwyn Cooke’s work on the series.
I think what I really dug about the show was that it was something new. I know some Batfans didn’t like the idea of a new guy being “Batman” but I could accept it, especially the scenario the show laid out.
The show was axed without a proper resolution. However that reality was revisited on both Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited. The Justice League Unlimited episode Epilogue served as a way to tie up some of the loose ends from Batman Beyond as well as tie the shows together.
You might be interested to know that a familiar looking Batman showed up Superman/Batman #22.
Tim, would you be in favor of Terry becoming an official part of the DCU?
Official? No. A possibility, like Kingdom Come? Sure. I wouldn’t mind a mini or ongoing series either.
We’ve come to the end of another column. We really kind of need y’all so submit some questions. So feel free to post them on our very own thread or email them to me. Either way we’re looking for some queries to come in.
And here’s my question for you; who do you think is the character who attacked J’onn at the end of JLA #119?
“I have to breathe the air you breathe, I’m inside you.”
