Readers, I’ll have you know that I turned down a midnight screening of King Kong to write this column, for you.
Nah, I’m kidding, I turned down a midnight screening of King Kong because investing over three hours in a Peter Jackson flick is never sound logic. I’ll wait until it comes on Encore.
Tim, don’t tell me you’re one of those Lord of the Rings guys who worships on the ground beneath Peter Jackson’s hairy feet?
Not really. While I’m not nearly the curmudgeon about them that my friend and predecessor Ben is, I’m not a big devotee, either. I certainly appreciate the craftsmanship, love, and talent that went into making them, of course. I’m glad I saw them and I am glad I did so in theaters. However, it is doubtful there will ever be a space cleared for them on my DVD case because they just do not have a high rewatchability factor for me. Again, I still think they are towering works of achievement, but if I tried to own every towering work of cinema I would a.) have no money, b.) never watch most of them and c.) have no room for such “important” films like Harold and Kumar go to White Castle or Mean Girls. A man has to have priorities.
God almighty. Mean Girls? I work at a movie theater, and I can see trash for free when I so choose, but there’s no excuse for owning Mean Girls.
Links
IP Music has a feature on some Essential Hip Hop albums.
IP Movies has a feature on some characters.
IP Games is the perfect place to find some holiday console counseling
IP Figures is the best place to find your super hero action figures.
IP TV is a solid place for “reality” tv as well as episodic recaps!
IP Sports has news about the NBA and NFL. They’ve even got the latest table tennis scores.
Really? Cause I love me some table tennis (or ping pong as it known to the great unwashed).
Moodspins has plenty of voices worth listening to.
IP Culture has some fascinating reads!
Our DC Forums has some late breaking news on Post Infinite Crisis books and Blue Beetle’s new look!
Tim, are you linking this week?
CLOWNS!!!!!! Whether you love them or hate them (and if you love them you are sick SICK SICK!!!!) they cannot be ignored (dear God, never make the mistake of ignoring a clown!). So here are some websites on those men and women in floppy shoes.
What I Read Last Week
Superman Secret Files & Origins 2005 – And with that Birthright became official. The Bizarro tale was pretty depressing. I almost forgot how he pummeled Human Bomb to death. Aside from that this was pretty slim pickins.
Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #1 Special Edition – I always jump at the chance to peep a comic script. Miller’s script is very detailed and he clearly writes to the artist. It’s an interesting read.
Superman #224 – Huh? It’s nice to see Vegas make an appearance, but that’s it. Making Lex and Clark friends is really a step in the wrong direction. It really stretches the suspension of disbelief far too far.
I’d agree with that. The Smallville dynamic works great…on Smallville. I think it is far too late to introduce it into the current Superman titles.
Y The Last Man #40 – Really good issue. Beth and Hero make an interesting duo. Nice to see Hero is quick on her feet. The reveal at the end of the issue was great, as I didn’t see it coming. I really enjoy these one off stories.
Nat Turner #2 – Baker is really doing some fine work on this title. It’s amazing how he can do handle to nearly polar opposites such as this title and Plastic Man and do them both expertly.
Jonah Hex #2 – This book would make a pretty good TV show. I dig the action and the stories. But I really could see this thing on the small screen.
Mister Miracle #2 – I’m certainly curious what happened to the New Gods. Darkseid and Desaad are even creepier as humans. The change in artist hurts, but not too much. I’m still digging this book.
Awesome. I’m being blown away by this book, even with the art change. And it is always nice to see a practitioner of my profession portrayed as EEEEEEEEEVIL.
Hard Time (Season Two) #1 – Great jumping on point. It’s perfect for new readers and a bonus for those of us who read the first season. I love this book! I’m really glad that we finally get a peek into the back story.
Outsiders #31 – Neat cover. I dug the Earth story a bit more than the space story. I completely feel Roy’s regrets. It was a nice touch to be without flyers. I am worried about CM3 though.
JSA #80 – I guess I’m glad that nothing happened to Jakeem, but I wasn’t really worried in the first place. The much-hyped trips into Elseworlds territory seemed a bit over hyped. The loss of the two characters didn’t affect me much because I didn’t really care about them.
Yes, talk about underwhelming. Fury has done nothing (no really, literally nothing) since returning the DCU and it often seemed like no one could figure out how to write Hector as Fury so often had Nabu take over or Hector run off on some quest, usually for his wife. Who came back and then did nothing, as previously noted.
Even when I did not know who Jakeem really was, I was nonplussed so knowing…well knowing made me more nonplussed, if that is possible.
And those trips-they might have been neat if they had not been mentioned in solicitations for months. Since they were, eh.
Nighthawk #4 – I’m really beginning to hate this book. I really don’t think that Way gets the Nighthawk character that was established over in Supreme Power. Why is a bloated corpse going to register as hotter than a room? And the forcing of Whiteface as an enemy is a bit tired.
Whiteface is an unapologetic murderer of people…I’m not sure why you need to “force” him as enemy at all.
Words from Alumni
from our last outing;
“Plastic Man #19 – The most bittersweet read of the week. Well written, hilarious and penultimate issue of the title. Plus I’m a sucker for both Ra’s and shirtless fighting. Great issue.”
Decided to look this over in my DC comps…man, didn’t realize what I was missing. I’d never buy it, but I regret not reading it for free for the last year. The “shirtless fighting” thing was hilarious because it’s true.
“Y’see it all goes back to when my former partner in crime B (that’s Ben Morse to you) stated that he thought that Iron Man could beat Green
Lantern.”
If it helps, I’ll admit two or so years later, that I was wrong.
“Iron Man’s armor was designed to be prepared for anything (short of the universes’ most powerful weapon of course). (Love?)”
What a beautifully Tim drop-in.
“Aztek- What’s that you say? He’s a guy? Well, he was. Until he died. And his replacement? A lady. This is her coming out party. BOOYA!”
Will she blow up by issue twelve? I love me some blowed up Aztek.
Why…why the need to be so cruel?
Now, onto the column. Congrats to Evan for placing the lyric. As a result he gets to go first!
Evan is totally the man!
This week’s primary question on the all-female JLA got me wondering. All the characters you mentioned are powerful, but there seem to be no super-powered female villians to counteract them. I even looked panel by panel through VU, but aside from Talia al’Ghul, none popped out at me. Even those who popped up around IC (Blackrock, Eclipso) are merely gender-neutral beings that happen to possess women.
I know I’m new to severe-DCU-geekhood, but am I missing something?
There are plenty of powerful dames in the DCU. In fact, I’m going to thumb through my Who’s Who in the DC Universe villains binder and give you a rundown on some notable female foes.
Blackfire – She’s Starfire’s sister and just turned up in last week’s Outsiders. She’s a pretty decent threat.
Cheetah – She’s a notable member of The Society and a frequent thorn in Wonder Woman’s side.
Cheshire – There’s a chance that she’s dead, but she could also be alive. She was a member of both the Six and the Society and she’s had Arsenal’s kid and tried to get knocked up by Catman.
Circe – Another Wonder Woman foe, she’s a sorceress who’s pretty powerful.
Amazing Grace – She was a foe of Superman’s who has the power to manipulate minds.
And the power to possess a really silly codename without feeling shame, apparently.
Glorith – Sure she’s a Legion foe, but I’d imagine that she could pull a Mordru and become a threat in the present as well.
Granny Goodness – She doesn’t get her hands too dirty, but this New God isn’t someone that you want to mess with.
Ig’nea – Ok, so I’m still in the process of completing my L.E.G.I.O.N. collection and I don’t know if she’s still alive, but she managed to manipulate Vril Dox, which makes her an impressive baddie in my book.
(Ouch, we jump from “I” to “S” before we come across any more females)
Silver Banshee – She’s got the touch of death and she can go toe to toe with Superman. She’s no joke.
Silver Swan – Another Wonder Woman baddie, she’s currently out of commission, but she could get better any day now.
Star Sapphire – Sure Carol Ferris isn’t in the gig anymore, but the Star Sapphire from the Secret Society of Super Villains is still around. And she’s pissed from the whole “mindwiping” incident.
Velvet Tiger – She’s got temporal powers, which would really mess with my proposed JLA. If handled correctly she could be a major player in the DCU.
Female Furies – This is team of Apokolips females who follow the commands of Granny Goodness. They’ve got an array of abilities and would pretty much have to make an obligatory appearance should the JLA be stacked with females.
Clayface IV – Sure, she’s pretty much given up her evil ways, and yes when dealing with a Clayface the idea of gender is pretty much moot, but you asked for a female, and she basically fits the bill.
Phobia – A member of the Society of Sin she’s got the power to overwhelm someone with their greatest fear.
And there you have, fourteen characters and one team. Entirely female and ready to oppose the characters who I put in the JLA last week. But I would like to point out that a female JLA doesn’t necessarily need to face female foes. I’m sure they could give the male villains of the DCU a beatdown as well.
Tim, can you think of the DCU’s more notable female villains?
For you and Evan? Of course I can! It would be my honor. Here is a random list of ladies, off the top of my head, that you have not yet mentioned.
The Queen from the Royal Flush Gang- As you might imagine, she’s a lady and the second in command. She may be dead now though, given Joker’s dismantling of the team in Infinite Crisis #1. If she is, I am sure another one will take her place soon enough.
The Faerie Queen– Not to be confused with the above mentioned Queen, this talented woman bedeviled the JLA during Mark Waid’s second arc on the title.
Knockout-Former member of the Society, probably current member of the Secret Six. From Apokolips and the lover of…
Scandal– In addition to calling Knockout “Beloved” Scandal is also the leader of the Six.
Crazy Quilt– An all-new all-different all-lady version of the classic mort of a villain. Introduced by Villains United.
Spellbinder– Another female version of a formerly male villain. She killed the original during Underworld Unleashed so she could make a deal with Neron for power in her predecessor’s place.
Jaguar– The original was female. This one may or may not be. Hard to say. Apparently, from behind it appears that he/she is. Kind of a Cheetah knockoff but less smart.
Poison Ivy– The Batman villain with the plant obsession. I think she is green in color these days. Or cured. Or dead. I can’t recall.
Query and Echo– Riddler’s cohorts in crime. These ladies are not as smart as Eddie, but far more skilled physically.
Body Doubles– Resurrection Man villains.
Lady Vic– A British assassin on Blockbuster’s payroll who tangled with Nightwing extensively during Chuck Dixon’s run on the title.
And those are just a few more of the dangerous dames of the DCU.
Ahh…alliteration.
And don’t forget Mist II, Catwoman, Mockingbird I (the Batman foe), Killer Frost, Double Dare (Super villain name or pornstar handles, you make the call!), Slyph, and The Tarantula II (Nightwing x 3), and that chick Guy Gardner fought (Martika?) who could control men. She’d be an interesting addition to any female super team, as well as a good reason to form a female JLA.
Wait a minute it’s time for….
R. HARDIN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!!!!
R. Hardin is stuck in the timepoint
My question is: Since the current run of JLA is apparently ending with issue #125, and assuming there will be a re-launch fairly soon, who would you put in the new Justice League? You can incorporate what’s going on vis-a-vis Infinite Crisis and try to project a line-up, or just pick your favorite 7-12 heroes and throw them together.
Wow, this is a tough question.
Well I’m going to set the tone of the book right off the bat by selecting The Creeper. Sure this guys not much of a team player, but he’s also unpredictable. Thus since you wouldn’t expect him to be in the JLA that’s exactly where he’s going to appear. He may not always be around, but he will show up when they least expect it and probably to save the day too.
Next up is Tyler, the android Hourman. He’s the guy who puts the team together. He sees this as a vital time for the JLA to exist only most of the desirable candidates aren’t on speaking terms. Thus he’s picks a ragtag bunch of heroes to save the day.
Resurrection Man is destined for greatness, so why not start now? What’s greater than leading the JLA? It’s a primo gig. He’s got a bit of experience and can occasionally be pretty powerful. Sure seeing your leader killed can be a real morale eradicator, but nothing boosts morale like a leader rising from the dead.
Every team needs a powerhouse, and since Resurrection Man can’t be fully counted on to be uber powerful we’re going to need Breach. He’s a guy who’s got immense power, and he’s still getting used to it. He’s both the rookie and powerhouse. Plus he’s got a cool costume.
I’m picking Chronos next. It may seem like an odd choice to have two “time” heroes on the same team, but I see Hourman as the guy who follows the rules of not disrupting the Space/Time Continuum thing, while Chronos is all about survival and doing what he feels like. They balance each other out in terms of order and chaos.
Y’know who I’d think would make a good fit with this team? Bloodhound! That’s right, this guy is more of a brawler, but he’s another guy who’s willing to do what it takes. He’s not about obeying the rules, the about doing the job. He’s also going to give this team its rep. The villains are going to be talking about what he did to so and so.
Of course every team needs it’s finesse man, who is none other than Richard Dragon. You can’t get much more covert than Richard Dragon. He’s smooth as silk and just as deadly!
For some reason I think that in the OYL DCU is going to have a bit of government involvement. Thus I’m guessing that Agent Chase would make a nice addition to the team as a liaison. Sure she’s be reluctant and would probably volunteer for monitor duty, but I could see her getting attached to the team and even having a nice solo adventure when someone tries to break into the HQ and she’s got to deal with the threat.
So there you have it. That’s my JLA in the OYL DCU. I think it could work, I mean, it’s not like these character have anywhere else to be.
Tim, what do you think of my JLA and who would you put in your OYL JLA?
Cancelled too soon heroes unite, eh? Man, this is friggin’ tough. You took most of the great ones already. But, what the hey, let’s give it a shot.
At this moment, it is a desperate time for the DCU. The JLA has been disbanded and none of the usual suspects seems ready to step up to the plate. What can be done? The rest of the heroes, the almost wases and the never beens need to step up and bring their A game, their A+ game, if you will. So who answers the call?
Argus– Keystone City REPRESENT!!! Meet this JLA’s resident master of shadow, obfuscation, and spying. He is a master of the darkness and a former undercover cop to boot, so he’s a natural for the job. He may not be Batman, but hey, who is?
Major Bummer– No one can be excluded from the call to arms, not even the world’s biggest slacking superhero. The team needs power and he’s got it. The team needs brains and he’s got it. Besides, who knows what kind of personal growth he’s experienced since we last saw him.
Triumph– Yes, I know. Everyone hates him. He’s arrogant. He was shoehorned into continuity. He was a villain. He might be dead. Can you say “path of redemption”? Besides, can you think of anyone who would jump at the chance to form his own league quicker than the “forgotten” Leaguer?
Argent– Grant Morrison had her in his future League (the one from the Darkseid arc) and frankly, if she’s good enough for him, she’s good enough for me. Sign this lady with the almost Green Lantern powers up today.
Tempest– What? He fits the criteria! He starred in an inconsequential miniseries which might as well have been a quickly cancelled series. Plus, he’s a Titan and, apparently, promoting Titans is a cool thing to do. He brings magic to the table and he fulfills the Aquaman/water element and you gotta know he’s just aching to finally prove himself.
Aztek– Oh come on, you propose a quickly cancelled heroes JLA, you had to know this guy would be part of it. However, unlike the Lady League from last week, this is Uno/Curt Falconer back in the saddle. How is alive? Two words: time travel. Beyond that, read the book and find out for yourself.
I see him as this squad’s Martian Manhunter. He’s in charge of strategy, communication, and brings an almost Zen-like spirituality to the team. Plus, he’s a highly skilled doctor who would prove invaluable for battle site triage (Dr. Mid Nite anyone?). Also, what’s a good team comic without some conflict? Aztek would provide that, butting heads with the more vainglorious and cynical Triumph.
Connor Hawke (Green Arrow)– I might be bending the rules a bit here, but, if you think about it, his portion of the Green Arrow series was rather short lived. So, I say that the criterion is met. He needs a place out of his Dad’s shadow (and probably a need codename), he’s one of the best (if not the best) martial artists on the side of the good guys, he’s handy with a bow, and he is pure and idealistic. How can this morally upright hero not finally get the chance he deserves?
Also expect appearances by Hourman (he’s like the Spectre of this squad. He only shows up when things are very, very bad), Gunfire (revamped as the superhero hostage negotiator in a storyline involving the Royal Flush Gang and a children’s hospital wing), and Firebrand (no, not the dead one. A new one in the old costume. Is he/she friend or foe?).
Jon L is feeling kind of down
Major Bummer? No, no, that’s actually my DC question. Has Lou shown up anywhere since the series got cancelled? I only got the first issue, so I never had the chance to read the whole thing through.
First off, let me thank you for reminding me of this title. I only read like the first two issues but loved it. I’ve got to track down the rest of that series.
But sadly I’ve never seen Lou since. But I really do dig this title it was where I first became enamored with Doug Mahnke’s work.
Tim, do you recall Major Bummer?
But of course. I mean, just look above. My favorite moment? Tyrannosaurus Reich. Nazis are the scariest people ever and Tyrannosaurus Rexes are the scariest dinosaurs ever. Put them together? Brrr…
Glen D is scandalized
After reading Villains United, where it is revealed that Scandal is Vandal Savage’s daughter, I have to ask how many know children Vandal Savage has.
C’mon, did you not see that episode of Maury? I think it was about Paternity Test results. It wasn’t the episode with Lex Luthor and Jerry White (which also featured Deadshot and Captain Boomerang). It also wasn’t the episode that had Anarky and Duela Dent confronting the Joker. And it wasn’t the one that never aired with Amazo.
I think it was the “Global Threat Paternity Tests” which in addition to Vandal had Ra’s al Ghul and Cheshire. It was a pretty good episode. Here’s what Vandal Savage had to say in his defense;
“Maury, I’m an immortal. Furthermore I’m an Immortal Neanderthal. That means I’ve got some pretty basic needs, and procreating is one of them. I’ve got a few hobbies. I like to try to conquer the world. I enjoy attacking the JSA as a team as well as on an individual basis. And I enjoy spreading my seed. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m known for. I’m not going to apologize for it, in my heart of hearts I’m just a primitive man. Y’know Maury you’re a relative of mine.”
And at that point Vandal attacked Maury and tried to harvest his organs.
So to answer your question, Vandal’s had scores of kids. He’s been around since just after the dawn of mankind. Both Jim “The Guardian” Harper and Roy “Arsenal” Harper are his descendants.
Tim, how many kids do you think that Vandal’s had and do you remember that episode of Maury?
Well, the thing about Vandal…sorry, Mr. Savage, is that he is surprisingly religious and therefore does not practice birth control. So, really, the number of babies out there is incalculable.
As far as Maury goes, I am more of a Geraldo man myself. The mustache means trust, Mathan, the mustache means trust.
Jerr-y, Jerr-y, Jerr-y. Any show with its own bouncer as a repeat character is automatically a must watch!
Colin cannot stop running
With the return of the E2 Supes, E-Prime Superboy et al, will Barry Allen show up in some capacity in Infinite Crisis? Could DC bring him back into the Crisis with some explanation that he too was shunted to some other dimension or whatnot?
Yes, Barry will show up at some capacity during Infinite Crisis. It was written so it shall be done. Basically back in The Flash #200 Barry popped up and told Wally that he’d come to help Wally during his three most trying times. The first time was in #200 while Wally coped with his wife’s miscarriage. Then at the end of Rogue War in The Flash #225 Barry came back to help Wally deal with a couple of major threats.
Now since the first two appearances were written by Geoff Johns and Infinite Crisis is also written by Geoff Johns I’m guessing that Barry’s showing up in Infinite Crisis.
Could DC bring him back with the explanation that he’s in another dimension? Sure but it’d be foolish. First off, his death was too important. Also, Barry has pretty much been established as residing in the Speed Force, that place where all the dead speedsters go.
Barry will return because he spent his last few days in the future (somewhere in the 30th or 31st Century). He knows his fate and he’s not going to run from it. But he can take some brief trips to through time, as he does when he shows up in The Flash.
Now my personal theory is that Barry shows up and tries to help Wally, but ends up dying. So now someone’s got to take Barry’s place in the original Crisis so as to prevent a whole reality-collapsing thing. Wally takes his place and you’ve got two dead Flashes in one Crisis.
Tim, how do you think that Barry will appear?
Can’t I, you know, say he won’t be back? Or, at least, I hope he won’t be?
But, if he does, I’m guessing he’ll be running. Or using the Cosmic Treadmill. Which he’ll be running on. So, really, running.
Can I also say that I don’t think any Flashes are going to die this time? Because I really don’t.
And let’s not forget that Wally already tried to take Barry’s place to prevent his death during Crisis and failed during the (ick) Cobalt Blue tale of Waid’s Flash run. So while I hope NO FLASH DIES, Wally cannot die in that specific way without blatantly ignoring a big Flash story.
John M
I feel I am a pretty smart guy but I am confused with the entire DC at the moment. From what I understand the ‘multi-universes’ ended with Crisis of the Infinite Earths (CIE) (and yes I have read the books) but if this is the case where did the anti-matter universe come from and what is that universe that captain Atom is currently residing in his miniseries all about? Also, in JLA classified (the Super Buddies thread) the team went to a different dimension (one that looked like hell) as well. Didn’t Ultra-man and his band of anti-heroes die in the original crisis as well? This all said, did CIE even happen in the current DC universe?
Ok, I’ll tackle these various universes one at a time.
First off is the Anti-Matter Universe. The Anti-Matter Universe has always and will always be around. It showed up Hal Jordan’s early adventures. It’s not really part of the multiverse, it’s just the opposite of our universe. Oa’s counterpart is Qward. There’s a the JLA’s positive Earth and the Crime Syndicate’s negative Earth. It doesn’t count as part of the multiverse.
Captain Atom is currently in the Wildstorm Universe, where The Authority and and Stormwatch reside. It’s an established universe, that’s just a part of another publishing line.
He’s my personal theory about all the Earths. Now the way that I see it is that all the various “Earths” are like musical instruments. There are strings. There are woodwinds. There’s the whole percussion section. Each instrument represents a different Earth. Well what Crisis did was wipe out all the strings, leaving only the upright bass. No more guitars. No more violins. No more ukuleles. Thus every Earth that resembled the DCU were collapsed were destroyed. But there are still other musical instruments around. There’s a trumpet (the Wildstorm U) and even a cymbal (the Marvel U). It’s just that anything related to the upright bass is gone.
However just at the Crisis destroyed everything aside from the upright bass, eventually other strings were created. Elseworlds are those recreated string instruments. They don’t get played too often, but when they do they work pretty well.
As for the reality visited by the Super Buddies, I’m guessing that it’s just a magical dimension, meaning it doesn’t necessarily contain an entire universe, just an altered reality or planet Earth. You’ve got to remember that they ended up there because Booster was playing around in Dr. Fate’s room.
Tim, can you explain the multiple universes and Earths?
I could. But I won’t. Some things are just not worth knowing and others are too dangerous to be spoken or written. Which is this? It’s both, Mathan…it’s both.
John M
If you could make Marvel-DC trades with one set of minor characters and one set of more major characters who would it be? My pick is Speedball for Atom Smasher and Firestorm for Luke Cage. Speedball would rock in the Titans!!
Speedball? Really? I can’t say that I’m for that one. And I don’t know if Luke Cage in the DCU would be “interesting” in a good way.
In my “major” category I’m trading Supergirl for Jamie Madrox. I hate Supergirl and love Multiple Man so it’s really a win/win for me.
For my minor character I guess I’ll take Ben Reilly for Orpheus. Sure they’re both dead, but Ben’s been dead before and he’s gotten better. So the way I see it, there’s a chance that Ben could get better again and we’d have a Spider-Man (or at least a Scarlet Spider) in the DCU.
Tim, it’s time for a trade, what’s it going to be?
At first I was going to suggest Bloodhound for…someone, but then I realized that the fact that he was always a little too rough around the edges for the DCU is why he worked so well. So, he stays. In his place, I suggest Static for Silver Surfer. Marvel is on a roll right now with non-traditional teen heroes like Young Avengers, the Runaways, and Sentinel. Static would be a nice fit in that mini-imprint and DC does not seem to want to do anything with him anyways, despite the popularity of his cartoon series. Silver Surfer, on the other hand, is cosmic and Marvel has repeatedly proven when it comes to cosmic they are usually inept. DC, on the other hand, is experiencing a cosmic resurgence with Adam Strange and Rann/Thanagar War so the Surfer should fit in very well.
Neil is experiencing time loss
I found a good chunk of the Hourman series (4-7, 9-10, 14-18, & 24-25) and have only read through #9. I found on-line that I missed out on Tyler fixing Rick and I never saw Tyler give Rex the hourglass (as referenced in JSA).
Also, I read about how Hourman got the Timepoint, but never how he got the Tylarians out of it or how he got Rex into it. What’s the story behind that?
So…I left off with Tyler telling the Tyler’s that Rick did not have Leukemia, but rather some alien disease. What disease was it?
Also, did Tyler give Rick his gifts in the pages of Hourman or did that take place between the series and Rick’s appearance in JSA?
Hm, this is tricky. I really want to help you out, but I don’t want to spoil some of the great surprises this title has. Quite the Catch 22.
I guess we’lls start with Rick. In Hourman #9 we find out that Rick wasn’t suffering from Leukemia, but rather a disease that’s never been encountered by mankind, even up to the point of Tyler’s creation, because if it was he’d be able to cure it.
As the title progresses a second android Hourman (who actually shows up in Hourman #4) becomes a character, only this one is a more experienced (or future) version of the title character. Given that he’s got more experience, in Hourman #19 he retrieves Rick from the Timepoint and cures him. But we never find out what the disease is.
Tyler gives Rick his “gifts” between Hourman and JSA. I’m presuming that this is also where Tyler gives Rex the hourglass.
As for the Timepoint, I’m not quantum physicist, but I’m guessing that the Timepoint in Hourman #4 isn’t the same Timepoint that Rex was in. My theory is that Timepoints can be created. Tyler gave Rick that “gift” of an hour with his father, which is a gift that he put together. Let’s also not forger that the Timepoint that Tyler was trapped in was very much a prison where time didn’t really pass. The Timepoint that Rex was in was a limited Timepoint, existing only for one hour.
Still pick up the individual issue, because I’m leaving out some of the best curves that this issue had to throw. I highly recommend this title for everyone.
And I second that recommendation. Wholeheartedly.
I third the notion with all due emotion. Great series.
That brings us to the end of yet another column. I hope that everyone enjoyed their jaunt through the DCU. Be sure to send me your questions or post them over on our thread.
Here’s my question to you this week; Are you more optimistic about the post Infinite Crisis DCU or pessimistic?
“Everything I have to look forward to has a pretty painful and very imposing before.”
