Hey everybody! Merry Post-Christmas for those folks amongst us that celebrate. Hope it treated you as well as it treated me. Got to visit the whole fam (all three sides), do the almost midnight mass thing (we Episcopalians do not do a true midnight one…we start at 11 and end at 12), and generally enjoy the holiday.
I also learned that my Aunt Pam has recently begun reading this column. God bless her, she, as she herself put it, “doesn’t even pretend to understand it” but she does like the writing and, of course, supporting me. So thank you Pam, hope you enjoy this effort.
And now, the NEWS!
Let’s Make a Pact to Just Not Mention Robin
In December of 2003, Bill Willingham (creator of “Fables”) took over the writing reigns of “Robin.” Since that time, the boy wonder (Tim Drake) has gone through many dramatic changes: his father found out about his secret identity; he was forced to quit his role as Robin – a role which his girlfriend took over; said girlfriend dies; his father dies; and to top it all off, he leaves Gotham and moves to Blüdhaven. Not to mention, the Robin he originally replaced – Jason Todd, who died in the line of duty – recently came back to life. To say it was an interesting time to be writing the world’s most famous sidekick is something of an understatement.
Enjoy the story of “how it all went wrong” at Comic Book Resources
I love that they take the time in this article to mention, “At the moment, every character in the DC Comics universe is embroiled in the company-wide crossover ‘Infinite Crisis.'” As though this would be news to anyone who would choose to read this article. “Huh, Infinite Crisis you say? Hmm…I wonder when that started. Hmm…”
But we do finally have something of an explanation about why, exactly, Willingham’s run on Robin could be characterized as…well, let’s just say, “no good.” And here it is, “What a nice way to put that – ‘…given to you to explore by editors’ as opposed to, ‘inflicted on you against your will and better judgment.'”
That’s right, it is the spectre of editor over-involvement. To me, working on a Bat book (from this description) actually sounds a lot like how Mark Waid described working on X-Men in the 90’s. Everything is so geared towards crossovers and events that the room for a writer to carve out his own stories in the mix is blessedly small. Some people can thrive in that environment, I imagine, but Willingham certainly was not one such person.
While I am willing to be a bit more kind now about his successes and failures writing Robin, I still have to question the Spoiler thing. I just do not see how inciting a city-wide gang war qualifies as a “moment of glory” nor how her three issues in costume would fit that bill either.
And none of it explains why he wrote such an awful Black Mask. Although, I’ll probably never find a suitable explanation for that.
Shadowpact still sounds pretty good though.
Savaging the JSA
Vandal Savage has been menacing humanity since before it recorded history. The immortal super villain has come to believe that time holds no meaning for him but beginning March. in the pages of DC Comics'”JSA Classified # 10,” Savage is going to learn a harsh lesson about the ravages of time. CBR News spoke with Stuart Moore the writer of this four part arc that puts the spotlight on one of the JSA’s oldest foes in this “One Year Later” storyline.
Get out your spray paint and do your best graffiti on the wall that is Comic Book Resources
Ahh, so this will be the Alan Scott Green Lantern. That makes more sense. I really did not understand why JSA: Classified would be concerned with Hal Jordan.
You Can’t Count on Finding “Justice”
In March, as part of the creative shuffle that accompanies the “One Year Later” shift of all the DC Universe titles, Bruce Jones is taking over Nightwing with issue #118, joined by the art team of Joe Dodd and Bit, with covers by Jock. The first issue, as the cover shows, gives Nightwing a possible/probable change in location, and a role as something more like a fugitive than a hero. Jones agreed to answer a few questions for Newsarama about his new gig, and where Nightwing might be headed.
Seems like everything sells out these days, even abstract concepts. See what cost justice at Comic Book Resources
That is a great looking cover for the second print. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am still a bit impressed/surprised that this book is selling so well.
Supplementarinism
Last month during Thanksgiving weekend Newsarama responded to some breaking news regarding the DC Universe “One Year Later” and DC’s Dan DiDio was gracious enough to take time out of his holidays to send us some brief thoughts on the new information, as well as drop a new project and creative team or two on us as well.
With this week’s Wizard revealing some new information on “OYL” and especially 52, we thought we’d ask DiDio for a repeat performance this holiday weekend. In the following brief exchange, the DCU Executive Editor give us some (very) quick thoughts on this week’s revelations, as well as a little something new…
And now, please turn to your supplemental material contained in the blue folder marked Newsarama
The Battle for Bludhaven? Huh…that’s news. However, further issues to buy after the big crossover that aren’t 52? There is bound to be some anger about that little fact. Still, it can hardly be a surprise that DC is going for the most mileage it can get out of this. If it was your company, wouldn’t you?
This is also further evidence that DC will make you love Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey, no matter the cost.
Everything else is just a pretty big tease. The puzzle pieces are there, but Didio is not much help at guiding you in the way to put them together. You may be better off on your own.
Infinite Crisis 3: The References
It’s that time of the month again.
If a month of anticipation, and then finally reading Infinite Crisis #3 this week have left you worn out, you’ve come to the right place. Just as we did month, it’s time for some “Crisis Recovery”, and hopefully, a reminder that, in the end, it’s all just funny books.
for those easily offended, that “funny books” thing was only the first thing that is going to come out of this that will upset you, for sure.
And yes, be warned – we will try too hard to make jokes, some of the references will go right over your heads, some will go right over our heads. So – with tongue firmly planted in cheek, we’ve got your Infinite Crisis #3 page by page guide with mild annotations, some of which may even be correct.
While it may seem obvious to most, a page-by-page guide WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.
Let’s roll, and start at the start.
Indulge your inner geek and see how your knowledge stacks up against the Newsarama staffers.
I applaud Newsarama for the “Cats in the Cradle” reference. I may loathe that song (are you actually supposed to feel bad for the workaholic absentee father?), but it a nimble mind to make a joke (that works) using it and Batman’s relationship to Brother I. Kudos.
Also excellent is the Kyle Rayner/Jamie the Man Who Will be Blue Beetle comparison. That had not even occurred to me in the reading of IC, but they do have a point, don’t they?
Overall, these are great fun, even if you do not need them to know what is going on.
Out of the Ashes of the JLA, Rises the JLM
As promised Tuesday when – as Brad Meltzer put it – “one of the worst kept secrets in comics” was confirmed, Newsarama recently spent a few moments with Meltzer to talk about his upcoming June 2006 Justice League of America relaunch with artist Ed Benes.
Now June is a long ways away, and there is still a lot of Infinite Crisis to go, the events and aftermath of which play a significant part in the future of his Meltzer’s or any other Justice League (more on that in a moment), so as you can imagine there was much he couldn’t reveal this far in advance. But the DC exclusive writer of Identity Crisis and Green Arrow still gave us the opportunity to pose some early questions and respond to the ones he could, and politely dodge the rest…
Fill out the Justice League of Meltzer application form at Newsarama.
Listen, before I go too deep into this, I’m still calling the team the JLA, not the JLofA. Mine is just easier to type. No disrespect intended though.
Anyway, I enjoy Meltzer’s writing so I am looking forward to this. However, I cannot recommend turning to this article for any sort of info. It’s too early for Meltzer to really be talking and the more general stuff is things you’ve already read before in Wizard or online when he was writing Identity Crisis.
Who is the Earth-2 Batman?
Much has been the discussion of late centering around the return of the Earth-2 Superman at the end of Infinite Crisis #1. It became clear by the second issue that his overall intentions might not have the best implications for our current DC Universe. Issue #3 pretty much skywrites that assessment, but it also allows ole E2 to make a pitch to an unknowing Batman about joining his squad, and making the DCU earth – somehow – resemble Earth-2, a place where, as Superman told Batman in Infinite Crisis #3, that Batman “opened his heart.”
The crux of said recruitment effort is less about mindwipes and the spiraling darkness of “our” Bruce’s existence, and more about the fact that the E2 Superman remembers Bruce Wayne as his best friend. How’s that, younger readers ask? Because as you might expect, there was indeed an Earth-2 Batman, though he perished in the line of duty in the pages of Adventure Comics in the late ’70s. We’re going to take a brief look at the E2 Batman, from his essential Golden Age appearances to how his history diverged in terms of Catwoman, Robin, and the original Huntress.
Obviously, this will not be a complete, nor exhaustive list of appearances, but rather a guidepost to some of the events that may be relevant to storylines and concepts playing their way through Infinite Crisis.
Meet the man, the myth, the legend at Newsarama
So good it might even make Mathan jealous. Probably not though. Because Mathan’s the bomb, foo, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
It’s Time for a Baby Shower
The One Year Later teases that were spilled out in the March DC solicitations have ranged from the hinteriffic to completely obtuse, with a few giving solid plot points, and others letting you guess at the meaning of the phrases.
Not so much with Catwoman. With March’s issue #53, the solicitation is pretty clear:
It’s One Year Later…and why is Selina Kyle no longer Catwoman? For that matter, why is she no longer named Selina Kyle? The new art team of David Lopez (FALLEN ANGEL, WONDER WOMAN) & Alvaro Lopez (Breach, Batgirl: Year One) joins series writer Will Pfeifer as the Catwoman you know is irrevocably changed, and a new member joins the cast  one that’s certain to shock you!
We spoke with Pfeifer, and he made no bones about hiding it – Catwoman is no longer Selina Kyle One Year Later – and for that matter, Selina Kyle is no longer Selina Kyle One Year Later.
Well…maybe it makes more sense when it comes from him…
RSVP to Newsarama
You know, my sister Michelle is about four months pregnant, but I don’t remember anyone making nearly as big a deal about that as they are about Catwoman being pregnant. And my sister is a real person!
But hey, I’m cool. I’ll play along.
I applaud the move. It is always impressive when a writer, particularly of Pfeifer’s skill, decides to do the bold thing and take the book in a completely new direction. However, when the direction is this new, you’ve got to ask yourself how far this can go and what happens after Pfeifer leaves the title. Either way though, I think that after the flip this is certainly a book that will deserve a cursory examination for a few months.
Look at the Inkblot and Tell Me if You See an Old Superman
It’s that time again – Infinite Crisis #3 is due in stores today, and DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio has stopped by to handle questions on Crisis, as well as One Year Later, and 52 – it’s all part of his ongoing “Crisis Counseling.” As with our previous editions, we’ll kick things off with Dan before heading to reader-supplied questions.
Get comfy on the couch at Newsarama
Eh…lots of teases and lot’s of stuff that was effectively answered by #3. You can skip this guy unless you like torturing yourself with non-info info.
The Outsiders are Dead, All Hail the Outsiders?
Of all the DCU titles making the One Year Later jump, Outsiders seems perhaps the easiest to grasp: The team’s no more, and the heroes who made it up are gone.
Well…kinda.
As series writer Judd Winick explained it to Newsarama – the Outsiders no longer exist, officially. As a team, they exist, and they’re the last group of heroes in the whole world that you want coming for you.
Try to catch up with the team that doesn’t exist at Newsarama.
I’ll be honest, I hopped off the Outsiders train pretty early in its run. Despite everyone telling me that Winick was better at writing team books, the title just never clicked with me and I decided not to wait for it to.
That said, I think I’m back on board. This is another book that has earned at least a look from me. I’m not sure where it is going, but I like that it is trying something different.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
BATMAN #648
Does this book just come out every other week now? Either way, I’m looking forward to it. It is welcome every week if it wants to come out that often, but particularly welcome this week when the rest of DC’s offerings are so slim.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
GREEN LANTERN #6
First, I was disappointed about no Van Sciver (although Bianchi’s work, with the brighter coloring, was a far more palatable to me than his Seven Soldiers art).
Second, “Been there, done that…got the t-shirt,”? Really, Mr. Johns? Really? What a rotten line in a book whose writing seemed, honestly, a bit off. Not off in the “I do not care for the direction they are taking Hal Jordan,” but rather off in the “this does not seem as good as most of Johns work.” A semi-cute explanation of the German speaking aliens though.
INFINITE CRISIS #3
Whoa. Well, that explains a lot. Nice to see what the big role that Breach is having in IC, even if that role was a bit…static. Everything else though…I was very impressed with. And now, finally, we can chalk Lex Luthor’s battle armor up to “craziness” and pray that, when this is all said and done, that craziness will go with it.
SEVEN SOLDIERS BULLETEER #2
The circle keeps growing tighter and tighter and the connective tissue is becoming more and more clear. The police detective that got chomped on by the Queen of the Sheedas reappears, we see footage of the rest of Vigilante’s Seven Soldiers effort, and we get werewolves too. I was iffy on the first chapter, but I liked this one quite a bit. It still felt a bit thin story wise (despite all the running around) but I am getting a better feel for the Bulleteer’s personality and her role in this whole project.
BIRDS OF PREY #89
The review of this will be up on Thursday. Not sure what I am going to find to say that is new though. It is so good so often I think I have ran out of words to explain that.
JSA CLASSIFIED #6
Honestly, I haven’t even read this yet. I flipped through it though and I’m excited to finally get a spare moment to sit down with it.
MANHUNTER #17
I’m not sure how I missed this in my Coming Attractions section last week, but I do know I regret it. I absolutely love this book. I think it is probably my single favorite DC title right now and I am (as you know) digging a lot of what is going on in the ol’ DCU these days. The Golden Age connection that shows up here I never would have predicted. I am excited to see what it will mean though.
Next time you’ll all hear from me, it will be a new year. Will we be ready? You damn well better believe we will. Will this column change? I think so…not sure how yet, but I am aching to perform an overhaul. Drop me a line and let me know if you have any suggestions of your own.
Un Gajje Hates Auld Lang Syne. That Song is All Sorts of Bad.
