Tim, are you rooting for anyone in the NBA playoffs?
Well I grew up in Connecticut in the 80’s so I pretty much have to be a Celtics fan. And, of course, we all know how their season went (but, hey, at least they aren’t the Knicks, right?). Janelle grew up in Phoenix for awhile though, so she remains a pretty big Suns fan so we kept an eye on them. That, of course, ended a few nights back. Thus, now, no, I don’t really have anyone to cheer for.
That’s just as well anyway. College hoops is more my thing.
Links (redux because I’ve got a headache)
IP Music is a pretty fun place to read.
IP Movies is available in cinemascope.
IP Games makes me feel like a first gen gamer.
IP Figures reminds me why I need more money.
IP TV has reviews and recaps.
IP Sports is Draftastic!
Moodspins has more than just sound bites.
IP Culture is tantalizing to the tongue.
Our DC Forum is where Green Arrow continues to stoke the flames of controversy.
Tim I know you’ve got some links for us.
I sure enough do. It’s a little link called Tim’sAnUncleNow.Com.
Okay, don’t really click on the link. It’s not a real site. But it is true! I am an uncle. My sister Michelle and her husband Joe had their first baby Wednesday morning at 4 am. Andrew Joseph weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 and a half inches long. Word on the street is that he has a mean hook shot.
I have yet to meet the little guy (as I write this, it is about noon on Wednesday and I am still very sick with a sore throat and such), but I am sure he is adorable since he is part of the family. Yes, Michelle and I are not actually related by blood (she’s technically my step sister, but whatever), but my personal theory is that you can’t help but be oh so pretty if you are part of this family. I mean, look at me.
What I Read Last Week
Villains United Special – I enjoyed it. Actually I really liked it. I loved how it was a bridge between the mini and Infinite Crisis #7.
Someone online actually put out there that he thought this issue would have made a better Infinite Crisis #6. I’m not sure I agree, but it was good enough to make me consider his idea for a beat or two.
Ion #1 – I liked it. I actually liked the art. The story was solid as well.
The story was alright, but I just can’t meet you on the art. The uncolored pencils for next issue hold some promise of improvement though, so we will see.
The American Way #3 – With every issue, this book just gets better and better.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #17 – I can’t wait to find out who’s recruiting the rejects. I like how the team is questioning Brainy. I just dig this book.
Solo #10 – Man was this book fun to read. Scott’s graf styled art slayed me. His Superman pin ups were amazing. Everyone should check this book out.
So sad that this book is going. I thought it was a great idea. Damn people’s fear of the anthology comic!
Blue Beetle #2 – This issue made me enjoy the first issue much more. The art is so gorgeous. The story is very interesting. I’m enjoying this title.
X-Factor #6 – Calero has come into his own, because I didn’t miss Sook at all. I did enjoy peek into Layla’s background. David is making me care about mutants.
Batman #652 – Great issue. I loved the scenes between Bats and both Harveys. Superb book.
Agreed, Mathan, agreed.
Catwoman #54 – I really feel for Holly. It was nice to see Slam again. This ensemble take is working rather well.
Checkmate #1 – Kind of slow the first time around, but much better the second read through. I really dig the balance of power within the organization.
This one left me sort of empty. Not bad at all really, but it did little to get me excited about it either.
Black Panther #15 – Nice issue. Nice courtship. Nice conversation.
Hawkgirl #51 – Kind of boring. This book might get dropped.
Battle for Bludhaven #2 – Better than #1, but Firebrand still sucks. I dug the story much more than the characters.
Huh…Firebrand and the Monolith crew’s discussion was the highlight of the book for me. Different strokes and all that, I guess.
Frankenstein #4 – I’m really going to miss this storyline.
I’ll second that. Great stuff. I’m not sure if I can contain my excitement for Seven Soldiers #1 after this.
Skyywolf, who is not to be confused with Airwolf (AWESOME SHOW!!!!), loves the shock of the new.
Who do you guys think have been the best NEW characters created since 2000? Top 5 hero, and top 5 villains (or 10 if that’s possible). Along with that top 5 redesigned characters? I’m not talking about costume changes … attitudes, personality, etc…
BEST HEROES
Manhunter – I love Kate. She’s so complex and fully realized as a character. She just seems really real. She’s also fully integrated in the DCU.
Son of Vulcan – This was an under appreciated mini from last year, but it was great. Miguel Devante is the new Son of Vulcan, and he’s not good at it. It’s was a touching mini that really made me are about a brand new creation.
Jason Rusch – I like the new Firestorm. He’s a solid character, who’s much more likeable than Kyle Rayner ever was.
Crimson Avenger – I loved how she debuted in an altered reality story and then popped up in the regular DCU. I’m just sorry that she disappeared.
Bloodhound – Interesting character, who didn’t get enough time to really establish himself. I enjoyed the “reluctant hero” aspect of the book.
Coldcast – Sure he started out as barely a hero, but by the time we saw him last, he was full fledged on the side of angels. He was also one of the few Black characters that didn’t read as being cookie cutter P.C.
Orpheus – Yeah he’s dead, but he was a cool character when he was around. Plus he was a Black hero in Gotham.
Captain Boomerang Jr. – I’m calling him a hero, but he could really go either way. He’s certainly one of the better creations in certain years, even if his conception was glossed over.
Muhammad X – This guy only made one appearance, but it made an impact with me. I loved his attitude and his mission. It’s a shame he never appeared again.
BEST VILLAINS
Zoom – Come on this was the guy who made Wally’s life hell, and looked so cool while doing it. Great origin, great motivation. Great villain.
Brown – This was the bad guy in the final arc of H-E-R-O another criminally slept on book. Brown was like a serial killer, with Superman’s powers. Great villain.
Onomatopoeia – Probably the coolest villain to debut in a long time. Kevin Smith knocked it out of the park with this creation. The only thing hold him back is that he’s not appeared since.
Manchester Black – The leader of the Elite, and a constant thorn in Superman’s side. He was the villain you loved to hate, but secretly loved. Ruthless, and never at a loss for words.
Hush – Hush deserves to be here. Despite his run in Gotham Knights he’s still cool. When he does appear again, it will be an event.
Nero – I loved the idea of a loon having a power ring. The fact that he was Kyle Rayner’s opposite number was great. Green ring/yellow ring. Artist/tortured artist. Nero needs to return.
Herdsman – I was a fan of Breach. This creepy character was enough to give nightmares. Disturbing doesn’t really do his appearance justice. He didn’t really get a chance to shine, but he was cool for a brief period of time.
Roulette – I dug the idea of a criminal “Fight Club.” Having her have ties to the JSA was also a nice touch. Sadly she’s been cast away, but she was a cool one while she was around.
BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Dylan – This guy is such an integral part of Manhunter. He’s the comic relief and just a great down to earth character. And the idea of a journeyman lackey is pure gold.
Mr. Orr – The mysterious Mr. Orr shows up every time Brian Azzarello journeys to Metropolis. He’s ruthless and efficient. He’s scary yet captivating. He needs more appearances or possibly a mini!
Crispus Allen – The current Spectre wasn’t really the star of Gotham Central, which was an ensemble book, so I’m saying he was “supporting.” He was a cool cop who went on to bigger and better things.
Lorena Marquez – Aquagirl was one of the cooler things about Sub Diego, which is saying something because it was full of cool things. She didn’t really get a chance to shine, but she always sounded real; like a girl from around the way.
Anton Geist – Another member of Aquaman’s Sub Diego cast. This guy was sort of behind the whole thing and got stuck working on a fix for the problem. He was a tortured guy but complex and fun to read. Sadly he got Omactivated and died. But he was one of my faves.
Greg Wolfe – This mysterious guy was in charge of Iron Heights. He had power and a sadistic nature. I wish we’d seen more of him.
Mia Dearden – The current Speedy is still MIA (oh, I slay me) (Oh, it’s not just you you slay, trust me.) but she made her mark while here. She dealt with her HIV status and joined the Teen Titans. She even tortured Green Arrow. I hope she returns in some capacity.
BEST REVAMPS
Calculator – This guy went from lame to cool in the blink of an eye. He’s the criminal counterpart to Oracle. How can you not love this guy?
Black Adam – Black Adam has become increasing more complex than just an evil Captain Marvel. He’s full of nuance, which makes him very interesting. It might not have been a major revamp, but it’s done wonder for him.
Angle Man – Yet another lame character who’s become at least somewhat interesting. On the pages of Catwoman this guy isn’t half the joke he once was, and that’s saying something.
Black Hand – I actually liked his original incarnation, but his current one is cool too. He certainly lives up to his name now.
Green Lantern Corps– I loved the original but the current “space cops” complete with backup is a nice twist.
Tim, it’s your turn.
Damn, this is not easy. If it was a 90’s onward thing, I’d have no problem. I could throw a bone to Chase, Zauriel, Aztek, Resurrection Man, and Hitman without ever having to mention second generation version of other characters like Steel (Superman), Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern), Connor Hawke (Green Arrow), the android Hourman (umm…Hourman), Jack Knight (Starman) and Impulse (Flash) who would also be worthy on making the list. There is a host of “controversial” choices that could make the cut too, like the cast of Young Heroes in Love, some of the Teen Titans from the Dan Jurgens’s era and/or Mr. Major Bummer himself, Martin.
Now, look at the characters you named, Mathan. How many of them are based on previous characters in name, at least, if not more? I counted. Five of the heroes. And that’s not to say they didn’t deserve to be chosen. As you are about to see, I agreed with a bunch of them. It just strikes me as a touch sad that ten years ago there seemed to be a plethora of great new characters and now… not so much, especially if they are not connected to other, more established characters.
Anyway…
HEROES
Unsurprisingly, I’ll echo your choices of Manhunter, Firestorm, and Bloodhound.
I’d like to put Orpheus on my list, but, as you pointed out, he died and died too quickly at that. Sorry Orph!
Captain Boomerang I also like, but he’s been a hero all of two issues. The jury is still out on him.
Crimson Avenger is more of a vengeful anti-hero. I think she’s cool, but I was not comfortable putting her here or in the villain category.
I was excited to put Doctor Mid-Nite on the list, but guess what? He was created in 1999. Arrgh!
Ditto Stargirl!
Even Jakeem Thunder (who, by the by, I much preferred in his foul mouthed JLA incarnation) was a1999 creation (damn that was a good year for new legacy heroes)
I removed Breach from consideration for similar reasons to Orpheus. The same goes for Monolith. I liked them both (or all three, I guess), they all have/had tremendous potential, but they were not around long enough for me to get a good grip on them as characters (as opposed to Bloodhound who has around a comparable time but I “got” right away).
And so on, right on down the line.
So those three on top…those are my three. And that’s all I’ve got.
VILLAINS
I agree with almost all of yours except Manchester Black (not around long enough for me and really more of an anti-hero) and Hush (so underdeveloped…just no).
I was going to lead my list with Prometheus, but he is, of course, a late nineties creation. Plus, he’s kind of sucked when written by anyone who’s first name isn’t Grant (let’s hope Gail Simone snaps that streak next month).
I was considering Double Down, but it occurred to me that what I really like is his design as we never have really be given a story that would make Double Down anything more than a neat design.
However, that did jog my memory about another villain from Iron Heights: Murmur. The mumbling (he can’t do much more since he cut out his own tongue) serial killer brought a little bit of the twisted terror of Batman’s type of villain to Flash’s doorstep. His existence allowed us a peek into the Flashes feelings toward capital punishment (both Barry, in flashback, and Wally) and produced a horror movie worthy moment of shock when Murmur startles a rock DJ (who is unaware that the rest of his fellow station workers have already been killed) by slapping his bloody hand onto the sound booth glass (go back and read it, my description does not do it justice). Yet, despite all this, he still sort of kind of fit in with the rest of Flash’s rogues. An impressive feat that is.
Zeiss was, essentially, the Taskmaster of the DCU. But I love Taskmaster, so it figures I’d be aboard for this guy too. I like that Brubaker wrote him as a bodyguard who only was tangling with Batman for his employer (but still kind of enjoyed it). Later appearances in Catwoman and Bloodhound cemented my enjoyment of him.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
A hearty, “DAMN STRAIGHT!” on Dylan Battles, Gregory Wolfe, and Crispus Allen.
Just for hahas, I’ll add Sasha Bordeaux for her time served in Detective Comics when she acted first as Bruce’s bodyguard, then as his love interest/partner-in-grooming, and finally as dutiful fall girl when that whole Murderer/Fugitive thing went down. Her stuff is Checkmate was alright as well, but she really shone during ‘Tec.
I’d also make a motion for Detectives Jared Morillo and Fred Chyre from Flash who were both quite excellent in their odd couple relationship and their representation of all the good cops can still do even in a town overrun by superpowered folk (both good and bad).
Finally, how could I not include Wonder Woman’s chef Ferdinand? From his name on down, he was all sorts of great.
Before I hit the revamps, just to prove I’m not a cynical jerk, here’s a random list of heroes, villains, and supporting character from 2000 on from companies other than DC proper that I think have enriched comics: The Runaways, The Young Avengers, Yorick Brown, Elijah Snow, The Hood, Mitchell Hundred, his Lt. Governor, Journal, almost anyone from Fables, Invincible, Invincible’s dad, Gravity, Typeface (I kid, I kid…although I do have this story idea for him…), Jessica Jones, Deena Pilgrim, Christian Walker, Façade, Sentry (at least, up until I finished that new miniseries…ugh), and Antonio Sharpe. There’s more too, I am sure, but that’s just off the top of my head.
Now, onto…
REVAMPS
All but the Green Lantern Corps are definite nods from me as well. The GLs are a no because they don’t strike me as all that different than they were before. They returned, but, besides double the numbers, what’s the change?
I’d like to acknowledge the contributions of Grant Morrison’s in the form of the Seven Soldiers, but don’t feel comfortable doing so until we know that at least some of them are going to hang around beyond the end of the series.
Geoff Johns gave his magic over to many a Flash villain, but most of them were more about using what we already knew of the character in a way that made us appreciate how tragic they were (Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master). However, there are two exceptions: The Turtle and The Top. Both were excellent tweakings of the characters that made them creepy as creepy can be (in the case of the Turtle) and downright dangerous (in the case of the Top). Good stuff there.
On the subject of Johns, I’d also throw some love his way in the form of the Teen Titans. He revamped the team, erasing the poison that was the Grayson era and returned the Titans to respectability. Gail Simone comes close to earning the same nod for her work of Birds of Prey but that was more of a revitalization that a revamping.
This is also the category I would place the newly returned Jason Todd in. His conversion from Boy Wonder to Red Hood (as detailed by Judd Winick) was just excellent. He was petulant, scary, righteous, and hard not to care for.
Hopefully, his current stint on Nightwing will not make me change my mind.
And I think that is it from my mind. Great question, Skyywolf, hope we did it justice.
Soak1313 has a tiny request that requires almost no effort
What I ask is going to be a very very daunting task. I would like a run down of every b, c, and d list hero and villain that appeared in the Villains United special. Page by page if possible. Too much?
Too much? Never. Soak1313, you could never ask for too much.
Where to begin? Well first off, I’m probably not going to cover those who are pretty recognizable, like Toyman and Mammoth. It’s pretty much going to be a judgment call on my part who gets covered and who doesn’t. Let’s start on…
Page 6 – That guy with Solomon Grundy is none other than Hellhound II. The original Hellhound crossed paths with both Catwoman and Birds of Prey.
The second one has taken on Birds of Prey as well, in the Calculator v. Oracle storyline that wrapped up just before that fill-in issue and OYL.
Page 11 Purple scaly guy? I’ve got no clue.
He looks like a part of Ultra the Multi-Alien’s skin. Since Ultra’s skin supposedly represents various evil alien races that were going to try to invade the Earth, maybe he’s just an evil alien?
Page 16 That gent in the purple is none other than Argus. The woman talking to Oracle is none other than Vixen.
Page 19 The first gent talking to Oracle is El Diablo (we’ll get deeper into him later). The guy in Metropolis is Geist, a Bloodpack hero (one of the characters created in the Bloodlines Annuals). And in San Fran is Skyrocket from The Power Company.
Page 20 This one is full of folks. Let’s do Alcatraz first. The flying woman in the costume full of colors is Halo, of the original Outsiders. The flying purple bird is either the Zookeeper, or a miscolored Changeling. The gent in yellow with the purple hood who’s squaring off against Mammoth is Joto. The woman behind Joto projecting lightning is Sparx. The woman in the red costume is Flamebird formerly of the Titans West. The gent she’s choking is Girder and the character he’s holding appears to be Gold of the Metal Men.
Phew. Now onto Blackgate. Plastic Man is tussling with Clayface. The two guys in purple costumes are Challengers of the Unknown. The woman with the guns and the red bandanna is the Crimson Avenger II (of JSA fame, kind of.) Below her is Agent Liberty (a forgotten character from the Super books of the 90’s). Black Lightning is doing the talking. It also appears that the Firebug is alive and beneath Cheetah.
That’s Firefly actually. Firebug looks like this (except he’s usually colored red and yellow, not black and white:
In any case, yes it was a surprise to see Firefly as he’s supposed to be dead. Come to it, I think Firebug is too.
Page 21 Behind Green Arrow we’ve got the Looker (the female and another former Outsider) and El Diablo (on the motorcycle). It would also kind of appear that the dude with the flattop is Major Force, but I can’t guarantee that.
Later, as Arsenal is interrogating the Tattooed Man it appears as though Loose Cannon (another Bloodlines character) is just passing through.
Page 23 Ok, going clockwise from Hawk & Dove, three former Rocket Reds, the modern Cinnamon (from the sort of kind of decent mini a few years back), Cascade (formerly of the Global Guardians), Nightshade, The Question and Judomaster (all of whom happen to be Charlton characters), Geo Force (yet another former Outsider), Rising Son (a Global Guardian), and Fire.
Page 24 As Hawk & Dove deal with Silver Banshee, Lionheart (yet another Bloodlines hero) unsheathes his sword.
In the next panel Cinnamon has seen better days.
Page 25 The gent next to Scarecrow is Amos Fortune, a JLA foe from way back.
Page 26 It appears that there’s a brand spanking new League of Assassins and they’ve beaten the Teen Titan cohorts, who also happen to be brothers, known as Thunder and Lightning.
Page 34 Heroes United!
In the first panel we have Black Lightning, Vixen, Fire, The Odd Man, Flamebird, Dr. Mid-Nite, Green Arrow, Grace, The Creeper, Steel III, and Geist.
The second panel; Dan Turpin, Lt. Lupe Teresa Leocadio-Escudero, Razorsharp, Arsenal, J’onn, Joto, Manhattan Guardian, Gunfire, Black Canary and Sparx.
And finally in the third panel we’ve got Mr. Terrific, Manhunter, Empress, Hourman, Faith, The Question, Tin, Nightshade, Ragman and Metamorpho.
And yeah, I think that’s it.
Tim, can you spot anyone that I missed or folks that I assumed everyone knew who’s really an obscure character?
Well, let me take a look Mathan. Hmm…
Page 9 The orange guy with the weird headpiece who is being mocked for his French-ness is none other than Warp, French Nationalist and Brotherhood of Evil member.
Page 36 I’ve got no clue on this guy, but there is someone attacking Bane from behind. Like I said though, your guess is as good as mine to who that character is.
There are other obscure folks, but most of them are identified in panel by other people (in the case of Lock-Up for example who I mistakenly called Lockdown last week) and thus, you should already know them.
New Uncle Un Gajje gets random
I want, nay, I need more information on El Diablo!
ooo, and Odd Man!
El Diablo is a book that I recall fondly. I was a huge fan of the late Mike Parobeck’s art. I always wanted to pick the book up because I dug Parobeck’s clean style, but at the time the book was a bit out of my budget.
The book revolved around Rafael Sandoval, a city councilman in Dos Rios Texas. He grew up in Dos Rios and ran with a gang for a while. A priest showed him about the straight and narrow, and for a spell Rafael tried to balance the two paths. However upon the death of one of his friends Rafael used the Army as a way to get out of Dos Rios.
After graduating from Berkeley with a law degree, Rafael returned to Dos Rios as a public defender. The mayor grew fond of Rafael and helped him get a seat on the City Council. However Rafael was there only as a token Latino.
El Diablo made his debut because Raphael was torn between doing the right thing and endangering his political career. He was in a position to stop an arson scheme, so he put on an old costume from a festival and became El Diablo.
Assisting him on the street are Los Diablos, some kids from the barrio. He also rubs elbows with the original Vigilante.
The Odd Man is an interesting quirky character, who’s not too well known, for good reason.
Clayton Stoner was a private detective (not unlike Jason Bard) who made his home in River City. He also had a habit of dressing up in a patchwork outfit (though not as patchwork as Ragman’s suit) and putting on an equally nutty mask. Oh and then he battled crime.
His headquarters had hydraulics so that it could be on a tilt, which would disorient anyone he brought there. He also had gloves that would produce a gas and a weighted tie.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Odd Man is that his first appearance barely happened.
Y’see Stoner was to make his debut as a back up feature in Shade the Changing Man, but when that book was canceled as part of the DC Implosion he ended up in limbo.
Sure his debut happened in Canceled Comic Cavalcade #2 but that thing was really all about marinating copyright, and few people ever got a chance to read it.
Eventually his debut did run, in Detective Comics #487 but by then who cared about the guy?
Oh and he was created by Steve Ditko.
Tim, what’s more interesting the character of the Odd Man or the story of the Odd Man?
I’d have to say the story of Odd Man is more interesting right now, but that’s only because Odd Man, despite being an older hero, does not have much in comic history to him. But there are threads in that character description that could be shaped into something that would be fun and interesting.
Except for the weighted tie. That…that I’m just not sure of.
Admiral Snackbar expects characters to act consistently
Ok, here’s my question? Wasn’t Bane a good guy? And didn’t he die?! What am I missing here? He’s clearly in the battle at the end, and on Perez’s cover. The good guy thing they could explain by saying he’s being brainwashed, but did they brainwash him into thinking he’s alive? Or am I out of it, and he never did actually die?
Bane wasn’t really a bad guy in his appearances in Gotham Knights and he did get really injured in Gotham Knights #49 but thanks to the patented Lazarus Pit technology he got better.
Granted in the Villains United mini Bane actually killed someone for offering him a chance to join the Society. But can’t people have a change of heart? In fact wasn’t there a dating show devoted to that very concept?
Anyway I’m betting that Bane recidivism is due to a combination of Dr. Psycho and Venom (the drug, not the character.)
Tim, how do you account for Bane’s shift?
Truth be told, I did not even think of the Venom/Dr. Psycho combo, but that makes some sense. My personal guess was that the Society managed to pull the right strings to convince Bane to join up. Remember, when Bane killed the people that made him the offer, that was just their first attempt. After that, the Society might have engaged in a little… renegotiation. Bane is not a man without triggers so perhaps they offered him dominion over Santa Prisca (where he was born, lived, and experimented on) or threatened something he cared about (as Bane has always had an odd sense of nobility about him). It’s hard to say. But, in my opinion, brainwashing and drugs are not the only way the Society could have changed the big man with the Mexican wrestling mask’s mind.
“Rrrrarrr! Changing one’s mind is not a sign of weakness. I don’t care if your American Presidential election indicated otherwise!”
The column is over. I’ve got a headache.
And I’d like nothing more that to remove my own throat to stop the pain (except then, you know, I’d die. Which, if possible, I’d like to avoid)
But before I go here’s my question to you; now that Infinite Crisis is over, what’s your opinion on the finished product?
“I want to hold you close, soft breath, beating heart”
