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This is it, when this column is done, my sabbatical will have begun.

Let’s not waste time then, eh? NEWS!

A Seat at the Round Table

Writer Brad Meltzer has taken his dream team of heroes and put them together in the new Justice League of America. The first issue is due in stores this month and we’ve got a few quick answers from Meltzer about this work.

Reserve your spot at with the JLA today at The Pulse

Wow”¦this interview is really short. Like really, really short. But it includes a link to Mr. Meltze’s blog at the end, so I figured you all still might want to take a look.

What Was That About a Hairy Chested Love God?

In one issue, he’s reset Batman’s world to a place like it hasn’t been in years – if ever.

With an unabashed admiration for Batman as he was seen in the ’70s and ’80s (“hairy-chested Neal Adams love god”), Grant Morrison has kicked off his run on DC’s Batman like a bat out of”¦nah – far too easy.

In his first issue, Morrison (along with artist Andy Kubert) have taken Batman out of Gotham, brought Bruce Wayne back to the fore, and reintroduced Kirk Langstrom, Talia, Man-Bat(s), and – Batman’s son into the mix.

Morrison’s second issue of Batman (#656) hits this week, and we caught up with the writer to talk more about the character and his plans for the book.

Morrison speaks in tongues at Newsarama

Have I mentioned ever that I love me some Morrison interviews? Well, I do. They are great.

Anyone else deeply curious what the deal with Morrison’s Wonder Woman pitch was? I’d love to know what he’d like to do with her. Did that sound weird?

The part where Morrison tees off on Miller? That’s pretty amusing stuff, you’ve gotta admit.

I won’t quote it here, but how Morrison breaks down Batman’s life until now is pretty interesting stuff. Moreover, it does kind of make sense. I mean, granted, in no one’s life could that much rain fall and especially not in a few years. But taken with a grain of salt and the general hyperrealness of comics, it works. It’s not a shocking reinvention, but Morrison puts all the ducks in a row in a way that, to my knowledge, has never been so fully spelled out before.

“BACK SPLINTERS INTO A THOUSAND SHARDS OF AGONIZED BONE. HE’S GOOD. HE’S YOUNG. HE’S TOUGHER AND YOUNGER THAN ME. AND TOUGHER. DID I MENTION TOUGHER ? MUSN’T BLACK OUT…”
This is a brilliant parody of a oh-so typical tough guy thought caption. I demand someone use it for “real” immediately.

The whole bit about Bruce getting some on a regular basis actually does make a good deal of sense. Sex, especially for gents, is a very good thing to do for one’s body. Oh, and feel free to use that bit of information as a pick up line this weekend.

Drawing That Aforementioned Hairy Chested Love God

Andy Kubert said he’s always wanted to work with Grant Morrison and now the artist is getting his chance in the pages of Batman. The current arc, Batman and Son is going to shake up the status quo of the Dark Knight Detective and we’ve got some particulars from Kubert on his thoughts about Gotham’s favorite son.

Contribute to the “buy the Batman a good waxing” fund at The Pulse

I have to admit that while I am digging Batman as a book, Kubert’s style has largely failed to wow me. I liked him better in the latest installment of the book than I did in his debut issue, but that’s probably the one nice thing I have to say.

It’s not that the work is bad, it’s just that it is very middle of the road decent. With the amount of heat on this guy and the level of excitement that was projected all over the internet when he signed with DC, I think I was expecting a bit more. I know I’ve read his work before (although I confess that I’m not sure where) and I am fairly sure that I liked it there. Why I am now underwhelmed by it is a bit of mystery to me, I confess. Perhaps it really just is a matter of overblown expectations born of me buying into the hype without even really being aware of it.

M Marts to Open at DC

Later this month, one of Marvel’s longstanding faces in editorial will take his leave of the company. Editor Mike Marts has accepted a Senior Editor position at DC, and will soon trade the X-Men for the Justice League, Spider-Man for Superman, and move from Marvel to DC.

Convenience and quality is all rolled up into one at Newsarama

I think this is a pretty good pick up for DC. However, I’m not really an X-Men reader so”¦my opinion could hardly be considered “expert”.

Honestly, What Does “Suffering Sappho” Mean?

She wasn’t jettisoned from a doomed planet, she didn’t witness the brutal murder of her parents, and she was never injected with radioactive venom, but the true story of Wonder Woman’s origin is one of the strangest and most fascinating of any superhero. The Amazon princess debuted in the back of “All-Star Comics” #8 in December 1941, graduated to the cover story of “Sensation Comics” #1 in January, and merited her own title by the summer of 1942. Her powers were similar to those of Superman (who had not yet learned to fly, see through walls, or fear Kryptonite), but with a couple of interesting twists: she could deflect bullets with the heavy metal bracelets she wore on her wrists, and she carried a magical golden lasso which compelled anyone it snared to tell the truth.

Wonder Woman was not the first female superhero – she had been beaten to the punch by the likes of the Black Widow (no relation to the Marvel character) and Bulletgirl – but she quickly became the most successful and remains to this day the best known. DC Comics recently relaunched the “Wonder Woman” title with a new #1 written by Allan Heinberg, Co-Executive Producer of “The OC,” and a feature film is in the works from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon. Wonder Woman has been popular for over sixty years – and controversial from the moment she was born.

Take a trip down memory lane with your tour guide Comic Book Resources

Cool historical perspective of the Amazon hero.

However, am I the only one who thinks this movie thing is never going to happen? I don’t mean to be a naysayer or anything, but I just don’t get a good vibe from the project.

A Description Was Given to the Sketch Artist

When Tony Daniel was announced as an artist on Teen Titans, it seemed like a temporary gig — and rightfully so. The artist wasn’t exactly known for his superhero work and his style seemed more appropriate for the “indy” stories he’d been more recently penciling.

Yet a dozen issues later, Daniel not only looks to be sticking around for the long haul but is winning over fans with the way he’s changed up his style and designed a batch of new young characters for the DCU.

And with a slew of “missing year” Titans being revealed in the next Titans story arc and the recent announcement of the Titans East roster by DC, Daniel’s new characters have been getting a lot of attention. Add to that new characters we’ve already seen, like Kid Devil, and the tweaks he made to the Doom Patrol characters, and it’s looking like this guy’s working overtime on character sketches and redesigns – along with the regular issue of course.

See what the Titans East might look like at Newsarama

This whole Titans East thing could be brilliant. Talon? Kid Crusader? The Riddle’s Daughter? Whee!

On the other hand, it could be an absolute mess. I’m hopeful because of the people involved (Geoff Johns is, after all, my best friend. Seriously, just ask Mathan). However, it is easy to see the markings of a train wreck.

COMING ATTRACTIONS


ALL-STAR SUPERMAN 5

I’ve been waiting for this issue before I even read the first issue. Before I even knew for sure if I’d like (nevermind love) the title.

Lex Luthor and Clark Kent”¦in prison together.

God knows the how or why, but I, frankly, don’t even care. Never has one sentence about a comic so tickled me. I love parlor pieces, I love old enemies being forced together, and I love Lex Luthor.

It is like Grant Morrison wrote this book with me in mind. Which seems crazy, but with Grant I suppose you really never do know for sure.


AMERICAN VIRGIN 6

The book that continues to confound is back with another installment.

I really have yet to figure out what this whole comic is about. Therefore, I have a hard time proclaiming whether or not I love it, like it, sort of, kind of like it, don’t like it, or hate it. It almost certainly not the latter choices, but I’m still not sure where on that scale my opinion falls.

Nonetheless, I cannot seem to look away. I am enraptured by the unfolding of events and, for now, am happy to aimlessly follow behind Adam while trying to unravel what is going on and where this is all going.

OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I

52 WEEK 16

The book makes an odd choice this week as it lends a basically full length stage to the story of Black Adam and Isis’s wedding. The question is why and “52” has very little to offer by way of a satisfying explanation. Montoya and the Question’s search for a suicide bomber is interspersed as a means of building tension, but it never quite works and the wedding itself is largely uninterested. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy those crazy kids have found one another. But happiness an interesting wedding does not make.

BATMAN 655

Morrison’s “new” Batman finally, truly arrives this month and boy, is it a kick.

(A kick? Who am I?)

Between Bruce getting his playboy on, his bizarre, amusing inner monologue (bat wings= an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey), hoards and hoards of Man-Bats (best line: “Not Man-Bat. Man-Bats. Ninja Man-Bats. Alarming twist.), and well placed pop art, the issue is chock full of winking, knowing satire, true blasts of humor, and furious, overblown action that still has weight. Morrison may just be reinventing the wheel here, but can anyone complain when the wheel is this much fun?

BIRDS OF PREY 97

Huh.

I have to admit, I’m a touch surprised. I really like Black Alice. I think she’s one of the best new characters DC has introduced in, let’s say, the Didio era. That has everything to do with Simone’s characterization of her creation. So it’s odd that Alice seems so”¦off here.

Perhaps there is a yet untold story in the intervening year or so, but, based on what we know, Alice’s paranoia about superhero types (especially after teaming with Shadowpact during the Day of Vengeance miniseries) feels false and forced. With that being the basis of this arc, the rest of the thing suffers because of it.

However, the undeniably creepy, Pet Semetary feeling ending that sees Alice walking off into the sunset with her heart’s desire while her father trails behind sickened, scared, and, perhaps, a bit happy, goes a long way toward saving the whole thing. Ahh, and the growth of Alice’s control over her powers also holds the possibility for some interesting developments to come.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 1

I’ve been looking forward to this for awhile. Meltze’s previous comics excursions, while roundly lambasted by some, sat nicely with me for the most part. Plus, Morrison’s JLA was the first title to truly make me a comic book reader week-to-week, so I have an affection for the title. I was fairly sure that while this would be the same JLA as Morrison’s or have the same feel, it would still elicit the same kind of enjoyment from me.

Alas, no dice.

It’s not bad, to be sure. If the rumored team is the real one (I’m not convinced the Turner cover is playing straight with us), I think it is a good one. A nice mix of A-list with B-list meaning that we can have iconic action and character development. The sense of friendship and fun within the Trinity might be going a bit too far after the combustion of them during Infinite Crisis, but I like it for the most part. Dr. Impossible is a great name with a strong design that nicely reflects his rival.

However, the whole thing is just too busy. Meltzer did great things with dueling narratives in Identity Crisis and he tries the same thing here. Unfortunately, however, the narratives don’t complement one another as they did in IDC. Instead, they crash into one another, robbing the story of internal cohesiveness and flow.

Another problem is the art. The same overly scratchy inking that hurt a lot of Morales art in IDC is present here as well (Why, I can’t say. It’s not like Meltzer inks his projects). It’s not there all of the time (which makes it worse in some ways) but when it is”¦it is just no good. It is especially noticeable in the Roy/Hal sequences.

Rereading what I’ve written, I’m being harder on it than I mean to. As you’ll see from my letter grade below, I did like the issue, I do think it is worth a read. It is not, however, as assured a launch as I would have expected.

WONDER WOMAN 2

I really liked the first issue of this book which came as a welcome surprise as Wonder Woman (as a book) has largely failed to engage me for long spans of time.

Sadly, this second issue fails prey to this disorder.

It’s not fatal, not yet certainly. I’ll finish off reading this storyline and see where am I in my interest then.

However, as of now, things don’t look good.

The “why” of it I’m having a hard time pinning down right now. I like supervillains wearing unconscious heroes as necklaces as much as the next guy. I love crazy supervillain team ups (this one has two for a total of six supervillains!). I don’t mind throwback pastiche like Diana needing to spin around really fast to become Wonder Woman.

However, after reading the book, I put it down and felt like Alec Baldwin in “State and Main”.

“Well, that happened.”

It’s very pretty and has some cool guest stars, but it just washed over me. It was like a Twinkie. Sweet, but not satisfying in any way.

I’m out. See you in about 30 days.

Un Gajje Is Finally Catching His Breath