Tim, have you seen Borat? If so, what’d you think?
Definitely a movie to see with a big crowd. Very funny, but so uncomfortable at points it makes you want to scream.
In other words, exactly what I was hoping for.
Links
Broken Dial has a fun new way to use a media player.
Beyond the Threshold rocks.
The DVD Lounge has reviews a-plenty.
Inside Fights can be brutally honest.
Machine Gun Funk; look to some anticipated releases.
Moodspins rocks as always.
Not a True Ending is where I get all of my gaming info.
Popcorn Junkies is the home of the 50 Club.
Primetime Pulse has thoughts on the O.C.
Reality Dish does indeed dish.
Retro Grading gets me excited about the Wii, because I’ll be able to revisit my past.
Tailgate Crashers doesn’t slap anyone in the face.
Also check our our DC Boards are tons of fun. They’d got commentary about Green Arrow and naked Jericho!
My favorite blog Glyphs has stuff on Malcolm X and Stormwatch PHD.
Tim, are you linking this week?
Nothing. Because I’m a jerk.
What I Read Last Week
Batman #658 – I really kind of enjoyed the new “Wayne/al Ghul” dynamic/power struggle with someone caught in the middle. I thought it was fully of Silver Age-y goodness!
Well, we’ve discussed this on the message boards, but I’ll reiterate it here (although all of you really should go to the message boards. I am hilarious on them). I found this issue (and ultimately, this arc) to be disappointing. There were little bits that worked (like Batman telling Damien he didn’t know about the rocket) but the issue felt too short overall and rushed in its conclusion.
Green Arrow #68 – I’m really enjoying this book. It’s one of the few books that make it to the top of my reading stack. And I don’t hate McDaniel’s art. I think it matches the rough feel of the island story.
Firestorm #31 – I’m quickly becoming a fan of Williams II’s art. I do think this issue felt rushed, like Moore had to wrap things up before he left the book. And an unusually dynamic cover by Stelfreeze.
I’ve really enjoyed Stelfreeze’s new-ish style for the covers. And since I loved old Stelfreeze, that’s saying something.
52 Week Twenty-Seven – Man, what a good issue. The Ralph stuff was great. And the Skeets and Waverider scene was equally cool. The stuff with Vic seemed kind of foreboding. And by “kind of” I mean “depressingly.”
There’s got to be a twist, there’s got to be a twist, there’s got to be a twist.
This is my Question related mantra.
Teen Titans #40 – Naked Jericho? Very nice! I do think that I’ve got to point out a disturbing trend; Geoff Johns hates perm fros. First he got rid of Alexander Luthor’s fro and now Jericho’s is missing. I think that someone should keep an eye on this.
Perhaps I will grow out of protest. A gloriously large dirty blond one. I think that’s my hair color”¦it’s been awhile since I’ve seen as anything more than stubble.
Y the Last Man #51 – Dude, what a cliffhanger! This has been my favorite issue in a long time. So much happened. I’m really worried about 355. Especially with Dr. Mann incapacitated. This book is really picking up.
Green Lantern #14 – This has been the best issue of this title that I’ve read in what seems like forever. I wish that we’d seen this Hal earlier or that Johns had found a way to convey this characterization sooner. But this was a stellar issue as far as I’m concerned.
Detective Comics #825 – Finally caught up on this issue. Great art. Decent one-off story. I don’t really think that Ted’s passing is disgraced too badly by this. I mean who really thought that Doctor Phosphorus was going to stay dead?
I too liked the art, but there was something weird about the coloring when it came to people’s skin. They looked sort of waxy and transparent. I couldn’t figure out what that was about.
Storywise, it was a pretty typical inventory book. However, Batman’s “voice” did nicely fit Dini’s approach to the character.
Stormwatch #1 – Wow was this an amazing issue. It introduced the characters perfectly. I can’t tell who’s appeared before and who’s an original creation. Gage has a gift for dialogue. And Mahnke’s art was solid as usual. This is probably my favorite of the new Wildstorm books.
Of course, it is written by a man with the name Gage. All Gages are excellent.
Mark B appreciates a woman with a gift for magic
I’m in the process of playing around with Justice League Heroes, and as I’m contemplating a review, I was wondering if I could possibly ask a few questions of those of you who actually read the comics (I’m more of a Marvel fan, so I know little about all things DC).
It appears that the game takes place prior to Infinite Crisis, not that I’d know or anything, but that’s how it seems anyway.
Zatanna plays a pretty large role in the game; is she of any sort of importance in the JLA in the comics?
Zatanna is huge in the JLA mythos.
Ok, well she’s not huge, but she’s been a member in the past. In recent years she’s taken on greater significance. For instance it turned out that during her time with the League, Dr. Light brutally attacked Elongated Man’s wife. Some members of the JLA stopped him. When it came time to dish out the punishment the JLA was divided, but eventually voted for Zatanna using her magical powers to alter the criminal’s personality.
Zatanna, now available in thick (at right) and busty editions.
But then Batman walked in on it and tried to stop things. At that point, Zatanna used her powers to wipe the last ten minutes from Batman’s memory, so that he’d never remember what he stumbled onto.
Of course things eventually did get out, which lead to severe mistrust not only among heroes, but the villains as well as they no longer trusted the heroes not to cross ethical lines. The storyline played out in Identity Crisis which can be found at plenty of bookstores nationwide.
The storyline had long lasting effects in the DCU, including Zatanna achieving a higher profile as a character. She was also the subject of a pretty cool miniseries last year, though it’ll be collected as part of the Seven Soliders event it was a part of.
But I’m guessing that the reason why Zatanna plays such a big role in the game is because she’s got magical powers which I’d imagine make her pretty useful in a game like that.
I myself am irked that this game isn’t available for either the Gamecube or the Wii. I’m a Nintendo man and a DC man why are they plotting against me?
Tim, back to Zatanna, don’t you want more of her in your life?
First, you’re a Nintendo man? Wow”¦it’s like I don’t even know you anymore.
As for Zatanna, sure. Who couldn’t use a little more magic in their lives?
Did I just pun? Oh, for shame.
Mark B brings up the forgotten GL
I’m mildly familiar with the Green Lantern Corps as they are, but the only ones I know of are Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner (for like five minutes). The GL in this game is someone I’ve never seen before… I think its John Stewart? Does he have any sort of ties to the JLA?
Again, I’ve never played the game, but I’d have to guess that the character you’re talking about is John Stewart.
John Stewart actually does have ties to the JLA. First and foremost he was the Green Lantern in the recent Justice League (Unlimited) cartoon that ran on the Cartoon Network. To many fans of the show John Stewart is Green Lantern.
He’s been on sleeping bags, lunch boxes and had plenty of toys made in his image. He’s a pretty high profile character.
Anyway, as a result of his role in the Justice League cartoon he soon became the Green Lantern of the JLA, where he served until the JLA dissolved following Identity Crisis.
Tim, John Stewart appeared in Omega Men #1, is that cause enough for hope?
These days? We take all the hope we can get.
Mark B is stuck at locked door. Dear God, what can save him now?
Who is the Key? Who’s his main rival in the comics? Why can he open portals to the sun? Is he a whiner in the comics, too?
The Key’s secret identity has never been revealed, but he began as a small time crook and part of Intergang. Intergang is to criminals as Student Government is to criminals politicians; it sows the seeds of greatness.
While he developed some pretty nifty weapons, all he really wanted psionic powers. To that end he started using psychochemicals. Over the years he’s doused Snapper Carr and the rest of the League, but all of his triumphs are temporary.
Eventually he did get his keen powers and after a bout with mortality and some body altering events he tried to assert control over space and time. But again he met defeat, this time at the hands of Connor Hawke.
Why? Because Connor Hawke equals awesome.
I’m Tim Stevens and I approve this editorial comment.
As far as his powers go he’s got some telepathic abilities and uber powerful senses. I suppose that if someone locked a portal to the sun he could open one. Or maybe if someone else made one he could probably have made them open it.
I don’t know think he’s a whiner in the comics, but based on his appearance in JLA #120-125 I can say that he’s rather annoying.
Tim, do you care for the Key?
I feel as if I don’t. Oddly enough, however, I have loved the two storylines that I’ve read him in, JLA 8-9 and Gotham Knights 5. So maybe I do like him”¦
“If you’ll only give me a chance Tim, I can unlock the door”¦to your heart.
Mark B asks about someone who I assume is a cousin or aunt of some sort.
Who’s the Queen Bee? Who’s her main rival?
Zazzalla is the queen of Korll a planet full of insect like beings. She tussled with the JLA quite a few times in the Silver Age but her modern day appearances were few and far between.
But then she showed up in JLA #34 as part of the Injustice Society. Naturally that group was defeated, but she kept in touch with Lex Luthor. Recently Zazzalla took control of H.I.V.E., which actually makes all of the sense in the world.
She’s primarily a JLA foe.
And how do you feel about female rulers from other planets Tim?
Great. I mean it is sort of sad that here in America we are only now getting our first female Speaker of the House. However, when I look intergalactically and see women like Queen Bee ruling their respective parts of the galaxy with an iron fist, it fills me with hope. Women’s lib is alive and well, it tells me. You just need a faster than light jumpship to get to it.
I hope Mark B brought a jacket
Who’s Killer Frost? Who’s her main rival? Who decided we needed another cold-based villain when Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold are running around? (Okay, that last one’s more conjecture).
The current Killer Frost is Louise Lincoln, a woman who was actually a friend of the originally (and dead) Killer Frost. Louise Lincoln has the ability to absorb heat and alter it into waves of cold. She’s always hungering for more heat and has no problem killing someone as long as it means she can take their heat.
She’s primarily a Firestorm foe, though she’s gone up against Green Lantern and Superboy among others. She’s pretty much an A-List villain who’s transcended her hero at this point.
Now let me address your final comment. Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold are both viable cold-based villains. However neither of them have enough firepower to actually go up against the League or measure up against any truly powerful heroes. No disrespect to Batman or The Flash, but they aren’t the most powerful of heroes.
Furthermore Both Freeze and Cold are powerless. Their temperature abilities come from strictly mechanical means. Killer Frost, however, has actual powers and is an actual threat. When it comes to a villain with cold based powers that needs to be a powerhouse, I’m going with Killer Frost nine times out of ten.
Ooh, it is getting cold in here, there must be some Louise Lincoln in the atmosphere!
Tim, how do you feel about cold based villains?
Generally speaking, I seem to quite like them. I’ve always had an affinity for the “cold, cruel” Mr. Freeze, even though the best he’s been was probably in the Batman Animated Series, not the comics.
Captain Cold has been made awesome by Geoff Johns run on the book. If and when he shows up again, I hope he keeps that streak up.
Icicle, from various JSA arcs and, most recently, Checkmate, is a great character with some interesting layers.
I don’t know a whole lot about Killer Frost but I enjoyed her in Green Lantern, Deadshot, and the newest Firestorm series. Plus, I love the twist that she does give off cold so much as steal heat. Not sure why, but that makes a difference to me.
Apparently, Mark B tells us, sisters are doing it for themselves in the JLA game. Once you unlock them, I mean.
Hawkgirl is an unlockable character, but Hawkman isn’t. Is he still around/alive? Huntress is also unlockable; was she ever in the JLA?
Hawkman is still out there somewhere. Based on the publicity of the upcoming Justice Society of America relaunch we know that he’s going to be a part of it, though he’s not made a OYL appearance. In fact Carter is one of the few OYL mysteries that are still around. Actually I think that it could also be as a Infinite Crisis mystery since I don’ think that he’s had any post-IC appearances either.
So basically Hawkman’s current status is that he’s MIA but destined to make a huge comeback, pretty much what Carter’s status quo always is.
Huntress has actually been a member of the Justice League twice over. The first time she was part of Max Lord’s Justice League America. Max used his powers to “push” Huntress to join the team. But when she found out that she hadn’t joined of her own free will, she quit.
She later joined up in the JLA at Batman’s behest. She was actually rather pivotal in turning “cool concept” villain Prometheus into the borderline joke of a character that he currently is.
Tim, is there any hope of saving Prometheus?
I think so, but it is a small chance right now. He was back to usual greatness when he showed up in Birds of Prey a few months back so that was a relief. However, that is but step one on the road to recovery. Gotham Knights, in particular, did a lot of damage to his reputation and it is going to take a long time to erase that from our collective minds.
And as long as we are on the topic of Huntress and Prometheus, allow me to suggest a new DC Direct line based on the Morrison JLA era. Think of it, you could have Prometheus, Zauriel, Aztek (YES!), a good Tomorrow Woman, Huntress in the black and purple, the redesigned Queen Bee, the General”¦the list could go on and on. Come on DC, step up!
Mark B obviously wants to make us cry.
Is Wally West still the Flash? I thought he was replaced.
Way to bring up a sore subject.
Every time I think about either The Flash or Wally West, it makes me sad.
It makes me cry because the final arc of Wally’s title stunk to high heaven. It makes me sad because Wally didn’t even get to go out in a blaze of glory like Barry or even Johnny Quick did. Instead he faded out like Max Mercury.
It causes the tears to well because the current Flash title is so barely tolerable that I want to drop it, and I never drop books (see also; Hawkgirl, Aquaman & The Titans.) And that really pains me because the previous The Flash title was the first book that I ever picked up from issue #1.
And it pains me to think like this, but I think this is kind of like my very own personal clone saga. Bart Allen as the Flash is a kind of cool concept, like Ben Reilly was, but the execution was sloppy making for a disjointed story. And while Wally is still around, like Peter was, he’s not the Flash. Hopefully someone at DC will right the book before we get to a “Maximum Clonage” type of affair.
But to answer your question, Wally isn’t the Flash anymore. Instead the former Impulse and Kid Flash (and Barry Allen’s grandson) Bart Allen is the Flash. And he’s really stinking up the joint.
Tim, you had relatively good news in your column this week. Can I afford to be cautiously optimistic?
It is only going to get your heart broken, but I’m doing it and so should you. So at least we’ll be able to comfort one another.
Mark B obviously does not read the obituaries
I thought Doomsday was dead, but he’s in the game. Am I wrong in this assumption?
Dude Doomsday’s whole shtick, besides the whole “killing Superman” thing, is that he can’t be defeated the same way twice. He’s like the Juggernaut (and I’ve actually typed that word so many times trying to spell it right that it looks absolutely absurd. Like those letters so don’t belong in that sequence.), only he can be temporarily stopped.
Y’see Doomsday evolves a new defense after every beatdown, so he’ll be prepared the next time he encounters that attack. It all ties into his creation. Y’see Doomsday is a product of forced evolution on Krypton.
Doomsday was last seen in Infinite Crisis getting the snot knocked out of him by Kal-L and Kal-El.
Tim, who’s appearance are you anticipating more; Doomsday or Red State Radu?
Red State Radu, definitely. Who else will step forward and protect the sanctity of marriage now that those filthy value hunting Dems are in charge?
Red State Radu, guarding our American values against all threats, foreign or domestic.
Mark B believes they can fly, that they can touch the sky. He sees them every night and day, they spread their wings and fly away. He believes they can soar, he sees them runâ€â€well, you get the idea.
Can Zatanna and Wonder Woman fly? I was not aware of this being part of their power set, but the game says this is so.
Zatanna can talk backwards. Can you really wrap your head around that? She can, not only pronounce words backwards, but she can also form sentences and speak them backwards. Given that she can do that very well, I’d say that nothing is beyond her power set. Plus she’s a magician so with magic, pretty much all rules fly out the window.
Wonder Woman can indeed fly. She’s just got that invisible jet thing for flossing on the boulevard.
Wondy, driving slow, living for today cuz tomorrow you never know.
Tim, would you rather be able to speak backwards perfectly or have an invisible jet?
You’ve got to go Invisible Jet. The physics of it are just mindblowing and, if it is anything like the jet she was rocking in the mid 90’s there’s no shape you couldn’t take. You’re tired of the Invisible Jet? Fine, why not an Invisible Tank. The nephew coming over for the weekend? Voila, an Invisible Johnny Jumper. The possibilities are literally endless.
Mark B is still here
This one’s more of a common sense question (well, relative to comics), but if something in the game is identified as being able to hurt Superman, wouldn’t such an attack rend Batman asunder? I thought Superman was nigh invulnerable.
Not necessarily. Allow me to lay out some possible scenarios for you.
A Kryptonite Hammer – Superman is going to feel the effects of a Kryptonite Hammer way more than Batman would. Batman would probably be able to dodge it, while Superman would get sick just being the same room with it.
A Magic Blast – A magic blast is going to affect them both the same way. Both are equally vulnerable to magic.
Red Sun Radiation – Superman would be weak as a toddler after a good ol’ blast of red solar radiation. Batman might get a sunburn.
Compromising pictures of Lois Lane with another man – This is so going to hit Clark more than Bruce.
Tim can you think of any other situations where something might affect Superman more than Batman?
Chants of “Boy Scout”? Questions about the journalistic integrity of reporting on yourself AND winning prizes for it? A five page spread in InStyle about how the spit curl is “so last year”? The mere mention of Superman Red/Superman Blue?
Yeah, you heard me Supes. SO LAST YEAR!
Mark B is apparently the Seinfeld of comic questions
What’s the deal with the White Martians?
The White Martians are obviously from Mars. They and the Green Martians were actually part of the same race, called the Burning. It was a nutty alien race that could reproduce asexually using fire.
Those meddling omniscient beings the Guardians of the Universe thought that the Burning was way too powerful, so the split the Burning into two races, the Green and White Martians. And as a little precautionary measure to keep them from getting too powerful the Guardians also gave the two races a fear of fire. Oh, those wacky Guardians!
Anyway, while the Greenies were all peaceful and meditative and whatnot, the Whiteys were just plain savages. They even toyed around with Earth during the early days of humanity and before.
The White Martians have all of the powers that come standard with Green Martians, only they’re tons more vicious.
Currently Martian Girl is appearing in Teen Titans and she is indeed a White Martian. I’m really curious to find out more about her.
If you want some solid White Martian goodness find the really fun Son of Vulcan miniseries.
Tim, I would give you props for your calling of Bombshell as the traitor, but a) Geoff Johns is your best friend and b) besides that you actually know M’gnn. I’ve got to believe you’ve got inside info.
Um”¦well”¦hey look! It’s Keira Knightley!
Mark B lacks a degree in Kryptonian Physiology. What’s his deal?
J’onn makes an off-hand comment to Superman, when they arrive on Mars and Superman says something to him, to save his oxygen. I imagine sound can travel on Mars to some certain degree, but I was of the impression that Superman pretty much didn’t need to really breathe all that often, if at all, considering all of these trips he’s made to other worlds and such. Any ideas?
Superman does indeed need to breathe. He doesn’t need to breathe that often, but it is necessary for his survival. This is probably best illustrated by when Superman exiled himself into space. He took a handy little oxygen mask and some canisters of oxygen with him.
Tim, doesn’t this game sound interesting? It’s got Doomsday, White Martians, Hawkgirl and Superman needing to breathe!
It really does. I’ll probably still wait to snag it used, but I’m looking forward to playing it.
All of Mark B‘s are changing and he just can’t keep track anymore.
When did Brainac become a humongous robot? Last I recall, he looked vaguely humanoid, but here he looks like Megatron on steroids.
Brainiac used to occupy the body of Milton Fine. He was a canny mentalist and the perfect fit for Vril Dox’s consciousness.
However since those days Brainiac has evolved. He’s not much more a technological entity. As such he can occupy things, like a virus. Therefore he can pretty much put together a humongous robot to occupy.
Tim, given Mark B’s scandalous allegations do you think that there should be steroid testing in the DCU?
I sure do. I mean, have you seen Superman lately?
If that’s not ‘roid rage, I don’t know what is.
Sadly, we’ve got to end on that tarnishing note. But don’t worry, we’ll be back next week plenty more questions and answers.
(And for those of you interested here’s the actual Not a True Ending review of Justice League Heroes.)
Send me your questions or post them our thread!. Seriously, send some questions.
“I’m a junkyard full of false starts.”
