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SUPER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

The good news is that the column is still going to be around.

The bad news is that because of a colossal misunderstanding my IP email accounted was deleted before I could transfer everything (or anything for that matter) over to another email account.

As a result our rather impressive catalogue of “rainy day” questions has now dropped to nil. Basically, I got two emails last week and the message boards. That’s it. We’re talking “worst case scenario” here.

So consider this a desperate call for more emails. If you’re reading this column, you need to send us an email.

And now back to the regularly scheduled column.

Tim, I’m all Kingdom Come‘d out. I got my Absolute edition plus I just picked up Jay-Z’s latest. If only there were some form of Kingdom Come that was edible, I’d be completely set.

Doesn’t a Communion wafer sort of fit that bill?

Links

Broken Dial rocks.

Beyond the Threshold is pretty nifty.

The DVD Lounge is cool, but I’m irked because I just completed my Homicide: Life on the Street collection and now they decide to release a box set? Malarkey!!!!!!!!!

Inside Fights rarely hits below the belt.

Machine Gun Funk; jabs the AMA’s right in the eye.

Moodspins offers plenty of insight.

Not a True Ending has tons of next gen news. I missed out on my chance at a Wii because I was hanging out with a friend I’d not seen in years and was “doing” the whole Vegas thing. But I don’t regret it.

Popcorn Junkies tells you what’s worth your money.

Primetime Pulse dishes on what’s worth your time.

Retro Grading makes me long for a Wii.

Tailgate Crashers has scores a plenty.

Also check our our DC Boards are still a blast and pose plenty of questions. Does Tim deserve props? Is GUNFIRE(!!!!!!!!) more glorious than Jericho’s nude form? You decide!

My favorite blog Glyphs takes a trip to an African comics exhibit.

Tim, care to link anything this week?

Don’t ever let anyone tell you Newington, CT isn’t hard. This video proves that it is. We stab people over hacky sacks! Dig that!

What I Read Last Week

Civil War #5 – Eh, this one fell kind of flat to me. First off the cover image never happens. Secondly, not much actually happens. Punisher joins up? Yawn. Someone calls Iron Man a name? That’s the cliffhanger? Boo.

I admit it was a bit filler-y, but it featured Jester and Jack O’Lantern so that was cool. Of course, they got shot by Punisher so”¦eh, I’ll call it a wash.

100 Bullets #78 – Compared to it’s usual pace, this book is going at breakneck speed. It’s insane and insanely good. This build up is something fierce.

52 Week Twenty-Eight – Poor decapitated Red Tornado. Not as cool as Wicker Sue, but keen in his own right. The space stuff got a bit more interesting and I enjoyed seeing Batwoman back in action.

A lot of reviews were sort of down on this issue but I thought it probably juggled the multiple plotlines in one issue very well. One of the better issues that insisted on checking in with damn near everyone.

Squadron Supreme #7 – Surprisingly good issue, but that’s probably because it didn’t focus on the newer characters. Redstone is a pretty good villain. But Nighthawk’s final words seemed kind of cliché.

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #1 – Another solid beginning to a book I know I’m going to love. The Ross cover was kind of muted, but it still worked. I dig how apparent the different tone is.

Catwoman #61 – What can I say about this book that I’ve not said already? Pfeifer’s realistic touches are great (Selina passing out) and the drama is real. But he also has a knack for cliffhangers. This one had a great one.

Supergirl #11 – Interesting. Not my favorite of Kelly’s issues, but still good. The meta pirates was interesting. I like that Kara is still trying to find her place and that she’s got a crush on Nightwing. I also dig that she’s not that into Boomer. But the Argo City interludes kind of annoy me.

And now”¦on with the column.

Yes! Onward!

Luthen recognizes bald is beautiful

I haven’t kept in the know with DC lately (all I truly read now is Image), but Lex has always been the real good guy to me. I picked up and read all of the Lex Luthor mini-series and it was superb. In it, Lex was kind to his employees (helping out the Lexcorp Janitor with money), he was also nice to his secretary and everyone else in the series pretty much. Just that he had a problem with a God-like humanoid coming from another planet to impose his own thoughts on how humans on Earth should act. I dunno…maybe I’m nuts…but I think Lex is a great guy…a hell of a lot better than Big Blue.

Dude, you’re so preaching to the converted. There’s nothing that I love more than Lex’s complexity. Lex, for the most part, is a class act. He does plenty of good things for Metropolis and for the world.

Ok, so he’s had some occasional slip ups. But I really kind of dig and admire the guy. He’s a self made man.

And Superman is annoying. I, like Lex, can see right through the alien. He’s trying so hard to make it seem like he doesn’t cast a shadow, but he does. And what happens when he gets out of control? Who’s going to stop him? Thankfully we have Lex to count on; he’s got plans for days.

Lex is an example of what man can be, while Superman just seems to be looking down his nose at us.

But, yeah, Lex gets an incredibly bad rap.

Tim, where do you stand on Lex Luthor?

Oh come on, man. You know I love him! I’m not sure about the whole “bad rap” thing as he is a violent egotist who is as much motivated by his desire to be “#1″ as he is motivated by his love for humanity.

He is, however, WAY more interesting than Big Blue.


Lex wants to know if you like American Civil War memorabilia.
Why?
Because he has TWO CANNONS!

Luthen is a big fan of “Where Are They Now?” Specials

Wow”¦sorry about that mini-rant and all. So…what is the current standing of Lex Luthor now? Have they adapted his character as more of a “middle of the fence” kind of person…or is he still pretty much headhunting after Supes? How does the rest of the world perceive Lex?

The last time I saw Lex was in the early part of Up, Up & Away. He’s still pretty much a big figure in the DCU. I’d guess he’s kind of like Donald Trump mixed with OJ Simpson? Either you love him or you hate him (Trump) and either you believe him or you don’t (OJ). And like both of them, you’ll probably find a slim minority who view him positively.

He is still headhunting Supes. I don’t think that he’ll ever truly be “middle of the fence” type of guy, but part of what defines Lex is his relationship with Superman, which was to be volatile.

Tim, who do you have a volatile relationship with?

Wow, what a great question to ask me Mathan. That’s such a good setup, you’d think I wrote it for myself.

Anyway, who do I have a volatile relationship with? Well, plenty of people, really. My most volatile relationship, however, would probably be with Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. You probably know him better as the mastermind behind Fox News or the crazy rich Australian guy who showed up once on the Simpsons. Some days we love each, some days we hate each other. I admit, I’ve lost my temper once or twice and slapped Murdoch around a bit. But I’m sorry for those moments. I just”¦I just get so scared sometimes.


What I wouldn’t do to see that smile just one last time.

So, if you are out there Rupie, come home. I miss you so. It will be different this time, I promise.

Please baby?

Aaron demands tomorrow today!

I imagine that once “52” has run its course next spring, there’ll be the inevitable new titles hyped to the heavens as “from the pages of 52!”, etc. I don’t follow the “inside poop” all that closely, have you heard anything as to who might be in line for their own series, post-52? Also, who amongst the “52” would you *like* to see spun off into their own title?

Aaron, it’s just over the halfway point, personally I think it’s far too soon to be speculating about who is going to get their own book out of the deal. But for you Aaron, I’ll do anything.

Now I don’t actually get my news from anyone other than Tim Stevens. He’s my sole source when it comes to news of a comic book nature. Thus, I’m not in the know.

Wait, that didn’t come out right. What I mean to say is that everyone is pretty tightlipped about how 52 is going to play out. But let’s speculate away.

Renee Montoya – If I had to I’d put all of my money on this one. She’s being groomed to take over as The Question and she’s a pretty popular character. Plus I’m pretty sure the only thing worse than a woman in a refrigerator is a lesbian woman in a refrigerator.

That said I could see her sacrificing herself to save Vic. So maybe she won’t make it out alive.

Steel – I can’t see Steel relaunching anytime soon. DC just axed a Super title (Adventures of Superman), I don’t see them eager to add something new under that banner. Plus a new Steel series combined with Shaq taking time off of the Heat means a likelihood of a big screen sequel.

Booo! A Steel sequel means no time for a Kazaam sequel and that, ladies and gentlemen, is simply unacceptable.

Ralph – I can’t see how Ralph could be viable after 52. He’s come so far as a character it would be disrespectful to see him go back to being Elongated Man. I can’t really see him being a P.I. Honestly I don’t see how he’d fit in the DCU after what he’s gone through.

I had not really thought of his arc that way, but at this time, I have to say I think you are right. How do you end “52” in a way that lets Ralph fit back into the DCU on a semi-regular basis? Make him a villain?

Black Adam – I don’t think that Black Adam is going to get his own book. I really don’t see how Black Adam lands after 52. He’s clearly being set up for a fall. It’s going to be a hard fall, but after that I just see him sticking to Khandaq and not really venturing out much.

Booster Gold – Now this guy might actually find life after 52. Call me a dreamer, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Booster. I could see a mini or maybe even an ongoing title.

Batwoman – I’d have to imagine that she’s going to get a mini or possibly an ongoing. She’s barely shown up in the book and I’m sure that plenty of folks are curious about her training and whatnot. Plus I hear she’s got ties to Bruce Wayne. I think this Batwoman has legs.

Supernova – I do think that 52 will give us the reasoning for who and why Supernova is, but I think it could also be a launching pad for the characters solo exploits. But honestly I’m kind of over Supernova at this point.

My idea for the characters in 52 would be to launch the 52 All-Stars Super Variety Hour Book. I’d be just those cool variety shows from the 70’s only in comic form. Lots of funny segments and costume changes. That book would rock.

Tim, with the success of Heroes maybe we should pitch this to a network.

I’m already raiding my Rolodex. Maybe, if I heal this rift with Rupie, you and I have an fX project (we need the cable network because our love of inappropriate language) to oversee come fall.

Luthen wandered down the wrong alley

What happened with Ultraverse? I still have every single issue of Ultraverse comics from ages ago (cost me a bundle every month to pick up all the issues…don’t ask…my wife still nags me about it to this day), but I’m wondering what happened to it. I know this isn’t’ a DC question…but I heard DC had bought them out. I’ve seen WILDCATS out there…but no Prime, Mantra, and all of the other great series that Ultraverse had.

The Ultraverse was launched in the early 90’s, around the time when Image was in full swing, so I completely understand why you’ve got the two linked in your head. But Wildcats (and Wildstorm) is completely distinct from Ultraverse.

The Ultraverse was launched by Malibu comics during the glut that was the early 90’s. There were tons of comic lines launching left and right. Malibu wanted the Ultraverse to stand out so they used digital coloring (groundbreaking at the time) and really stressed the concept of a shared universe between titles. Sadly it wasn’t enough and the line folded most of its books. It was later purchased by Marvel.

Marvel then relaunched and revamped some titles much to the chagrin of longtime Ultraverse fans. The newly relaunched books folded less than two years later.

Last year Marvel EIC Joe Quesada revealed that the only thing keeping the Ultraverse characters from returning is the contracts the creators signed, which guarantees them a percentage of the profits from the characters usage.

I really only read Prime and all I really remember if Norm Breyfogle’s art. Oh and the protoplasm.

Gotta love protoplasm.

I guess that you’d better ask Jim and Daron for more about the Ultraverse, it’s much more in their playing field.

Tim, did you get into the Ultraverse?

Not really, no. It sort of preceded my heavy interest in comics. However, I always liked the idea of Prime as a sort of modern Captain Marvel story and how the kid’s vision of a muscle bound hero morphed from a straight up almost squeaky clean caped fella (think Superman) to a scruffy, leather wearing bad ass (think a tall Wolverine, I guess) as grim n’ gritty was dominating the industry. I thought that was a great meta angle.

The cartoon on the USA Network sort of blew though.

Aaron apparently knows a different definition of “tweener” that does not involve Lindsay Lohan.

I caught the “origin of Catman” in a recent “52”. It was admittedly brief, but it made it seemed like he was something of a ‘tweener’ who’d cross swords with both good and evil. Accurate? If so, are there similar characters in the DCU who could be described similarly?

Sure are. But most of the characters like that tend to side on the side of the good guys.

A note of clarification about Catman; the guy was completely lame when he showed up in Green Arrow. The only thing that rescued him from becoming a complete punchline was the makeover he received in Villains United. Gail Simone literally saved him and made him viable again.

Catman is a bad guy who wants to be a good guy, but can’t really escape his past, not that he even really wants to. It’s really difficult to find characters fit that description 100%, but here are some who come close.

Major Disaster – He spent most of his life as a bad guy but had a heroic turn as a member of the JLA. Rumor has it he’s dead, but he wasn’t the most heroic of heroes. In fact he was almost a reluctant hero.

The Shade – This Golden Age crook was a thorn in the side of many a hero in his heyday. However he became a close ally of Jack Knight on the pages of Starman. And while recently he’s been more “hero” than “villain”, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see him commit the occasional crime now and again.

Pied Piper – He began his career as a Flash Rogue, but after Barry Allen died and Wally West took over the two actually became friends. It’s been subsequently revealed that Piper’s change of heart could be attributed to being mindwiped. But the last time I remember seeing him Piper was somewhere between hero and villain (I’m ignoring that mountain climbing trip issue.)

Bane – This guy changes his mood like some people put on lip balm. “I’m going to break the Bat” on minute “I’m going to team up with the Bat” the next. I don’t know if he’s really walking the line so much as indecisive.

Catwoman – I’m putting her here, because I think Bats tolerates her in Gotham. I do think that she might have a problem if she set up shop in another city in the DCU (as opposed to passing though as she did in that road trip storyline.)

The Elite – I do believe this bunch thinks that they’re doing “good”, but if it meant that they had to go up against heroes I don’t think they’d blink twice. I also think that there are plenty of heroes who probably don’t like the way the Elite operate.

Tim, can you think of any other characters in the DCU that are of similar shade of gray as Catman?

Hmm”¦maybe Atom Smasher, the last time we saw him? It is hard to say where he is in this OYL DCU, but what we know of him he was a hero to the people of Kahndaq, but a killer of “enemies”, then he was all repentant and went to jail, and, last we saw, he was preparing to choose a Suicide Squad team. So I think he nicely fits the bill.

I guess you could also throw Black Adam on the list for much the same reasons as Atom Smasher. A guy with good intentions who has bad methods of carrying them out.

No one else is really jumping out to me at this point.

Un Gajje is one handsome devil

Mathan, who’s your pick for coolest under appreciated DC villain?

C’mon Un, you know me better than that. I can’t give just one. That’d be playing favorites and that I game I just don’t play.

Count Viper – Ok, so truth be told I’ve never actually read anything with him in it. That said, his profile in Who’s Who slayed me. He’s got psionic powers and can transfer his mind from one person’s body to another person’s body and he’s been around since before the United States was a nation. He’s cool and under appreciated.

He sounds awe”¦wait for it”¦SOME! How have I never heard of him?!

Time Trapper/Glorith – I loved when the Legion would go up against the Time Trapper. And when the Trapper was replaced by Glorith she was equally cool in a different way. Sadly they’ve both been relegated supporting members of the Bloodwynd/John Stewart team up book.

Kestrel – An evil counterpart for Hawk & Dove? Count me in! I don’t really dig the magical bend the character has taken in recent appearances, but I loved the bloodthirsty action Kestrel provided in the original Hawk & Dove mini. This villain needs to branch out from those heroes.

Mister Z – I actually read Super books when this guy was appearing. I liked how mysterious he was and when it was revealed that he was much older than he looked, I was sold. I love characters who border on immortal. Sadly, I’m pretty sure this guy has been all but forgotten.

Barter – Yet another character that brushed up against Hawk & Dove. This I dug how this guy cut deals and always came out ahead. I loved how he had crazy access to amazing things. I really want to see more of this guy and how he came to be.

Buzz – To me Buzz was the star of Supergirl. Whenever he was on the page he had my undivided attention. When his history was delved into I devoured it. It’s really sad that apparently no one’s going to touch him with a ten foot pole.

Man that Un, he can be pretty annoying. Tim, do you have any cool underrated villains?

Mathan, you have come to the right place!

I’ll skip my usual troupe of cool looking but so far poorly developed villains like Sudden Death and Double Down for now. I think those guys just need a great story and they could be something, but that is purely speculation because nothing I’ve read with them backs me up in the least.

The biggest one I can think of would be Kobra. He is would-be world conquering cult leader who is constantly harassed by the voice of his deceased, do-gooder twin brother. He is a diabolical planner, an incredible fighter, and unaffected by sacrificing scores of his followers as cannon fodder. By converting the nation of Kobra (or whatever it is really called) to the sort of go to cult of the DCU, Kobra has been reduced to a bit of easily beat joke. The potential, however, is there for redemption and badassery for many years to come.

Geoff Johns has sort of been singled out as the revamper of villains and that is largely true. However, on Black Hand, I think he sort of fumbled the ball on the fifteen yard line. So close, yet so far away as they say. But all is not lost, because there is a great deal of cool for this character. For one, he is an Anti-Lantern. He has always had the ability to absorb the power of the Green Lantern ring. These days, he does not even have to stop there. He can/has to also absorb the life essence of human beings. There is great fodder there for a horrific take on the character or a deeply tragic one. There is also a “classic” element of him that has since been jettisoned that I am convinced can work today. He has a thing for maxims. You know, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, “Neither a lender nor a borrower be”, that sort of thing. I have no idea how you make it work, but I think the idea of a life sucking almost zombified GL baddie with such a quaint calling card is a brilliant merger of the Silver and Modern Ages of comics.

I also would like to give a shout out to Plastique. Plastique gave up her life of crime for a man, Captain Atom, and the two lived happily ever after”¦briefly. Then it all fell apart and poor Plastique was left holding the bag. She is the perfect post-Feminist expression of the burden on modern womanhood. She was forced to change her life to suit her masculine partner and when things went south, he got out as soon as possible. Plastique is left, shattered and bewildered. Who she was is no longer the right fit and who she is does not really exist except as a mask to maintain her relationship. Where does she go? Who does she become? Right now, she’s part of the Suicide Squad and a bit, well, suicidal. But I think there is a chance for much more richness there if someone is willing to plumb those depths (and no, that is not a double entendre, you pig).

Those are my three for right now. Maybe I can convince Mathan to keep this feature around for a little while though while we rebuild our question database and next week I’ll highlight a few more unheralded villains of the DC set.

Aaron has bad outside influences

Even as a wee lad in my early comics days, I’ve always been more fascinated by the villains. What are some of the best stories or storylines out there that have been written over the years that do the best job of presenting “the bad guy’s side”? Obviously, The Killing Joke comes to mind for me, but are there other stories with different baddies that are cut from similar cloth?

Ooh, lets start off with my man Lex Luthor. My personal favorite is The Unauthorized Biography of Lex Luthor. It’s exactly that and it’s a great tale. Everyone should read it, if only to see one of the main reasons why I hate Birthright so much.

The recent Lex Luthor: Man of Steel miniseries is equally great. It’s longer, looks amazing, and really gets into the mind of Lex Luthor.

The Shade also starred in his own miniseries, but it’s more of a back story type affair as opposed to “his side of the story.” Still it’s a good read.

Obviously the book starring Eclipso was fully of a villainous POV and a good read.

The New Year’s Evil one-shots for Gog and Prometheus were both equally cool. And the infamous Starman #38 featured the Mist in rare form.

Obviously I’m leaving out the Rogues, but that’s because I know Tim wants to gush about them. Tim, gush away.

Ahh, Mathan, you are too kind.

First though, since you mentioned New Yea’s Evil, Peter Milligan’s Scarecrow story did a great job deconstructing Dr. Crane when he comes up against a law student he can’t seem to scare.

Then, to take your setup, we have Geoff Johns’ “Rogue Profile” issues. First we have Flash #182, the Captain Cold issue, which is the best of the bunch. The Pied Piper followed in #190. Somewhere after that, I think Flash ½ falls and that is essentially a Rogue Profile of the teenaged Trickster. Zoom comes speeding in with issue #197, which is an issue I would label a close second to the Captain Cold one. Mirror Master snorts his way through Flash #212 and Heat Wave burns the whole thing to the ground in Flash #218.

Johns struck again with another effective villain piece in JSA #33 in which we view a world gone mad through the eyes of Icicle. A nice companion piece to that is JSA Classified #5-7 which Icicle also narrates and focuses on the Injustice Society organizing a con.

Start with those then check back with us. I’m sure we’ll have a host more for you by then.

Un Gajje likes to challenge

I know you don’t read Birds of Prey but borrow a copy of issue #100 from someone and identify all the heroines Oracle has contacted by mail.

Ok, in St. Louis is Skyrocket, formerly of the Power Company.

In Bursa Turkey we’ve got Janissary, a character introduced in JLA Annual #4 part of the whole Planet DC mess.

Washington DC is Firehawk, currently appearing in Firestorm.

Gotham City is a tough one for me. It could be anyone from Renee Montoya to Selina Kyle. Maybe even Batwoman or possibly Jesse Quick. I’m going with Selina, but not with 100% certainty.

Over Detroit is Grace of the Outsiders.

Mexico City is none other than Acrata a Mexican hero who can teleport in shadows. She also appeared in a Planet DC annual, Superman Annual #12.

Greenwich Village is Madame Xanadu.

St. Roch is Hawkgirl.

Prague is Bumblebee.

Then it’s Wonder Woman, Thorn, Phantom Lady and Power Girl.

I think that’s everyone.

Is it any consolation if I say that I almost picked this issue up?

No”¦no it is not.

Since I want to make sure that we’ve got a column next week I’ll end it here. But remember to post your questions on our thread! Or email them to me at my brand new un-erasable email address.

Before I go here’s my question to you; what’s your favorite holiday themed comic story of all time?

“One’s never enough, two’s always a crowd.”

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!