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Tim, it’s the season of giving. What are you giving me?

The invaluable gift of friendship, of course.

Also, a nice Hibachi. You can’t go wrong with a nice Hibachi.

What I apparently can’t give to you, me, or the readers is a reliable server. Which is why this friggin’ column is late. Sorry, folks.

Links (what I’m diggin’ right now)

Broken Dial = Sufjan Stevens Christmas box set.

Which also = so great!

Beyond the Threshold = Dexter

The DVD Lounge = Old School Sesame Street

Inside Fights = Michael slapping Namond silly on The Wire

Machine Gun Funk = Aaron suffering for the masses.

Moodspins = freedom of speech.

Not a True Ending = being able to download NES games.

Popcorn Junkies = the chess scene from the original Thomas Crown Affair.

Primetime Pulse = The season finale of The Wire, the greatest show on television. If you’ve got HBO On Demand, the season will be up until 12/31, it’s very self contained, watch it and love it.

Retro Grading = Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Tailgate Crashers = A.I. on the move.

Also check our our DC Boards = for debate about Hal Jordan, Supernova and feedback to Tim’s Revamping of Amazing Man.

Are you linking anything this week, Tim?

This time of year we all need stress relief and nothing’s better for stress relief than Cute Animals Falling Asleep?

What I Read Last Week

Nightwing #127 – I really hope that the reveal of who gave Dick the beatdown is worth the wait. I’m not completely sold on Wolfman’s return to the character, but it’s bounds more enjoyable than Jones’ run.

Manhunter #26 – Yes! Trapp!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been waiting years for this guy to return. I really did miss this book tons.

A great return to the publishing schedule. So happy to have Manhunter back. PLUS! It is like a continuation of the Chase title. What more do we need?

The Exterminators #12 – Has it been a year already? Yet another good issue. Rather creepy but still a good read.

Superman Confidential #2 – Kudos editor who approved the Lois/Jimmy cover, because it’s clearly a risk. I really (and strangely) enjoyed seeing Clark’s freakout. It’s crazy but that moment sold the issue for me.

Batman Confidential #1 – Doesn’t a Bruce/Lex face off sound killer? Well Diggle makes it boring. I also reviewed the issue.

Justice Society of America #1 – Really enjoyed this issue. The right amount of drama and comedy. And I loved the sneak peeks.

Nice to have Johns back on the Society and writing it well. The jury is still out on Starman for me though. Otherwise, it was a good start.

52 Week Thirty-One – I’m with everyone else on this one. I can’t explain it, but it worked. The space opera was enjoyable this week. Go figure.

If you had told me at the beginning of this that the Batman centric issue would leave me disinterested and the space opera would be my favorite installment in week, I would have laughed and laughed and laughed. Not so much now.

Midnighter #2 – Boring issue. I’m curious enough about the cliffhanger to return next issue, but I’m guessing this book will be off my list by the time the first arc ends.

The Atom #6 – Sorry to see Dwarfstar go. Nice way to wrap things up. I loved Ryan’s pop coming to his aide in the end. I really can’t wait for next issue.

Outsiders #43 – I’m so down with Sivana. Like, if I had to choose between siding with Sivana or Lex I really don’t know which way I’d go. All that, and Sabbac sans an orgy scene? Nice!

Detective Comics #826 – Perfect portrait of both the Joker and Robin. What more can be said?

Desolation Jones #8 – A mystery involving Phillip K. Dick? I’m so there!

Supergirl #12 – Fill in story. Fill in writers; eh. Fill in artist; nice!

Tranquility #1 – With this issue I’ve completely forgiven Gail for her run on Action Comics. I’m putting this Worldstorm debut right up with Stormwatch and the Authority. Great stuff. I think everyone should try this one out.

There he iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssss, Mr. Glen Ddddddddddddddddd

What did you think of the new Mr. America in JSA #1?

I loved him. In fact I loved him so much I hope he’s dead.

Wait, that sounds weird, but let me explain.

I really dug the guy. I liked his set up and how kind of corny he was. He’s a pretty cliché character and his origin is borderline cornball, but he worked for what he was; a character designed to get us to care. Sure he’s utterly disposable, but did the most with his moment in the spotlight.


We want you dead, sir, in the best possible way.

But I couldn’t see Mr. America retaining his corny charm after losing his family. He’d have to become a grizzled violent dark vigilante hellbent on revenge; yet another cliché.

And that’s why I hope he’s dead.

Unless of course, he’s secretly the mastermind behind the whole thing in an attempt gain sympathy membership with the JSA. That would rock!

Tim, care to share your thoughts on Mr. America?

I was not psyched to see him amongst the sketches that were floating around prior to the book’s release. In my mind, the pinnacle of the Mr. America name was Golden Age and who could or would want to top that.

However, as you said Mathan, he worked great in this role. A recognizable name, an iconic color scheme, the right pinch of pathos and tragedy all culminating in a brutal, sad demise. Well done, I say.

Mark Poa is looking infinitely into the past

Who were the members of the original Infinity Inc.? If they’re legacy characters of the JSA, what were their relationships to the JSA members? Also, who told Nuklon that a mohawk looked good?

Ok, I’m going to have to take you at your word and give you members of the original Infinity Inc and not the original members. I’ll also provide their link to the JSA.


Brainwave Jr. – His father, the original Brainwave, was a foe of the JSA. And his mom is Merry, Girl of a 1,000 Gimmicks, a Golden Age hero.


Fury II – She was the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor.


Jade – She was the daughter of Golden Age Green Lantern and Golden Age villain the Thorn.


Northwind – He is the godson of the original Hawkman and Hawkgirl.


Nuklon – Is the grandson of Golden Age crook Cyclotron and he was raised by the original Atom.


Obsidian – His pop is the Golden Age Green Lantern and his mom is the villainous Golden Ager the Thorn.


Silver Scarab – He was the son of the original Hawkman and Hawkgirl.


Star-Spangled Kid/Skyman – Was a Golden Age hero, the Star-Spangled Kid.


Dr. Midnight – She was cool with the original Dr. Mid-Nite.


Hourman II – His pop is the original Hourman.


Wildcat II – She was trained by the original Wildcat.


Solomon Grundy – He’s a Golden Age villain.


Mister Bones – No real tie to the JSA.

As for Nuklon’s hairstyle, I can’t call it. I’m pretty sure that everyone who was around in the 80’s has a hairstyle that they regret. And since everyone always cites Flock of Seagulls, I’m going to go a different route. Just look at Ready for the World. Look at all those Jheri curls. Who told them that looked good?

But I think we should also note that faux-hawks can still be found in nearly every city in the country, so clearly “hawks” aren’t completely out of fashion.

Tim, if you weren’t going the Lex route, wouldn’t you consider a ‘hawk of your own?

I can’t say I ever had an interest in sporting a ‘hawk of any sort. Before I shave my head, I had, more or less, the same hairstyle my entire life. The one hairstyle I always wished I could rock though was a long luxurious ponytail. Sadly, my hair curls as it gets long so it could never happen. Sigh”¦”¦”¦..

Ocareyinfluence chose the category marked “Potpourri”

Can you give me a power rundown on Hourman, Dr. Midnight, Big Barda, Mister Miracle, and Manhunter. I know more about them as characters than I about their abilities. Do they have powers outside of their respective skills? I know very little about them.

Once again I’m guessing that you’re referring to Dr. Mid-Nite II and not the dead Dr. Midnight. But here’s a rundown.


Hourman – He’s got enhanced speed, agility strength and whatnot for an hour after he pops the Miraclo® pill. But beyond that he’s just your normal everyday average Joe.


Dr. Mid-Nite – Dr. Mid-Nite has the ability to see lower spectrums of light, but can’t see in regular daylight. Personally I think this “ability” is lame. But he’d bloody smart and he’s pretty charming, which is what makes me dig the guy.


Big Barda – Big Barda is darn strong and nigh invulnerable. She’s a brawler raised on Apokolips. She’s skilled in the ways of fighting.


Mister Miracle – Mister Miracle just had crazy skills when it comes to escaping. He not really a powered guy. Unless you count his undying love for Barda (cue the theme to Family Ties.)


Manhunter – We know that Kate might have abilities; her grandfather is Iron Munro, and both her father and son have the metagene and abilities. But we’ve yet to see Kate manifest anything beyond that which can be explained by her using her costume.

Hey Tim, I think this is the perfect place for you to gush and rejoice about the return of Manhunter.

And gush I shall. In the form of a highly non-funny, but deadly serious top 10 list.

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Manhunter

10.) Wonder Woman’s in the house.
9.) Kate’s incredibly complicated family life, including, but not limited to, her ex-husband, her superpowered sun, her real grandparents who happen to be Golden Age heroes, and a crazy serial killing father.
8.) TRAPP!!
7.) Mark Shaw.
6.) Smart, competent portrayal of gay characters including a finally outed Obsidian.
5.) Art that is good and getting better every issue courtesy of Javier Pina and brand new inker extraordinaire Robin Riggs.
4.) Awesome use of generally underrated villains.
3.) In many ways, the title is Chase II: The Quickening. And more Chase is never bad.
2.) Dylan Battles. Best tech guy since Q.
1.) Kate’s the best written, multilayered female protagonist in the DCU.

Soak1313 has a thing for ladies in bell shirts

I haven’t completely caught up with the JSA trades so it this might be answered by reading them but who is Jesse Chambers/Liberty Belle? I was about to type Jesse quick because for some reason that’s who I thought it was. What are her powers?

Bell shirts are fine and all for Primetime Pulse’s Kevin Wong, but he is not satisfied with just that

I think we need to go over all the young’uns in the JSA.

What’s funny Kevin is that I don’t recall anyone asking you anything! Pretend it’s Jeopardy and try phrasing your demands as a question. This column is littered with question marks! Soak1313 used them twice. But apparently Kevin has a faulty keyboard, completely sans question marks, because he’s just demand, demand, DEMAND! Maybe I should take a page out of the Jack Bauer handbook and not give in to your demands.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I’ll give into your demands. But only because it fit perfectly with the previous questions in this column.

The first new guy we meet is Mr. America, it’s his first appearance and possibly his last. But I dig the guy. But you already know that.


Mr. Terrific is a guy who’s invisible to technology. He’s also pretty bright and an Olympic level athlete”¦in water ballet (I’m kidding, but theoretically one could claim to be an Olympic level athlete, while excelling in such an absurd endeavor.)

Like ballroom dancing?


Hourman II – He was a hero, who became a Miraclo junkie and then an embittered guy with a terminal disease. But he got better and became a hero again. Furthermore he married Jesse Quick.


Liberty Belle – Jesse Chambers is the daughter Johnny Chambers and Libby Lawrence. Not familiar with them? Perhaps you know them better as Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle.

Initially Jesse used her father formula to access the Speed Force and took the guise of Jesse Quick. However she lost access to the Speed Force and fell into a slump. However she’s now returned and has taken up the mantel of Liberty Belle.

Great, first she steals her mother’s boyfriend and how her mother’s superhero identity? Is there a line that Jesse won’t cross? (Oh yeah DC, I bet you thought everyone forgot about Titans #35-36 where it was revealed that Jesse was sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend, didn’t you? But I didn’t. No siree. And if I’ve got to live with those issues in my collection, you’ve got to live with it in your continuity.)

Personally I’d like it to be revealed that Rick was supplying Jesse with Miraclo, to get her out of her “losing her powers” funk. Then Jesse becomes addicted and Rick becomes an enabler. At least that’s how I’d like to see her power shift explained.

I hadn’t thought of that, but that’d be neat. I was hoping, because of his addiction issues, Rick becomes addicted to the highs of being in love. Then, as the relationship begins to reach its plateauing, comfortable phase, he begins increasingly frustrated and erratic.


Stargirl – She’s got a cosmic converter belt and Jack Knight’s cosmic rod. But beyond that she’s your typical teen age girl.


Damage – Initially he had a build up of strength, speed and invulnerability which would eventually result in an explosion after which he’d be spend. But he’s much better at controlling his build up. He has a much firmer grasp on his abilities than he did as a kid.


Maxine Hunkle – First appearance. I know nothing about her.

She’s Ma Hunkle’s granddaughter, I think, and she apparently has wind powers of some sort.


Starman – This guy is an enigma. A character resembling his appearance first appeared in Kingdom Come. It was rumored that Danny Blaine would be the Starman after Jack Knight. Furthermore “Danny Blaine” was just a name adopted by an adult Thom Kallor, Star Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes, when he traveled to the 21st Century to become Starman.

Now the Starman appearing in the current Justice Society of America appears to be kind of time lost, so he may be Thom Kallor. And it appears that we’ll be seeing Dawnstar of Kallor’s Legion (not the current Legion) within the year, which would seem to hint that the current Starman is indeed Kallor. But we don’t know yet.

Mark Poa desires device discussion

What devices in the DCU can replicate Supernova’s powers? Ralph seems to indicate that it is a known device.

Very good question. I’m sure there are plenty of devices that can replicate the abilities that Supernova has manifested. First off, let’s get a rundown of those abilities;

He can fly and emit bright light. He uses eye beams to “disintegrate” stuff. He can teleport and he “took care” of Luthor’s satellite.

Now based on that I’ve got a few devices that I think would fit the bill.

Mother Box – Mother Boxes are amazing devices full of New Genesis goodness. They are capable of doing fantastic things, so there’s really nothing I’d put past them.

Cosmic Rod – Starman Matt posted a great theory on our boards.

Sadly, you can’t read it because of our wonderful server. Sorry.

I like his logic so I’m running with it.

Tech using White Dwarf – Ok, so it’s not really a device, but Ray Palmer’s White Dwarf belt was capable of doing amazing things. Its density control could explain Supernova’s flight. The disintegration could be simple shrinking as could the teleportation.

This is a popular one I’ve seen on a couple of blogs before this. That would be an interesting answer to “Where is Doctor Palmer?” wouldn’t it?

Mark Poa minces words

What would Superman being gone have to do with his identity? Can it possibly be the Eradicator?

I guess it’s possible that it could be the Eradicator (I’m surprised that DC hasn’t officially taken him out of continuity as his existence is decidedly more Man of Steel/World of Krypton than Birthright.) Eradicator is as good a bet as any.

But I’m going a different route. Superman being away could be used as inspiration, just like it was when he died and four people tried to fill his void. But Ralph said “out of the picture” which I took to mean as Superman would be a threat to Supernova’s existence.

There’s the theory that Supernova is another hero, who envied Superman or felt threatened enough to really try to shine when Supes went MIA. I kind of like that theory.

But I’m thinking that Supernova is villain. Wouldn’t a villain, aiming for a fresh start, have a reason to want Superman out of the picture? Granted I’ve put no time or thought into this theory. Maybe I’ll do some research over the holidays and get back with a real theory about an established character.

But before that, apparently Supernova showed up in Justice Society of America #1. If that’s true then I’m going to pretend its Damage. Both guys liked the completely covered face look and that’s good enough for me.

Tim, do you have any theories on Supernova?

I also briefly entertained the thought of Eradicator being the man behind the mask. I like it as a nice sort of reflection of World without Superman/Reign of the Supermen as Eradicator once more assumes the role of Metropolis’s resident champion. Add in the importance of the recently deceased Superboy and Steel in 52 and the picture gets that much richer.

Sadly, I don’t think that’s it.

Also, given the Superman connection I wondered if it could be Supergirl.

?

No, no, not that Supergirl. Peter David’s Supergirl.

Yeah, your mind just got blown.

Anyway, I estimate exactly zero chance of that being the case, but I think it would be grand if it was. I mean, I don’t even care one way or another about that Supergirl, but what a way to burst back on the scene.

Soak1313 has eyes in the back of his head and this guy still beats him

Who are the 10 Eye Guys from last week’s 52? I believe you said they were a Morrison creation but from where?

Actually the Ten-Eyed Man was created year ago in Batman #226. There we met Philip Reardon, a Vietnam vet who, while serving, caught some shrapnel between the eyes. After the war he got a job guarding a warehouse in Gotham.

Some thieves broke into the warehouse trying to get into the safe. They knocked out Reardon and rigged a bomb to open the safe. Batman arrived just as Reardon was waking up, so naturally Reardon, with blurry vision, thought Batman was one of the crooks. Just before the bomb went off Reardon realized it was Batman.

Sadly the bomb robbed Reardon of his sight by burning out his retinas. But some nutty Dr. Engstrom reconnected Reardon’s optic nerves to his fingertips, which allowed him to see though his fingers. He then set out to get his revenge on Batman, because he viewed Batman as the reason for his blindness. Reardon, mercifully, dief during the original Crisis

What we saw was just a wacky Morrison reimagining of the concept.

Tim, which of the Ten-Eyed takes to you like the best?

Morrison’s. But that’s no surprise given my pro-Morrison bias and anti-pre-Crisis bias.

Ocareyinfluence is a big fan of high consonant to vowel ratios

Zsasz is one of my favorite Batman villains. I just think he’s really cool even though he’s never used. What are his appearances because they are few and far between? I have his first appearance and I know he showed up in Knightfall and War Games. Where else has he popped up to cause trouble? I’d like to get his appearances.

I too dig Zsasz, but I don’t mind that he’s rarely used, because the alternative is a character that’s overexposed.

Here’s what I came up with in terms of appearances.

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4 was his first appearance and it features sweet Breyfogle art. It’s also a pretty good tale. Clearly every new Batman title should start off this way.

Next he shows up in Batman #493 and Detective Comics #660 as part of Knightfall. After that he appears in Showcase ’94 #3, in a minor role.

Zsasz’s origin is told in Batman Chronicles #3. He also appears in Shadow of the Bat #80 and Creeper #8, but he’s just there, not doing too much. He’s the star of the back up feature in Gotham Knights #8.

In Joker: Last Laugh #5, Robin #95 and Detective Comics #775 he appears, but it’s nothing special. He’s featured in Detective Comics #796 and shows up in Villains Untied #6, along with many other criminals.

Most recently Zsasz turned up in Detective Comics #815 & 816, which featured some great looking art by Cliff Chiang.


How does he scar up his back, I wonder? He must have really long arms.

Tim, do you think that Zsasz is underused, like butterscotch or used just enough, like tapioca?

Tapioca just existing means that it is overused. That stuff is awful. AWFUL!

I do love butterscotch though. Mmmm”¦”¦..

Anyway, I’d lean towards used just enough like”¦butter pecan ice cream. You can’t have it all the time, nor would you want to. But the two to three times a year you might taste”¦magnificent. Life affirming even. So Zsasz like that.

Juan Francisco Gutierrez Santiago likes to mix things up

Do you think Comic books should reflect more diversity the way they do? I’ve seen new heroes like the new Blue Beetle or Batwoman, which reflect different groups in the modern society. But Comics being fictional, I really don’t see the reasoning behind a surge of so many. The manga I’ve seen doesn’t seem to reflect this tendency, neither the Euro comics (which anyway are different from the US comics and I really haven’t seen a lot of them). I know the diversity is a normal thing. I wouldn’t like seeing a Prince Kuffu as a blond white man. But I think sometimes it has been overplayed, by putting new heroes in the place of old ones. I like Connor Hawke a lot as well as Cassandra Cain, and I think their transition was good, especially Connor being a product of the 90’s. But killing Blue Beetle after just having him reintroduced in a successful series just to put a new one for the sake of diversity, doesn’t seem as something logical to me (of course it could be that I’m just annoyed to see a lot of the JLI heroes dead, even when DC says it’s nothing personal against them).

I’m all for diversity. I think that DC could use some more of it. I’ve been pretty vocal about it.

But it’s not just diversity, I think that entertainment should reflect society. If you’re telling a story like Showtime’s Brotherhood then clearly the story calls for a predominately white cast, and I’ve got no problem with that. By the same token, The Wire set in Baltimore features an overwhelmingly Black cast, because of the tale and the setting.

The problem is that most of the cities in the DCU seem to be 90% white. The vast majority of the heroes in the DCU are white and male, which seems to cry out for diversity.

I don’t think that anyone is asking for diversity in that a female pigmy Black albino heroine needs to be created and given her own book, but the DCU could stand to be more diversified.

Well, I wasn’t before. But now that you mention it”¦

Let’s take my DCU pull list. I read 29 books set in the DCU. 19 of the books that I read are either solo books for white males, solo books for white females or team books that have no ethnic minorities. Clearly DC doesn’t stand for Diverse Characters.

Of the other ten books, six are team books featuring ethnic minorities and the remaining four features an ethnic minority as the lead.

But when you look at the six books that do feature minority representation you’ve got Outsiders and Checkmate on one end of the spectrum and Teen Titans and Legion on the other end.

Obviously replacing an established character with a legacy of color is, in my eyes, giving the character two strikes. If you check out the Firestorm boards on the DC site you’re still going to see some Ronnie Raymond fans calling for his return and race baiting like crazy. It’s pretty ugly. Still, I think that DC gets some points for making the attempt to add some color to its cast of characters.

I also don’t think that Ted Kord was killed to make way for Jamie Reyes, but rather that Ted was killed to set up the road to Infinite Crisis which seemed like a good place for a new Blue Beetle to appear. I dug Ted as much as the next guy, but Jamie’s adventures are fun in an entirely different way. It’s a refreshing book for the DCU.

I think that diversity in the DCU is an issue, just not the same way you think it is.

Tim, were do you fall in on this one?

I think it is pretty obvious that the DCU does need to change, does need to become more colorful, if you will, be it racially, religiously, or sexual orientation-ly (ahh, love to invent the words). It is an arrogant I would make for most entertainment industries. For example, try these questions about the film industry on for size: Why can’t there be a James Bond-esque black character (no XXX does not count)? Why can’t we have a big screen female superhero franchise (Wonder Woman is not happening”¦trust me on this)? Why can’t we have a well done gay romantic comedy? And so on.

So, for me, it is a problem I see across the board. Everyone needs to step up their game.

I would agree with the assessment that legacy characters who have different races or creeds or whatever do tend to be resented, but I’m not sure that’s a good enough reason to not do. The fact is that, generally speaking, DC has a rough time introducing new characters of any race, orientation, etc. A legacy character, however, starts off in a better position. There is name recognition, there is curiosity, there is a built-in fanbase that will buy each issue as they complain about it constantly. So, in a perfect world, I’d definitely support brand new diverse characters who are not legacies. However, if they have to be to get a foot in the door, well, so be it. We’ll start there, we’ll use that foothold, and see how far we can go from there.

Thus we’ve hit the end of yet another column. But don’t worry. Next week will be full of time travelers and might even feature an appearance by both Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne.

Before I go, here’s my question to you; who do you think Supernova is?

“I’ll be your Troy Donahue if you’ll be my Sandra Dee.”