Tim, time to answer the question that’s on everyone’s mind; what are you enjoying musically right now?
Well, it’s been a little while since I bought an album, but I can tell you what’s on my radar right now.
Despite my best attempts to be cooler than the room, I really have been enjoying Fall Out Boy’s new single, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.†Besides appreciating the sheer lunacy of a title of that length, it’s got a good beat and I can dance to it. I know this opens me up to all sorts of “Look at the Emo boy†taunts and claims that the song is “so played outâ€, but whatever.
And by the way, all emo is is the 00’s version of “alternative rockâ€. It’s that catch-all weird we use for any music that isn’t pop, R&B, classic rock, or hip hop.
I just heard what is going to be Fountains of Wayne’s first single off their upcoming album. It’s called “Someone to Love†and it’s doubtful that it will catch on fire like “Stacey’s Mom†did. However, for those of us who loved them from “Sink to the Bottom†on, it is just more of the goodness we are used to.
It is sort of a similar situation with “Dashboard†from Modest Mouse. Although, the idea that mainstream radio ever embraced Modest Mouse is still a bit mind boggling to me, so maybe I’m just selling the public short.
I’m also in the process of evaluating Gym Class Heroes’ “Cupid’s Chokeholdâ€. I can’t decide if the song is good or not. The chorus is immensely catchy and the production on most of the song is quite good. Some of the lyrics (especially in the verses) are a bit weak though. However, in analyzing, I can’t help but feel that it is as irreverent and subversive a love song as you are likely to hear on the radio today. Just listen to what he refers to every time he saws, “And if that ain’t love, then I don’t know what love is.†Plus, the song is all about praising his girlfriend but the chorus says, “Not much of a girlfriend/I never seem to get a lot.†See? There’s gotta be something here.
Arcade Fire’s got a new album that just came out. It’s getting mixed reviews, but I loved Funeral enough to give them the benefit of the doubt and pick it up.
Meanwhile, two CDs have been dominating my stereo the past week or so. The Roots’ Phrenology worked itself back into rotation after I recently heard “Seed 2.0†on the radio and remembered, “Damn, that’s a really great song.†The second is a mix I made at home that is anchored by my current guilty pleasure: Dashboard Confessional’s “So Longâ€. I’m a sucker for reflective, reminiscing pop and with Adam Duritz singing backup, it’s like 1999 all over again.
Links
Also check our our DC Boards is full of hatred for Cyclone, interest in the Sinestro Corps and debate about Red Robin vs Ruby Tuesday?
NO CONTEST! RED ROBIN FOREVER!
Tim, linking anything?
Yup. Here’s Red Robin’s menu. It whoops Ruby Tuesday’s like a red headed stepchild…like a rented mule. It’s a massacre and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
What I Read Last Week
100 Bullets #81 – Man, I thought we’d seen the end of Joseph. But we get to see his beginning in this flashback. Plus it’s got Curtis. Oh and Ronnie’s linked up with Echo! This was a sweet issue that I never saw coming.
52 Week Forty-Three – Except for the art (Jurgens reminds me of Battle for Bludhaven) I really dug the issue. The stuff with Sobek, I actually kind of liked. It was fun to see the wacky sitcom moment (“Oh Sobek!”) and then see that final page. Good stuff.
First, Jurgens work was WAY better here than in Battle. God, that Battle art hurt my eyes so bad.
Second…Sobek. Damn, I’m gonna miss that sweet Croc.
Action Comics #846 – Enjoyable issue. Not quite worth the wait. But it’s cool to finally read about Chris’ parentage in a comic and not in Wizard. I’ll be interested in seeing how Kal gets out of the Phantom Zone.
Supergirl & the Legion of Super-Heroes #27 – Wow, really good issue. I was shocked that they maimed Invisible Kid. That first page is such a great image. And the tribute to Cockrum was very touching.
X-Factor #16 – Such a good issue. This is just what I expect from a Peter David book; the occasional stellar issue. Great read.
Fallen Angel #13 – Nice to get a look into how the city works and the burden of being in charge. Asia is such a complex character, I really dig when he’s in play.
Firestorm #33 – I liked the issue and it was fun. But occasionally it felt like McDuffie was trying too hard. I mean, I can’t pinpoint it, but it just felt forced at times. But it was nice to see the New Gods in their former glory again, and Mr. Miracle for that matter.
Now that Manhunter is saved (again), it’s time to save this worthy title. Nexusers…UNITE!
Blue Beetle #12 – More fun stuff. Nice way to explain the scarab’s gifts, without running over Dan Garret’s time with it. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
American Virgin #12 – Wow. Great cover. That sex room scene was creepy and powerful. I could practically smell the funk. Oh and Adam’s heart to hearts with his various fam work for me.
This storyline is so much better than the one’s that preceded it. Loved Adam’s exchange with the woman on the cruise liner. Great demonstration of his two sides: smooth as can be and yet, still, utterly naïve.
Black Panther #25 – Nice way to flesh out the incredibly brief brawl from Civil War #7. Hudlin even made the book fun to read. Plus Storm took the spotlight. Good business.
JSA Classified #23 – Kind of disappointing. I’m not a huge fan of vampires or any variety. I did dig the art, for the most part. But kind of disappointing overall.
See, that art was a big disappointment for me. At points, Doctor Mid-Nite looked like a 70 year-old man running around in that costume. That’s not good.
The Flash #9 – I actually reviewed the issue. Basically, I’m optimistic.
Green Lantern #17 – I reviewed this one too; pretty good issue.
And the return of John Stewart! In a moment that was both very cool and utterly not enough to justify his year or so absence from any prominent rule in the DCU.
Exterminators #14 – The cover had me scratching my head, but reading the issue explained it all. Enjoyable read, but this book really knows how to gross me out. Every month is makes the skin crawl.
Neil B. actually placed the lyric, so first question is his.
Everybody, put your hands together for Neil B. and give him some Holy Ghost noise!
Sorry…forgot to mention I’ve been listening to a little Kurt Franklin. But don’t worry, I’m not going soft or anything. Sure, it’s gospel, but it’s gospel as performed by an admitted porn addict, so it is all good.
Neil B. doesn’t buy into that “it’s always darkest perform the dawn†nonsense
The House Ad for Countdown says “the End is near,” with the heroes standing in front of those who died. Sobek just ate Osiris, a week after Ralph was killed by a ring being shot through him.
Where’s the “brighter” DCU that Didio promised we’d see after Infinite Crisis? Does the DCU have to keep getting darker, or do you think that DC really should lighten up on the graphic violence, and go back to being more lighthearted? Maybe not Bwah-ha-ha, again, but more upbeat?
How isn’t the DCU not more brighter? I mean you look all over you’re going to see examples of a lighter DCU.
We’ve got a fun youthful new hero in Blue Beetle. It’s certainly a book that lighter in tone.
Yeah, but almost no one reads the book.
Supergirl is currently exploring young love, living up to parental expectations and growing pains being a Kryptonian on Earth. It’s way fun.
Sure, but it’s Supergirl. Except for you and Starman, everybody hates her.
And isn’t her boyfriend actually a lunatic stalker?
Superman found a young Kryptonian to take under his wing.
I’d say the jury’s out on the “brightness†of that.
Batman found out that he might be a dad.
Of an underage amoral killer.
Catwoman is a new mom.
Who was almost killed by Angle Man and Film Freak because of it.
Hal Jordan has a love interest.
Didn’t she die?
So does Bart Allen, who’s decided to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
And Wally West only needed to be sucked into the timestream and an entire building explode around Bart to make that happen.
The JSA is full of new legacy members and playing the role of mentors to the next generation of heroes.
If they don’t get killed by the spinning arms of Baroness Blitzkrieg.
The Teen Titans got Jericho back!
And he was damn near naked! No, not evidence of darkness in the DCU…just evidence of hotness.
Arsenal is in the JLA!
Because nothing says brightness like a heroin addict.
Oliver Queen is mayor of Star City!
A city divided in half by Infinite Crisis fallout!
Don’t those things seem to add up to a brighter DCU?
Of course…provided you paid no attention to what I wrote after it.
Sure you point out some examples in 52 but consider this; that book is in the past. In the current DCU things are much brighter and happier. I think that those are just isolated incidents, which are few and far between.
And for the record; I don’t have a problem with the tone or the violence in 52. It’s not like scenes like that are happening in every book every week. 52 has reached its final stretch, it’s time for dramatic and powerful moments like those you pointed out. Ralph’s death made his journey all that much more worthwhile. And Osiris’ death showed just how evil the revealed villain was.
Tim, how do you feel about those deaths in 52?
Despite my flippant reaction to your claims of brightness, I’m one of those people not generally bothered by it. Ralph’s death, I thought, was well handled. Osiris’ vivification was shocking and should’ve been. If you want to argue that three pages of it was excessive, I could probably be compelled to agree. Overall though, I generally feel as though the shouts of “too much violence†are the equivalent of “won’t someone think of the children?†It may be too much violence for you or too graphic for you and I respect that. However, because you don’t like it does not make it actually “too muchâ€.
Brock is singing a similar tune
Gawd damn, I hate me the misogynistic, uber-violent and joyless post-Identity/Infinite Crisis DCU! Can you recommend any ongoing/one shot/series of trades/anything that I would actually, y’know, enjoy? Keep in mind the only time I actually *buy* a DC comic these days is when it’s a source of unintentional laughs. Like 52, f’rinstance…
Uber-violent? Whatever do you mean, good sir?
For crying out loud! The current DCU isn’t that bad. It’s not a dark and gloomy place full of violent acts and depressing stories.
Want a fun ongoing? Pick up Blue Beetle. It about a kid with powers that he can’t quite explain or fully control.
Or maybe you’ll enjoy The Atom. It’s a book about guy who has incredible powers and loves every minute of it. Plus he’s a fan of heroes, so he’s really psyched to have access to abilities, which he doesn’t always use for heroics. Sometimes he just does the explorer thing.
Shadowpact #4 is a pretty fun look at the life of Blue Devil. And his fellow Shadowpact member Detective Chimp’s star really shone in his Helmet of Fate one-shot.
Two more ongoing books that I can’t recommend enough are Catwoman and Manhunter. The former is great look at the gray area between hero and villain and is one of the most consistently written books on the market. The latter is an acclaimed title, with a diverse supporting cast (featuring two characters who at one time had their own titles) and a lead who has links all over the DCU (via her costume). Both of these books are deserve your attention.
Oh and The Brave & the Bold is pure old school team up fun.
And if you want a truly great post Infinite Crisis read check out the back up feature in Tales of the Unexpected mini. It’s one of the best things out right now.
I know that you can offer up some more enjoyable DC reads, right Tim?
I could, but I can’t promise Brock’ll like ‘em.
First, I’ll echo Manhunter as it is probably my favorite DC book of the moment.
However, that’s probably only because the Dr. 13 story is not its own book, but rather is relegated to the back of Tales of the Unexpected. Tales lead story, by the by, is just about everything you and Neil B. seem to hate about the DCU. And boy, do I hate it. The backup, however, makes it all okay.
Birds of Prey, in addition to the book least likely to be read by Mathan Erhardt, is an action fest that hits all the right notes characterization wise.
Detective Comics is telling done in one or two tales that have a Animated Series feel thanks to being written by Animated Series mastermind Paul Dini.
People are loving the light, kid friendly feel of Jeff Smith’s Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil.
Finally, take a look at Robin for smart stories about the teen hero that also do a great job of showing a Bruce Wayne/Batman that actually would be a strong mentor and someone a person could relate to.
Hope that gives you some bright spots in the DCU that are worthy of your attention.
David P. just got himself on my good side
Can I have a rundown of the obscure characters who have appeared in the tales of the unexpected backup so far?
Doctor Thirteen – Good ol’ Terrence Thirteen was just a guy who was devoted to science and thinking. He was a professional debunker of all things mystical. He was like Scully, in the early seasons of the X-Files.
However Dr. Thirteen lived in the DCU, where the supernatural does exist. Accordingly he bumped into the Spectre, Deadman and the Phantom Stranger, which caused his world to spin.
Since then, he’s been continuing to debunk the fakers in the world, while equally refusing to acknowledge the true mystical wonders. His daughter Traci Thirteen, in a true act of rebellion became a sorceress.
Anthro – What can be said about this guy? Um, he was the first Cro-Magnon in the DCU. His dad not only a Neanderthal, but the Chief of the Bear Tribe. His mom was from another tribe. Uh, yeah, that’s about it.
Haunted Tank – James Ewell Brown Stuart was a Confederate General. He obviously died. But during WWII his spirit was assigned to watch over his namesake Jeb Stuart who commanded a tank. JEB was given that tank by the spirit of Alexander the Great. Thus he ended up the guardian for the crew.
Primate Patrol – All you need to know about the Primate Patrol is that they rock! Check out their most infamous cover.
Now I’m no fan of Nazis, but I mean how hardcore could they be to the company line? They’re pretty far from Aryan, right? But is it wrong that I kind of dig that cover?
I…Vampire – Lord Andrew Bennett was attacked by a vampire in 1591. He became a vampire and he didn’t really dig it. And when he made Mary Seward, his lover, a vampire he really regretted it. Y’see she was corrupted by it and took over a secret society of vampires called the Blood Red Moon.
After that Bennett decided to stick to the blood of animals (and eventually blood banks centuries later.)
Bennett saw himself as cursed and often tried to kill himself, but each time he was revived by a higher power. He had a couple of sidekicks Deborah Dancer and Dmitri Mishkin, whose lives he’d saved.
Infectious Lass – Drura Sehpt is from the 30th Century. She’s from Somahtur a planet where all of the natives have the ability to transmit diseases to people. Somahturians have built up symbiotic relationships where they host diseases, viral and bacterial, while remaining immune.
Anyway, Drura can give anyone any disease that she chooses.
Captain Fear – Fero was a Carib Indian, who was lucky to survive a raid by the Spanish. He was taken captive and made a slave. But his dad told him to never bow down to the white man, so Fero started a slave revolt. The slaves ended up escaping on a ship.
But the ship was lost in a storm. Fero survived and was found by an Asian pirate ship. There he was abused. He challenged the captain of the ship for command and won, killing the captain. It was then he adopted the name Captain Fear, for that was what he was going put in the hearts of every Spaniard he came across.
Genius Jones – Young Johnny Jones was stranded on a desert island. But he wasn’t alone, oh no; he 734 books on the island with him. Since he was stuck there with nothing but time he decided to read every one of those books (and back in 1942 when Genius was created, 734 books was like a million books.) Apparently he’s a slow reader because it takes him years to read the books. Only he doesn’t just read them, he devours them and takes in every single bit of information. And after he’s read them all, he sets them aflame to get the attention of a passing ship.
Back in the States, Johnny adopts not only the nickname “Genius” but also the heroic identity of the Answer Man. As Answer Man, Jones solved crimes, problems and even answered questions for a fee. He also had a sidekick, Mr. Oldster who was accordingly much older than he was.
And I think that’s pretty much every character of note from the uber enjoyable back up feature in Tales of the Unexpected.
Tim, care to write something glowing about the story or creative team?
It is brilliant. So much fun, so smart. And the art…just excellent.
Julian L. Smith lets the multiverse bleed
The Multiverse was an infinite number of alternate universes separated by vibrational frequencies (just about). The ‘snowflake’ shown in Planetary was said to have a finite number of alternate universes in it. So…as of Ion #9 or #10 am I (are we) to assume that the “multiverse†has been replaced by “the bleedâ€? And how many alternate universes are there in The Bleed?
Well the Bleed doesn’t actually contains universes, it’s just a way to access different universes. Think of the Bleed as an airport and the planes are the universes; just because you go to the airport doesn’t mean you’re getting on a plane. But the easiest way to get on a plane is via the airport.
Ooh, here’s a better one. Imagine that the multiverse is a huge plate of tortellini in a marinara sauce. Well each tortellini is a universe and the sauce is the Bleed. The Bleed touches all of the universes and in many ways makes up the space between the universes.
I don’t think the multiverse has been replaced. Personally I think that since DC owns Wildstorm, the multiverse would probably trump the Bleed. I’d have to guess the reason why the Bleed is being adopted now is because, while it allows for multiple Earths, it also means repercussions for visiting them (as witnessed in The Monarch). The Bleed affects those who come in contact with it, giving DC an excuse not abuse the whole multiple Earths thing.
Tim, you hate the multiverse but dig the Bleed; explain yourself.
It’s like this. Think of multiple universes as alcohol. Alcohol is fine for some, they can enjoy it and it does destroy their lives. Others cannot. We call these people alcoholics. DC is an alcoholic, Wildstorm, to date, is not. Thus, I can leave Wildstorm with a bottle of schnapps (the Bleed) and not worry about having to bail it out of jail at five in the morning or protect its wife from a drunken rampage. If I leave the bottle with DC though…all that and more is happening.
The Shade disappoints me
Cameron Chase: as a big fan of Manhunter who hasn’t been able to get a hold of copies of Chase. Could you fill in the gaps about her character?
What gaps? What gaps need to be filled in? Furthermore, why can’t you find any copies of Chase? The book was cancelled because of low sales; by my logic that should mean that there are tons of copies of every issue of Chase floating around. I think that you need to get on the ball and track them down, asap!
YEAH! And, make me a sandwich. But leave the crusts on. You don’t want to see what happens if you dare take ‘em off.
But being the kindhearted columnist that I am, I sympathize with your plight so I’ll help you out.
Once upon a time (the late 60’s and early 70’s) there was a man named Walter Chase. Walter had it all, a good job, a great family. The thing was, Walter was kind of bored with life and wanted to do something about it.
So he started an affair with his teenage babysitter?
Fortunately he wasn’t alone. He and other likeminded individuals, noting the lack of active super heroes, decided to fill the void as the Justice Experience. Walter became the Acro-bat. Naturally villains sprung up to right the cosmic balance.
That’s cool too, I guess. That babysitter though…well, let me just say, daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
During one skirmish between the Justice Experience and their villainous counterparts, the House of Pain, Caroline Anders, a bystander was killed. Anders’ boyfriend, Larry Trapp vowed vengeance. He became Dr. Trapp and began killing members of the House of Pain and the Justice Experience.
Dr. Trapp found out Acro-Bat’s secret identity, ripped out Walter’s throat, and left Walter’s body in the kitchen for his daughter Cameron Chase to find.
As a result of that incident, Cameron came to loathe costumed heroes. Cameron grew up and became an agent of the DEO. She actually kind of enjoyed her gig, because it allowed her to keep tabs on the heroic community, who she still held responsible for her losing her father.
Over the course of the series it became apparent that Cameron herself had a gift. Her special ability is that she can dampen the abilities of others in her proximity. This usually happened when she felt threatened and wasn’t a conscious act on her part.
Um, I think I filled in enough blanks, yet left enough out that you’d still enjoy the actual issues when you track them down, which I fully expect you to do.
In fact I think that each and every one of you readers should track down and collect Chase. Don’t stop until you’ve got a complete run.
Tim, can you think of any important information about Chase that I left out?
Just that Justice Experience fans can look forward to a brand new tale of their adventures starting sometime in 2008. I won’t say who’s writing (hint: it’s Mathan and I) or who’s drawing (Jim Aparo, back from the dead? It could be…), but I will say you can watch this space for further details.
The Shade loves the film Ghost
Mr. Bones: ditto
“Ditto” Really? You couldn’t write out an actual question? You couldn’t give me something new, so you just decided to run with “ditto.”
The nerve of people who are too lazy to produce something original and fresh. I hate when people are too lazy to do something new. It just disgusts me to no end. For shame.
From the 9/28/05 column
Mr. Bones wasn’t always a “good” guy. But again we have to go back to the 1960’s, when a certain Dr. Benjamin Amos Love was conducting experiments. Dr. Love was a gynecologist who really cared for his patients, as subjects in a perverse study. He injected six of his pregnant patients with an experimental drug. All of the women went into labor on the same night, and all of children were born as mutants. The kid who became Mr. Bones was born with transparent skin, and his skin produced a cyanide compound.
Since some of them looked pretty freaky he abducted the infants that night. He raised the kids, telling them that their real parents didn’t love them. Furthermore the only contact they had to the outside world was via the television or radio. This went on for twenty years. When Dr. Love died, the six, Arak, Baby Boom, Tao Jones, Penny Dreadful, Kritter, and Mr. Bones did what any mutants would do, they dressed up on costumes and formed a super team, Helix.
Unfortunately they didn’t have any real means of support so the used their powers to get some money, in a criminal way. Eventually they kidnapped Fury, a member of Infinity Inc. Of course the two teams battles, and Helix lost.
The two teams fought again, resulting in Mr. Bones losing his leg to Carcharo, an ally. Of course the good guys won. While the rest of Helix was sentenced to prison, Mr. Bones was released to the custody of Infinity Inc. He was made an unofficial member of the team. But through the machinations of the Injustice Unlimited, Skyman was killed by Mr. Bones touch. Mr. Bones cleared his name, but Infinity Inc disbanded.
How became the Director the DEO is still unrevealed at this point. Initially he spoke in rhyme and smoked constantly. But lately he’s stopped the rhyme shtick. He first appeared in Infinity Inc #16. He “killed” Skyman in #51. He popped up frequently in the series Chase and in various Secret Files and Origins. A memorable appearance was in Martian Manhunter #17.
He’s been popping up in JSA Classified lately and seems to have tossed in with Checkmate. So while Dir. Bones had shown signs of having a soft spot for the heroes of the DCU in previous appearances, he now appears to have had a change of heart.
Here we are years later, and we’ve still got no reason how Mr. Bones ended up as head of the DEO. Sadly, I doubt that this tale will ever be told. I think that the interest in this story seeing the light of day is waning.
Tim, how do you think Mr. Bones ended up Dir. Bones?
I heard he knew a guy in HR…but that’s just what I heard.
Glen D.’s pet rock has one hell of a name
In the current 52 Captain Marvel makes reference to The Rock of Finality. What is that? Is this a new concept in the DCU?
Yup it’s brand spanking new.
Despite that I’m still going to take a stab at guessing what it is.
Given the context it’s not a place that someone wants to end up. I’d have to guess that the Rock of Finality is a judgment type thingy. It’s probably a place where bad people go to be judged and perhaps get their punishment.
Tim, care to offer any guesses about the Rock of Finality?
Well, given the context on the conversation (Mary Marvel: What’s the Rock of Finality? Shazam: I’ll tell you when you’re older.) I figured it was something dirty and adult.
But my brain works differently than most.
Watch out The Shade! There be reptiles in these here sewers!
Do you think Sobek is one of the crocodile men or an homage to them?
Sobek is Famine, the Fourth of the Horsemen of Apokolips. But I think it’s equally obvious that he’s an homage to the Crocodile Men from Captain Marvel lore.
I mean Sobek doesn’t look like the other three horsemen and he’s a humanoid crocodile, how much more homage could you get?
The times, they sure have a-changed.
Tim, were you a fan of Sobek?
You know what, I really was. I thought the reveal was well done, but man, I dug the sheepish Sobek, best friend of Orisis. He was lighthearted and amusing. It turned out that the writers were doing it just to make the truth all that more impactful, but the false character they built was a lot of fun.
Thus another column ends.
Who knows what next week holds? Maybe we’ll tackle Azrael? Perhaps we’ll revamp a book? We might even do some character time traveling. Your question could even get answered, provided you sent it our way.
You can either email it to me or post it on our thread. We have tons of fun there.
“Happy freelance artists, happy welders, happy world, happy drinkers, happy thinkers, happy musicians, happy beauticians.”
