# Ask the comic guy 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700 "2003-07-07T03:39:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/21 "2003-07-10T10:53:28Z")
Hey **Mockingbird** , m’friend. It’s possible to not like Kyle or the last few years of GL without being a member of HEAT! 🙂 (And FTR, yes. I _am_ disgusted with Donna Troy’s death. Especially the pointlessness of it. [sub]Kinda like what they did to Hal!—GD&R, very _verrrrrrry_ fast!!! 😃 [/sub]) Regarding Green Lantern, the first couple of years of Kyle were, IMO, utterly dreadful. It’s now known that the editor, not the writer was more to blame, but A) the constant, non-stop, whining from Kyle as he’d snivel to each succussive hero in an apparently never-ending parade “Am I as gooooooood as Haaaaaaal yet?”, B) his constant losing of the power ring (didn’t big, dumb, mindless Validus manage to get the ring from him once) and C) the constant prick-teasing of “Hal’s back…oops! Jes’ foolin’!”, “Corps are back…oops! Jes’ foolin’!” that happened roughly once every twelve issues or so, combined with the general annoyance of screwing up of Hal Jordan (Why _did_ he go insane anyway? Can’t be the “Coast City was destroyed” excuse: that was dealt with about 10 issues _before_ Hal went nuts) made the first five years of Kyle’s career (roughly issues 50-100) an exercise in pathetic. (IMO, of course…except the Hal thing. That was just stooooopidly done. 😃 ) Frankly, I thought that Kyle didn’t come into his own until Grant Morrison started writing him in Justice League and took him beyond his Emotionally-Needy Lad personna, and I thought whatshisname…(Winnick? Whoever did the fantastic Ion storyline) transformed Kyle into a really great character. And I agree with **DK2** : I _hated_ the recent GL/GA crossover and don’t like Raab’s stuff at all. * * * I dunno about the Unthinkable storyline in FF. It was wonderfully done, but the characters didn’t _sound_ or act right. I dunno. Doom was _waaaaaaay_ off, Sue shouldn’t be swearing, however mildly (I have _no_ problem with characters swearing. Ben or Johnny? Fine. Reed? Maybe. Wasp or She-Hulk? No problem. But _Sue_??? No. It’s out of character, IMO.) and Reed read completely wrong, IMO. Reed’s reaction to \< not spoiling \> Doom’s last trick: Reed should shrug and say “Oh well. My family’s safe and Doom is gone. If this is the only lasting consequence, we got off easy.” Like I said, it was a powerful storyline, and it was paced perfectly, leading into a satisfying conclusion, but dammit, I wish it had starred the Fantastic Four. Plus the new FF logo just blows chunks. Really. The original classic logo works. The teeny little claustrophobic current logo doesn’t. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/22 "2003-07-10T14:22:00Z")
You’re right, **Doc** – I must have been drunk when I posted that. 😉 –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/23 "2003-07-10T14:37:55Z")
whats the deal with Ashley Woods **Mythica**. his website just has coming soon and some artwork for it. anybody got the dope for it? which reminds me i need to pick up popbot 4, which im sure is going to be hideously expensive in the UK… ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/24 "2003-07-11T02:02:14Z")
[bump] I picked up a couple of things and I was wondering what the general feeling about them is from the comic community: **Batman/Planetary** : I loved it a lot and thought it was not only a great crossover but a great…I dunno…homage? Tribute? Something to Batman. **JLA: Welcome To The Working Week** : A fantastic book, good writing and great portrayal of the lives of DC’s greatest heroes. I absolutely loved it. Your opinions/thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/25 "2003-07-11T02:04:19Z")
Loved **Batman/Planetary** but I only thought the **JLA Working Week** was…eh. Not _bad_ or anything but nothing stunning either. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/26 "2003-07-11T02:41:59Z")
I never really read GL until he showed up In Morrison’s JLA. I like him there. For you Hal fans, there was a mini series titles “Brave and the Bold” with some “lost” adventures of Barry Allen and Hal. It was a fun read. Books I’m reading right now, New X-Men, G.I.Joe (both titles, the regular series and Frontline), Powers, The Ultimates, JLA (only in TPB format), Greg Rucka’s Wolverine, and a little bit of Ultimate Spider-man (only because a co worker buys them, and lets me read through them). I also just started collecting Mike Mingola’s “Hellboy” in TPB, which I am enjoying, as well as Erik Larsen’s “Savage Dragon”. Favorite series all time, The Claremont/Byrne Uncanny X-Men. There’s a rumour of them teaming up again for a run on JLA next year. Feud and all, the fact they’ve put little of note in 10 years and all, I was excited by this. ---
**Author:** ![DK2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@DK2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DK2)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/27 "2003-07-11T02:55:21Z")
I also loved Batman/Planetary and thought it was a fitting tribute to the Dark Knight. The most memorable scene in the book IMO was when the Dark Knight Returns Batman appeared and grabbed Elijiah Snow by the neck, that was awesome. As for JLA: Working Week I didn’t have a chance to pick it up but I may next week. Here’s a news tidbit. It looks like Marvel Comics has decided not to use Princess Diana in the upcoming X-Statix comic written by Peter Milligan and drawn by Mike Allerd. Marvel has decided to go with a fictional celebrity instead. Thanks to [newsarama.com](http://newsarama.com) for the information. I was witholding judgment on the whole Princess Diana situation untill the thing was released but now it looks like we’ll never know if the storyline would have been in poor taste or not. Speaking of Peter Milligan, I can’t wait untill his Human Target series which will debut in August. His Human Target mini-series was terrific and his X-Statix book is the best X book on the market. I also consider him my favorite Batman writer (even though his run on the book was short) and loved his Shade, the Changing Man. Don’t forget Mark Millar makes his big announcement tommorow. It will either be on his “Chosen” mini-series or something else but knowing Millar it’s usually good. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/28 "2003-07-11T03:26:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DK2 \* > \*\*(…) Superman: Birthright is supposed to be in continuity. It is not an Elseworlds. \*\* Man, I sure hope they take that and run with it, even if it means accepting the fact that the “S” shield was somehow the Superman family crest on Krypton (although I guess the “yellow sun” symbol Jor-El used to wear didn’t make a whole lot of sense either, really). I have to say that seventeen years of Byrne’s super-sterile, no-personality take on Krypton was about seventeen years too many. Dunno how they plan on working the transition, but even if they have Mxyzptlk show up and beat Supes about the head with the Retcon Stick, it’ll be worth it in the end. Krypton should be cool, dammit! That’s why having it explode was a bad thing! I still haven’t entirely forgiven Jeff Loeb for his evil, taunting “Return to Krypton” storyline: “See how awesome it was to have over four decades of interesting Kryptonian characters and settings? Too bad! It was all a dream!” I’m sure he meant well, but… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/29 "2003-07-11T06:29:51Z")
A coupla’ comics questions… 1. Superheroes and supervillains are often mocked for their fondness for spandex costumes. That leaves me to wonder, are there any “super” characters who **don’t** wear some kind of uniform? In short, are there any “Supers” in “civies”? 1a. Addendum to the above; A cursory web search has revealed that Spandex wasn’t even _invented_ until 1958. What, then, did “Golden Age” heroes make their costumes out of? Wool? Cotton? Patent leather? 1. In modern-day comics, are there any character who can bring dead people back to life? Timer-Travelers don’t count. And clone-makers are “iffy.” ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/30 "2003-07-11T12:26:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > **A cursory web search has revealed that Spandex wasn’t even _invented_ until 1958. What, then, did “Golden Age” heroes make their costumes out of? Wool? Cotton? Patent leather?** Tights have existed for centuries, and yes, they were made of wool, linen or cotton. Boots and belts were naturally always leather. Interesting factoid: Captain America’s cowl is made of chainmail. ---
**Author:** ![Twin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@Twin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/31 "2003-07-11T12:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by DK2 > > My favorite comic series of all time has to be Animal Man I know I’m probably in the minority but I really enjoyed this series (and I have read Watchmen, Maus, Sandman) Grant Morrison’s run was classic and made Buddy Baker a very likeable character and introduced his family who were also very likeable and excellent supporting characters. I also enjoyed Peter Milligan’s and Jamie Delano’s collective runs immensely. Jerry Prosser’s run wasn’t bad but he needed more time to expand on his ideas before the series got cancelled. As for Tom Veith’s run I agree with the majority that most of it was crap but it did have redeeming values in it. Anyway how about you guys, what’s the best comic series currently and of all time? I agree 100%. Grant Morrison’s Animal Man run was sheer genius. Easily my all-time favorite. I will read anything Grant writes. BTW, be sure to check out the recent issues of Hawkman to get your Animal Man fix! I guess the best series I’m currently reading is Astro City. Good to have it back, even if it is bi-monthly. Warren Ellis’s Global Frequency is not bad either. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/32 "2003-07-11T14:57:19Z")
Y - The Last Man is the best series being put out by the Big Two right now. Global Frequency is also very good, albeit somewhat inconsistent. I also like Alias, although since I read it in trades I’m somewhat behind the current issues. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/33 "2003-07-11T16:18:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*A coupla’ comics questions… > > 1. Superheroes and supervillains are often mocked for their fondness for spandex costumes. That leaves me to wonder, are there any “super” characters who **don’t** wear some kind of uniform? In short, are there any “Supers” in “civies”? > > 1a. Addendum to the above; A cursory web search has revealed that Spandex wasn’t even _invented_ until 1958. What, then, did “Golden Age” heroes make their costumes out of? Wool? Cotton? Patent leather? > \*\* Answers to #1: Ressurection Man Starman(Jack Knight) I’m sure there are more, but that’s what comes to mind. 1a answers: Leather in many cases, and jhodpurs in others such as Green Lantern, Liberty Belle, Spy Smasher, and quite a few others. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/34 "2003-07-11T16:21:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*Huh? I thought Starman’s costume was red. Hmmm… \*\* The Golden Age Starman’s costume was red, green, and yellow. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/35 "2003-07-11T18:18:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*A coupla’ comics questions… > > 1. Superheroes and supervillains are often mocked for their fondness for spandex costumes. That leaves me to wonder, are there any “super” characters who **don’t** wear some kind of uniform? In short, are there any “Supers” in “civies”? The Question wore a powder blue business suit. Dr. Occult wore a business suit. The Golden Age Sandman originally wore a tan business suit. Jonni Thunder wore a black and white business suit. I’m not really sure she counts as a superhero. Do “jungle girls” count as superheroes? Almost all of them wore tiger stripe bikinis. I’m not sure if this counts either, but Kurt Busiek’s hommage to Captain Marvel-“The Getleman”- wears a tuxedo. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/36 "2003-07-11T20:39:50Z")
Ranchoth: The Spirit wore a domino mask with a blue business suit, white shirt and red tie. Mr. Mystic, a lesser-known creation of Will Eisner, wore a turban with a fancy tuxedo, as did DC’s Sargon the Sorceror. Doc Savage and his men dressed for the occasion, usually wearing standard business suits, Ham’s suits being the _dernier cri_ in male fashion and Monk’s being spectacularly colorful, cheap, and unfashionable. Kristin Austin of The Southern Knights usually wore street clothes or exercise garb, and her teammate Dragon wore nothing at all. (I guess dragons have retractable genitals). Toward the end of his career, Dr. Manhattan wore nothing at all, and the Swamp Thing was never clothed. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/37 "2003-07-12T02:03:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sock Munkey \* > \*\*Tights have existed for centuries, and yes, they were made of wool, linen or cotton. Boots and belts were naturally always leather. Interesting factoid: Captain America’s cowl is made of chainmail. \*\* In quite a few of the issues I have, the whole suit is chainmail. Other Materials- From some time in the Golden age until Crisis, Superman’s outfit was made from the Kryptonian blankets he’d been wrapped in. No Tights- Iron Man comes to mind. When John Blaze transformed into a demon biker, his leather suit didn’t. When Dan Ketch transformed into the spirit of vengance, hic civies transformed into motorhuckle boots, leather jacket with spiked epaulettes, and pants of indeterminate material. Silver Surfer-Norrin Radd is covered in a second skin of silver, and nothing else. Namor-The Submariner prefers a pair of green speedos to tights. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/38 "2003-07-12T04:22:49Z")
'nother question… We all know that **Batman** has developed schemes to “neutralize” the other members of the JLA, in case they go insane, or some such thing. But…what would everyone _else_ do if _Batman_ lost it? Say, at some point in the future, the pressures of life finally “crack” Bats’ psyche, and he decides to “cleanse” Earth of it’s superpowered population…Is there really any way to stop him? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/39 "2003-07-12T04:35:32Z")
**Ranchoth** Oooh, I like it! The way I see it, the JLA etc try and fail(miserably) to stop Bats. It seems that no one can stop the Dark Knight. Until Jim Gordon drops him with a scope, rifle and a heavy duty tranquilizer dart. “The monsters took my son. They took Barbara’s legs. But, I never thought they could take you Bruce. I never thought th…”(begins to sob uncontrollably) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700/40 "2003-07-12T20:42:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*'nother question… > > We all know that **Batman** has developed schemes to “neutralize” the other members of the JLA, in case they go insane, or some such thing. But…what would everyone _else_ do if _Batman_ lost it? Say, at some point in the future, the pressures of life finally “crack” Bats’ psyche, and he decides to “cleanse” Earth of it’s superpowered population…Is there really any way to stop him? \*\* Shoot him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy-2/186700.md?page=3)