Countdown to Infinite Crisis - Unboxed Spoilers

Cafe Society
21

Ehm…sort of.

Captain Marvel, Hawk Girl, and…Flash, maybe? Been a while since I read that issue…

Aaanyway, they got sent back to ancient Egypt, met Khufu (Hawkman’s original incarnation), Chay-era (Hawkgirl’s), Nabu, and Teth-Adam. They get involved in a war between Egypt and Vandal Savage (who has control of the Orb of Ra at that point, and is using the elemental control to turn the tide.).

One of the important points of this is Teth-Adam and Cap converse some. Adam tells Cap about how, while he was in Egypt fighting, his homeland (Khandaq) was invaded and sacked, his family killed. The Big Red Cheese becomes a little more sympathetic towards him…but that’s really neither here nor there.

So, after he frees the time-lost JSAers from the mummification used to allow them to return to the present, Adam leaves the JSA, and begins recruiting a new team - Atom Smasher, Northwind, the new Nemisis, and the new Eclipso (Who’s an interesting story in and of himself) - to liberate Khandaq from the despot who currently rules it.

After a rather brutal takeover (in which Adam’s team hands the JSA their proverbial asses, though Nemisis and Eclipso die - Eclipso kills Nemisis, then himself - a waste, IMO), it becomes clear that the Khandaqi people love Adam, and their other liberators.

So, the JSA, on the theory that Adam’s team’s motives were good, if their methods weren’t, agree to allow Adam to stay and rule Khandaq - as long as he stays in Khandaq. Northwind and his people stay there, as they’d been driven out of their homeland, and every home they’d tried to make since. Atom Smasher stays because he believes in Adam.

That’s the last I’ve seen of Adam, so I’m not sure if his leaving Khandaq has been explained, yet.

22

Actually, I’m pretty sure it was Mr Terriffic, not Flash. :smack:

23

Dr. Psycho is actually one of my favorite Wonder Woman villains. He’s an extremely creepy misogynist who basically has powers like Mastermind. Rucka wrote him very well about six months ago.

I really like Calculator after Identity Crisis, so those two plus Gail Simone have me very drawn to Villains United (plus, I just like the whole villain-community thing that came out of IC).

The Rann/Thanagar thing looks cool, although I’m hesitant to pick it up just because I didn’t read the Adam Strange mini, so I’m afraid I might not know what’s going on. The art looks great, though, and I’d like to see Kyle Rayner.

I’ll probably pick up O.M.A.C. just because it’ll involve Wonder Woman. I’m a little iffy on Rucka, though.

This Day of Vengeance thing seems to be the one getting the least attention. I have to admit, it doesn’t look very exciting (couldn’t really care less about the Spectre) and I didn’t really like the artist’s portion of the Countdown art. I wonder if Zatanna will figure into anything or if they’re going to leave her off-limits because of Seven Soldiers.

Something I noticed about Countdown: Wonder Woman wasn’t blind, yet her profile on the Checkmate computer lists the kid from her embassy as deceased. Hmm.

24

I just read a little bit about Dr. William Moulton Marston, her creator. Frankly, this Dr. Pyscho sounds a bit like he inserted himself into the story.

25

Yeah, this was really bad about the inadvertant spoilers. Hal’s back as primary GL, and Kyle and Guy are apparently still around (when we last saw them, Hal had just risen from his grave, and Kyle was in a bad way), Dr. Light is free and alive, and when we last saw him he was seemingly headed down a one-way street to Hurtville on the Titans Express. I did note that Wonder Woman wasn’t blind, but didn’t follow her book ennough to note the jumping the gun there, too.

26

Don’t ask, just buy it. You’ll thank me.

–Cliffy

27

Ah, Marston was extremely creepy, but he was no mysogynist. Into bondage, no doubt, but a militant feminist.

–Cliffy

28

Whoops! Well, I have only read a little.

29

In the '70s, the Friday night before the new season of Saturday morning cartoons started, they had sort-of preview shows: a live action couple of kids (always a boy and a girl from the heart of whiteness :wink: ) would meander through the various new and renewed shows, interacting with the characters, etc, always with a thin plot on top. When I was a kid, this was the coolest damned thing–yeah, it was a commercial, but it was a crossover between all the Saturday morning shows.

This felt like that. In kind of a good way. Let’s face it: this was a “preveiws” book with a plot tossed on top. Off-hand, I recognized the upcoming Rann-Thanagar War book, the “Day of Vengance” book, and the upcoming “O.M.A.C.” book as well as the current plotline in Batman and several others.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

A couple of rumors:

  1. Chuck Dixon apparently always wanted Tim Drake to grow up to be the next Blue Beetle and allegedly he now will.

  2. I’ve heard the “Blue Beetle becomes the new Spectre” thing too–which, if written intelligently–Beetle’s brains and logic vs Spectre’s raw emotions–could be interesting. (And DC? If you do, lose the Dematthis “God is whoever you want her to be” crap–The Spectre is a Judeo-Christian character and trying to cram him into a weird Hindu motif just doesn’t work–Dr Fate? No prob. Other magical characters? No prob. Not the Spectre.)

Shy Guy–Rucka wrote the best damned run of Batman (or Detective) since the early '80s. He’s a really good writer.

And um…Scottregarding Marston being Dr. Psycho… Th’ guy was not only a militant feminist, he also had a wife, a live-in mistress and apparently fooled around on the side–he had a serious bondage fetish that he tried to use his psychology background to justify* but this was not a guy who had issues with women. I’d love to know what you read to lead you to that conclusion, since it’s exactly backwards of reality.

Fenris

*Lots of “loving submission is healthy and makes you a better person” stuff

30

Once in the '80’s it was Keisha Knight-Pulliam. :wink:

Actually, Fenris, I’m not surprised by Scott views on Marston. While he was a militant feminist politically, anyone who’se read GA Wonder Woman would have trouble with the statement that WMM didn’t have issues with women. Chicks are getting tied up every frikkin’ page, or WW is bound in her own lasso, or a story is set in a women’s prison. And what’s WW’s weakness? She’s helpless (read: submissize) when the wrist cuffs (read: fetish gear) she wears every day are bound by a man. Also there’s more than a little cross dressing. (And have you ever seen a real lie detector? There’s a big strap that they wrap around your trunk to help immobilize you. Look familiar? Maybe if it were painted gold?) It seems rather obvious that Marston did not have what modern psychology would term a healthy view of women, at least on a sub-intellectual level. Of course, no one else in the '40’s did either, and WMM was honestly concerned about that in a way that many professional men at the time were not.

–Cliffy

31

My views are not due to a revisionist view, but are instead due to my browsing instead of really reading the wiki article.

32

I’ve not thought of this before, but…I really like the idea. It’s certainly better than him becoming the new Batman.

33

Well, I really like Tim as Robin, and I don’t see any reason to change that in the near future (not that I read his book, mind you, I hate the art). The fact that Tim, much moreso than Dick, really isn’t interested or suited for taking on the mantle of the Bat is an interesting plot hook and possible conflict with Bruce (as was the fact that Tim isn’t an orphan, but DC pissed that away…). Why not milk that for a while?

That said, Tim is a perfect new Beetle (but a sucky new Jetta). But, for the moment anyway, a more compelling Robin.

34

Hmm. The only Rucka I’ve read is his Wonder Woman run. Maybe I’ll check out some of his other stuff. When was his run on Detective?

I’ve heard Gotham Central is pretty good, too. And I’ll see if I can find that Whiteout book, too (never even heard of that one).

35

Some comments after reading the first quarter of the issue…

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Morales’s art, particularly when inked by Bair?

I’m still wondering what the heck ‘ultraviolent’ scanners are. :stuck_out_tongue:

36

I pointed that typo out when I read the preview pages and commented in last week’s comic discussion thread. Another little booboo - Metropolis is listed in Superman’s file as being in New York.

37

You need to read more indies, man! Whiteout (and its sequel, Whiteout: Melt) are both noir stories set in desolate Antarctica. In the first, U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko must solve a murder in the middle of nowhere, where the murderer has nowhere to run and the elements are deadlier than any human could be. Both Whiteout stories are collected in trades and published by Oni Press. Tara Chace, the lead character of Rucka’s brilliant spy series Queen and Country (an ongoing Oni title), makes an appearance in Whiteout as well. A Whiteout movie has been in preproduction for a while, and apparently Reese Witherspoon is cast as Carrie Stetko since her production company picked it up.

Tengu, I don’t care for Morales’ art either, even though the fans seem to worship him. I read Identity Crisis #1 for the first time last night, and wasn’t super-impressed.

38

Maybe I work at DC comics, and while drunk, posted a fact that used to be true in the Golden Age comics, such as that one.(I wish! :smiley: )

No, wait, I was thinking of the movies. In the old comic books, I believe I recall Superman lives in Chicago. Gotham is New York, except under the theory that every big city in DC is New York.

39

Rags was great on Hourman. I didn’t like his stuff in this too much. I guessed it was that his style didn’t fit with the more precise coloring of this book (as opposed to the less shaded and shadowed colors on Hourman).

Witherspoon as Carrie Stetko, really? Well, at least she can act. Y’know who might be good in that role? Evangeline Lilly. (Oh, and Tara Chace isn’t in Whiteout. At the time, Rucka thought he might reveal that it was the same character, but he’s said in interviews that he’s decided they’re different people.)

As for Greg Rucka on Batman, I believe his first work was during the NML. He started as the writer for 'Tec immediately thereafter with the new look – the book began to use a very limited color palette. The first of these issues (#742) was blue and orange – they didn’t even use black. I thought it was gorgeous but it was very controversial and was watered down over time.

Rucka stayed with 'Tec through Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and Fugitive and left shortly thereafter. (Can I just say that the period between NML and Bruce Wayne: M/F was a fabulous period for the Batbooks? Rucka on 'Tec, Brubaker on Batman, Devin Grayson doing the best work of her career on Gotham Knights, Puckett/Scott on Batgirl, and the beginning of the hilarious K. Kesel/Dodson run of Harley Quinn. Also “Officer Down” and the best Batman event ever, “This Issue – Batman Dies!!” I loved the cover design from that period, too, although many hated it.)

Anyway, I know that much of Rucka’s run is in TPB, although IIRC not all of it. The first TPB is probably “Batman: Evolution.” Anyway, it starts with #742 , although that was a one-off and might not have gotten collected. He’s also in all the Bruce Wayne: M/F trades and that event was basically a Rucka/Brubaker co-production. (IMO," Murderer?" was great, “Fugitive” was kinda boring (and over-long).)

It might be a good idea to sample that stuff in preparation for Infinite Crisis, especially in light of something mentioned in the solicitation copy for OMAC. I won’t say more unless you ask.

Rucka’s best work (in comics, anyway) is not Batman, though, but rather the two Whiteout books and the jaw-droppingly brilliant Queen & Country, all published by Oni Press. I pointed you to Whiteout because it’s complete in and of itself (Melt is more a true sequel than just the next chapter). Also, the first vol. of Q&C is by far the worst, while the subsequent 7 have all been excellent, so I wanted to hook you on Whiteout first.

–Cliffy

40

Oh! I was misinformed. When I read Whiteout, I never made the connection that Lily Sharp might even be Tara Chace, but it was explained to me later that she was.

Hey, have you ever read Spider-Man: Tangled Web #4, a one-shot issue by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso? I think it won an Eisner Award, and it was a terrific crime story told from the point of view of one of the Kingpin’s henchmen who had to report a failure back to the boss. It would be well worth seeking out if you’re a Rucka fan.