# Crisis of the Ask the Comic Book Guy Gauntlet **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2004, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158 "2004-05-26T10:34:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/1 "2004-05-26T10:34:34Z")
The sporadic ongoing continuation of the thread for asking any questions about comics you might have whether you’re a card carrying comic geek or not. My question: I’m burning my way through Robinson’s Starman and started wondering about the latest incarnation of the JSA with Stars (or whatever her name is) where it seems that she has inherited the cosmic rod. Since I’m not a regular reader of JSA I was wondering how this happened. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/2 "2004-05-26T11:42:20Z")
I don’t think you want the answer to that, as it would involve spoiling the rest of the series for you. The short answer is that she asked politely for it. Remember, she’s wearing Skyman’s Cosmic Converter Belt, which was made by Starman (I), and Skyman used to be the first Star Spangled Kid in the 40s. Note the second: While it is not definately settled, the 1950s Starman proposal suggested in the comic seems increasingly unlikely to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/3 "2004-05-26T13:03:15Z")
**Asylum** , your question is answered in Starman #80, the final issue, so don’t you worry. Also, if you don’t have it already, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0, the issue that kicked off Courtney’s (Stargirl’s) own series, is co-written by James Robinson, features Jack and Ted Knight, and is an important part of his overall Starman mythos. I’d search it out in a back issue bin. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/4 "2004-05-27T03:33:46Z")
So, what’s the raunchiest mainstream comic book out there? I mean, the one with the sexiest women in the nekkidest costumes doing the sexiest stuff? I learned in another thread that Jim Balent did Catwoman for a while … I’m gonna be checking that out. Any other raunchy stuff out there? ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/5 "2004-05-27T04:17:44Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > So, what’s the raunchiest mainstream comic book out there? I mean, the one with the sexiest women in the nekkidest costumes doing the sexiest stuff? I learned in another thread that Jim Balent did Catwoman for a while … I’m gonna be checking that out. Any other raunchy stuff out there? I personally don’t base my reading on what seems the raunchiest, but I would suggest that you just wander into a comics store and look for yourself. If a book is basing its sales on sex you can be sure that it’ll be pretty explicit on the cover. Michael Turner’s Fathom, for example, was something that just looked like soft porn to me. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/6 "2004-05-27T04:32:26Z")
Are there any good comics that have featured an autistic character(preferably as a focus point)? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/7 "2004-05-27T06:49:41Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > So, what’s the raunchiest mainstream comic book out there? I mean, the one with the sexiest women in the nekkidest costumes doing the sexiest stuff? I learned in another thread that Jim Balent did Catwoman for a while … I’m gonna be checking that out. Any other raunchy stuff out there? Does **Cherry Poptart** count as mainstream? I _think_ they’re still printing that…? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/8 "2004-05-27T13:02:35Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > So, what’s the raunchiest mainstream comic book out there? I mean, the one with the sexiest women in the nekkidest costumes doing the sexiest stuff? I learned in another thread that Jim Balent did Catwoman for a while … I’m gonna be checking that out. Any other raunchy stuff out there? Hm. Mark Millar’s Wanted is filled with violence and language, not so much with the sex. The latest issue of Supreme Power had the new interpretation of Power Princess naked through the entire issue… but I wouldn’t call it raunchy. Jim Balent’s Tarot is essentially softcore pornography, but it’s not mainstream. Hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/9 "2004-05-28T20:45:57Z")
Asylum: > [@](#): > > Since I’m not a regular reader of JSA I was wondering how this happened. Essentially, Jack Knight was very impressed by the grown-up Courtney during the _Sins of Youth_ mega-crossover event, in which all teenaged heroes became adults and adult heroes became children. He comments on this in the opening pages of Starman # 75. This sets the stage for his handing over the rod to her when he decides to retire. Aslan of Narnia: > [@](#): > > Are there any good comics that have featured an autistic character(preferably as a focus point)? You might want to look for appearances of a character named Legion from the pages of _X-Men_ and _New Mutants_. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/10 "2004-06-04T15:04:05Z")
I’m not sure whether to spoiler box this or not, but since I missed it and it apparently happened long enough ago for the widower to hook up with the least likely candidate, I won’t bother: **Jean Grey died AGAIN?** When and how? I’m not much of a core X-men fan. I’m more into the tangents like **Generation X** and **Exiles**. But since Husk began showing up in **Uncanny** , I’ve been picking it up, and saw no mention of this. (I didn’t see Jean around, but with an ensemble cast like this one, that’s not so unusual.) And now I see in **Academy X** #1 that Scott is seeing Emma Frost?!?!?! Huh? And while I’m at it, any appearances of Penance or M lately? I know Jubilee and Husk have been in Uncanny, with Husk inexplicably dating Angel, who is twice her age, at least. And I saw them bump off Skin unceremoniously. And Chamber was in Uncanny for a while and then Weapon X. But no Penance or M? I’m dying for them to resolve who the new Penance is, but I doubt they ever will at this point, since no one but me probably cares. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/11 "2004-06-04T15:10:33Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > I’m not sure whether to spoiler box this or not, but since I missed it and it apparently happened long enough ago for the widower to hook up with the least likely candidate, I won’t bother: > > **Jean Grey died AGAIN?** > > When and how? At the very end of Grant Morrison’s (otherwise pretty good) run of X-Men. Magneto gave her a “planetary scale heart attack” (or something similar. No, no-one else understood it either. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/12 "2004-06-04T15:10:41Z")
> [@Aslan of Narnia](#): > > Are there any good comics that have featured an autistic character(preferably as a focus point)? Batman: Legends Of the Dark Knight #98-99 featured an autistic boy who witnessed a murder, and Batman’s attempts to communicate with him. The story, by Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips, doesn’t have a contrived happy ending (Batman doesn’t miraculously have a breakthrough with the boy), but it is an interesting read. And Phillips’ art is always top-notch. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/13 "2004-06-05T05:57:32Z")
Two questions… 1. How many times has Jean Grey “died,” to date? I think three…but I might be missing some. 2. Can Daredevil tell if he’s in the dark or not? That might be kind of a hinderance, if he can’t tell where a shadow is to hide in. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/14 "2004-06-05T08:03:34Z")
**Ranchoth.** Not an X-fan, can’t help you with the first query. As for the second, the answer is, “Yes.” Daredevil’s superhuman heightened sense of touch allows him to detect minute temperature variations in an area cloaked in darkness near an area cloaked in light (Heck, you can do that, too; it’s called “shade”), as well as pinpoint areas where a light source is radiating heat. Also, I can’t think of a specific cite, but I’ve seen him use his billy club to knock out a light fixture in a bar / room full of thugs to take advantage of others’ inability to see/move in the dark. Daredevil can take advantage of his radar sense to note the presence of large objects between himself and a light source. By positioning himself between or behind objects in the path of the light source, or away from the light source itself, he’ll know he’s in shadow. Als, diving down a certain depth in water automatically puts you in shadows, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/15 "2004-06-05T11:20:34Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Does **Cherry Poptart** count as mainstream? I _think_ they’re still printing that…? 😕 Cherry is a classic! And I’ve got all 4 trade paperback collections. BTW–Jean Grey has died & risen more often than Dracula. Just simplify, & call her Undead Girl, & be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/16 "2004-06-05T14:29:05Z")
Here’s one I’ve been wondering about. I keep hearing about “Post-Crisis” comics. What was the Crisis? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/17 "2004-06-05T16:16:28Z")
_The Crisis on Infinite Earths_ was a 12-part maxi-series published by DC Comics between 1985 and 1986, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Perez. It was a story that spanned about 6 ‘universes’, featuring hundreds of characters, killed dozens of heroes and villains and changed all of time, space, the details of personal events and broader history while realigning the interconnected relationships and continuity of many DC characters. All DC Comics published thereafter are considered “Post-Crisis”; stories preceding it are “Pre-Crisis.” It was a brilliant, unprecedented and flawed effort. Most of the problem came because of a (frankly dumb and against writer Marv Wolfman’s wishes) editorial directive at the time that required all the heroes to remember the Crisis immediately afterwards. The other problem was that many character’s “new” streamlined histories were pretty convoluted to begin with and they continued to exist without adequately explaining why, or how they specifically impacted another character’s existence (Wonder Girl, aka Donna Troy, for example). All this information kept cropping up in new stries, and in a few years DC would have to do another mini-series, _Zero Hour_, to clean up _Crisis._ Superman is a pretty good example of a definitive “Pre-Crisis” and “Post-Crisis” character. Prior to the Crisis, he was an near infinitely powerful being who could travel through time and cross-dimensional barriers at will. He began his career as a Superboy, then became Superman, acquiring along the way, an Arctic Fortress of Solitude, super-pets, a legion of android look-alikes, an occassionally super-powered pal named Jimmy Olsen, a miniaturized city, membership in a future superhero legion and other improbable character developments. The Crisis (initially) changed all that. The third incarnation of Superman, the current-Post Crisis version, is nowhere near as powerful. Also, gone were (again – initially, anyway) are the many interesting character developments, artifacts, whimsical adventures and powers of the Pre-Crisis version. For more information, I refer you to: [http://www.io.com/~woodward/chroma/crisis.html#what](http://www.io.com/~woodward/chroma/crisis.html#what) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/18 "2004-06-05T22:00:30Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > BTW–Jean Grey has died & risen more often than Dracula. Just simplify, & call her Undead Girl, & be done with it. Paul Smith, the X-Men artist in the early 80s, once said at a convention “With a name like Phoenix, I don’t see the big deal about bringing her back as many times as you want.” As for why Scott’s sleeping with Emma Frost these days… Since his solo series a few years back, Scott briefly shared a brain with the incredibly vile Shadow King and, as a result, felt too filthy to resume his marriage to Jean. His counsellor in trying to get over this was Emma, a licensed sex therapist (and apparently a sexual surrogate as well). Frankly, the “too filthy” bit was never an issue with Emma. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/19 "2004-06-06T00:17:05Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > _The Crisis on Infinite Earths_ was … Thanks, that and the link answered my question nicely. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158/20 "2004-06-06T03:52:54Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > As for why Scott’s sleeping with Emma Frost these days… Since his solo series a few years back, Scott briefly shared a brain with the incredibly vile Shadow King and, as a result, felt too filthy to resume his marriage to Jean. His counsellor in trying to get over this was Emma, a licensed sex therapist (and apparently a sexual surrogate as well). Frankly, the “too filthy” bit was never an issue with Emma. So, basically…he’s a dip. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crisis-of-the-ask-the-comic-book-guy-gauntlet/247158.md?page=2)