Here we are.
I finally got Superman/Batman #15. Wow. As noted in last week’s thread, it’s just time travel storytelling, so no major in-continuity goodies, but a very interesting execution. And a reference back to the mysterious appearance of KC Kal earlier in the series.
Candid, I want to credit you and your weekly discussions with getting me to visit my comic shop more frequently [Pre-CoH, maybe every 6 months; post-CoH, every quarter; now, monthly). It’s helped me know what’s out there, and what I may want to read, without spoiling the stories.
I just read Superman/Batman 14 and was wowed. I’m looking forward to 15, which I will pick up next week when I am reintroduced to my Legion.
The downside is that this is a weekly discussion, and I’m often 3-4 weeks behind. I can’t really join in the discussions. 
As a funny aside, it’s been over a decade since I was a dedicated, “have to get it when it hits the shelves” type. So I sauntered over to Midtown Comics yesterday at lunch, and it was packed. I had totally forgotten that Wednesday is new release day. As someone who dislikes shopping and hates crowded stores, I wasn’t a happy camper (and I missed grabbing S/B 15 because I wanted). But it’s a little bit of a walk, and we were having unseasonably mild weather, so I toughed it out. For all I know, I’ll have to slog through 3 foot high snow in minus 20 cold next week (in which case, Legion will wait). Have to take advantage of what Mommy Nats offers.
Aww. Always glad to know I’ve made an impact, especially when it means getting people to pour more dollars into the comic industry.
GI Joe : Reloaded, this week, gets a new writer. Chuck Dixon.
He starts out pretty strong, I think - in the aftermath of Cobra’s takeover of a Hawaiian Island, we see that Beachhead survived his apparent demise - and is trying to stay alive as the island swarms with Cobra.
Small but good week for me:
She-Hulk: Not a “funny” story as is Slott’s regular thing, but an in depth origin of Titania. He did a fine fine job with it too. Not that he had any continuity to worry about (like that’s an issue at Marvel these days) since the first we ever saw Titania, Dr Doom had her strapped to a power giving machine on BattleWorld. I remember when I first read that issue, I searched through all my old issues of Secret Wars to find out where Skeeter and Volcana had come from. Oddly that was their first panel with no explanation other than they were a part of the Denver chunk. Anyway, it was a well told story, with a nice intriguing last page.
Doctor Spectrum: I have to admit the jumping around storytelling confused me a couple of times, but once I figured it out I enjoyed myself.
MK Spider-Man: We find out who is behind the kidnapping, and it’s really kind of a let down. Millar throws in an idea that is supposed to change the way we think about heroes and villains, but you know is going to have no effect on the MU so I guess I’ll just ignore that.
ToyFare: One of the funniest Twisted Toyfare Theatres I’ve read in a loooong time! “I’m Stinkor, ass!”
I just got JSA #68.
At first I was freaked out about what happened to Stargirl, but since it’s a time-travel story I’m assuming everything will work out by the time it’s over.
I’d say something about the cover, but I guess I’ll save it for the “Am I the only one sick to death of Alex Ross?” thread that I’ll start sometime.
I, for one, am just as interested if you report on something you got which is three months old. First of all, if it sounds interesting, I can probably scare up a copy, and even if I can’t, I can be on the lookout for other material by the creative team. Indeed, seeing one person comment positively on a book in week 1 and then seeing another poster do the same in week 2 and another in week 7 is a great motivator.
–Cliffy
This month’s Fables:
[spoiler]Who do we think “Mr. North” is? I’m guessing the North Wind. That would explain why his grandchildren are so contemptuous of gravity. But if that’s so, then who is Bigby’s mother?
And, is Mr. North evil? The jury’s still out on that, of course, but the fact that he appears to live so well in the Homelands, despite the Adversary, tends to point in that direction. I wonder if he’ll try to take the young’uns back home.
Also: “seven” babies?[/spoiler]
Action #822 - Austen continues to screw with the Lois-Clark status quo. A few amusing moments here, though.
She-Hulk #10 - I’m intrigued that the writer seems to be building a string of continuity here. I’m told this series will end soon and relaunch, as a bid to get more attention for it.
JSA #68 - Yeah, Stargirl’s family stuff was pretty extreme. Loved the Rip Hunter bits though. Gives us hints we may learn more about DC’s favorite time traveller; and his insights into Chronos and the Time Commander’s hobbies were amusing. Hey, maybe he’s a young Professor Zee. Stranger things have happened.
JLA #109 - I’ve always liked the Crime Syndicate, and this arc will be no exception.
Doctor Spectrum #4 - I’m ready for the jumping around to stop now.
Fables #32 - Didn’t Bigby already mention that one of his parents was the North Wind? From whence he got his big breath trick?
My husband has a theory that Rip Hunter is really Courtney’s stepbrother, and that the woman at the end is the baby, Patricia. It’s as good a theory as any, I suppose. I also found it amusing that the JSA broke up the day before my dad was born. 
I got *Rising Stars * #23, and I’m really curious about the next issue. Spoiler:
The final explosion that happens…will it give the whole world superpowers, or what?
JMS has a way of telling stories that show just how lousy humanity can be, and yet they’re ultimately optimistic stories. I love that, and I think maybe this could be going in that direction.
I haven’t read most of my stack yet, but I did get to *Nightwing * and MK Spider-Man. I’m not sure we’re getting the whole truth yet in MK Spider-Man. And I’m glad things turned out the way they did with Tarantula in Nightwing, though I’m worried about Dick.
Hey, would anyone be kind enough to spoil War Games for me? (Please use a spoiler box.)
Thanks,
–Cliffy
Anyone? Buehler?
Well, here’s this week’s haul:
Gotham Central #26 – I’m not really a fan of Jason Alexander’s art. Everyone looks bruised. So far the story isn’t necessarily anything to write home about. OK, Josie’s partner knows she has powers. Winnick and Chiang did this story better (and much, much, much prettier) in the 'Tec backup which introduced the character. And OK, Josie’s now under the gun from Catwoman to clear her – but Josie is a cop, and a good one; she already had all the motivation she needed to find the real killer. Catwoman’s ultimatum might stress her out, but it shouldn’t make her work any harder than she already would have. Not to say I didn’t enjoy the book while reading it, it just isn’t up to its usual standard.
Samurai: Heaven & Earth – Good start. This is the first of Ron Marz’s set of creator-owned minis. Ron is a good writer who can’t write Green Lantern very well. (Ironic, huh?) This book is about a samurai who’s lover was kidnapped by an invading Chinese warlord. The art is nice (the always-dependable Luke Ross benefits from the rich coloring) and so far it’s a quite enjoyable adventure story. Marz is upfront about the fact that he wants to do straightforward adventure stories that could stand next to typical superhero work but which don’t feature superheroes. It’d be a goal worthy to support even if the quality didn’t match up, but fortunately it’s a very enjoyable read.
Red Razors – Another of the DC reprints of stories from 2000 A.D., set on Judge Dread’s Earth several decades in the future of Dread’s own stories. Judge Razors is the toughest judge in Sov-Block Two. He used to be a gangster but after his capture was surgically altered into a law-abiding citizen. The book features two long-form story arcs, the first a well-crafted example of the typical hyperviolent Dread-type story, the second (“The Hunt for Red Razors”) a much more interesting and intelligent, albeit still hyperviolent, self-commenting tale. In hindsight, the winding plot twists of “The Hunt” might have been a symptom of Mark Millar not knowing where he was going ahead of time, and at the end there’s no real understanding of why what happened happened, but that’s part of its charm. Red Razors is by no means as interesting as the Nikolai Dante TPB I mentioned in an earlier thread, but they’re both well worth the time.
–Cliffy
Sorry, Cliffy, I didn’t read enough of War Games to spoil it in detail - I think there was a thread on it, though, and some of the previous weekly discussions may have the info you need.
With the holidays season, I’m a bit behind and playing catch-up.
Sorta comics-realted, what did y’all think of the two-page ad for thetruth.com with the girl with her eyes stitched closed that ran in several of last week’s comics? Shocking? It was to me. It got my attention, but sorta turned me off if they wanted me to pay a visit to their website.
Hey, did’ja see the cover to Marvel Knights 4 #13? Whoo … Frank Cho draws Invisible Woman with an accent on her booty. The Puppet Master was the villain here (and he’s one of my favs), and is trying to do a successful eye transplant for Alicia. He wants someone female, close to her age, and possesses a set that are a bit more enhanced. Guess who ol’ Puppet Master goes after?
I thought Marvel Knights Spider-Man #9 was a bit too long-winded & kinda cloak & daggar-ish. Aunt May has been kidnapped and Peter finds out there’s an underworld cabal when getting clues from his “deep throat” who turns out to be Mac (the Scorpion) Gargan. Somewhat interesting.
Was it just me or does Titania look like Bette Midler on the cover of She-Hulk #10?
http://www.marvelcomics.com/catalog/listing.htm?month=12&day=08&year=2004&format=comic
(Scroll down and look to the left). Hmmm … a bit angsty this month and not too much humor.
*X4 (X-Men/FF) caught me off guard in that I didn’t know anything about it in advance. Each team is divided to form a crew that heads into space when communication is lost from an exploration team. I thought the art was decent.
Nightwing #100 was maybe my most-anticipated book the past week. When I put labels on it like that, it usually doesn’t live up to my expectations and here was no exception. The status of the odd NW/Tarantula “relationship” is "resolved and the stage is set for a multi-part “Year One” story.
Nice Alex Ross cover to JSA #68, even though he’s done the multiple characters flying in all directions bit before. And although there’s a sense of foreboding and fate with one of the characters on the team I like (which pisses me off), I am still finding more enjoyment here, only being one chapter in, than the current JLA arc. JLA #109 was maybe the best part of the Crime Syndicate story so far, but still moving a bit too slow and too confusing for me.
Firestorm #8 was decent in that an old friend and old foe paid the title a visit. I sense the title isn’t doing too well though and maybe its days are numbered. I can’t figure out the anti-sentiment, but to each their own. And yes, I was a fan of the original incarnation. He graduated high school the same year as me in the old title, so I kinda identified with him in a weird way.
I won’t spoil how Batman defeats Bane in The Batman Strikes #4. You can probably guess. Yes, this is a kids title, but really, the lack of imagination in the DC titles aimed at kids saddens me.
It’s part 2 of “Riddle Me That” in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 186, and already I’m a bit lost. I don’t know if it’s poor storytelling or things just have yet to be explained yet.
I thought Aquaman #25 was a bit clever. It addresses those in Sub Diego who have or had an existing drug abuse problem.
Chuck Austen seems to have Supes battling huge and/or seemingly undefeatable foes in Action Comics. #822 was no exception. A Lois/Lana confrontation was in the making and …
IN RECENT TITLES …
New Avengers #1 – where was Steed, Purdey, and Gambit?
Spider-Girl #81 – ah, I love it when a character (Electro) is two different titles in the same week and interestingly is depicted in two different ways.
Space Ghost #1 – Another nice Alex Ross cover. Very sci-fi heavy and interesting. Above average art and good if you don’t like seeing the buffoon version of the character.
Deadshot #1 – I remember him having a mini-series YEARS ago; don’t remember what happened in it though. Not a bad read and I wonder if he’s now some version of the Punisher now.
Marvel’s version of Scrooge, J. Jonah Jameson gets the “Christmas Carol” treatment in the Marvel Holiday Special 2004.
The Question #2 and Wild Girl #2 – not much to say; interesting artwork and both are progressing the stories.