# Weekly Comic Book Discussion 5/31/2007 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277 "2007-06-01T00:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [June 1, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/1 "2007-06-01T00:22:53Z")
Here it is. Picked up #3 of Marvel’s Illuminati mini, as well as #106 of the Hulk (just for the Herc cameo, really.) While I liked the first two Illuminati issues, this one was less impressive. I hope they’re building to something coherent. Liked the Hulk issue though. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/2 "2007-06-01T01:53:50Z")
**Green Lantern** #20 - Although the art remains… somewhat… off… the story is leading someplace interesting. First time the Tales of the Sinestro Corps wasn’t very creepy/intersting, though. **Teen Titans** #47 - Good characterization, nice to see Dick and Donna around, liked the ending with Cassie and Kara. **JSA Classified** #26 - Was going to drop this one, saw it was Wildcat, bought it anyway, didn’t regret it. **JSA** #6 - Glad to see _her_ show up, but that _really_ messes with the LSH timeline. **Action Comics** #850 - _This_ was a much better book than the latest issue of Supergirl and the LSH. **Countdown** #48 - :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/3 "2007-06-01T02:04:28Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] **Countdown** #48 - :mad: :mad: :mad: [/QUOTE] I had a feeling that you wouldn’t like that one. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/4 "2007-06-01T03:02:00Z")
Showcase Presents: Flash. Yaaaay! Blue Beetle 15: Not half bad. LSH 30: Good ending. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/5 "2007-06-01T04:10:26Z")
**Blue Beetle** - Superman at his finest. I’m not a fan of Livewire, but she was used well here. The meta-commentary on Ted was cute. My one complaint - Torres seemed to go a little overboard to say ‘Yep, he’s latino. See how many Spanish words and references I can work in?’ Only a minor complaint, though. **Countdown** - Interesting. Art sucked horribly. Black Adam, particularly, looked horrible. **X-23** - X-23 vs Wolverine… Bestest fight ever. \>\_\> The ending was kind of inevitable, but it was handled well. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/6 "2007-06-01T14:52:16Z")
I’m not liking some of the trends I’m sensing here. Between the Countdown and Amazons Attack tie-ins, it seems that DC could become a tangled mess of self-referencing ads, rather than telling individual stories in a shared universe. Or maybe I’m just feeling grumpy. **Blue Beetle:** Ugh. Filler. **Countdown:** Well, let’s hope that this murder mystery has a less ridiculous ending than Sue Dibny’s. **Amazons Attack:** \*See Wonder Woman for the actual plot of this book. **Action Comics:** Blah. Cute trick with the alternate Supermen changing into the portrayal in Birthright. **Teen Titans:** I like this one. Jason had that a long time coming. I am a bit concerned that nobody is concerned about the ethics of permanently possessing Match. I know that he’s evil and brain damaged, but he’s still a sentient being! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/7 "2007-06-02T01:16:32Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] **Countdown:** Well, let’s hope that this murder mystery has a less ridiculous ending than Sue Dibny’s. [/QUOTE] What mystery? We know who the killer is and why he did it. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/8 "2007-06-02T01:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=Sir Prize] What mystery? We know who the killer is and why he did it. [/QUOTE] I meant the dead New God, not Duela. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/9 "2007-06-02T01:39:56Z")
Eh? _Duela’s_ murder wasn’t mysterious at all. It was also several issues ago. _Lightray’s_ murder was the one that happened in this issue, and it’s a mystery as to who did it, why he did it, and why the authors actually thought it would be a good idea after all the flak they’ve been catching since Identity Crisis over random killing of heroes to give their storyline more impact. However, I’d say that this murder _had better_ have a less ridiculous ending than Sue Dibny’s, or I’ll find a way to leave _my_ tiny little footprints all over the writers’ brains. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/10 "2007-06-02T03:22:12Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] I meant the dead New God, not Duela. [/QUOTE] :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/11 "2007-06-02T09:54:08Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] why the authors actually thought it would be a good idea after all the flak they’ve been catching since Identity Crisis over random killing of heroes [/QUOTE] Grant Morrison summed it up nicely in his 52 exit interview on Newsarama. The people who bitch? They’re the ones who are going to buy the books, no matter what. The vast majority of the readers - the ones who might be put off enough not to buy - aren’t. The ‘OMG, they’re killing everyone off, nobody’s ever going to read them again!!!11!eleventy-one!’ books? They sell well. Some of DC’s top books. (Same over at Marvel, actually, but they’re not under discussion at the moment.) ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/12 "2007-06-02T16:32:26Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] (Same over at Marvel, actually, but they’re not under discussion at the moment.) [/QUOTE] Heh. I actually _stopped_ buying Marvel because of all of the things they’ve been doing to shock and dismay the readers in hopes of boosting circulation. Oh, the irony. For the moment, DC has good enough writing that I’m willing to go with it. But I suspect there’s a limit to how long they can play this particular game with the readers. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/13 "2007-06-02T16:54:58Z")
No offense to **Lightray** or anyone, but they could kill off _all_ the New Gods and I’d be a happy man. Blech! Seriously, is Lightray (the comic character) a beloved fan favorite whose (no doubt temporary) demise is going to spark a firestorm of controversy? Can’t see it happening. ---
**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 2, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/14 "2007-06-02T17:11:42Z")
\*\*New Avengers Illuminati #3: \*\* I’m a little confused. This looks like it took place after Secret Wars II, but the dialogue implies that it didn’t. [spoiler]Was the point of the story that all of SWII actually took place on this asteroid and is no longer in continuity? Also, when Namor says “Plus, he’s an @%&#ing idiot!”, what appropriate swear word goes there that begins with a vowel sound?[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/15 "2007-06-02T17:39:38Z")
[QUOTE=Licentious Ectomorph] Seriously, is Lightray (the comic character) a beloved fan favorite whose (no doubt temporary) demise is going to spark a firestorm of controversy? Can’t see it happening. [/QUOTE] Oh, no, I’m sure that Lightray is not beloved, or even widely known by most DC readers. He happens to be one of _my_ favorites, because I like Kirby, and it’s not like anyone is supposed to like _Orion_, so that leaves few New Gods to like (Forager? Metron? nah). So while this issue annoyed me, my thought is that the main problem is the writers continued use of killing off third-tier characters to amp up the story’s shock value. It’s a crutch for the writers that they should use much more sparingly. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/16 "2007-06-02T18:15:56Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] Also, when Namor says “Plus, he’s an @%&#ing idiot!”, what appropriate swear word goes there that begins with a vowel sound? [/QUOTE] An Atlantean obscenity, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/17 "2007-06-04T14:53:57Z")
Yeah, I’m with the “go ahead and kill the New Gods” crowd. Sorry, **Lightray**! I also didn’t mind the resolution of _Identity Crisis_. I read a hefty stack of DC books every month, but only about three Marvel titles – _Daredevil, Punisher, Ultimate Spider-man_ – ones that aren’t really tied into whatever massive, gimmicky “event” they’re running this month. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/18 "2007-06-04T15:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] \*\*New Avengers Illuminati #3: \*\* I’m a little confused. This looks like it took place after Secret Wars II, but the dialogue implies that it didn’t. [/QUOTE] Bendis is ignoring a previous retcon of the Beyonder and the entire Thanos Samaritan arc. Prof X could also walk during SW I and the notion that he could mind wipe the likes of Doom, Thor and Galactus is pretty laughable. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-5-31-2007/406277/19 "2007-06-05T01:13:41Z")
And the rest… JSA #6 - Johns’ half of the crossover is much more strongly written - but I enjoy both, really. Interesting choice for the seventh Legionnaire. Speculation runs rampant as to who they’re planning to resurrect. I have heard a number of theories. Superman-2, Superboy, and one of the Flashes all get frequent mentions. I wonder, though - perhaps the real Earth-1 Supergirl? It would be interesting if Jeckie bought the farm for Kara’s return… Countdown - I continue to be thoroughly entertained. Action - Filler, but good filler. Amazons Attack - moving a little bit slow. JSA Classified - Not bad at all. Blue Beetle, GL, Teen Titans - all good stuff this week.