Ray's Official DCU Megathread the 3rd: Countdown Edition - Now on Earth-OOMPH!

[Hock]

Me, too.

I got an awesome Maria Hill Sketch from Hester in Seattle.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p320/BTHock/AgentHill-Hester-ECC07.jpg

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I don't always read things so closely, sometimes I just skim. :surrend:

Sometimes I'll respond to a post without reading it at all.

[bairdduvessa]

Sometimes I'll respond to a post without reading it at all.

i'm guilty of that too

[SteveZegers]

Sometimes I'll respond to a post without reading it at all.

No, I like vanilla way better than mint chocolate chip.

[SteveZegers]

That's pretty much what we all do.

Just some warnings :

Ray is a perv when it comes to Super-heroines
SteveZegers is a Super-per fanatic...don't mess with them!
Vonn hates everything ;)
Baird is slightly off-kilter and often attempts to derail the thread
Hock...hmmm...he makes pretty damn good points
Matt O loves Gilmore Girls and gets strangely upset if there's a lapse in this thread.
I tend to reply to posts that have already been answered...especially when I re-read those i've missed
Jack is also an occasional de-railer and strives to overtake Ray in post counts
John Drake...ummm...likes Oreos
YouStayClassy is missing...
TheDoctor likes to play jokes...especially on Ray!

and Sean McKeever is the desire of every DC Fan Boy on here... :scared:

Feel free to edit or add to the intros!

This seems about right. You forgot the main point of this thread, which is that Anarky sucks.

[Deej]

This seems about right. You forgot the main point of this thread, which is that Anarky sucks.

Unfortunately, as pointed out by Baird, I screwed up. :Oops: You're a Super PET fanatic...not a super per...:surrend:

[SteveZegers]

Unfortunately, as pointed out by Baird, I screwed up. :Oops: You're a Super PET fanatic...not a super per...:surrend:

Don't feel bad. I enjoy Super Pers too!

[Ray G.]

Off to get my comics! :danceyar:

Be back this afternoon!

[SteveZegers]

Off to get my comics! :danceyar:

Be back this afternoon!

Get a job!:-x

[Deej]

If you lived closer, I would.

Move closer to me Rabbitt!

[Deej]

Don't feel bad. I enjoy Super Pers too!

Cool! You really know how to brighten a day Steve! :)

[SteveZegers]

Move closer to me Rabbitt!

Long Island is the most beautiful part of the world, and the center of high culture. Everyone knows that.

[Foggy's Pal]

Long Island is the most beautiful part of the world, and the center of high culture. Everyone knows that.

High culture? My town boasts a big stump and a big steer that was killed by an act of God! top that

[SteveZegers]

High culture? My town boasts a big stump and a big steer that was killed by an act of God! top that

Does it have one of these?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/SteveZ/bigduck.jpg

[Foggy's Pal]

Does it have one of these?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/SteveZ/bigduck.jpg

Damn, trumped again.

[Foggy's Pal]

I have officially reaced 300 posts.....my eyes are now on Ray- only about
45,000 more to go:grope:

[SteveZegers]

Damn, trumped again.

I have almost too much love in my heart for The Big Duck.

[Deej]

I have officially reaced 300 posts.....my eyes are now on Ray- only about
45,000 more to go:grope:

You must find a way to distract him from this board!

[SteveZegers]

I have officially reaced 300 posts.....my eyes are now on Ray- only about
45,000 more to go:grope:

Ignore post count. That is the way to true enlightenment.

[Foggy's Pal]

You must find a way to distract him from this board!

Someone show him Steve's bathroom duck!

[Deej]

Someone show him Steve's bathroom duck!

Or get him one of those blow up dolls and dress her like Supergirl!! :scared:

[SteveZegers]

Someone show him Steve's bathroom duck!

Its not a bathroom, it's a visitor's center! :-x

[Foggy's Pal]

Its not a bathroom, it's a visitor's center! :-x

Who wants to visit a duck? I think your little visitor's center has just been re-trumped by one ginormous steer with shit for luck.

[Foggy's Pal]

Or get him one of those blow up dolls and dress her like Supergirl!! :scared:

Could we dress the duck like Supergirl?

[SteveZegers]

Who wants to visit a duck? I think your little visitor's center has just been re-trumped by one ginormous steer with shit for luck.

It's got a gift shop too! Christie Brinkley is the Duck's voice! They dress it up for Christmas! It used to be a stand that sold ducks! They named an entire type of building after it! It's a friggin National Landmark!

[Foggy's Pal]

It's got a gift shop too! Christie Brinkley is the Duck's voice! They dress it up for Christmas! It used to be a stand that sold ducks! They named an entire type of building after it! It's a friggin National Landmark!

I don't wanna hear anymore.... :surrend:

[Deej]

I don't wanna hear anymore.... :surrend:

I thought Kokomo was a place in Hawaii that the Beach Boys made a song about!!

[Foggy's Pal]

That's bizarro Kokomo. I live in Kokomo from Earth X, located about a parsec north of Indy.

[morlock with a day pass]

Or get him one of those blow up dolls and dress her like Supergirl!! :scared:

why would he need another one?

[TSChamp]

Someone say something about Supergirl? Oh...nevermind..

[Deej]

why would he need another one?

DUH! There's been more than one Supergirl! He can collect them all! ;)

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

No, I like vanilla way better than mint chocolate chip.

But, you see, I find that Booster needs to have Ted Kord by his side.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Off to get my comics! :danceyar:

Be back this afternoon!

I just picked up my comics!

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Move closer to me Rabbitt!

But I'm trapped here for at least a few more years...

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I have officially reaced 300 posts.....my eyes are now on Ray- only about
45,000 more to go:grope:

Good luck with that. ;-)

[TSChamp]

Now for something completely different.........


This is what I think is going to happen during the whole Countdown.

Superman- Will cry....A LOT!
Batman- Will kick ass...A LOT
Aquaman- Will still confuse the hell out of me..
Wonder Woman- Will kiss Batman..NOT..
Supergirl- Will have shorter skirt due to A LOT of artist changes..
Power Girl- Will have breast reduction surgery
Wonder Girl- Will go Emo and now be called Depression Girl..
Green Lateran Corps- Will die and return..
Robin- Will worry if he got Wonder Girl preggers from that kiss..
Nightwing- Will kick ass at the DC's office for totally screwing him up..
Teen Titans- ummm..they will fight each other in typical teenage fashion..
JLA- Will get confused and start calling themselves The Less Filling Avengers
JSA- Will find that and another group call JSA made up of Ducks.
Booster Gold- Is still wondering about the worm that can eat time.
The Question- Wondering why she didn't get a monthly title!

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Now for something completely different.........


This is what I think is going to happen during the whole Countdown.

Superman- Will cry....A LOT!
Batman- Will kick ass...A LOT
Aquaman- Will still confuse the hell out of me..
Wonder Woman- Will kiss Batman..NOT..
Supergirl- Will have shorter skirt due to A LOT of artist changes..
Power Girl- Will have breast reduction surgery
Wonder Girl- Will go Emo and now be called Depression Girl..
Green Lateran Corps- Will die and return..
Robin- Will worry if he got Wonder Girl preggers from that kiss..
Nightwing- Will kick ass at the DC's office for totally screwing him up..
Teen Titans- ummm..they will fight each other in typical teenage fashion..
JLA- Will get confused and start calling themselves The Less Filling Avengers
JSA- Will find that and another group call JSA made up of Ducks.
Booster Gold- Is still wondering about the worm that can eat time.
The Question- Wondering why she didn't get a monthly title!

:thumb:

[Deej]

But, you see, I find that Booster needs to have Ted Kord by his side.

I used to agree about this...but not anymore. If Booster has Skeets and occasional appearances by Daniel and Rip Hunter....and the multiple earths...the series is gold.

[Deej]

I just picked up my comics!

Me too...but didn't get a chance to read them :(

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Me too...but didn't get a chance to read them :(

I've yet to find time, either. :cry:

[TSChamp]

Hey hey hey...buck up little buckaroos. I can't pick up mine until next week...:cry:

[morlock with a day pass]

alan grant and norm breyfogle have an interesting roundtable discussion/ interview about their work on batman. got the link from this week's LITG at comicbookresources.com.

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2007/01/batman-alan-grant-norm-breyfogle-speak.html

anarky was to become the new robin? the joker is his father?! dc wanted an ongoing anarky book but his creator fought against it? and some gossip about guys at dc who acted like assholes. interesting stuff, long article.

i dont know that i completely agree with grant that his team defined batman for years to come. and i disagree with his opinion of catalclysm/no man's land, i enjoyed that story (bought some singles, all the tpb's and even the novelization by rucka). he does, however, point out two faulty plot points. bats taking three months off to prepare and giving the criminal element time to set up shop and take hold when he might have been able to nip things in the bud at the beginning is an arguable point. but kicking heroes out of gotham and refusing help from outside heroes seems impratical and foolish. the story would have played better if batman and his players/mythos were in their own universe seperate from any other dc superheroes. still a really good story. and article.

[Matt O'Keefe]

Sometimes I'll respond to a post without reading it at all.


i'm guilty of that too

I'm shocked:p

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I'm shocked:p

quiet you!

[Foggy's Pal]

Countdown 50
Upon initial reading, my reaction is that the Rogues portion of the issue was a waste of space and forced. Not sure there is really much to care about at this point. Joker section was a letdown. Mary Marvel's portion said nothing we didn't know from the previews. It was, however, cool to see Jason Todd kicking butt.
Really no spoilers but I didn't want to anger anyone who hasn't read yet.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Any day now I'll have Countdown 51 and 50. :boogie:

[Matt O'Keefe]

Any day now I'll have Countdown 51 and 50. :boogie:

Get shipping weekly, then you'd have it Saturday;)

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Get shipping weekly, then you'd have it Saturday;)

I will have it on Saturday (or close to that).

[Matt O'Keefe]

Ugh..... looks like these Didio interviews will be weekly. Why couldn't it be with Paul Dini:(

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=112883

[Gavin]

Did Jason Todd turn into a lizard or something when Bruce Jones was writing Nightwing?

[Ray G.]

Now for something completely different.........


This is what I think is going to happen during the whole Countdown.

Superman- Will cry....A LOT!
Batman- Will kick ass...A LOT
Aquaman- Will still confuse the hell out of me..
Wonder Woman- Will kiss Batman..NOT..
Supergirl- Will have shorter skirt due to A LOT of artist changes..
Power Girl- Will have breast reduction surgery
Wonder Girl- Will go Emo and now be called Depression Girl..
Green Lateran Corps- Will die and return..
Robin- Will worry if he got Wonder Girl preggers from that kiss..
Nightwing- Will kick ass at the DC's office for totally screwing him up..
Teen Titans- ummm..they will fight each other in typical teenage fashion..
JLA- Will get confused and start calling themselves The Less Filling Avengers
JSA- Will find that and another group call JSA made up of Ducks.
Booster Gold- Is still wondering about the worm that can eat time.
The Question- Wondering why she didn't get a monthly title!

I'm thinking you're going to be a great addition to the thread. :thumb:

[Matt O'Keefe]

Anyone else think that the Red Hood has the worst character design ever? He's just wearing a red ski mask and a leather jacket.

[Ray G.]

alan grant and norm breyfogle have an interesting roundtable discussion/ interview about their work on batman. got the link from this week's LITG at comicbookresources.com.

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2007/01/batman-alan-grant-norm-breyfogle-speak.html

anarky was to become the new robin? the joker is his father?! dc wanted an ongoing anarky book but his creator fought against it? and some gossip about guys at dc who acted like assholes. interesting stuff, long article.

i dont know that i completely agree with grant that his team defined batman for years to come. and i disagree with his opinion of catalclysm/no man's land, i enjoyed that story (bought some singles, all the tpb's and even the novelization by rucka). he does, however, point out two faulty plot points. bats taking three months off to prepare and giving the criminal element time to set up shop and take hold when he might have been able to nip things in the bud at the beginning is an arguable point. but kicking heroes out of gotham and refusing help from outside heroes seems impratical and foolish. the story would have played better if batman and his players/mythos were in their own universe seperate from any other dc superheroes. still a really good story. and article.

Yeah, Anarky was introduced almost side-by-side with Tim Drake, but editorial screw-ups messed up Grant's plans for him. It would have been interesting to have Lonnie Machin as Robin, but it's probably for the best. He would have been a bit too much like Jason Todd, and Tim is really perfect for the role. I'll have to read the article to see about why they were against the series. But Grant was quoted as saying that DC told him that he could make Joker Anarky's father, but no one else would ever follow up on it. It doesn't really make sense, though, because Joker wasn't in Arkham 16-17 years ago.

And Cataclysm/Aftershocks/No Man's Land is probably one of the definitive Batman stories.

[Ray G.]

Did Jason Todd turn into a lizard or something when Bruce Jones was writing Nightwing?

More like an insectoid/giant sentient poo monster.

Don't ask. Back away, and pretend you never heard of this. It's for the best.

[Ray G.]

Anyone else think that the Red Hood has the worst character design ever? He's just wearing a red ski mask and a leather jacket.

It's more of a red helmet. Not a ski mask.

Personally, I wish he would ditch it and go back to the outfit he wore in Hush.

[Matt O'Keefe]

It's more of a red helmet. Not a ski mask.

Personally, I wish he would ditch it and go back to the outfit he wore in Hush.

Ugh, that's even worse.

I don't get why they had to tie his coming back to life (which I say shouldn't have happened at all) with the Prime Punch. Why not just say he found the last Lazarus Pit?

[Ray G.]

Countdown this week...meh. It was good and all, but I expected more.

Supergirl this week was awesome, and made me very happy indeed. :D

[Matt O'Keefe]

Countdown this week...meh. It was good and all, but I expected more.

I expect Countdown to always be a bit meh. Not going to be nearly as strong as 52 was, for sure.



Supergirl this week was awesome, and made me very happy indeed. :D

Lemme guess, crotch shot of Supergirl?:roll:

[jfp2004]

Countdown was very meh this week. So far, it doesn't have the same drive as 52 did. What was up with the fight between Batman and Karate Kid? If you weren't reading JLA/JSA, you'd have absolutely no idea what that was about, and it seems like it's just...there. Unless that becomes relevant to Countdown itself, I don't see how that could be useful. It hasn't really picked up steam yet - there's some cool threads going, particularly Mary's to see what happens, but a lot of other things are just..eh.

Oh, and I was going to get Supergirl this week since I've been getting into it, but over the weekend a friend let me read Peter David's Supergirl run. I don't think I'll ever be able to read the current Supergirl after reading that run. Hard to believe they just wiped it all out of continuity.

[Vonn Hennigar]

According to that article on Newsarama, Dan Didio says "So – one of the things I wanted to be sure we did was establish who Karate Kid is very clearly. If that scene played very closely to the scene in Justice League, then so much the better, because we wanted to be very clear about where the story is taking place in conjunction with Countdown."


Yeah, great job of establishing who he is guys. Some asian dude fighting Batman who's named The Karate Kid.

75% of the audience is probably wondering where Mr.Miyagi is let alone trying to decipher why an Out Of continuity member of The Legion Of Super-Heroes is fighting Batman.

[TSChamp]

Countdown was very meh this week. So far, it doesn't have the same drive as 52 did. What was up with the fight between Batman and Karate Kid? If you weren't reading JLA/JSA, you'd have absolutely no idea what that was about, and it seems like it's just...there. Unless that becomes relevant to Countdown itself, I don't see how that could be useful. It hasn't really picked up steam yet - there's some cool threads going, particularly Mary's to see what happens, but a lot of other things are just..eh.

Oh, and I was going to get Supergirl this week since I've been getting into it, but over the weekend a friend let me read Peter David's Supergirl run. I don't think I'll ever be able to read the current Supergirl after reading that run. Hard to believe they just wiped it all out of continuity.

I really beginning to think it will be a good idea to wait TPB for Countdown. After CW, I don't feel like buy a bunch of comics to make sense of what is going on.

Please tell me that Supergirl didn't go sickly sweet and has a bad case of Superman worship. I will have to drop the title. Sorry Ray...

[bairdduvessa]

I'm shocked:p

:grope:

[Boris the Blade]

Countdown was bust. I liked the first issue, but this one stunk to high holy hell.

-Thanks for the Karate Kid scene. Way too late, as it would have happened between JLA #8/JSA#5, and that's already gone. Great. Awesome.
-Mary Marvel doesn't have her powers? And some spooky stuff to go with it? That's barely moved forward from the first issue at all.
-Mirror Master is hittin' the coke again. Cold was along for the Inertia mission, so why isn't he here? The Rogues are fighting and whining like children, nothing is really accomplished in this scene either, aside from more scenes showing that Piper still doesn't really get along with the Rogues. Which we found out last week. Ah.
-Jason Todd's introduction from this weeks book probably would have been better last week, y'know, when you were introducing the character to new readers. Whatever.
-The Joker scene was far too long and terribly written. Plus, it really told us nothing AGAIN. Oh, she's not really Joker's daughter? So he doesn't know anything about it? And this scene was, what, 1/5th of the book?

I even LIKED last weeks!

[Vonn Hennigar]

Don't forget that Grant Morrisons new and coughimprovedcough Joker from Batman # 663 is already kaput.

If you have no intention of using a certain version of a character then gasp don't let the writer write it that way regardless of who he is.

[jfp2004]

I really beginning to think it will be a good idea to wait TPB for Countdown. After CW, I don't feel like buy a bunch of comics to make sense of what is going on.

Please tell me that Supergirl didn't go sickly sweet and has a bad case of Superman worship. I will have to drop the title. Sorry Ray...

I think the current Supergirl just has a bad case of "no development or personality or strong supporting cast."

[jfp2004]

Countdown was bust. I liked the first issue, but this one stunk to high holy hell.

-Thanks for the Karate Kid scene. Way too late, as it would have happened between JLA #8/JSA#5, and that's already gone. Great. Awesome.
-Mary Marvel doesn't have her powers? And some spooky stuff to go with it? That's barely moved forward from the first issue at all.
-Mirror Master is hittin' the coke again. Cold was along for the Inertia mission, so why isn't he here? The Rogues are fighting and whining like children, nothing is really accomplished in this scene either, aside from more scenes showing that Piper still doesn't really get along with the Rogues. Which we found out last week. Ah.
-Jason Todd's introduction from this weeks book probably would have been better last week, y'know, when you were introducing the character to new readers. Whatever.
-The Joker scene was far too long and terribly written. Plus, it really told us nothing AGAIN. Oh, she's not really Joker's daughter? So he doesn't know anything about it? And this scene was, what, 1/5th of the book?

I even LIKED last weeks!

All excellent points. As much as I love the Rogues, it felt...off. "We don't trust you but we're extending an invitation to a scheme that if you don't prove yourselves and show up we'll hunt you down and kill you - but we still won't trust you!" Buh? I thought they'd gone 'good' because of what the Top did, not because they suddenly turned (which is a bit stupid, but hey...). Even more, wasn't Cold a somewhat legit person once? So confused.

[Ray G.]

DC Universe Reviews:

This issue, scripted by Palmiotti/Grey and drawn by J. Calafiore, isn't bad. It's just....there. The Jimmy Olsen story kicks off this week, and it's not exactly thrilling. The issue opens with Jimmy, guided by Superman, heading to a meeting with none other than the Red Hood, who he interrupts in the middle of a battle with some thugs. Jason(who Jimmy knows the identity of), is surprisingly receptive to Jimmy's questions about the death of Duela Dent, and his comments lead Jimmy to head to Arkham for a chat with Duela's "father - The Joker. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel is meeting with Madam Xanadu for a discussion of her powers and her search for Freddy Freeman. There are some slightly creepy prophecies about Mary's future delivered, but nothing concrete. For no apparent reason, we're then treated to the fight between Batman and Karate Kid from the Lightning Saga. I suppose this is to orient us in the timeframe. At this point, we cut to the gathering of the Rogues. Heat Wave makes it perfectly clear he doesn't trust Trickster and Piper, and will be testing them out. I wonder if this ties in with the Rogues' appearance in Flash today. Either way, Trickster and Piper continue to be entertaining characters. The issue ends with Jimmy meeting with Joker, and finding out that Duela wasn't Joker's daughter at all. Joker gets off some great lines here, and is probably one of my favorite parts of the issue. The cliffhanger involves Killer Croc coming out of fucking nowhere and lunging at Jimmy. Not a great issue, but next issue brings the Monitors back into play. Let's hope it picks up.

This final arc of Joe Kelly's Supergirl run is really hitting on all cylinders lately, even though I suspect less casual fans of the DCU will be more than a bit puzzled by the whole thing. Kara, after being gone for a month during her suspended animation flashback in the sun, returns to a world that's been overrun by phantom zone spirits, posessing the bodies and minds of her friends. The issue takes on an extremely creepy, dawn of the dead-style tone as Kara is forced to fight of posessed friends from her ill-fated school experiment, as well as a posessed Robin and Wonder Girl. Stripped of her powers under the reddened sun, her crystal spikes become her only defense, and they're still pretty creepy, but make sense in retrospect. A powerless Superman is one of Earth's only defenses, fighting from behind a suit of armor. When Kara returns, she explains everything to him, and he realizes that killing him might be the only thing that can save the world. Both Clark and Kara are written exceptionally here. And from behind the scenes, two mysterious villains watch, orchestrating the whole thing. As Kara's about to do what she was sent to and kill Superman....the real Supergirl shows up. Or does she? This title is one hell of a ride, and the next two issues look to get even better.

Another Meltzer-penned chapter of The Lightning Saga, and the quality drops again. Unlike the first chapter, there's the strong foundation of the story to build on this time, so it's less glaring. We continue to reveal the Legion members trapped among the current day superheroes one by one. Joining Karate Kid, Starman, Dream Girl, and Wildfire this issue are Dawnstar and Timber Wolf, as it starts to become clear that each Legionairre has been trapped in a personal hell by some mysterious villain who knows them very well. Timber Wolf has been living in Gorilla City as one of them. The weakest part of this issue continues to be the dialogue, as the painful interplay between Hawkgirl and Red Arrow gets far too much screen time. However, things really start to heat up towards the end of the issue, as the true villains are revealed(the trio of Per Degaton, Ultra-Humanite, and Despero), as well as the purpose of the Legionnaires' trip to the present. They're here to kill one of their own. Who? Well, there's one member still to be revealed. I'm guessing we're going to find out. Bring on JSA.

Despite it suffering from the same flaws that have plagued the entire run so far, I actually found myself liking this issue of Morrison-penned Batman, due to some solid character work. The mystery of "The Black Casebook" is explained this issue, revealing itself to be a collection of every unexplainable phenomenon that Batman has ever encountered. IE, all the paranormal stuff he doesn't like to think about. Batman got the shit kicked out of him by the evil giant Batman last issue, and survives intact, but barely. Tim, looking to prove himself after the Damien fiasco, goes after him alone. The book hints that there's a lot more to the psycho cop Batman and the giant hulk Batman than we thought. They all tie into a hallucination Batman had once, regarding three evil Batman, including a third who sold Gotham to the Devil. And next issue is Damien Wayne vs. the Devil. Gee. But the interplay between Batman and Tim is very solid here, and that pushes it up a few points, as does the great Batman/Gordon scene towards the end. The appearance of Damien at the end, as well as the shoehorned in romance between Bruce and Jezebel, knocks it down a bit, but this is still the best issue of the run so far.

Another strong issue as Flash takes on a coalition of all the deadliest enemies he's inherited from his predecessors. I'm not sure if this ties into the Rogues' gathering in Countdown, but Trickster and Pied Piper get some cool moments here too. Inertia is the new mastermind of the Rogues, and is very quick to turn on one of his own when Abra Kadabra figures out that the groups's goals may not be exactly what Inertia told them. Despite Bart still being sort of dull, compared to his former self, Guggenheim has a very solid take on the Flash's powers, and uses them rather inventively. The truth of Inertia's invention is that it's used to strip the Flash of the Speed Force and transfer it to him. But as Bart's love interest, Val discovered, there's a bit of a catch. The Speed Force bonded with Bart, and no one else can handle it. So if Inertia tries to absorb it, he'll go nuclear. But he doesn't know that. The issue ends with Bart, powerless, at the mercy of the Rogues, while Inertia prepares to do something that'll take out the whole city. Next issue promises to be big, and then we lead into the return of...somebody.

I felt that the second half of the "Redemption" fill-in by Fabien Nicieza was stronger than the first, but it still feels pretty irrelevant, even if there are a few twists. However, there's continuity, and then there's an issue tying in with another fill-in issue of Superman from four months ago. I was pretty surprised to see Barbara Jordan, the old woman who saw Superman as an angel, show up here, but she was used effectively to demonstrate Superman's crisis of faith as he battled another hero who has nothing but faith. The best part of the issue was the reveal that Redemption was actually nothing more than an innocent boy being used as a pawn by the reverend - the true source of power. The Reverend was a WW2 veteran who lost control of his powers and killed a large number of soldiers in the conflict. Since then, he bottled his powers up and eventually translated them to a young man in his ministry. It's a pretty good twist that elevates this mediocre story to a slightly higher level. Nicieza does a good job of exploring Superman's issues with religion, but the story still feels slightly irrelevant. Next month, Buseik and Supergirl! :boogie:

By far the weakest part of the crossover so far. We're three-fourths of the way in, and still not much of anything has happened besides the Outsiders being captured, forced to work with Checkmate, and then going on a road trip to Oolong Island. Last issue, they were attacked by a giant sea monster. This week, Grace and Thunder stop it, while reminding us 22 more times that they're a couple now. Thanks for fulfilling stereotypes, Winick. The bulk of the rest of the issue is the teams bickering with each other. First over who goes with what team, then over what they're doing while they're waiting, etc. There's a few interesting scenes regarding Amanda Waller, and a nice interaction between Nightwing and Sasha Bordeaux, but that's about it. And then, Tommy Jagger reveals he's gay out of nowhere(this wasn't revealed prior, was it?). I half expected Egg-Fu to jump out and scream "I am gay for everyone!" next. Cookies if you get the reference. The end of the issue involves one team being surrounded by Oolong robots and mutant freakshows. Next issue had better be really good, or this crossover is officially a bust.

This title is really becoming a parody of itself, honestly. How many times can we go through this exact same storyline? Oh, look. Holly's Catwoman because Selina has a baby. Oh, look. Holly's getting her butt kicked by a d-list villain we're pretending is cool, so Selina has to find a babysitter so she can go kick butt. Oh, look. Lame d-list villain we're pretending is cool is going to try to go after Selina's baby. Oh noes. This is so tired it's not even funny. This issue's dregs of villainy are the horrid Hammer and Sickle, crazed cold-war refugee brother and sister. They're cyborgs now. Whee. But yeah, that's pretty much the entire issue. Slam Bradley get's one cool scene, which just serves to remind how awesome this book USED to be when he had what to do. I give this issue the bonus 1/2 star because of Holly. She's still cool. Too bad she's probably dead, as they hype that "a catwoman falls" next issue. Methinks this book is finally joining Hawkgirl on the dropped list if that happens. And I can't say I'm too worried about Selina's baby. Something tells me she's going to be fine.

Meh. The spectacular awfulness of the first two issues seems to have given way to a more routine badness here. The art seems to have improved slightly, making the characters slightly less laughable to look at. Slightly. I'm glad to see Sub Diego and it's supporting characters such as Mayor Cal Durham and Alonzo Malrey making a comeback. The current plot that's running, about the takeover of Sub Diego by Black Manta, has promise. It's just too bad everything is written on such a weak, jokey level. The cartoony art doesn't help take the plot seriously at all either. Topo continues to be incredibly irritating, and the story introduces what may be the single most bizarre group of characters in the history of DC comics - a trio of female undersea adventurers - who happen to have the faces of a seal, a dolphin, and a crab! What is Williams smoking? I'm also amused by the fact that everyone seems to have calmly moved on from...um...the death of fucking Aquaman two issues ago! It seems like Williams just wanted to be rid of Orin as quickly and with as little fanfare as possible. This issue? Promising outline, horrible execution.

Bonus Reviews:

Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant. With this issue, Frank Miller's grand "Punk'd" experiment finally reaches its magnificent apex. The first issue involves wonder Woman calling a random man a "sperm bank". The first meeting of the JLA involves Superman and Wonder Woman arguing over whether to be nice and try to reason with Batman, or to cut his head off. They insult each other, and then start randomly making out. Hal Jordan and Plastic Man are on hand to make dirty comments. Meanwhile, the Goddamn Batman runs around rooftops, cackling about how it's a night for hunters. Then he deliberately breaks a mugger's arm, gloats about how it'll never heal right, and tells the mugging victim not to call 9/11 for a while. Meanwhile, Alfred works out with a punching bag, and Dick plays with a battle axe. Jim Lee's art is good, but you can't take away from the fact that this is deliberately one of the worst comics ever written. Brilliant in its suck.

[Boris the Blade]

JLA was a huge mess too, and I was into it until now.

Just way too many random vague crap going on. Check it out, the JLA and JSA are working together! Plus the old Legion is back! I was still on board there, although a little skeptical. Now, let's see, there's a magic belt from Wildfire's chest (does he usually store random things in his chest?) now Ultra-Humanite, Per Degaton and Despero are all there, being vague, there's some sort of savior Gorilla child who has some vague purpose, the Legion are all acting funny and, yes, being vague. Roy is being absolutely creepy and annoying around Kendra. Seems like the character can't catch a break, first creepy Hawkman is creepy around her, now creepy Red Arrow is creepy around her. Great. The lightning rods at the end, and the fact they've got 6 out of some supposed, last second revealed missing seventh Legion member points to Lightning Boy. But why the fuck would I care yet? God, I'm hoping that this absolute disaster gets cleaned up next issue, because I think I'm done.

The Flash was pretty good, getting there again.

[Ray G.]

BTW, for everyone thinking about dropping Countdown, I hope you'll at least ride out one full cycle, so all the writers get a chance. It's 5 issues. I say this because McKeever is last on the cycle. :)

[Boris the Blade]

BTW, for everyone thinking about dropping Countdown, I hope you'll at least ride out one full cycle, so all the writers get a chance. It's 5 issues. I say this because McKeever is last on the cycle. :)
No offense to him, if things keep going this way I will not make it to his issue.

[TSChamp]

No offense to him, if things keep going this way I will not make it to his issue.

I have to agree with this statement of fact. I give any new comic 3 issues to get me interested. Then I will either add it to my pull list or drop it forever.

[UltimateQuintessa]

Countdown that bad huh?

[TSChamp]

Countdown that bad huh?

To be honest, it is too early to say for sure. I was really disappointed on how 52 ended. I not too thrilled about another weekly comic right now after not liking the first issue. I wish they would just get on with it and stop plodding a long.

[Ray G.]

Countdown that bad huh?

Not in my opinion. Right now, it just sort of feels meandering and slightly irrelevant. But I really liked the first issue. This may have just been an off one.

[UltimateQuintessa]

It sucks but I think I'm gonna have to skip Countdown due to budget constraints. Especially when later this summer three or four mini series I'm really stoked about are launching.

[Ray G.]

ASB&R review up. :lol:

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Bonus Reviews:

Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant. With this issue, Frank Miller's grand "Punk'd" experiment finally reaches its magnificent apex. The first issue involves wonder Woman calling a random man a "sperm bank". The first meeting of the JLA involves Superman and Wonder Woman arguing over whether to be nice and try to reason with Batman, or to cut his head off. They insult each other, and then start randomly making out. Hal Jordan and Plastic Man are on hand to make dirty comments. Meanwhile, the Goddamn Batman runs around rooftops, cackling about how it's a night for hunters. Then he deliberately breaks a mugger's arm, gloats about how it'll never heal right, and tells the mugging victim not to call 9/11 for a while. Meanwhile, Alfred works out with a punching bag, and Dick plays with a battle axe. Jim Lee's art is good, but you can't take away from the fact that this is deliberately one of the worst comics ever written. Brilliant in its suck.

:rofl:

[TSChamp]

ASB&R review up. :lol:

Please Ray tell us what the real book is like. This can't be the actual issue because well...ummmm...it sounds really fucked up.

[Boris the Blade]

Please Ray tell us what the real book is like. This can't be the actual issue because well...ummmm...it sounds really fucked up.
He tells the truth there, it is absolutely ludicrous.

[Vonn Hennigar]

Honestly it still sounds better than Supergirl.

No joke that sounds horrifically bad. Good riddance to bad rubbish in the criminally overhyped Joe Kelly.

[TSChamp]

He tells the truth there, it is absolutely ludicrous.

For real? Ok. Frankie boy is smoking some fucked up shit...

[Matt O'Keefe]

BTW, for everyone thinking about dropping Countdown, I hope you'll at least ride out one full cycle, so all the writers get a chance. It's 5 issues. I say this because McKeever is last on the cycle. :)

I've already pre-ordered the first 12 issues. I'll wait until I've read the first 6-7 issues before making my final decision. I hope they announce which writer is writing which issue, I might decide to soley buy McKeever and Dini-penned stories.

[Matt O'Keefe]

Not in my opinion. Right now, it just sort of feels meandering and slightly irrelevant. But I really liked the first issue. This may have just been an off one.

I didn't like the first issue, so it looks like this might not be my type of book.

And Ray, maybe you should adjust the star system a bit. If 3* is "average" it doesn't offer too much leg room to define the comics as more than good or bad.


ASB&R review up. :lol:

I'm waiting for the hardcover but I don't think it'll be as bad as people have been saying. Sounds like a riot to me.

[Ray G.]

I didn't like the first issue, so it looks like this might not be my type of book.

And Ray, maybe you should adjust the star system a bit. If 3* is "average" it doesn't offer too much leg room to define the comics as more than good or bad.


How so? I give half-stars too. It can be translated perfectly to a 1-10 scale.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I'm waiting for the hardcover but I don't think it'll be as bad as people have been saying. Sounds like a riot to me.

It's utter crap. (I've only read the first three issues so keep that in mind).

All it is is Batman cackling like a madman, with no story progression.

If you base as much importance on writing as you claim to, I can't imagine that you would like it.

[Matt O'Keefe]

How so? I give half-stars too. It can be translated perfectly to a 1-10 scale.

It's similar to our problem at the review thread. How do you grade your books? As in, how good does it have to be to deserve four*?

Kind of forgot about 1/2 stars, though, that makes it more workable than I'd been thinking.

[The Doctor]

It's more of a red helmet. Not a ski mask.

Personally, I wish he would ditch it and go back to the outfit he wore in Hush.
Ditto I loved that costume.

Don't forget that Grant Morrisons new and coughimprovedcough Joker from Batman # 663 is already kaput.

If you have no intention of using a certain version of a character then gasp don't let the writer write it that way regardless of who he is.
Something lasting in DC?:eek:

Please Ray tell us what the real book is like. This can't be the actual issue because well...ummmm...it sounds really fucked up.
No he's probably telling the truth.

What a waste.

It's utter crap. (I've only read the first three issues so keep that in mind).

All it is is Batman cackling like a madman, with no story progression.

If you base as much importance on writing as you claim to, I can't imagine that you would like it.
Matt'll like it. No goblin baby's in sight so it gets the thumbs up.

[Matt O'Keefe]

It's utter crap. (I've only read the first three issues so keep that in mind).

All it is is Batman cackling like a madman, with no story progression.

If you base as much importance on writing as you claim to, I can't imagine that you would like it.

Sounds like some hilarious satire to me.


Matt'll like it. No goblin baby's in sight so it gets the thumbs up.

You don't know me at all:nonono2:
It gets two;)


:thumb::thumb:

[The Doctor]

You don't know me at all:nonono2:
It gets two;)


:thumb::thumb:

Did you read the Stan Lee meets Doc Strange one shot?

The Impossible man shares your view.

[Matt O'Keefe]

Did you read the Stan Lee meets Doc Strange one shot?

The Impossible man shares your view.

I might have, not sure. I know I only ended up reading 3 out of the 5. I was pretty surprised that Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man is up for an Eisner.

[The Doctor]

I might have, not sure. I know I only ended up reading 3 out of the 5. I was pretty surprised that Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man is up for an Eisner.

Why? It was fun.

[Matt O'Keefe]

Why? It was fun.

I just didn't get that much out of it. I'll find it in my pullbox and reread it this weekend, see if my opinion changes.

[The Doctor]

I just didn't get that much out of it. I'll find it in my pullbox and reread it this weekend, see if my opinion changes.
Fun!

[Matt O'Keefe]

Fun!

I like fun! I'll definitely read it this weekend.

[The Doctor]

I like fun! I'll definitely read it this weekend.

Good show.

[Generic Poster]

So, people seriously like Meltzer's JLA? It's just . . . terrible. Like, more terrible than the Goddamn All Star Batman terrible (which is at least a deliberate fuck you). I was buying it for the JSA crossover, but fuck that. I'm just Byrne-stealing the remaining JLA parts of "the Lightening Saga."

[TSChamp]

So, people seriously like Meltzer's JLA? It's just . . . terrible. Like, more terrible than the Goddamn All Star Batman terrible (which is at least a deliberate fuck you). I was buying it for the JSA crossover, but fuck that. I'm just Byrne-stealing the remaining JLA parts of "the Lightening Saga."

In my august opinion, the first arc plodding along like cows eating grass. Meltzer need to pick up the tempo a little. Other than that, I enjoy it.

[Hock]

Countdown #50 - :thumb:
I've said I'm going to give countdown 4 issues before I decide wether or not to get the whole thing, and as of this issue, I'm still on the fence, leaning slightly towards not.
How does Jimmy know about Jason Todd and Dick Grayson, what the fuck is Karate Kid doing in the book. There seems to be lines in there that are for people reading specific books, some of the remarks by Black Lighting are only going to be fully appreciated by people reading JLA, some of the remarks by the Rogues only by people reading Flash. What will happen when books I'm not reading are being referenced. I'd be able to overlook all that if a storyline were to really grab me, but none have yet.

JLA #9 - :thumb:
The lightning Saga is much better paced then the Tornado's Path or whatever the first arc was called. It's not as great as the JSA issue was, but still better, I like it, and enjoyed it.
Finally the villains are revealed, and I like it. Ultra Humanite is the shit. Timber Wolf in gorrila city was good, as well as the JLA/JSA'ers on that mission. And the Red arrow/Hawkgirl thing is seeming forced and not natural.

Flash #12 - :thumb:
The Flash is continuing to be written well, and the Rogues are written better this issue then the past couple by Gugenheim, but some things were a little. :-?
The Black Flash, what the fuck? The plot by Inertia is actually good, to steal the speed force, and it's good to see some follow up to speed force, but what about Wally and his family? Aren't they living in the speed force or something? Is Wally the one coming back next issue? All I have to say is it goddamn better be.

All Star Batman and Robin #5 - :nonono2:
I've been loving this series up until now, it was ridiculous and fun, but this issue, all the fun was gone, it was just way too fucking ridiculous :nonono2:

[Hock]

Ignore post count. That is the way to true enlightenment.

:thumb:

You should only be concerned with quality of posts, not quantity.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

So, people seriously like Meltzer's JLA? It's just . . . terrible. Like, more terrible than the Goddamn All Star Batman terrible (which is at least a deliberate fuck you). I was buying it for the JSA crossover, but fuck that. I'm just Byrne-stealing the remaining JLA parts of "the Lightening Saga."

JLA is crap, but I do find All-Star Bats to be far far worse.

[Hock]

So on the cover of The Flash #12 is the Cpation RUNNING OUT OF TIME! I wonder how often that has appeared on the cover of The Flash?

[Hock]

Now for something completely different.........


This is what I think is going to happen during the whole Countdown.

Superman- Will cry....A LOT!
Batman- Will kick ass...A LOT
Aquaman- Will still confuse the hell out of me..
Wonder Woman- Will kiss Batman..NOT..
Supergirl- Will have shorter skirt due to A LOT of artist changes..
Power Girl- Will have breast reduction surgery
Wonder Girl- Will go Emo and now be called Depression Girl..
Green Lateran Corps- Will die and return..
Robin- Will worry if he got Wonder Girl preggers from that kiss..
Nightwing- Will kick ass at the DC's office for totally screwing him up..
Teen Titans- ummm..they will fight each other in typical teenage fashion..
JLA- Will get confused and start calling themselves The Less Filling Avengers
JSA- Will find that and another group call JSA made up of Ducks.
Booster Gold- Is still wondering about the worm that can eat time.
The Question- Wondering why she didn't get a monthly title!

:thumb:

The one's in bold? :rock:

[Hock]

BTW, for everyone thinking about dropping Countdown, I hope you'll at least ride out one full cycle, so all the writers get a chance. It's 5 issues. I say this because McKeever is last on the cycle. :)

I may be willing to extend my decision about getting it all or not by one issue, but honestly, I don't think one issue will make the difference.

[Hock]

How so? I give half-stars too. It can be translated perfectly to a 1-10 scale.

Except, the 1-10 scale can have .5's, so the 1-10 is still more versatile.

[lonesomefool]

Nobody was able to sum up what I do in this thread in a sentence....I dont know if I should be flattered, or offended.

[Vonn Hennigar]

Justice League Of America # 9.

I have no clue what the fuck's going on. None.

Why am i wasting my time reading this shit?

[jfp2004]

Justice League Of America # 9.

I have no clue what the fuck's going on. None.

Why am i wasting my time reading this shit?

So you can enjoy mocking it on the Internet with others? That's what I tell myself when I buy a crappy book.

[jfp2004]

So, people seriously like Meltzer's JLA? It's just . . . terrible. Like, more terrible than the Goddamn All Star Batman terrible (which is at least a deliberate fuck you). I was buying it for the JSA crossover, but fuck that. I'm just Byrne-stealing the remaining JLA parts of "the Lightening Saga."

I personally can't stand his Justice League...but it's not JUST because of his writing. In fact, it's not even his writing, it's his pacing, the plot, and characters. There's nice action scenes and nice character moments every now and then, but it's not worth paying for each month. There's not enough...OOPMH!

[Foggy's Pal]

I may be willing to extend my decision about getting it all or not by one issue, but honestly, I don't think one issue will make the difference.

I'm going to have to agree. I am going to drop this simply because I don't have an extra $150 to be spent on an iffy book. There are more books to spend $ on: Booster, Battlin Jack Murdoch, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer, etc.

[SteveZegers]

Action Comics #849 $2.99 – Not bad for a filler issue. A little bit too preachy.

All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder #5 – I know feelings on this book are mixed-to-negative, but I read the whole thing with a big smile on my face. It’s just been so much fun.

Batman #665 $2.99 – I never made the connection between the upcoming issue 666 and Damian. I love it! This is the kind of Batman I really like.

Checkmate Vol 2 #14 $2.99 – This book seemd to fall apart near the end. The quality of the art fell off a bit. Looked like that to me. Nice interaction with the two teams, really enjoying Count Vertigo. (This thing with Boomer should be huge. I hope this get’s explored)

Countdown #50 $2.99 – I really liked all the stuff with Jimmy. It was just some classic “Superman’s Pal” action. It’s weird seeing him with the Joker, feels a little out of place, but I guess if Jimmy is going to be playing a bigger part, we have to get used to it. (I’m ok with that.) Poor Mary!

Flash The Fastest Man Alive #12 $2.99 – Looks like someone is coming back next issue. You have this concentrated speed force, lots of possibilities there. Better, still not great.

Justice League Of America Vol 2 #9 Regular Michael Turner Cover $2.99 – Hawkman, you dog! Good for you. My favorite part of this book is still the character stuff. The little conversations going on in between “story”. That’s what has me hooked in. Still enjoying this quite a bit. Heck, Gorilla City, the Ultra Humanite in his monkey body, etc… Great stuff.

Supergirl Vol 5 #17 $2.99 – If this book was being done correctly, I would turn to the last page and say “OH no! Kara’s in trouble! I hope she takes out that fake new Supergirl!”, but because of the way this book has been going, I actually hope the girl at the end is the real Supergirl. The nice, non-skanky Supergirl without crystals growing out of her back. (And don’t the crystals pop out when she get’s cut? How could Robin cut her?) And this is the big reunion with Clark? Bah! Getting better, and the art is a big part of that, but still not great.

[Deej]

Justice League Of America # 9.

I have no clue what the fuck's going on. None.

Why am i wasting my time reading this shit?

I have no clue what the story is about but I'm really enjoying how Meltzer is writing the characters. Very enjoyable to me!

[SteveZegers]

So, people seriously like Meltzer's JLA? It's just . . . terrible. Like, more terrible than the Goddamn All Star Batman terrible (which is at least a deliberate fuck you). I was buying it for the JSA crossover, but fuck that. I'm just Byrne-stealing the remaining JLA parts of "the Lightening Saga."

I love it. The guy loves these characters, and is great at writing their personalities and interactions. All that is great. It's secondary to the story, but I happen to like the story too.

[TSChamp]

I am still waiting for someone to explain Nightwing to me. Even after reading the Annual I am still wonder what the hell happened to him. 52 made it worst.

[Deej]

I love it. The guy loves these characters, and is great at writing their personalities and interactions. All that is great. It's secondary to the story, but I happen to like the story too.

I agree with you Steve!! Now take me away to the Silver Ageeeeeeee!

;)

Actually, I really did like the issue even if I still have no clue what's going on.

[SteveZegers]

I agree with you Steve!! Now take me away to the Silver Ageeeeeeee!

;)

Actually, I really did like the issue even if I still have no clue what's going on.

It feels like one of those alod GI Joe cartoon specials where they had to travel all over the world to get the pieces of the Mass Device or Weather Dominator. I love that about it! They just split into teams to find the Legion, but that isn't even that important. We get to see the go the Thanagar or Gorilla City, or whatever. It's fun!

And I think the legion is trying to revive someone. The little lightning rods reminded me of something from the showcase book. It seems like it's got something to do with Lightning Lad, though I have no idea what.

[The Doctor]

I flicked through All Star Batman in my LCS today. It made me feel really sad.

[SteveZegers]

I flicked through All Star Batman in my LCS today. It made me feel really sad.

I read it, and it made me really really happy. You just can't take it seriously.

[The Doctor]

I read it, and it made me really really happy. You just can't take it seriously.

There's a number of things that bother me about the book.

I don't think it's fair this book get hailed as great when there are books that are millions of times better get dumped on every month for minor mistakes (and most of these are mistakes are pointed out to lack of knowledge on continuity or nit-picking).

However All Star Batman is written by Frank so its okay and that's a little depressing.

[SteveZegers]

There's a number of things that bother me about the book.

I don't think it's fair this book get hailed as great when there are books that are millions of times better get dumped on every month for minor mistakes (and most of these are mistakes are pointed out to lack of knowledge on continuity or nit-picking).

However All Star Batman is written by Frank so its okay and that's a little depressing.

I'm just going on my reaction, which is "very, very amused by this book".

[Deej]

It feels like one of those alod GI Joe cartoon specials where they had to travel all over the world to get the pieces of the Mass Device or Weather Dominator. I love that about it! They just split into teams to find the Legion, but that isn't even that important. We get to see the go the Thanagar or Gorilla City, or whatever. It's fun!

And I think the legion is trying to revive someone. The little lightning rods reminded me of something from the showcase book. It seems like it's got something to do with Lightning Lad, though I have no idea what.

I like that Power Girl has been helping rebuild Thanagar and that Carter is once again a cop there.

And Gorilla City was pretty cool. Seems like lots of cool stuff and laying out some potential stories with them in the future. I just don't get how Vixen is anywhere near the speed of Jay Garrick.

[SteveZegers]

I like that Power Girl has been helping rebuild Thanagar and that Carter is once again a cop there.

And Gorilla City was pretty cool. Seems like lots of cool stuff and laying out some potential stories with them in the future. I just don't get how Vixen is anywhere near the speed of Jay Garrick.

Jay was always the slowest Flash. And he isn't getting power from the Speed Force anymore. She wouldn't be as fast, but I can see her getting close.

[Deej]

Jay was always the slowest Flash. And he isn't getting power from the Speed Force anymore. She wouldn't be as fast, but I can see her getting close.

So how is he still running so fast if there's no Speed Force?? And I know he existed long before the Speed Force...I just didn't know if he got an extra boost from it on top of whatever powers he has.

[SteveZegers]

So how is he still running so fast if there's no Speed Force?? And I know he existed long before the Speed Force...I just didn't know if he got an extra boost from it on top of whatever powers he has.

I don't remember how they explained it.

[Generic Poster]

I love it. The guy loves these characters, and is great at writing their personalities and interactions. All that is great. It's secondary to the story, but I happen to like the story too.

"You know you want to fluff my nest, baby" is writing great interactions between the characters? I don't get it, but different strokes and all that.

[SteveZegers]

"You know you want to fluff my nest, baby" is writing great interactions between the characters? I don't get it, but different strokes and all that.

It's fun!

[Deej]

"You know you want to fluff my nest, baby" is writing great interactions between the characters? I don't get it, but different strokes and all that.

It's definitely fun.

[Deej]

So...the Interlac has been translated!! I didn't even realize that DC actually had a true Interlac language dictionary. I thought it was just made up mumbo jumbo.

They're saying...

Lightning Lad

[Foggy's Pal]

I thought Booster was suppose to start in July. I didn't see it in the DCBS solicits. Anyone know?

[SteveZegers]

So...the Interlac has been translated!! I didn't even realize that DC actually had a true Interlac language dictionary. I thought it was just made up mumbo jumbo.

They're saying...

Lightning Lad

I called it!

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I thought Booster was suppose to start in July. I didn't see it in the DCBS solicits. Anyone know?

No idea. Best guess would be to wait for the new solicits, which will be out next week, I do believe.

[Deej]

I called it!

I figured as much when they're putting together this fragile looking lightning rod. Do you think this is too much setup right now?? I actually enjoy the character interactions...but I can see where people want to see things moving already.

[SteveZegers]

I figured as much when they're putting together this fragile looking lightning rod. Do you think this is too much setup right now?? I actually enjoy the character interactions...but I can see where people want to see things moving already.

It works for this book. There are some that are painful to read because they're so dammed slow, but I don't think this is one of them.

[Michael Blacklist]

I figured as much when they're putting together this fragile looking lightning rod. Do you think this is too much setup right now?? I actually enjoy the character interactions...but I can see where people want to see things moving already.

As obvious an homage those little lightning rods are to that Silver Age story where they revived Lightning Lad, I have a nagging feeling that this involves Barry Allen somehow. I don't think the huge JLA/JSA crossover would be completely about the Legion.

[SteveZegers]

This is the one I was thinking of:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/SteveZ/Adventure.jpg

[Michael Blacklist]

This is the one I was thinking of:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/SteveZ/Adventure.jpg

Me too. I was so creeped out reading that story as a kid.

[Ray G.]

This is the one I was thinking of:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/SteveZ/Adventure.jpg

Wow. This is so clearly a take on that. Cool.

So, who do you think the last Legionnaire is? Superman? Mon-El? Chameleon? Lightning Lad himself? Someone else?

[SteveZegers]

Me too. I was so creeped out reading that story as a kid.

I'm creeped out by that hairstyle on Lightning Lass. She looks like my mom.

[Michael Blacklist]

I'm creeped out by that hairstyle on Lightning Lass. She looks like my mom.

I think all of our moms have had that style at least once.

[The Doctor]

I'm just going on my reaction, which is "very, very amused by this book".

We'll see whose amused when the goddamn Batman gets his hand on Krypto.

[Deej]

We'll see whose amused when the goddamn Batman gets his hand on Krypto.

Oh no!!! Is the goddamn Batman going to use Bat PeanutButter on his Bat Testicles again???!?!? :scared:

[The Doctor]

Oh no!!! Is the goddamn Batman going to use Bat PeanutButter on his Bat Testicles again???!?!? :scared:

I was thinking he has certain fetishes.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Oh no!!! Is the goddamn Batman going to use Bat PeanutButter on his Bat Testicles again???!?!? :scared:

:nonono2:

[Deej]

:nonono2:

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel???

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel???

:-D

[bairdduvessa]

so i just read ASB&R...i don't know if i liked or hated it

[Vonn Hennigar]

so i just read ASB&R...i don't know if i liked or hated it

I read all 5 issues this morning in one sitting.

Even worse than i remembered. Jim Lee's stuff looks purty though.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

so i just read ASB&R...i don't know if i liked or hated it

I've been considering going back and re-reading the first three issues, which is all I bought, to see if its as bad as I remember.

[Vonn Hennigar]

Dick Grayson being on a Milk Carton 2 hours after being kidnapped may be the funniest scene i've EVER seen in a comic.

Seriously! i laughed out loud hysterically. I don't know why anyone's surprised though , Frank Miller lost it over a decade ago but no one seems to care unlike say John Bryne.

[lonesomefool]

Ok, been awhile since I did some reviews, so here goes.

Countdown #51-Paul Dini and Jesus Saiz
Ok, where to start. First off, the good stuff, Jesus Saiz's artwork is very solid, it's still a little weird, not to see him drawing darker material, ala Manhunter and Checkmate, but he still does a very good job here. The writing, however is a bit uneven. In theory, it's a nice idea to introduce the main story elements and characters, but by doing that, it also feels rushed in parts, and worst of all, too much is left unexplained to anyone unfamiliar with recent storylines of these characers. For instance, I got the Red Hood storyline, but I havent been reading the Judd Winick Shazam! mini, so the Mary Marvel story left me confused. This book, unless the quality spikes in the next couple of issues, is gonna be dropped by me. I am trying to spend less on comics for a variety of reasons, including a new woman and high gas prices. I'm not gonna stick around, just to see what it's counting down to, and drop cash on the book, just for that.

Batman #665
You know, outside of that HORRIBLE prose issue, this book under Morrison hasnt been all that bad. That said, it hasnt been all that great either, especially considering the creative team of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. That said, this storyline hasnt been all that bad, and while it isnt great, it's good enough to keep me around. I am a little suprised how "typical" this storyline is for a Grant Morrison book, crooked cops, drugs, and hookers have been the main story line for Batman for 30 years now. That said, at least Morrison doesnt have Batman on the moon fighting a dirty cop who hooks and does drugs on the side.

Checkmate #13-First part of the Outsiders crossover and this is off to a solid start. Joe Bennet does a very good job on art, and Rucka and Winnick do a good job on the story. This isnt as good as recent issues of Checkmate have been, but it's better than recent Outsiders issues.

More later....

[bairdduvessa]

Dick Grayson being on a Milk Carton 2 hours after being kidnapped may be the funniest scene i've EVER seen in a comic.

Seriously! i laughed out loud hysterically. I don't know why anyone's surprised though , Frank Miller lost it over a decade ago but no one seems to care unlike say John Bryne.

he went completely over the edge post 9-11

[lonesomefool]

Dick Grayson being on a Milk Carton 2 hours after being kidnapped may be the funniest scene i've EVER seen in a comic.

Seriously! i laughed out loud hysterically. I don't know why anyone's surprised though , Frank Miller lost it over a decade ago but no one seems to care unlike say John Bryne.

It's because unlike Byrne, Miller has produced some of the greatest comic stories of all time in the eyes of many, a lot of people here and reading comics right now grew up on Miller's Daredevil, and unlike Byrne, Miller hasnt gone on the internet and bitched about fans and popular creators like a bitter old man. Not saying Miller hasnt ripped comic fans and creators, but he has been a lot less combative than Byrne, who get's what he deserves IMO.

[bairdduvessa]

so what have i missed over the past two days

[Matt O'Keefe]

Dick Grayson being on a Milk Carton 2 hours after being kidnapped may be the funniest scene i've EVER seen in a comic.

Seriously! i laughed out loud hysterically. I don't know why anyone's surprised though , Frank Miller lost it over a decade ago but no one seems to care unlike say John Bryne.

I haven't read it yet (trade-waiting) but maybe all this is just intentional. Everything I've seen makes it look like a really good parody.


he went completely over the edge post 9-11

He mentioned in the foreword that half-way through DKSA his story changed dramatically because of 9/11.

[Ray G.]

It's because unlike Byrne, Miller has produced some of the greatest comic stories of all time in the eyes of many, a lot of people here and reading comics right now grew up on Miller's Daredevil, and unlike Byrne, Miller hasnt gone on the internet and bitched about fans and popular creators like a bitter old man. Not saying Miller hasnt ripped comic fans and creators, but he has been a lot less combative than Byrne, who get's what he deserves IMO.

I'd argue that Byrne's body of work is up there too. Man of Steel and Generations are just flat out brilliant.

I'd agree Byrne's demeanor has a lot to do with it, though.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

It's because unlike Byrne, Miller has produced some of the greatest comic stories of all time in the eyes of many, a lot of people here and reading comics right now grew up on Miller's Daredevil, and unlike Byrne, Miller hasnt gone on the internet and bitched about fans and popular creators like a bitter old man. Not saying Miller hasnt ripped comic fans and creators, but he has been a lot less combative than Byrne, who get's what he deserves IMO.

Saying that Byrne hasn't been apart of some of the greatest comic stories is just absurd.

[lonesomefool]

I haven't read it yet (trade-waiting) but maybe all this is just intentional. Everything I've seen makes it look like a really good parody.

I have to admit, it's pretty funny that DC is publishing a book by their highest profile artist and writer that is supposedly a parody of their current super hero comics.

[Matt O'Keefe]

I'd argue that Byrne's body of work is up there too. Man of Steel and Generations are just flat out brilliant.

I'd agree Byrne's demeanor has a lot to do with it, though.


Saying that Byrne hasn't been apart of some of the greatest comic stories is just absurd.

Yup. Man of Steel is the definitive Superman run, and his Fantastic Four is second or third best they've ever been.

[lonesomefool]

Saying that Byrne hasn't been apart of some of the greatest comic stories is just absurd.

Byrne has done some great comic stories. That said, which do you think will be remembered longer and read more over the next 10, 20 years. 300/Daredevil/Sin City/Dark Knight or Man of Steel/FF/Generations. Personally, I dont think it's even a contest.

[Matt O'Keefe]

I have to admit, it's pretty funny that DC is publishing a book by their highest profile artist and writer that is supposedly a parody of their current super hero comics.

They'll let Miller do anything, if it'll sell and won't affect continuity.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Byrne has done some great comic stories. That said, which do you think will be remembered longer and read more over the next 10, 20 years. 300/Daredevil/Sin City/Dark Knight or Man of Steel/FF/Generations. Personally, I dont think it's even a contest.

The Claremont/Byrne UXM run was fan-fucking-tastic and one of the runs that I personally re-read more than just about anything else. I'd have to say that overall Byrne's stuff will be more remember by this fan at least.

[lonesomefool]

Yup. Man of Steel is the definitive Superman run, and his Fantastic Four is second or third best they've ever been.

I would be willing to bet, that when it's over, Grant Morrison/Frank Quietly's All-Star Superman will be remembered and talked about more than Man of Steel.

[Vonn Hennigar]

It's because unlike Byrne, Miller has produced some of the greatest comic stories of all time in the eyes of many, a lot of people here and reading comics right now grew up on Miller's Daredevil, and unlike Byrne, Miller hasnt gone on the internet and bitched about fans and popular creators like a bitter old man. Not saying Miller hasnt ripped comic fans and creators, but he has been a lot less combative than Byrne, who get's what he deserves IMO.

Don't be a fucking retard. John Bryne's produced some of the best super-hero comics ever. In the 80's he was basically say Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr of today put together.

Of course so was Frank Miller without question but to say Bryne's just some dude while Frank is Jesus Jr is wrong.

As for their personalities i could give 2 shits.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I would be willing to bet, that when it's over, Grant Morrison/Frank Quietly's All-Star Superman will be remembered and talked about more than Man of Steel.

I disagree


Don't be a fucking retard. John Bryne's produced some of the best super-hero comics ever. In the 80's he was basically say Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr of today put together.

Of course so was Frank Miller without question but to say Bryne's just some dude while Frank is Jesus Jr is wrong.

As for their personalities i could give 2 shits.

Thank you.

[Matt O'Keefe]

I would be willing to bet, that when it's over, Grant Morrison/Frank Quietly's All-Star Superman will be remembered and talked about more than Man of Steel.

It's easier when the story isn't in-continuity. Man of Steel was a much bigger accomplishment, simply because it was set up in a way that more stories could be told.

[bairdduvessa]

i like byrne

[lonesomefool]

Don't be a fucking retard. John Bryne's produced some of the best super-hero comics ever. In the 80's he was basically say Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr of today put together.

Of course so was Frank Miller without question but to say Bryne's just some dude while Frank is Jesus Jr is wrong.

As for their personalities i could give 2 shits.

First off, I dont consider myself a fucking retard.

I said, Byrne has done some GREAT stories, but you asked why Byrne get's ripped more for his current work than Miller. I gave you my opinion, Byrne's personality, even if you dont care, has turned a lot of fans to automatically dislike his work. And I didnt say Byrne was some dude, but when you compare the two, as much as I dislike Miller's current work, Miller's work and stories have influenced and will influence more comic books than Byrne's ever will. I like John Byrne's old work, it's great for it's time, and his run with Claremont on the UXM trades I picked up at the library in high school, were great reads. That said, to me, Miller's body of work is more diverse, and thusly will be remembered longer. Byrne's body of work is pretty much, just super hero comics. Miller's body of work is more diverse, and because a lot of it is self-contained, it wont be "erased" by future comic writers. DC has already come out and said, that more all intents and purposes, Man of Steel never happened and Birthright is the correct origin.

See, a response to your post, that didnt resort to name calling.

[TSChamp]

I don't have nothing to add, but that Frank Miller is Jesus Jr made me laugh.

[bairdduvessa]

I don't have nothing to add, but that Frank Miller is Jesus Jr made me laugh.

you make kyptos die!


(i like you)

[Hock]

I am still waiting for someone to explain Nightwing to me. Even after reading the Annual I am still wonder what the hell happened to him. 52 made it worst.

It seems weird that there was a big push to save him from dying during the crisis, but then he's been handled shittily ever since.

[Ray G.]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

[John Drake]

:lol:

*eats Oreo because that's all he does*

[Hock]

There's a number of things that bother me about the book.

I don't think it's fair this book get hailed as great when there are books that are millions of times better get dumped on every month for minor mistakes (and most of these are mistakes are pointed out to lack of knowledge on continuity or nit-picking).

However All Star Batman is written by Frank so its okay and that's a little depressing.

It is unfair. I like ASB&RTBW, but I liked it for all it's mistakes, this last issue though went too far.

I do agree that a lot of people don't express an original idea about books, they just follow what everyone else has been saying. Frank Miller is thought of as a great writer, so anything he puts out is praised.

[jfp2004]

:lol:

*eats Oreo because that's all he does*

Mmmm....Double Stuf

[TSChamp]

It seems weird that there was a big push to save him from dying during the crisis, but then he's been handled shittily ever since.

I think they are intentionally trying to get the book bad sales, so they can kill him.

[Hock]

I like that Power Girl has been helping rebuild Thanagar and that Carter is once again a cop there.

And Gorilla City was pretty cool. Seems like lots of cool stuff and laying out some potential stories with them in the future. I just don't get how Vixen is anywhere near the speed of Jay Garrick.

I completely agree with everything said here. Vixen can be a powerfull hero, but her strength is in her versatility. She shouldn't be able to run as fast as a Flash. She shouldn't do any one thing especially good, just creatively use a lot of different powers when it's the right time to use that power.

[Hock]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

What did Vonn do? How long is he banned for?

[Ray G.]

What did Vonn do? How long is he banned for?

Same thing he always does, insults someone.

And I don't know.

[John Drake]

Mmmm....Double Stuf

Hell yeah!

[Hock]

So how is he still running so fast if there's no Speed Force?? And I know he existed long before the Speed Force...I just didn't know if he got an extra boost from it on top of whatever powers he has.

Jay's power is a metahuman ability seperate from the Speed Force, which is why he can't run as fast as the other Flashes. But he did have a lesser connection to it before it was destroyed. If I remember correctly.

[bairdduvessa]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

he's banned again? wtf?

[Hock]

I called it!

It's called the Lightning Saga, and involves the Legion of superheroes. Is anyone actually surprised that he's so important?

[jfp2004]

Jay's power is a metahuman ability seperate from the Speed Force, which is why he can't run as fast as the other Flashes. But he did have a lesser connection to it before it was destroyed. If I remember correctly.

It helped keep him younger and vital over the years, didn't it? I remember a story where he mentioned he thought he felt a calling but ignored it because he was happy with his life back then (during Terminal Velocity I believe) so he wouldn't have as much of a connection as the other Flashes.

[Hock]

As obvious an homage those little lightning rods are to that Silver Age story where they revived Lightning Lad, I have a nagging feeling that this involves Barry Allen somehow. I don't think the huge JLA/JSA crossover would be completely about the Legion.

I don't think it involves Barry Allen at all, first off he's supposedto be in Countdown, second, I think this huge, JLA/JSA Crossover/Mutual Masturbation could be all about The Legion.

[Hock]

It helped keep him younger and vital over the years, didn't it? I remember a story where he mentioned he thought he felt a calling but ignored it because he was happy with his life back then (during Terminal Velocity I believe) so he wouldn't have as much of a connection as the other Flashes.

Didn't he get accidentally treated with some sort of anti-aging treatment. Several times. :shifty:

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

Again? :lol:

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Mmmm....Double Stuf

Is there any other kind?

[Matt O'Keefe]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

Ugh.... what did he do this time?:?

[Hock]

Wow. This is so clearly a take on that. Cool.

So, who do you think the last Legionnaire is? Superman? Mon-El? Chameleon? Lightning Lad himself? Someone else?

Saturn Girl.

[Hock]

Dick Grayson being on a Milk Carton 2 hours after being kidnapped may be the funniest scene i've EVER seen in a comic.

Seriously! i laughed out loud hysterically. I don't know why anyone's surprised though , Frank Miller lost it over a decade ago but no one seems to care unlike say John Bryne.

That's exactly why I loved the first four issues, so fucking ridiculous and making absolutely no sense. But fun and with pretty pitures.

[Hock]

They'll let Miller do anything, if it'll sell and won't affect continuity.

They let Miller do anything because it will sell.

[lonesomefool]

Ugh.... what did he do this time?:?

My guess is it was either the Wrestling thread, or his response to my Byrne/Miller comment. All I know, is I didnt report him or anything, I can take insults, I just pointed out one can respond to a opinion they disagree about, without insulting someone.

[Ray G.]

My guess is it was either the Wrestling thread, or his response to my Byrne/Miller comment. All I know, is I didnt report him or anything, I can take insults, I just pointed out one can respond to a opinion they disagree about, without insulting someone.

Yeah, I didn't think you reported him. What'd he do in the wrestling thread?

[lonesomefool]

Yeah, I didn't think you reported him. What'd he do in the wrestling thread?

Vonn, Technofear, and myself were talking about the new ECW, and basically Vonn was calling people who liked it, idiots, etc. My guess is one of the mods saw this thread, or the other one and banned him, since he has been banned before. I never had a problem with him, and still dont, I just think he isnt, well, great at dealing with people who disagree with him.

[Deej]

Oh, Vonn....:nonono2:

It wouldn't be a thread without a Vonn banning.

He really is filled with a lot of anger. I wonder why he bothers reading DC comics...he seems to hate on all of them.

[lonesomefool]

Ah, seems he basically called someone a loser in the Fall TV thread. Wow, I'm sorry, but a comic fan calling someone a loser because they have a couple of TV's in their house with DVR's is really.....uhm....hypocritical. I'm sorry, I dont consider myself a loser, but still....

[Matt O'Keefe]

My guess is it was either the Wrestling thread, or his response to my Byrne/Miller comment. All I know, is I didnt report him or anything, I can take insults, I just pointed out one can respond to a opinion they disagree about, without insulting someone.


Vonn, Technofear, and myself were talking about the new ECW, and basically Vonn was calling people who liked it, idiots, etc. My guess is one of the mods saw this thread, or the other one and banned him, since he has been banned before. I never had a problem with him, and still dont, I just think he isnt, well, great at dealing with people who disagree with him.


Ah, seems he basically called someone a loser in the Fall TV thread. Wow, I'm sorry, but a comic fan calling someone a loser because they have a couple of TV's in their house with DVR's is really.....uhm....hypocritical. I'm sorry, I dont consider myself a loser, but still....

Mods don't go anywhere near this thread, we're in our own private little place here. Techno wouldn't report him, he's almost as hate-fueled as Vonn. Unless an established board member reports him, I doubt Vonn would be banned by a mod. He's too much a part of this board, and everyone knows that he'll put out his opinions harshly.


We'll miss you Vonn:surrend:
What was it last time, 6 weeks? I'm guessing at least a couple months for this.

[Ray G.]

Mods don't go anywhere near this thread, we're in our own private little place here. Techno wouldn't report him, he's almost as hate-fueled as Vonn. Unless an established board member reports him, I doubt Vonn would be banned by a mod. He's too much a part of this board, and everyone knows that he'll put out his opinions harshly.


We'll miss you Vonn:surrend:
What was it last time, 6 weeks? I'm guessing at least a couple months for this.

Techno has talked repeatedly about how he likes to report people, so you never know.

Closest we get to a mod around here is the occasional EVS visit. :)

It was three weeks last time, so this one will likely be looooong. Hopefully he's back before the end of this thread. :lol:

[lonesomefool]

Eh, as someone still pretty new to this board, I dont have a problem with him at all, though I do think he states his opinion less, and insults people more. As for why he posts here, I think it's just to get a rise out of people here, he likes the attention, plain and simple.

[Hock]

Techno has talked repeatedly about how he likes to report people, so you never know.

Closest we get to a mod around here is the occasional EVS visit. :)

It was three weeks last time, so this one will likely be looooong. Hopefully he's back before the end of this thread. :lol:

Probably what, at least 3 months or so? I don't know, I'm just guessing. It's too bad, I like Vonn.

[Hock]

I just realised we're almost a quarter of the way to the thread post limit. At this rate we won't make it past COuntdown #47.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I just realised we're almost a quarter of the way to the thread post limit. At this rate we won't make it past COuntdown #47.

I'm strangely comfortable with this.

[Ray G.]

I'm strangely comfortable with this.

Yeah, me too. :lol:

I seriously doubt we'll keep this pace, though. And that's not a challenge.

Ooh, fun McKeever thread on ComicBloc. Guess who I said. :D

http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48967

[Hock]

Yeah, me too. :lol:

I seriously doubt we'll keep this pace, though. And that's not a challenge.

Ooh, fun McKeever thread on ComicBloc. Guess who I said. :D

http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48967

:nonono2:

You always have to turn the conversation to fictional teenage girls in threesomes, don't you? :p

[bairdduvessa]

ill miss vonn

[The Doctor]

he went completely over the edge post 9-11
Totally.

I haven't read it yet (trade-waiting) but maybe all this is just intentional. Everything I've seen makes it look like a really good parody.



He mentioned in the foreword that half-way through DKSA his story changed dramatically because of 9/11.
Be waiting on that trade a while.

What did Vonn do? How long is he banned for?
Probably a few weeks.

ill miss vonn

I've never had a problem with him but he does overstep the line.

[SteveZegers]

It's called the Lightning Saga, and involves the Legion of superheroes. Is anyone actually surprised that he's so important?

You just couldn't let me have this little victory could you? You are hurtful!

[bairdduvessa]

I've never had a problem with him but he does overstep the line.

thats what makes him entertaining

[SteveZegers]

Same thing he always does, insults someone.

And I don't know.

He seems like a very angry person. Must take it easy!

[Deej]

Countdown #50 - 6/10 - This is odd because I really enjoyed the stories, aside from some big blaring question marks about it. This time out Palmiotti and Gray take the writing chores, with Calafiore doing a really good job on the art. This book is definitely not reader friendly for people new to DC. I think this and the fact that Dini is taking certain liberties with characters is really hurting the title. And there really doesn't seem to be much excitement yet.


What is up with Jason Todd?? They don't seem to know anything about him...he appears as if he's a hero again in this issue. The previous times we've seen him, he's always had his own agenda and it was always for his own benefit. After saving some starlet, he's now beating up some high tech ninjas...and allowing Jimmy Olsen a story. This doesn't make sense to me.

Some points on just the beginning act:
1) Superman can track anyone down now??
2) Jason Todd has killed, so Superman should easily stop him
3) Jimmy knows about Dick Grayson as Robin now too?? Bruce's identity isn't too safe...

I'm worried that Dini doesn't really know these characters and using too much freedom to tell his story regardless of what's gone on before in the DCU. These need to be addressed ASAP!!

Karate Kid - very odd that this was thrown in here. I assume the Legionnaires in the JLA/JSA arc are from a different Earth. Casual readers of the DCU need more info than what is given here!

The Rogues - I loved this part. But then again, I was a big reader of the Wally West Flash, so I'm familiar with all of these characters.

I really enjoyed the last part with Jimmy and the Joker. That was a lot of fun!



Supergirl #17 - 4/10 - This issue really was the suck. The points are mostly for the art by Ale Garza, which I really enjoyed. The story however is extremely confusing and sorely lacking from plot. I'm not sure if this is all one big dream, with the villains pulling her strings...perhaps a Brainiac type illusion...or if this is somehow tied into the release of the Kryptonians from Action comics. I just can't see Superman calling the phantoms "Filthy Cowards" and back in some type of Dark Knight Returns suit. These questions make this issue very annoying. Add a point to my review if this is some hallucination, deduct 2 if this is DC reality. Regardless, this better be cleared up by next issue!


Justice League of America #9 - 8/10 - Although the overall story is sorely lacking in momentum...I thought this issue was good. I loved the character interactions - Mr Terrific & Black Canary as they watch over Batman; Vixen in Gorilla City; Powergirl & Red Arrow & Hawkgirl. All fun stuff. Much better than the crap with Superman in his fortress in JSA. Lots of interesting stuff going on here too...Starfire is made from Red Tornado it seems...all of Gorilla City, from Nnamdi recounting knowing Barry, a white/gray baby Gorilla born signified as a Holy One which only occurs once every thousand years, to the dinosaur race...Thanagar being rebuilt with the help of Hawkman and Powergirl, the former a cop once again...the meeting of the 6 Legionaires...and the mystery behind these 3 villains. I'm enjoying this different approach to DC's premier superhero team.

And now onto other books from previous weeks...
Jonah Hex #18 - 7/10 - Once again, a nice stand alone Jonah Hex story...with a twist at the end. I saw this coming but still thought it was pretty cool. Nice art by Val Semeiks added to the whole feel of this story.

Connor Hawke Dragon's Blood #6 - 3/10 - This issue reminded me of that old movie DragonSlayer. It was an old movie in the 80's and there are particular scenes that seem snatched from the movie in this issue. There's not much "meat" to this book, just fast, silly action. I don't think Dixon really planned on more than 4 issues. Another attempt by Didio to take more of the reader's money, perhaps? It's just not too good at all...no emotion and the ending pretty much sucks.

Nightwing Annual #2 - 10/10 - I loved the story and the art and the paper it was printed on. Please give Andreyko more work!! I just don't know how this leads into the Dick Grayson in Bruce Jones' run. After pledging his love for Babs, he still managed to pick up a girl in the first arc of OYL. Personally, I think Dick should never settle down but he's also a man of his word and I don't see how he can ever play around with any other girl after this issue.

Superman/Batman #34 - 2/10 - Totally hated this book. I'm ready to drop it. I don't know if this is a past story or occurs after 52 but its annoying how characters and their stories differ from one story to the next. I was really looking forward to a Metal Men story and Verheiden fails to impress once again. This title should either be canceled or totaly revamped. Regardless, I hope other writers choose to ignore this story when writing about the Metal Men.

Green Lantern Corps #11 - 7/10 - Gibbons seems to have picked up his game as he handles multiple stories that appear to be on a collision course. We have the Guy Gardner story where he attempts to save an alien colony and deal with 2 GLs who are not fit to wear the ring, a very enjoyable story with GLs Soranik and Iolande introducing a new deadly group of villains for the Corps, the continuing tale of some infection in Mogo that has now gotten to the Green Man and Kilowog, our favorite Rann vs Thanagar GLs as they continue to bond regardless of what their respective societies think, and finally a new threat to the Corps that has been foretold many many years ago!! Gibbons storylines from issue #1 are all starting to come together...and it's a very exciting time for the GL books!

[SteveZegers]

2) Jason Todd has killed, so Superman should easily stop him


I think he would leave that up to Bruce.

[Deej]

ill miss vonn

Banning just means you can't post, right?? I'm sure this is bringing a tear to his eye to know how much you'll miss him!! Cheer up chum! :batman:

[Deej]

I think he would leave that up to Bruce.

That's silly. He's a special kind of killer which only Bruce can rein in?? BTW...Bruce isn't doing such a good job of it!

"So sorry Aquaman, I know Black Manta killed Junior...but technically he IS your villain...and that makes him YOUR problem..."

[SteveZegers]

That's silly. He's a special kind of killer which only Bruce can rein in?? BTW...Bruce isn't doing such a good job of it!

"So sorry Aquaman, I know Black Manta killed Junior...but technically he IS your villain...and that makes him YOUR problem..."

Why hasn't Superman ever taken out the Joker, or Batman fight Metallo? They keep to their own guys most of the time. Plus since Jason was Batman's sidekick, it's a special situation.

[Deej]

Why hasn't Superman ever taken out the Joker, or Batman fight Metallo? They keep to their own guys most of the time. Plus since Jason was Batman's sidekick, it's a special situation.

Because they're territorial. BTW..Robin has taken on Metallo before...with the help of Superboy! The Joker has been in Metropolis... It's just silly. They're heroes...you see a bad guy, you put him in jail!!

[The Doctor]

thats what makes him entertaining


I suppose.

[Ray G.]

Because they're territorial. BTW..Robin has taken on Metallo before...with the help of Superboy! The Joker has been in Metropolis... It's just silly. They're heroes...you see a bad guy, you put him in jail!!

I think heroes have a certain different code when it comes to vigilantes who kill heroes. They're not going to help them, and they'll stop them when they have to(see Manchester Black), but Superman's not going to punch out Jason Todd because he offed some gang members.

[SteveZegers]

Because they're territorial. BTW..Robin has taken on Metallo before...with the help of Superboy! The Joker has been in Metropolis... It's just silly. They're heroes...you see a bad guy, you put him in jail!!

You can't be everywhere! Lois is very clingy sometimes, Jimmy gets his head stuck in a fence, there is an entire zoo up at the fortress... He's busy! I'm sure there are other heroes that go over the line too.

[The Doctor]

You can't be everywhere! Lois is very clingy sometimes, Jimmy gets his head stuck in a fence, there is an entire zoo up at the fortress... He's busy! I'm sure there are other heroes that go over the line too.

He also has to run errands for Batman.

[SteveZegers]

He also has to run errands for Batman.

Batman can't do his own! He has to spend a few hours each night perched on a rooftop somewhere. He wan't to look heroic with a big cape ripple effect thing. Takes time!

[Deej]

I think heroes have a certain different code when it comes to vigilantes who kill heroes. They're not going to help them, and they'll stop them when they have to(see Manchester Black), but Superman's not going to punch out Jason Todd because he offed some gang members.

Uhhh...what are you talking about??? Superman doesn't mind if a vigilante kills bad guys?? Are you serious or just totally unfamiliar with Superman?

You know his nickname is the Big Blue Boyscout...right? Or somethiing to that effect.

[Deej]

You can't be everywhere! Lois is very clingy sometimes, Jimmy gets his head stuck in a fence, there is an entire zoo up at the fortress... He's busy! I'm sure there are other heroes that go over the line too.

Which is why having a laboratory and zoo and museum in the Fortress is STUPID!! Thanks for proving why the Silver Age nonsense going on in Action comics is ridiculous!

[SteveZegers]

Uhhh...what are you talking about??? Superman doesn't mind if a vigilante kills bad guys?? Are you serious or just totally unfamiliar with Superman?

You know his nickname is the Big Blue Boyscout...right? Or somethiing to that effect.

I'm not saying he doesn't mind, but he can't stop all the crime going on in the whole world. No one could. You have to sort of accept this kind of thing. Captain America and Spider-Man haven't taken the Punisher down either.

[Ryudo]

JLA was good. Some definite awesome Red Arrow/Power Girl dialogue going on.

[Deej]

I'm not saying he doesn't mind, but he can't stop all the crime going on in the whole world. No one could. You have to sort of accept this kind of thing. Captain America and Spider-Man haven't taken the Punisher down either.

Dude...from space he laser beamed a door lock for Jimmy. Obviously he was helping Jimmy by lookiing for this one particular guy, right? So he just finds Jason Todd and then looks away? Come on now...Dini obviously thinks Jason Todd is some kind of good guy now. He's changing the character to fit his story.

[SteveZegers]

Dude...from space he laser beamed a door lock for Jimmy. Obviously he was helping Jimmy by lookiing for this one particular guy, right? So he just finds Jason Todd and then looks away? Come on now...Dini obviously thinks Jason Todd is some kind of good guy now. He's changing the character to fit his story.

Why didn't the Flash stop him, or Hal, or Ollie?

This is just one of the things you can't look at too closely.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I've never had a problem with him but he does overstep the line.

Exactly.

[SteveZegers]

Which is why having a laboratory and zoo and museum in the Fortress is STUPID!! Thanks for proving why the Silver Age nonsense going on in Action comics is ridiculous!

He needs a place to unwind. You want a relaxed super-god-type, or a really tense one?

[Foolish Mortal]

He needs a place to unwind. You want a relaxed super-god-type, or a really tense one?
If I were Superman, I'd have all that shit in my crib too. And a Slurrpie machine too. ;)

[SteveZegers]

If I were Superman, I'd have all that shit in my crib too. And a Slurrpie machine too. ;)

Oh he's got a Slurpee machine. He's got a couple.

[Deej]

Why didn't the Flash stop him, or Hal, or Ollie?

This is just one of the things you can't look at too closely.

When did any of them have a chance??? Superman does...case closed!

[SteveZegers]

When did any of them have a chance??? Superman does...case closed!

The Lantern or the Flash have a chance whenever they want. Travel isn't an issue for either of them, and I don't think finding him would be all that difficult either. For that matter, why hasn't Batman gone after him? Or Nightwing? Or Oracle?

[Ray G.]

The Lantern or the Flash have a chance whenever they want. Travel isn't an issue for either of them, and I don't think finding him would be all that difficult either. For that matter, why hasn't Batman gone after him? Or Nightwing? Or Oracle?

I think it depends on how he's portrayed. When he's breaking into Titans Tower and attacking Robin, or kidnapping Speedy to try to break her like he was broken, I could see the heroes thinking he's a loose cannon who needs to be taken down. But when he's portrayed as a Punisher-like vigilante, they might take a different approach. I do think he's being portrayed as way too upright here, though.

[SteveZegers]

I think it depends on how he's portrayed. When he's breaking into Titans Tower and attacking Robin, or kidnapping Speedy to try to break her like he was broken, I could see the heroes thinking he's a loose cannon who needs to be taken down. But when he's portrayed as a Punisher-like vigilante, they might take a different approach. I do think he's being portrayed as way too upright here, though.

I didn't read any of his appearences in Batman, so I really have no idea if he's in character or not. Just seems to me like the "Bat Family" would take care of their own.

[Deej]

The Lantern or the Flash have a chance whenever they want. Travel isn't an issue for either of them, and I don't think finding him would be all that difficult either. For that matter, why hasn't Batman gone after him? Or Nightwing? Or Oracle?

Traveling is one thing...finding him is another. And Superman found him. Simple as that. It was right there in Countdown #50, didn't you see it??? We have never seen the Flash or GL ever encounter Jason Todd before...they may not even know about him!

Batman has gone after him. He went to Star City to get him. Jason Todd is just a fairly even match and has managed to get away.

[SteveZegers]

Traveling is one thing...finding him is another. And Superman found him. Simple as that. It was right there in Countdown #50, didn't you see it??? We have never seen the Flash or GL ever encounter Jason Todd before...they may not even know about him!

Batman has gone after him. He went to Star City to get him. Jason Todd is just a fairly even match and has managed to get away.

Why not the JLA then? Or the JSA? Or Checkmate?

You just have to accept that Superheroes don't operate that way.

[Deej]

Why not the JLA then? Or the JSA? Or Checkmate?

You just have to accept that Superheroes don't operate that way.

That's just bullshit. You're using examples of teams that haven't even encountered Jason Todd. He's a tiny blip on the radar to them. But it's obvious that Superman knows who Jason Todd is and what he's done previously and is just letting him get away. He's actually watching him from space. There's no reason for him to sweep down and throw him in jail.

[SteveZegers]

That's just bullshit. You're using examples of teams that haven't even encountered Jason Todd. He's a tiny blip on the radar to them. But it's obvious that Superman knows who Jason Todd is and what he's done previously and is just letting him get away. He's actually watching him from space. There's no reason for him to sweep down and throw him in jail.

Of course they would know. You think they wouldn't get a heads up if a former sidekick came back to life and was causing all sorts of problems. (And I'm only talking about the ones I've seen. Just Green Arrow and Countdown) Mr Terrific wouldn't have a scanner going?

And what can Superman really do? He doesn't have any evidence of Jason doing anything. He doesn't have a case going against him. So should he sweep down and bring him to the police? Why? For what? Plus Jimmy is going after a story. Maybe Clark wants to see where the story leads. He must be kinda curious.

[Foolish Mortal]

That's just bullshit. You're using examples of teams that haven't even encountered Jason Todd. He's a tiny blip on the radar to them. But it's obvious that Superman knows who Jason Todd is and what he's done previously and is just letting him get away. He's actually watching him from space. There's no reason for him to sweep down and throw him in jail.
Then you'd have to get into the discussion about why Batman doesn't kill the Joker, a murderous psychopath who has caused a massive number of deaths and has visited nothing but pain and anguish on Batman and his friends numerous times. (And will do so again and again in the future)

Or why Superman won't take out Darkseid, a murderous, despotic tyrant who has made it clear more than once he intends to take over the Earth and the cosmos, etc….

It's just one of the conceits of comic books that you accept.

[Deej]

And what can Superman really do? He doesn't have any evidence of Jason doing anything. He doesn't have a case going against him. So should he sweep down and bring him to the police? Why? For what? Plus Jimmy is going after a story. Maybe Clark wants to see where the story leads. He must be kinda curious.

So, let Jason Todd escape and kill again, and then you can bring him in. Sorry, this isn't the Superman I want to read about and it's sloppy writing. I can see Superman having a much bigger fish to catch and having to let the smaller one go...I would accept that. But just letting Jimmy walk into that scene with a known killer is plain stupid.



Then you'd have to get into the discussion about why Batman doesn't kill the Joker, a murderous psychopath who has caused a massive number of deaths and has visited nothing but pain and anguish on Batman and his friends numerous times. (And will do so again and again in the future)

Or why Superman won't take out Darkseid, a murderous, despotic tyrant who has made it clear more than once he intends to take over the Earth and the cosmos, etc….

It's just one of the conceits of comic books that you accept.

WHAT??? How does this lead into a discussion of why Batman doesn't kill the Joker??? Batman doesn't kill because then he'd be just like those he hunts down. I don't see how you compare these two.

The Darkseid one I'll concede...there are a ton of excuses for Superman not going after him. One being that he shouldn't even be strong enough to take on Darkseid alone.

[SteveZegers]

So, let Jason Todd escape and kill again, and then you can bring him in. Sorry, this isn't the Superman I want to read about and it's sloppy writing. I can see Superman having a much bigger fish to catch and having to let the smaller one go...I would accept that. But just letting Jimmy walk into that scene with a known killer is plain stupid.




WHAT??? How does this lead into a discussion of why Batman doesn't kill the Joker??? Batman doesn't kill because then he'd be just like those he hunts down. I don't see how you compare these two.

The Darkseid one I'll concede...there are a ton of excuses for Superman not going after him. One being that he shouldn't even be strong enough to take on Darkseid alone.

I assume Superman was in space for a reason (He could have been in the process of saving truly innocent people, which would always be his priority). It looked like he was in the middle of something, and just did Jimmy a little favor.

[Deej]

I assume Superman was in space for a reason (He could have been in the process of saving truly innocent people, which would always be his priority). It looked like he was in the middle of something, and just did Jimmy a little favor.

So Superman is now powerful enough to pinpoint any individual he wants from space now in the matter of seconds?

[SteveZegers]

So Superman is now powerful enough to pinpoint any individual he wants from space now in the matter of seconds?

You're assuming that he did that. Maybe he was tipped off, maybe Jimmy had a ballpark location, maybe someone else was tracking him and gave him a heads up. You just don't know.

[JABSEN]

I have a question for you DC guys. I just read Countdown. Jimmy seems to know that Grayson was Robin & Nightwing. And that Todd was Robin,too. I wasn't aware it's public knowledge


I guess there wasn't really a question there:-?

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I have a question for you DC guys. I just read Countdown. Jimmy seems to know that Grayson was Robin & Nightwing. And that Todd was Robin,too. I wasn't aware it's public knowledge


I guess there wasn't really a question there:-?

I've been wondering how he knew all that, too.

[JABSEN]

I've been wondering how he knew all that, too.Off to read JLA, I'll be back to see the answer.


Don't let me down, DCites.

[Deej]

I have a question for you DC guys. I just read Countdown. Jimmy seems to know that Grayson was Robin & Nightwing. And that Todd was Robin,too. I wasn't aware it's public knowledge


I guess there wasn't really a question there:-?

No one else was aware it was public knowledge either.

[The Doctor]

Maybe it's a subplot of some sort.

Jimmy knowing.

[Ray G.]

I have a question for you DC guys. I just read Countdown. Jimmy seems to know that Grayson was Robin & Nightwing. And that Todd was Robin,too. I wasn't aware it's public knowledge


I guess there wasn't really a question there:-?

It is very odd, because from knowing Red Hood is Jason Todd, and knowing Jason Todd was the former Robin, it's a two-minute Google-search to knowing that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

[Matt O'Keefe]

Probably what, at least 3 months or so? I don't know, I'm just guessing. It's too bad, I like Vonn.

Who doesn't? He's an established figure here.


Yeah, me too. :lol:

I seriously doubt we'll keep this pace, though. And that's not a challenge.

Oh, that's a challenge all right.

[Ray G.]

Counting Down with Marts! With preview!

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Countdown/Marts/50b/Countdown50.html