Ray's 25th DCU Megathread - The Gathering of OOMPH!!!

[Matthew Brown]

Just back from FCBD. Decided I was up to going in the end. Got some great stuff. Iron Man/ Thor, Stuff of Legend, Owly and picked up one of the DC Eaglemoss figurines that I wasn't expecting to see... GARTH ENNIS'S HITMAN!

Yeah, I got that the day it came out! Was so excited to see Hitman anything.

[Howlett]

Yeah, but Boom also put out an original Toy Story comic. So there was some original content.

Yeah, I forgot they had that too. So yeah, really the biggest fuck up of the line was Dynamite. I think the only stupider move they could've made was if they had their offering being a preview of that upcoming Pat Lee book

[Howlett]

Yeah, I got that the day it came out! Was so excited to see Hitman anything.

I couldn't believe it when I saw it! And it's a fantastic mold too! I love anything Hitman related

[Black Roman]

But... But what about the version of Alpha Flight from the PRESENT DAY (the ones that were killed were ones brought from the past) who went to deliver Plodex eggs?

I want to see the X-Men and Alpha Flight team up/fight once again. I always got a kick out of those issues.

[Ray G.]

War of the Supermen #0 - ***

This is a decent set-up for War of the Supermen, but nothing more. It's 22 full pages of story, so DC has definitely crafted a good package here, but the story is just sort of uninspired. The front half is probably the stronger one, by James Robinson and Eddy Barrows. It picks up right from the conclusion of Last Stand, as Superman confronts Zod over his declaration of war. It quickly erupts into a rather brutal fight, as Ursa and Non batter Superman while Zod reveals that, in fact, he's been planning for this war just as long as the humans. I'm not particularly happy that it seems they're reverting Zod back to full-on villain, but I suppose it had to happen. Barrows' art is competent, but a bit muddled. The story ends with the Kryptonians heading for Earth, and we cut to the second story. Lois is planning her expose of General Lane, and she recaps the last year of story in a series of splash pages by Julian Lopez. It ends with Jimmy Olsen resurfacing and promising to tell her the story of her father's true involvement. Overall, it's a good teaser, but it doesn't have the same buzz that Blackest Night #0 did last year. Hopefully this mini-event will deliver in the ways that this teaser didn't quite.

DC Kids Mega Sampler 2010 - ***1/2

DC gives readers a taste of all their all-ages books in this sampler, and the contrasts are interesting. We open with Shazam, as Billy and Mary investigate a rash of cattle disappearances. It's a fairly silly story, very reliant on sight gags, and it lacks the drama of the current arc in the book, but it's got some funny scenes and Mike Norton's art is always good. Not surprisingly, the Tiny Titans segment is the highlight, particularly Match's birthday party, including the most awkward reunion ever between his "two dads", Superman and Luthor. There's also the first meeting of Brainiac Club, and the usual Tiny Titans silliness. The Brave and the Bold segment involves Superman teaming up with Andrew's favorite hero ever, as Batman and J'onn fight the evil martian Ma'alefik. The dialogue is deliberately campy, but the comic does a good job of evoking the feel of the show, and is a fun way to introduce kids to the diversity of the DCU. Something "Super Friends" absolutely misses the boat on. A series of lame puns, this two-pager is worthless, and pales in comparison to the other three segments in the book, which are truly "All-ages".

[Joe Kalicki]

Is the Kids Mega Sampler all new material?

[Ray G.]

Is the Kids Mega Sampler all new material?

The Tiny Titans and Shazam segments were for sure. I don't read the other two, but I'd guess so.

[The Doctor]

That sounds like something I'd read. If you know the title, pass it on, I'll look for it

I thought I said sorry

The Writers Tale

It's worth it alone for RTD worrying about getting Catherine Tate back for JUST the Season 4 finale and plans he had for a whole different companion before she asked to do a whole series

Rex is Not Your Lawyer is still on the bubble. In fact, it's more likely now that it's going to be picked up, rather than a mid-season replacement. They just ordered more scripts after doing some retooling of the pilot.

As for Tennant leaving Doctor Who, it was partially about money, but RTD leaving just seemed like good timing as well. Let's face it -- Tennant was working on Doctor Who about nine or ten months out of the year and making what most American TV stars make for two episodes. And starring on the biggest show, well, in the world, save for America.

I may not be up to date on Doctor Who, but still very much up to date on my Tennant news.

Ah okay as far as I was aware it wasn't happening, it sounds a bit silly to me actually

I heard that too, not sure how true it is but you never know the full story behind these things

[Susan BANthony]

Ah okay as far as I was aware it wasn't happening, it sounds a bit silly to me actually

I heard that too, not sure how true it is but you never know the full story behind these things

I just saw an update a few days ago actually. The 24th according to a blog site I had visited. And the show sounds a bit like Monk, I think it's an interesting premise.

True. I'm sure though that after four years of pretty critical acclaim and still having to work his ass off constantly, he was ready to relax a bit and see if he could make some more money.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Sonofabitch.

I finally got out to the LCS for FCBD and all the books were gone.