Well, I'm back from vacation...
but, on the bad side, I'm too tired (drove 480 miles today) to make a coherent post... so y'all get "treated" to more downsides.
1. Being one piece short of the Booster Gold Gourmet Cooking set that the grocery store is offering. (You missed the Dutch Oven)
2. Being voted "Most likely to work for the Joker" in your highschool yearbook.
3. Your wierd neighbor who keeps putting a lead cowboy hat on your head, telling you that it will keep Superman from seeing your thoughts.
4. You're out walking and see home products Icon "Mr Clean" You no more than yell out his name and find a stiletto heeled foot heading right for your nose.
5. Having the regular meeting of your local chess association (the Checkmate Club), invaded by seventeen low rent superheros.
6. Watching with mounting horror as a news story records that thousands of teens are having major cosmetic surgery just to get the "Psimon look"
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.psycobabes "Harley Quinn or Shimmer"
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
RIP Power Girl (I think)
Still on vacation, and not much time to post, but thought I'd throw a short one out, so people knew I still live.
I picked up Crisis on Infinite Earths (finally), and while it strikes me as another fairly standard overblown crossover (ok, the first one), there are some interesting things in there.
However, I'm not in the least bit changed in my thought that Power Girl isn't gonna make out out of Infinite Crisis.
1. Parallel to Supergirl in CoIE
2. Her recent line (forget where, and don't have books here), that it was unfair for Sue Dibney to die, since she had so much to live for... the person who died should have had nothing to live for (no family, et al)
3. The recent appearance of the Psycho Pirate in her book.
4. Pure, unadulterated gut feeling.
My only concern with this theory is that.. it's too obvious.
I picked up Crisis on Infinite Earths (finally), and while it strikes me as another fairly standard overblown crossover (ok, the first one), there are some interesting things in there.
However, I'm not in the least bit changed in my thought that Power Girl isn't gonna make out out of Infinite Crisis.
1. Parallel to Supergirl in CoIE
2. Her recent line (forget where, and don't have books here), that it was unfair for Sue Dibney to die, since she had so much to live for... the person who died should have had nothing to live for (no family, et al)
3. The recent appearance of the Psycho Pirate in her book.
4. Pure, unadulterated gut feeling.
My only concern with this theory is that.. it's too obvious.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Still more downsides
Going out of town in the morning, so you probably won't hear for me too often for the next 10 days. May have some connect.
So, still more downsides of living in the DC Universe
1. Finding out that Booster Gold has bought out Ron Popeil.
2. Your girlfriend asking you, "Do you think Wonder Woman is pretty?"
3. The irrational fear that one mistake in chem lab will leave you with three arms.
4. Finding out that the wierd kid you used to pick on made that very mistake in chem class.
5. Your best friend dragging you to the Gar Logan all night movie marathon.
6. Wondering when your home town in California will be next to go... (Coast City... Sub Diego...)
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.goldenbabes "Liberty Belle or Phantom Lady?"
So, still more downsides of living in the DC Universe
1. Finding out that Booster Gold has bought out Ron Popeil.
2. Your girlfriend asking you, "Do you think Wonder Woman is pretty?"
3. The irrational fear that one mistake in chem lab will leave you with three arms.
4. Finding out that the wierd kid you used to pick on made that very mistake in chem class.
5. Your best friend dragging you to the Gar Logan all night movie marathon.
6. Wondering when your home town in California will be next to go... (Coast City... Sub Diego...)
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.goldenbabes "Liberty Belle or Phantom Lady?"
Saturday, September 17, 2005
JLU Returns
Have to say, I was pretty pleased with JLU tonight
The first episode was on the whole pretty good. Was great to see the old HQ in the swamps again. Still, it won't feel right until Lex is calling the shots, not Grodd. The only real dissonent note was the stuff with Brainaic. I'd be just as happy if they dropped that.
The second episode? I'll admit it, I should have seen that one coming. I saw the episode descrip that said Shayera would meet an archeologist. How could I forget... Carter Hall was an archeologist. Sheesh. I honestly thought that the big movie with the Thanagarian invasion had pretty much written canon Hawkman out of the picture entirely.
Both eps are better for promise of what is to come, more than what they had themselves.
The first episode was on the whole pretty good. Was great to see the old HQ in the swamps again. Still, it won't feel right until Lex is calling the shots, not Grodd. The only real dissonent note was the stuff with Brainaic. I'd be just as happy if they dropped that.
The second episode? I'll admit it, I should have seen that one coming. I saw the episode descrip that said Shayera would meet an archeologist. How could I forget... Carter Hall was an archeologist. Sheesh. I honestly thought that the big movie with the Thanagarian invasion had pretty much written canon Hawkman out of the picture entirely.
Both eps are better for promise of what is to come, more than what they had themselves.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Comics Day!
Well, my monthly comics shipment showed up today. (The joys of living 150 miles from the nearest direct market store).
Overall, I find myself a tad... disappointed. Nothing really grabbed me as brilliant, and a few real stinkers.
The Good
JSA Classified 2
All right, this book doesn't get a total pass on my part. I find the artwork a bit distracting. For instance, Mr Terrific has a facial expression in one panel that would be more fitting for Spicolli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Much the same happens to Superman during the discussion at the end.)
That said, the story itself was quite interesting, and while I'm not hugely familiar with the Psycho Pirate, his presence does begin to make sense of all the wierdnesses that have been happening in Power Girl's life. However, it doesn't shake me from my conviction that Power Girl isn't getting out of Crisis alive.
Day of Vengance 5
I'd have liked to see a bit more Dectivtive Chimp, but overall, I liked the story, and they managed to make Black Alice's powers make sense. What's been best in this title has been the character interaction, and that's a bit weaker this time around. Still, a solid entry, and one that sets up the big finale fairly well.
Villains United 5
Well, just when you think this group is actually getting their act together, it falls to pieces. Nice plotting here. I'm not a big villain fan, so I'm not filled with sympathy for them, but it's been an enjoyable read. A touch surprised to see Captain Nazi back. I thought they'd blinded him good. My vote for Mockingbird... Vandal Savage.
Outsiders 28
I'm a sucker for these introspective books. If anything, the "old Outsiders" arc from 26-27 got in the way of this very necessary issue. The team took a gut shot,and they need to react and deal with it. Now, while I love Capt. Marvel and Mary Marvel, Freddie just plain gets on my nerves. Thus, I'm less impressed with the promise of him joining the team. Oh well.
The Bad
JSA 77
Yuck. Normally I like JSA, and I didn't have any real problem with the way OMAC popped up in the last book. However, this mess just derailed everything of any interest. Goodie, a character I could care less about is going nuts, so they have to drag in Hal. The book is more about Hal and Airwave than Alan, and Alan is the only real JSAer in the group. Yay. Let's put it this way, the highlight of the book was Dr. Fate and Fury.
The Ugly
Teen Titans 27
Okay, I remember back in the days where Liefield was one of the names that was supposed to propel Image to the top level. Trying to read this book, all I can wonder is why anyone ever thought he was that hot. I didn't like his artwork in the old New Mutants/X-Force run, and honestly if I were to dig up my trade book with the story where Cable joins the New Mutants, I'd see his art hasn't progressed at all. Indeed, there were some scenes and poses that strick me as exactly the sorts of things I'd seen back then. I kept expecting Shatterstar to show up, and that's not a good thing. The story was somewhat interesting, but not up the standards Gail has in BoP or VU.
I got a few other books, and I may comment on them in the next few days. (Robin is one that gives me very mixed feelings. It was enjoyable, but it also twigged my "stupid plot point" alert. Not to mention, this entire thing with the Veteran bugs me.)
Otherwise, I'll be out of town for about a week and a half, so I probably won't post much (will have some access).
Overall, I find myself a tad... disappointed. Nothing really grabbed me as brilliant, and a few real stinkers.
The Good
JSA Classified 2
All right, this book doesn't get a total pass on my part. I find the artwork a bit distracting. For instance, Mr Terrific has a facial expression in one panel that would be more fitting for Spicolli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Much the same happens to Superman during the discussion at the end.)
That said, the story itself was quite interesting, and while I'm not hugely familiar with the Psycho Pirate, his presence does begin to make sense of all the wierdnesses that have been happening in Power Girl's life. However, it doesn't shake me from my conviction that Power Girl isn't getting out of Crisis alive.
Day of Vengance 5
I'd have liked to see a bit more Dectivtive Chimp, but overall, I liked the story, and they managed to make Black Alice's powers make sense. What's been best in this title has been the character interaction, and that's a bit weaker this time around. Still, a solid entry, and one that sets up the big finale fairly well.
Villains United 5
Well, just when you think this group is actually getting their act together, it falls to pieces. Nice plotting here. I'm not a big villain fan, so I'm not filled with sympathy for them, but it's been an enjoyable read. A touch surprised to see Captain Nazi back. I thought they'd blinded him good. My vote for Mockingbird... Vandal Savage.
Outsiders 28
I'm a sucker for these introspective books. If anything, the "old Outsiders" arc from 26-27 got in the way of this very necessary issue. The team took a gut shot,and they need to react and deal with it. Now, while I love Capt. Marvel and Mary Marvel, Freddie just plain gets on my nerves. Thus, I'm less impressed with the promise of him joining the team. Oh well.
The Bad
JSA 77
Yuck. Normally I like JSA, and I didn't have any real problem with the way OMAC popped up in the last book. However, this mess just derailed everything of any interest. Goodie, a character I could care less about is going nuts, so they have to drag in Hal. The book is more about Hal and Airwave than Alan, and Alan is the only real JSAer in the group. Yay. Let's put it this way, the highlight of the book was Dr. Fate and Fury.
The Ugly
Teen Titans 27
Okay, I remember back in the days where Liefield was one of the names that was supposed to propel Image to the top level. Trying to read this book, all I can wonder is why anyone ever thought he was that hot. I didn't like his artwork in the old New Mutants/X-Force run, and honestly if I were to dig up my trade book with the story where Cable joins the New Mutants, I'd see his art hasn't progressed at all. Indeed, there were some scenes and poses that strick me as exactly the sorts of things I'd seen back then. I kept expecting Shatterstar to show up, and that's not a good thing. The story was somewhat interesting, but not up the standards Gail has in BoP or VU.
I got a few other books, and I may comment on them in the next few days. (Robin is one that gives me very mixed feelings. It was enjoyable, but it also twigged my "stupid plot point" alert. Not to mention, this entire thing with the Veteran bugs me.)
Otherwise, I'll be out of town for about a week and a half, so I probably won't post much (will have some access).
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Opportunity Lost
Moving away from the narrow realm of comic books for a moment, into the newspaper comic strips.
I'm not sure if you read For Better or For Worse or not, but in one of the recent storylines, Liz (the middle daughter of the family) was attacked at work. In many ways, I see it as being an opportunity lost.
I'm not one of those people who says that Johnston shouldn't have written the issue of attempted rape. (Note, they keep using the term "sexual harrasment", but the way the comic shows it, attempted rape fits far better.) However, I just don't think it was smoothly handled. In particular, in two ways.
To give you an idea what happened (it all plays together). One of Liz's co-workers was starting to show some very strong stalking behavior, and eventually, at work, he attacked her. (See the Aug 10-11 strips )
She's rescued by an old flame whose marriage is on the rocks. He then chooses that moment to try to rekindle things with Liz.
From a storytelling point of view, I have two major problems.
1) The Anthony angle really intrudes on what is going on. It removes the focus from the attack and sends it in another direction. It could have worked, but it would have been tricky. If Johnston was creating a situation where Liz was being shown two very unhealthy relationship "styles" (for lack of a better way of saying it), it could have worked, but is rather iffy. Add to that, Liz has a history of bad relationships (at least one doozy).
2) The whole attempted rape thing largely has been dropped. They may come back to it, but aside from one little "side point" where Liz said she'd talked to the cops, we haven't seen any of the consequences play out. Now, in the "letters" on the FBOFW website, we find out that Liz has also seen a counselor, and that the attacker is looking at serious jail time. That's great. That's what I want to see, but those things should be in the strip, not somewhere that maybe 5% of readers will see it.
I don't have a problem with doing the storyline. Stories like this can bring light onto important issues that aren't addressed often enough. My complaint is that it hasn't been followed up on. Show Liz talking to the cops, the counselors, all of those things. Don't just create a situation and then drop it.
As I said, maybe it will come back later in the story, but even so, too much momemtum has been lost.
I'm not sure if you read For Better or For Worse or not, but in one of the recent storylines, Liz (the middle daughter of the family) was attacked at work. In many ways, I see it as being an opportunity lost.
I'm not one of those people who says that Johnston shouldn't have written the issue of attempted rape. (Note, they keep using the term "sexual harrasment", but the way the comic shows it, attempted rape fits far better.) However, I just don't think it was smoothly handled. In particular, in two ways.
To give you an idea what happened (it all plays together). One of Liz's co-workers was starting to show some very strong stalking behavior, and eventually, at work, he attacked her. (See the Aug 10-11 strips )
She's rescued by an old flame whose marriage is on the rocks. He then chooses that moment to try to rekindle things with Liz.
From a storytelling point of view, I have two major problems.
1) The Anthony angle really intrudes on what is going on. It removes the focus from the attack and sends it in another direction. It could have worked, but it would have been tricky. If Johnston was creating a situation where Liz was being shown two very unhealthy relationship "styles" (for lack of a better way of saying it), it could have worked, but is rather iffy. Add to that, Liz has a history of bad relationships (at least one doozy).
2) The whole attempted rape thing largely has been dropped. They may come back to it, but aside from one little "side point" where Liz said she'd talked to the cops, we haven't seen any of the consequences play out. Now, in the "letters" on the FBOFW website, we find out that Liz has also seen a counselor, and that the attacker is looking at serious jail time. That's great. That's what I want to see, but those things should be in the strip, not somewhere that maybe 5% of readers will see it.
I don't have a problem with doing the storyline. Stories like this can bring light onto important issues that aren't addressed often enough. My complaint is that it hasn't been followed up on. Show Liz talking to the cops, the counselors, all of those things. Don't just create a situation and then drop it.
As I said, maybe it will come back later in the story, but even so, too much momemtum has been lost.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Review: Superman Red Son
Picked up this TPB the other day at a store, and had the chance to read it yesterday.
Interesting, and an interesting look at the use of A/U or "elseworlds" sorts of books.
For those who haven't read the book, the premise is that Superman landed in the Ukraine, instead of Kansas. He's raised as a good socialist (and stands for all that is truly good in socialism), and how the world would be different from that point.
The story is interesting, and a strongly concieved A/U. The writer absolutely did homework,and thought things through beforehand.
Probably the single biggest flaw was the usage of Jimmy Olson. I can see trying to work all the primary supporting characters into the mix (and seeing Lana as a Ukranian peasant girl was interesting). However, this idea that Jimmy Olson suddenly becomes this high powered Secret Service agent/Presidential Advisor? I can see where you might argle the lack of Supes would lead Jimmy to move on from his photog job, but I think that's a bit much.
On the other hand, Lois works. Her relationship with Lex is canon, and seeing her move into the editors desk at the Planet works fine. No problems.
There is one really interesting question that comes out of the book, and I'll have to reread it. What is it that allows Superman to keep his perspective in "mainstream" canon, where he loses it in Red Son? Superman has managed to avoid the incredible paternalism that we see in the latter part of Red Son. Is it something with Ma and Pa Kent? Or has Lois kept him grounded to his humanity?
That is what a good A/U story should do, it should make you think about a character in ways that canon won't let you.
It isn't as good as Golden Age as elseworlds type tales go, but it is very good.
Interesting, and an interesting look at the use of A/U or "elseworlds" sorts of books.
For those who haven't read the book, the premise is that Superman landed in the Ukraine, instead of Kansas. He's raised as a good socialist (and stands for all that is truly good in socialism), and how the world would be different from that point.
The story is interesting, and a strongly concieved A/U. The writer absolutely did homework,and thought things through beforehand.
Probably the single biggest flaw was the usage of Jimmy Olson. I can see trying to work all the primary supporting characters into the mix (and seeing Lana as a Ukranian peasant girl was interesting). However, this idea that Jimmy Olson suddenly becomes this high powered Secret Service agent/Presidential Advisor? I can see where you might argle the lack of Supes would lead Jimmy to move on from his photog job, but I think that's a bit much.
On the other hand, Lois works. Her relationship with Lex is canon, and seeing her move into the editors desk at the Planet works fine. No problems.
There is one really interesting question that comes out of the book, and I'll have to reread it. What is it that allows Superman to keep his perspective in "mainstream" canon, where he loses it in Red Son? Superman has managed to avoid the incredible paternalism that we see in the latter part of Red Son. Is it something with Ma and Pa Kent? Or has Lois kept him grounded to his humanity?
That is what a good A/U story should do, it should make you think about a character in ways that canon won't let you.
It isn't as good as Golden Age as elseworlds type tales go, but it is very good.
Monday, September 12, 2005
More Downsides
Too tired to make an intellegent post tonight (Sundays are incredibly long), so I'll force you to deal with more downsides. Let's pick on the Marvel Universe this time.
1. Buying stock in a tech company the day before Reed Richards liscences another amazing discovery that makes your companies product look like a horse n buggy.
2. Having to do list every member of the Avengers (active, reserve, retired and deceased), on a test.
3. The lines at the store for the Lockjaw plushie
4. The sad realization that J. Jonah Jameson is considered an icon of journalism.
5. Headaches induced by the psychotic camera angles that the Daily Bugle publishes of Spiderman.
6. Being picked on as a loser because you wore a Captain America T-shirt to school.
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.ffbabes "Susan or She-Hulk"
Yeah, I know, I need new ideas.
1. Buying stock in a tech company the day before Reed Richards liscences another amazing discovery that makes your companies product look like a horse n buggy.
2. Having to do list every member of the Avengers (active, reserve, retired and deceased), on a test.
3. The lines at the store for the Lockjaw plushie
4. The sad realization that J. Jonah Jameson is considered an icon of journalism.
5. Headaches induced by the psychotic camera angles that the Daily Bugle publishes of Spiderman.
6. Being picked on as a loser because you wore a Captain America T-shirt to school.
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.ffbabes "Susan or She-Hulk"
Yeah, I know, I need new ideas.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Comic Book Characters as athletes
Some time back The Comic Treadmill talked about an old DC comic book where the heros and villains of the DCU played a challenge baseball game.
In that spirit, what are some sports/positions that major comics characters would be ideal for? (Note, unlike the baseball game, assume that powers are legal.)
The Flash Ok, you could put this guy in any one of about 150,000 things. As they say, you can't coach speed. That said, football wide reciever it is.
Superman Again, you name it, he can do it. I'll make him my running back.
That means that we need a quarterback, and while they may not like playing with villains on their team, is there a better quarterback out there than Bullseye?
Aquaman Of course, he's the captain of the Water Polo team. Poor guy, no one ever watches Water Polo any more.
Cyclops the guy is all about angles... it's not a sport per se, but let him go hustle Jackie Gleason over a pool table.
Spiderman I wonder of being bitten by a radioactive spider would be enough to disqualify him from the Olympics in gymnastics?
We have to have some baseball players... so
Batting leadoff, in Center Field... Quicksilver not as fast as Wally... but fast enough.
Batting second, at Second Base... Nightwing fast, agile, great hand eye coordination. Bet he's good with glove and bat.
Batting Third, in Right Field... Wonder Woman that's a slot you want a good mix of power and average, and good bat control.
Batting fourth, at Third Base... Captain Marvel (DC) Power, speed, he has the complete package
Batting Fifth, in Left Field... Wolverine Every team needs a fireball, Lenny Dykstra type. Besides, no risk of his ever being on the Disabled ist
Batting Sixth, at Shortstop... Brianna Diggers of course, she may be a bit error prone.. but hey
Batting Seventh, at Catcher Solomon Grundy Ok, I don't much like Grundy, but no one is going to steamroll him at the plate.
Batting Eigth, at First Base Rhino ok, he won't hit for average, but great power.
Batting Ninth, Starting Pitcher... Mr. Terrific of course, he wouldn't be allowed to use a T-sphere as a ball.
Manager: The Taskmaster
Finally, one last one
Hockey Goalie... the Blob.
You try getting a puck past him.
In that spirit, what are some sports/positions that major comics characters would be ideal for? (Note, unlike the baseball game, assume that powers are legal.)
The Flash Ok, you could put this guy in any one of about 150,000 things. As they say, you can't coach speed. That said, football wide reciever it is.
Superman Again, you name it, he can do it. I'll make him my running back.
That means that we need a quarterback, and while they may not like playing with villains on their team, is there a better quarterback out there than Bullseye?
Aquaman Of course, he's the captain of the Water Polo team. Poor guy, no one ever watches Water Polo any more.
Cyclops the guy is all about angles... it's not a sport per se, but let him go hustle Jackie Gleason over a pool table.
Spiderman I wonder of being bitten by a radioactive spider would be enough to disqualify him from the Olympics in gymnastics?
We have to have some baseball players... so
Batting leadoff, in Center Field... Quicksilver not as fast as Wally... but fast enough.
Batting second, at Second Base... Nightwing fast, agile, great hand eye coordination. Bet he's good with glove and bat.
Batting Third, in Right Field... Wonder Woman that's a slot you want a good mix of power and average, and good bat control.
Batting fourth, at Third Base... Captain Marvel (DC) Power, speed, he has the complete package
Batting Fifth, in Left Field... Wolverine Every team needs a fireball, Lenny Dykstra type. Besides, no risk of his ever being on the Disabled ist
Batting Sixth, at Shortstop... Brianna Diggers of course, she may be a bit error prone.. but hey
Batting Seventh, at Catcher Solomon Grundy Ok, I don't much like Grundy, but no one is going to steamroll him at the plate.
Batting Eigth, at First Base Rhino ok, he won't hit for average, but great power.
Batting Ninth, Starting Pitcher... Mr. Terrific of course, he wouldn't be allowed to use a T-sphere as a ball.
Manager: The Taskmaster
Finally, one last one
Hockey Goalie... the Blob.
You try getting a puck past him.
Miranda Warnings- Gotham style
You have the right to remain silent (though you are already bound and gagged)
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. (Of course, you'll probably be out within three issues anyway, so don't sweat it)
You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. (At least the questioning done by the cops... I rather doubt that your lawyer was around while you were hanging from your heel on a 33rd floor balcony)
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense. (along with a chiropracter, massuese and crisis counselor, after you were hung from said balcony)
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. (Of course, you'll probably be out within three issues anyway, so don't sweat it)
You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. (At least the questioning done by the cops... I rather doubt that your lawyer was around while you were hanging from your heel on a 33rd floor balcony)
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense. (along with a chiropracter, massuese and crisis counselor, after you were hung from said balcony)
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
More Downsides
More Downsides of living in the DC Universe
1. Leading people to their seats at a Banquet dinner.
"Sir? You are the Flash. But that distinguished gentleman with the metal cap said he was the Flash."
"Sir, you are the fourth person claiming to be Green Lantern here today, and you're wearing red, not green."
2. Mongoose Rights activists wondering on public access cable why they don't have a superhero named after their favorite animal.
3. Wondering if that puzzlebox you just bought your kid will be a part of the Riddler's latest insidious scheme.
4. The lingering fear that the guy you honked at on the freeway during rush hour will show up at your house with a disintegration ray.
5. Seeing the certificate on your therapist's wall that shows he did an internship at Arkham.
6. Finding out that the "mineral spa" you built your house on is something called a "Lazarus Pit"
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.evilbabes "Knockout vs Blackfire"
1. Leading people to their seats at a Banquet dinner.
"Sir? You are the Flash. But that distinguished gentleman with the metal cap said he was the Flash."
"Sir, you are the fourth person claiming to be Green Lantern here today, and you're wearing red, not green."
2. Mongoose Rights activists wondering on public access cable why they don't have a superhero named after their favorite animal.
3. Wondering if that puzzlebox you just bought your kid will be a part of the Riddler's latest insidious scheme.
4. The lingering fear that the guy you honked at on the freeway during rush hour will show up at your house with a disintegration ray.
5. Seeing the certificate on your therapist's wall that shows he did an internship at Arkham.
6. Finding out that the "mineral spa" you built your house on is something called a "Lazarus Pit"
7. Endless debates on alt.fan.evilbabes "Knockout vs Blackfire"
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
random musings
Just sort of free associating here.
Does anyone remember Todd Marinovich? He was a football player for USC, and had a short pro career. What was notable about him was the way that his father tried to "program" him to become an NFL quarterback from his days in diapers. Almost every step, every meal was choreographed in an attempt to become a great football player. Well, he was a pretty good player in college, but a major bust in the pros, and if you follow football, you may know that his life has been pretty much a train wreck since then. There are other examples in sports of that. There are accusations that the father of the Williams sisters in Tennis, or Tiger Woods' dad did that as well (obviously with much more success, both in terms of their sports success, as well as not turning their kids into head cases).
That might make an interseting hook for a superhero book, or more than one of them. Now, there's been variations of that already. Azrael and the current Batgirl have elements of that in their backstory, but there are major differences in both. Now, it's possible that it's happened and I've missed it, but it would make for an amusing story.
It would work better if played with a slightly lighter touch. However, flashbacks of combat training, intensive strategic training, the whole works, with a more that slightly manic father in the background.
Hm... there may be something there... I'll have to think on this.
Does anyone remember Todd Marinovich? He was a football player for USC, and had a short pro career. What was notable about him was the way that his father tried to "program" him to become an NFL quarterback from his days in diapers. Almost every step, every meal was choreographed in an attempt to become a great football player. Well, he was a pretty good player in college, but a major bust in the pros, and if you follow football, you may know that his life has been pretty much a train wreck since then. There are other examples in sports of that. There are accusations that the father of the Williams sisters in Tennis, or Tiger Woods' dad did that as well (obviously with much more success, both in terms of their sports success, as well as not turning their kids into head cases).
That might make an interseting hook for a superhero book, or more than one of them. Now, there's been variations of that already. Azrael and the current Batgirl have elements of that in their backstory, but there are major differences in both. Now, it's possible that it's happened and I've missed it, but it would make for an amusing story.
It would work better if played with a slightly lighter touch. However, flashbacks of combat training, intensive strategic training, the whole works, with a more that slightly manic father in the background.
Hm... there may be something there... I'll have to think on this.
Power Mismatches in fights
Of course, last time around, I mentioned the problems when you have team ups that are just flat "mismatches." You can also have the same with mismatches between the hero and the villain.
It can work on occasion. James Meely over at the Comics Asylum highlighted a fight between Spiderman and Juggernaut some time back, and I'll agree, that fight worked. However, it does push the writers ability to do it.
One variation of this is when a villain is just entirely too weak to stand up to the hero. Now, there are ways to make this work. Even if a villain isn't able to outfight the hero, if he can outthink (or at least make it challenging) the hero, it can make for an interesting story.
An interesting variation of this was the appearance of the Joker in the Kingdom Come storyline. Now, matching Supes up against the Joker isn't something you want to do so often, but in the Joker's absolute chaotic method, he's capable of doing damage (murdering innocents), before Supes is able to track him down. So, while you know that Supes will "get him" in the end, there is legitimate fear that the Joker will do something awful first. Like killing the entire staff of the Daily Planet.
Again, like so many other things, that's a well you don't want to go into too often. That's one of the problems the industry has though. With so many books out there (just between the big two, not to mention any indies), things just tend to get run into the ground.
On the other hand, you can also have a situation where the hero is badly outclassed. Now, again, on occasion this can work. Spiderman suckering Juggy into a thing of wet concrete works. For that matter, Batman going up against Croc also works, even as a regular villain (though I find Croc boring.) However, what happens when Batman suddenly finds himself up against Sinestro? (Not sure it ever happened, but we'll take it as a for instance.) Sinestro is no one's fool, he's very powerful, way, way out of Batsie's weight class.
Probably the worst instance of this that I know of was the "legendary" Dazzler vs Dr. Doom battle. Like Dazzler or not (in her later X-Men days she got tolerable), she had no business playing tag with a villain who is a good matchup for the assembled Fantastic Four. All it did was cheapen Doom.
It can work on occasion. James Meely over at the Comics Asylum highlighted a fight between Spiderman and Juggernaut some time back, and I'll agree, that fight worked. However, it does push the writers ability to do it.
One variation of this is when a villain is just entirely too weak to stand up to the hero. Now, there are ways to make this work. Even if a villain isn't able to outfight the hero, if he can outthink (or at least make it challenging) the hero, it can make for an interesting story.
An interesting variation of this was the appearance of the Joker in the Kingdom Come storyline. Now, matching Supes up against the Joker isn't something you want to do so often, but in the Joker's absolute chaotic method, he's capable of doing damage (murdering innocents), before Supes is able to track him down. So, while you know that Supes will "get him" in the end, there is legitimate fear that the Joker will do something awful first. Like killing the entire staff of the Daily Planet.
Again, like so many other things, that's a well you don't want to go into too often. That's one of the problems the industry has though. With so many books out there (just between the big two, not to mention any indies), things just tend to get run into the ground.
On the other hand, you can also have a situation where the hero is badly outclassed. Now, again, on occasion this can work. Spiderman suckering Juggy into a thing of wet concrete works. For that matter, Batman going up against Croc also works, even as a regular villain (though I find Croc boring.) However, what happens when Batman suddenly finds himself up against Sinestro? (Not sure it ever happened, but we'll take it as a for instance.) Sinestro is no one's fool, he's very powerful, way, way out of Batsie's weight class.
Probably the worst instance of this that I know of was the "legendary" Dazzler vs Dr. Doom battle. Like Dazzler or not (in her later X-Men days she got tolerable), she had no business playing tag with a villain who is a good matchup for the assembled Fantastic Four. All it did was cheapen Doom.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Wierd Power matches... aka Nightwingus Titanus
Yeah, I know, it's obvious I never did Latin. Whee.
Anyway, one thing that's always made me feel just a tad uncomfortable is teamups where the powers are too widely mismatched. Now, that may seem odd, with my well known love of team books, but it does bother me.
Now, I'm not talking about having very different styles of power. Those sorts of things can be complimentary. No, I'm talking about having very different levels of power.
Take the Old School Teen Titans. You've got a bunch of characters of pretty impressive power. Cyborg, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash. Then, you have Robin (or Nightwing). Certainly, well trained, well disciplined, but he just doesn't have the power. Now, the approach that they used was to make Dick the natural leader of the team. In many ways, that works. However, the problem with that idea is that it can start to be run into the ground. You had a de-powered Storm running around as the leader of the X-Men for a long time, you've had Capt. America as a long time leader of the Avengers.
You can just go to the well a bit too often. The worst example of this though is trying to mix Superman and Batman. Now, I've read the first TBP of the "modern series" and it works fairly well, mostly in the contrast between the outlook and style of the two characters.
However, it is still a very awkward and difficult mix. Here you have Superman, with all of those powers... and there you have Batman. Perhaps the best trained ordinary human alive, but that is all. What he does bring to the table is his detective skills (though Supes is no fool). I'm not saing it cannot be done, but merely that it makes for difficult writing.
Anyway, one thing that's always made me feel just a tad uncomfortable is teamups where the powers are too widely mismatched. Now, that may seem odd, with my well known love of team books, but it does bother me.
Now, I'm not talking about having very different styles of power. Those sorts of things can be complimentary. No, I'm talking about having very different levels of power.
Take the Old School Teen Titans. You've got a bunch of characters of pretty impressive power. Cyborg, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash. Then, you have Robin (or Nightwing). Certainly, well trained, well disciplined, but he just doesn't have the power. Now, the approach that they used was to make Dick the natural leader of the team. In many ways, that works. However, the problem with that idea is that it can start to be run into the ground. You had a de-powered Storm running around as the leader of the X-Men for a long time, you've had Capt. America as a long time leader of the Avengers.
You can just go to the well a bit too often. The worst example of this though is trying to mix Superman and Batman. Now, I've read the first TBP of the "modern series" and it works fairly well, mostly in the contrast between the outlook and style of the two characters.
However, it is still a very awkward and difficult mix. Here you have Superman, with all of those powers... and there you have Batman. Perhaps the best trained ordinary human alive, but that is all. What he does bring to the table is his detective skills (though Supes is no fool). I'm not saing it cannot be done, but merely that it makes for difficult writing.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
More Downsides of living in the DCU
Ok, I'm gonna run this bit into the ground.
1. That nagging fear that the geeky kid you harassed in High School Chem is going to be the next "great" mad scientist... and that he'll remember you shoving his head into the toilet.
2. Telemarketers trying to sell you "Booster Gold's 25th Century Multivitamin"
3. "Celebrity Fear Factor" with "yesterday's news" heros like Argent, Arrowette and Gunfire.
4. Crowds outside of Barnes and Noble lining up to buy "My night with Huntress" by Josh
5. Talking heads on Television saying that if Batman would just stay in his hole, there would be no supercrime in Gotham.
6. Following in the footsteps of Wonder Woman, a slew of books on personal philosophy by superheros... culminating in "Fragging for Fun and Profit" by Lobo (ghostwritten of course)
7. "Hey, wait a minute... I thought Hawk was a guy? Who's this british lady?"
8. Endless debates on alt.fan.teensuperbabes "Wonder Girl or Stargirl"
(I told you I'd run it into the ground, and I'm sure I'm not done yet)
1. That nagging fear that the geeky kid you harassed in High School Chem is going to be the next "great" mad scientist... and that he'll remember you shoving his head into the toilet.
2. Telemarketers trying to sell you "Booster Gold's 25th Century Multivitamin"
3. "Celebrity Fear Factor" with "yesterday's news" heros like Argent, Arrowette and Gunfire.
4. Crowds outside of Barnes and Noble lining up to buy "My night with Huntress" by Josh
5. Talking heads on Television saying that if Batman would just stay in his hole, there would be no supercrime in Gotham.
6. Following in the footsteps of Wonder Woman, a slew of books on personal philosophy by superheros... culminating in "Fragging for Fun and Profit" by Lobo (ghostwritten of course)
7. "Hey, wait a minute... I thought Hawk was a guy? Who's this british lady?"
8. Endless debates on alt.fan.teensuperbabes "Wonder Girl or Stargirl"
(I told you I'd run it into the ground, and I'm sure I'm not done yet)
Downsides of living in the Marvel Universe
Continuing with my theme from the other day...
1. You can't walk more than 5 feet in New York without being run over by the Paparazzi following one superhero or another.
2. If you are anywhere other than New York, you can't get a superhero when you need one. Period.
3. The incredible humiliation of joining an anti-mutant hate group and waking up some morning to find you can bench press your mom's Yugo
4. Ghost Rider sitting in a Non-smoking restauraunt
5. 20/20 Presents... Bucky Barnes, where is he now?
6. Finding out that the Infinity Gauntlet made an evil twin of your mother in law.
7. Not realizing what bar you are in until you hear a guy walk in and say "Justice is Served"
Hm, I'm reaching, so I best quit.
1. You can't walk more than 5 feet in New York without being run over by the Paparazzi following one superhero or another.
2. If you are anywhere other than New York, you can't get a superhero when you need one. Period.
3. The incredible humiliation of joining an anti-mutant hate group and waking up some morning to find you can bench press your mom's Yugo
4. Ghost Rider sitting in a Non-smoking restauraunt
5. 20/20 Presents... Bucky Barnes, where is he now?
6. Finding out that the Infinity Gauntlet made an evil twin of your mother in law.
7. Not realizing what bar you are in until you hear a guy walk in and say "Justice is Served"
Hm, I'm reaching, so I best quit.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Villain that works: Dr. Sivana
Celebrating what's good in villains (now that I evicerated my 10 Painful ones), we come to the gleefully evil Dr. Sivana.
At first, I wasn't that deeply impressed with him. After all, ho hum, if you've seen one mad scientist, you've seen them all. Yeah, Dr. S has roots that go back to the Golden Age, so you can't exactly call him a copycat, but even so, whoop de do.
Then I started reading him in the Power of Shazam books, and then his recent appearances in Outsiders. Color me much more impressed.
The story in Power of Shazam that really impressed me wasn't his first appearance, or even when he helped (sort of) defeat the mindworm swarm on Venus. No, it was clearly the story of what he did when he finally got a chance to mess around in the time stream.
Now, most villains, you dump them into the time stream, and give them a chance to pull a Biff Tanner, they'll be glaringly obvious. You see, the good Doctor went back and gave his past self a message about Billy Batson. Most mad scientists would have gone back and said "Make sure that Theo tracks down the Batson brat too. Oh, kill the girl to be sure." Not our good doctor. Even though it would be a couple of years before the Wizard gave the powers to Billy, Dr. S had another idea. His message to his past self? "Whatever you do... DON'T TOUCH THE BATSONS!" Even though the adult Batsons became Capt. Marvels in their own right (interesting timeshift story), he manages to coexist with them, and leave them alone. Because of that, he doesn't lose his wealth, his prestige or his business. A bit wimpy, to just say "hide from your foe," but it worked. Too bad the wizard decided to fix the timeline *L*
Then, his gleefully evil run in Outsiders. This is the way an evil mastermind should work. He's got a team that has given a decent challenge to the Titans in the past, and he's 3 steps ahead of them all. He's blocked Psimon from trying to control him, and the first time the team gets at all restive, he has a remote control laser give Gizmo a fatal lobotomy. His plan? He was having "the boys" attack Lexcorp holdings so he could manipulate the stock. With that, he bought his own tropical island, for his official mad scientist hangout. I could only laugh. Now, that's how a Supervillain is supposed to act.
In a way, I'd like to see the good Doctor as a member of the six, in place of Deathstroke (I like Slade, just think he's misplaced there.) On the other hand, not sure how well he and Lex would coexist.
At first, I wasn't that deeply impressed with him. After all, ho hum, if you've seen one mad scientist, you've seen them all. Yeah, Dr. S has roots that go back to the Golden Age, so you can't exactly call him a copycat, but even so, whoop de do.
Then I started reading him in the Power of Shazam books, and then his recent appearances in Outsiders. Color me much more impressed.
The story in Power of Shazam that really impressed me wasn't his first appearance, or even when he helped (sort of) defeat the mindworm swarm on Venus. No, it was clearly the story of what he did when he finally got a chance to mess around in the time stream.
Now, most villains, you dump them into the time stream, and give them a chance to pull a Biff Tanner, they'll be glaringly obvious. You see, the good Doctor went back and gave his past self a message about Billy Batson. Most mad scientists would have gone back and said "Make sure that Theo tracks down the Batson brat too. Oh, kill the girl to be sure." Not our good doctor. Even though it would be a couple of years before the Wizard gave the powers to Billy, Dr. S had another idea. His message to his past self? "Whatever you do... DON'T TOUCH THE BATSONS!" Even though the adult Batsons became Capt. Marvels in their own right (interesting timeshift story), he manages to coexist with them, and leave them alone. Because of that, he doesn't lose his wealth, his prestige or his business. A bit wimpy, to just say "hide from your foe," but it worked. Too bad the wizard decided to fix the timeline *L*
Then, his gleefully evil run in Outsiders. This is the way an evil mastermind should work. He's got a team that has given a decent challenge to the Titans in the past, and he's 3 steps ahead of them all. He's blocked Psimon from trying to control him, and the first time the team gets at all restive, he has a remote control laser give Gizmo a fatal lobotomy. His plan? He was having "the boys" attack Lexcorp holdings so he could manipulate the stock. With that, he bought his own tropical island, for his official mad scientist hangout. I could only laugh. Now, that's how a Supervillain is supposed to act.
In a way, I'd like to see the good Doctor as a member of the six, in place of Deathstroke (I like Slade, just think he's misplaced there.) On the other hand, not sure how well he and Lex would coexist.
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