"Telemetry."

I don't have the full set back up, but it feels nice to be able to knock out a strip again. I'm not sure what next week's strip is going to be yet, though; since we may have to check in on the homefront...

Meanwhile, we should be back to looking at old comics soon; although I am trying to take care of a couple projects; of varying degrees of annoying. We'll let you know when they wrap up, or at least move forward.

And we're back! Almost!

The move is nearly complete! The wife and I both have our own garage now, and while she intends to park in hers, I'm planning on shooting homemade strips and watching old VHS tapes down there. Obviously the better choice!

There have been a few things I found during the move that I hadn't seen in a while, like an X-Men pop-up book, or a couple action figure hands, or the backpack piece for the recent Walmart exclusive Falcon. (For the love of god, don't pay that price!) I do have to rebuild the set, though, and have to get back to work for Wednesday's strip.

I'm also not completely set up on anything else: right now typing, my back is to the game! Poor planning there...

"Delay of game."

It's Sunday night as I write this, and I took at least five carloads of stuff to my new apartment today. None of said stuff is really where it needs to be, most of it is in the garage right now, but I had no intention of parking in there anyway. I'm kind of fried right now, but I'm getting closer. Of course, I still have a ton of cleaning to do over Thanksgiving, and have to strike the set! We'll see if it comes together exactly the same next time!

There's probably half a dozen easier ways to read this issue: you could get the digital version direct from 2000 AD, or try to find the collection Tales of Nu Earth. If you're in England or thereabouts, maybe you could find the original prog from 1983, 2000 AD #317. IDW recently reprinted several issues, but I'm not sure they got this far. I went with the older American reprint, Fleetway/Quality's 1987 Rogue Trooper #9. All of which feature script by Gerry Finley-Day, and Brett Ewins art for "Fort Neuro," Cam Kennedy on "Bio-Wire!"

"Bio-Wire!" is a five-page short, involving a creeping, living barbed wire; but the bulk of this issue is Rogue's adventures in "Fort Neuro." Under protracted siege by the enemy Norts, the Souther forces entrenched in Fortress Neuropa have started to lose it: the first batch Rogue meets have gone all faux-French, for starters, naming their section "the Napoleonic Complex." With the help of a messenger droid, "Robspierre," Rogue makes his way to the next division, the Lim-ees, who aren't doing much better.

I'm positive most of the other versions are clearer, on better paper, with brighter colors--when available! But I have more than a soft-spot for the low-fi Fleetway-Quality reprints: they were my introduction to Judge Dredd and the rest of 2000 AD's stable of characters. Plus, when you can find them, they're generally cheaper than dirt...and I'll be keeping an eye out, over this weekend! I'm out for three days, we'll see if anything turns up.

"M.I.A."

We almost revealed where Kurt is this week, but since I'm behind, it didn't work out that way! Enjoy the suspense!

Busy and somewhat depressed, so please enjoy Ty Templeton's Bouncing Boy origin:

Actually, that last panel may be the coolest Cosmic Boy has ever been; like it was his last week as Legion leader and he had straight-up checked out...from 1990, Secret Origins #49, "The Not-So-Secret Origin of Bouncing Boy" Story and art by Ty Templeton, and it's pretty great.

This was the second-to-last of this run of Secret Origins: they had already done the all-gorilla issue, the headquarters issue, and Ambush Bug, so what was left? DC had the class to wrap it up before going back to Batman again...well, there would be a short Batman and Robin George Perez story in the last issue. #49 also features the Silent Knight, and Karl Kesel going to town on the secret origins of the Newsboy Legion, a concept I could see getting new life on the CW or something; except that kids having adventures in the forties would now be a bit old to run around with their clones...

I'm moving! (No, not because of the thing you'd think!)

The Wife wanted a bigger place, so we're moving into a new apartment! Which will be nice when we're there, but the actual moving of things...ugh. Just ugh. Again, posting may be a bit spotty for a bit, or posts of boxes of stuff I should be moving.

I did get the Star Wars Black C-3PO yesterday, and it's a very toy-ish figure. I might've expected vac-metallized, but he's gold-colored plastic. (Not sure offhand if he's cast that color, or painted.) Slightly softer sculpt than usual as well, but he should go well with Artoo.

If the stock market's spiraling today, bootstrap yourself up like Batman:

From 2013, Legends of the Dark Knight #13, "Return of Batman, part two" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Riccardo Burchielli. With Waynetech stock tanking, Batman finds "what happens when I go out to play without my expensive toys." While he still has some instincts, he's rusty; and worse, there's a disturbing scene where he hears the voice of his cowl mocking him, for throwing him aside "for a computerized robot suit." Still, with R'as al Ghul about to poison all of Gotham, Batman has little choice but to get himself together again, by going back to basics.

If it's weird that R'as appears to have a stock guy named Buddy, it's weirder that he also has a parrot named Rameses here. In the hand, after Batman has stopped R'as's scheme, and Waynetech stock has started to rebound; Batman regrets not getting his hands on R'as, even if he may have to thank him.

I'm trying to take care of something this week, so light posting for a bit. Still, I always like to make sure something new goes up...

"Countersign."

The answer to the countersign is "Queen to King's Level One," from the classic Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy." Which also features some Kirk vs. Kirk action...

Sometimes I'll buy a quarter book (or dollar, more likely nowadays) even if I already have it, if it's too good to leave behind; or if I might not have read it before but might have. Today's book was more of the latter than the former: from 2003, Battle of the Planets: Mark #1, cover and art direction by Alex Ross, written by Munier Sharrieff, pencils by Edwin David, digital inks by Erik Ko.

The leader of G-Force has his vacation interrupted by an ambush from Red Impulse, the "United Armed Forces covert air strike force." But it's not an attack, more like an initiation: their leader, Colonel Cronus, was missing and presumed dead, and they needed a new boss. Actually, the Impulse's second, Major Maelstrom, suspected Cronus might've survived, and needed Mark's help to find him. It's a quick adventure yarn, with some spy action, piloting, and punch-ups. Finding Cronus, Mark is thrilled to get to fight alongside his hero, even though the rest of the book he's been badmouthing his MIA deadbeat dad...who of course, is Cronus.

I'm actually 90% sure I had this issue, but didn't have the one-shot for Jason. And looking it up, Princess got a six-issue solo mini-series; which goes a bit towards showing who the most popular team member actually was.

I kinda love that Bobbi has a Black Widow coffee cup...

The last issue of Mockingbird came out a couple weeks back, and some generally worthless crybaby trolls got their proverbial knickers all twisted up about the cover. Don't listen to them: Mockingbird was pretty great, especially when it played to its strengths. This issue, basically the try-out for the title, shows that exactly: from 2015, Mockingbird S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary #1, written by Chelsea Cain, art by Joelle Jones, color by Rachelle Rosenberg, cover art by Paul Renaud. (I mention the cover, because I scanned it for the GCD, and it went through upside down! So apologies if it still is.)

The plot for this issue is actually its weakest point: an old mentor of Bobbi's from her S.H.I.E.L.D. days is murdered, and Bobbi works the case. Which isn't as tough as all that: the clues are right there, and we only meet one suspect, and she has him pegged from the start. There's also a subtle retcon of a point from deep back in Mockingbird's history (Astonishing Tales #6, her first appearance!) as to whether or not she has any psychic ability--seemingly no, unless she's being coy, she's just good at reading people. It's also noted that while Nick Fury guards the secrets of the Super-Soldier Serum and the Infinity Formula, and won't give any to researchers; he had Bobbi injected with both to save her life. Bobbi counters that S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors her health constantly, which would be a plot point in the regular series. (Offhand, I'm not sure which Nick Fury they're referring to there; I'd assume the original, but it's a recent development.)

The best parts of this issue, and that series: Cain writes Bobbi's voice so well, guys. It's not unlike a TV show carried by the strength of its lead; as Bobbi's relationship with Brit spy Lance Hunter (and amusingly, her ex, Clint Barton) can and do carry the issue. I'm really, really hoping Cain has the chance to write her again soon.

Continuing an unintended theme this week, we've got another western comic, albeit one I've had before: from 2000, Blaze of Glory #1, written by John Ostrander, art by Leonardo Manco.

The story opens with "There is the West of fact. There is the West of legend. This story falls somewhere in between." And it's largely set in my home state, Montana! Which puts it squarely into legend, since literally nothing ever happened there. (A slight exaggeration, but still.) But this uses historical fact, cameos from Buffalo Bill and others, with Marvel's stable of western heroes, including the Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, and Gunhawk.

There may actually be a few Gunhawks here: Reno Jones is the lead hero of the story, a former slave, Confederate soldier, and former gunslinger with his erstwhile childhood friend/owner Kid Cassidy. Although he had been the subject of a dime novel, in reality the "Gunhawks" broke up when Jones had been forced to shoot the increasingly cruel Cassidy, then flee town to avoid a lynching. When the Klan-style Exodusters attack the town, I'm pretty sure Cassidy ends up being one of them, but another Gunhawk turns up at the end of the issue, a bounty hunter on the trail of Kid Colt. And I'm noting it here, because I always forget: the Two-Gun Kid was the kid that was stuck in the 1970's for a bit around Avengers #144.

I had this whole series, but lost it several years back when my basement flooded. A couple of weeks ago, I got this at a dollar store--along with another copy of Ironwolf, and the reprint tie-in to this series, Gunslingers--at a dollar store. They were bagged with randomly picked trading cards, and a "How to Collect Comic Book Collectors Guide." Send in four proofs of purchase and $3.99 to get "3 Vintage Era Superhero Comic Books All Over 25 Years Old!" That's smack dab in the middle of the 90's, kids; there's quarter-bins full of those!

How much are you paying, for Jonah Hex to call you "sir"?

Thanks to the Legends of Tomorrow TV show, I think I've seen more episodes with Rip Hunter, than read comics with the character. Going back through the blog...it's close. He's in this book, but only barely: from 1990, Time Masters #3, "Time Has Come Today" Written by Bob Wayne and Lewis Shiner, pencils by Art Thibert, inks by Jose Marzan Jr.

(I don't know what is going on with that gun there.) Rip is kind of a brooding, moody dick in what we see of him here; but he's fighting a conspiracy spanning centuries, and his equipment and team are only good for "one round trip only, for each of us." He's a little pissed young Corky wasted a trip back to dinosaur times. Based on an anachronistic Polaroid, Rip sends Jeff Smith back to 1874, where he may have to assassinate Porfiro Diaz before he becomes president of Mexico. (Spelled 'Porfiro' here, it should be Porfirio Diaz, a real historical figure!) Still, Jeff's in for a tough time, since not only is he not a killer, he's in that Polaroid with Diaz's bodyguards: Scalphunter, Bat Lash, and Jonah mothersmurfing Hex.

From our point of view, hiring those three is like getting the Justice League; but I didn't think Scalphunter worked for cash much, and who hires Bat Lash? Even more unusually, Hex is rather out of character here: when the Spanish ambassador pulls a gun on Diaz at dinner, Hex smokes him, but is oddly deferential to Diaz. I wouldn't think there was enough money in the world to make Hex polite, and based on the context here Diaz was probably at best a robber baron. Hex still saves Diaz from Jeff, who has to escape to the present with a bullet in his arm; as Rip's headquarters is booby-trapped with explosives, and he and his team are forced to flee with Cave Carson! Some history seems to be implied, but Rip looks like he's seriously considering being blown up rather than accept help from Carson.

This was an eight-issue series, and has been collected; I am not positive how I got just this one issue now...

"Mimepool."

I only occasionally watched it, but Highlander was a TV show for six seasons and 119 episodes, and I think 98% of them ended with a duel and somebody getting decapitated. An old joke of mine, that I'm entirely too fond of, is that I would watch the hell out of a police procedural set in whatever city the show was set in: "...it's another headless corpse, detective." "But is this the work of our guy, or a copycat?"

Admittedly, Zorro and Moonstalker show a fair bit of skin, too.

From the 90's, I remember the ads and Adam Hughes covers for Lady Rawhide, but have only seen actual comics with her by random chance. Like today's book! From 1994, Zorro #8, "As They Die Around You" Written by Don McGregor, pencils by Mike Mayhew, inks by Andy Mushynsky, letters by Michael Delepine. I don't always give letter credits here, but Delepine does a few interesting things in these scans, and McGregor's a wordy writer, so he had a lot to do.

This issue, Zorro is dismayed to realize his old enemy Lucien Machete isn't dead, but spends the bulk of the issue tangling with Lady Rawhide and Moonstalker. It's all a bit Marvel Misunderstanding, since they're all heroes, but at cross purposes and from an era without masked types: heck, they probably didn't have a lot of reasons to trust unmasked types either. Rawhide has to make a quick exit, since the brawl took place in the rain, and in defense of her secret identity, she couldn't chance the dye being washed out of her hair. Yeah, in that costume, nobody was gonna notice: there's a shot of her making a jump onto a horse, that Zorro admires a lot...

I've never read a lot of Zorro, or seen his films or anything. Like many comics fans, to me he's best known for his Batman connection; but that shouldn't take anything away from the character.