We're ever so slightly ahead of schedule here lately, so why not burn a day checking out some of the stuff I've picked up recently? First up: Toys R Us had a sale going on the DC Multiverse Wonder Woman figures, bringing them down to about $13 each. Somewhat disappointingly, the two Wonder Woman figures are the worst of the lot! The hooded WW with the winter fur wrap isn't removable, and I'm sure there's a plain version coming later. As for the Diana figure, Action Figure Barbecue had a review that pointed something out that you won't be able to unsee: she's sculpted wearing open-toed shoes...and her toes are an unpainted, shoe-shaped mass.

Huh, I just pictured Quentin Tarentino vomiting in terror. Weird. Anyway, I'm not sure there's a graceful way to fix that at this scale and price point, but that could bother some more than others. Hippolyta and Steve came out nice, and buy the lot of them and you get the "Collect & Connect" Ares, who is pretty sweet. Huh, just realized Ares gets bare feet, so it is doable, maybe? Overall, not quite Marvel Legends good, but you could get Ares way cheaper than the usual build-a-figure.

Also from Toys R Us: their exclusive Marvel Legends Groot! While not 100% necessary if you have the old build-a-figure, the pack-in baby Groot and potted Groot are fun. I thought I had got him for a couple bucks off as well, but he was about regular ML price.

This next one might be a hair more difficult to pick up: DC Icons Static figure. He had been downgraded a bit, from a more deluxe boxed figure (like their recent Batgirl with motorcycle) to a more standard edition; which meant losing a couple accessories: I think he was originally going to have some lightning effects, alternate hand or two, and a cloth coat. The downgrade should mean a lower price point, so watch that when you shop for him. Still, he does get an alternate head--although I don't think I'll have him without the 'X' hat--and a manhole cover and lightning for him to ride around on. Which would be cool, except the peg on the manhole is too small to keep him securely on there. That's annoying, but the sculpt and paint looks sharp, and it's a character I've wanted a figure of for about ever. And I had an old coat for him from a Marvel Legends Gambit!

Meanwhile, I'm waiting on a box from eBay; which is not coming any faster no matter how many times I refresh the tracking. I'll take a picture when I get it.

A couple months ago, I bought the Wolverine on Blu-Ray, to get a free ticket to Logan. I'm a pretty easy mark for that kind of promotion, it's like getting a free DVD for a movie I was probably going to see anyway. A couple years ago, I got Alien on Blu-Ray to get a ticket for Prometheus; so this week I bought Alien: Resurrection for a ticket to Alien: Covenant. I probably won't be able to go for a week or two, but I haven't seen Resurrection for a few years, either. The back of the case mentions a 2003 special edition; maybe that fixes some of the problems from the original. Couldn't hurt.

God, what CD did I have this on? Some compilation, somewhere...Chris Cornell's death is rough, man. Right now, it looks like suicide; and I just want to put this up here: Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255. There are hard times, but there are reasons to hold on, too. Take care of yourselves.
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Named after a Roxette song. He must be a badass!

I've been in training classes for the last couple weeks, which has cut into blogging time a bit; but I was asleep at the wheel yesterday when we discussed Overdrive from the Superior Foes of Spider-Man. I was going to bring up another car-controlling super-villain, that appeared first! And maybe only once. But still.


From 1994, Static #16, "Goin' South (What are Little Boys Made Of? Part 1)" Written by Robert L. Washington III, pencils by Wilfred (Santiago), inks by Rober Quijano. Image ganked from the GCD!

Going off memory since I have yet to find this issue in my garage for scans, Joyride was a car thief that was all but unstoppable behind the wheel; even able to drive up walls. Static challenges him to a drag race, that he loses. Badly. Like, way worse than he had even planned. To rub the hero's nose in it, Joyride goes to help himself to Static's borrowed car, but outside the car Static has him: he realized Joyride's powers only worked when he was in a vehicle, and later tells the police not to put him in a van, to walk him into custody.

I don't know if Joyride appeared again--in a Spider-Man comic, the cops would forget, or not believe the warning, and Joyride would escape in a snap. Somehow, doofy teenager Static comes off as more trustworthy than the full-masked Spidey, I think.
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Finally, a Big Bang Theory I don't hate!

No, not that dumb show: from 1994, Icon #20, "The Big Bang Theory" Written by Dwayne McDuffie, art by M.D. Bright and Mike Gustovich, with guest-artists ChrisCross, John Paul Leon, and Prentis Rollins.

There's a few things going on at once this issue: the cover proclaims "Celebrating Our 100th Milestone Issue!" even though this was issue #20; it was the 100th issue of the Milestone line. 100 straight on time, too. This was part three of "the Mothership Connection" which would run another issue, but lend its title to a larger collection. And Milestone's other big heroes--namely Static, Hardwire, and if you're feeling generous Wise Son--guest-star, as Icon breaks the conspiracy behind the so-called "Big Bang." When the gangs of Paris Island agreed to settle once and for all with a massive shootout, it was an open secret; and the mayor wanted to use the opportunity to shake her "soft-on-crime" image. Her plan revolved around a secret weapon, a tear gas that would contain a radioactive marker so any gang members that might get away could be rounded up later.

Instead, the tear gas contained a substance called "quantum-juice," that killed 90% of anyone it touched, while the rest became "Bang Babies," either horrible monsters or superhumans. The cops weren't actually even there, but involved in the cover-up; and now Icon is putting together the last of the pieces with honest cop Detective MacCullum. Icon consults with the Shadow Cabinet's Dharma, who had been accused of being responsible for the gas: Dharma, whose motives are mysterious, is an utter drama queen about it. His power is to see the future, so he admits he could've stopped it; but knows the bang babies are all too necessary for the future.

In his civilian identity of Augustus Freeman, Icon confronts the mayor--who he had been dating, for some years--and confronts her; along with a secret identity reveal that makes Clark Kent to Superman look plausible. That has to be super-awkward for the detective still in the room there.

Next, Icon brings in the Blood Syndicate's Wise Son, the monsterish Payback, and Static, to track down the real culprit behind the big bang: Doctor Nemo. As typical, everyone's looking for Nemo, but his power was making that difficult: unless he concentrated, no one realizes he's there. He had been staying at a hotel in Paris, simply unnoticed by anyone, until Icon and everyone show up, with Icon revealing a little secret: bang babies bathed in positrons glow!

Nemo attempts to crank up his power to become unnoticeable again, but burns himself out, reducing himself to a pile of bones. It's not a lot of closure for the guys, even though Icon also visits Edwin Alva, the megalomaniac industrialist villain of Hardware. (It's often left open if Alva is a genuine monster, or merely a supremely self-centered capitalist dickhole.) Icon makes one final stop, to his sidekick, Rocket. She was on maternity leave, but Icon gives her a new costume and gear...since he won't be around to give it to her later; he would be leaving earth.

Icon, like Superman, was an alien visitor to earth; but unlike Supes Icon was an adult when he arrived...in the 18th century. The escape pod he arrived in had tech to mimic the local inhabitants, and the first person he saw was a black woman, so he'd been living as a black man for over a century and a half. So kind of not surprising he wouldn't have the same warm feelings towards humans Superman does (or at least all of them) or that he'd want to get out as soon as he could!
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"The End" Week: Static #45!

The title seems to imply they saw it coming, but I don't think they did: from 1997, Static #45, "...Gone." Written by M.D. Bright, pencils by Jeff Moore, inks by Hector Collazo. With a cover by Moebius!

The latest super-villain to give Static the hassle, Laserjet, continues to display new powers: appearing in multiple places at once, he takes a few shots at the hero with a stolen laser gun, before seeming to disappear at super-speed. But after class the next day, Virgil realizes something about Laserjet...while not noticing his friend Chuck's problem.

Static's electrical powers probably aren't that dissimilar to those of Marvel's Electro; except that even though he was only 15, Virgil is a million times smarter than Electro, and used his powers in subtle, more clever ways. Here, he sets a trap for Laserjet, covering the floor in paper and holding it down with a static charge; since he realized Laserjet wasn't super-fast, he was invisible.

The next day at school, though, someone gets shot...and although the cover and next issue teaser are on the letters page, this was the last issue. The Milestone Media editoral page even celebrates the line's 250th issue, Icon #43--and I don't think it even came out! Hardware #50 may have been Milestone's last regular book, and the line would be dead in the water until a brief revival with 2001's Static Shock! Rebirth of the Cool limited.

I had been mildly worried that some issues of Static weren't going to be as good as I remembered, and was a little concerned that Bright was writing and not drawing this one, but it's fine. Milestone deserved much better than it got; here's hoping it gets some respect in the future.
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More charm and wit in three panels than either of their last series, combined.

I was going to take a couple days off to get something ready, but I ran into a copy of Worlds Collide #1 at the dollar store while getting batteries. I have the deluxe edition somewhere, it came with vinyl clings like Colorforms. Gimmicky, but neat. (Written by Robert Washington III, Dwayne McDuffie, and Ivan Velez Jr, with art by John Paul Leon, ChrisCross, M.D. Bright, Chris Batista, Tom Grummett, and Denys Cowan.)

This was the crossover between the late lamented Milestone universe and the Superman books, and while it's definitely a 90's book, it is in a different way than most 90's comics: instead of being drawn by a Lee or Liefeld clone and featuring eight splash pages, people talk and dress and have hair like the 90's. (And only six full-on splash pages, but mostly for good reason in a double-sized issue!) I miss the old Milestone books so much right now...
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OK, this week's month's comics:

Although I bought some cheap trades and some ninety-nine cent Deadpool Corps and MAX issues; I hadn't picked up the bulk of my comics for the better part of a month. Which you probably guessed by the title. And it was a little gloomy, since there were two second-to-last issues and the end of a mini-series. We aren't going to do a lot of scans this time around, since I'm doing this on the fly, but let's take a quick look.

First, Static #7 was a bit more together than the previous issues, but still felt like too little and too late. On the other hand, O.M.A.C. #7 felt like there was a lot of gas left in the tank; as DiDio and Giffen channel a ton of Kirby and have Superman guest-star for a whopping four pages before going into a straight-up Kamandi tribute. And My Greatest Adventure #6 wraps the series with Robotman, Garbage Man, and Tenga not getting anything they want. Seriously, at all.

Demon Knights is the only DC book I've been reading that'll be around in a couple of months, but as the first storyline wraps I'm not sure if I want to stick with it or not. It's not bad, but the siege seemed to run a little long, and the outcome was a bit of a given. (A seeming traitor wasn't maybe, a character aged to near death is back, and they totally had to destroy that village to save it.)

On the other hand, the end of the Lobster Johnson story in Dark Horse Presents #9 is likewise a given, but it's executed better in less pages. I might have to write up this issue for a much-later 80-Page Thursday; but suffice to say I'm enjoying DHP a lot...but not as much as I theoretically could. Future issues are going to have Nexus, Ghost, and Evan Dorkin; and I selfishly want them all in the same issue. Every month.

There was also Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #3, which was terrifying and awesome. Tying into an old B.P.R.D. villain; this issue a mobster's new hires burn down a few buildings and fight the Lobster, but they are more than the mobster realizes. Much more. The mobster should have a lot more fear at this point than he does. Artist Tonci Zonjic is killing it, too.

Lastly, the conclusion of Atomic Robo & the Ghost of Station X wraps that series up nicely, although I think I missed an issue. Gotta get back on that. And I picked up the reprint of Adventure Time #1 for the Youngest, but haven't read it yet. Man, that's a bit light for a month; and I'm sure I missed or forgot to mention some stuff, but we'll get to that as it turns up.
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OK, this week's comics:

I have no intention of doing this every week, especially since I don't necessarily get new books or go to the comic shop every week; and there's only so many times I can tell you to buy Hellboy or whatnot. Anyway, so there's a new Hellboy hardback this week, and you should buy it.

I was almost going to leave it at that, since as a hardback, it's not going to fit in my scanner. But Hellboy: House of the Living Dead continues the tale that began in Hellboy in Mexico or, a Drunken Blur: after befriending three luchadores (who were told by a vision of the Virgin Mary to kill vampires) Hellboy is crushed when one is turned into a monster and he's forced to kill him. He spends some time as a luchadore himself, drinking to forget; until a strange man comes with an offer for a match...

Mignola mentions House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula as inspirations for his one, and while it shows, I think it's a little telling that while those movies were the last gasps of that run of monsters, it's not an unusual day for Hellboy. He's moved past that. There's also a brief appearance by one of the series' main villains, who makes an ominous proclamation tying into future books. Oh, and Richard Corben is 71, and just killing it on the art. While I only have a vague awareness of his own work like Den or Mutant World, I've enjoyed his recent Hellboy stories, and with Garth Ennis he did one of my favorite Punisher stories--in fact, that is one of my favorite single-issues, ever.

I picked up Wolverine and the X-Men #1 from last week, and it wasn't bad. Mainly, I wanted to see what was up with the little Nightcrawler-Bamf-gremlin things pictured on the regular version's cover. But, I have to say I like the idea of Wolvie and Kitty (and Marvel, for that matter) trying to do something different with their new school for mutants. Even if they're in way over their heads. There were a few beats that didn't quite work--I don't think Rachel would ever out a student as a bedwetter, even in psychic self-defense class--and some of the students don't really grab me; but still a good start.

I also tried something a little different with OMAC and Static Shock, reading the first three issues of both. I'm still enjoying OMAC, even if OMAC's alter-ego Kevin really hasn't gotten to do much yet--I don't think he's been on-panel with his girlfriend yet in the series. Meanwhile, Static's horrible big sister Sharon is twice as bad: she's been duplicated somehow, with both of them in the same house claiming the other is an evil clone. Fine, but when the hell did that happen? On-panel? In Teen Titans or Milestone Forever? Again, it's a perfectly fine plot point, but it just strikes me as completely messed up if Milestone Forever is in-continuity and Crisis on Infinite Earths isn't.

The villains seemed a little soft this month in both books as well. I hated the Checkmate Elite--DiDio and Giffen seemed to be trying for a Kirby spin on a paramilitary team but hit the wrong excesses, like terrible names. And when Static passes himself as a gang member from Dakota (the city, not the states, as someone has to be corrected) and the Big Bang comes up; it just reminded me the Blood Syndicate was so much more bad-ass than Virule or the Pale Man, a.k.a. that guy that looks like the Joker but doesn't like you mentioning it. Still, these are just minor nitpicks so far; and I'm enjoying both books.
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"Obliquely Mocking Ares' Costume."

I picked up the first issue of OMAC the other day, and enjoyed it; but I'm not sure where it's going. It's very Kirby-esque, but I think OMAC's deal was spelled out in the classic version's first issue; here it's not clear. I may give that one a little more rope, see where it goes...for some reason, I had the line "OMAC died...so that man might live!" stuck in my head, but I know that's not right.


The title of the first issue is "Office Management Amidst Chaos," and I kind of hope subsequent issues continue that trick. "Origami Mutants Argue Constantly." "Outside Messages Aren't Complimentary." "Ongoing Mistakes Against Continuity." I should stop, they may need some of those...(Story and art by Dan Didio and Keith Giffen, inks by Scott Koblish.)


Also got Static Shock #1, "Recharged" Story by John Rozum, story and pencils by Scott McDaniel, inks by Jonathan Glapion and LeBeau Underwood. Guest-starring Hardware, which is a good sign for a bit of Milestone making its way to the DCU or DCNu or whatever. (Icon probably should've gone to Stormwatch instead of J'onn...) I'm hoping to see Hardware in action at some point, since right now he appears to be in tech-support mode ala Microchip or Oracle.

Mighty God King has a pretty good breakdown of DC's new #1's so far, and a fair criticism of Static Shock reading not as a new #1, but as a continuation of the previous series. Yeah, but OK. I think a lot of that book's sales are going to be either fans of his previous series, or fans of the animated series, neither of whom are going to need a ton of recap. Besides, compared to some of the other 52, this will read like a book where things happen, I do believe.

In other books, I picked up Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human #2, making sure to get the Simonson cover. (GCD hasn't had scans of them all yet, since I think there's been 6+covers for 2 issues.) It's unfair to compare it to the Miller/Simonson version, which I loved to death; so while it's not as good as that, it's not bad...interesting, at least. We'll see where it goes.

And I missed Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X #1, so I finally broke and added it to my pull list. Previously, I picked it up here and there, but I think it's time to go all in. Hopefully, they can back order it for me.
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Possibly my favorite page from Milestone Comics:

And it's from a fill-in even! From Static #12, "Getting Out" Written by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Neil Vokes, inks by Prentis Rollins and Bobby Rae. Back in the day, Milestone was dedicated to on-time books; so they may have been one of the last to use fill-in books to save deadlines. Still, that's not a slight on this issue, since it's nonetheless a lot of fun.

There has been a bit of chatter lately about how DC has, um, bungled? Hamstrung? Dropped the ball? Pick your own euphemism for how DC failed on the Milestone relaunch. Oh, but I think Static's still on the Teen Titans, and Xombi got to appear in that team-up book...that I can't even bring myself to care enough to look up.

But DC did halfass the relaunch on both ends, creatively and marketing-wise: instead of maybe folding Milestone into DC continuity during Final Crisis--which would've been pretty damn easy to do, even if you did it in a spin-off miniseries--apparently the in-story explanation is that Milestone's Dakota City has always been there, you just never noticed before. (Or maybe it's been there since the Superman/Milestone crossover where they were specifically separate universes.)

That, and it seems like cheap, Showcase style reprints of Milestone books would be a slam dunk: they are books from the nineties, and a lot of references and fashion are going to seem dated, so don't try and over-format them. Get them into people's hands, get them reading them, and they'll be more forgiving and more apt to want more if you start them out on the lower price point.

Look, I'm just upset because Milestone could've been a good addition to the DC Universe, not just an afterthought. As it stands now, figure Major Bummer and the Heckler will get another try first...OK, bad example, that would be great.
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Blitzen's right, Static! I haven't seen the bang babies since 2001!
Originally uploaded by googum.

Most of you probably have someone you know whom...whom? Who? Trying to be all proper...whom you think is criminally underappreciated. A friend, coworker, relative that you know is attractive, funny, and charming; but no one else seems to think so. You can plainly see how incredible this person is, but this hypothetical friend is still dateless, considered plain, or just outright ignored.

Yeah, that'd be Static. And Xombi. Pretty much all of Milestone, I suppose. The line lasted more or less three years, but I don't know if the sales were ever great, or if it was merely the 90's crash that finished them off. I was living in Montana at the time, and I only knew one other guy who read them, and he got mad at Blood Syndicate for killing off his favorite three issues in. (Of course, that he had a favorite after three issues of a new title is impressive in itself, isn't it?)

But Static had a lot going for it. The stories remind me of the old Lee/Ditko Spider-Man, updated for the 90's, minus Peter's general self-loathing and recriminations over his uncle's death. Virgil (name another comic character that could pull off 'Virgil.' Yeah, sit back down.) was a nerd, but he had a family and friends. He had a girlfriend, and he had his confidente Frieda, the only person who knew he was Static.

Hey, was Frieda in the cartoon version? I've barely seen any of it, but I don't think she was, which is a big strike against it. Also, Static's original black costume, with his rotating assortment of baseball caps, worked a lot more for me than the animated costume--which he wears briefly in this limited, having put it together in a sporting goods store on the fly.

Why this particular panel, rather than one of Static in costume? It struck me as odd when I saw it, to see a comic character on a bicycle. Granted, there are far more characters that fly or drive Batmobiles or Fantasticars; but I think the real reason for the omission is that drawing bikes is probably a pain.

I just got my bike tuned up, which with repairs was a hundred bucks, making my wife wonder if it's worth it compared to driving. After being lazy and driving all winter, I rode in to work this morning about 4:30. Love it, although I confess I was a little wobbly at first. Could've used my gloves, but I couldn't find them and had to go--since I leave so early, I pretty much get up and get dressed in the dark, which probably shows. I like the exercise, I like the smug feeling of superiority blended with the occasional thrill of a near-miss that I get from biking, I like spending less on gas and more on comics and toys.

I don't like that this is the longest entry I've had all week and it boils down to 'I like my bike.' Things will have settled down for me hopefully by the time I post this, so maybe I'll get back to 'work.'

By the way, I lost several issues of Static due to flooding, and there's just about the right number of issues for a Showcase volume, DC...

From Static Shock #1, "As I was Saying Before I was Interrupted..."; Written by Dwayne McDuffie, art by John Paul Leon.
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