"Hold."

Pool being dragged off by the monster was a direct swipe from the old Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Skin of Evil."
Like so!


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Today: Amanda gets the band back together, the Tiger's true face, and Batman blows up a church.

I don't have a huge run of it, so when I find a mess of random issues for fifty cents a piece, I have to grab them: from 1990, Suicide Squad #41, "The Phoenix Gambit, part two: Embers" Written by Kim Yale and John Ostrander, art by Geof Isherwood.

Even though he's supposed to be manic-depressive, Count Vertigo sounds more like he's tripping hard, as he leads Vlatavan troops against Soviet forces. While riding a bronze statue in a park...don't those usually have riders? It's also a very conveniently located statue, since he's actually still in position to lead there. Vertigo is slowed down a bit when super-strong Stalnoivolk throws explosive Molotov at him--the latter name's a bit on the nose, then. Meanwhile, Amanda Waller recruits Vixen, who wants to find the MIA Bronze Tiger. And a small South American country is on the verge of open rebellion against its ruling general "and his whore!" Which isn't very nice, but said whore is none other than Poison Ivy, who wanted to control the general and the country. She's about to bail, when Batman arrives with an offer: help out Amanda Waller, or he'll leave her for the rebels.

In a dive bar in East Africa, Waller and Vixen find Ben--or rather, Bronze Tiger, since he claims Ben never existed. He had been brainwashed before, by the League of Assassins, so it's unclear how much of who he was remained. Having remarkably little tolerance for tomfoolery, Amanda makes him "wipe the gunk off" his face.

Next, they head to a South Pacific island where Waller had stranded the traitorous backstabbing "Boomerbutt," Captain Boomerang. Boomerang had built a giant well, boomerang, the kind he used to hassle the Flash with, and planned on using it to escape the island. Vixen launches it without him and it flies straight into a rock, so Boomerang opts to join Waller's squad.

Finally, in London, Batman visits a "cyberchurch," which is actually "a front for a murder-for-hire organization." Ravan claims each of their murders delays the arrival of Kali for a thousand years, but Bats blows up the church and hauls Ravan off for the Squad. And the issue ends with Deadshot, hired to kill Amanda Waller...

So much of this book was tied to the time, but still a lot to like there. Now if I could find that last issue...

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The Spokane Comicon is a couple weeks away--if you're there, look for me, I'm the guy buying all the comics. It also means maybe I should consider putting away some of the comics I picked up last con, but I have been working at rebuilding my stack of random comics for blogging purposes. Like today's book! From 2007, Thunderbolts #114, "Faith in Monsters, part five" Written by Warren Ellis, art by Mike Deodato.

Even though it still had some of the same characters like Moonstone and Songbird, this would've been in the middle of the book's third or fourth reinvention: this time, the villains were working for the government, bringing in unlicensed and unregistered heroes. This month, the T-Bolts are circling Sepulchre, American Eagle, and Steel Spider. Wow, that's pretty deep into the character roster: I'm pretty sure the editors give Ellis a list of characters and he picks the ones he can work with.

Somewhat unusually for the title, there were characters actively not seeking any sort of redemption, including Bullseye and the Mac Gargan Venom. Gargan was a bold choice for Venom, since it means taking away his Scorpion identity, but it made Venom an outright villain again rather than an anti-hero or "Lethal Protector." But there was a masked character who identity was hidden from readers for some time, a trope Thunderbolts used a lot: this time, with their new Swordsman. I had to look up who he was, and I had forgotten, it was kind of gross; but a nice touch from Ellis.

Later this week, we'll probably look at another government sponsored super-hero villain team...


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In a blind. Er, bind.

Who's got two thumbs and isn't especially handy? This guy.

Who's got no thumbs and likes to eat window blinds?

And who's got two thumbs and has to go to Home Depot for new blinds this weekend? Yeah, back to me. That's coming out of your allowance, mister!

Funny thing about that stupid dog: he is terrified of the power going off. Not just the lights and everything, although it may bother him that he can't hear the refrigerator running; and the power backup block for my computer always makes a noise that scares him to death. Seriously, he's jumped in my lap over it before, and he's a good hundred pounds or more of dog, I think. Anyway, the other day the apartment complex had to do some maintenance involving the power, and when I came home the blinds were toast.

Sam is a bit of a handful. He's a nice enough dog, but greets people and strange animals in the same terrifying, lunging fashion. He's horrible to take running since he can come to a dead stop to pee on something, and will, every twenty feet or so. Even when completely out of urine, to the point that his eyes are starting to look a little dry. His hair has crossed the point from being on everything I currently own, to where it will be on everything I'll ever own. (Unless I divulged myself of all possessions, stripped naked, and walked into the ocean right now, and even then there would probably still be some on me.) He howls, has bit me on more than one occasion, and hogs the bed. Lately, he's also done that weird dog thing where they get their faces in the cat's litter box. What's that about?

But all of that, and I'm still not ready to send the ungrateful sod to, um, live on a farm upstate, just yet.


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Poor wingless guy...

Picked up several more Transformer Kreons from eBay: Prowl, Jazz, and three "Autobot Troopers" from the Cycle Chase set. Along with Bluestreak, all of them have car-door wings, except for one with jet wings, and one lonely Trooper with none. He seems sad.

Hmm. Had this post done some time ago, but never scheduled it. Apparently I was saving for a day I was asleep at the wheel um, a special occasion. Yeah...



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"Doors."

Agh! I was working on another week's strip, so I forgot to write anything here!

Actually, I had been held up for a bit, since I ordered a figure on eBay that was going to come into play here. Now that it's arrived, I just need to find the time and go back to work and stop reading Twitter and whatnot. It is starting to get nice outside, though; and I am spending a little more time away from the computer. Well, it'll get done sooner or later.
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We looked at the previous chapter of this story in September, but now for the conclusion! From 1981, World's Finest #274, "Greater Love Hath No Man...!" Written by Cary Burchett, pencils by Adrian Gonzales, inks by Brett Breeding. Previously, to save Superman and the earth from the clutches of the Weapon-Master, Batman puts himself in Superman's experimental power-charger, giving himself super-powers...that will burn him up and kill him in four hours!

Using his Bat-plane as a diversion, Batman smashes his way into the Weapon-Master's citadel, and proves invulnerable to Kryptonite. (Since, duh, he's not from Krypton. Although I thought it sometimes worked on humans given super-powers, too? Depends on when you ask.) The freed Superman immediately realizes Batman has doomed himself to save him; but they still have to fight their way through the Weapon-Master's...weapons. While Bats needs a little coaching in the use of his powers, Superman also thinks to use some utility belt gadgets in the fight. Yet he's also a little too sad about Batman's impending demise:

Knowing he can't take both super-powered opponents, W-M regroups and uses his will-paralyzer to hypnotize just about everyone in the Daily Planet building. Unless Supes and Bats surrender to his device, he'll simply order them to jump to their deaths. But Bats had suggested that they use super-hypnotism to fight the will-paralyzer, and they destroy it. (Batman had apparently picked up super-hypnotism with his other powers, and could use it after having the powers for about an hour.)

The Weapon-Master escapes (possibly not to appear again pre-Crisis) but Batman is still doomed. He tells Superman to tell Robin and Alfred goodbye for him, but Supes isn't giving up: using the Weapon-Master's energy crystal, which had powered the will-paralyzer to take over the earth, he transfers the energy into it and out of Batman. Destroying the crystal and perhaps ending a golden opportunity for earth to achieve energy independence, but saving Batman. Well, that's what's important, anyway.
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"Thief" and "Businessman" are pretty much interchangeable, Conan.

From 1973, Conan the Barbarian #32, "Flame Winds of Lost Khitai!" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, based on a story by Norvell Page, with art by John Buscema and Ernie Chua, aka Ernie Chan.

This month, Conan's in the eastern land of Khitai, the city of Wan Tengri; which is ruled by a band of wizards. After stealing some gems, they disappear from a merchant's hand, who explains that no one knows the wizards' true identity, which keeps anyone from stealing anything: a wizard can simply summon his stolen goods back. Conan is a little dubious of this story, but is interrupted by the town guard.

Conan discovers a secret room, with the merchant's women, but no exit. One of the women suggests leaving through an underwater tunnel, and Conan's willing to give it a shot.

That the woman turns out to be a tentacled monster is a bit surprising, and Conan usually is a bit too chivalrous than to stab a woman, but sometimes needs must.

This issue was shortly after the book's original artist, Barry Windsor-Smith, had left the book. I think there was some doubt at the time whether the book could continue without Smith, but it would for about 200 issues and some.
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Most of my stories are greeted this way, too.

Got Kup the other day, but I'm so beat I could listen to one of his stories without complaining. Have a good weekend!
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The Penguin has to kill any better looking crime-bosses, which would be a full-time job...

When possible, some writers will tailor their stories to the artist that will draw it. I wonder if that was the case today: from 2013, Legends of the Dark Knight #6, "Look Inside" Written by Rob Williams, art by Juan Jose Ryp.


Ryp did a ton of work for Avatar, usually terrifying and violent, but crammed with detail. This issue, he gets to draw Batman, a mysterious hitman, and the Penguin in a hot tub! What more could you ask for?

When a rival crimelord starts to move into his turf, the Penguin goes to a new hitter, a nameless man in white with a beat-up old van. But what's inside...is unfathomable. When the nameless man starts on his men, the Penguin has no choice but to go to Batman for help. Pengy realizes, as Batman is forced to look inside, that the van shows the viewer what they're most afraid of. But Batman's response is telling.

A great little story, that reminds me of Stephen King--and that's a good thing by me. Pretty sure it's available digital too, if that's your thing.
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"Marshal."

What lurks aboard Deadpool's ship? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess nothing good.

Speaking of nothing good, I read an issue of Nova the other day...oddly, it guest-starred some of the New Warriors, Speedball and Justice, who convince Nova's mom to let him join the team. And they both look like they're twelve again. Wasn't Speedball gothed up into Penance, and Justice was an Avenger? It's like they both woke up one morning and didn't remember any of it. Weird...

And the Richard Rider Nova will return, in Brian Bendis's Guardians of the Galaxy book. Which will be a tie-in to Original Sin, and I just can't remember the last time I was all hyped up for a Marvel event or a Bendis book. I'm still looking forward to that new Marvel Legends Nova figure coming out later; so it would be kind of dickery if Bendis has him messily killed.
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Don't call him bionic...

In a bit of fun, the Kre-O G.I. Joe blind-bags have included callbacks to the 12-inch Adventure Team figures. The first series included the Adventure Team Commander, which I don't have. But as you see above, the second series had the Land Adventurer (who comes with a "boxed figure") and the third has Mike Power, the Atomic Man!

In-story, Mike was a handicapped man who "wouldn't settle for the disabled limbs (he) was born with," so he built his own bionic atomic replacements. Oddly, in the ad that was in a ton of comics, he seems to have both arms but replaces one of them! Actually, Mike was the result of Hasbro trying and failing to secure the rights to the then-hugely popular Six Million Dollar Man! Hasbro created the similar Mike Powers and sold a million of 'em! I might've had a Joe or two as a kid, but I know I had the Steve Austin figure.

Mike also had a personal helicopter thing, that for the Kre-O version looks like an engine block with a rotor mounted on it. It was apparently powered by Mike's internal atomic power. It reminds me of the umbrella-copters the Penguin would sometimes use to escape Batman, and seems about as practical. Now, Cobra's jet-pack troopers seem plausible in comparison!
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Still better than the worst store I've ever seen.

You don't have to wade very deep into the internet, to find fanboys being horrible bastards. Or, and far more entertainingly, you could buy a comic with said horrible bastards instead! Eltingville Club #1, story and art by Evan Dorkin.

The guys in the club, and Joe, the owner of the comic shop, are horrible, horrible people. And bad fans. They're greedy, petty, sexist, stupid, violent assholes. Which makes this so funny. To use a comics analogy they would appreciate, it's like watching Dr. Doom, the Red Skull, and the Mandarin in a slapping match: whoever loses, we win.

There is a moment when a girl--the only one seen in the whole comic--comes into Joe's to try and pick up the new Saga trade. (It's the first page of the preview!) She's ogled until she's creeped out of there, then decried as a "fake geek girl." It's awful, and surprisingly, still happens today. It's tempting to believe fanboys and stores like this are exaggerated, or gone the way of the dinosaurs; and that Dorkin's exaggerating for the comedic effect. Maybe, maybe not. But here's hoping. In the meantime, the worst elements need to be held up to the light and laughed at.

Admittedly, Joe may have a point about the crapshoot nature of maintaining and stocking any sort of comics and merchandise; but even so. On Twitter Dorkin said the next issue would be late, but that's OK. The first issue is going to hold up to a lot of re-readings.
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Itinerary.

First, it's my Oldest son's birthday! And I may not see him today, since he's going golfing with his grandpa. He got his presents, though, so good enough!

Next, it's Free Comic Book Day! First stop is the nearest Hastings, which has a couple of sales going--$5.99 all used graphic novels might be good. We're hitting there first, because the Youngest is more excited for the next stop on the way: Toys R Us's Star Wars Lego build! It's a little free X-wing and TIE fighter, although we'll probably end up buying other stuff because that's how that works.

After that, it's the Comic Book Shop proper! I still have to pick up a few books like Eltingville Club and Atomic Robo: Knights of the Golden Circle! (I did pick up MTMTE #28 at their other location Thursday. Short answer? It's so good, but teases a lot of plot points that it's not going to reveal just yet. And I wanna know now!)

Later, off to the casino, where I may or may not recoup any of the cash I blow today! (I'd bet against it!) I also have a free ticket for Amazing Spider-Man 2, although I don't think I'm going to make it today. That'll keep. Hope you all have fun today and get everything you want!
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I was watching some episodes of Batman: the Brave and the Bold that I had inexplicably missed, when I saw the teaser before "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" featuring the Outsiders. I've probably mentioned it before, but I like the idea of the Outsiders far more than any execution of that idea I've seen so far.

Metamorpho is the coolest, but hard to use in that setting since 99% of the problems that show up in an Outsiders comic could be taken care of in three panels. Panel one: an army of goons attacks the Outsiders! Panel two: Metamorpho turns into fluorine gas, carbon monoxide, what have you. Panel three: the Outsiders stack the "unconscious" bodies of the goons...Black Lightning is a great and woefully underused character--although, I remember seeing the promo ads for his first appearance, and I think his afro was part of his mask? Weird. I don't think I mind Katana, although DC keeps trying to make her happen and it hasn't blown up yet; but I don't have much use for Geo-Force or Halo. Looker...y'know, I think most Outsider fans like her, because Alan Davis, even if they don't like any stories with her in the last twenty years.

What I'm getting at, is that Batman may have missed an opportunity, by not giving an Outsiders spot to Nemesis. From 1981, the Brave and the Bold #170, "...If Justice be Blind!" Written by Cary Burkett, art by Jim Aparo. Nemesis had a brother that was an federal agent, who inexplicably went rogue and murdered his superior, then died in the ensuing gunfight. Seeking to clear his brother's name, Nemesis discovered that he had been brainwashed by a former Nazi scientist working for a crime boss called the Head. (Batman isn't sure the Head really exists, but Nemesis points out the Head avoided Gotham City.)

Batman gives Nemesis a bit of hassle about using guns, although Nemesis used "toxin-bullets," not unlike the non-lethal "mercy bullets" the Punisher used to use. But Batman may be more than a little jealous over another kid's toys: a silent helicopter, ultra-thin masks that can duplicate facial expressions and dissolve in an instant, a knife hidden under fake skin. (OK, maybe not so much that last one.) In the end, the heroes discover the Head earned his nom de plume by running his criminal syndicate from an iron lung. The Head makes a pretty good argument for Nemesis killing him, since he figures if he could do his job from an iron lung, he could do it from a jail cell; but ultimately one of his dying flunkies cuts the iron lung's power cord.

Nemesis has appeared here and there since (including a stretch dating Wonder Woman!) but I've always suspected Batman "borrowed" his gadgets.
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I don't remember this scene from the movie, but kinda wish I did.

My Youngest son was putting together an Iron Man Lego set the other day, while I was actually watching Iron Man 3! Well, he was focusing on the job at hand. Come to think of it, he was with me when I saw it in the theater, too.

Three more days of training, and I'm just beat. Still, I'm hoping to go out with the girlfriend to the casino this weekend! The most I'll gamble is like $30, but we'll see how it goes.
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