The cover writes a check the story doesn't bother to cash.

We saw the pastiche Captain Thunder fight Superman some time back, but today's book promises the real Captain Marvel versus a red Kryptonite-addled, murder-crazed Superman! Does it deliver? Er...from 1976, Justice League of America #137, "Crisis in Tomorrow!" Plot continuity by E. Nelson Bridwell, words by Martin Pasko, art by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin.

This was one of the then-annual JLA/JSA crossovers, and by this point the heroes were getting a little blasé about crossing dimensions to Earth-2, the Crime Syndicate's Earth-3, or the Marvel Family's Earth-S, as in today's book. King Kull--not the Robert E. Howard character, but a beast-man foe of Captain Marvel--took on three earths this time, which has to be biting off more than he can chew even if he did have help like the evil atomic robot...Mr. Atom. The Flashes and Green Lanterns of both earths and Ibis the Invincible throw down with Mr. Atom for most of the book, but it has unexpected backup in the form of Brainiac! Both Flashes are mostly on rescue and damage control, while Ibis does most of the heavy lifting. Hal does have lovely bone-structure, though...

Thirteen pages into this issue, the heroes of all three earths converge on the Rock of Eternity, where King Kull has captured the wizard Shazam. As Kull uses red Kryptonite to turn Superman into a crazed murderer; Johnny Thunder summons his magical Thunderbolt--by accident--to change Billy and Mary Batson and Freddie Freeman into the Marvels! Who then whup up Kull, wreck his stuff, and free the wizard in like one panel; then Captain Marvel faces Superman but snaps him out of the murderous rage, by saying Shazam! and changing back to Billy Batson. Supes saves Billy, and readers would have to wait for a proper throwdown between the heroes.

I have another JLA/JSA crossover issue lined up for later, guest-starring another batch of heroes; but we'll come to that.
Read more!

The Lilac City Comicon has come and gone for another year, but this was a pretty good one! Picked up a veritable mountain of comics on the cheap, plenty of grist for the blog machine. We probably have a month's worth for 80-Page Thursdays, a couple JLA crossovers, and more!

On the action figure front, I found Katma, John, and Cyborg Superman, $5 each in package, but without the Collect-and-Connect Kilowog parts. I think the Alien is from 1997's Alien: Resurrection, but the color seems different than what I've seen online. The viking is a Spawn figure, I'm not sure about the Iron Spider, and the X3 Colossus may fill in for the classic version for me. And the Green Goblin back there is some oddball with a grenade sculpted to his hand and a squeezable-leg throwing action.

Now, if I could clear some time for some reading...

Read more!

The Ultron-Signal! Let's Go!...away from it.

Got an Avengers: Age of Ultron projector pen at Wal-Mart the other day, with the Ultron-Signal! Just like in the movie!

I swear I have some actual, useful flashlights...somewhere.

Got my ticket for the Lilac City Comicon tomorrow! Can't wait!
Read more!

Traditionally, I thought that was a Marvel Misunderstanding...

I've mentioned I'm not following Secret Wars, and I'm even more not following DC's Convergence, which also features a lot of alternate universe versions fighting each other. But even moreso than Secret Wars, it's tough to read without figuring the original, (in this case) pre-52 versions would be able to solve things pretty quickly. Also, I have a hard time believing the One Million JLA--from the 853rd century--would be jobbed out in the ensuing battles with other universes' teams. (Unless the One Million team is completely dependent on future technology that doesn't work, there's no way they should have problems with vampire superheroes or pirates or whatever.)

Anyway, here's a couple scans from Nightwing #1,000,000, "The Anachronism" Written by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Scott McDaniel, inks by Karl Story. Nightwing meets the Batman from the 853rd century; and after a brief scuffle to establish themselves in the traditional manner, they fight Riddler henchwomen who were trying to rob a safe from a sunken casino.

I'm not sure where this was in Nightwing's continuity; but I liked how future Batman seemed a little disappointed in his life as less a crimefighter, more a warden. The One Million characters could use action figures, but I still need a decent Nightwing figure. Well, maybe this weekend.
Read more!

"The Witchening."

I got the notion, possibly from one of the Marvel novels; that the Scarlet Witch talks like someone who was ashamed of her eastern European accent, and may have tried to get rid of it for years, before going the other way and completely embracing it.
Read more!

Miguel probably bought that pizza, Pete's always broke as hell...

Spider-Man 2099 ended the other week, after a twelve issue run. While I liked it, and the last issue was pretty good, it didn't seem to reach the heights of the original series. Maybe because a full third of this run went to the Spider-Verse crossover, but we did get the giant robot Leopardon from the Japanese Spider-Man TV show out of it; and I have a hard time faulting that. Still, I think Peter David gets blindsided by crossovers more than any Marvel writer I've ever seen.

I remember Miguel as being a bit more abrasive, if not outright dickish, in the early issues of the first series. He really took to the role of Spidey, though; and those edges were rounded off, to the point that he seemed pretty mellow this series, despite being trapped some 70 or 80 years before he would even be born. I don't know how well most people would take that, though: I can't say I'd be overly excited to live in the year 1911. But that would still be recognizable to me: a thousand years back, assuming I could get to "civilization," the people wouldn't speak anything I recognized as English in 1015. I'm sure this is handwaved away when the Legion of Super-Heroes goes back in time, but can't recall how...I've often wanted to play with the idea of "time psychosis," where time travellers in "primitive" modern times would gradually lose their minds over little things like the quality of toilet paper or the slowness of download speeds.

Anyway, in the last issue of Spidey 2099, some cops assume Miguel is the Spider-Man of the present: although one points out they look nothing alike, the rest seem to figure Spidey just has more than one outfit. There is precedent, since Deadpool often does much the same thing (although Miguel didn't encourage their assumption either way) and Spidey does sometimes wear different suits.
Read more!

The blue finish is so it doesn't look like a murder-machine.

I'm not sure anyone remembers the 1998 Lost in Space movie, let alone fondly. Good cast with William Hurt and Gary Oldman, production values were pretty good, yet the script needed another pass or two. Or maybe it just worked better as a series, although that probably wouldn't have flown with this cast.

I liked the redesign of the Robot, but he has a blue finish that makes him resemble a mid-priced car (not unlike the one I have now, co-incidentally!) possibly because if he was gunmetal gray he'd probably look like a killing machine from Terminator. I went for a walk for yard sales the other day, and found this fellow at a thrift shop for under two bucks. He's missing a few pieces, but the electronics still work. I still have a smaller version of him somewhere, too.

Today's a day off, but I'm not sure what I'll have going for scans, until I pick up more books this weekend!
Read more!

Probably my third-favorite Matthew Sweet song, but here we are.

The other day, I was finishing up on a box of blogged comics...I don't categorize them like that, that makes them sound spent, or like empties; but I won't necessarily open that box again very soon either. And it occurred to me that I had a small pile of stuff that was lying around but didn't need to be, so I put it all in a box and marked it "Do Not Open until May 2020!" That's a future-sounding year there!

That NECA Batman '89 that came with the Blu-Ray--oh, let's be honest, that's the other way around--was the first item for the capsule, since I bought a spare to keep in package. The Blu-Ray sure as fun isn't going to appreciate any; but if NECA manages to put any other DC Movie figures out (like a Chris Reeves Superman, please please please!) there may be some demand for this one. Or, as my wife pointed out, I may break the one I opened, so in five years I'll have another! Either way is fine by me.

The Magic: the Gathering girls were $2 each at a local Barnes & Noble. I paid more for them a month or so earlier and opened them, but they were still pretty cheap. Full disclosure: I did absolutely shatter one of Liliana's elbow joints, but hobbled it back together with a toothpick. The Walgreens exclusive Agent Venom was bought out of genuine curiosity: I wonder if it'll be in any sort of demand in five years, or will he have been forgotten? There were still a couple of him available, although the price hadn't gone down.

The Guardians of the Galaxy two-pack and the Legos were clearance buys, at various stores and different times; and I probably kept ones to open or give away as well. So were the Spongebob kitchen sponges, we'll see what condition those are in after five years. Same for the Bat-signal pen: I have multiples of those floating around; but am kicking myself for passing on the dumb Superman-signal one! Then a couple Kre-O G.I. Joes and a Transformer; which I'm assuming I didn't open because I realized I already had them from the decoder.

I threw in that Secret Wars #1 variant I won from Hastings, and two issues of the Transformers Dark Cybertron crossover...I actually have more issues of More Than Meets the Eye I could probably throw in there, since I've accidentally bought multiples on more than one occasion. Friggin' variant covers...Right now I wonder if Secret Wars will be looked up fondly in five years, or if it will be just another event like Fear Itself or Siege: remembered as a thing that happened, but little else.

I'm not expecting any of this stuff to be worth big cash money in five years...or fifty. But I'm curious to see if any of it is in huge demand, or remembered at all, or reviled. Today's post also marks nine years of Random Happenstance! Wouldn't have bet the farm on that one. I'm hoping to keep flogging away at it as long as I can.

Oh, and my favorite Matthew Sweet song is the first three minutes of "Sick of Myself." It would be perfect if it quit there, but over-eggs things by riffing further.
Read more!

"(Almost) Perfect Disguise."

Got the Star Wars Black Han Solo (Stormtrooper Disguise) the other day, and he blends pretty well with the other Stormtroopers. I'm guessing Han's cologne is pretty noticeable, though. Have a good long weekend!
Read more!

I'm a little bit beat this week, but had time for Star-Lord's origin recap from Marvel Spotlight #7, "Tears for the World Called Heaven" Written by Doug Moench, art by Tom Sutton, with a Frank Miller cover. I had no idea it was a Miller cover, until I saw the reprint info. The rest of the issue didn't do much for me, but here we are.

This is more just a reminder that I have some of the black-and-white Marvel magazines with Star-Lord stories, that I need to dig into at some point. That said, I did knock these out real quick:

Read more!

"Hail Mary Time."

I don't think Pool's really looking for salvation, but he's a little desperate right now. I can't imagine any religion willingly taking him, either.


Read more!

A (Smaller) Bunch of A-Holes:

I had no intention of getting these, but they were two bucks a pack and I'm not made of stone, guys: Guardians of the Galaxy 2.5 inch figures. The only pack I didn't see on the cheap was the Rocket/Groot/Nova Centurion one; and I can probably live without it. Maybe.

The articulation is limited, as is the paint; and the likenesses range from passable to soft. The accessories are doofy missile launchers (which may be attachable to the ships, sold separately!) and oversized pieces in ridiculous colors. For six to eight dollars a pack, not a great value; at $2 I'm a lot more forgiving.

Read more!

The Lilac City Comicon (formerly the Spokane Comicon) is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I should once again systematically make a list of the books I'm looking for, what I'm willing to pay for them, or so on. Or barring that, prepare to wade into any quarter bin I can get my hands on and grab whatever I vaguely remember looking for. Like back issues of the Secret Defenders: I just saw the cover to #15 for the first time, and it looks aggressively, and adorably, hilarious. (The corner box proclaims "All New! All Fresh!" which is just so sad...)

But today we'll take a peek at what's behind the fancy-pants "foil enhanced cover" of Secret Defenders #12, "Pawns" Written by Ron Marz, pencils by Tom Grindberg, inks by Dan Hudson. Thanos has resurrected Geatar, space pirate and second-in-command to Nebula; and who was previously best known as the corpse Thanos used to fake his death at the hands of the Silver Surfer just prior to Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos wants Geatar to run a mission for him, since he's too busy; and recruits from earth the villains Titanium Man, the Rhino, and Nitro; along with the Super-Skrull.

Before Thanos has to whup the Super-Skrull into line, Geatar manages a bargain with Thanos: he gets Thanos to agree to "stay his wrath" against Nebula. (Thanos here again denies being her grandfather.) Convincing them there's prizes in store for them as well, the villains are sent to the planet H'aarg, to steal "the Oracle of Ancient Knowledge," from a religious order that may be intent on universal holy war. But it remains to be seen if any part of this mission is as Thanos said...

I may have actually read this in 1994, but long since lost or sold my copy. Probably not super-hard to find, though: per the U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation; line C. Total Paid and/or requested Circulation...Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 294,033. Average no copies single issue nearest to filing date: 142,600." It's not a stretch that a foil cover might have driven the numbers up some, but compared to March's sales charts from Comichron, 142,600 would've been good enough for fourth place behind Princess Leia #1, Star Wars #3, and Guardians Team-Up #1...
Read more!

Worst...honeymoon...ever!

Too clever for my own good, but so's this issue: from 2001, Nightwing #52, "Modern Romance" Written by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Greg Land, inks by Drew Geraci.

This issue was part of "Batman Dies!" month, wherein Batman...dies a bunch of times, mostly in the imaginations and speculations of various characters. Like Catwoman...in the pages of Nightwing. OK, whatever. Selina has a dream of marrying Batman, only to murder him when he tries to answer the Bat-Signal after the wedding. Waking up, she wonders why she thinks about Bats, since he's as much as married to Gotham, so she wonders why she hangs around there either and opts for a road trip. Where? Um, Blüdhaven, apparently, and she tries to rob a new casino of the Klopmann Diamond. Nightwing shows up, thinking she was hired by the crime family that was going to rob their own casino for the insurance money.


Nightwing and Catwoman scuffle with the mobsters, but Catwoman flirts with Dick a lot; partly to make him uncomfortable, partly to antagonize Batman, she thinks. Dick has a good laugh at that, and Selina slugs him one.

I thought this issue who go nicely with that Strange Deaths of the Batman trade I picked up, but outsmarted myself: part of this issue is reprinted in that trade! No real reason I could see, except Catwoman's dream only takes six pages.
Read more!