Darkseid, or Wideseid, am I right?

That's actually a pretty traditional looking Darkseid there, very barrel-chested, let's say. This issue, investigating the appearance of a Superman-corpse in his tomb, Superman wrecks up Apokolips thinking Darkseid might be behind it. (As opposed to any of the other myriad reasons there might be to go kick Darkseid's ass sideways.)

While Supes wades through the Female Furies, Parademons, etc, Darkseid puts his personal assassin Kanto to the task. Now, I honestly can not recall Kanto ever managing to kill anyone with a name or important or anything; and yet he's still Employee of the Month compared to the rest of Darkseid's lackeys. This time, Kanto knows he can't kill Superman, so he tries to get a pile of Lowlies to kill themselves getting to Supes, in the hopes of driving him insane with guilt. Supes saves the Lowlies, then tosses Kanto in a firepit. Kanto's tough enough to survive that, though; but it can't feel pleasant, and probably wrecked his fancy Renaissance duds.

From Adventures of Superman #518, "The Armagetto Run!" Written by Karl Kesel, pencils by Barry Kitson, inks by McCarthy, Montano, and Kesel.
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A quick one here, since I got the Secret Wars Nightcrawler/(punk!) Storm two-pack the other day, and had heard Kurt was a little too tall. Eh, maybe, but I'm OK with it. I figure he's probably a reasonable height, when he's not all hunched over and crouching. May have to compare him against some other figures, Marvel and otherwise, later.

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If you're an action figure collector, you probably feel Hank's pain here:

This is probably a pretty typical afternoon at the West Coast Avengers compound: at the time, Hank Pym wasn't shrinking or enlarging himself, but other weapons, which he would then carry in his jumpsuit's pockets. Or lose in the couch, either or.

If you collect action figures, particularly G.I. Joe or Star Wars figures, it's a given that this has happened to you at some point. Admit it.

And there's little more aggravating and embarrassing than searching forever, only to find...a different gun than the one you were looking for. Over the course of the story, Hawkeye finds a gum wrapper, a dime, and the "non-Euclidian geometric protractor," proving he has the sharpest eyes on the team, and that the Avengers are slobs.

From Avengers West Coast Annual #5, "Honey, I shrunk the hyperatomic anti-proton cannon!" Written by Carrie Barre, pencils by James Fry, inks by Chris Ivy.
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Questions answered at Articulated Discussion!

Over at Articulated Discussion, I've got another new strip, on the Question! Question's been around since 1967, and this time we're taking a look at some of the various interpretations of the character. Also, I misspell Ayn Rand, but I confess I have at best a nodding familiarity with Objectivism, and wouldn't read the Fountainhead if Steve Ditko did the adaptation. Well, maybe. Check it out!
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Since I'm watching westerns...

Caught the tailend of The War Wagon this morning (as well as a great scene where John Wayne takes back a stolen gun, and offers "The shells are his, and he can come back for them anytime.") and Silverado is on now, so a western post seemed in order: conveniently, by that ever-popular happenstance, Starman #74 was on top of a pile. To those not familiar with the book, Starman probably doesn't sound like a western, but this month it was, with another of the Shade's remembrances of "Times Past" in Opal City. This time, the man with the star is Sheriff Brian Savage, once known as Ke-Woh-No-Tay, and as Scalphunter. And the Shade is sadly recording the details of his friend's death.

As a child, Savage was taken and raised by Kiowa Indians, who gave him the name that translated out to "He Who is Less than Human." Eventually returning to society, Savage became the sheriff of Opal City, which he would defend for several years against threats mundane and mysterious; until, at the end of 1899, Savage is tired, ready to retire, and considering who should replace him. He has several good men, all of whom could do a good job, except for a youngster, Carny O'Dare, too green for it. (Regular Starman readers would recognize the name, the O'Dares were Opal City law for generations.)

Meanwhile, John Melville is enjoying his initiation into the Tuesday Club; which is slightly more brutal and creepy than your average fraternity hazing, and that's saying something. The Tuesday Club is Opal's secret society of businessmen, and also includes a Mr. Arbuthnot; who Savage suspects is trying to muscle out some local store owners. Somewhat surprisingly, Arbuthnot tells Savage about the club, and how they believe their success is all due to Satan, or to that effect, and that they want the store owners' land to build a hotel whether they want to sell or not. Real nice secret society they had once...


Savage isn't one to be scared, or bribed; so the Club moves forward: O'Dare and Savage find the three holdouts, hung; then are bushwhacked. While Savage is able to kill both attackers, he also knows when he was younger, they never would've gotten that close to him.

O'Dare and Savage make their way back to the jail, just in time to see it blow up. All of Savage's men, dead in one swoop. Savage then goes to Arbuthnot to get the names of the Club members, and then he goes on the warpath: he and O'Dare kill the Tuesday Club (and assorted lackeys and hangers-on) over the course of a single night, every last one of them. Well, almost: since Melville (called Jason at one point, John at another) was new to the Club, Arbuthnot neglected to give his name.

When they were done, Savage takes O'Dare to his favorite saloon, and gives O'Dare a letter absolving him of any blame for the killings. (Among other prominent citizens, they had killed a couple councilmen and a judge.) O'Dare wasn't just there because he was following orders, though, and was proud to fight alongside the Sheriff. Savage returns the compliment, but says his sheriffin' days are done, and lays down his star. Melville shoots Savage in the back, before he even finishes the sentence. O'Dare guns Melville down thereafter.

The immortal Shade arrives in time to hear Savage's last words: he claims he'll be back, reincarnated as the hero of Opal City "in a bigger time." He assures O'Dare that he, and his kin, will do fine; and tells the Shade of his son, Steve Savage, but dies before any words for him.

The Shade ends his account by noting that Savage may well have been hung for his revenge on the Club, but in death was honored as a hero, while the Tuesday Club was painted as "villains, to a man." And Carny O'Dare became Sheriff, and doubtless would've been Chief of Police, if not for his death...but, the Shade had enough sad stories for one night.

From Starman #74, "A Tale of Times Past--1899--the Scalphunter Years: His Death and the Dying of It" Written by James Robinson, art by Russ Heath. Like Jonah Hex, Scalphunter is another of DC's western heroes with a set death. And now I can't remember if Bat Lash's demise is recorded yet, and had to search to see if I ever posted on Guns of the Dragon: I didn't? Well, next time I'm on a western kick, I reckon...

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Geez, Clark, no PDA's at work.

Looks like he's going to eat Lois's face there...worse, Lois isn't ready at all, since Clark isn't her husband! This one's from Zero Hour, and Adventures of Superman Alpha Centurion #518, "The Hero of Metropolis" Written by Karl "Claudius" Kesel, guest pencils by Peter "Caesar" Krause, guest inks by Jackson "Augustus" Guice.

With Zero Hour causing disruptions in the timeline, Superman returns to Metropolis to discover no one there remembers him or Clark Kent! The hero of Metropolis is now Alpha Centurion, who Supes met in Zero Hour #2, and is engaged in battle with one of his foes, Bloody Mary. With Supes' help, the Centurion defeats Mary, but gets shanked good, and has to return to his headquarters. (Superman notes that the Centurion's A-shaped building is where the Lexcorp building should be...)

After reviving in the "Aquavitae," the gregarious Centurion has his serving wenches bring out food and drink, so he can recount his origin: two thousand years ago, when he was Roman citizen Marcus Aelius, aliens arrive and propose an exchange of ideas and representatives. After a special series of games, Marcus wins the prize, and journeys to the aliens' homeworld for ten years of study.

However, "due to the vagaries of quantum physics," Marcus returns after twenty times that time, in the twentieth century. The arrival of his ship nearly causes an accident, so Marcus goes into action to save a damaged space shuttle, and a reporter gives him his heroic nom de plume. The story sounds familiar to Clark, and so does the reporter:

Clark is crushed: this timeline isn't his, and he sets out to correct it. Owing Superman his life, Alpha Centurion nobly joins him; although Supes points out correcting the timeline could wipe AC out of existence. The Centurion laughs that off: "My life spans twenty centuries, Superman. That's not an easy existence for time to eliminate."

Oddly, the end of this issue says it's continued in Zero Hour #2, while a footnote previously mentioned Supes met AC there. The timeline's more jacked-up than I would've guessed...I know the Centurion appears a few times in Zero Hour, with fellow timeline refugee Batgirl, as Parallax Hal Jordan tries to tempt them with the reality of their choosing.

The art this issue isn't the best; perhaps rushed, or perhaps the pencils and inks didn't gel just right. But the Centurion is an interesting character here: while he shares Superman's nobility and sense of duty, he seems to have waaaaaay more zest for life. I didn't like, however, that without Supes in the picture, Lois gets passed over to AC like she comes with the hero of the city job. While I don't have any of Alpha Centurion's later appearances, I imagine there's gotta be a story where he fights Superman over Lois. Unless maybe AC isn't a one-woman man, which I could kinda see...he seemed like he'd be a good Hercules to Superman's Thor.
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"Deadman? Dead End? Dead Zone? That's not it..."

Long one today! Click to enlarge!



Next week: Deadpool's mission with the Suicide Squad! Maybe. I probably won't know until like the day before...

And, another short one is up at Articulated Discussion, featuring among others, the Question! I did a few strips with him, including a longer one I liked a lot. That one will be later, but check out today's!
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Since I'd love this, it'd never happen.

Walk with me on this one, since we have to hit a few links.

MWC had a recent review of the Righteous Bison raygun, and included a link to WETA's Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators site. While they've been making these for a few years, if you haven't seen these, you're not alone, since they're pretty high-end: models of old-school styled (with a little steampunk thrown in) rayguns of baroque and elaborate design, with quaint names like the ManMelter 3600 ZX or the Unnatural Selector. They look crazy fun, but they're not really toys, are usually limited editions, and can cost more than I spend on action figures for a year: I'm probably never going to have one.

But then I thought, you know what would be great, and maybe possibly affordable? A Dr. Grordobort's accessory pack! Action figure sized versions of all those great guns! (Since it's my idea, I say Marvel Legends/DC Universe Classics scale, not G.I. Joe sized or 12-inch!) Now the Punisher could use a F.M.O.M. Industries Wave Disrupter Gun or Batman could fight aliens with Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector!

Unfortunately, since WETA doesn't half-ass anything, even if they did this, the accessory pack would be made with spun glass, hand-gilded platinum, and actual filaments. It would still be spendy, is what I'm getting at.
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Rosebud's not his sled, but I am going to spoil this one:

Ever see that Family Guy bit where Peter tapes a message over the first few minutes of Citizen Kane? "It's his sled. I just saved you two long, boobless hours." Today is in the same vein, although I'm going to spoil about the worst goddamn comic I've ever read. And I don't mean worst as in crummy art (but it has some) or shoddy writing (but it has tons) or weird plotholes (and it has those); I mean worst as in devoid of any entertainment value aside from bitching about it: The Batman Chronicles #21, featuring three Elseworlds tales.

The cover story is "Apocalypse Girl" from the Pander Brothers: a party girl from another dimension gets transported to a world where Batman laments that being co-opted for merchandise for the citizens undermines his ability to strike fear in the criminals. Oh, and the girl's touch causes disintegration. I'm not a big fan of the Pander Brothers' art, so this one didn't do much for me.

The second story...wow, DC paid people for this..."Citizen Wayne" "A Brian Michael Bendis/Michael Gaydos/Janice Chiang/Patricia Mulvihill Prodution" I typed that all out not only to show how pretentious this one was, but also so you know who to blame. After Bruce Foster Wayne dies, reporter Clark Kent is put on the story of what Wayne's final word meant: "Rosebud." Kent visits a drunk Selina Kyle, an aged James Gordon and bald Dick Grayson...oh, I can't take it anymore: "Rosebud" was engraved on the barrel of the gun that killed Bruce's parents. What, did Chill love his gun? Gift from his parents? Selling ad space on the barrel?

The sad thing is, Bendis can deliver some pretty good pulp fiction when he's on, and I think this story was before he got big at Marvel, and yet somehow an editor didn't roll it up and whack him on the nose with it...(And, I forgot to load that page earlier. Oopsie.)

Ugh, there's another story. Is it worse? Well, the story by Jordan B. Gorfinkel manages to be terrible even with Dick Giordano and Joe Rubinstein on art. It's a silent story, so you could make up your own narration; I suggest doing it in the voice of the movie trailers guy: "In a world, where everyone is Batman..."

Just about, I guess, except for the Batwomen, and the kids. A Batman and Batwoman drag (literally, drag) their young-Bruce looking son to see the Mark of Zorro, afterwards they're shot dead, and the Joe Chill-dressed shooter gives the son his Batman costume. "A New Batman is Born."

Urrrgh. Take a look at the cover again, so you don't make the same mistake. I paid a quarter for this comic, who do I see about getting it back?
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Some parables are silent, if you shut up about them.

Re-read the Question yesterday: thirty-seven issues (counting the recent Blackest Night crossover #37, and I'm only missing #21) (EDIT: Note to self, I found #21!) and some specials, like the Question Quarterly. I should make a note to look for the Quarterly #5 and the Question Returns #1; I don't have them, and the latter's cover has the Question in his more traditional suit and hat look.

But, we're looking at a different one today, wherein Vic is rocking a Patrick Swayze-like head of hair and short sleeves: The Question Annual #1, "The Silent Parable" Written by Denny O'Neil, art by Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar. This issue is part three of "Fables," a crossover with Detective Comics Annual #1 and Green Arrow Annual #1: I haven't read the former, but in the latter, the aged master O-Sensei and the enigmatic Lady Shiva help Ollie work through a crisis of faith. (A crisis that seems awfully similar to Ollie's other crisises; he breaks his bow, loses his mojo, etc.) Now, the pair are on their way to see the Question.

The issue opens with a flashback for the O-Sensei: in 1900, his wife begs him to return home, but O-Sensei's honor would not permit it. His troops killed a monk after he promised fair combat, and O promised the dying monk that he would take over for him, possibly for his lifetime. The Sensei's family disagrees, and tries to force him to return, but are no match for his skills. Distraught, his wife leaves him for the last time, but extracts a final promise:

Shiva tells that story to Batman, and explains that he, Green Arrow, and one other owe the O-Sensei a debt. More after the break, and you might have to click the pictures this time to get all of them.


Meanwhile, in Hub City, mid-level thug Jake (from the Question's first storyline) has some questions about what happened to his employers. Or at least, their money. And for answers, Jake decides to pay a visit to "no-face," whom his boss figured out was Victor Sage.

Vic is having a little conversation with his mentor Professor Aristotle Rodor, 'Tot.' The hospital with the records of his birth burned down years ago, so Vic's reached an impasse in finding his birth mother: "I dream I look into a mirror and there's nobody there and...yeah, it bugs me."

Tot tries to cheer him up with new-and-improved Question gear, so Vic is conveniently masked up when Jake and his thugs bust in. Jake says he spent the last year getting meaner, but the Question spent most of the last year (or year before?) training with Richard Dragon...Jake's out of his league, and the Question tells him so. Still, they take Tot hostage, and Vic is forced to take his medicine, then try to lead Jake to the missing money, still in the burned-out mansion.

After the money is recovered (and the body of Reverend Hatch is found) Jake gleefully plans to shoot Tot then torture Vic, when Shiva arrives. Back in the day, Shiva had worked for Hatch as well; citing the "opportunities to exercise my skill" that he provided. Shiva dispatches with one of Jake's thugs, giving the Question the chance to escape with Tot.

Shiva reminds Jake how he tried to make a move on her, and offers him another shot:


Not caring about the money, Shiva torches it, leaving it and the bodies behind. She then accompanies Tot home to treat his injuries, and Vic struggles to reconcile Shiva's conflicting tendencies: cheerful killer, healer, student. Shiva advises him not to try. She takes Vic camping, with O-Sensei, Green Arrow, and Batman.

O-Sensei is ready to die, but needs help to find his wife's grave: her family never forgave him for not returning to Japan, and over the years had tried to force him back several times, usually resulting in blood. Now terrified of the Sensei, the family packed up and moved, lock, stock, barrel, and graves. No one knows where the family went. Except Batman.

Four percent of Batman's activity is hitting people? I imagine Bats has charts and graphs supporting this. It does sound like much, and I don't know if Bruce Wayne-time figures into that; but that would mean Bats spends 2.4 minutes of every hour punching someone.

Batman has a jet ready to take them to the family's island; but Vic talks him out of coming: Bats has already done the detective work, and fronted the money, all that's left is muscle. Vic is feeling useless, and we have a little flashback to him in college:

In O'Neil's Question stories, whenever we see the younger Vic Sage, he was living the unexamined life of an orphan-turned-bully: this isn't the last time we see him beat the crap outta somebody. Think Nelson Muntz without the joyous "Haw-haw!" It's pretty far afield of the objectivist of Ditko's stories, but it fits here: as the Question, Vic is becoming what he's supposed to be.

On the plane ride, Shiva asks the Sensei what lesson they are supposed to be teaching Vic. Batman and Green Arrow both got parables that helped them, but here the Sensei remains silent. Ollie wonders why the Sensei even needs them, since Shiva alone could handle anything. Shiva dismisses that, saying the Sensei alone could handle anything, he merely chooses not to, for reasons of his own. Although he's like a hundred and fifty years old, presumably the reason isn't senility...

The group arrives at their boat as a storm sets in, and even after an attack, the Sensei will not be deterred from his goal. The weather started getting rough...and I'm thinking of something else, yes: Shiva tells Vic to put his mask on:

Soon after, the boat capsizes, and the Question tries to get to the O-Sensei before he goes under. The boat catches Vic in the back of the head, and Ollie has to pull him out, with Vic lamenting his failure and his need to be saved yet again. Vic still wants to find the wife's grave, though; to succeed at something.

At the house, only a lone servant remains: the family, still fearing the O-Sensei, fled. In a crypt, cabinets hold remains of generations of the family...but with an empty space where the O-Sensei's wife should be. Feeling just as empty, Vic returns home, considering what may or may not have been the O-Sensei's last words:


Discouraged and exhausted, Vic wonders if he imagined the Sensei's words. Tot remembers then that Vic received a letter, fed-exed from Gotham. Unsigned, Batman explains that on further investigation, the wife's remains were lost during transport to the island, swept overboard, to rest at the bottom of the sea.


It's hard to imagine Ditko being able to pull this one off with the strictly Objectivist version of the Question; but O'Neil nails it. And he may be the only one that should write Shiva: she appears occasionally in Batman comics, but there she's usually a one-dimensional kung-fu she-bitch. Although, that may be because to Batman, martial arts are really just a means to an end, fighting crime. To Shiva, the art is the means in and of itself. (You could argue Vic's training is more to satisfy his curiousity than anything.) But in the Question, while Shiva's main goal seems to be to train fighters in the hopes that they will one day be a challenge for her; she has a lot more going on. I particularly enjoyed an issue where she leaves for breakfast with a dumpy demolition worker, because she enjoyed and appreciated his honest enthusiasum for his work.

The scans for this one disappeared, and I had to reload them, but still worth it: I love it when one of these long posts makes the comic even more enjoyable for me, like taking your time on a good meal. Most of the Question has been reprinted, but not the annuals or Quarterly issues yet. Highly recommended.

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Yeah, I'd like a little warning too:

Another short new one up at Articulated Discussion today! I'd like to do more of these with Frank and Vigilante, it's fun to have them as best buds.

We're going to have more strips up at AD, but we're always going to have the Wednesday strips here, too. Tomorrow, an extra-long look at a great, and possibly forgotten annual. Hope to see you then!
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"Figures."

Yeah, those little Handful of Heroes figures wouldn't be in-scale there, but I don't care...

Tonight, probably going to go see the Crazies, since I saw the old George Romero version on YouTube some time ago (and surprisingly, I think you still could find it) and it should be pretty good. I'm not expecting Shakespeare, just a good solid horror movie. I'll let you know!

Then, my weekend will largely be setting up some new strips, which I'm excited for. I wonder if I've started the Question one yet...
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OK, Riddler, OK, it's your story.

It's funny: I wouldn't have thought of myself as a Riddler fan, and I'm probably not: I don't have a proper Riddler action figure, although that's a distribution problem as much as anything...but, there's been more than a couple Riddler stories that I've liked, which is probably more than Joker ones. We'll start with this one: Detective Comics Annual #8, "Questions Multiply the Mystery" Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Kieron Dwyer.

DC's 1995 annuals were all under the "Year One" banner, which hadn't quite been used to death at that point. (Previously, we saw one of the Superman Annuals.) Luckily, even with four annuals, Batman didn't have to hash and rehash his origin; he could go back to some of his villains. Other annuals featured Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, and Man-Bat; but this might be the best one.

In an observation room at Arkham Asylum, sick of what he feels is "obvious and tactless" needling, the Riddler finally relents to tell his story, "an epic of larceny and murder." His story, not the Batman's, even though the Batman has already foiled him more than once.

As a child, young Eddie Nigma had the typical child's questions; why is the sky blue, leaves green, and so on. Adults seemed to either not know or to have forgotten the answers, so Eddie determined to be "a guy with all the answers. Even if I had to make up the questions." When a puzzle contest is announced at school, Eddie is intrigued, but as a mediocre student, his chances are poor, until he discovers his calling in life: cheating. Eddie breaks into the school, practices the puzzle until he can do it under a minute, and easily wins the contest. The prize? A book of riddles...and the attention of the bullies. A lot of this may have been established before in earlier stories, but Dixon does a great job of showing Eddie's desperation for attention of any kind.

After school, Eddie settles into a workaday life, and is quietly going insane with boredom. When he notices a business with a safe full of cash, he starts working on how to get it, but even the theft doesn't thrill him:

As the Riddler, Eddie escalates his puzzles, finally getting himself the attention of the cops, but also of the Batman. Who is less than impressed at first:

More through luck than design, and a little bit from Batman's relative inexperience, the Riddler escapes. Refining his style and his puzzles, Eddie manages to pull a couple of big scores, before Batman brings him down. But his fall is a twist, and this issue has a good one. So more than that, I won't say; find a copy of this one yourself.

I will say, that Kieron Dwyer seems to have a handle on the Riddler, since he drew perhaps my third-favorite Riddler story, "Dark Knight, Dark City" with Peter Milligan. The last issue spins out a little for my tastes, but they do a good and crazy Riddler story. Maybe, we'll get to my favorite Riddler story later, though...
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"Three franks a job? In this economy?"

Click to enlarge!

After the end of the Prisoner bit last week, I usually try to break up the Nightcrawler/Deadpool/Falcon strips a little; but I'm behind since I'm waiting on a few figures. Then, over the weekend I found a figure I've been waiting for since, um...2006? Shocker Toys Scud figure. Hell, I didn't even look at the price on that one, just grabbed him and made for the register, since I'd never seen one at retail before. (While long awaited, apparently they just hit mass retail the last couple of weeks. Might have to consider that Maxx figure, though.)

Check out Scud's review from OAFE.net to get some of the history on him; and my two cents? Buy him. Now. I've been buying a lot of clearance lately, so it was a bit of a shock to pay full price for a figure, but well worth it. Of course, you should buy the collected Scud as well, so chop-chop! Put your tax refund to that right now!



Ooh, taxes. Better look into that tonight...

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Biting my tongue on any, "The Question is, how do I find him?" cracks.

A Steve Ditko page from the Question back-up in Modern Comics Blue Beetle #1. With a little luck, by the time I post this, I've got my DCUC Question figure from Big Bad Toy Store.

Although, if I'd held out a day or two, I would've ordered the Secret Wars Nightcrawler/Punk Storm two-pack, or at least tried to, since it appears to be out of stock already. (It may be back, so check it if you're interested!) Then again...and how to put this? It's not from Mattel, so I figure I have a chance of seeing it in stores. Maybe I'll run across the Question on the racks in the next week or so, and then I'll feel dumb...but I doubt it.

(Incidentally, I would bet that I'll buy more than one of those Nightcrawlers, so it's extremely likely I'll have a spare Storm to trade. We'll see...)

Some toy related discussion after the break!

Also, by the time I post this, the post-game analysis of the other Tuesday, a.k.a. Trap Jaw Day, should be in the books. There will be doubtless tons more discussion on other sites, but my understanding is that the new Masters of the Universe Battle Cat, and Trap Jaw, both sold out in something like twenty minutes. Mattel is doing a lot of things right, but distribution does not seem to be one of them.

For example: locally, one Target is clogged with the remnants of DCUC Wave 7: Big Barda, Captain Cold, blue Aquaman, possibly the whole wave with the possible exceptions of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. And two, maybe three Silver Banshees from the Target Exclusive Public Enemies wave. Finishing Brimstone around here looks like a tough one, since I've yet to see the second part of that batch.

(Thanks to It'sAllTrue's DCUC Guide, since I sure as hell don't remember what figure was in what wave.)

There are three Wal-Marts in my neck of the woods: the one nearest me, has no DCUC, and hasn't for some time. Of course. The next nearest did get at least one shipment of Wave 11, but the Question, Cyborg Superman, and Deadman were all long gone by the time I saw it, and they have not been restocked to date, after about a month. That Wal-Mart also has a full peg of four Cyborgs--the Sonic Arm version that was originally a KB exclusive back in 2008. To its credit, there may only be one Captain Cold on the pegs there.

The third, and most inconvenient for me to get to, was the only one to get the Imperiex exclusive wave, and is full of Foragers, a few Beast Boys, and a surprising amount of Power Girl. I'm still surprised by that one: I was quite happy to get her, and thought she would fly off the racks. I'm hoping to see some clearance there sometime, since that one's pretty full.

The Comic Book Shop did get DCUC for some time, but I think they ended up overstocked on Captain Cold and some of the rest of Wave 7. In the clearance of their mall store, you could, right now, get four Captain Colds for under ten bucks. Maybe more, if you ask nicely...they may or may not get future waves at this point, but seem to be moving the DC Direct Green Lantern stuff just fine anyway.

And Toys R Us and Fred Meyer both have had Waves 8 and 9, but don't seem to be restocking them: Fred Meyer, however, still has figures for under ten bucks. Need to get Commander Steel--like Guardian, knowing his history in the comics makes me laugh--and maybe Mr. Terrific. And there's probably a Captain Cold on every other peg at those stores, too.

Man, I'm worried Captain Cold is going to be like Banshee from the first wave of Hasbro Marvel Legends: an ugly, ugly figure that's everywhere, clogging the pegs and preventing any restock. In a recent sidebar on Blackest Night in Toyfare, writer Geoff Johns said he was looking forward to seeing a new Captain Cold figure. Please throw one at him if you see him at a show. I know where you can get some. Cheap. OK, don't really throw them, but Captain Cold's also had two DC Direct figures, so he should be good for a long while, right?

Ah, I'm beat and watching Lost, so this has gone on long enough. A Question strip will be forthcoming soon...

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Wait, so Man-Bat flew through Bruce's window?

...and inspired him to become Batman? I'm confused.

Actually, this is a more-symbolic vision of Batman's origin, since Bats is recovering from a gunshot wound, in Son of the Demon, written by Mike W. Barr, art by Jerry Bingham.

Better known as the one where Bats fathers a son with Talia, this was out-of-continuity for some time, but seems to be back in since Damian's introduction in Grant Morrison's run. Actually, if I had to guess, it seems less in-continuity not because of Batman getting some, but because he seems a bit more laissez-faire about killing than usual. In the first twelve pages, several terrorists die as Batman tricks them into shooting each other, one gets a faceful of toxic waste, and others die in a helicopter crash. Later, when working with R'as al Ghul against the greater evil of Qayin, Batman encourages his men not to kill, but doesn't seem too broken up about Talia gunning some down, or leaving the bad guy Qayin to live or die on his own. Compare that to the Batman that has to bend over backwards to keep the Joker alive.

Still, it's a fun read, and I have the old version that I got for three bucks at a used bookstore. It's been reissued, but it'll cost you now.

I was thinking about the continuity issues of this one, since Batman: Year Two seems to be out right now, and I'm not positive I still have my copy of the trade. Year Two is thus out of print right now, so we'll see if I turn it up.
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I kinda wish Bill could use that catchphrase every month:

From Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1, written by Kieron Gillen, pencils by Kano, inks by Alvaro Lopez and Kano. I picked up the three issues of this one the other day, and was surprised how much I liked it. Gillen manages dry humor and high tension, as Bill sets out to destroy the murderer of his race, the planet-eater Galactus. Although no one thinks his plan is a good one--not his oath-brother Thor, nor his informant Agent Brand of SWORD, nor even his own smartship Skuttlebutt--Bill will not be deterred, and his plan is a good one. Until you factor in the massive collateral damage, and the possible effects of defeating Galactus...


For good measure, the three issues of this series include reprints of Walt Simonson's Thor #337-339; his first three issues and the introduction of Beta Ray Bill. Oddly, I have multiple copies of #337--the original, the Ballad of Beta Ray Bill trade, and a reprint packed with Bill's action figure--and all featured a miscolored disc on Thor's chest on page 10. The reprint in Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1 is the first I've seen that was corrected. I don't have any of the fancier editions, so I can't say if it's corrected in that or not; but I only noticed because I've seen it so many times, it's weird to see right.

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New at Articulated Discussion!

Over at Articulated Discussion, I've got another new One-Shots up! Maybe that'll make up for me doing just about nothing this weekend here...

In my defense, it's surprisingly nice out for February, so I have to take those kids and the dog to the park! And I did find a new figure, that had long been promised but I wasn't sure I would ever see on the shelves! (No, not a DCUC or Marvel figure...) Hope y'all are enjoying wherever you're at, and we'll be back Monday! Read more!

USA! (gent!) USA! (gent!) USA! (gent!)

Recently, It'sAllTrue.Net featured USAgent in their latest installment of Most Requested Figures, an endorsement I heartily...endorse. Former replacement Captain America, John Walker would go on to serve with the Avengers West Coast, Force Works, and Alpha Flight; although I have to say I prefer his black costume over his later looks. (For a while, he was wearing a riot cop ensemble that made him look like an angrier Judge Dredd. If that's possible.)

Still, the problem with making John a heroic character, is that in his first appearances under Mark Gruenwald, he was intended to be a bad example: a glory-hound, overzealous and violent, and far more right-wing than the more liberal Steve Rogers. While patriotic, he somehow managed to be a loose cannon and follow orders blindly. When his parents were killed, John also went a bit crazy, killing several men, and convincing himself his folks weren't dead for a bit. Then, when Steve became Cap again, and John took the USAgent title, now the writers had to somehow redeem this character. Or, make him the tool no one liked. Either or.

That's not to say USAgent didn't have any endearing moments, however. He did get to deliver a stout and not completely undeserved thrashing to Hawkeye, who, for good measure, was wearing his terrible armor costume at the time. (I remember Hawk not voting for his estranged wife Mockingbird's Avengers membership, and thinking he needed some thumping.) Then there's this little backup story, from Avengers West Coast Annual #5, "Don't You Daaare Miss It!" Written by Dwayne McDuffie, art by Grant Miehm.

When Wonder Man double-books, he manages to convince his Avengers teammates to cover for him, sending Vision, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and USAgent to...
...a monster truck rally. Only the Agent is enthusiastic; the emotionless Vision is mildly bewildered, while Hawkeye and Iron Man immediately begin plotting revenge...

Since there's only ten pages to this one, the villain shows up, and is dispatched, fairly quickly: the mutant Doctor Goodwrench, who can control machines, but also believes they are sentient and he is the activist of their rights. Vision and Hawkeye point out they aren't, and he isn't, and the Doctor is forced to realize he's "some kind of nut."

Even though he's not a guy I would personally want to hang with, USAgent is ripe for a comeback, because he's never been more topical: he's a proud American who is ultra conservative, a bit of a blowhard and a bully, generally not above shouting down opposing viewpoints...sound familiar? Oh, prove me wrong, right-wingers, prove me wrong. He's a bit too gung-ho, but I would be glad to get a USAgent Marvel Legend figure, since he's not entirely without likable qualities. You just have to dig. A bit.
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Even if they never make a Preacher movie...I'd be OK with that.

From Preacher #32, "Snakes in the Grass" Written by Garth Ennis, art by Steve Dillon. Re-read all of Preacher last week, as I do every year or so, and it still holds up great. It's an odd one for me to go through, since I didn't start the single issues until #27; I have the trades up to there. As opposed to a series like Transmetropolitan, which I have as all issues, or 100 Bullets, all trades. (I still have to finish that one, though.)

Somewhere during Preacher's run, Vertigo phased out letters pages, which is a shame, considering it featured such great moments as #34, where Garth Ennis discusses his greatest irrational fear. It's crude and hysterical, so go find a back issue: you miss out on that kind of thing with trades, or at least you used to.

Hmm. This is the second time this week I'm bringing up something I'm not going to tell you. Jerk...
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Another post directing you somewhere else. That's helpful, right?

Over at Articulated Discussion, I've got a new post up! How many incomplete Build-a-Figures, Collect-and-Connects, Build-a-Things can I rack up? Hoo, boy. Heck, it's worse than I let on, since I have Annihilus wings, Mojo guts, and Futurama robot parts floating about. Just check out over there while I do a count, kay? Read more!

"Dénouement."

Yeah, you never really find out why Number 6 quits either, do you? Or, maybe I forgot to wrap that up...let's pretend I planned that, 'kay?
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