News of the Right

The HULK! #23

I didn’t buy Crossed this week like I had planned because my LCS didn’t have back issues extending to #1. Being a completist, I would have been driven mad by half a set. HOWEVER, there was a copy of the infamous The HULK #23 in which Bruce Banner is almost shower-raped at a Y by two sour-faced gay guys. As noted in Mistakes of a Past History #2, writer Jim Shooter was apparently going for “verisimilitude” with this story, but the result is a menudo of melodrama, a veritable potpourri of painful plights so grotesquely portrayed that I can’t believe it got green lit in the first place. Of course, I was interested in buying the issue because of the gay angle (it being of personal interest), but trust me, gay people were not the only one’s maligned by Jim Shooter. Junkies in particular should be taking some umbrage with him, to say nothing of baby mommas. “Verisimilitude” to Jim Shooter apparently means, “everyone dies unmourned: the good, the bad, the innocent” or something equally as nihilistic… well, in a Sartre-for-Dummies-I-read-about-this-once-while-waiting-on-line-at-the-grocery-store kind of way. Shooter didn’t have the chops to write this effectively, and that’s the real crime.

A super-rare and very fine issue of Action Comics #1 sold today at auction for $1,000,000, a new record for this kind of collectible. According to the AP, only 100 copies of this comic are still in existence, and none approach this good of condition.

The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time (1530 GMT). He said that the seller was a “well known individual” in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.

The previous comic book record was set last year when John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down, paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue. Attempts to reach him for comment on Monday’s sale were not immediately successful.

For those keeping track, that’s a profit of 10,000,000,000%. And they say we’re in a recession. Tcha.

[via APNewsBreak]

Green Lantern #51

There’s a reason that Geoff Johns was just promoted to the post of DC’ Chief Creative Officer, and it’s in this issue. I don’t normally read any of the GL titles, but Johns’ “Blackest night” has me buying all his supplementary stories. The guy is carrying on a serious love affair with all things DC, and his affection is contagious. Under his direction, I can see the DCU becoming a much more interesting place.
Grade: A

Uncanny X-Men #521

If it weren’t for the last page of this issue, I would consider dropping the title altogether. The X-Men just created a nation for themselves, and instead of getting into the meat and potatoes of setting up a government, mutant political factions, “savior complexes”, and host of other issues that are pretty relevant to current topics, Matt Faction serves up a very tepid Legacy Flu. It’s sort of like having Hamburger Helper every Friday night: it’s safe and traditional, but no one is every going to moan in delight with each meaty, saucy spoonful.
Grade: C-

Siege #2

I haven’t been an “event” person in years (even though I have every issue of the much-maligned “Final Crisis”) mostly because I find them to be more con than content. While hyped to be huge and meaningful, events aren’t usually that impacting, and, worse, they’re horribly written and poorly plotted.

Having said that, I loved Siege #2!

While the content is on the light side (the majority of the issue focuses on Ares and his ill-fated battle with Sentry), the more mundane scenes – particularly between Nick Fury and Alex, the Avengers in the S.H.I.E.L.D. transport, and the last page of the issue – are well-written and give more weight to the story than “superpower-on-superpower action” and “the Saint Crispin’s Day speech”. But, I’m a moments guy.

Coipel, Morales and Martin are a cyclonic artistic force. While Bendis’ words may have been handled well enough by another team, this one breathes life into each panel with its dynamic compositions and expressive faces. Even the capes are expressive and full of movement. The best example of this is page three – Ares’ realization that he’s been manipulated into attacking Asgard juxtaposed with the battle below is brilliant. Without words, without mummery, the reader knows exactly what is going on under the god’s helmet. Great stuff! However, the rending of Ares on a later page, while arranged beautifully, is odd in that his intestines seem to have been previously resting on his back, protecting his spine. Gory, yes, but inaccurate overkill at best.

My one complaint is the half-truth of the “death of an Avenger” solicit. It was sophomoric hype at best. You can do better, Marvel.
Grade: A-

Last summer, I heard Maggie Gallagher say the most reprehensible and simultaneously twee-est (if I’m using the word right; it means “cutesy”, correct?) thing to ever come out of her voluminous pie hole: “Marriage is not a civil right. In fact, it’s a civil wrong.” Her ability to turn a phrase aside, Mags’ head should have by all rights exploded from just the uncut rage I was sending her way (to say nothing of the other people I’m sure were doing the same thing). Ah, “Scanners,” you disappointed me once again. So, what’s a guy to do?

Easy: write her as a blobby (well, “blobbier”) hulk with swaying tits in league with all the other hating low-lifes and get friends to help make it into a comic book.

I now present to you the fruits of our labor – Rise of the Pink Ninjas: A Gay Fantasia (click on the hate to get the fun):

(Go ahead. It’s free.)

SEE Mad Gallagher throw her weight around!

STARE IN WONDER at the mysterious Bastard Baby Doll!

CLENCH your butthole when P & M, the Night Bears, cruise by!

But most of all, enjoy and keep fighting. I want to start buying gay wedding gifts.


Rise of the Pink Ninjas: A Gay Fantasia
written by Sean McGrath
drawn, inked and colored by Benjamin Ruth
lettered by Christopher Moshier
cover graphic by Scott McGrath



UPDATE: For those who prefer their comics paginated instead of stacked, I’ve made a CBZ file available. It’s my first time making one and it was stunningly easy. Why have I never done this before?

UPDATE the SECOND: Joe Jervis of the excellent gay blog Joe.My.God posted an entry about Pink Ninjas on his site, which thrills me in ways I can’t explain. One decision early on was to have the real voices of the LGBTQ movement supplant the tyrannical Solomon when they discovered he wasn’t working in their best interests. Joe is definitely one of those voices.





The readers had some affirming comments about the comic, like:

“That there was ten shades of wonderful.” from JD.

“Wow. That is just too fabulous. And it catches the relationship between the professional gay and anti-gay forces to a T.” from Smartypants.

“I love this comic for that reason someone finally had the GUTS to call out the traitors in our own midst for who and what they are!” from Daveinsf.

“I think I have a new wallpaper for my computer.” from art.

And “As a lifelong comic book fan I loved it, loved it, loved it! Kudos to all involved.” from Ken Berg.

JMG is probably one of my favorite blog communities. I’m glad the folks over there enjoyed the comic.

UPDATE the THIRD: Oh WOW! We were mention on After Elton!

After several years of looking at my first few attempts at getting a comics book out into the public and all the mistakes therein, I’m happy to announce that a new trade paperback available at Indyplanet.com collects Frater Mine issues #1 to #3 – “Family Reunion” – with a new introduction, and corrected text and images. FINALLY!! Now maybe the OCD-induced nightmares will stop.

The interior art is by Juan Romera (the faithful artist whose work just gets better and better) and Andres Barrientos (who was aboard only for issue #2). Re-lettering was done by Ed Brisson, who has been doing all the Frater Mine issues since #4. He’s an amazing talent, and right now is working on issue #8. I intend to keep him around for as long as possible. Cover art was done by my brother Scott with contributions from Austin photographer Dan Machold. This is a great team, and I’m thrilled to know and work with them.

Also, in about a week or so, a new webcomic – “Rise of the Pink Ninjas” – will be available for download. It’s drawn and colored by Benjamin Ruth (whom I’ve conscripted to help with “Unmouldered Vespula”, another new project) and lettered by Christopher Moshier. I’m not going to give everything away, but here’s a sample of page one:






The download will be free. I’ll make an announcement when it’s ready for your reading pleasure.

Kick Ass #8

The final issue of Kick Ass is just about what everyone expected it to be: loud, hyper-violent, and calculated to offend as many people as possible with… well, pick your issue. It’s bound to be there. and I say “calculated” in the most cynical way possible. Even going back to the solicit, which asks “Who will be morally outraged?” (when there’s not a single character in the book that knows what morality looks like let alone if outrage is an option), it’s obvious this finale was designed to provoke a reaction from the audience. Mark Millar went where “Heroes” couldn’t/wouldn’t/was unable to go with the “superheroes in real life” theme, and how messed up it really would be. Overall, however, Kick Ass is like watching porn: lots of button-mashing and screaming and penetrations climaxing with everyone screaming as the money shot splooshes out, covering everything. It is a comic fanboy’s wet-dream brought to the page. I have to applaud Millar for doing what no one has really done before: delving into angsty-teen-comic-fan-fic comic stories and making at living at it (then again there is the inexplicable popularity of “Twilight” and “Wicked Lovely”). If “nuance” is what you’re looking for, well, that’s why there are movies like “When in Rome” (I jest, of course. “When in Rome” is as subtle as a skinhead at a Seder.). I just help but wonder that I read this series the whole way through. Maybe because it betokens the future of comics writing.
Grade: C

Madame Xanadu #19

Madame Xanadu is one book I look forward to every month. Oddly, this month’s issue was supposed to be the conclusion of a story, but instead there was an overwrought “aside” about Nimue and Morgana’s childhood together (an extremely long childhood, at that). I know that Matt Wagner is often overwrought, but usually that can be forgiven because of the art that accompanies the story. This is one of those titles where the art means so much to the words. Amy Reed Hadley, who normally illustrates, is off this month, replaced by Joelle Jones, and the story is just kind of “OK”. Amy brings some real magic to Matt Wagner’s words, and without her, this chapter seems both unnecessary and ugly.
Grade: C+

Green Lantern Corps #44

Normally, i hate deus ex machina because it’s a cheap escape from a dramatic problem: the universe steps in and says, “No more. It’s done.” which leaves characters (and viewers) unsatisfied because it shows that we’re at the mercy of powers greater than ourselves, and free will is a slogan like “life should be fair.” That being said, I LOVED GLC’s method of disposing of the Black Lanterns: Mogo. It seems fair in some way, especially because Xanshi in its entirety came back, to say nothing of the rest of the universe’s re-animated dead. God doesn’t come down and declare that “Enough is enough. Go home.” No, no. God comes down with some righteous smiting, and it looks great ion a page. Is there a counterpoint to deux ex machina? If so, that’s what Peter Tomasi has created in this issue.
Grade: A

Uncanny X-Men #520

When sitting down to write this review, I had to pick the issue back up again because I had no recollection of what had happened. Then I saw the cover and remembered that Wolverine and Psylocke were out and about looking for someone for some reason. Then it occurred to me that I had liked Magneto because he was being misunderstood (Scott, of course, was a controlling bitch to him) and noble (poor guy couldn’t catch a break even when being helpful). In general, the issue was half-forgettable and half-sorta interesting.
Grade: C-

After Marvel proudly announced to the world that they are the biggest assdancers in comics publishing after Diamond, Adloph Hitler had this reaction:

Thanks to Andy Mangles for pointing this out!

The Power of SHAZAM! #48

I’m sure the undead have their own particular stench, but in this case, it smells like… poo? Jeez, someone light a match for this Blackest Night stinker! First of all, this one-shot is even more proof that no one knows how to write the Marvel Family well. Except for their abbreviated stint in JSA last year, there’s really nothing marvelous about them of late. Second of all, I’m uncertain if this a “triumph of the human spirit” story or a “here’s another clue as to how Nekron will be defeated” story. If it’s the former, why is Osiris of all people able to resist the Black Rings? “Black Adam’s magic” is a throwaway explanation since lots of magical beings have not resisted un-life in the main BN title. If it’s the latter, well, it’s a clue no one in the DCU is going to have access to.

The Marvel Families have so many stories that still need to be told, and with just one issue to do one story, they (and we) were we given this. Osiris himself says that “we were all just family,” and that would have made an excellent theme for an excellent story, but, unfortunately, we got jack shit.

At six o’clock the Thursday after Labor Day, I told my students, “It’s new comics day. I love you. Get out.” They probably didn’t believe the “I love you” part, but they knew I meant “Get out.” What could I do? Their young, impressionable, yearning minds were keeping me from getting Absolute New Frontier.

It’s enough to say that I got the ANF (only $75.00 minus an additional 10%, thanks ABC!), but it wasn’t all I got. Of course.

Collecting is a sickness. It is. In order to be a good collector, one needs to feel that unless one has every member of a set, then one is incomplete. One also needs to not care about potential financial ruin or personal relationships (which, contrary to a popular song lyric, do require money to seal the deal; I mean, for anyone with self-esteem) . All that matters is completeness. Completeness is one. If you don’t believe me, go to San Diego for Comic Con one year. You’ll see what I mean.

Having poor impulse control helps, too. It helps a lot.

Here’s what I love about the Absolute editions (besides the annotations): they’re large and heavy, which means they’re important, which means they’re worth having. Seriously, these things have more gravitas than Ian McKellen doing King Lear for the Kennedy family. To further illustrate this, I own the Arkham Horror series of boardgames. All of them. I’ve never played them, but, God help me, together they weigh almost 40 pounds and have over 2,000 playing pieces. That alone is enough for me to have invested close to $300 in them.

Let me say that again: I’ve never played them.

You see where this is going.

Absolute New Frontier is sitting on my shelf. Still in the shrink wrap. Still unread. And going to stay that way. Pristine. My boyfriend expressed dismay about this. And if she knew about it, I’m sure my mother would, too.

Even with a 10% discount (everyday on trade paperback and graphic novels!) $75 seemed a bit steep, but $60 seemed perfectly reasonable and $47 seemed like I was holding a gun to someone’s head, or so I told myself when I saw that’s how much Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths, Absolute Sandman Volume One and Absolute Kingdom Come cost on Amazon.com respectively. And these weren’t even the New & Used, these were off-the-Amazon-shelves-and-still-shrink-wrapped new. What could I do? I’m a collector what a thing for gravitas and annotations. I got them. And when they arrive they will go to my shelf. Unwrapped. Unread. Pristine.

Billy Mumy’s cornfield was never so wonderfully populated.

In my own defense (sorta), I didn’t buy Seduction of the Innocent as I had originally planned. I researched the book a bit and found that the original publisher cut two pages out of the book (the bibliography) to avoid any possible lawsuit, even if it did destroy the integrity of the book’s research. My goal now is to own a copy with those pages intact. I have some self-control and pride. But only some. And I’m pretty sure even Neil Gaiman doesn’t own this book. So, watch out, Neil; I’m gonna be one up on you yet!

Xposted at CPB

With summer being over, I’m on my own in the evenings more often than not. My boyfriend is back at school, as am I, and living in different counties means casual visits don’t happen on school nights. There is also nothing on TV I have to watch. Yet. This leaves me with the dog and my laptop and my obsessive thoughts. Once I get an idea in my head, it paces from one lobe to another like a caged panther, and though I had more or less dismissed the idea of owning Absolute New Frontier because it was cost prohibitive, well, there’s always Amazon New & Used to check out.

See, the panther finds sneaky ways out of the cage.

The first thing I found out was that Absolute New Frontier was (and still is) OOP. Which meant it was $100. Which meant I needed to get back to ABC before their stock was gone because if there’s one thing that makes me wetter than annotations it’s “OOP”. It’s the bell that undams the drool. Unfortunately, this was late last Tuesday night (like, after midnight late), and I wouldn’t have a real reason to go to ABC until Thursday when the new comics were shelved. But beast had to be fed. Immediately. So, I went back to the beginning: Gaiman’s shelves.

[stage whisper] I have a good word and a bad word for whomever took the pictures of the Gaiman library: the subject matter is rare air, heady and unbelievable; however, the blow-ups are blurry, bad bad quality pics for someone had the pro credentials to get into Neilland. They frustrate the girl with an eye on her own library. Still, before an hour was gone, I had stacked an impressive pile of books in my Amazon cart (my own invisible plane, as it were), including Shadows Over Baker Street, Tonight, Somewhere in New York, The Brand-X Anthology of Poetry, The Brand-X Anthology of Fiction, The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club, The Ten-Cent Plague and Anno-Dracula. I balked at a copy of Seduction of the Innocent, which I’m now reconsidering because, ya know, “OOP”.

Shameless, I know. Actually plagiarizing someone else’s library. There should be a law.

Having successfully spent more money on books than I had on food for the month, I settled on the couch with the dog and considered my spree over with one codicil: I would get Absolute New Frontier the next day, then I could consider the panther at rest.

Right?

To be continued…

Labor Day weekend meant that my local comics shop – Austin Books and Comics – had its annual sale on selected hardcovers, complete series’ sets and trade paperbacks. Being an American and therefore a consumer, I went to see if they had anything I couldn’t live without. At first, there really wasn’t, though I lingered on a complete set of Scurvy Dogs for about twenty minutes longer than was necessary for the staff to come back and check on me several times. Then I saw Absolute New Frontier.

Oh my.


When New Frontier debuted, I looked at the issue, but didn’t really have any abiding interest in the series. It wasn’t until I saw the animated movie that I realized what a work of genius the story was. I got the set on eBay that night. Now, I was confronted with an Absolute edition of this great story, complete with annotations. ooOOOh. Nothing makes me wetter than annotations; they’re like secrets told around the water cooler, historical rumors. And the price of all this deliciousness was $75.00.

And that popped the balloon. There was no way I was gong to spend $75 on this book, no matter how cool. There went my dream of having the Gaiman library. If I wasn’t going to commit the money (my money, at least; should a sugar daddy come along, I’d have no problem spending his money), there was no way I’d be able to fill a single room with books, let alone a whole basement.

That was, until I went to Amazon.com later that week.

To be continued…

Xposted at CPB

I’m going to blame Neil Gaiman.

A few weeks ago, Shelfari posted pictures of Gaiman’s home library, and I simply had to have it. I have never been more envious of anyone of anything ever. Ever. However, not knowing the guy, I can say with some assuredness that he’s not going to bequeath his Lexical Heaven to me ‘cuz I’m such a swell person. So, I invented a fantasy in which it was totally possible for me to have his library and read it too: a Zombie Apocalypse. There’s me, see, a lonely survivor of the Awakening making my way cross country after Austin is mostly decimated (in all actuality, Austin would probably be one of the few cities in the the US to survive a zombie attack; everyone here knows the best ways to defend against them and it’s Texas, so guns and ammo are readily available at any convenience store (though I see myself more as a samurai sword-and-shillelagh kind of survivor)) to Gaiman’s Minnesota abode. There, I meet my family and a handful of other like-minded (i.e., “well-read”) survivors, and we make our way to Gaiman’s basement. He’s not there, nor is his family. I’m not sure where they are in my fantasy. I know they’re not dead because I’m certain I don’t want to live in a post-apocalyptic Gaiman-less world. I mean, that’s just too bleak. Maybe they’re waiting out the Awakening on an island somewhere. It doesn’t matter. They’re not there, and JOY!! the library is also a panic room. So, we lock ourselves in and spend our days reading and telling stories al la The Decameron. The library is mine. The end.

I know what you’re thinking: On what desert island with no hope of rescue will that be happening? Well, of course, it’s a fantasy, but I still couldn’t stop looking at the pictures of what a real home library could be if one happened to be as wealthy, talented and literate as Neil Gaiman. Being none of those, there was really only one option for me: I had to buy every book in his library for myself. Finances be damned!

And don’t think I won’t do it!

To be continued…

Xposted at CPB

The folks over at CPB are taking a week off to get ourselves ready to advance from beta to… is it “alpha”? “The Omega Opening” (and doesn’t that sound tawdry?)? I have no idea. What happens after “beta”? Whatever it’s called, we’re heading there and I get to come back here to Orthocomics, do my reviews, and figure out what’s to become of the blog while CPB takes off.

Batman and Robin #3: Like a steak and potato dinner, this was satisfying. Very satisfying. Like, eating said steak and potato dinner, sleeping for a few days to wake up and discover you’ve lost 7 pounds not from a wasting disease satisfying. Leave it to GMo to come up with an airborne addiction and sound effects like “HAUUU NAUUUUU!” Frightening. A-

Batman: Widening Gyre #1: If I’m going to point Fingers of Blame ™ at anyone for this… let’s call it “a second chance gone awry”, it’ll be Mike Marts and Dan Didio for failing to do their jobs as editors. I know that Kevin Smith is pretty famous for his spaghetti-and-aspic-on-the-wall-let’s-see-what-sticks-and-gels approach to writing; I also know that mileage varies from work to work (compare Dogma to Chasing Amy). Yet for some reason, Marts and Didio seem to have not known this, or at least didn’t let it bother them in the editing process. I’ll admit that I bought this issue for the cover art (levels and levels above the interior art) and the title (“Widening Gyre”, how cool of a title is that?), so anything beyond this should be gravy, right? Sure, but lumpy, orange-flavored beef gravy? Maybe not so much. The mish-mash of multiple guest stars, incongruent backstories, and out-of-character speeches (Batman: “Sonnuva.. the kid pulled a ME.”; Etrigan: “No way…”) and nonchalant conflict resolution read more as “we need to fill pages” than “we’re telling a complex story”. D

Detective Comics #856: I still can’t put into exact words why I like this series as much as I do. The story has the hallucinogenic effect of Alice in Wonderland, a dream populated by bleary-eyed sleepers and hunters. I do know that I have to pick up the Crime Bible: Five Lessons in Blood to get a better handle on what this Religion of Crime is all about. B+

Madame Xanadu #14: There’s wisdom that says “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!” but I’ve been expecting it to turn its attention to Madame X and her lady-love Marisol for some time now. I applaud these women for being bold enough to stay in Spain while, ya know, people are being killed to the left and right around them for offenses far less serious than acting out scenes from “Hot Babes in Loose Skirts.” However, not arming themselves or being more cautious or living somewhere deeper in the woods was just utter foolishness on their parts. Seriously, when the Christianists have their way with America and I become illegal for just being, I’m going to be fortified enough to take at least a dozen with me when they show up at my door. Yeah, “and your little god too!” Having said that, I like this issue, except for Kaluta’s strange rendition of the female form on the cover. I make fun of Greg Land for his impossible breasts and ineptitude in connecting head bones to neck bones and on down the line, but Kaluta has surpassed the master with his frightening Holocaust Special Madame X. B

Wonder Woman #36: I think Diana takes on too much responsibility that isn’t hers. Yeah, yeah, she’s got the whole wide world on her shoulders and has had for some time now, but taking Pele’s accusations of being complicit in Zeus’ murder of Zane, and “set[ting her] father alone against the wrath of [her] entire pantheon” is supporting an unduly free interpretation of the events. I’m sure she’s feels guilty about Zane’s death and all, but making a pledge to Pele when she’s just crawled out from under her Amazonian vows seems like she’s not thinking clearly at all. And awwh poor Tom! How is Diana going to explain her “I never loved you” away? I’m sensing a new direction for Diana, but it seems like Gail Simone is also only sensing it. B

New Mutants #4: Ah well, that was a disappointing read. Yeah, my girl Illyana got some scary one-liners off, but all in all, I think I’ve read this story before; ya know, “Legion screws everything up before the Muties pull it together.” I’m not digging the trophic characterizations (especially, God help us, with the dialogue) when by this time the Muties should be more individuated.

Dark Avengers #8: Angt! More angst! Less fighting for the sake of fighting and more angst! Jeez, what happened to the promise of the first issue? C

It was a very sparse week for comics; I got the first issue of the new Doom Patrol series (ugh), and didn’t give Buffy the Vampire Slayer more than a glance as I thought, “I’ve been burned by you before!” Click in the report card below to see my (and others’) reviews this this week’s comics:

Fly on over to ComicsPlusBlog for this week’s comic reviews. I look at the finally final issue of Legion of Three Worlds (SPOILER: It was a satisfying ending to a great story).

For fear of cross-posting, all of my reviews will now be a part of Comics Plus Blog’s weekly feature “The Pull Report”. Which I edit. I know: “one more thing to do every week?!” The site is still in beta, but swing by to see what I and a whole annoyance of reviewers think about this week’s comics. Click on the graphic to get there:

Uncanny X-Men #513: Oh, Scott. Did you not see this coming? I mean, did anyone not see this coming from the moment that Scott and Emma started banging psychic uglies? I’m just surprised that it took this long for Emma to take over the X-Men and reform them in her image. However, as stupid as this makes all the X-Men look (except Jean, but she’s dead), it’s GREAT drama. However, it will not be great drama if Matt Fraction does something silly like make Emma a double agent so she can be seamlessly reunited with the X-team. I want Emma back on the outs and being fabulously evil, the idiom in which she excels. Emma out; Cloak and Dagger in! A

Batman and Robin #2: So far, so good. GMo hasn’t gone looney tunes and taken Batman back to… well, R.I.P., though he’s very good at channeling his eccentricities into the undisciplined and dangerous Damien. In this issue we see what makes Dick not Batman – all those years of not wanting to be like him finally paid off, and Dick, while a great fighter, doesn’t command the respect and awe of those around him, especially Robin. Yes, this is the “kinder, gentler” Batman, and I hope Dick quickly figures out that is just not who he has to be. I think GMo is exactly the right writer to break Dick down and maybe build him back up. We know how he likes his heroes damaged. Bye, Dick. It was nice knowing ya. A

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #26: Done. D-

Unthinkable #1 and 2: After reading this and Mark Sable’s ridiculous line about “I feel my privacy is a small price to pay for educating the government about the medium.” I had to pick up Unthinkable. I don’t think I got it for the content necessarily, but to see if indeed what he wrote was worth his pussy statement of relinquishing his privacy to a government that thinks five-year olds are terrorists and nipple rings can be removed at will. I’m glad that his comics mean more to him than his privacy, but, really, fuck him. I can’t even imagine what he thought he taught them about the comics medium: that a page layout doesn’t have to convey chronological action? That characters’ speech and facial expressions don’t have to line up? That people can walk willy-nilly onto military bases and bully commanding offivcers into handing over equipment and weapons? Frankly, Sable needs to be taught more about the medium before he can teach TSA anything. D

The Tick and Arthur: The Complete Works TPB: Still fresh after all this time. Non-derivative. Quirky. Uncanny comic timing. Gentle mocking. Ninjas. This is the gold standard of indy comics. SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!! A+

Detective Comics #854: Finally Batwoman! I have to admit I was a little nervous to get this comic at first because it’s written by Greg Rucka. 52 Greg Rucka (though to be fair, he wasn’t alone in that mess. Still, once bitten, twice shy.). Rucka’s story is lyrical, almost a song or part of an opera. If the art were in anyone else’s hands besides J. H. Harrison’s, the book would totally fall apart like a cheap red wig. For now, I’m hooked. A

Wonder Woman #33: I’m running dangerously close to giving Gail Simone Rachel Ray Face, so all I’m going to say is that this was another excellent read except the end was a bit to abrupt for me. One more issue to resolve the Genocide threat (or at least make its whereabouts more clear) and to really let Zeus and Ares’ plans unfold into a HUGE (well, HUGE-er) mess! Ah, well. B

Madame Xanadu #12: Matt and Michael’s Exodus Noir reminds me of the old Sandman Mystery Theatre – sort of dark, sort of sketchy, sort of fun, but always heading towards a horrible end for the titular character. Oooh, foreshadowing. A

Thor #602: Gods are strange creatures of inertia and folly, like really big rocks rolling down a hill. Or across the bottom of a river. I’ve yet to see any compelling evidence that they think anything through before they go off half-cocked and do it (yeah, I’m looking at you, too, Genesis!). Even the “good” ones let their goodness get in the way of accomplishing anything truly “good”. For example, moving all the Asgardians to Latveria – totally poorly planned. Keeping Loki around when no one trusts him/her – well, that just defies wisdom. Weird that the one mortal in the company of the gods is the only one who wants to actively squelch evil. A

Uncanny X-Men #512: My so far least favorite aspect of the team – The X-Club – heads back to the turn of the 20th century to find the parental DNA of the original Mutant X, and as it turns out, I didn’t want to burn pictures of Matt Fraction at midnight. If I had one complaint, it would be the “Hey, things in the past are just like they are in the present!” parallelism. One would think that someone would have known about an earlier Shaw who ran the Hellfire Club 100 years ago, but such is the spurious logic of comic book and time travel. In Fraction’s defense, even Joss Whedon screwed it up in Runaways. B+

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men Utopia: About two months ago, Ben and I went to go see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, not because we had to but because we needed a mental vacation after a particularly stressful week. We were holding hands, waiting for hte movie to begin when six guys filed into the row behind us, sat on my far left and started speaking in Spanish about “the fucking fags over there.” Myself being half-deaf didn’t hear a word of it, but Ben did, and he was extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to move. I didn’t. And, long story short, I got my way. When the movie started these guys shut up, watched the film and left moments after the credits started rolling. Reading Utopia was kind of like that experience. For no really good reason, bigots feel it’s their right (or, Heaven help us, their god-given duty) to expunge “the Other”, demonize them, make them unwelcome. There are also assdancers like Norman Osborne who feel that they deserve to rule and have no compunction against throwing up (natural) “law and order” to get their way. I find this lack of Justice unsettling, which in turn makes me angry. Then I think about those guys at the movie theatre and wonder if they realized they were cheering for “the Other” to win, and if they know that they are seen as “the Other” just as Ben and I. Probably not. More’s the pity. And to Matt Fraction: the descriptive caption boxes are past their prime. A

Barack the Barbarian #1: Terribly unsubtle, but was a fun read. Lord knows that satire doesn’t have to be an épée, but more often than not, it’s a blunt and forceful cudgel. I have my own parody of Marriage Equality coming out soon, and it’s also terribly unsubtle (i.e., doesn’t follow the rule that the best parody is transparent), but in my own mind it could have been better. Next time. B-

World of Krypton #3 and #4: Beyond the misleading covers. Beyond the non-surprise of Zod being a bastard. Beyond the attempts to make Alura sympathetic. Beyond the status quo changing event of a New Krypton. Beyond the Guardians wetting themselves in anxiety. Beyond all that, this is a Superman book. And wherever there is Superman, Superman is there. B-

Batman & Robin #1: After the whole Final Crisis extravaganza, I was more than a little unwilling to pick up a GMo book so soon, especially for a character I haven’t read since I was 11 or so. However, this seems to be the year when DC lures me into all of the Big Three books, as Batman (formerly Nightwing, formerly Robin) and Robin (formerly some bratty kid who needed a spanking way earlier in his life than he got one (there is a reason why it’s called “child-rearing”)) terrorize the poop out of Gotham City’s criminal element. And I like it. The characterizations are strong. The art.. well, let’s talk about the art. Frank Quitely’s style is immediately recognizable, even if you don’t know his name, and there are cams on the goodness and badness of this statement. It’s been said that his people are nothing more than sandbags topped by shrunken-apple heads. It’s also been said that he gives 3+ dimensions to otherwise flat pages. I’m in the camp of goodness. I haven’t been able to pinpoint what it is, but it is there. Seeing Batman and Robin leap out of a flying Batmobile, through the Bat-signal, and dazzle Commissioner Gordon as they land atop Police Headquarters was beyond “good enough” for me. A+

Ultimatum #4: I honestly cannot remember why I picked up this issue after calling the series “splatter porn” last month. I was so truly, deeply repulsed by the over-the-top imagery that I figured I was finished with it. Well, apparently not. And I truly don’t understand this purchase because I’ve never read any other Ultimates book in my life, so there’s no investment here. Maybe I’ve grown insensitive to it, or maybe I’ve become fascinated by it. Whichever the case may be, I’ll finish the series off next month. I will say this, though: in terms of multi-issue cross-over “events”, this is one in a great long while in which the core book is a perfectly clear story in and of itself. So, props on that. B

Uncanny X-Men #511: I knew I wasn’t going crazy with the rapidity of X-Men’s publishing. This issue comes out only two weeks after the last, which is great because I was eager to see how the cliffhanger would be resolved. Is Jean coming back? Is Maddie going to get her first? Will Greg Land’s characters ever express an appropriate emotion in-panel? The answers, while satisfying, do unfortunately underline Matt Fraction’s one problem as an X-writer: the appearing and disappearing cast. And with the addition of one more character – and a well-beloved one, at that – he’d better learn to juggle better. A-

X-Men Forever #1: X-Men forever is like a long-lost reunion with a beloved ex then realizing there’s a reason you’re exes. F

New Mutants #2: I don’t like where this is going. Say “NO!” to Legion being a new team member, and “YES!” to the return of Rahne Sinclair!! A

Buck Rogers #1: Yeah, you really can’t go back home even if home has righteous art and an otherwise tight story. This may be the antidote to Sci Fi’s Flash Gordon (gag), but it still didn’t do it for me. Sorry, guys! C-

Madame Xanadu #11: Last month I said I wasn’t going to get this issue unless Michael William Kaluta’s art somehow drew me in. It did. That being said, it was a grudging attraction. Kaluta’s art is solid, but when one compares it to his work on Metropolis or even his cover to Doorway to Nightmare #1, it’s not as complex as it used to be. Crafted lines are replaced with defter lines, but something is lost, much like P. Craig Russell’s art of late, which doesn’t stand up to his Elric of Melnibone graphic novel nor his early Doctor Strange. It’s still better than most art one can find these days in comic books, but it’s not as KALUTA as I expected it to be. Matt Wagner finally stops Nimue’s century hopping (still too truncated for my liking), and immerses her in the Age of Heroes (was that you I saw running down that hall Mr. Sandman?). In this first part of “Exodus Noir”, the queer murder of a well-to-do Gothamite brings Madame X onto the case as the clues point to a supernatural murderer. Matt Wagner has me along for this arc, for sure. A

Wonder Woman #32: The war against Genocide continues and if one thought it couldn’t get worse, well, it can and it does. The brilliance of Gail Simone’s work here is in Genocide bringing the pain Diana herself has caused her friends and lovers to the surface. More than that, Simone makes it clear that this is pain that could have been avoided had Diana abandoned her principles of Peace and Understanding (though lying to Tom these several months hardly seems like an expression of either) and gone to War with Casualties against Ares or the Cheetah or Dr. Psycho before there was so much collateral damage. Here is the heart and soul of being a hero: does sparing her enemies, granting them mercy that they do not show Diana nor her friends in subsequent encounters make Diana in part responsible for this pain or do the villains take full responsibility because they rejected mercy and refused to learn “a better way”? More than that, how far is Diana empowered to go to make the world a peaceful and loving place? All the way to War Against the World? Ah, well, that’s why we have the Olympian, the Anti-Diana, in the wings. As ever, BRILLIANT STUFF! A+

Buck Rogers #0: It’s a shame to see heroes grow old and serious and have their magnificently hairy chests and feathered do’s covered with glow-y, space-y vinyl. Granted, I grew up with the hyper-campy and overly sexualized, post-disco version, so my take on Buck Rogers is probably one tainted by… well, hairy chests, feathered do’s and bad dancing, but I’ve always felt that there was some connection to the source material, even if the stories (and fashions) were modernized (and inundated by sequins). That said, my disappointment with Dynamite’s (previewed) iteration is that Buck is pulled away from family and friends to points and times unknown to a “thrilling beginning” in issue #1. WHY?? What I liked about the stories were the interactions of the characters and the strangeness of life on 25th century Earth for Buck (and those of us who followed his adventures). And while Buck’s disorientation wore off after a while (as well it should; did you see what happened to Wonder Woman when Jodi Picoult pulled that “Stranger in a Strange Land” shit?), there was always a new surprise that he and his friends had to find their way around. Without his friends, who is Buck Rogers, and will I care to find out? C

New Mutants #1: I missed this issue two weeks ago while I was busy getting ready for finals, never thinking it would be sold out all over Austin. Luckily, in Erie I was able to get the variant cover (unluckily, at a substantially higher cost) and (back to luckily) was thrilled that the story of my beloved mutants was in capable hands. Sam is just a goofy and amiable as ever, Roberto is just as cocky; however, the women suffer from a sort of “one voice” lack of characterization. I was unable to distinguish Shan from Dani from Amara. Illyana had a stilted, contractionless formality to her words, but if you, Dear Reader, can think of a positive spin on “stilted”, I’d love to hear it. Words aside, the story jumps right in and keeps paddling all the way to the end of the issue. Seeing Sam and ‘Berto stick up for Illyana against the EXiles took me back to the original team’s bonds and adventures. Great start to the series! B+

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1: This issue requires a full-on essay to properly spelunk the depths of its awfulness. Coming soon to a CPB.com near you! F

Uncanny X-Men #510: I swear UX-M is coming out faster and faster these days. It cannot have been a month since I got #509, yet here’s #510 in my hands. It can’t be an illusion because Greg Land’s boobtastic tracings are all over cover and I can guarantee you I don’t dream of four-color breaticles. I have to hand it to Matt Fraction this month. He’s really starting to pull his moments together, making them tighter and more integral to plot… well, “fight scenes”, and at the same time driving the story forward. So, props to him. Let’s hope he continues and starts to draw in better “at home” moments for our favorite mutants. They can’t fight all the time (nor party), so when an “X-Family” story comes around… OH! Pixie has got to stop enchanting Sihal Novarum Chinoth or every time she appears/disappears. It’s distracting and odd, to say the least, and never properly framed. She does, however, do an excellent Wolverine impersonation. A-

The Trial of Sherlock Holmes #1: I haven’t read a Sherlock Holmes story since I was a sophomore in college, and even though I was just in Weird City Theatre’s production of William Gilette’s Sherlock Holmes, I’m not really qualified to say what makes a good Victorian mystery story. But, hey, has that ever stopped me before? Sherlock Holmes is a classic butt-head. He has a smart (and usually correct) answer for everything and explains himself only when it’s means he can call someone an idiot. Moore and Reppion’s Holmes is a bit more mellow than that, if only to make his plight at the end of the issue more sympathetic. I personally would have liked to see him fall from a considerably higher height. Tragedy is judged solely on the loudness of the splat at the end, and while we can feel fear for the plummeting character, feeling bad for him is like a fireman’s blanket a few feet above street level. A-

The Complete Dracula: Dracula is Dracula, so the story isn’t all that surprising (one would hope). What is surprising is the care with which Moore and Reppion pace the story. This isn’t Comics Classics Illustrated! There are no leaps and jumps, no inexplicable expurgations, no “one panel explains all” condensations. In brief, this is not a summary, but an actual well-told story. Colton Worley’s photo-realistic art adds to the moodiness of the book. Excellent job! A+

As mentioned in the OutSmart article last week, Darren Davis of Bluewater Productions ran the Orthocomics ad in this month’s comics – Legend of Isis #1, Warlock #3, Vincent Price Presents #9 and Leprechaun #1. Even though I knew it was coming, I have to say, this is so much cooler in life than I thought it would be. I mean, this is national, like CNN national (well, Bluewater is national. Orthocomics is just an ad, but still…)!

I’m also grateful to my brother Scott who designed and assembled the ad, and to my nephew for being the world’s cutest model.

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Neil Ellis Orts of Houston’s OutSmart Magazine for an article about gay Texans in the indy comics scene which was published this week. My fellow gay Texans geeks were Dylan Edwards, Rosendo, and shane patrick boyle. I’m rather pleased to be included in such august company; these guys have been around a lot longer than me and have done a lot more for the scene. I’m not even sure where the scene is and how often it draws all the scene-y people together, yet there I am. Kinda thrilled here.

Click the graphic below to go to OutSmart’s May flip-book (starting on page 35) or click here for the HTML version. Of course, those who live in Houston can pick up a paper copy at all your high and low end gay bars (and if you do, could you send me a copy, please?).

Wonder Woman #31: This past weekend, my boyfriend and I were talking about how vigilante justice seems to be the way to go at times, and why hasn’t the Earth produced its first superheroes yet. We also picked out what kind of superpowers we’d like to have if we happened to be so lucky – he wanted telekinesis because it can be used for all kinds of practical purposes (throwing, slamming, holding, choking, flying, et al.) and I wanted telepathy because it’s the mental form of telekinesis. He looked at me and with a seriousness that was appropriate for the conversation, he said, “If you were telepathic, we wouldn’t be together.” When I asked why he said that he would always wonder about how I knew what I knew or if he were really feeling what he was feeling. Before I got too hurt, I thought about it: how could any person be trusted with an “X-power”? Is anyone that morally upstanding that they could forgo cutting corners or making life a little but easier for themselves? Could all X-Powerful beings follow a unified moral code? Diana may be flawed, and she may have made mistakes (without referencing Max Lord again, certainly cutting off the Cheetah’s tail last issue was a bit beyond the pale for her), but she’s still morally superior to most people. And gods. And Olympians. A+

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #4: Thinning the herd. Again. However, I don’t view the killing spree as being the wanton holocaust that was GMo’s Final Crisis (or indeed any DC comic title from the last year or so) because these characters’ death caused me actual outrage against Superboy-Prime and not Dan Didio or whatever lame storywriter was wielding the axe that week. Bloodshed aside, the return of “our boy” made me go misty. I’m jumping uo and down in my chair for the next issue; who’s agenda is going to win out – Superman’s rehabilitation of Superboy-Prime or the freshly minted Superboy kicking Superboy-Prime’s ass to Oa and back? A+

Madame Xanadu #10: It looks like next month Madame Xanadu will inflict her issues with men on the world at large instead of keeping it to a select circle of friends, lovers and co-dependent fantasies. One would think she’s be just as jaded towards women since it was her sister who caused her life to spiral out of control in the first place, but judging by the title “My Father’s Keeper” it looks like Nimue is going to be the mystic Gloria Steinem of the DCU. Next month will see Michael Wm. Kaluta taking over art duties, for which I am very excited. B

Uncanny X-Men #509: Didja see the size of Psylocke’s udders on the cover? I mean, one would have to have Power Girl wallpaper and life-sized cardboard stand-ups to not notice, so perhaps a better phrasing would be “When did Psylocke become enormbooblous?” Jesus, Land. I swear, someone needs to send me the reference pic for what happened to Emma Frost because I’m starting to think this was drawn from his own imaginings which puts him firmly in second place behind Mark Millar for the “Creepiest Asshole in Comics” title. Tracings can be forgiven (to an extent, and this is pushing it), but out-and-out S&M fantasies are getting into… whatever comic company publishes porn beyond Class Comics territory. Double Jesus, Land. Rumors around the Internet say that Madeline wants Logan to find Jean Grey’s body to inhabit, but I think she wants Logan’s body. Who better to live forever inside since he just keeps rejuvenating? B-

Supergirl #40: Beyond Reactron’s ham-handed “I lied to you the first time we met. Supergirl.” – and really, what was the point of this? There has to be a ton of better ways to change continuity than to just say, “Ha ha ha! I lied!” Yeah, he’s a villain and all, but why “confess” at this moment? And as a villain, can his confession be trusted? Wouldn’t it have been easier (and possibly cooler) to have his “starsuit” grow unstable and.. I dunno, create a micro-black hole that could destroy all life on Earth? That took me ten seconds and now I have a three issue story-arc for future use. Weird. – I enjoyed this issue, even the revelation for Superwoman’s identity, which some claim to have seen coming “miles away” (but never mentioned it until after the issue was published, so, yeah, I’m calling shenanigans). I’m not sure I’ll continue reading Supergirl beyond the next issue once spoiler alert! L.L. spells out her and daddy’s diabolical plan to make the world a safer place from aliens (and is that a U.S./Mexico metaphor the way the X-Men titles are a gay metaphor?). Unless, of course, a micro-black hole is coming in the near future… A

Detective Comics #853: I think if Buffy had been told at the end of her life in Season Five that her reward for being The Slayer was to be The Slayer, she would have cocked her head, pouted sarcastically and said something clever like, “So what you’re saying is you forgot to get me a present and this is the best you could do at the last minute?” Batman, whichever Batman we are reading about here, if not actually all of them, isn’t that snappy with the retorts and actually seems content with the results (at least he didn’t complain too hard). Gaiman’s follow-through on this story is better than he’s had of late, managing to hit a ton of high notes in this Batman’s swan song (including an appearance by the original Batgirl, a fave character of mine!), but ultimately, I’m going to take this story in the same vein as The Last Galactus Story and not worry about continuity. This time. A-

Thor #601: Ah I was hoping that Loki was going to tease the I’ve-Got-Sif’s-Body-and-Nobody-Likes-Me evil plot out a bit longer, but i suppose he knows what he’s doing because, after all, he got Balder to relocate every Asgardian (and one very love-struck Kansasian… Kansasite? Kansasist? Whichever.) to Latveria where Doctor Doom will welcome them all, but not feel obligated to treat them as anything other than refugees. Apparently all Asgardians except Loki like having one sovereign to rule them all. Who knew? And yet, I don’t find this to be a fault in JMS’ writing; I find it to be a fault in the characters of the Asagardian, because I totally believed that they would do this. They may be gods. but they’ve never been the deepest of thinkers. Except that Volstagg. He’s like Aristotle levels of deep. A

Kick-Ass #6: I’m waiting for someone to glom onto Mark Millar being a conservative asshole because of what he said about Democrats being baby murderers and murderer lovers, because I’m pretty sure that’s the reaction Millar wants people to have. Then I want to see the shitstorm that kicks up as people get mad at him and he laughs because he wanted people mad and he got what he wanted. I dunno. I’m still torn as to whether this guy can write or if he can just write to provoke people’s baser emotions. I also ask myself if I’ll go see the Kick-Ass movie when it comes out this summer (or whenever). I see it as a Die Hard meets American History X sorta cowboyish affair. We’ll see. B

I don’t know how many of you are teachers, or have nephews or nieces in high school, or are friends with people who work in the education biz, or (let’s face it) think that the next generation is going to bring the world to ruin, but I have a comic book for you (Hell, I have a comic book for you even if none of this applies): ALL STUDENTS MUST DIE!!

With just a few weeks left in the semester, the faculty of Nicholas County High School is stressed and the students are unruly. How can order be maintained and discipline be restored? Easily, if the teachers are willing to follow the unorthodox Mr. Frietag and sell their souls to the Devil for unimaginable power!

Early reviews say, “Such a touching story–is it my allergies, or has this story brought a tear to my eye? Not since ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’ has the bond between student and teacher been so lovingly rendered.”

“…a little scary. It makes me never want to enter a classroom again.”

“A triumph, my friend. A triumph.”

and “You are Satan’s child, McGrath. I will pray for you!”

A six page preview of ALL STUDENTS MUST DIE!!! is available for download by clicking on the graphic above.

It’s TOTALLY SAFE for work (maybe a little violence ) and is the last word in academic revenge fantasies. Art and lettering are by Benjamin Granoff with cover art by Benjamin Matthews and Scott McGrath. Enjoy!

World of New Krypton #2: Apparently, in all the Universe, the only one who didn’t know that they Kryptonians were a race of arrogant war-mongers was Superman. Even the Guardians on Oa are more surprised that there’s a planet in synchronous binary solar orbit with Earth than they are by Kryptonian military build up (and doesn’t that sound like the beginning of a commercial for Krypto Drain Cleaner™?). What saddens me is remembering the statue in the Fortress of Solitude of Jor-El and Lara holding Krypton aloft, bigger than life and smiling like lunatics. Who were Kal’s folks? The crazy hipppies down the block who wanted peace and prosperity for all peoples of Krypton or has Kal been completely mistaken about them from the beginning? If Zod can call hostage-holding a “brilliant improvisation” to a police situation with no one batting an impervious eyelash while Kal finds a humane solution to dealing with rampaging thought-beasts then Rucka and Robinson have a ton for material to mine over the next year or so. A

Action Comics #876: I really hate female super-villains. First of all, I think it’s undignified to see them acting like harridans. Call me old-fashioned, but, evidence to the contrary, I believe in the inherent superiority of women, and evil ≠ superior. That and writers have a habit of reversing them to simpering messes when the tides turn against them, like common bullies. I have no idea which upsets me more. Still, Ursa didn’t get half the thrashing she deserved in this issue, and though I’m certain Christopher should have cut her just a little, I was gladdened to see him say he shouldn’t because “Superman wouldn’t.” If one thing threw me out of the issue, it was the destruction of part of the Fortress of Solitude (and how many times has it been destroyed? Why can’t superheroes have nice things?). Since when is it a woven lattice of crystal? Way awkward-looking. A-

Uncanny X-Men #508: Ah, Greg Land! How your love of porn has transformed the X-Men into a team of over-expressive whores is nothing short of brilliant! Next, I highly suggest you break into “someone’s” stash of gay porn (which, given the hyper-sexual and somewhat exploitive portrayal of your female characters, I believe you have hidden in some dark, shameful corner your basement) and tackle the guys next. We’re all waiting to see Jean-Paul’s compass to point to True North. Beyond that, I’m happy to see Matt Fraction back in his terra cognita: guns blazing and people getting eviscerated by impossibly large swords. After the last three meandering issues of “Petey’s Pity Party” in which nothing happens and Petey really doesn’t learn anything he (and we) didn’t already know (what’s the opposite of dramatic irony?), it’s nice to see the plot pick up and start rolling again with the return of Spiral (my many-armed girlfriend) and the Beaubier twins. I didn’t like Jean-Paul’s dig at Alpha Flight (however true it may have been; I mean, really, “The Master of the World”?) just because Fraction can only hope to write something as cool as the original Alpha. A-

The New Mutants Saga: This is nothing more than a re-cap of all 100 issues of The New Mutants, but it beautifully illustrates the exact moment when the series jumped the shark: the introduction of Bird-Brain. It also graphically shows that Rob Liefeld is personally responsible for delivering the killing blow. Hopefully, the new series can avoid these problems and just tell good stories. *fingers crossed*

Justice Society of America #25: If I have any criticism of this issue, it would be the logic of who’s to blame for Mary Marvel and Isis’s corruption. Everyone seems to blame Black Adam for his transferring power first to Mary Marvel and then to Isis to resurrect her; Mary then bestowing Billy with some of her power. I’m just uncertain as to why Mary is in her Final Crisis costume. I always thought that the lightning was a catalyst for the transformation, and not itself good or evil, nor even corruptible. Though seeing Shazam lose his poop is probably an indication of how wrong I am. I do, however, like how everyone has been reset back to their true personae, even if the Marvel Family is no longer the Marvel Family. I hope they get their own title soon under the hands of a capable writer. A

Madame Xanadu #9: OMG was that a boobie??????? I guess after a thousand years or so even magic users get itchy Down There for some wand-in-hat action. Two more Golden Age heroes run tangentially to Madame X’s complicated history with the Phantom Stranger – The Spectre and Zatara. I think MX and PS need to just have a good, old-fashioned grudge-f*** and get it over with. Or at least get on with it; the wheel-spinning conflict is starting to wear a bit. He is, after all, already tied up. Amy Reeder Hadley’s art continues to impress. My big fear is that she’ll be replace by someone less apt and that the charm of these stories will be lessened somewhat. When it comes to the “Which is more important in comics – the story or the art?” debate, I fall on the “You can’t separate them out like that, idiot!” side. A-

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #24: While a good story, it’s another month spent doing character exposition and not really making any headway in the overall story. I was hoping by this time we’d learn why Buffy and Giles are on the outs, to say nothing of what Giles and Faith have been up to in the search for “Twilight” (Buffy’s “Twilight”, not the vampire “Twilight” of the vampire “Twilight” books and movie. Totally different vampires from Buffy’s vampires and “Twilight”. See?). And apparently hair buns are the new “evil” trope for women, paralleling bald, bearded men. C

Wonder Woman #30: Contrary to widely-help opinions, Diana’s rage makes perfect sense in this issue, and the Genocide storyline has in no way run its course and should not be ended. In the aftermath of Genocide’s merciless attack on the Princesses of Themyscira and the Justice League and the kidnapping of Etta Candy, it makes perfect sense she would “declare war” on the Cheetah and her pawns. And even though she says it in anger, I really think she regrets the necessity of cutting off the Cheetah’s tail in order to extract information form her of Genocide’s whereabouts. I have to admit though that there must also have been a certain satisfaction to that last bloody bit of violence to say nothing of kicking the ass of everyone in the DMA. Of course, I may be projecting. She is, after all, a comic book character. The Olympian is still a minor concern here, but once he’s revealed, I wonder if he’ll be getting his little boyfriend back anytime soon. Yay gay Greeks! A

Superman #686: Apparently parallelism has hit the halls of the Big Two as yet another title does simultaneous contrasting. I have to say, it’s better here than it was in last month’s Wonder Woman and last week’s Uncanny X-Men, but it’s already in danger of becoming over-used. In this issue, Princess Diana goes undercover as a special super-human policing agent in a department that is mistrustful of super-humans in general and Amazons in particular. She somewhat awkwardly adopts a human life, but is always at the ready to transform to Wonder Woman when an emergency arises. Wait. Strike that. Replace it with “Mon-El.” B

X-Infernus #4: I saw Neil Gaiman speak in Austin for the release of his book Anansi Boys. He was in a bitchy-gossipy mood that day and gave the crowd some insight into the Beowulf movie (“In a fit of typecasting, Angelina Jolie will be Grendel’s mother.”) and MiracleMan (“”So I asked Todd if he would just do what the court told him to do and he said, ‘I’m fuckin’ Todd McFarlane, man, fuck. I don’t gotta. Fuck.”) and how he’s always surprised by how expensive American comics are when, essentially, nothing happens in each issue. Funny guy. In essence, this is what the conclusion of X-Infernus suffers from – a whole lot of nothing. I counted 22 pages of a rather uninspired End-of-the-World scenario that actually occupies about five pages of actual action. Illyana has feared the release of the Elder Gods since 1982 and they get almost no panel time and certainly don’t seem to be the threat they’ve been made out to be. The last page shows the new New Mutants cover, but with Rahne, Doug and Warlock in the ranks. Retcon or Retro-chic? We’ll find out in May. D

Supergirl #39: Supergirl’s failure to capture Reactron and bring him to New Krypton earns her harsh (and ironic) criticism from her mother (delivered non-ironically). Kara finally wakes up to the idea that maybe her mother isn’t as Sally Field in Brothers & Sisters as she’d like to believe. This Kara Zor-El isn’t the same as the one that died ages ago, but she’s starting to grow on me. Insanely tight asses on women aside, the art is pretty good as well. B

Ultimatum #3: Ugh. More splatter porn. When did Jeph Loeb become Mark Millar’s apprentice? C+

Uncanny X-Men #507: Last week’s Wonder Woman and this week’s X-Men should be viewed as cautionary tales about parallel storylines and how not to do them. There should be a seamless, almost cinematic cut between the panels of the respective stories, and certainly parallel action and words. Sadly, while Matt Fraction’s words were close to the mark, the Dobson’s artwork was not. The overall effect was somewhat herky-jerky, and distracted from the flow of the plot (not that very much happened in the first place). Oh and shocker, Magneto is back. Can;t move on from him in the movies; can’t move on from him in the comics. Guess Jean Grey will be lighting up the Universe again pretty soon. C-

…about Frater Mine. The guys over at Comic Book Queers discussed FM during this week’s podcast. It’s towards the end after an excellent discussion of Cloak and Dagger (my tied-for #2 characters after Magik). Give a listen here:

I’m really embarrassed about the reference to the “Mary Janing” I did in the book. I try to own it, but looking back it just seems like lazy writing. Like Twilight. I know I’m not the only one to do this, but I’d like to think that I’m not a lazy writer. Well, at least I’m working to make the characters less like people in my world. Even if Matt does have a twin brother and adorable nephew…

Normally, I try to get “That’s My Bag!” weekly, but I’ve let it (and my grading; sorry, students!) slide for more… personal matters. I’m catching up in a few weeks of comics here, so everything will be brief. I hope to make this feature regular again, especially since this week is SPRING BREAK!!!

Supergirl #38: She’s on Earth; she’s on New Krypton. She’s an outlaw; she’s a bad daughter. I see another “Who is Supergirl?” story arc coming up soon. B

Superman #685: I’ve always loved Mon-El (though not as much as Kal-El does, apparently), so I’m glad to see him taking on a new Kent identity. I didn’t like to see him leave Ma Kent in the hands of another care-taker. A

Action Comics #875:Well, it’s not Conner (dammit) but the new Nightwing’s identity is still a great surprise, as if Flamebird’s. I’m going to like seeing these two in this title over the next year or so. A

World of Krypton #1:

Justice Society of America #23: Oh naughty Isis!! A

Justice Society of America #24: Shizzman! Mary Marvel goes Dark. Again. So, is JSA caught up with the Final Crisis timeline while the rest of the DCU isn’t? A-

Wonder Woman #29: Sadly, Zeus plays too large a role in this story for being as large an assdancer as he is. However, without these scenes we wouldn’t know how dangerous the Olympian is going to be. A

Madame Xanadu #8: Green Lantern. The Demon. Who else will be shaped by Madame X and the Phantom Stranger’s machinations? The story is still fun, but I’d like to see more “the future has taken root in the present” moments. B+

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #23: Who is driving this story??? Because we’re off-roading here. D

Uncanny X-Men #506: The issue is totally transitional and not necessary to buy. C

Orthocomics is pleased to announce the release of our first ever NSFW comic by Sean McGrath and Jo Beth “Jesus” March, “Infinitesimal Situation at the Ultimate Wiggle Piggly”. While Jo Beth was unavailable for comment because she was dragged back to her Carmelite monastery by Mother Superior Vicious Claws of Jesus’ Undying Love, Sean was available to say, “Screw you, beret-wearing post-modernists!”

Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, saying “Yes, it IS totally NSFW, but it is also damn f-ing funny. What a great way
to start my day. LOL!!! Great work!”

“I had a ‘WTF moment.’”

“Please remember that while I love your work–you know I do–my sensibilities are a little different than yours. Some kind of rating code would be helpful, just so I know what to expect … ‘Adult themes’ are one thing; exaggerated full-frontal graphics are…another.”

“BRILLIANCE!!!”

“So deep…”

“[NSFW] or humourless sods – brilliant stuff. I love the Living Tribunal as a Norma Desmond draggie.”

and from Mishiko Kakasomething of the New York Times Book Reviewz we got “A joyous slap in the face by the giant schlong of satire!”

The entire comic book is available for download. It’s TOTALLY FREE and TOTALLY NSFW!!! Click on the the lordly graphic by Scott McGrath below to get your copy!

Batman #686: I only managed to read Batman the first night after comics shopping because I was busy with play practice and dating interests. I also chose this to read because it
was written by Gaiman, whom I adore, but whom I’m also beginning to see wane a bit. I like the set up, but of late Gaiman’s set up hasn’t been the problem with his work; the problem has been the
pay-off (seriously, I still can’t believe The Graveyard Book won the Newbery). I’ll wait ’til next issue (apparently the last Batman comic) before I decide how successful the story was or wasn’t, but for now, I’m intrigued by the dream-like presentation (of course. How else would Gaiman write a DC story?) and Andy Kubert’s expressive art. A

Action Comics #874: One of the most striking scenes in this issue was Superman in the Fortress of Solitude looking at pictures of a long-dead and somewhat idyllic Krypton. He laments that for years he had an idea of how his home planet must have been – maybe mostly through wishful thinking – but now facing the reality of being descended from a race of militant jerks he feels lost. I share that feeling with him. The Kryptonian race may have let itself be destroyed, but their darker side was never hinted at. A close runner-up is Mon-El telling his BFF Kal-El that he would prefer to die with him that be voided in the collapsing Phantom Zone. Awwh! Pablo Raimondi’s lines are wonderfully expressive and fun. Light bodies fly through the air, topped by dark, heavy faces. A

X-Infernus #3: With the conformation that there will be a new New Mutants series (how it will fit into general continuity remains to be seen), the return of Illyana Magik wasn’t too unexpected in this issue, but it was still welcome. And, dammit, she’s all these years older and still the head-strong and brash teenager from her days in the New Mutants. Still, I can’t help but love her. Of all the X-Men (aside from the original, non-resurrected, self-sacrificing Phoenix), she ranks as a true tragic heroine. Sadly, with one issue left, I fear she may go the way of all tragic figures. A-

Thor #600: I could have done without the backup stories, mostly because I’ve seen them all before (I think they were in a one-shot called Tales of Asgard from back when I was in high school) and they did nothing to add to the 600thness of this issue. I’m torn on how I feel about this issue. I like how JMS keeps up the characterization of the Asgardian and Kansasian folk (which must be incredibly difficult in the former’s case; it would be so easy to drift into (no offense) Lee-Kirby staunch declarations riddled with “thees” and “thous” and turn some pretty speeches into vaudeville), but that seems to be going away with Thor’s banishment from Asgard. And wasn’t he banished before (like, 1950’s “before”)? My fear is that the imaginative gold JMS has put into the story – Asgard in Kansas, the transsexual Loki/Sif, Thor as a diplomat (now outlaw?) – will be lost if Thor goes his own way. By the way, why does Thor have an uruz rune on his belt? B+

Secret Six #6: WTF?!?!? The MAD HATTER?!??!?!?!??!?! He’s the one behind all this? I’m pretty disappointed by this, mostly because I only remember the Mad Hatter at the guy from the Batman TV series who had a hypnotic eye pop jack-in-the-box-like from his top hat. He seemed more goofy than mad. Maybe it was my attitude this week, but this was my first of the two “meh” titles I picked up. Normally, I like everything Gail Simone does, but too much time was spent on Deathlock, the least interesting of all the characters, Yeah, he gets to betray his friends and all, but the “I’m just being the scorpion” line rang so false, the way Catman told Batman that they were going to kill each other one day, weren’t they? For being such C-list characters, the Secret Six don’t lack in ego. C

Legion of Three Worlds #3: This issue has a HUGE cast that is almost impossible to follow unless one has been a fan of The Legion for the last two decades. But who cares?? Geoff Johns and George Perez have all the nuances down for long time Legion lovers to debate and spar over, while for the rest of us, they deliver an issue with no less than three goosebump-raising moments (especially the last on on the last page). Superboy-Prime, get ready to be spanked! A

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #22: The “meh” continues strongly in this issue, ironically called “Swell”. Don’t get me wrong – the banter between Kennedy and Satsu is right on the mark (especially, “Your eval’s SO getting a smiley face!”) but the main point of season eight is getting lost in all these side stories. The stories are great in and of themselves (the cartoon episode TOTALLY not included), but they don’t contribute to the tension I should be feeling by now. C+

Runaways #6: This may be my last issue of Runaways. Not that there’s anything wrong with it per se, but there’s nothing all that exciting about it either. The pay-off at the end of this arc just didn’t move me the way it should have. C-

Final Crisis: Revelations #5: If I came away with anything from this series, it’s that God cares, but is a firm believer in tough love. I also came away thinking that Rucka believes God to be a right bastard for putting people in impossible situations and expecting them to find their own way home again. One need only look at Radiant (somehow doing well here, yet not doing so well in FC #7) and her dwindling faith in God’s Infinite Mercy (which would be herself) to see this. As she prays for God to intervene and save everyone, there is no response. Nothing. Just Cain and Anti-life. Then the Huntress, The Question and Radiant’s rapist/murderers call her back from the brink by their selfless actions. Rucka seems to be saying that we find faith in God by the actions of others, which is a bit weak sauce for me (and Rucka, too, I imagine) because there are days when I want my immanenet and loving God to give me physical evidence that He loves me (and not in a “raped by a swan” kind of way). Still my favorite title in the whole Final Crisis crisis. A

Final Crisis #7:I sat down today and gave it my best shot to get through the last issue with maybe a glimmer of understanding with what was happening. And what I came away with was a hot, sticky pearl necklace that Grant Morrison blew all over me when he was done jerking himself off. But let me be specific:

1.) I’ll misquote someone from the GLA who said that there’s a difference between being spoon-fed a story and having to read the writer’s mind. I’ve read his Doom Patrol, his All-Star Superman, his WE3 and his run on the x-men, and have enjoyed them all. he has a talent for bringing new depth to characters and revitalizing tired stories. that being said FC was a just his next exercise in “how far can I go with the comic medium?” (and after empowering six billion people with super-powers, it was shocking to see that he COULD go further). I think this will be his Ulysses, and fanatics all over the world will begin writing their dissertations on this miniseries in relatively short order AND congratulating themselves on being so damn clever to understand Morrison. And part of me thinks it was his plan all along to be this divisive.

2.) Final Crisis was done in a vacuum. Whatever transpired here – people seeking temporary refuge on an alternate earth, a magic ward that repels evil on a planetary scale, Superman singing the multiverse back into existence (i think; he never really go around to doing it the second time, did he?), Wonder Woman somehow breaking out of the anti-life spell, Darkseid dying, the New Gods returning, Batman pulling a Spock-on-Planet-Genesis, universe vampires and the end of the Monitors – who cares? it doesn’t connect to anything that has been done or is being done or will be done. for that alone, Dan Didio should be horse-whipped for promoting FC as “the be all end all of DC crises.” As clever as it was supposed to be, it did nothing to change the status quo of the DC universe and remint it, shiny and worth some kind of currency.

3.) And before someone pulls out all the “metafiction makes stories better and causes your junk to smell like cotton candy and is better than regular literature” crapfest, I’d like to say that metafiction is
NOT a new phenomena. It goes back at least to the ancient Greeks. Authors have metafictional devices in their works whether they know that word or not, so please just stop with the “Morrison is too profound for you to understand.” He’s not. Saying “metafiction” just makes you feel better about yourself.

OMG! I just thought of what this was REALLY all about! It wasn’t DC’s final crisis, it was GMo’s MIDLIFE crisis!! I’m totally serious here. What better thing to achieve immortality by then to create a story that was supposed to be so impacting, so far-reaching (well… kinda; it was never referenced in any of the mainstream books), and the LITERAL last word in DC crises and then write it so that readers would argue about what was being done, how deep the meaning was, how revolutionary for comics to do something this PoMo (meh), write dissertations on it and speculate on what wasn’t in the text but what could be drawn into the story inter-textually! I honestly think that this was Grant Morrison coming to the end of his shelf life and then recreating himself with hair transplants, a sexy trophy wife and a penis-shaped car that goes from 0 to 120 in 10 seconds. Metaphorically speaking. Discuss. D-

Wonder Woman #28: And speaking of changing the status quo, the Olympians finally come to life in the DCU! Zeus creates a new island for his new race of men (dead men, but no one is perfect) with a mission to bring peace to the world by beating all warring countries into submission. Zeus… really doesn’t get it, does he? And, bless his heart, he’s so earnest about his Olympians and thinks that he’s going about this the right way, but it reminds me of the time he wanted to reward Diana by offering to penetrate her then got upset when she said “Dude, WTF?!?!?” I was hoping that Tom would be the Olympian (apparently that will be Jason’s “son”), but after this issue I see he’s 100% Amazon. And probably gay. A+

Superman #684: Superman is so damn trusting that he’s starting to look simple-minded. No wonder Batman makes fun of him. I was honestly hoping that after New Krypton entered a binary orbit around the sun that writers would take time to let tensions stew and come to a head again in a year or so, but writers are chasing it like my dog chases the ice cream truck. I love that this book has, like Wonder Woman, changed the face of the DCU in a way that if it’s nurtured and allowed to grow in an organic way (I’m giving you the hairy eyeball, Didio!) New Krypton could become a permanent fixture worth hundreds of stories. *fingers crossed* B

Manhunter #38: The end. *single tear* A+

Secret Six #5: Bane is by and far becoming one of my favorite characters in this series. I know everyone thinks Deadpool is sexy and Catman has a great butt (he’s my number two, but not for his butt (Ragdoll is number three)), but Bane’s complexity makes everyone else look like the chorus line. He claims a moral superiority to his fellows and has a compassionate heart, but when he ripped Aaron’s neck apart, I was in love. A

Action Comics #873: Aaaah! “New Krypton”. Now I get it. I was disappointed that the main conflict of this arc – bringing the Kryptonians who murdered some Science Police officers to justice – wasn’t resolved, but now there’s a new Baddie on the solar block that will need to be dealt with eventually, which I find to be the greatest change to happen in the DCU in years. It’s easily worth years of stories and plots in the hands of a capable writer. Sadly, Kara got shafted again in terms of characterization. That poor girl hasn’t known a moment’s rest even since she died during Crisis on Infinite Earths. A-

Final Crisis #6: I’m hard-pressed to know if this was camp or kitsch or what. There
were the oddly out-of-place silver age super-science moments with the Inerton and Radion; and even more silver age “shouting my thoughts out so everyone knows what I’m doing in the panel” lines like “It might take the last of my magical energy but I think I can stop her!”. Then I counted FIVE plots to save the world going on all of which involve cosmic-level technology and evolution? And finally Brainiac 5’s warning about his sentence becoming meaningless ON PAGE ONE was at once incredibly precocious and ironically too late. As far as the image on the last page goes, how can ANYone take a death in the DCU to heart anymore? Said death will be undone as soon
as The Question sucks the Earth through the cosmic soup strainer and brings us to the Fifth World. Guaranteed. Last issue was so good, but this issue was an unreadable mess. Again. D+

X-Infernus #2: I have a horrible premonition that Marvel is setting up Pixie to be “Magik Lite”, and as much as I like her character, I don’t love her as much as I love Illyana. Putting Pixie in a position to be the next X-enchantress will make her “Magik Zero”, a disservice to both women. That aside, the action and stakes (saving Illyana and Pixie’s souls) are ratcheted up a notch. A

X-Men Noir #2: Noir is dead. No matter how many times someone tries to resurrect it by pulling together the most superficial elements of the idiom, it remains corpse-like, as well it should. What made noir noir was the freshness of the cinema combined with a dramatic flair for hyper-realistic sensationalism. Making a comic book black and white, and peppering sentences with “dame” doesn’t capture the essence of the movement. X-Men Noir is… well, it’s just dreadful, which I saw in the first issue and yet came back to read the second, thinking I was missing something. Nope, I got it right the first time. The art is muddy. The dialogue is clunky. And the story is so dull that it put my cats to sleep. But worse than all that is the X-Men don’t fit into this story at all. I could see Captain America maybe being better suited for this “other wheres, other whens” iteration (I’m kidding; no one write that up!) but here the story always comes back to “these are the X-Men and they will go mutie on your ass”. There’s no urgency when they see their ends coming, because I know they’re going to fight back and prevail. I don’t feel the grittiness, the hard-heartedness nor the angst that should come with a good noir story. I wish I could say, “Nice try” but my real message to the creators would be “Pencils down, now!” F

X-Men #505: Matt Fraction seems to be having a hard time getting a hold of the X-characters and what they do. He has the mayor of San Francisco down pat (like her!) but his other plotlines – Angel and Beast tracking down geniuses to recreate the mutant race; Colossus tracking down something to hit; X-23 doing something to someone that involves their blood – are more about the prey than the X-Men themselves. This isn’t necessarily a bad storytelling technique, but when the whole issue is out of focus this way it’s just… well, boring. He also seems to be dropping transitional moments down a Claremont Hole. For example, the Beast is in a meeting with Cyclops, Emma and the mayor as the issue opens, then is off cornering a genius several pages later with Dr. Nemesis and Angel in tow. It reads like there are two Beasts on two separate missions- one in the mayor’s office who is doing fuck-all and is completely superfluous to the scene, then one who’s in charge of genius-tracking. Hopefully, Faction will work these problem spots out soon. C

Madame Xanadu #7: Good art. Good story, but beyond that, I can’t think of anything to say to recommend (or condemn) this story arc. It’s competently done and full of plot, but that’s about it. C+

Superman #683: I so desperately want someone to take Alura over their knee and spank the bejeezus out of her, I’m thinking of baking a red velvet bundt cake with a strawberry glaze and calling it “Alura Over Someone’s Knee Cake”. After that, I’m going to bake two cupcakes and call them “Kal-El Needs to STFU and Step up to the Plate” (white with a jelly center) and “Kara is Still Krazy” (pork-flavored). At least the JLA knows which side they’re on and are willing to make a stand for justice. I get that Kal and Kara are conflicted, but they’ve got to see that Alura was beyond negotiating three or four issues ago before she went all Idi Amin. This isn’t an attack on their characters, but a question as to why this hasn’t come to a head sooner. Nevertheless, this is the chapter I’ve been waiting for – action galore! A

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #21: “Bored now.” D

Kick-Ass #5: After taking its good sweet time coming out, the latest issue of Kick-Ass was well worth the wait. Millar’s wheels are finally out of the mud and rolling down the highway at least 15 MPH over the speed limit. Normally I complain about Millar’s inability to maintain the flow of his stories – they’re too slow, too loud, too full of Millar, what have you – but this time around he manages to balance the action with his characters’ development. Kick-Ass and Red Mist driving around Dodge “on patrol” is a spot-on budding bromance scene out of a summer blockbuster (no doubt the reason it was written this way) cemented by their then answering a desperate call for help. A guilty pleasure even now, Kick-Ass makes my dog bark. A

François Peneaud of The Gay Comics List and Brother to Dragons gave Frater Mine #6 and 7 a great review on his site. Click on the image to embiggenate:

My recent perseveration is getting the word about my comic out more, but I want to avoid the “user” (pushing myself at the expense of others) and “abuser” (flooding people with updates) models of self-promotion. There has to be a third option, but I have no idea what it is. I do know, however, it will involved a new website design.

Getting ready for the holiday took me away from reviewing comics for a few weeks, so to catch up, here are my encapsulated opinions. Feel free to email me for deatils.

X-Infernus #1: Strong start with diabolical subplots. I’m hoping this leads to a reincarnation of The New Mutants. A

Dark Reign #1: Oh noes! Another event!! In its favor, however, is its short run (three months according to the checklist). Working against it is that it’s another event.

Secret Six #4: Simone’s idiom of gelling disparate elements borders on vaudeville at times, but it continues to intrigue. A-

Action Comics #872: “New Krypton” continues by adding more useless characters to the board (“Creature Commandos”? Really?) while finally touching the main conflict. B-

Final Crisis Revelation #4: DC’s treatise on the Nature of God is one of the most disconcerting comic read of the year. Loves it. A+

Final Crisis #5: DC’s Millennium + 20 years = Final Crisis #5.

Supergirl #36: The penultimate chapter of “New Krypton” finds Alura being a horrible mother and a krytpo-centered, myopic slattern. I wish this had actually happened back in chapter 3. A

Manhunter #37: While I normally don’t like “X years later” jumps in plots (the atrocious A.I. still haunts me), Andreyko’s jump gives me a sense of continuity that will extend beyond the last (next) issue. A+

Hellblazer #250: Old-fashioned holiday fun the way they used to do it in Hell. A

Wonder Woman #27: Gail Simone loves these characters as demonstrated by the rich textures and motivations and interactions she gives them. Her Genocide scares me way more than her Junior. A

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #20: Cool idea, but after the pointless “Return of Fray” storyline, do we really need another break from the Big Bad’s arc? My magic eight ball says, “Definitely not.” C+

Runaways #5: I’m starting to find the “the best way to end a conflict is to just end it” idiom to be a fun one. It let’s the story move on to more interesting problems. Other than that, not much happens. B

Thor #12: Loki continues to rise as my favorite transsexual villain as he and Hela make plans to rule everything. A+

X-Men NOIR #1: Ugh. They did it better on Smallville’s “Noir” episode (and that sucked eggs).

Ultimatum #2: It seems the Wasp can’t get a dignified death in any universe A-

Orthocomics is pleased to announce that Frater Mine #7, “Through the Wave That Runs Forever”, by the team of Sean McGrath, Juan Romera, Ed Brisson and Scott McGrath is now available at IndyPlanet.

Mark, Matt and Colleen are on the run and looking for their missing kids. but where do they start and who’s on their side? New players jump into the fray, but if they’re friends, they certainly don’t act like it! Check out this story of magic realism that Rachel Pollack said she “really enjoyed”.

Order your copy now while the price is still $2.50 (the real price of $2.95 should be posted soon)!

Please feel free to send feedback, fan mail or requests for divination. Sean specifically requests that fans send used (not soiled) underwear (with pictures).

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Comics Should be Good! has a month of LGBTQ comics that are “must read”. Check them out here! Megan Rose Gedris, who is a talented and sweet young woman-who-loves-women, made the list and I’m thrilled for her. She makes good comics. Congratulations, Megan!

From my brother:

Bro:

Dominic drew this and wanted you to have it.

Also, Dominic says, “Can you make a comic book again, please? SpiderMan. I want it to be Dr. Octopus and I want it to tangle Spiderman up and then I want the Green Goblin to punch him and I want you to write POOM! ‘cuz the building I want thme in is very old and part of it blowed up and I want it to be Venom in it putting his web in SpiderMan’s face and then SandMan going around SpiderMan to make him so dizzy.”

Well, there it is. I have a feeling now that the drawing was just to butter you up. The kid does, indeed, know some angles in life. Good luck.

(I told him that you’re in school and might not be able to get to this right away.)

Scott

I won’t be able to get to it for another week or so, but I will do it for him. The kid really does know how to get what he wants.

Superman #681: Part two of “New Krypton” sees Lex Luthor’s worst nightmare come true – Earth inhabited by out-of-control aliens. Not that the Kryptonians are wreaking havok everywhere they go (the dead blue whale aside), but with an overly defensive and smarmy-looking Thara Ak-Var and an alien-killing super-being thrown into the mix, it’s only a matter of time before cities start to fall. I hope. Obviously, the 100,000 Kryptonians are going to stay around Earth because they would nullify the need for any other superhero title again ever. However, the method and motive of their departure are still to be told. The best scene of the entire issue is between Martha Kent and the one member of the Superman Family who knows where he’s needed the most. Good boy! A

Madame Xanadu #5: If I had one criticism of this book, it would be that the centuries are slipping by way too fast. Matt Wagner doesn’t have to hit all the major events from 1000 A.D. to the present, but maybe a brief layover in the Renaissance would have been nice. A visit with Nostradamus perhaps. The “discovery” of America and subsequent slaughter of the American Indians would have topped my list of events for Miss X to run to. This is not to say that the French Revolution isn’t high on drama and intrigue; it is. I’m just saying there could have been a few more stops between there and here. B

1985 #6: I read this in the store because I had to see how it ended, and… really? “Everybody go home!”? That was the only logical conclusion to this story Mark Millar could come up with? It was so sad I wanted to pat it on the head and help it find it’s mommy because it was obviously lost. Alas, poor highly-anticipated mini-series, we hardly knew ye. F

Thor #11: When Captain America died last year, I found myself not caring too much. Not because I didn’t like Cap, but because his death was the latest in a series of ploys to shock and awe Marvel readers. And in the final analysis, it didn’t seem that anyone in the Marvel U cared. At all. Until this month. Don and Thor’s goodbyes to Captain America seem to be JMS’s none-to-veiled commentary on the state of American politics – where the speculation of what a hero would do overshadows the good s/he accomplished. When “who would Captain America vote for?” (terribly paralleling the “Jesus wants you to vote for McCain” screeds of late) is the best memorial people can create, it’s heartening to see that at least Thor remembers how to honor a friend and hero. A+

Thor: The Truth of History: Can anything done by Alan Davis be bad? Never (even if his Thor doesn’t like the Egyptians very much.)! A

Runaways #3: “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s intolerance.” Recent Log Cabin Republicans whining aside, there is something to be said about not tolerating intolerance, especially the kind that leads to violence or the demonization of “the other”. Even Brecht knew this. “Intolerant” is a nice way of saying “s/he’s an ignorant motherfucker”. I suppose that if people wallowed in their ignorance and left everyone else out, it would be OK, but for whatever reason, they never do. Like Typhoid Mary, they spread ignorance and fear and anger. That was what I got out of this issue. A

Final Crisis #4: FINALLY!!!! The main FC book isn’t bogged down by its own cleverness hits its stride. It still saddens me that most of the other DC books refuse to acknowledge any of this is even going on (even if it is just two weeks in the future), because according to the Flash, the whole multiverse is teetering on the brink of the Abyss. And *sigh* wasn’t Barry’s kissing Iris just about the best thing to happen in comics in years? It’s still unclear to me who Turpin met at the Dark Side Club in issue #1 if he’s being infested by Darkseid in this issue, but I am clear that he’s now two hard-nosed bad-asses in one. A+

New Krypton: I have a feeling this is going to be messy by the end, mostly because Superman is a dick in this issue. I know there’s superdickery.com which exploits the older pre-”Boy Scout” days of Supes, but really, there is no excuse for him throwing his human parents and Earth under the bus just so the Kryptonians don’t get their red undies in a twist (I jest, of course; their undies come in all sorts of colors, not just red). First, he gives props to Jor-El and his tape-recorded civics lessons for helping him to turn out the way he is today, side-stepping the fact that it was really the recently departed Jonathan Kent who did that. Whu…? Worse, the juxaposition of Zor, Alura, Kara and Kal having “the first El family dinner in ages” while Ma Kent eats funeral leftovers alone back on the farm is a foreboding foreshadowing if ever I saw one. If Superman knew nothing else about Kryptonian culture, he should at least know it was their arrogance that got them blowed up in the first place. How he thinks a few years in a bottle mellowed them out is beyond me, and why he didn’t take umbrage with the whale-killing Kryptonian… well, this event has “spare the rod and spoil the child” written all over it. Still, the writing is tense and I’m going to follow this story across every issue. A

Benjamin Ruth of Rebel Comx is making my nephew’s birthday (maybe Christmas, if the timing doesn’t work out) gift this year. I commissioned him to do a poster of Dominic as a Sith Youngling, and so far, it looks like this:

Stunning, right? Ben works as an artist for a gay greeting card company. Keep an eye on him because he’s gonna be famous before too long.