Book O' The Week: The Girl Of Steel Is Back!

My Book O' The Week is Supergirl #34 by Sterling Gates & Jamal Igle.

I've been a Superman fan for as long as I can remember, but I've never had more than a passing interest in his cousin. No real reason, it just never seemed to matter whether Kara Zor-El was around or not.

But Sterling Gates took only one issue to make me love Supergirl...and what an issue it is! Gates takes the opportunity to reestablish not only Kara, but also a couple of long-standing Superman supporting characters...Cat Grant and Lana Lang (the cool Lana from the comic, not the whiny, annoying one from the Smallville TV show). He also ties Supergirl's series more closely into the events taking place in "Superman" and "Action Comics", which considering how much fun Geoff Johns and James Robinson are having over there is a very good thing indeed.

I'm really looking forward to the next few months in Metropolis, especially with the "New Krypton" arc that runs through all three titles starting soon. It promises to be a heckuva ride.

Great work by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. Highly recommended!

Book O' The Week

Not a bad haul, comics-wise this week. Some really good titles...and a couple of great ones.

First up is Fantastic Four #560.

Until I picked up my first issue a few months ago, I had never read many regular issues of Marvel's First Family. But I'm sure glad I gave it a chance. Mark Millar is writing a killer story that involves time travel, alternate futures and a Galactus appearance that even surprised me. Factoring in the pencils of Brian Hitch (and my sheer amazement that he's able to get the thing out on time) and you have a truly cool comic.

But my Book O' The Week is Captain America #42 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.


This is the final chapter in the Death of Captain America storyline that's been running since the end of Marvel's Civil War. Like most Marvel titles, I came late to the party. But I sure am glad I showed up. Brubaker's run on the title has been equal parts spy thriller and traditional super hero goodness. He weaves all of the dangling plot threads together, drops a few hints about what's coming, and solidifies a new Captain America. Great stuff all around!

Also, for unadulterated Silver Age goofiness (if you like that sort of thing...and I do) check out DC's Showcase Presents: Metal Men Volume 2 and if you like that, be sure to hunt down the trade collection of Duncan Roleau's recent Metal Men miniseries for a more modern, but equally trippy take on the characters.

Man...I love it when comics are fun!

My Book O' The Week

It was an interesting week, comics-wise. Everything I picked up was good (Except Deadpool #1, which was barely average)...but nothing jumped out as exceptional.

Which is why my Book O' The Week is more accurately my Trades O' The Week....

BATMAN AND SON/BATMAN:THE BLACK GLOVE by Grant Morrison

I've really been digging Grant Morrison's run on Batman. Before he took over the writing chores, it had been many years since I had picked up and individual issue. I kept up with the character mainly through his guest appearances, Justice League and the repository of all knowledge that is the Interwebs. But when I heard that the Mad Scotsman was going to be the new writer, I thought I'd give it a shot.

If you've been following his latest arc "Batman: R.I.P.", you know that Grant is sending Batman down a twisted path that throws in a mysterious villain known as The Black Glove, The Joker, revelations about Bruce Wayne's father, Bat-Mite, adventures from the Silver Age and the kitchen sink as well. What I didn't realize (and should have) was that Morrison was laying the groundwork for R.I.P. at the very beginning of his run.

"Batman and Son" introduces us to Damian (oh Grant...you're many things, but subtle isn't one of them), the result of a wild night in the desert with longtime adversary Talia who is the daughter of Ra's Al Guhl. Damian, being raised by the League of Assassins, is the very definition of a "problem child" and his introduction to the Bat Family doesn't go smoothly.

Aside from the great storytelling, foreshadowing of future events and a ten-year old kid beating up Alfred, "Batman and Son" also throws in flying Man-Bat Ninjas. That's right....flying Man-Bat Ninjas. It doesn't get much cooler than that. Highly, highly recommended.

Which leads into "The Black Glove". Once again, Morrison brings a Silver Age concept into the modern era. Batman once belonged to "The Club of Super Heroes", whose membership featured the Batmen of Many Nations. They've all been assembled on a remote island and are being killed off one by one. But what seems like a simple locked room mystery introduces the main villain for "R.I.P.", the Black Glove and lays more foundation for what's to come.

One of the (many) charges leveled at Grant Morrison is that the individual issues of his stories sometimes don't make much sense...he waits until the end to pull all the threads together. This is true. But as readers, I think we've been gotten lazy in the age of Interweb spoilers. We have to know everything up front, even how the story is going to end. Half the fun of reading fiction is the journey we take finding out not just what happens, but how it happens. With his run on "Batman", Morrison is not only giving us great individual stories, but creating an epic tale of the Dark Knight and his journey to madness and back (maybe...the story's not finished). I don't know where Grant is headed, but I sure am enjoying the ride!

Mea Culpa...Gimmick Infringement

I must take a moment to apologize to my good friend & fellow blogger, the lovely and talented Ben Moser. Upon reading his entertaining, informative and opinionated blog (and if you know Ben, you also know he's nothing if not opinionated), I realized that I had committed that most grievous of crimes...gimmick infringement.

I have been calling my comic book picks "Funnybook of the Week"...which is also what Ben uses. I must have picked up the phrase by osmosis or that time honored literary tradition of "steal from the best." Ben has graciously not mentioned (or ignored) the fact that I have infringed upon his gimmick. But he was using it first and, if you've read his reviews, to much better effect. So, I will still be picking a book of the week, but I'm going to be calling it something else in deference to the good Dr. Moser.

With that being said...here's what I'm getting this week....

DC Comics
Batman The Black Glove HC
Booster Gold #12
Final Crisis Revelations #2 (of 5)
Green Arrow Black Canary #12
Green Lantern Corps #28
Trinity #15
Wonder Woman #24

Marvel Comics
Deadpool #1
Secret Invasion #6 (of 8)

Not a huge week...but that' s kind of a relief since the past two weeks have been huge.

Random Thoughts In A Minor Key

*There's been a lot of talk lately about lowering the legal drinking age to 18...mostly by people who are 18 and really, really want to drink. The members of this demographic who get on the news seem to be responsible, mature college students who make very compelling arguments, but they leave out the fact that lowering the drinking age means that all 18 year olds get to drink. I'm 39 and cranky and am pretty much resigned to the fact that most 18 year olds are morons who should barely be allowed out in public, much less be allowed access to alcohol.
But, a valid point can be made for the fact that if you are old enough to serve and die for your country, you should be allowed to have a beer. So, here is my solution: 18 year olds can legally drink if they are in the armed forces. You want that Appletini? Then enlist. A valid military ID will get you as many shots as you want at 18. A fraternity sweatshirt will get you jack squat.

*It was pointed out to me by Sainted Wife that I had left a few artists that I had seen multiple times in concert out of a recent blog. It was a sin of omission, not comission but just to set the record completely straight here is an addendum to that list...

1. Poison
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Robert Earl Keen

Many thanks to Sainted Wife for keeping me honest, if not humble.

*It amuses me no end when hearing people referring to abstinence as a choice. Speaking as a former teenage boy, I never consciously "chose" abstinence as much as I had abstinence thrust upon me. If the truth be told, the overriding goal of any adolescent boy between the ages of 13 and 20 is to find a way out of abstinence.

*I neglected to make my Funnybook Of The Week pick last week...for the none of you who missed it, here it is:

SECRET SIX #1 by Gail Simone & Nicola Scott

Spinning off from two successful miniseries, the Secret Six return in their own regular title. Part Dirty (half) Dozen, part Wild Bunch, Gail Simone's mismatched group of rogues begin a new journey with new members, new surprises and the same blend of wicked humor and action. I loved this book. I could count on the fingers of one ear the chances of me caring about a title that features Catman (yeah, really, Catman), Ragdoll and Bane, but Simone did it. The Butch and Sundance friendship between Deadshot and Catman is worth the price of admission alone.

More Conventional Wisdom & Books of the Week

• Four years from now, I'm going to find a way to have the goofy hat concession at the party conventions. I bet I could make a bunch of Newspaper hats, sell them to delegates and retire on the profits.

• If you are a candidate, I don't care what song they play...for the love of God & in the name of all that is Holy...DON'T DANCE. There is nothing more awkward than watching 50-something career politicians trying to bust a move.

• I loved the fact that during the Hillary Clinton video package, they chose to use the super "Hillary's Husband" when Bill was talking.

• Will I be watching the Republican Convention next week? No. I know who I'm going to vote for already. Besides, if it runs true to form, I don't need to hear multiple speeches about how we're all in in danger of imminent nuclear destruction if Obama is elected. Given the choice between the "We Are Family-I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" sometimes goofy optimism of the Democrats & the "Eve Of Destruction-Meet The New Boss (Same As The Old Boss)" fear mongering of the Republicans, I'll take optimism for $1,000 Alex.

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We have two winners for Funnybook of the Week. Both were excellent in their own ways, so I just couldn't pick one.

First up is Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #2 by Geoff Johns & Scott Kollins. The Rogues take their war against Libra to a new level and Captain Cold settles some family business. I'm getting a real "Wild Bunch" vibe off of this title. I can easily see the Rogues making one doomed last stand and going out in a blaze of glory by the end of this mini-series. Johns continues to explore just what makes the Flash's Rogues Gallery more than just another group of costumed criminals. With hints of betrayal from within and Zoom and Inertia on the horizon, it looks like this one will wrap up with a bang!

My second pick is DC Universe: Last Will And Testament by Brad Meltzer. This was originally solicited as a tie-in to "Final Crisis", but works fine as a stand alone story. Meltzer does take a look at what various heroes in the DC Universe do on the night before what might be their final battle. But he also takes the opportunity to tie up some plot threads that hearken back to his run on "Justice League of America" and even as far back as "Identity Crises". I never had a strong opinion about Geo-Force before...he came to prominence during my absence from comics. Truthfully, until this issue, he never seemed more fully rounded as a character. But Meltzter made me care about him...and that's the mark of a good writer.

Honorable mention goes to Nova #16 and Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1. Nova for being a Secret Invasion tie-in that also more than holds its own as a stand alone issue and Superman Beyond for the ideas and psychotic genius that is Grant Morrison.

Political Thoughts & Funnybook Stuff

So, the conventions have started with the Democrats first out of the gate. I will admit to only watching a little bit last night...I was actually peeping Season 4 of "The West Wing" (I find it ironic that, even with a candidate I can get behind, I'd rather watch fictional politicians than real ones)...but here are a few random observations from what I did see...and this was MSNBC's coverage, by the way.

*It was very nice of NBC to hire Tim Russert's son, but perhaps putting him on the air at one of the biggest events of the year wasn't such a good idea. Live TV is hard enough without the barely controlled chaos of a political convention.

*Bill Maher is, was and always will be a jackass.

*I want a convention highlight reel channel...just show me the major speeches so I don't have to hear the same filler commentary over and over and over and over until I want to slam my head into the wall.

*I saw that Cindy McCain was heading to Georgia to survey the civilian devastation brought on by the recent conflict. I'm not sure what Mrs. McCain's qualifications are...but I imagine we could get the same result if you sent just about anybody..."Stuff was blown up real bad & lots of people were hurt".

So...that's my completely shallow & nowhere near complete coverage of the 20 minutes or so of the Democratic National Convention I watched between "West Wing" episodes. More to come, if I don't take a nap or something.

To shift gears...it's a rather large funnybook week this week...lots of stuff coming out, so (a day early)...here's what I'm getting...

DC COMICS
Ambush Bug: Year None #2
Blue Beetle #30
Brave And The Bold HC Vol. 02: The Book Of Destiny
DC Universe: Last Will And Testament #1
Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #2
Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1
Jack Of Fables #25
JLA Deluxe Edition HC Vol. 01
Justice Society Of America #18
Metal Men HC
Reign In Hell #2
Superman #679
Trinity #13

MARVEL COMICS
Mighty Avengers #17
New Avengers #44
Nova #16
Thunderbolts #123

Good reads a-plenty this week. I'm particularly looking forward to "DC Universe: Last Will & Testament", which marks Brad Meltzer's return to comics.

Geoff Johns...The Fixer

I come to praise Geoff Johns...not to bury him.

My Funnybook Of The Week is Legion of Three Worlds #1 by Geoff Johns and George Perez.

It was a fun read that managed to be accessible to anyone who had no background with the 5o year history of The Legion of SuperHeroes, while still having plenty of new developments for longtime fans. George Perez's art was fantastic, as usual (seriously....has George Perez ever done bad work?).

Johns is doing what he does best...untangling convoluted continuity while telling a great story.

Geoff Johns may be the best fixer working in comics today. If there's a story or event that's screwed up one of your favorite characters, you should hope and pray that Johns will get his hands on them and make it all better.

Let's take a minute and look at his track record so far:

• Justice Society of America-After the "Zero Hour" event, these characters were basically written off as ancient anachronisms who were best suited to being cannon fodder. Johns made them major players in the DC Universe and gave them the responsibility of "making better heroes".

• Flash-A double coup here...Johns made not only Wally West more interesting, he also explored the motivations and back stories of his Rogue's Gallery, turning simple costumed crooks into flawed, human characters.

• Green Lantern-After "Emerald Twilight", Hal Jordan was turned into a mass-murdering villain called Parralax who died and became the Spectre for a few years. Johns not only restored him to his former glory, he rebuilt the Green Lantern Corps, orchestrated the phenomenal "Sinestro Corps War", and revamped the entire Green Lantern mythology without killing Hal's replacement Kyle Rayner.

• Hawkman-Speaking of convoluted continuity...was Hawkman (a) archaeologist Carter Hall, (b) Thanagarian policeman Katar Hol, (c) a fusion of the Hawk Gods of Thanagar or (d) all of the above? In the pages of "JSA", Johns took the threads of all of these possibilities and wove them together into a central character that still had a history, but wasn't strangled by it.

As if this wasn't enough, he has managed to do major and minor fixes in the Superman mythos with his run on Action Comics, giving us new looks at characters like the Toyman, Prankster, General Zod, the aforementioned Legion, and currently Brainiac.

With "Legion of Three Worlds", Johns will probably simplify the mess of Legion continuity (there have been 3 different versions of the Legion in the last 50 years...each one with a mix of histories and characters.). As a bonus, there's a good chance he'll be correcting one of the worst ideas of the past few years...the death of Bart Allen.

He'll also be reintroducing Barry Allen to the mainstream DC Universe with his "Flash:Rebirth" miniseries next year.

Geoff Johns isn't a flashy writer. He's not an insane genius like Alan Moore or Grant Morrison. He doesn't write self-referential talking heads like Brian Michael Bendis. He writes solid, enjoyable comics featuring characters he obviously loves.

Don't get me wrong...I want loopy, crazy stuff like the Batman Of Zur-En-Arrrh currently running around in Morisson's Gotham City. I want the big Michael Bay adventure of "Secret Invasion". I want the spy movie feel of Ed Brubaker's "Captain America".

But when all that's over...I want the stability and inspiration of Geoff Johns...who reminds me that the Brightest Day comes after the Blackest Night.