Hey y'all. There's a new blog for you to check out. This one is written by my pal/bandmate/comic shop co-worker, Tiina Johns. It's over at the Shameless Magazine site (a Canadian feminist blog/magazine) and it's called Comics Are For Everybody. It aims to introduce people to comic books who may otherwise be intimidated or feel that comics have nothing to offer them. Tiina loves to recommend books to new comic readers, and that's just what she's doing on this blog.
As is often the case, this week the best comics were the all-ages ones. There were other good comics for sure; Catwoman and The Spirit were both exceptionally good, but the all-ages titles rocked it.
Super Friends #3
This was really funny. I felt that so far this series was good for really young kids, but very bland. This issue, however, was very cute and entertaining. Mostly because Faust was wearing finger puppets that control the Super Friends. And also because he instructs the kids on how to make their own puppets.
And then when he uses the brainwashed Super Friends to collect the three mystical items (wheel, bell, jar), he can't open the jar...because he has puppets on his fingers!
And if he takes them off, the Super Friends will clobber him! Oh, Faust. You gotta think these things through!
Ok, and also...the Super Friends decide to all switch costumes because that way the finger puppets won't work (?). My first thought was "Who does Wonder Woman switch with? She's the only female!"
Of course. I'll bet this whole plan was Aquaman's idea. It's probably his plan for everything. "Hey guys, let's all switch costumes! I'll be Wonder Woman!"
Bonus panels!
I love this because you know Aquaman has been waiting for a really long time to yell this:
And Superman just cuts him off with a big ol' hand. Poor Aquaman.
Also...Batman visiting Superman in jail!
Adorable!
Marvel Adventures Avengers #24
Jeff Parker is only writing a couple more issues of this, which is too bad. It really is the best Avengers comic on the stands.
In this issue the Avengers all suddenly really hate each other and fight constantly. It's funny. It all starts when Captain America gets zapped with a mysterious ray gun and bowls Ant Man over with a cob of corn during lunch.
And that leads to this hilarious argument:
The team realizes there's a problem, so they call up the guy who knows the most about anger management:
"Yes, it's purple." Ha!
After a therapy session with Doc Samson, the Avengers are told they need to go fight some bad guys to get the rage out of their systems. So they go pick a fight with Hydra. It doesn't work, and more hilarious arguing ensues:
It's a great comic. I highly recommend.
Ah-ha-ha! Super-Detritus reviews ride again! I have no idea why I've gone so long without doing one of these things. Well, partially responsible is the profound laziness that set in as soon as I moved in to my fantastic new apartment (Review? No! Play with the cat? Yes!). Now, though, I'm back, full of vim and vigour and ready to poke fun at the Silver Age.
Today, we're looking at one of the earlier Legion tryouts, in Adventure Comics No. 305. This was one issue after Lightning Lad had sacrificed his life to keep Saturn Girl from... sacrificing her life to keep anyone else from dying whilst fighting some pirates or something (look, it was perfectly clear at the time. There was a little crystal spaceship with a prophecy inside and everything). This was a reasonably big deal, except for the fact that it was implied one page after his death that he would be resurrected. Of all improbable comic book death-undoings, Lightning Lad's was perhaps the most telegraphed.
But no matter! As of when we are talking about, ol' Garth's death is still a fresh wound and everyone's very sad:
Very, very sad, in fact. I like the theme coffin setup that they have here, though it leads me to unhealthy speculation regarding the fate of other Legion corpses. When Sun Boy died, did they just leave him out in the sun? Is there a mechanized hand above Karate Kid, chopping for all eternity? What the hell will they come up with if Bouncing Boy ever dies?
I've mentioned the Legion's Pygmalion-esque love of statuary before, and this is a great example: a statue commemorating the heroic sacrifice of Lightning Lad, a statue of the tragically exiled Mon-El and, just for the hell of it, a Sun Boy statue. I can't decide if the Legionnaires are all hopelessly in love with themselves or with each other. Either way, it's a safe bet that they all have mirrors on the ceiling above their beds.
Now: keep in mind that everyone is very, very sad. Lightning Lad appears to have died, like, within the last week.
I am: Tactless Boy! My abilities include acting like a complete tool and an aptitude for designing shirts that are far, far too busy (seriously, if you've got Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super Heroes, Vol. 1, check this panel out. The lack of colour highlights just how much is going on on this top and just how wrong it is). So, your friend is dead? Well, how can that benefit me?
(Incidentally, the brown-clad guy on the left is Mon-El, playing a "hilarious" joke by applying for membership under an assumed name. Just so you know)
Ah, Antennae Boy. I like the name of your planet, but your ears are possibly the grossest in all comicdom. All I can do is stare at those little hook-shaped growths and imagine the awful things that must happen whenever you are called upon to push through some dense underbrush. I mean, glasses are bad enough, but those things look designed to cause you pain and humiliation.
Every once in a while, that "Three-Eyed Sam from the planet WHAM!" line runs through my head and i try to set it to music or envision just who is singing it. My best guess is that 3-5 sultry ladies are sing-speaking it in unison and that Three-Eyed Sam is a bit like Shaft.
Whereas that Josephine/time machine line is very folk-rock in my mind. 808 Dy-7an sang it in 2605, during the Acoustic Guitar Renaissance. The Kennedy re-election thing, I don't know.
Antennae Boy is one of those applicants who might have had a chance if he hadn't gotten ahead of himself. Given a year or so of training, he might have been able to showcase the usefulness of being able to pick up broadcasts from the future instead of just randomly blasting out sound. Plus, his powers would be very useful for research. Also, no Legionnaire would ever again have to worry about leaving his iPod Yocto behind and having to endure a music-less mission. Over-confidence strikes again! Still, I like that shirt, so:
JOHN APPROVED
Okay, first impressions of the Dynamo Kid. Pros: I like the little bow, the crackling energy is kind of neat and a super-hero with a literal rather than figurative fat head is kind of novel. Cons: that's a fairly hideous costume, he's completely tactless, and the little pause before he says his name is super pretentious. Still, you have to give a guy a chance, right?
Just an aside: I hope that if the day ever comes that flying billboards are a reality it's far enough in the future that I have some chance of having developed lightning-based powers. Because I'll want to blast 'em good.
"I use my powers to engage in wanton destruction of property! I casually mention how rich I am! Let me into your altruistic club! I won't be insufferable, I promise!"
Okay, "AWP!" is a great sound to make when your deception is discovered.
Looking at how fat his head is in this panel, though. I think that that green thing around his waist is a girdle.
I know he's just miscoloured, but I like that look on Invisible Kid.
You know, this could have been a pretty good plot. The old-school Legion were suspicious as hell, and someone sneaking around taking notes and asking questions would have built them into a frenzy of paranoia, probably directed at Cosmic Boy (because the Legion never suspects the right person until the last second, that's why. Just ask Matter-Eater Lad). It could have stretched a cross a couple of issues, maybe with the Legion getting all perturbed over a series of exposes on all of the dirty teenage sex that was going on in that innocuous-looking yellow spaceship.
But alas, the Dynamo Kid never appeared in 'Secret of the Shocking Sex Scandals' and I've changed my mind about the fat head being charming. I've kind of grown to like the horizontal lightning stripe, though.
Nonetheless, he's NOT APPROVED
All you guys with your fancy video game systems can keep your GTA 4. The best game to ever hit the market doesn't require a console:
Hell yeah! Who will operate on Hulk? Iron Man and Spider-Man, apparently.
I wanted to share this awesome sketch that local cartoonist all-star Mike Holmes did for me. I asked for a sketch of me having a beer with Hal Jordan. Here it is:
Pretty great, eh?
He also just did this amazing poster for an upcoming show, featuring Windom Earle, Wordburglar, The Gideons and my band (The Stolen Minks). I'm Batman on the poster.
Exciting!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, DC needs to hire this guy to draw Teen Titans.
To see the fantastic comics that he's done for the local weekly paper, check out his Flickr site. His ongoing True Story series is especially awesome, which has him drawing true stories that people send him. Here's the story that I sent him:
So, in summary, Mike Holmes is awesome.
Time to revisit one of my favourite features here at LBW. It's been awhile since I've rated a superhunk, and it isn't because I've lost interest in hunky superheroes. Believe me. Let's take a look at the sexiest man this side of K'un L'un...
"Well, one guy does."
The classic Iron Fist costume has all the makings of a typical douchebag club outfit. Most noticeably, we have a giant chest tattoo of a dragon, exposed by an open shirt, and a massive popped collar. Danny's costume also boldly includes trendy elements from female fashion such as capri-cut leggings, ballet flats, and a ribbon belt. Add to that a pretty crazy facemask with long ribbon tails flying off the end, paint the whole outfit lime green and canary yellow, and you have a look that's so insane it has to be respected.
Available at H&M.
And you know what's sexy? A big glowing fist.
Shhh, cow. Shhh.
Under the hood, Danny Rand is the super hero that most closely resembles my real life boyfriend. Slim, blonde, giant chest tattoo (I'm kidding). He's a good-looking guy.
Looks better without bandages.
Small build for a super-hero, particularly when standing next to his massive pal, Power Man. But he's, y'know, approachable-looking. Not really hunky or macho, or even dreamy, but he's cute. And his fist glows so he's always well-lit.
Lookin' good, Fist!
See, normally I see a wealthy white guy who is really into Asian stuff and I think "what a douche" and walk away. But Danny makes it work.
It was an evil shirt.
Danny had a somewhat unconventional childhood. And by unconventional, I mean his wealthy father took him to a mythical city as a boy to study martial arts. During this family vacation, Danny witnessed the horrible deaths of both of his parents. He ended up sticking around and mastering martial arts, eventually obtaining the power of the Iron Fist by ramming his fist into the heart of a dragon. Despite these seemingly traumatic events, Danny is very well-balanced and laid back. I would attribute this to the fact that he: a) is incredibly wealthy, and b) can punch through pretty much anything with his big glowing fist.
I know what you're thinking: the heir to a family fortune who witnessed the deaths of his parents and then learned the hell out of martial arts before returning to America? Sounds a lot like Batman. Yeah, except you could actually hang out with Danny Rand for more than five minutes without wanting to kill yourself. You can party with Danny. He's a fun guy. Maybe it's because he's a Marvel, maybe it's because he was created in the seventies (aka - the party decade), but Iron Fist is an enjoyable character. And he has cool friends.
He inherited his dad's company and now he's crazy rich. Despite this, he charged for his superhero services as one of the Heroes for Hire. Is that weird?
He hates China.
Hey, y'know what was sexy? When Danny Rand was Daredevil for awhile. That was cool.
Big. Glowing. Fist.
Can you sense the sheer, naked power?
From reading Power Man and Iron Fist comics, the New Avengers, and even from reading the current Iron Fist series I don't get a sense that Danny is the brightest bulb in the Marvel universe.
Doonsbury strip.
He's not a detective, really. And he'd kinda dull. And he maybe shouldn't stand next to his very tall and attractive friend Power Man all the time.
John Schneider as Iron Fist.
Not bad, Fist! That actually places you ahead of Daredevil, which seems highly unlikely. I guess when you don't leave a trail of dead girlfriends in your wake, it helps you score higher as a hunk.
And now I leave you with an unintentionally sexy panel:
So much innuendo in one panel.
Living Between Wednesdays is a place for people who love comic books and superheroes.
