Superhero Adoptables I’ve Made On Deviant Art

…Yeah, I know this is lame, but whatever. I made some more DC superheroes and supervillains on Deviant Art using dress up games and the like. So, I thought I’d share a small collage of some of them, along with a link to the rest…

http://jyger85.deviantart.com/gallery/60656547/Superhero-Adoptables

Also, if you wanna make your own, here’s a short list of links to where you can find the games I’ve been using…

http://jtmovie.deviantart.com/art/Superhero-Creator-2-0-MALE-Dress-up-Game-530676189

http://jtmovie.deviantart.com/art/Superhero-Creator-2-0-FEMALE-Dress-up-Game-530676227

http://www.dolldivine.com/

http://www.azaleasdolls.com/index.php

…And, lastly, if you want me to create any other DC superheroes that I haven’t already, feel free to leave a comment here or on my Deviant Art account. Ja né!

What I Bought Today – The Movement #5, Earth 2 #16 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, been awhile since I talked about new comics, but why don’t we sit back and discuss…

OYYY, as much as I get the reason they do theme months, you’d think the books that weren’t involved could’ve been published along the way. With that said, let’s take a look at one such a series, Gail Simone‘s The Movement.

…Yeah, um…I’m not really sure what to say with this one. Lemme give you the short version of the plot: James Cannon calls in a specialized team to deal with The Movement after last issue. Captain Meers finds out and tries to cut a deal with Virtue, and while she can tell the Captain is sincere in trying to find a peaceful solution that would benefit everyone, she refuses to call off the trial of officers Whitt and Pena, the ones who sexually harassed a teenager in issue 1. Pena pleads guilty and just wants to take his punishment and go home, but Whitt is overly aggressive and morally corrupt, knocking Vengeance Moth out of her wheelchair while in recess. This doesn’t go over well, as Vengeance Moth produces emerald-coloured moth-like wings of light and creates ultrasonic waves that disable him. Katharsis sees this and gets ready to execute Whitt, but Tremor disables her, creating an escape route for the two officers and telling Kulap that she quits…kinda under-minding her conclusions in issue 4. Speaking of Tremor, Mouse is actually writing her a love letter (which kinda comes right the fuck outta nowhere), when he stumbles upon the Cornea Killer in the middle of an attempted murder. Mouse manages to save the victim, but the Cornea Killer has a surprise waiting for him in the form of Cannon’s team: The Graveyard Faction. So, not really a bad issue, but I feel like we missed some developments somewhere, and unfortunately, it’s not the first time I’ve felt The Movement did so.

Earth 2 #16 is James Robinson‘s last issue, and holy shit, does he go out with a bang! O.O Again, long story short: The World Army pretty much get their asses handed to them at the hands of Steppenwolf and the Hunger Dogs, so Amar gives the order for everyone to fall back and evac as many civilians as they possibly can. As such, once Doctor Fate is finished healing them after their last battle went so poorly, Green Lantern, The Flash, Red Arrow, The Atom, Mister Terrific, and Sandman go about saving as many people as possible. However, Alan Scott catches sight of Steppenwolf and decides to let his fist meet the dictator’s face. However, one of the Hunger Dogs, Brutaal, blasts him down with what look to be Omega Beams. Atom tries to save him, but is punched down hard, leaving Alan alone to be beaten badly by the two, and…I’m not 100% sure, but…I-I think they may have murdered him. Either way, as Steppenwolf turns to face a camera and declare his victory, he gets literally torn apart by Brutaal, who blasts apart his own armour to reveal his true identity: Earth 2 Superman, completely under Darkseid‘s control. Sandman and the others fall back, but Superman seemingly destroys Dherain, all the while hailing Darkseid. Again, HOLY SHIT. I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, except that Batman will be trying to unite what forces Earth has that can stand against Darkseid. Guess I’ll just hafta keep buying to find out just what in the hell is happening, and hope that Alan Scott somehow managed to survive.

Well, that’s it for this week. And, if my guess is right, next week is gonna be EXPENSIVE for me…Yeah, I think I’m gonna need to go through a screening process to decide if there are any books I might wish to stop picking up soon. Ja né!

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Should DC Sell Superhero Adult Novels? (Yes, this is an actual question asking for feedback, JUST HEAR ME OUT lol)

So I’ve made a number of jokes as of late, saying that if DC really wants to tell stories about their heroes hooking up and having sex, they should just drop the pretenses and release adult novels for their heroes. Now, while I was mostly kidding when I said things like that, I started thinking recently…SHOULD they? WOULD that sell well? WOULD it be beneficial to them, and to readers?

Ah, for the good old days when the Bat and the Cat was the most romantic thing EVER.

Now, before anyone calls me a pig for this, hear me out: As we all know, DC is obsessed with the idea of telling a romance story involving Superman and Wonder Woman. Some people like it, and some people (myself included) hate it. So I had a thought: What if instead of constantly bringing that up in the comics, why not just tell that story in an adult novel? Or hey, people got kinda bothered by the stories of Batman and Catwoman having rooftop “meetings” in the early days of the New 52 Catwoman books. Well, if comic book readers dislike that, why present it for them? Why not sell it to an audience that might enjoy that sort of thing? Or heck, Grant Morrison can’t talk about the upcoming Earth 1 Wonder Woman story without mentioning her sex life or making references to sex. If he’s that fixated on it, why is he writing a comic for her? Why not an adult novel?

Be honest, you know some people would read a book about these two.

Basically, my point in a nutshell is that they would be keeping that sort of storytelling that delves into sex and romantic scenarios that not everyone is going to get into in comics in a completely separate genre for people who WOULD enjoy it. Like I said before, despite HEAVY bitching about the Wonder Woman/Superman pairing, there are fans who enjoy reading it. While a lot of fans see overuse of sex in comics as annoying, some probably like it. And hey, it’d be a completely different form of media, so they could do whatever they wanted with whoever they wanted. Some could be in canon with the current comics, and some could be VERY non-canon. Fans wanna see Clark Kent and Lois Lane together again? Easily done! People wanna know more about the relationship between Alan Scott and Sam? Not a problem! Heck, Gail Simone could finally write a story about the Oracle/Black Canary pairing she wanted to do for Birds of Prey.

…C’mon, Gail, you know you wanna. lol

Anyway, vote and/or comment below whether or not you think this would be a good move for DC, and let’s hope someone who works for them is listening. Ja né!

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Favourite DC Superheroes – The Honourable Mentions

So, I took a look back at my favourite DC and Marvel superheroes from my birthday last month. While I still agree with those lists, I do feel as though there were a number of characters that deserved to be honourable mentions for DC. So, that’s what I’m gonna do now. Here are 10 heroes I think deserve to be mentioned with honours. lol

Kara Zor-L, AKA Power Girl

I believe I already covered what it is I like most about this character (no not THOSE…though they ARE nice, lol). For those who didn’t see, I particularly like how Power Girl not only has the abilities of Superman, she also is the head of her own business. Combine that with a never-say-die attitude and…well, THOSE, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula in Power Girl, who I DEFINITELY wouldn’t mind seeing in the Man of Steel movies someday. Kara’s also one-half of the Worlds’ Finest with Huntress, though sadly that book doesn’t present the best depiction of the character. Still, we do occasionally see them as a powerful duo.

John Stewart. AKA Green Lantern

And…

Alan Scott, AKA Green Lantern

I mentioned these two before as being tied as the unofficial #11 in my 10 Favourite DC Superheroes, and I still stand behind that. Though personalities and the manner in which they gained their powers couldn’t be more different, both bring honour to the name Green Lantern, and they are my personal favourites to hold that title. Also, VERY glad to see that John Stewart is now a DLC skin/voice swap for Hal Jordan, though I’d kind of like an Alan Scott one too.

Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing

The original Robin all grown up. Be he in blue or red, be he in Blüdhaven or Chicago, Dick Grayson will always be a special kind of hero to people. He’s been through having his parents killed before his eyes, leaving his mentor to become leader of his own team, having his wedding broken up, having the love of his life leave him (and the planet for that matter), having to become Batman after Bruce was thought dead for a time, having his old circus troop destroyed, and now having helplessly watched his partner murdered. And yet, in all of this and more, he continues to try to have a positive attitude on the job…Still though, he REALLY needs to go back to blue. lol

Mera

Okay, while I don’t read a lot of the books she appears in, Mera gets on this list for a few reasons. First off, that she neither has nor requires an alias. Second, she’s Queen of Atlantis, which takes up most of the known ocean. Third, much like her husband Aquaman, she has the same natural advantages that he does having operated out of the bottom of the ocean (advanced strength, speed, durability, and sight). Fourth, as I’ve mentioned before, while the power to control water might not seem threatening at first, considering how much water makes up the average human body, that actually conjures up some rather frightening visuals of what she could do if she lost her cool. Speaking of which, while she’s usually a kind-hearted woman, the kind that you could easily get along with, she DOES have an on-again off-again struggle with her sanity. In other words, be as nice as humanly possible to Mera when you see her.

Damian Wayne, AKA Robin

The latest Robin to appear, Damian brought something new to the role. Having the genetics of Bruce Wayne, the skills passed down through the League of Assassins, and many skills and personality traits seen in Dick, Jason, Tim, and Stephanie, Damian could be considered the perfect Robin in a lot of respects…except that he kept killing people. I mean, he meant well, you could tell he cared, but he kept killing bad guys. That just bothered me to no end, though it almost became a running gag wherein if he said “I will kill no more”, he was usually five minutes away from killing someone. Alternately, if he said he WAS going to kill someone, they usually had a good chance of escaping with their lives for some reason. Apparently, he’ll be returning soon for a mini-series that looks at the alternate future where he becomes Batman, and it’ll be awesome to see him again…but dammit Damian, stop killing people. lol

Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg

BOOYAH!…Yeah, I know. lol Anyway, as of the New 52, Cyborg is now a founding member of the Justice League. While this robs him of his history with the Titans, it IS nice to see Vic standing among the big seven that make up Earth’s greatest heroes. Cyborg’s only real flaw is his personal issues, trying to find the balancing point between the machine and the man. Otherwise, you better be packing some serious power when going up against him, or he will flatten you.

J’onn J’onzz, AKA The Martian Manhunter

This one’s mostly based on his DCAU appearances, though I have checked him out elsewhere and been left confused by something: Martian Manhunter has heat vision in the comics, they’re missing from the cartoon. I’m not really sure why, other than so that two members of the Justice League didn’t have heat vision. However, this brings up something even more confusing: J’onn is vulnerable to fire. Shouldn’t using heat vision hurt him? Well, whatever, he’s still an awesome hero, though he REALLY needs to chill out in the New 52.

Khalid Ben-Hassin, AKA Doctor Fate

Okay, other than a couple of cool moments in Justice League Unlimited, I wasn’t really all that sold on Doctor Fate. Then Earth 2 happened. Now I know better. lol The second most badass individual to have the word “Doctor” in their name, Doctor Fate has a mastery over magic beyond that of any of the other magic-based heroes of the DC Universe. In other words, if he really wanted to, he could kill Superman just by wiggling his toes. His only real weakness, at least for Khalid in Earth 2, is that wearing the Helmet of Nabu can have some negative psychological effects. Otherwise, he might just be the greatest of Earth 2’s heroes, and is all too deserving to be a founding member of the JSA when it eventually forms.

Helena Wayne, AKA Huntress

There have actually been two women to predominantly go by the name Huntress. Prior to the reboot, Huntress was a woman named Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of a mafia boss who became Huntress to fight the very same kind of crime her family once created, eventually becoming a member of the Birds of Prey and getting this weird belly window for her costume that carried over into Justice League Unlimited. In the New 52, much like the original pre-Crisis interpretation of the character, Huntress is one half of the Worlds’ Finest with Power Girl, and is Batman’s daughter from Earth 2, though thus far, he has yet to show that he has any knowledge of this. Personally, I think she should just talk to him, especially given recent events. It might get him to cool down a little to know he still has family. Both are hardcore asskickers armed with crossbows, and both are deserving to be on this list.

So there ya go, 10 (sort of 11) honourable mentions. Along with Batman, Superman, Stephanie Brown, Wonder Woman, Wally West, Raven, Red Robin, Supergirl, Barbara Gordon, and Hawkgirl, they are my favourite DC Superheroes. Who do YOU think should’ve made it to this list? Lemme know in the comments, and I will see y’all next time. Ja né!

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My 300th Blog Post! + Some of the Better Points of the New 52

Hey guys! Well, I thought I’d talk a little about IT’S MY 300th BLOG ENTRY!!!

Ahh, 300 entries in a little over 2 years on a blog that has brought new meaning to my life…

…Yeah, apparently that new meaning is to torture myself. But today, I feel like being a bit more positive minded, taking a far more optimistic stance on something I’ve ragged on a lot these days: The New 52. A lot of DC fans are STILL pissed off about the reboot that happened two years ago, myself included a lot of times. Decades of continuity gone in a flash(point), characters shoved aside, stories becoming unnecessarily darker in some cases, and almost everything to do with Wonder Woman. And with all of that going on, it’s hard to remember that a lot of good has come out of the New 52 as well, something that occurred to me on Twitter last night while talking to Spoony. So today, I’d like to talk about some of the finer points of the New 52, in no particular order or planned number.

#1 – The Reintroduction of Vibe

Let’s face it, sometimes a character gets introduced who kinda bombs with the audience. However, the New 52 has presented a unique situation where these characters get another shot with a whole new audience and have their personas freshened up a bit to work better, and in no other case is this truer than with Vibe. Let’s be honest, when we all found out that Vibe was on the JLA, we were in horror of what was to come. When we found out Vibe was getting his own series, we wanted to call Arkham Asylum and have Geoff Johns committed. But, looking at how Vibe has turned out, he’s actually one of the better characters in JLA, and while his solo series isn’t my particular cup of tea, I will say that the quality of the stories is still good. So yeah, I’m considering Vibe’s reintroduction a successful one.

#2 – The Court of Owls Storyarc

I kinda wanna put an asterisk over this one since I’m not sure that stuff like Court of Owls required the relaunch, or if Snyder had planned it all along regardless. Either way, though, this was easily the best frigging story of the early days of the New 52, and I still recommend it and Scott Snyder‘s Batman to anyone who wants a great story within the New 52. Likewise, all the really cool stuff that’s come as a result of this story, like James Tynion IV’s Talon, can be added to this list as well.

#3 – The Revamped Alan Scott and Jay Garrick

I know old school fans are gonna wanna kill me for saying this, but I gotta throw this out: I really like the revamped origins for Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, to the point where I actually prefer them to their Golden Age counterparts. Jay Garrick is FAR less selfish than he was originally, and I really like the method by which he becomes The Flash. Alan Scott can at times be kind of a jerk, but it’s usually done in ways that kinda make sense, and frankly, having him actually be on the train when it explodes and losing someone he loves in the process makes the situation far more personal for him, and you feel sadder for him too. James Robinson has been doing an excellent job writing these Golden Age heroes in a present day world, and while I won’t say it’s perfect (there have been small hiccups along the way), it’s still about as good as you can expect, and really, that’s all I can realistically ask for here.

Now, the last three on this list are kind of a trilogy, so I apologize if this gets repetitive really quickly. Basically, it’s three event comics that occurred that are no longer in canon with DC’s universe, and frankly, I’m kinda happy about that. If you need further examples of why, I have four words for you: Atop The Fourth Wall. They were all covered on that show, and better than I possibly could, and pretty much spell out every single reason why these event comics were TERRIBLE. With that said, let’s move on…

#4 – Countdown to Final Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, sorry to disappoint, but no matter how bad the New 52 gets, at least we can say this with absolute certainty: COUNTDOWN NEVER HAPPENED. Y’know, that year-long event comic that only continuously sucked more and more the further it went along? Yeah, never happened. Seriously, you know an event comic is bad when the creators of it basically try to pretend that it never happened, and that was BEFORE they hit the universal reset button. And while we’re on the subject…

#5 – Identity Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, I know, a lot of people really liked Identity Crisis, and admittedly there IS a good story in there…if you can dig past all the bullshit. I’m sorry, but frankly, I’m happy that in this new universe, Tim Drake‘s parents are alive, the Justice League never wiped Batman’s mind, and Doctor Light is NOT a psycho rapist! Although while we’re on the subject, I WILL say that this is a bizarre fucking universe in that Doctor Light is a good guy and a family man, and Superman is the man who apparently murdered him? By the way, I say apparently since it’s clear it wasn’t his fault, and I’m not 100% sold that Light’s really dead. But anyway, last on the list of event comics I’m glad never happened…

#6 – Cry For Justice NEVER HAPPENED

Okay, while I’m not exactly thrilled that Lian Harper doesn’t exist in this universe, I take comfort in knowing she can eventually be reborn within it and then NOT be horrifically murdered like she was in Cry For Justice! Also, to be perfectly fair, this book sucked plenty bad before and after the death scene, although it WAS the cherry on top. I would love to one day have a sit-down talk with James Robinson and just ask him what the thought process was with this book, especially since I feel like a lot of fans would just yell and scream at him for what happened. I mean, Robinson is NOT a bad writer, but this book was wretched, and I would just like to know what went wrong.

Anyway, that’s all from me. Leave your comments below, and hey, if there’s anything you really like about the reboot, lemme know. Ja né!

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What I Bought Today – Batman Incorporated #12, Earth 2 #14, The Movement #3 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, it’s Wednesday, so let’s take a look at…

Kind late today, I know, but that’s because I went in earlier and they weren’t ready since the books were late due to Monday being a holiday, so I had to go back later. No biggie, though, it happens. So, let’s start with Batman Incorporated #12.

So, only one more issue to go after this one, which means it’s time for rapid-fire holy-crap-moment deployment! So Batman comes sailing in, decked out in his exo-skeleton/Azrael costume/Man-Bat serum look. Don’t worry, though, the swarm of bats accompanying him are injected with the antidote to the Man-Bat serum, making them the perfect air-to-air combatants for Talia‘s Man-Bat army, as well as allowing Batman to gradually recover, basically using the Man-Bat as an early edge against The Heretic. The fight between the two is violent as hell, and the reveal of what The Heretic looks like under his own cowl may supply you with nightmare fuel for the next few weeks, especially after he fails in both stopping Batman AND in heeding Talia’s orders, which causes her to decapitate the clone of her own son. Talia then blows up Wayne Tower, then arrives at the Bat Cave for the final showdown with Batman, all the while it seems there’s a far bigger picture to worry about, one that is made known to Batman Inc. by a woman who seems vaguely familiar to Nightwing. Overall, great issue, can’t wait for the final issue, but going to be sad to see the end of Grant Morrison‘s run with Batman.

Earth 2 #14…I kinda have mixed feelings about. Not that it’s bad or anything, it’s still really good, but I have a slight issue with Alan Scott‘s plan here. Basically, they decide to attack Steppenwolf’s forces in the country he took over before the World Army gets there, take down the outer defenses and soften up the capital, then Alan will use his broadcasting corporation to spin the heck outta the story so the public will come to instantly trust in them and the World Army will leave them alone. Granted, I understand that the World Army hasn’t exactly made life easy for them in this series, but this seems like rather selfish and foolish behaviour, and Dr. Fate and Jay Garrick are apparently just fine with it. So they arrive, they smash baddies, Steppenwolf orders his people to release the hounds…no, really, he says that. And yes, I DID imagine Mr. Burns‘ voice over that. However, while the JSA manage to take down quite a few enemy soldiers, it isn’t long before Wesley Dodds, the Sandmen, The Atom, and apparently Earth 2’s version of Red Arrow, all arrive a bit ahead of schedule, looking mighty pissed with the JSA, all the while Commander Khan and Mister Terrific are not far behind. It seems they were going for the more subtle and sneaky approach against a foe from Apokolips, and the JSA coming in guns blazing kinda ruined that. GL tries to keep everyone calm and work out an alternative for everyone, but it seems there’s not much time for that, as the Hunger Dogs of Steppenwolf have arrived to cause all kinds of crap.

The Movement #3 was…hang on a sec, I gotta ask something: Gail Simone? Were you locked in closets as a kid or something? Because you’re a really great writer, I love your work, but there’s kind of this darker aspect to a lot of your writing nowadays that makes me think there’s something not quite right in your head. o.O Anyway, The Movement continues to be compelling as we learn a bit more about certain members of the cast. The team discovers a bit more about who is really behind the killings in the city from Rainmaker, who I believe is a character from the Wildstorm Universe, but I’m not too familiar with her. I think she’s supposed to be some kind of a witch (at least that’s what Burden keeps calling her), and that she’s a lesbian, as she semi-discreetly gives Virtue her number, who jokes about it a bit…before pocketing it when no one is looking. Interested to see what happens there. Anyway, it seems they have issues a bit closer to home, as the police have Kartharsis (during which we get to see some of that darker writing I mentioned come into play), and when initial attempts to negotiate a hostage trade with the cops fails, Virtue instead decides to let the people of the city under their protection aid as they seek to literally tear down the police department. Um, eep?

Anyway, that’s it for this week. Btw, the reason I thought this week would be an expensive one is because I thought the newest issue of Fearless Defenders and the first issue of Gail Simone’s Red Sonja would be coming out. Apparently not so, so only three books this week. Not sure if they come out next week or not, but either way, check in then to see what I buy. Ja ne!

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Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Moments From Earth 2

So I noted earlier that one of my favourite books of the New 52 turned a year old this month. That book being Earth 2, the tales of the Earth in the second universe over from the world the majority of the DC books take place on. So, after 12 issues of this book (13 counting #0), I decided to count down my 5 Favourite Moments of the book that tells of a world without Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman around to defend it, thus leading to the rise of new heroes: The Justice Society.

#1 – Alan Scott Becomes The Green Lantern

This is the point where I realised to just what degree this comic was AWESOME. Alan Scott, media mogul, just went through a horrible train explosion, having to endure the loss of his boyfriend as he was just in the middle of proposing, suddenly presented with the chance to avenge his love and to protect the world from the coming dark. As such, he is transformed into the Green Lantern, protector and champion of The Green, and possibly Earth’s mightiest hero…well, until this guy showed up…

#2 – Khalid Ben-Hassin Becomes Doctor Fate

Khalid Ben-Hassin, a Ph.D, is made to face his destiny, thus wearing the Helmet of Nabu and merging minds with the ancient wizard to become Doctor Fate. This led to possibly the best first-time reveal for a character in their costume in resent times. I just love how everything reflects off the golden armour, it’s so shiny. XD

#3 – Green Lantern Defeats Solomon Grundy By Exiling Him To The Moon

This was a pretty cool way to beat Grundy, hurling him to the moon where the Grey couldn’t reach him and he couldn’t do any more damage. I’ve since come to understand that this method has been used on him before in comics, however it hasn’t been used since the Golden Age. In fact, that makes it all the more appropriate that it was used here.

#4 – FEMALE PRESIDENT! WHOOOOO! XD

So yeah, during the fight with Solomon Grundy in Washington, D.C., Wesley Dodds and the Sandmen have to go in and extract President Lightfoot before she can be lost in the conflict. And because this is an alternate universe and because how could they possibly resist, President Lightfoot is, in fact, a woman. Seriously, I’m Canadian, and I STILL am waiting for the day there is a woman in the White House…You know, not counting Hilary Clinton. BAZINGA!

#5 – Mister Miracle and Big Barda Début

Because it’s Mister Miracle and Big fucking Bardna in a post-apocalyptic Gotham with giant monsters fighting! All arguments invalid! 😀

Anyway, that’s my 5 Favourite Moments From Earth 2. Hope you enjoyed, hope I’ve encouraged people to check it out, and feel free to mention your own favourite moments from the book below. Ja né!

Who Are The Justice Society of America? Earth 2’s Greatest Heroes

So with the past few Earth 2 issues being the introduction of Doctor Fate to the heroes, I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the Justice Society of America, or JSA for short. People that have only been reading comics since the reboot or are otherwise limited on comic book history may have no idea what the JSA is, so allow me to put it in very basic terms: The Justice Society of America is the original superhero team. Period. Before the Justice League, there was the JSA. As such, pretty much every single superhero team, be they the JLA, the Teen Titans, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, whomever, they all owe their existence to this team.

First appearing in All-Star Comics #3, the original founding members were Green Lantern (Alan Scott), The Flash (Jay Garrick), Hawkman (Carter Hall), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Spectre (Jim Corrigan), Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson), Hourman (Rex Tyler), and The Atom (Al Pratt). Notice something interesting about that team? No Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. Now, they joined eventually, but even then there were issues regarding their involvement and how much they could be shown.

As time went on and various changes were made to the backstories of DC characters, and the creation of characters like Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, it was eventually revealed that the JSA and the Golden Age heroes that made up the team were of Earth 2, an alternate Earth within the Multiverse. Meanwhile, the JLA was composed of heroes from Earth 1, then New Earth after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and now Prime Earth after Flashpoint. But through all that, the JSA has (for the most part) consisted of Earth 2 heroes.

With the reboot, much of DC’s past was altered or flat-out erased, meaning the Golden Age heroes and the JSA were no longer in canon…That is, until May 2012, where Earth 2 got its own book. The story has actually presented several interesting spins on previous stories. First off, Earth 2’s heroes were initially the Wonders of the World, made up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Robin, Catwoman, an unnamed hero, and Mr. 8 (Terrance Sloan). However, as battles against the forces of Darkseid went on, Catwoman was murdered, and in the final battle, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were all killed, with Supergirl and Robin getting lost in a boom tube and sent to Prime Earth, where they’ve since become Power Girl and Huntress. This massive sacrifice saved the world. A few years later, however, the world is threatened again, and now new heroes have to step up.

Apparently the group, when they finally become a group, will drop the America and just be known as the Justice Society, but like hell if I won’t call it the JSA for short anyway. So, with that said, let’s take a look at the heroes who have appeared so far who will likely form the JSA when the time comes.

Alan Scott, the Green Lantern

Easily my favourite Green Lantern active currently, Alan Scott is an openly gay media mogul (and no, not in the I’m Super way, grow up) who dedicated his work to the Wonders. Like his Golden Age counterpart, Alan gains his powers following a train explosion. What’s different is that he himself was on the train with his fiancée, Sam. Also, in the original version, the power came from a green flame that fell to Earth as a meteor. In this version, the green flame is crafted from The Green, having chosen Alan to be The Green’s champion. The green flame can take any form that Alan can imagine, focused through the engagement ring he used to propose to Sam. In addition, his strength is heavily enhanced, and he is granted the power of flight.

Kendra Munoz- Saunders, Hawkgirl

Being a fan of the Justice League cartoon, it’s always a treat to see Hawkgirl. During an expedition to Egyptian ruins in search of Nabu’s tomb, an incident caused a pair of wings to be permanently grafted to her back. She is currently hunted by the World Army, who seek to capture her for…um, reasons. It’s not completely clear why. Anyway, she’s a master of various firearms, be they pistols, crossbows, or even rocket launchers. Personally, I prefer not to see my DC superheroes using guns, but considering the first major enemy of the group was Solomon Grundy, I’m not gonna make too big a deal.

Jay Garrick, The Flash

No longer does he just resemble Mercury, the New 52 Jay Garrick was actually granted his speed by the Roman God, who was the last of the Gods to survive the battle against Darkseid’s forces. Jay lacks confidence and control of his powers, and thus occasionally makes mistakes. However, he nonetheless strives to be a hero, using his super speed to out-move his opponents, as well as enhanced speed healing to recover from wounds inflicted should he get careless.

Al Pratt, The Atom

The survivor of an atomic blast, Al Pratt has become The Atom, able to alter his size however he chooses. He is a sergeant in the World Army, and obviously one of their most dangerous soldiers. In addition to his size changing powers, he also comes complete with an atomic punch, effectively making his punches minor atomic blasts.

Red Tornado

Not much is known about this version of Red Tornado, other than that she (yes, SHE) is an android that the government has yet to manage to get to work. If she functions anything like previous versions of the character, we can expect that this Red Tornado will have the ability to generate winds strong enough to get her flying, enhance speed, and create storms.

Khalid Ben-Hassin, Doctor Fate

A close associate of Hawkgirl’s, Khalid Ben-Hassin was hired to find Nabu’s tomb. While Kendra was grafted with wings, Khalid found the Helmet of Fate, which houses the very essence of Nabu along with his powers. This has the backlash effect of leaving Khalid in temporary bouts of insanity after removing it, though. He sought to keep the helmet far away from anyone, sending it to the Tower of Fate, but was forced to find it again. Inspired by Flash’s actions, Khalid made the choice to use the helmet, becoming Doctor Fate. He now possesses Nabu’s mastery over magic, including astral projections, teleportation, telepathy, phasing, telekinesis, and MUCH more.

Mister Miracle & Big Barda

Again, not much known about the New 52 versions of these two. All that’s known is that they’re currently in the ruined city of Gotham, on the run from Steppenwolf. I do see that Big fucking Barda has her Mega-Rod, which packs enough power to leave even Superman reeling. Other than that, I would expect Big Barda to retain her superhuman strength and endurance, and Mister Miracle to keep his Batman-levels of equipment and gadgets and his escapology skills that even Calvin Rose can’t measure up to.

The New Batman

Now this guy is a HUGE mystery. NOBODY knows who the new Batman is. There has been speculation, though. We know that it’s someone important to the Batman mythos, but that it’s likely not anyone currently active on Prime Earth. So with that in mind, my guess is that it could only be…

GRANNY GOODNESS!!! DUN-DUN-DUUUNNNNN!!!

Okay, for realsies, I’m thinking it’s Jean-Paul Valley. Think about it, when the mainstream Batman went down with a broken back and couldn’t continue as Batman for a while, he had already made plans for Valley to replace him. It only makes sense that the Earth 2 version of Batman would make similar plans should something happen to himself and to Helena.

Anyway, I think that covers everybody so far. Here’s hoping plenty more awesome heroes of the olden days show up to join the eventual reformed JSA. Ja né!

Related articles

• ArtsBeat: Graphic Books Best Sellers: ‘Earth 2’ at No. 1 (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)
• NICOLA SCOTT Redesigning Superhero Life On EARTH 2 (newsarama.com)
• BREAKING NEWS – Green Lantern is Gay (costumesupercenter.com)
• Interview: James Robinson (Still Won’t Tell Us) Who Is The Batman Of ‘Earth 2’ (geek-news.mtv.com)
• ECCC: Secret Origins with James Robinson (comicbookresources.com)

What I Bought Today – Detective Comics #18, Earth 2 #10 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, one week has passed since Damian‘s passing, and I’m still feeling kinda down about it, but it’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to look at…

So let’s kick off by getting back to Batman with Detective Comics #18.

Poor Bruce. First his parents, then Jason, now this…:(

Okay, first off, while I appreciate the Requiem bits that are gonna be in every Bat Family book this month, it’s very clear that it was kinda tacked on with Detective Comics, and honestly it just invites WAY more questions than DC is willing to answer regarding timelines in the books. By the way, if you’ve been following along, they don’t ever try to attempt to explain how these events fall into a timeline. I think the closest we’ve ever come to that was Snyder leaving mention in Batman #13 that it had been a year since Joker had disappeared at the end of Detective Comics #1.

Okay, mini-rant over. As for the story itself, awesome. Penguin manages to get himself set free after getting roped up in Joker’s plans in Death of the Family, and then finds out that Ogilvy screwed him over. Meanwhile, after spending a moment to mourn the loss of his son, Batman returns to the Batcave to learn that apparently Joker let one of the inmates loose: Zsasz. Frakking ZSASZ! Also, he has run into Ogilvy, who has given him a Court of Owls blade and set him on Penguin’s allies. The good news is, when Batman catches Penguin causing a fracas after going to the zoo for weapons he’d stashed there, Penguin tells him his lawyers will get him out of this, only for Batman to reply that Zsasz murdered them. However, it seems that Emperor Penguin has decided Batman has served his purpose and now seeks to get rid of him. Oh, I know, big scary mob boss wants to kill Batman, how terrifying. Well, it seems he’s got a trick up his sleeve. Remember that woman who was part of Casey’s group in Talon? The one who left the League of Assassins? Well, in exchange for protection from Talia al Ghul, she gives Ogilvy the FRAKKING MAN-BAT SERUM! OH GOODY! That’s gonna go over so great, especially if Batman ever finds out the connections with her and Casey’s group. And he’s already keeping an eye out on Calvin’s operations.

Before I talk about this month’s issue of Earth 2, I thought I’d bring up some info I heard. Apparently the current plan is to plant seeds for an eventual crossover between the events of Earth 2 and the JSA and the mainstream universe of DC. When is this gonna take place? 2014. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be late 2014. WOW. I don’t know if that’s brilliant or stupid. I guess it’ll just depend on how this is set up. Although this makes World’s Finest all the more pointless a book since we now know that they aren’t getting home any time soon. Also, it furthers my point that there needs to be more than one book telling this story, like one focusing on the JSA and another focusing on the stuff involving Sloan and Steppenwolf.

So yeah, Earth 2 #10 is…well, it’s weird, but it’s fun weird. We get a little bit of background involving Khalid, who is Dr. Fate before he becomes Dr. Fate, and Kendra, where we see her get her wings and Khalid obtain the Helmet of Fate. Cut back to the present where Jay Garrick, his mom, and Khalid are held in the Realm of Nabu by Karel Wotan who talks WAYYYYYYY too much to be perfectly honest. The gist of what’s going on is that Wotan is making Flash and Khalid go find the Helmet, which Khalid sent away due to the effects it was having on his sanity, or Wotan will kill Jay’s mom. So where did Khalid hide the Helmet? The frakking Tower of Babel! Oh, and at the very end is this freaking monster that’s apparently guarding the Helmet. Khalid, you were one of those kids who tried way too hard and got way too creative playing hide and seek, weren’t you?

The other thing going on in this book is that Green Lantern is in Wuxi to see Sam’s father, who, while he disapproved of Sam’s relationship with Alan, at least saw how happy he was with Alan. Alan feels guilt over what happened to Sam, feeling that Sam only died because someone detonated the train Alan was on, but it seems that Sam’s father did some digging. The target was never Alan, it was Sam all along. This sets GL after some gang (I’m assuming the Chinese Triad, I don’t know), who, I guess, were the ones who set the bomb, but none of them know why the hit was placed on Sam. As such, Alan goes to Louisiana to meet with Hawkgirl, who is cleaning out a Parademon cell she’d been looking for, and tells her that he may have been wrong before and that he needs her help.

So yeah, this was a fun week comics wise. Next week…oh boy, next week we get into some awkward territory as we look at Batman #18, Batgirl #18, and Batman and Robin #18. Ja né!

…Does anybody else hear Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave when they see this? Is it just because it’s the saddest theme I can think of? 😥

What Comics Do I Collect?

So as you’ve noticed, I’ve been giving short text reviews on the comics I buy every week. Now, I realise that there’s always the chance this could change, but for now, this is the line up of comics I buy every month. And before you ask, NO, I don’t buy any Marvel right now. Will I? Possibly, eventually, but not right now, no.

“You take the ugly one!” “No, YOU take the ugly one!” “Which one is the ugly one?!“

This comic continues to amaze me with just how good it is. It’s pretty much the JSA in a modern setting on an alternate Earth. To add to the uniqueness, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all dead after saving the world from Darkseid, and these new heroes have to pick up the slack when the Earth comes under attack again. It actually retells the origins of Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and others in ways that I actually find far superior to their Golden Age origins. Also, Mister Terrific has arrived on Earth-2 by accident and will be getting caught up in the events here, which should make Linkara happy since I know he liked that comic a lot. It’s a great comic with a lot of action and great storytelling, it’s just great overall.

“Yeah, I know there’s a giant Penguin engulfing the moon. I don’t need to look back at it. You know why? Because I’m BATMAN!“

I actually didn’t buy Detective Comics prior to issue 13, except for the tie-in issue with Night of the Owls. Why? Eh, the style just didn’t agree with me, and I also thought it was really gruesome the way that Joker lost his face. Plus, I was already buying Scott Snyder‘s Batman, which was WAY better and still is, I didn’t need to buy this. The newer arc with the new team working on it has proven to be worth my time, but I still maintain my opinion that Detective Comics should probably go to Red Robin. I think this team writing Red Robin solo stories would be awesome.

“Crap! If that plane burns up any harder, it could burn Power Girl’s costume off…AGAIN!“

This is a book that I’ve been enjoying a bit less as time has gone by. The first arc was great, telling the story of how Robin and Supergirl of Earth-2 were stranded on our Earth following the battle on Earth-2 with Darkseid’s forces, becoming Huntress and Power Girl. It actually ended with a battle against a giant monster in the bay off the coast of Japan, which could only have been better if Kamen Rider Skull, DaiZyuJin, and Godzilla had shown up. The problem with it, as has been pointed out to me, is that nothing was really resolved by it in terms of the overall story of Huntress and Power Girl, and it doesn’t look like much will be resolved by this next one either. I hear there might possibly be a new team taking over later on, I hope that the make the story lead somewhere great…and STOP having Power Girl wind up naked EVERY ISSUE!

Favourite line thus far? Her comment about how she’s got arm strength like a mother these days. XD

This is another book I chose not to pick up for a while, but it’s for reasons I kinda kick myself for: I was still feeling all butthurt over Stephanie Brown being gone. Now granted, I still kind of am, but that’s no reason to not buy a book that’s a legit good book. Basically what happened is, prior to the relaunch, Barbara Gordon was in a wheelchair for years after being shot in the spine by Joker and served as Oracle, who was a cyber hacker that pretty much operated as an extra set of eyes and ears for Batman, the Birds of Prey, even the fugging Justice League. However, with the relaunch and the New 52, it was decided that she would have back surgery and regain the ability to walk, and thus regain her status as Batgirl. Also, her time as Oracle MAY have been erased, I’m not really sure. Either way, though, Gail Simone has been writing an awesome Batgirl title. Do I still miss the Bryan Q. Miller Batgirl with Stephanie Brown? Yeah. But this is still an awesome book, worth picking up.

“I don’t even need the motorcycle to catch you! Know why? Because I’m BATMAN!“

Okay, I know that I will not shut up about how awesome this book is, but that’s only because it can not be said enough. Snyder is apparently best thought of as a horror writer, and even here it kind of shows, and it’s amazing how well it works for Batman. And the thing is, generally speaking, horror stories scare me and scare me away. But this? This scares me into wanting to read MORE, wanting to see just how in the hell they’re going to make it through the situations they find themselves in. I also love how the storyarcs are long, involved, and have a lot of work and effort put into them, and it shows. I would honestly argue that this and Earth-2 are among the best books going in the New 52.

Oh, and side-note? Rob Liefeld, if by any chance you read this, the heck with you if you think the only reason anyone buys this is JUST for Batman and that Snyder is no good on his own. You were neither a good writer, nor a good artist for that matter. And I’m sorry, I know this issue is pretty much dead by now, but when it happened, I never really commented on that, so I just felt the need to get this off my chest. So, rant over, let’s continue.

“I had a child with the daughter of the leader of a group of assassins who are my mortal enemies, and then made him into my new sidekick even though he was trained to be an assassin and kills just about everyone we fight… … …Because I’m BATMAN!“

This has been kinda up and down for me. For the most part, it’s definitely an enjoyable read, but there are some times I really kind of miss the previous Batman & Robin title where Dick Grayson was Batman. And I know, I didn’t buy comics regularly before the relaunch, but I did read along with what was happening and picked up and read the comics at the shop if they looked interesting. But anyway, this book is still good, but lemme just say this: If you’re like me, and you don’t necessarily like seeing superheroes kill villains, the last thing you ever want to hear Damian say in this comic is “I will never kill again”, because that means he is, at best, five minutes away from killing someone. Granted, one was technically already dead, and one was threatening to kill Batman, but still…

…I wanna make a pussy joke so bad here, but I honestly don’t think I could do one that hasn’t already been used with Catwoman. -_-

Okay, technically I am buying this book, but really it’s just for the Death of the Family tie-ins. I WAS thinking of maybe getting the book past that since they changed teams, and while it is admittedly MUCH better than when Judd Winick was writing it, it still isn’t really my thing. Still, for those of you that wanted a better Catwoman book than the Winick book where he had Catwoman pretty much forcing herself onto Batman for no reason and then getting the crap kicked out of her in a VERY graphic manner, feel free to pick it up and make your own judgements. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.

“I’m a circus-boy acrobat that can kick the crap out of an undead assassin! Wanna know why? Because I was BATMAN!“

This is another book that I started picking up for the Night of Owls tie-in and decided to stick with. Basically, after spending a year as Batman, Dick Grayson has gone back to being Nightwing (in a new red costume, which I do not get at all) and now has inherited the deed to Haly’s Circus that he and his family travelled with. Making his life all the more complicated is that working with him in his attempts to bring life back to the circus is none other than the daughter of the mobster who had his parents killed, who apparently might also have feelings with him. The current mini-arc involving Lady Shiva isn’t all that great, mostly because it’s obviously just there to be filler, but I get the feeling it’ll go back to being awesome afterwards.

“I took my superhero alias and emblem and posted it worldwide as my own private army against crime, a move that should be getting me sued in EVERY conceivable way possible, but I got away with it scott free……………………..BECAUSE I’M THE GODDAMN BATMAN!!!“

This book is just a ton of fun. It’s not the best book going right now, but it’s a ton of fun, it picks up right after the book of the same name that existed before the relaunch, it goes a lot into the Batman stories of the past few years, and it just has fun with the concept. For those that don’t know, after a situation where Bruce Wayne returned from travelling through time, he decided to take Batman’s mission worldwide, thus creating Batman Incorporated. Their number one adversary has been someone called Leviathan, revealed to be Talia al Ghul, and a lot of the various Bat Family members, both old and new, have gotten involved in the battles against her. Also, it has frakking Bat-Cow. It is an awesome and fun read, end of story.

If at any point in this book, Calvin Rose actually says the words “Damn, look at those hooters!”, I will piss myself laughing. XD

From the first issue, actually since the issue before the first issue because before #1 was #0, but from that issue, I was officially sold on this book. Again, recap for those not in the know, but issues 1 through 12 of Scott Snyder’s Batman saw the Dark Knight facing off against this group called the Court of Owls and their undead assassins called Talons. This book, spinning out of that storyarc, deals with a single Talon that escaped the Court named Calvin Rose who is now on a mission to bring them down, primarily by taking down the last of the Talons not frozen by Batman following the Night of the Owls. Calvin is, for a lack of a better term, a hoot, and James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder’s writing for this book has been snappy as all hell. It CAN get a touch text heavy, which might be a problem for some people. Not quite WARRIOR level text heavy, mind you. Still, if you can get past that, there’s a LOT of enjoyment to be had here.

Anyway, those are the books I buy every month. Again, it’s possible I may drop one or two titles in favour of something else, but rest assured, if I do, I will keep you guys up to date. Ja né!