Books I’d Like To See In The DC YOU

So, a while back, I gave my thoughts on what I’d like to see as a Poison Ivy solo book. In the comments, someone said, and I quote:

Nice statement of having Ivy getting her own series, any chance of doing more for other characters that needs/deserve for their own series?

…Well, I always aim to please, so what the hell? Here’re some more books I’d like to see done in the DC YOU.

#1 – Doom Patrol

First thing they gotta do, they gotta kick Caulder to the curb for his bullcrap. Admittedly, a lot of this is because I wanna see more of Element Woman, but I still think people would love this. Just with the various personalities involved. Also, Geoff Johns would have to be the one to write it. And frankly, I’m shocked as all hell to learn that a Doom Patrol spin-off book wasn’t in the works when he introduced them in Justice League. Another thing they could do with this book is bring back a lot of the other heroes that don’t have their own books anymore and have them be here. Skitter and Lagoon Boy would be great choices in that regard, and I’m not really sure what Bleez is up to as of late, so they could have her appear as well.

#2 – Justice Incarnate

Admittedly, something akin to this could already be in the works with the next Multiversity Too, but I would love to see an ongoing starring the heroes of Justice Incarnate as they battle threats to the existence of the Multiverse. Granted, because Morrison is doing the Multiversity Too graphic novels, I dunno if he’d have time for this. However, I’m sure they could find someone ready to take on a wacky yet awesome concept like this. And because of the current state of the Multiverse following Convergence, there’re plenty more characters they could add. Think about it: Every single story and every incarnation of the DC Universe that has ever been retconned by reboots are now canon again. Y’know how Parallax/Hal Jordan went back to stop Crisis On Infinite Earths and redeem his actions? Why not have him show up here to continue that streak. And speaking of Convergence…

#3 – Convergence: Aftermath

I know a few characters from Convergence are getting books to explain what happened to them afterward, but we could use a few more. If Darkseid War can get tie-in books explaining what happens in the aftermath of Darkseid vs the Anti-Monitor, Convergence can get a mini-series talking about what happened to the characters involved. Like, what’s pre-Flashpoint Arsenal up to now that he’s finally got Lian back? How did the continuing adventures of that universe’s Batman differ from the New 52 version’s (remember, early on in the New 52, the Batman books more-or-less progressed like they occurred just after what the books showed beforehand)? Are any of the other worlds still dealing with the repercussions of the worlds being brought together like in Justice League United? Did they find ways to possibly keep tabs afterward? These are all questions worthy of being answered. Of course, I would ask that the same people who wrote the Convergence tie-ins to write this book, because they’ve clearly all done their research.

#4 – Birds of Prey

Seriously, why isn’t this book a thing? I’ve brought it up before, and I’ll do so again: At the end of Gail Simone’s run of Batgirl, it was revealed that Babs had the resources and connections to call in nearly EVERY SUPERHEROINE ON EARTH to deal with a crisis. And now, apparently Batgirl’s gonna be called upon for a mission for the Justice League United, meaning that there are even more heroines potentially added to her list of contacts. Granted, because of the format of JLU, doing something exactly like that would be repetitive, so there’d need to be a core team. Given that Bluebird isn’t doing anything right now, although she is slated to appear in Batman and Robin Eternal, she seems like a good pick. Batwoman doesn’t have a book, and has teamed with Babs on a couple of occasions, once being super recent, so let her in. Spoiler is only appearing in Catwoman’s book to train with Eiko, let both of them in. Haven’t seen Starling in forever, find a way to redeem her actions and let her in. BAM, half a dozen members right there.

#5 – Red Robin

Again, how many times I have to say this? Red Robin solo book, bringing back some of the fun of Tim’s original solo book. Just have him go old-school teen detective on criminals and nab ’em like the best damned junior Batman one could ever hope to be. Above all, remember that Tim was not originally meant to be mini Bruce. He’s the detective of the Robins, yes, but his personality is different. He is not a jerk, he does not brood. He is, however, smart. Bring back THAT Tim Drake for a solo book.

Anyway, that’s all I can think of for now. Lemme know if there are any more you’d like to see, and we’ll see if DC takes notice. Ja né!

The Future of the Justice Leagues? What I’d Do With The Teams Following Forever Evil (WARNING – SPOILERS FOR TRINITY WAR)

So it’s been a while since I talked about what I’d do with the New 52 given certain situations, but this one just kinda hit me now. As most of us know, following Trinity War, there’ll be a massive event called Forever Evil. According to solicits for DC Comics in September and October, the Trinity War will end with the “deaths” of the Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark, along with nearly all of their members, with the Secret Society of Evil going on a rampage and taking over the world in the absence of the world’s greatest heroes. Now of course, we can kinda gather that this’ll likely turn out to be a ruse of some sort by the Justice Leagues to take down the villains all at once, or that they’re simply put out of commission temporarily and find a way to return to action. Still, it makes one wonder what exactly will be the shape of these three teams following the event.

My personal vote, if it had any meaning whatsoever? I’d say have the Leagues come together to be three distinct teams of a single Justice League. They would continue working as they have been, with the Justice League operating as the #1 response team to the biggest threats to the world, the JLA as the government controlled team, and the JLD as the response team to supernatural threats, but they would also be actively assisting each other wherever possible. Heck, they could even change-up certain members, even add a couple to their ranks, then form a sort of counsel of one or two members from each team to form a leadership role for the group on a whole.

So who would I move where? Well, for starters, I think I’d move Zatanna back to the JLD for the purpose of being its team leader (because I can’t frakking stand Constantine), possibly bring Element Woman with her, bring Amethyst back to the team, and if it turns out that Doctor Light is still alive, I’d move him there too. Also, if he isn’t already, I’d make Swamp Thing a full member. I’d probably swap Cyborg and Martian Manhunter between the teams, as well as Firestorm and The Atom (remember, The Atom is a spy from the JLA right now). Finally, provided she can get away from the DOA, I’d put Batwoman on the JLA, maybe bringing along Goldrush, and I’d finally bring back Hal Jordan to the Justice League, have Shazam stay on the team, and possibly bring Vixen to the team.

I swear to God, DC, if you kill Dick Grayson…

So, with all that said, the teams would look like this…

Justice League

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Hal Jordan, The Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, The Atom, Shazam, and Vixen

Justice League of America

Steve Trevor, Green Arrow, Katana, Hawkman, Catwoman, Vibe, Simon Baz, Cyborg, Stargirl, Firestorm, and Goldrush

Justice League Dark

Zatanna, Constantine, Frankenstein, Deadman, Madame Xanadu, Swamp Thing, Doctor Light, Element Woman, and Amethyst

…Anyway, that’s just my thoughts. Lemme know what you think below, and I will see y’all next time. Ja né!

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What I Didn’t Buy Yesterday (And Why I Should Have/Shouldn’t Have) – Justice League #20, Batman: The Dark Knight #20, Batman: Li’l Gotham #2 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

So let’s talk about some books that I didn’t buy yesterday, why I should have/shouldn’t have, and ultimately why I didn’t. Let’s start off with Justice League #20.

First off, I only briefly skimmed through this book, and while I’m usually good on picking up details, I may have missed a couple here or there, so if you wanna know the full deal, read the book yourself. Anyway, we get to see the three newbies (Firestorm, Element Woman, and The Atom) take on DESPERO, of all people, who has the Kryptonite ring stolen from the Batcave last month, although he himself didn’t steal it, and it’s been altered to fit his giant fingers. However, while Despero is able to plough through them easily enough, he has less than stellar results when Martian Manhunter makes a surprise arrival at the Watchtower, telling Atom not to reveal that he was there after dispatching Despero, so she has to tell the other Leaguers that she managed to fluke her way into taking him down. After recovering the ring, we learn that, yes, in this continuity, Superman is still the one that gave the Kryptonite ring to Batman, just in case something happened where he was mind controlled or turned to evil or for whatever reason he might be forced to power Supes down. However, he’s less than thrilled when he finds out that there’s a box in the Batcave for each member of the League, each containing a fail-safe for each one. It’s at this point that Batman tells him other reason he doesn’t like the idea of him and Wonder Woman dating, as he shows Clark Diana’s box to reveal there’s nothing inside (shut up, don’t make that joke). Instead, should the need arise, Batman chose Superman to be his fail-safe against Wonder Woman, should the need arise. However, to keep things even, Batman hands him another box: The one containing the fail-safe against Batman, and insists that if Clark is truly his friend, he’ll use it on him if he’s ever turned rogue. We don’t see the contents, but whatever it was, it shocked Superman pretty bad.

So getting back to Rhonda Pineda, the new Atom, I’ve REALLY been enjoying her as a character. She’s smart, witty, and kind of a geek, as she apparently spends her free time shrinking down to enter and play MMORPGs. And yeah, as I made no attempt to conceal, I find her kind of hot, too… … …She’s the mole. She’s the one that hacked the Watchtower database and downloaded the entire history of the Justice League. It’s not entirely her fault, though. She doesn’t want to continue doing this, but she’s being made to. Turns out, she’s a member of the JLA, picked out to be the counter for Element Woman, and forced to do Amanda Waller‘s work.

So yeah, why didn’t I buy this issue? Mostly that, plus money, plus the Shazam mini-story that is, as per the norm, terrible. And I’m just gonna say this now: I’m dropping Justice League of America. Why? Well, remember how I said this book was headed to a not-very-fun place? I’m sorry, but it’s clear to me that the plot of this is essentially Suicide Squad with superheroes, except that some of the heroes on the team aren’t being written to be all that heroic. Just some free advice: When the most heroic members of the team are Vibe, Stargirl, and Steve Trevor, that’s a problem. Why? Because Steve isn’t even a superhero, Stargirl isn’t even an active member of the team and instead being made to work as their public face, and Vibe, while his reintroduction in the reboot has been pretty awesome, is still kinda young and feels out of place at times, like he should’ve been on Titans or something. Oh, and it gets better, because they’ve decided to BRING BACK DOCTOR LIGHT! No no, not the good one, the fucking rapist!…DOCTOR COX, I NEED YOU AGAIN!

THANK YOU, DOCTOR COX! Just…Geoff Johns, NO! Just, NO! I respect the hell outta you, and of course am sad to hear that yer leaving Green Lantern, but NO! There are characters that should be brought back and given a second chance, and there are freaks like this that need to remain dead and buried! NO!

SYMBOLISM!!!11!! OMFGWTFGENIUS!

Batman: The Dark Knight #20. First off, I wanna apologise to someone who shall remain nameless due to a pretty bad argument/discussion that broke out last night over this issue. But I digress, for all of the bad this series has had, this issue is the worst of all, and makes me so glad I dropped it a year ago. The story is pretty much crap, with Bruce continuing to grade to the point where he as a character is only motivated to make his life better by flashbacks of his parents, and Alfred actually starts talking him into considering hanging it up as Batman. But what makes me despise this issue more than any other? Well, remember that time I brought up the stupidity of Batman revealing his true identity to Natalya, the love interest no one cares about?

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She’s dead. Oh, and not just dead, but she got the crap kicked out of her by Mad Hatter’s goons and then dropped out of a helicopter straight down onto the Bat Signal (see what I meant about symbolism?)…Y’know, I’ve mentioned before that I wasn’t an active reader before the relaunch, but I’ve heard some pretty sick tales of characters treated like this in comics, particularly women. And frankly, I am sick to death of seeing this shit!

And finally, that leads to Batman: Li’l Gotham #2.

So what are my thoughts on it?…None. Kinda the reason why I didn’t buy it: It was sold out by the time I got to the store. But I’m hoping to get an issue of it soon enough, and then I’ll share my thoughts with y’all…I will say that, even without reading it, it automatically gets points for having Damian in it, alive and well.

So that’s what I did not buy yesterday, though hopefully I buy one of them sooner than later. Leave your comments below, and I will see y’all next time. Ja né!

What I Didn’t Buy Today (And Why I Should Have/Shouldn’t Have) – Justice League #18 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

So I thought, as a little something special, I’d talk about one comic that I was kind of on the fence about buying, but ultimately decided not to. There were a few reasons that I could have bought it, though, and that’s what I’d like to cover here. So with that said, let’s look at Justice League #18.

So why should I have bought it? Well, for starters, there wasn’t much in the way of Superman/Wonder Woman romance, so detractors of that relationship would be happy. But I think the big attraction here is the LARGE cast of characters. Basically, after the last issue where the Justice League put the kibosh on the Atlantis invasion, Batman realised that it was likely that their enemies would start joining up against them, and that the government would lose faith in them. Thus, Batman and Cyborg explain that Cyborg has a network in his mind keeping mental track of lots of the known superheroes in the world called The Grid, hence why he was able to call for help when the others were in trouble. They then explain that they should consider recruiting some new members, and Flash suggests it might be a fun idea to have them come up to the Justice League Watchtower for a little meet and greet. As such, we are treated to seeing them meeting and conversing with Nightwing, Black Canary, Firestorm, Goldrush, Vixen, Element Woman, Black Lightning, Platinum, and more.

Anyway, for some weird reason, Platinum goes haywire, attacking everyone. They need to try and shut her down, but no one can get close, so Element Woman and Firestorm try to hold her off, Firestorm using his powers to try to force her back into her liquidy state and thus revealing…I think it’s her central processor, I’m not sure. Anyway, once it’s revealed, it gets taken care of with the emergence of The Atom. However, if you’ve been following along with news as of late, you’ll know that this is a new Atom, and…and…

Rhonda Pineda, AKA The Atom

…A-And, um…I, uh…

*slaps myself HARD* ANYWAY! So yeah, Firestorm, Element Woman, and The Atom are recruited into the League, mainly because they’re available full-time (what with Firestorm’s book getting cancelled, lol) and because they pretty much saved everyone’s asses. However, all is not well as someone sends an anonymous threatening message to their computer, thus setting up for the next arc which is promised to be lead-up for The Trinity War, the next big crossover event for DC.

So, why didn’t I get this? Well, admittedly this is kind of biased on my part, but I can sum it up in one word: Shazam. I hate the crap out of the Shazam mini-series that’s been included in Justice League ever since the beginning of the second arc of the book. It really centres around the fact that I don’t like what they’ve done with Billy Batson‘s character, changing him from a sweet, innocent boy who wanted to do the right thing and be a hero into a little punk who cons people out of their money. However, as I understand it, that story will be coming to a head in Justice League #21, thank goodness. If you like it, fine, I won’t argue with you over it, but me personally, I’m counting down the days until that subplot is over.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on this comic. Feel free to leave your own, and hey, maybe I’ll do this more often in the future. Ja né!

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