My Thoughts On The DC Rebirth Line-Up

Yeah, this is kinda late, but I thought I’d wait at least a little bit to see what news emerged before giving my thoughts on the current line-up. There were a lot of rumours going into Rebirth, namely what exactly it was. Another complete universal reboot, a soft reboot, a changed line-up to better reflect the shows and movies going right now, etc. In the end, though, what it appears to be is basically taking the concept of books like Green Lantern Rebirth and The Flash Rebirth and applying it to the DC Universe as a whole, as Geoff Johns explains here:

So, it doesn’t seem to be a universal reboot, but rather a soft reboot to reintroduce certain aspects of the characters that we love, as well as re-establish certain other heroes. We can go more in-depth about what that might entail, as well as the cryptic words of the mysterious narrator, later, though. For now, let’s just look at the actual line-up of books that have been confirmed thus far, which looks like this:

June:
Rebirth Specials:
• AQUAMAN REBIRTH #1
• BATMAN REBIRTH #1
• THE FLASH REBIRTH #1
• GREEN ARROW REBIRTH #1
• GREEN LANTERNS REBIRTH #1
• SUPERMAN REBIRTH #1
• TITANS REBIRTH #1
• WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
• AQUAMAN #1
• BATMAN #1
• THE FLASH #1
• GREEN ARROW #1
• GREEN LANTERNS #1
• SUPERMAN #1
• WONDER WOMAN #1

New Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
• ACTION COMICS #957
• DETECTIVE COMICS #934

July
Rebirth Specials:
• BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY REBIRTH #1
• HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS REBIRTH #1
• THE HELLBLAZER REBIRTH #1
• JUSTICE LEAGUE REBIRTH #1
• NIGHTWING REBIRTH #1
• RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
• HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
• JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
• NIGHTWING #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):
• BATGIRL #1
• BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY #1
• THE HELLBLAZER #1
• RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS #1
• THE SUPER-MAN #1
• TITANS #1

Fall
Rebirth Specials:
• BATMAN BEYOND REBIRTH #1
• BLUE BEETLE REBIRTH #1
• CYBORG REBIRTH #1
• DEATHSTROKE REBIRTH #1
• EARTH 2 REBIRTH #1
• SUICIDE SQUAD REBIRTH #1
• SUPERGIRL REBIRTH #1
• TEEN TITANS REBIRTH #1
• TRINITY REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
• CYBORG #1
• DEATHSTROKE #1
• HARLEY QUINN #1
• JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #1
• SUICIDE SQUAD #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):
• BATMAN BEYOND #1
• BLUE BEETLE #1
• EARTH 2 #1
• GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER #1
• SUPERGIRL #1
• SUPERWOMAN #1
• SUPER SONS #1
• TEEN TITANS #1
• TRINITY #1

…So, let’s go over my thoughts for now about some of the announced books, starting with…

The Superman Books

Looks like the Superman titles are undergoing a major revamp. While Action Comics is going back to its old numbering, Supergirl is returning with her own title (about time), and we’re also getting the new books Superwoman, Super Sons, and The Super-Man. If I had to take a guess, and I suppose at this point that’s all I can do, I’d wager that this all has to do with the upcoming Super League storyline that’ll wrap up the current Superman titles, with Superman enlisting several other superheroes as a team of Supermen (and Superwomen, it seems). Why is he doing this? Well, recently, Superman was able to regain his powers, but at a price, and he’s potentially dying, so he might be trying to pull a Batman and have the Super League act as a contingency should something happen to him and the world still needs Superman. Also, Batman/Superman and Superman/Wonder Woman seem to be getting dropped in favour of a Trinity book, which I am 100% okay with, especially since both books have been telling the same story as the other Super titles anyway. Might as well just put all three in a single title where they all get top billing. Also, I can’t help but notice that Superman: Lois And Clark is disappearing, but I’ve heard that the pre-Flashpoint Superman who appears in that book will both be involved in the Super League story as well as Rebirth, so not crossing them out just yet. Lastly, the one book that got me to raise an eyebrow most in this whole line-up was “The Super-Man”. However, I’ve since been directed to a cover for Justice League #51, where Lex Luthor is shown to be in a Superman-esque costume. Perhaps an attempt to cast Lex Luthor as the evil Superman that was originally conceived before Action Comics #1? We’ll see. Oh, and just saying, PLEASE DC, put Superman in a costume that at least balances out the three colours better. There’s just too much blue and not enough yellow in this equation.

The Batman Books

I’m a bit interested to see where Batman goes now that he’s been back from the dead…again. lol I mean, the last time he came back, he created Batman Incorporated. Right now, it feels like a similar idea isn’t far off, with Jim Gordon apparently keeping his Batsuit, Batgirl starting a new Birds of Prey team, and Dick Grayson evidently going back to being Nightwing. And, if you’re confused about that, well…Batman And Robin Eternal #20 kinda revealed that Helena Bertinelli set it up to where Spyral’s orbital little satellite has the ability to make everyone forget about his unmasking and ‘death’ in Forever Evil, thus allowing him to go back to his old life if he so chose. And, I gotta admit, when I first heard about that, it actually sounded like an intriguing moral and ethical dilemma: Should Dick use this technology, essentially mind wiping the entire planet’s population, so he can go back to being Nightwing? Or should he continue to work for a group of secret agents who are CONSTANTLY bending the rules of what is and isn’t ethically sound or legal in order to get the job done? It’s not an easy situation to figure out… … …Too bad I know for a fact that they’re not gonna explore it much and instead it looks like he’s just gonna flip the switch and damn the consequences. I’m not saying that’s necessarily WRONG, just…kinda feels like the easy way out. Frankly, at this point, I just hope they put him back in blue this time around. I’m also interested to see what Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey will be like, and I kinda hope that Gail Simone ends up writing it eventually. Ask nearly anyone, and they’ll tell you that Birds of Prey was at its best when Gail was writing it. No sign of a Robin book yet, which is a little concerning, and it looks as though Gotham Academy is continuing on. And lastly, yeah, I remember what my initial reaction was to Red Hood And The Outlaws coming back, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that, as long as that book is around, it keeps Scott Lobdell away from anything I actually CARE about. 😛

The Justice League Books

SONOFABITCHMOTHERFUCKINGSHITMASSAGINGCOCKGRINDINGMONKEYFACEDCLOWNFART!!! Just when Justice League had become AMAZING, Johns and Fabok are both off the book! Didn’t I specifically say I wanted them to stay on the book going into Rebirth?!…Well, hopefully, Fabok can find work on one of the other titles. I’m personally hoping for Wonder Woman, because I fucking love how he draws her. Speaking of, I’ve been hearing rumours (so take this with a grain of salt) that Marguerite Bennett could be the new writer for Wonder Woman, which is actually funny because she’s Scott Snyder’s old pupil, and I was requesting Scott Snyder’s Wonder Woman a while ago, so…Yeah. lol Anyway, Justice League of America is apparently just gonna be Justice League America…’kay. Why we can’t just call it JLA, I dunno.

The Titans Books

So, I’m guessing that since there are two Titans books right now, Teen Titans and Titans Hunt, and there are two Titans books post-Rebirth, Teen Titans and just plain Titans, that plain Titans is probably gonna be about Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, and the other older Titans. With any luck, we’ll see Starfire join that team, since her book is ending (not cancelled, though, as it was apparently always planned for 12 issues), and otherwise, I fear she might end up going back to RHATO, which I would LOATHE. Other than that, not much else to discuss.

Everything Else

Like I said earlier, the team of Marguerite Bennett and Jason Fabok on Wonder Woman would be awesome if it comes to be. The silhouettes for the official image for Rebirth suggest the return of Wally West as Kid Flash, which could prove interesting for The Flash, and there looks to be a female Green Lantern, which could be Jessica Cruz, and after recent events with the Green Lantern Corps, they could use the new recruits who are already a little experienced with Power Rings. It’s looking like Earth 2 might be reverting back to a more traditional look and feel, especially if I’m right about who that is second from the left behind the curtain of the Rebirth image. And I couldn’t help but notice both Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes appeared in the video, so seeing that there’s a Blue Beetle comic involved raises some questions, like are they going to be working as a duo of sorts. And Hellblazer…Look, I don’t really care about Constantine. I find him to be a major horse’s ass, personally speaking. But, I know a lot of people DO care, and were pissed when his show got cancelled rather quickly, so I will say that I’m glad those people are getting their fill of Constantine, both with this comic and with his appearances in Arrow. Oh, and lastly, I’ve heard that Rebirth will apparently include what Dan Didio calls his most controversial moment ever…Dear God, save me. -_-

Anyway, those are my thoughts so far. If anything else comes up that I’m personally invested in, I’ll go ahead and give my thoughts on it. Be sure to leave your own thoughts below, and we’ll see what goes on from now ’til June. Ja né!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Oh yeah, and expect a How To Drop The Ball In Comics: The New 52 in June. ^_^

A Look At The Flash & Poison Ivy From The Justice League Infinite Fanfic

So, as I announced before, I’m doing a Justice League fanfic entitled ‘Justice League Infinite’. As such, I’m going through all seven members of this world’s League, what makes them different from their counterparts, etc. As such, let’s take a look at this world’s version of The Fastest WOMAN Alive, The Flash.

As you can tell from the above photo, this Flash is heavily based off of the superheroine Jesse Quick, a favourite of mine to be honest. In this universe, Jessica Garrick is the daughter of this world’s Jay Garrick, AKA the Golden Age Flash, and once served as Kid Flash. However, an accident during a battle with The Rogues resulted in Jay’s death, after which, Jesse took up the mantle, protecting Keystone City from crime. Like Jesse Quick, she is extremely goal-oriented and even runs her own company, though she also has a more thrill-seeking side to her that constantly wants out of the office and fighting criminals. She’s also taken up various extreme sports, has a pilot’s license, and even flown shuttle simulations. However, the death of her father has left a dark imprint on her mind, as Jesse also harbours a deep, personal grudge against The Rogues, blaming them for the death of her father and having little in the way of patience for their antics. Still, she is far from a being a brooding loner, and of the seven heroes on the mission to save Earth, Flash is the one most eager and adamant about starting a group, believing them to be the inheritors of the Justice Society’s legacy. She also has a hyperactive little brother named Bart (based off Bart Allen), who is also a speedster and wants to take on the role of Kid Flash, much to Jesse’s occasional annoyance.

The Scarlet Speedster of Earth Infinite wears a costume almost identical to Jesse Quick’s from the earlier issues of The Titans, only that it bears the logo of The Flash. Also, the visor she wears comes equipped with an LED display that allows her to keep constant track of her surroundings and approaching obstacles or individuals. Naturally, as The Flash, she possesses superspeed, able to shatter the sound barrier with ease, and has the ability to process information like a super computer. She can also phase through solid objects by vibrating her body at just the right speed, create whirlwinds, and even sustain flight for a few minutes if she launches herself upward at the right speed and angle (an ability unique to herself and her counterpart from other Flashes). The best way to counter her in combat is to out-think her, as anyone who can predict her movements can adapt and bring her down regardless of how fast she’s moving.

Anyway, that’s it for The Flash…BUT, because I feel like giving something extra (and getting all these done before Friday, when Pokémon Omega Ruby comes out and takes up all my time, lol), let’s talk about someone I would LOVE to one day see on the Justice League for real: Poison Ivy.

After she was seduced by Doctor Jason Woodrue and used as a guinea pig in his experiments, for which the doctor was able to avoid being brought to justice, Pamela Isley took on the identity of Poison Ivy and decided to dedicate her life to helping those that the law and the governments of the world couldn’t or wouldn’t help, whether those in power like it or not. Pam has a slight case of S.A.D., or Seasonal Affective Disorder. She can at times be a bit violent, even ruthless against those that harm others, but she’ll relent when asked to. She also has a particularly soft spot for children, especially orphaned or otherwise estranged children. As such, in this universe, it’s Pamela who discovers Garfield Logan and gives him a home when most of the world shuns him, and in turn, his more jovial side helps her to look on the light side of life.

Poison Ivy possesses a connection to The Green, allowing her to commune with and control all plant life on the planet. As her costume (lifted from The New 52) is laced with vines, leaves, and other forms of plant-life, this makes it a living entity on its own that can be used as a weapon, binding and whipping foes from a distance. She can even ensnare her own body in hardened bark to protect herself, or to improve her strength in attacks. Pam is also immune to all venoms and toxins, is highly resistant to mind control, and can even pass her consciousness along into a plant-based avatar. Finally, the Queen of The Green can use various powders and chemicals meant to paralyze, knock out, or otherwise incapacitate foes, and even force them to tell her whatever she wants to know. However, Ivy does have a massive weakness: Because she can hear the voices of all plant life, their cries of pain could distract her and cause her to lose control of her powers. Also, she’s highly vulnerable to ice based attacks and fire. Still, she is a proven survivor who will go to any lengths to preserve and protect.

Next time, we check out the Man of Tomorrow: Superman. And this version is again based largely on a somewhat…different take on the character. 🙂

Taking Requests For DC Team-Up Fics + Last Chance To Vote on Fanfic Universe Name (FEEDBACK REQUESTED)

So, remember a while back when I talked about What I’d Do Instead of Superman/Wonder Woman? Y’know, the random crossover book? Well, having FINALLY written Will & Hope, I’ve decided that I’m going to start taking requests from people to do crossover team-up fics of various DC superheroes. Basically, you post a request on here or in the comments for my fanfics, listing 2-3 heroes and 2-3 of their villains, and provided I like the idea of the team-up and it works within the canon of my fics, I will give it an honest shot.

Just as examples, you could ask for something like Wonder Woman and Batman taking on Cheetah and Bane, Robin and Raven battling Harley Quinn and one of the Sons of Trigon, Superman and John Stewart fighting Atomic Skull and Atrocitus, whatever. You don’t HAVE to post a plot idea if you don’t want to, but I suppose it could help. One thing I do ask, or rather recommend if you want better odds of me agreeing to do it, is that you list characters that have appeared in my fics thus far, the heroes at least. I’ll probably post a list of characters that have appeared thus far in my Fanfiction.net profile, (which is J.A.Phillips, btw), but for now, here’s a list of heroes and villains that have appeared or been referenced to thus far, more or less in order of appearance.

Heroes: Batman (Bruce Wayne), Robin, Martian Manhunter, Batman (Thomas Wayne), Superman, Supergirl/Power Girl, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance), Raven, Huntress, Batwoman, Batgirl/Oracle, Green Arrow, Black Canary (Dinah Drake-Lance), The Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), The Flash (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

Villains: Tony Zucco, Copperhead (female version from Arkham Origins), Rupert Thorne, Lew Moxon, Carmine Falcone, Gillian Loeb, Victor Zsasz, Manchester Black, Lex Luthor, Plasmus, Atomic Skull, Magpie, Baud, Dyna-mind, Parasite, Solomon Grundy, Toyman, The Joker, Firebug, The Riddler, The Jokerz, John Corben/Metallo, Nasthalthia Luthor, Bizarro, Jared, Trigon, Omerta the Silencer, Aquarius, Bleez, Atrocitus, Sinestro, Weather Wizard, Volcana, Dex-Starr

All of that aside, I’ve decided that, starting with my upcoming Justice League fanfic, I will be listing all of my fanfiction under a name for my fan-made universe. So, with that said, this is the last opportunity to vote on the name: Either Earth 52, so named for being the reality that doesn’t exist in the comics, or Infinite DC, named after Ultimate Marvel and for being influenced by the events of an infinite number of other comics, TV shows, movies, and so on.

Anyway, if you have a request for a team-up, post it below, and I shall see what I can do for you in the future. Ja né!

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• Marx Hits The Streets Of Gotham In “Birds Of Prey: Zero Year” (comicbookresources.com)
• Batman Arkham Origins: Commissioner Loeb (orcz.com)
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• Wonder Woman May Be In ‘Batman Vs. Superman,’ Says Warner Brothers (splashpage.mtv.com)
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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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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? 😥