Puny Humans Playing with Matches

Straight from the headlines of current geeky events!

Reed totally cut in line

Y'know? The Kirby craziness and overly dramatic Lee dialog completely sells this one.

That and The Watcher's spiffy black sweater.

(That's actually lifted straight from a photo of Steve Jobs)
(No, I'm not buying one. At least not yet.)


Enjoy your weekend, folks!

Bonus Update: Everybody Loves Ambush Bug!

Why the hell not:

Much better.

Like me, you would buy any 4th World / Ambush Bug crossover. You know you would.

Creepy Secret, Redux!

Sometimes an idea hits me while just going through other people's creativity.

Rachelle over at Living Between Wednesdays (a personal favorite comic blogs of mine, by the way) had a very funny write up of Lois Lane #89. Go read it. It's funny. I'll wait.

See? Told you it was funny!

Anyway, my favorite panel from the comic / post was this one:

Awesome. Creepy, but awesome.

I stared at that panel for a long time. How could I not? It's awesome! How creepy can Bruce get? And more importantly, can I kick the funny up a notch with some bad photoshop editing?

Hmmm... A shrine to Supergirl? Mary Marvel? ... nah.. not funny, just underage creepy. Superman? Too easy. Pied Piper? Too obscure. Catwoman? Too obvious. And not funny. James Gordon? Hmmm.. almost! Bat-Mite? Getting warmer...

Wait! I've got it!

I need a spare room

Tee hee.

When in doubt, pull out the Ambush Bug! Always money.

Most Wanted

Another Wednesday, another week's worth of new comic goodness in my grubby li'l hands! As usual, I'm doing a little write-up on what is my most looked-forward to issue, based simply on the cover, whatever foreknowledge I may have on it (and I tend to shy away from spoilers), and my own strange tastes. I'm also trying not to do back-to-back issues, which eliminated Criminal right off the bat this week. Though that one is really intriguing.

So, instead of a tightly scripted and all-around brilliant piece of taught, almost delicate crime drama, I'm going with a book guaranteed to kick me in the arse:


The Boys #8
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Darick Robertson

Garth Ennis is a writer that can't seem to script anything that isn't over-the-top ... or rather, under-the-gutter in his case. The guy thrives on one-upping himself. Some writers have a style that tends to revolve around a certain emotion or theme: humor, suspense, hate, change, love, redemption, etc.. Ennis seems to use bad taste. And humor. He appeals to that part of you that laughs at Helen Keller jokes. This is not a bad thing (heck, right up my street!), and indeed, when that's understood, it's easy to see where he'd fit in. Stick him on the Punisher? Brilliant! Hellblazer? Genius! Personally, I love for him to write Lobo, Joker, or Ambush Bug.

The Boys is Ennis being Ennis. It's not heady, it really isn't very deep, it's just ... well, fun! It's perfectly suited for him, and I've enjoyed it immensely. Then again, it's my kind of humor.

This issue simply furthers the plot that was set up since the last two issues - basically a Batman-esque character being unable to resist his .. umm urges, I suppose. A murder gets tossed into to the mix which brings him to The Boys' attention. Things build up nicely, and we have fewer *ugg!* moments (I think) than since the series began. There's a few great moments of character development, and a nice ... well, it's not a cliffhanger, per se.. but a great starting point for the next issue.

Most Wanted Panel:
Sorry this one's so short. This week's killing me at work. Oh well, you get what you pay for!

Bonus Update: Mesozoic Mind!

Wow. And I mean... WOW! I totally forgot about this one...

Seriously, if you don't smile at this at least once, you're in trouble, kiddies!


That's good 80s Dino-Cheese, right there..

(tee hee!)

Tagged!

Not a particularly humorous post, but it's been a rough, long day and apparently I've been "tagged" by Sally (whom I mistakenly referred to as "Sappy" in my hastily typed reply last post. Sorry 'bout that!), and am therefore bound to reply with 8 facts about me not already widely known.

That's only about half of the rules to this thing, but I really can't tag 8 other people who haven't already been tagged before, seeing as how that's pretty much my weekly hit total. Anyway, thanks to Sally for the consideration!

Ok, then! On me:

1) I own 4 mandolins, 5 guitars, 2 saxophones (1 alto, 1 soprano), a clarinet, and more misc. random instruments that can fit in my closet. I can even play some of them quite well, thank you very much! I sing passably, have been in more than my share of garage bands, and still find time to drunkenly embarrass myself from time to time attempting Karokee at the random bar.

2) I routinely fall asleep while watching cartoons. I think it has affected me in strange ways over the years. I don't know this to be a fact, but it would explain a lot. And that's half the battle.

3) I can solve a Rubik's Cube in under 2 minutes. My best time is under 20 seconds. Yes, I was one of *those* kids in the 70s. I'm pretty good at Elevator Action, too.

4) I was once lost in the Idaho wilderness for 3 days and had to eventually be helicoptered out. I credit my dogs with saving my life to this day. They got steak. It's quite a story, actually.

5) I frequently carry dinosaur teeth in my pocket. It's particularly fun to explain at airport checkpoints.

6) I am absolutely horrible with directions, noticing landmarks, keeping my bearings, etc. See (#4) above. I frequently make what should be a 20 minute drive into a 2 hour "Where the Fuck is that street?!?!" It's so bad that my co-workers actually chipped in to buying me a GPS a few years ago. Seriously.

7) I love bad movies / bad television / bad comics / bad computer games. MST 3K was a Godsend to me. Groaning humor makes me giggle. This is probably not a surprise to anyone reading this and following what I try to pass off as the funny.

8) I hope to never grow up.

Well, that's it! And please, Ladies? No stalkers.

Centennial!

Hey! How about that! Post #100! Yay! Who'da thunk it?

And, after checking the stats I'm happy to post that I'm the current number one Google search for "Supergirl Upskirt!" Ah, my purpose. It's all falling into place...

I'm also 4th for "Dominatrix Tales!" Yay!

(Hi, Googlers!)

So, anyway Soup! What do you feel like posting tonight? What it being a special entry and all?

Well, disembodied questioner, the same thing I post (nearly) every night....

Badly Photoshopped and tastelessly juvenile humor based on old comic book covers!

Ah! But why not go for a theme and use some comic's issue #100? Y'know? To go with your 100th post?

Done!
Who let Aquaman in this foursome? Was Hal busy? Seriously!

Yep. Future's lookin' good.

(Tell me you wouldn't put down your hard-earned 15 cents for that issue. Seriously.)

Couldn't Resist

You must know by now that whenever I use that phrase, you're in for things like this:


I really should've added an additional thought bubble (possibly making fun of Chester being a potential molester. Nah, too easy) ... but it's Friday, and It's weekend-lazy time.

And, Hey! Free Ice Cream!

(And what's up with Clark's blue shoes?)
(Boobies from JLA #10, of course.)
(And what does that "camera" actually do, anyway? The mind boggles!)

Have fun this weekend, kiddies!

I'm Dating Myself, Here

Please don't sue!
Must Click. Make Big.

I knew it! Something was amiss! Opus was right! Listen to the flightless waterfowl, I tells ya! *Ack!*

Oh, and the real reason for this one:

Happy 50th, Berke Breathed!!!

See? I could've put a thought baloon on the penguin! But I didn't, Sir!

Thanks for the many, many laughs through the years, sir!

Most Wanted

Arrgh! Another issue of The Spirit came out this week, making it once again my most anticipated comic that I just wrote about a few months ago. That series is sooo... good! This could start to be a problem. OK, new rule: If my weekly Most Wanted comic has been written up less than 3 months ago, it's disqualified to be written up again for the current week. That means next month's Spirit is good to go! And, I'll still get to write about every issue of All-Star Superman whenever-the-hell it comes out.

Yay! Problem solved! So... instead of The Spirit, I give you:


Ultimate Spider-Man #110
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley

This one came in second for two reasons: It's the last issue of what's been a particularly great story arc, and it's Bagley's last issue drawing the title.

(Well, sort of.. he'll be doing about half of the next one.. but this issue was the marker.)

That also means, in case you didn't know, that the amazingly prolific duo of Bendis and Bagley comes to an end. For 110 issues (a record, depending on who you ask), these two have driven this title - and done a fine job of it, all things considered. I still maintain that the Ultimate Spider-Man is currently the best interpretation of the character. Spider-Man should be 15 and in high school. He should have as much drama in his personal life as he does with the mask on. And he should have a very difficult time keeping those two lives separate. Say what you will about Bendis, but his Spider-Man is spot on. It's a near-perfect title for him to write: very smart, very real, lots of reasons for talking heads and lots of reasons to let the dialog stretch out the story.

(An aside: As much as I love picking up this series weekly, it really does read better in trade format. Especially if you're not a fan of Bendis' decompression writing style.)

Anyway ... this issue:

First off, I gotta say I didn't see the ending wrap-up coming. Nicely done, and well reasoned.

As we begin, the Kingpin has pretty much played Spidey and his Amazing Friends like a fiddle and they're working out the repercussions from that reveal last issue. A traitor is identified, and dealt with. People get mad. Bagley gets to draw a lot of head shots with shocked expressions. He's good at that.

Then, the heroes bust into Fisk Tower to give Ol' Fattie the smacking he so richly deserves, and they do get the upper hand for a while. Then we get into the old "Heroes don't kill / But he's EVIL!" dance, which is resolved in a way that had me saying, "No. Don't make that deal. He's the Freckin' Kingpin.. you think he's just going to do what he agreed to?"

And, sure enough, even as he's following through, Kingy's making plans for his revenge on the side. Then, Bendis pulls the rug out very suddenly and wraps it up with a completely different resolution. This one I like.

This story arc ("Ultimate Knights") would read great in trade, if you're so inclined. And this was a very good ending for it all. And some very good Bagley art to boot!

Ah, Bagley! I'll miss ya! Even though Stuart Freckin' Immonen!! will soothe that hurt, I'll still miss ya. Thanks for the 110 and 1/2, man!

Most Wanted Panel:

Hey, Spidey! Do I want to know what Ultimate MJ looks like when doing your laundry?

OK, then.

Brief Future Looks

Normally when the new monthly solicitations come out, I'll do a little writeup on what looks good / begs to be made fun of. This month however, there have been enough good ones already that I'm just going to touch on a few things of interest to probably no one but myself:

THE BLACK CANARY WEDDING PLANNER
JLA WEDDING SPECIAL #1
THE GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1

Yeah, this thing is going to be a frenzy. Normally, I'd think this was going too far overboard, and going to get well out of hand... but then again, it is a big-name wedding, and like a real life wedding.. these things tend to snowball out of control. I'll look at it that way, and enjoy the irony.

THE QUESTION: ZEN AND VIOLENCE VOL. 1 TP
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Denys Cowan & Rick Magyar
Cover by Cowan & Bill Sienkiewicz
A new trade paperback collecting the 1980s adventures of The Question, the faceless, morally conflicted avenger based in corrupt Hub City! A martial arts master, The Question delved into Eastern philosophy as he battled crime and the crooked politicians of his hometown. This volume, collecting issues #1-6, features appearances by Batman and many of DC's martial arts heroes.
Advance-solicited; on sale October 3 o 176 pg, FC, $19.99 US


Hell, yeah! I already own the complete series, but I'll be picking this up just to have a handy reading copy. The Denny O'Neil / Denys Cowan Question (Rama Kushna rest his soul) is just plain incredible. And if you don't think so... well, you're a poopy-head, Mr. Poopy-Head!

BATMAN #669
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and cover by J.H. Williams III
Concluding a 3-part story by Grant Morrison and J.H. Williams III! Batman's reunion with the Club of Heroes turns into a deathtrap as Robin and the Squire are kidnapped by the Black Glove! And with the Club of Villains lurking in the shadows, can good possibly triumph?
On sale September 12 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US


This can be nothing short of fantastic. And, boy! Does Morrison love the Squire, or what?!

(Can't say I blame him.)

JLA/HITMAN #1
Written by Garth Ennis
Art and Cover by John McCrea
Tommy Monaghan, the long-lost hero of HITMAN, returns in part one of this two-issue miniseries! There's a problem on the JLA moonbase, and not even the World's Greatest Heroes can cope by themselves. Can Tommy help them out? Will he? Unpleasant secrets from the past return...on the Darkside.
On sale September 19 o 1 of 2 o 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US


OK! Now we're talking! This has so much potential to live up to in my head that I think I can only be let down. Then again... Ennis writes the Justice League? That alone is worth the cost, right there.

DEATHBLOW #7
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art and cover by Carlos D'Anda
At war not with just the enemy but with his allies, Deathblow finds himself challenged for the title of "World's Deadliest Man." The challenger is less than a man - but more than human! Half machine, half dinosaur - 100% Osamasaurus!
On sale September 26 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US


OK, normally I would have zero interest in this. In fact, I really just glossed over the synopsis.

But... I happen to catch the phrase, "Osamasaurus: Half Machine, Half Dinosaur!" ...and, well brother?! You might have just huckstered yourself a sale there!



Finally, simply because it occurred to me as I was perusing the solicit, and because it was fairly easy to do... I give you a brand-new Cover Collision!

BLUE BEETLE #19
+
SUPERMAN #667
=

What the Hell? She lying down? Weird position...

These things are just obvious sometimes...

Ooooh, my head...

Just a quickie today, as I'm still recovering from my latest weekend debauchery.

You think I'd learn by now. *sigh*

Anyhoo, just to get a post down, here's something that is probably hanging on Bendis' wall somewhere:


"Hey! Remember that time Norman Osborne knocked up Gwen Stacy?"
"Skrulls."

"Iron Man turned into a prick? Captain America just gave up?"
"Skrulls."

"Mary Jane does laundry?"
"Domestic Skrulls."

"Paris Hilton's continuing relevance?"
"..."
"Ya got me."


Seriously. I'm beginning to wonder about that girl I met on Saturday...

How World War Hulk *Will* End

Part two of two.

Click? Hulk-Sized.
The Buildings! O NOES!

I wish this scenario wasn't in the back of my mind.

How World War Hulk *Should* End

First in a series of two.

Clicky For Hulk-Sized. You really need to.


... Sometime Later ...



This may be the greatest thing I've done thus far...

Tune in tomorrow for Part Two!

Most Wanted

This was an odd week, and I ended up changing my mind. To be honest, I initially chose New Avengers #31 as potentially the best - and it could have been: great story arc so far, nice flow with the whole Civil War thing, the setup looked great, and that whole promised "Nothing will be the same!" last panel.

Yeah, I'm a sucker. I would complain about a bait-and-switch, but one that actually involves a Skrull in disguise? ... well, I have enough of a sense of humor to realize that really, that's kinda funny. Fooled me good, you did Marvel.

So, I'm swapping my first choice with another one. And because it's another Big Event title, I'm still a sucker. Well, at least this one was decent:

Ow! Hotfoot!
World War Hulk #1
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: John Romita Jr.

This will be a short entry because, really the entire issue is a quick set-up and Planet Hulk re-cap followed by a lot of Hulk Smash. And make no mistake, I like Hulk to Smash. But it's done decently enough: Iron Man is less of a prick than usual, you sympathize with the Hulk even while he's smacking everyone around, it's all pretty believable, and boy! is the art pretty! My only real complaint is that Hulk seems to be pretty much effortlessly mowing through some of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. It's almost too easy .... I mean, he beats the ever-lovin' snot out of Black Bolt off panel, and that promised to be one of the better matchups. I know I wanted to see those two really throwdown!

Anyway, as first issues go, this was one of the better Big Event ones; it actually has got me looking forward to the rest of the series, and glad I didn't wait for the trade. So, it did its job.

Smashy Smashy!

Most Wanted Panel:
KRAKKABA-THROOM!

That's for Civil War, you prick.

Just a Still Town Girl on a Saturday Night

I just finished Countdown #47. You know, the one with the Mary Marvel exploding boobie cover? Yeah, well aside from that, something was real familiar with it to my (albeit, very strange and easily distracte... Hey! Hiya, puppy!) head. It reminded me of something else.. couldn't quite place it, but something real familiar...

Figured it out:

Dance! Dance your little Steel-Town Heart out! Dance, I say!

Surprised it didn't come to me sooner...

I just realised that my third sentence implies that I've encountered exploding boobies before now. I'm not taking it back.



Bonus - Behind the Scences: My first attempt at the funny was an off-panel PETA member throwing blood on her for wearing leather. This one's much better.

(I crack myself up, sometimes.)

(Yeah, I could've spent another hour prettying up the water in the shower down part, but that body spash effect took *way* too long by itself. Also, I thought about adding lyrics, musical notes, a tossed back chair, etc. But, eh.. you'll get the joke as it is now or you wouldn't at all.)

EDIT: Awww.. screw it.. added the lyrics. Even better now.

Bizarro! A Homage

[This was something I've meant to write about for a while, but Rachelle's challenge to write about your favorite comic shop pushed it to the forefront. Well, at least until after I got over my Freakazoid bender, anyway.]

Several years ago I moved from Georgia to Idaho, and quite honestly, I love it out here. Take today, for example: It's a pleasant 70 degrees, nice friendly breeze, clear skies, and I can see a really majestic mountain range (that still has the remains of last winter's snow covering the tallest peaks) right through the window as I'm typing this. The people are plain-spoken, no-nonsense and very friendly. They look at me funny if I slip into my (slight) southern accent. Usually that involves alcohol. And you can buy that on Sundays out here. Another plus.

Yes, I moved here and for the most part I didn't look back... except ... you see, I'm convinced that I moved away from the Planet's Greatest Comic Shop: Athens Georgia's Bizarro Wuxtry.

(that link is hardly representative, but there doesn't seem to be another)

Athens is a small town, about an hour from Atlanta, hosting a huge school (University of Georgia) and as a result has a quaint, "old southern town meets hip college crowd" vibe to it. Downtown is, ohhh... maybe 5 streets by 10, and is chock full of coffee houses, bars, cheap college-y food joints, fantastic dance and music clubs (Athens has an amazing musical history - and not all of it is centered around R.E.M.), and as many hip dorm room deco kitsch stores that you can shake your parent's money at.

One of these downtown stores is Wuxtry Records, a fantastic record store in the classic sense; their racks of CD's are matched by racks of LP's. It has that great old record store smell... and they have a ton of Athens music memorabilia. I often think about it and wonder how much its changed (or will change) as music inevitably marches towards the digital.

If you go around to the side of Wuxtry, and climb a foreboding set of stairs, you come face to face with the entrance to Bizarro Wuxtry.


If you choose to enter, prepare to have your mind blown.

For me to describe Bizarro Wuxtry would utterly fail to do it justice. It's a three room, nine shades circus of pure awesomeness. Every horizontal surface is covered with vintage pop-culture detritus, as are the vertical ones - old comics literally cover the walls, fighting for space with vintage toys and game pieces that make you yell, "Holy Shit! I remember that from when I was a kid!" Everything seems to be at least 30 years old. You could easily go into an epileptic seizure from the awesomeness overload. It's like your fantasy attic. It's like H.R. Puffinstuff exploded. It's the store you want to own. And play with. Be buried in.

One of the great things about Bizarro Wuxtry is that it doesn't even pretend to be kid friendly. From its inaccessibility, its huge selection of fantastic but adult books on the top shelf, to its "things all over the fuckin' place" attic-like feel, Bizarro is a serious comic store for serious comic people. The (and I hate this term) indy comic to mainstream comic ratio is amazingly high. This is the place to walk in and pick up all those comics that your typical comic store just won't order unless it's a special request ... and Bizarro orders them routinely, as they come out. Screw the latest issue of Tarot! Pick up the newest Johnny Ryan, Rene French or Jim Woodring on Wednesday!

But, and anyone who's ever set foot in Bizarro will tell you this, the greatest thing about the place is the man who runs it. Mr. Devlin Thompson was born to in turn give birth to this beast. The place is an extension of him. Besides having exquisite taste in all things wonderful, and being a really great guy in general, Devlin is a very gifted arti... I almost said artist, but that's only halfway right (though he is that). Devlin is one of the best natural Designers I've ever met. He makes concepts, ideas, ...things.. well, work. And he has a vast, glorious imagination. The store is representative of this - ever changing, always... well, Bizarro!. And, with a store like this, it is a necessity that you know your customers - just how many copies of Acme or Eightball will you actually sell, really? I'm amazed to this day that he could nail down the ordering of such an eclectic (and rotating - college town, remember?) customer base, but I believe part of it was he just ordered what was good, knew his customers, and told them about things he knew they'd like. He turned me on to more of my favorite artists and writers than I can ever name here. I loved chatting with this man, and anytime he came up to me with a "Hey, Dave ... check this out..." you knew you were going to see something extra special.

Devlin was definitely one of those kids that's been continuously drawing since he was a wee one, and fortunately for us, he had the good fortune to get a hold of those early scratchings. He currently maintains a blog (link added to the right) where he shares all those childhood drawings.. and it's awesome! Who wouldn't want to go through their own early kidworks? Go have a laugh.

God, I miss that place. I spent more time there than I did in bars while finishing college. And that's saying something.

Bizarro Wuxtry is even kinda-sorta famous in the comic circles because of a 1994 visit from Peter Bagge and Dan Clowes. Ol' Pee-Bag himself describes it:

Back cover of Hate #15
Click for The Biggie Bippy


I thought this was so spiffy that I had Devlin sign my copy:

Gonna cash that in one day!

If you're ever in Athens, GA - make sure you visit The Planet's Greatest Comic Shop: Bizarro Wuxtry - 225 College Ave. And tell Devlin I said "Hi!"

(..and if you happen to read this one day, Devlin ... Hiya, Ya grungy long-haired, old T-shirt, bearded, sandal-wearing bastard, Yas! Oh, and thanks for everything!)

Now, with Scream-O-Vision!

I remember laughing my ass off at this episode back in the day. Enjoy!


SCREAM


Smack me with a Handle!

Textbook case for Sigmund Freud...

The last one worked so well, I thought I'd try it again...


Man, I miss that show.

And Damn! This was a fantastic issue of Hex! The best one of my weeklies and quite possibly the best single issue of a Western comic I've read in a long, long time. Jonah Hex is such a badass!

(And if you get the Freakazoid "Poo Gas" joke, you are hereby promoted to my very close friend for whom I must either buy a beer, or take to dinner. Depends.)

Kneel! Kneel, I Say!

I made a funny over in the comments of a recent post at Comics Make No Sense and decided to follow through:


Ellis would've done this if he had thought of it. You know he would've.

I may do this at home. Lord knows I've spent my share of kneeling time there...

Most Wanted

Because of the holiday, I decided to skip last week's Most Wanted ... wasn't much worth writing about, anyway. Plus, Saturday was my LCS' anniversary sale and I decided to just wait until then to get my weeklies.

So, I'm back - and actually, it turned out to be a pretty good haul! I initially narrowed down the books to about five that I was the most interested in. From those, I honestly had to think about which one I was really keen on reading first. And although Paul Dini doing a Zatanna/Batman story is intriguing, and although Buffy has turned into a really enjoyable series so far, I'm sticking to one that is the conclusion of a story arc I've been waiting four months for:


Jack of Fables #11
Writers: Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges
Artist: Steve Leialoha

Jack is a really fun title. I mean, a book that focuses on the daily schemes and exploits of the original Fables rogue, scoundrel and jackanape? What's not to love? As a character, Jack is fantastic. Craftier than the Riddler, more smug than Wolverine, a bigger womanizer than Hal, and a tougher talker than Guy, Jack must be a joy to write. You get a palpable sense of fun as you read. Without fail, this title always leaves me a little bit happier when I finish it than when I started.

This issue finishes the two part "Jack Frost" story arc, which Jack started narrating four issues ago. Confused? The last three issues have actually been a separate, unrelated arc, completely splitting this story in half, and leaving a cliffhanger that I've been waiting four months to resolve. In one of the funniest 4th wall moments I've read in a while, Jack explains the split:

Okay, so that bit with me and the Snow Queen, where I became Jack Frost? That one didn't end so good. Maybe I don't feel like finishing that one right now. I'll get back to it later. For now, try this other story on for size. It'll be more suspenseful that way. And anyway, they'll fix it in the trade.

That's funny, right there.

So, four months ago, Jack had connived his way from lowly servant to the Snow Queen's lover / confidant. Because he's Jack, that's how. After the Queen takes ill and is unable to make her yearly visit to the land of Autumn (see? that way, Autumn can visit Summer, Summer to Spring, etc.), Jack volunteers to go in her stead. Of course, he'll need the powers of the Snow Queen to properly bring winter...

Because he's Jack, the Queen agrees, Jack becomes Jack Frost with all the powers of a god, and in this issue he responsibly sets off to bring winter to the land that was formally Autumn so that everything remains good and proper, as it was, as it should be.

Nah, just kidding. He tries to get laid.

Jack heads to Autumn, but instead of doing whatever it is he's supposed to do there, he immediately tries to hook up with anything in a skirt. Having god-like powers should make for a great pick-up line, after all! The girls, however, don't particularly like the idea of a popsicle in the privates (Hi, Googlers!), and Jack gets rejected by the whole village, one girl at a time.

So, Jack being Jack, hatches a plan: Why not move on to the land of Summer, where the hot, sweaty ladies will certainly be more receptive! I'll bring winter to summer! They'll be all over me!

Best. Plan. Ever. It only gets crazier after that point.

Fantastic issue, and more fun than I thought it would be. Highly recommended.

Most Wanted Panel:

I absolutely love how Alice is interrupting the story by correcting his English. That's more than brilliant.

On Waiting for Turtle-Boy

I'm probably one of the few, based on the many, many bad reviews, but I've actually been somewhat enjoying DC's Countdown - mainly because I know that it's all set-up at this point and can sort of see the distant road ahead. Not the particulars, not the road's destination, just if the road ahead is one I want to travel.

I could be totally proven wrong, but I'm giving it a few more week's to get out of the "set-up" mode and into full-fledged "major stuff's happening now!" mode before I drop it. I still hold out hope.

I (and again, this is probably just me) particularly like the Jimmy Olsen bits. We're starting to get a peppering of Silver-Age Olsen.. that's a good thing, and I hope we'll have a lot of fun with that arc. Hopefully, we'll see his whole wacky history touched on before it ends... I mean, the dude's done everything, if you think about it! Everything. He could teach us a lot. Seriously:


"... kids!" Kids!! She meant to finish with "Kids!" Ran out of room! (Honestly!)

Jimmy Olsen: Pimp.

Orionic

Yesterday:


Today:



Tomorrow:


Heh. Sloppy. Well I liked it, anyway...

Sorry - still recovering from another "I can't believe it" weekend, and had to do a quickie. Still.. Oh, Lightray! You nut, you!



Bonus Quick joke about my weekend: This time around I was hanging out with a girl that - for the life of me - I couldn't remember her name. And she knew it. And I really really should've. So, most of the evening, I faked it, looking for a clue. You know how sneaky guys are. After we eventually headed back to her place, I happened to pass her kitchen counter complete with a pile of unopened bills. Bingo!

So, my drunken ass actually tried this:
(seriously)

Her: Are you looking through my mail?!?
Me: Ummm.. no way! .... So anyway, (quickly glancing at topmost bill) what do you feel like doing tonight, Occupant?

She laughed. See, I'm cute enough to get away with that kind of thing. Sometimes.

Dinosaurs Make Everything Better

LOLLERSAURS!




LOLLERSAURS!!




LOLLERSAURS!!!




LOLLERSAURS!!!!




LOLLERSAURS!!!!!



Lollersaurs. I iz ginuz.