Monday, February 23, 2009

Narwhals

Just thought this was fun!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I'm still around!

I really don't have anything to add right now and not being able to post during the week has gotten me out of the habit. Seems that come the weekends I don't feel like blogging or don't have anything timely.

During the week I'm posting on Tony Isabella's messageboard, CBGXtra.com or one of the other places regarding comics. I'm also pretty active on Shelfari in several groups (Graphic Novels, Horror, etc.) and trying to catalog the books I've read or owned. Another reason why I don't blog when I have a chance, is because I've already talked myself out.

If you happen to wander around YouTube you might catch me commenting on one video or another. There it's pretty much politics, but also some of the goofier sites (What The Buck?; PonceMan; Penn Says and several others).

Next time I pick up a batch of comics (I'm about three weeks behind) I'll try to comment. Until then take care!

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Four-color Fiend: Final Cri...What the @#%*$?


Color me...


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I have no real idea where Grant Morrison was going with FINAL CRISIS and how much interference from Dan Ditto-head ruined his plans. Unless things are happening in other DC books I'm not aware of this "event" might as well have been an "Elseworld" project. Then again, with the multi-verse back in the DCU all the books we were told were non-continuity Elseworld stories now seem to have actually happened on other Earths.

At the end of issue #7 of FC it appears to me that we witness the end of the Monitors and Darkside. It also appears that the New Gods, minus Orion, have been brought back. To me the gods of New Genesis have no reason to be without their opposite numbers on Apokolypse. That was Kirby's point in creating the two races of gods to begin with. If this is how it ends, you might as well have allowed High Father and the rest to remain dead. They serve no purpose in the DCU.

I would be interested in hearing from Morrison how he had to change things, or why The Powers That Be seem to be all but ignoring what he did. At this point I don't see FINAL CRISIS as having any major impact, and certainly nothing like the original CRISIS did years ago.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #23 picks up from where the previous story arc ended. In the Kingdom Come/Gog story there was a major split among the team and things said and done at that time remain a sticking point. Hawkman quits the team in the first few pages and we are told what has happened to all those who are no longer living in the headquarters. I think we'll probably see the return of some of those members, at least briefly in the up-coming story.

We find that Isis/Adrianna was not killed, but was held captive by Felix Faust as his sex slave. Was it really necessary to make it so obvious? Kind of creepy to see Faust dressing next to an unconscious Isis. I guess we should be thankful that she was dressed. Anyway, Isis is able to summon enough of her former power to make her presence felt by Black Adam who quickly appears. We have a nice reunion of the two lovers, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is not the same Adrianna we knew before. Perhaps, understandable given what she has endured the past months, but still it changes fundamentally the Isis of "52".

Adam & Isis confront Captain Marvel in the Rock of Eternity, where he has taken over from the wizard Shazam as its caretaker. Isis is able to remove CM's powers, turning him into the powerless Billy Batson. Billy is able to contact the remaining members of the JSA and finally admits to them (although Courtney/Stargirl tries to stop him) his dual identity. The unnecessary last page reveals Adam & Isis, on the Rock and talking to someone we see only from behind and the waist down. Anybody not recognizing the tight, black miniskirt and leather boots hasn't been paying attention the past couple of years. It's obviously Slutty...I mean, Mary Marvel and I guess the only thing we can hope for is that she doesn't have the dominatrix outfit and punk hairdo we saw in FINAL CRISIS.

The Four-color Fiend is not especially happy with the DCU at the moment and it might be time to drop another book or two.