So I missed doing this last week… I feel horrid about that.

Arkham Reborn #2 of 3

Things go bad at Arkham.  Interesting issue.

Blackest Night #5 of 8

Basically Barry Allen starts getting the various crews together to fight the Black Lanterns and Hal Jordan shows up with the rainbow brigade.  They fight Nekron–apparently the big bad of the series–and he uses the emotional connection all the heroes feel to Batman to kill them all.  This one ended with a real “WTF just happened?” type moment, but this series is very good.

Detective Comics #859

More delving into Kathy Kane’s origins and path to becoming Batwoman, focusing on her brief military career and the aftermath of her discharge.  Also gets into her first encounter with the Batman and Rene Montoya.  The Question backup feature has a guest appearance by the Huntress as Rene continues to battle against the human traffickers.  Liking the main story about Batwoman, not so much with the backup story.  Batwoman is being put together in a very nice story that I think establishes her very well.  I think it’s mostly the art with the backup story.  I think they could do a lot more that.

Fantastic Four #573

Johnny and Ben go to Nu-World with stowaways Franklin and Valeria in tow.  Good story, good art.  Hickman is spinning a pretty good story here.

Gotham City Sirens #6

Probably the best Batman related book out right now, this one has the girls fighting against the Joker’s former partner Gaggy.  Very enjoyable issue.  I will say this series is shaping up to be a great look at these characters, picking their strengths and weaknesses apart.

Green Lantern #48

Where Hal Jordan puts together the Rainbow Brigade, as I’m referring to it.  I kind of want to call it the “Light Brigade”–get a classical literary reference in there–but it just doesn’t feel right.  Good issue, delves into a lot of who these

Hulk #17

This series is like a trainwreck.  You know it’s a horrible mess, but you can’t look away.  That’s the best way to describe it.  It’s a horrid, horrid book, but you can’t turn away.

Image United #1

A new hero shows up in the Image Universe, saying that they need to unite against some kind of big bad that’s going to hit them.  Meh.  Can’t say as I really care.  Image has really only had a handful of great books, and none of them are involved in this.

Incredible Hercules #138

So Hercules and company are preparing to attack Hera.  They get team of Avengers together to go up against her.  This is actually a very exciting series to read.  Highly recommend it.

Invincible Iron Man #20

Tony Stark is a vegetable, but apparently he had a plan to bring himself back.  The group of Bucky, Thor, Maria Hill, Black Widow and Pepper Potts deliberate this, wondering if they should do it.  All but Pepper agree to it, who feels it’s unfair given how many have died and wonders if Tony really deserves to come back.  Very good issue here, it keeps going strong.

Justice League of America #39

The group of Plastic Man, Vixen, Doctor Light, Gypsy, Red Toronado and Zatanna arrives at the Hall of Justice where they’re attacked by various people from their past.  Blackest Night tie-in.  Basically just reaffirms how disturbed the villainous Doctor Light was.

Justice League: Cry For Justice #5 of 7

Wow.  Intense issue here.  Red Arrow goes off to say goodnight to his daughter and things go to hell from there.  Very intense issue.

Justice Society of America #33

Apparently King Chimaera wasn’t the one responsible for the attempt on Mister Terrific’s life?  It got a bit hazy in there, but still a solid story with some decent action.  Apparently the team splits to give us a second JSA book next month, which should be interesting.

Secret Warriors #10

This issue tells a bit more about Alexander/Phobos and his role in the grand scheme of things.  Ares arrives to bring him for a rite of passage among the Gods, where it is revealed that Phobos will have to die to reach his full potential.  Solid story here, great art.  Very good.

Superman #694

Mon-El is back to protecting Metropolis while Superman is gone on New Krypton, picking up where he left off before his kidnapping.  He fights Bizarro after getting some advice from Ma Kent and Conner.  Pretty good issue here, does some good stuff with Mon-El.

Superman: Secret Origins #3 of 6

Basically telling the story of Clark’s first day at the Daily Planet and Superman’s debut.  Geoff Johns does some excellent writing here.  I’m not a fan of Gary Frank though.  It always feels like he struggles with facial expressions and just goes a bit too far with them.

Teen Titans #77

Deathstroke and Ravager end up facing off against a bunch of people that Deathstroke killed.  Which are a lot.

Ultimate Avengers #4

Mark Millar is the only guy that should have been writing Ultimate Marvel.  Loeb, Bendis… they really had no idea what they were doing.  This is probably the best story since his early stuff on the Ultimates and on Ultimate X-Men.

Uncanny X-Men #517

Scalphunter drops six of the Predators just off the coast of Utopia.  Namor runs off to fight one on his own, while the others work as a team to kill the rest of the monsters.  Solidly written issue, but Greg Land’s artwork just bothers me.  There is very little variation in the way he depicts female characters and it just gets annoying.

Wonder Woman #38

Diana is going to be executed.  But not if Donna Troy and Artemis have anything to say about it.  And apparently Achilles isn’t nearly the ass everybody thinks he is.  Gail Simone is doing great stuff here.

World’s Finest #2 of 4

Robin teams up with Guardian to fight Mister Freeze and Parasite.  Not a horrible issue, but not a great one either.

The Source has posted a gorgeous variant cover to JSA All-Stars #1 by Ryan Sook and a few more inside pages for your viewing enjoyment.

Matt Sturges answered more questions over at the ComicBloc.

On Cyclone’s origin:

Cyclone’s origin is definitely something I want to flesh out some more. Hopefully I can get to that story sooner rather than later.

Seeing Johnny Thunder’s son Willpower:

I suppose anything’s possible…

Jesse Chamber’s costume:

Despite the nifty costume she’s sporting in that most recent Flash:Rebirth, I’m pretty sure she’s staying Liberty Belle into the foreseeable future.

Seeing Iron Munro:

Iron Munro is a pretty cool character, with a fairly odd origin. If I didn’t already have a bunch of other characters waiting in the wings, he’d probably be up there.

Jimmy Palmiotti shows off one page from Power Girl #7 featuring Dr. Mid-Nite.

What Were They Thinking? posted a humorous look at one of Jay Garrick’s old methods of “fighting” crime. Hat tip to the Speed Force blog.

Geoff Johns has posted on his Twitter how much he has enjoyed the rough cut of “Absolute Justice.”

Just saw a rough cut of the first hour of Smallville: Absolute Justice. Holy hell it’s awesome.

I can’t wait until Smallville: Absolute Justice airs…just watched the first hour rough cut with my parents. They love Stargirl.

Meanwhile, The Nerdy Bird points out Ken Lawson will be playing Sandman on Smallville, gives two thumbs up to the JSA costumes and notes how bad a costume can turn out on the show.

EW’s Michael Ausiello has posted more pictures of the upcoming Smallville’s upcoming TV movie “Absolute Justice.” I think the Hawkman and Dr. Fate costumes actually work though surprisingly Stargirl’s doesn’t as much. I would have figured that costume would be the easiest to translate. I think the mask is what throws everything off. Masks are pretty tough to make look right. Having Green Arrow go with sunglasses was a nice move.

Reunion

Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Rob Hunter
Colors: Pete Pantazis
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover: Bagley, Hunter & Pantazis
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics

I’m not familiar with the “Detroit League,” and don’t really have much interest in it offhand. However–as with many of the other Blackest Night tie-ins–that doesn’t really hamper the story in this issue all that much. Certainly there are some subtleties that are lost on me for lacking background knowledge of certain characters. But at its heart, ultimately, this is still a good, solid story involving a character with “history” rising to cause grief with those still living.

While Red Tornado, Zatanna, Dr. Light and crew arrive on the sattelite to see what happened, they’re confronted by Vibe (of the Detroit League), Zatarra (Zatanna’s father) and Dr. Light (the guy who raped Sue Dibny, and got his mind mucked with for his trouble, ultimately leading to Identity Crisis and whatnot). The individual confrontations are fairly interesting, though the most disturbing is the meeting of the Drs. Light, and what has befallen Firestorm’s girlfriend. Though it got incredibly annoying trying to read the backwards-speak of Zatanna and Zatarra and I was taken out of the story entirely by the thought, I had a good chuckle when I realized their battle had all but come down to a “yo mamma” spitting contest, their magic given power by what they said: “Disregard what she said!” “No, disregard what HE said!” “No, disregard what SHE said!”

It seems obvious that Robinson knows these characters well, and has a good handle on them–whatever my feelings of the various “eras” of the JLA and such, he crafts an engaging story. Particularly with Zatara, it’s obvious that his fullest potential as a Black Lantern can’t be allowed to be reached and that he’s–like Psycho Pirate–perhaps one of the greatest weapons in the Black Lanterns’ arsenal.

The art is also quite good, and though I’m not yet all that used to Bagley’s art in the DCU, I like it already–and somehow, it reminds me just a bit of Dan Jurgens’ work, which is certainly a plus in my book.

This issue’s by no means an essential part to the core Blackest Night saga…but it’s still a solid read and well worth getting if you’re interested in the Drs. Light or the Detroit League, or just seeing Robinson/Bagley’s take on ‘em.

This feels like a very stand-alone sort of story within the title, where it could almost be Blackest Night: Justice League of America #1 rather than #39 of the ongoing series. Though buying the issues for the tie-in to Blackest Night, I’m not convinced there’s enough here to truly, properly “sell” one on the title itself. But as this is only the first of a two-part story, there’s no telling what the next chapter may do.

Recommended.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10

By James Robinson (writer), Mark Bagley (artist)

The Story: The JLA arrive at their headquarters only to find it empty and destroyed in this Blackest Night tie-in.  As they move deeper into unknown danger, they’re confronted not only with former teammates from past incarnations of the team, but a former loved one and a hated adversary as well.

What’s Good: Once they get passed the obligatory Black Lantern info dump at the beginning of this issue, Bagley and Robinson execute an effective opener to the Justice League’s arrival at the Hall of Justice that balances the right amounts of mysterious and foreboding.  Robinson uses this issue to basically write a JLA Haunted House story, and it works well in that respect.  This handling of the story also helps raise the creepy factor, which hasn’t always been high in some of the other Blackest Night crossovers.  Extra credit goes to the writer for a somewhat disturbing reveal towards the end of the story involving a… well, let’s say salt lick and not ruin it for you.

Bagley works a fair amount of magic here with what he’s given.  His double-page spread of the team entering the destroyed and vacant Hall stands out.  He also pencils the heck out of two action sequences in the book.  In the first, he visualizes Red Tornado’s powers in a dynamic and striking way.  The second involves a clever use of Dr. Light’s light-blast that, after a second to consider it, seems fairly obvious considering his murky makeover.  Credit should also be given to colorist Pete Pantazis for this great twist on his power.

What’s Not So Good: You know, you can put them in cool black costumes and transform them into heart-consuming zombies, but that doesn’t make the Justice League Detroit anything more than, well, the Justice League Detroit.  Therein lies the main problem with this issue of JL of A.  I mean, when your principal villain is Vibe, you’re maybe going to have some problems convincing the readers that they should be filled with fear.  Robinson tries his best to give a certain amount of weight to not only the Black Lanterns, but our intrepid heroes as well, but he doesn’t quite pull it off. The script never elevates this installment of Blackest Night above any of the other countless tie-ins out there, and that failure coupled with the C or D-List status of the main characters firmly places this issue ever closer to the bottom of the comic stack.

Nitpicker alert! Um, is Red Tornado mentally deficient?  Isn’t he an android?  Shouldn’t androids be smarter and better than humans or something?  Because this is about the fiftieth time that this guy’s body has been destroyed and it’s insane to me that he’s not better prepared by now.  Yeah, okay, Vibe has the ability to emit shockwaves in concentrated bursts and getting hit with those would suck if you were made of machinery.  However, I’d still be kicking myself at getting my ass handed to me by Vibe of all people.  Gypsy lasted longer than you, man!  Gypsy!  Let this be a lesson to you.  Really.

Conclusion: It’s an improvement from last issue, but the lack of appealing leads and the presence of dull villains continues to bring JLA down.  I look forward to the day that the potential of a Robinson/Bagley Justice League title becomes more than just potential.

Grade: C

-Joe Lopez

And now the ‘ring quest’ is complete.  For many others who have also completed this set…it’s a goal poor Larfleeze–”Agent Orange”–will likely never get to do.

As I’ve said before, I think this is just about the coolest promotion for comics I’ve seen.

Of all the rings, of COURSE the coolest wound up being the Green Lantern ring. Because when you come right down to it–whether that first year or so following Kyle’s book, or that brief period after reading the Amalgam “Iron Lantern” issue when I was all the more interested in GL, to more recent years–it’s the “original” of the Corps.

Another thing that I wonder about is what other similar promotions could be done?  Including the year it came out (1991), next year (2010) will be 20 years OF The Infinity Gauntlet; 2011 obviously being the 20th “anniversary.”  How cool would it be to have something like this ring promotion for a re-issue of the original mini-series (6 gems, 6 issues…nice, no?).

Or sticking with DC: what about a Legion of Super-Heroes ring?  As with all these Lantern Corps rings…just change the color of plastic used and the little symbol on the top piece.  Such a ring could be tied to a special Legion issue or annual or issue of Adventure Comics or the like.

And what about a Flash ring?  Given Barry’s back, and I believe the Flash-costume-in-a-ring-for-easy-access was his thing…so why not use the red plastic again and put the lightning bolt on the top piece? And tie this, say, to the new Flash #1 by Johns.

With four Blackest Night-related issues out this week, including Blackest Night No. 5, there was much to read, re-read and digest.

After reading Green Lantern No. 48 and Blackest Night No. 5, all I can say is, “Wow.” This stuff just keeps getting better and better every month.

Also out this week were Teen Titans No. 77 (Blackest Night) and Justice League of America No. 39 (Blackest Night), which are interesting diversions, but pale in comparison to the main event and the two Green Lantern books.

Nevertheless, here are some random observations:

Larfleeze is hilarious, and when compared to the unfettered seriousness and rage of Atrocitus, it’s a winning combination. They deserve their own story arc as some buddy team-up or something.

Before Atrocitus got to Okaara, what happened with the Lost Lanterns on Ysmault? And how exactly did Atrocitus get to Okaara? Can he just teleport anywhere? And what happened to the other Red Lanterns? Did he just leave them to run wild on Ysmault or does he have a second in command? Maybe Dex Starr?

Yeah, it’s been said over and over, but, damn, Carol Ferris looks good in violet.

Blue Lantern…Atrocitus? Wow.

By the way, I never thought I’d see the moment when Atrocitus and Saint Walker would have a Hallmark moment. Seriously, I felt bad for the big red guy.

So, Indigo-1 keeps blabbing about Abin Sur, now referring to him as her savior. Makes you wonder what Abin Sur’s connection to Indigo-1 is all about and why Abin Sur is clearly mentioned among all that gobbledygook that is supposed to be the Indigo Tribe oath.

No surprise here…Hal Jordan says, “SCREW YOU” to working for the Guardians again, which gets a rise out of Thaal Sinestro (I wonder if you pronounce that like “Hal”). Now, if only Hal can stay alive to tell them that…

Now, I’ve seen it all…a cholo Black Lantern. Paco Ramone, holmes!

Awww…Plastic Man.

Teen Titans No. 77 (Blackest Night)? Shoulda just called it Deathstroke (Blackest Night). It was all about Slade’s family reunion, which makes you wonder what other plot got scrapped before they went with this one.

So, with their powers combined, the Lanterns summon Captain–wait…Batman? What the Hell? Totally unexpected. So, if their powers combined just made things worse…what now?

As if things weren’t difficult enough, Nekron pulls at bat out of his sleeve and turns Superman, Wonder Woman, Conner Kent, Green Arrow, Kid Flash, Donna Troy, Ice and Animal Man into Black Lanterns, with Hal and Barry Allen about to join the party, as well.

Guy Gardner won’t be happy that Nekron messed with his girl.

Well, at least Scar is gone. What an annoying and detestable character. So, what becomes of “The Book of the Black?” Is Lyssa Drak still stuck in there?

At this point, it looks like nothing can stop Nekron.

Y tenemos preview para la Justice League of America nº 39 con el esperado crossover de esta colección con la saga DC del año: The Blackest Night.

Al desatarse el caos en el Universo DC a causa de los Black Lanterns, ¿pueden los integrantes de la JLA mantenerse juntos y sobrevivir al regreso del muerto viviente Dr- Light?

Escrito por James Robinson
Arte y portada de Mark Bagley

Descarga el preview desde este vínculo.

Creo que la gran mayoría de las veces en que presenciamos la adaptación de un cómic a la pantalla grande o a un film animado, los balances no son los más felices. ¿Hace falta nombrar ejemplos? No creo. Sin embargo, hay veces que una obra puede hasta mejorar respecto al original y este es, a mi juicio, el caso de “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”.

No puedo negar que en su oportunidad, cuando leí el cómic escrito por Jeph Loeb y dibujado por Ed McGuiness lo encontré bien pobre.

En aquel entonces, la historia me entretuvo mucho, ver juntos al hombre de acero con el murciélago siempre es un placer como también ver a varios personajes del DC Universe juntos aunque sean metidos con calzador. Y los monólogos interiores en paralelo de ambos personajes resultaba una jugada muy interesante aunque, uf, a McGuinnes le tengo manía, o sea, no me gusta su estilo.

Y… rayos… la película me gustó mucho. Disfruté mucho ver a mis héroes favoritos haciendo equipo en un film animado de alta factura y una cuidada calidad visual. Y demuestra cómo han cambiado los productos animados DC desde ese nefasto “Superman Doomsday”.

El presidente Luthor crea toda una conspiración para anular a Superman, héroes como Power Girl, Captain Atom, Mayor Force, Katanna, Black Lightning y Starfire son parte de un equipo para detener a Superman y Batman se ve envuelto en los acontecimientos apoyando al azuloso.

Y para rematar las malas vibras para el hombre de acero, un meteoro gigante de kryptonita viene directo a la Tierra, lo cual sirve a Luthor para seguir desacreditando a Superman. Estas son premisas muy interesantes que dan forma a la historia.

Y ahí los acontecimientos se llevan a cabo muy cercanos al comic, y cosas como el superrobot gigante y otros detallitos que me apestaron del cómic original acá no se vieron mal, al contrario.

No cabe duda que hubiera sido lindo ver la escena en que aparecían Superboy, Supergirl, Steel (¡y Krypto!), Nightwing, Robin, Huntress y Batgirl, pero no se puede tener todos, y además, es una fortaleza del film haber economizado situaciones para dejar la historia más fluida.

En fin, es inevitable comparar esta película con su versión original porque es muy fiel, el saldo es muy favorable y, lo que es importante, respeta fielmente el espíritu de ambos personaje y el DC Universe en general. En otros casos, es necesario convencerse de que es una adaptación que se tomó sus licencias para no hacer una crítica tan destructiva.

Queda muy recomendada, es una de las que más me ha gustado de la parrilla animada DC. Y creo que me voy a releerme el comic, capaz que lo encuentre mejor ahora, BWA HA HA HA!.

Publicado originalmente en el Diario del Bicho Azul.

Newsarama reports that the upcoming DVD Justice League: Crisis of Two Earths will also include an animated short staring The Spectre. The short will be directed by Steve Niles and  include the voice acting talent of Gary Cole and Alyssa Milano.

UPDATE: I found the copy from the press release:

DC Showcase – The Spectre: The first animated short in the all-new DC Showcase series focuses on a detective story with an ethereal twist, featuring the otherworldly character originally introduced by DC Comics in 1940. The short is written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), and the voice cast includes Gary Cole (Entourage) and Alyssa Milano (Charmed).

The Justice Society of America is finishing its first arc under the new creative team. Blackest Night is out. AND we should get some good Jay Garrick and Shade action in Justice League: Cry For Justice.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #33

Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art and cover by Jesus Merino
The traitor stands revealed, and his part in the destruction of the Justice Society of America is complete. While the team’s headquarters lies in ruin, the same fate has befallen the team itself! Hold on to your seats, because the JSA as we’ve known it is torn asunder!
DC Universe | 32pg. | Color | $2.99 US | Preview

BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM! #10

Written by Art Baltazar and Franco; Art and cover by Byron Vaughns
As Captain Marvel struggles to keep his power under control, a new, dangerous enemy enters the scene and takes Mary Marvel out of the picture. Will our favorite Captain succeed in this new adventure all alone?
Johnny DC | 32pg. | Color | $2.50 US

BLACKEST NIGHT #5

Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert; Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari; Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert
The moment you’ve hungered for finally arrives! Who controls death in the DC Universe? NEKRON – Lord of the Undead! The dark being behind the undead Black Lanterns makes his presence and purpose known, and our heroes discover they’re not only fighting for their lives, but their after-lives as well. Don’t miss this game-changing issue from superstar writer Geoff Johns and stellar artist Ivan Reis!
DC Universe | 40pg. | Color | $3.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #5 (OF 7)

Written by James Robinson; Art and cover by Mauro Cascioli
Supergirl and Shazam join the team as Prometheus is finally captured! His evil machinations are revealed, but even so, the League may be unable to stop the villain’s disturbing plans as he cuts down one of the members! Don’t miss this shocking new issue that’ll have everybody talking.
DC Universe | 40pg. | Color | $3.99 US

El primer episodio con James Robinson en el guión de la Justice League of America abre mis esperanzas de que vuelva a ser una colección interesante tras el largo hoyo argumental en que había caído y del cual ya he hablado en otras ocasiones.

Este capítulo, donde también comienza su andadura lapicera el artista Mark Bagley, es claramente un prólogo para lo que será el cruce de la JLA con la macrosaga del año, Blackest Night y al tener esa característica, podría haberse convertido en un capítulo vacío y de transición obligada.

Pero afortunadamente Robinson se las arregla para entregar un episodio con más cuerpo, tal cual lo ha hecho en “Cry for Justice”, donde la interacción entre los personajes y sus diálogos se toman el protagonismo.

Vixen, Dr. Light, Plastic Man y Red Tornado analizan el presente del equipo, debate al cual se une la rica Zatanna. Sin embargo, el villano Despero llega a aguar la fiesta; y acá es donde Bagley se luce y claro, me extrañaría que no lo hiciera después de los excelentes dibujos en la primera saga de “Batman Reborn”.

Eso sí, espero que el nivel del artista no baje, porque a mi juicio se le nota cuando trabaja apurado, cuando tiene tiempo y cuando le pone ganas al lápiz. Para ello basta revisar unos cuantos números de Ultimate Spider-Man.

Ahí está, esperemos que comience una nueva era de grandeza para esta colección, que en el 41 promete una nueva alineación mientras – sabremos que ocurrirá – esperamos que vuelvan los 7 magníficos de la Justice League of America.

Publicado originalmente en el Diario del Bicho Azul.

Se acaba este arco argumental de transición. La JLA número 37 marca el fin de una etapa bastante pobre aunque en estos tres episodios Len Wein llevó a cabo un trabajo muy digno en el guión, con la Liga de la Justicia enfrentada a las maquinaciones de Roulette y Amos Fortune.

Hay mucha acción y tenemos la participación de Wonder Woman y el carismático Plastic Man. Y que Superman esté en la portada no es publicidad engañosa. Les aseguro que también tiene un rol en la historia.

Descárgalo desde acá (4shared).
Muchas gracias a la traducción de Idevnam y maquetación de Mal.

Lo sigo diciendo, uno de los pilares en que se sostiene fuertemente Justice League “Cry For Justice” es el tremendo dibujo de Mauro Cascioli puesto que a través de sus páginas exuda virtuosismo, encanto y placer visual. Este tipo de revistas son los que te convencen de que tener el cómic impreso es siempre mejor que tenerlo guardado en un disco duro.

En el cuarto episodio, la historia suma y sigue proponiendo el interesante temita de la delgada línea que puede haber entre la justicia y la venganza. Nuevamente son los héroes esmeralda son quienes discuten el concepto con Green Arrow manifestando cuestionamientos a Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) sobre la obtención de información a través de la tortura. Aunque Starman y Gongorilla también profundizan en esta disyuntiva acerca de la justicia.

Robinson nos entrega un buen episodio, construido sobre un guión en que predominan los diálogos y las reflexiones lo que otorga volumen a la historia y sus personajes. Incluso, se abre una puerta para el romance entre los héroes más jóvenes del equipo: la siempre rica Supergirl y Freddy Freeman, alias Shazam.

Espero que en los próximos números el enrentamiento del equipo completo con Prometheus sea glorioso, quien sin duda tiene muchas cartas bajo la manga, lo mismo que Robinson.

Publicada originalmente en el Diario del Bicho Azul.

Este tomo recopila lo que fue la saga Justice League of America: The Nail (El Clavo), la cual se desarrolla en una realidad alternativa. La historia relata cómo un clavo en la carretera impide que los Kent descubran el cohete donde venía Kal El, el bebé alienígena que se convertiría algún día en Superman.

Como resultado, los más grandes héroes no se reunirían tal como los conocemos, todo por causa de un clavo. Sin un símbolo de integridad y un líder que inspire grandeza, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, The Atom y Green Lantern deberán llevar a cabo una batalla contra el desprecio público y las desconfianzas personales para trabajar juntos en la protección de un mundo que les teme.

Esta saga fue escrita y dibujada por Alan Davis.

Para ver un preview lo puedes descargar desde acá.
Más información de la página de DC Comics, acá.

Por acá está la segunda parte del arco de la “Royal Flush”. En el número 36 de la Justice League of America, la villano de la Justice Society of America, Roulette y el maloso clásico de la JLA, Amos Fortune hacen de las suyas para embromar al alicaído súper equipo.

Ojo, que aparece Wonder Woman y el dibujo no está tan mal.

Descárgalo desde acá (4shared).
Muchas gracias a la traducción de Idevnam y maquetación de Mal.

Si bien este cómic no corresponde a la Justice League of America o cómics afines, creo que Superman es un pilar de los mitos de la JLA. Por ello, creí pertinente publicar este review sacado de mi otro Blog.

Es curioso, pero cada vez que ser se revisita el origen de un personaje tan importante como Superman, el debate se enciende a niveles interesantes pero centrados en temáticas como la conveniencia, pertinencia y detalles de continuidad de la saga más que en su calidad. O sea, la historia puede ser una epopeya de alta calidad, pero los lectores para bien o para mal nos encontramos debatiendo si era necesaria o no hacer esta revisión. Y claro, yo caigo en lo mismo.

Por eso prefiero separar aguas respecto al debate de la “continuidad” – o no continuidad – y la calidad de la historia. Y en ese sentido, a pesar de que el final de este primer episodio me dio un poco de dolor de guata por la impresión, no puedo negar que estamos ante una buena historia que demuestra – una vez más – que Superman es un personaje atractivo y que con un buen guionista al timón, se pueden relatar aventuras frescas y emocionantes. Geoff Jhons nos lleva a la juventud de Clark con un enfoque absolutamente distante de Jhon Byrne (¿ves que ya caí a la continuidad?), pero triunfa al relatar las vivencias de un joven Kal El que se encuentra con la verdad acerca de su herencia, tras ir descubriendo sus poderes. Y obvio, nos reencontramos con viejos conocidos como Ma y Pa Kent, Pete Ross, Lana y el joven Lex Luthor.

El final del capítulo, con el joven Clark vistiendo el súper traje, reconozco aún lo estoy metabolizando, porque este punto sí que lo siento conflictivo, y no por un tema de continuidad. Creo que no era vital ponerle el traje a Clark si teníamos que recontar las aventuras de la Legión de Superhéroes. Podría haber sido sin el traje, total, los héroes del futuro saben que este joven será Superman, el mayor héroe del mundo. Pero ya está hecho y hay que vivir con ello. Y qué diablos, me gustó la historia, tiene profundidad, hay emoción y conectas con el personaje. (Por cierto, acá al lado está una de mis páginas favoritas)

Hablar de la parte gráfica es un placer porque a mí por lo menos me gusta lo que hace Gary Frank, al cual ya había disfrutado en la saga de la Legión de Superhéroes junto a Jhons. En otra oportunidad comenté la excelente interpretación que hace de Superman este dibujante con su evidente homenaje a Cristhoper Reeve. Y Frank hace un valioso aporte a la historia que te hacer cómplice de lo que siente en su interior Clark, porque no asistimos a la destrucción de Krypton o el Clark bebé siendo encontrados por los Kent, o sea, nos saltamos lo “bíblico” y pasamos a las aventuras de un niño adolescente con los problemas típicos de la edad pero con valor agregado.

Ahora vayamos al otro tema… el de lo necesario que era esta historia. Con Superman Secret Origins era obvio que la discusión y las críticas iban a ser acaloradas. Tal cual ocurrió con ese fallido experimento llamado Superman Birthright, los fans se ven divididos acerca de la conveniencia de revisitar el origen de este personaje después del borrón y cuenta nueva que significó la Crisis en las Tierras Infinitas. Y no se puede negar que Geoff Jhons lo logró: finalmente ha consolidado el regreso del Superman Pre Crisis o de la Silver Age (que es lo mismo), para bien o para mal; y para la pena de los que consideran Man Of Steel como el evangelio de Superman, aunque hace años que en la DC se hagan los lesos con ello.

Primero que todo, a mi juicio, ya era hora que ordenaran la tontera. Han pasado muchos años desde que John Byrne hizo Man Of Steel, y el hombre de acero ha pasado por innumerables aventuras que técnicamente han pasado por alto detalles de la manoseada continuidad y que terminan por desajustar el temita (por ejemplo, el simpático Krypto fue metido con calzador). Insisto, era muy necesario ordenar el boliche. El personaje ha sido afectado por miniseries (Infinite Crisis, por ejemplo) y ha bebido de influencias de productos extracomiqueros como Smallville (Birthrigth, por ejemplo, negarlo sería iluso).

Jhons no huye de este método. Vemos en el primer episodio, que además de volver a la nostalgia de la Silver Age, complementa el plato con elementos del origen de Byrne, el aporte de Mark Waid que duró menos que un candi e incluso me atrevo a decir que hasta hay cosas de la polémica y desinflada Smallville, a estas alturas estirada como un chicle que no le queda mucho sabor. Sin embargo, Johns hace un buen caldo, es muy respetuoso del concepto del personaje, que es lo más importante.

Alegar que esta historia es mala porque rompe la continuidad (palabrita de mierda) o porque Clark se puso el traje muy cabro, es buscarle la quinta pata al gato. Claro, a mí no me gustó eso, pero no es un elemento me haga tirar mi revista a la basura. E insisto que no vale la pena enojarse, porque con Secret Origins, se consolida lo inútil de romperse la neurona por la continuidad. Los personajes necesitan buenas historias, no estar rígidos para respetar los peos de los designios de un universo inestable. Y a todo esto, agradezcan que no hubo un “Súperbebé”.

Publicada originalmente en el Diario del Bicho Azul.

Tras la marcha de McDuffie (menos mal), Len Wein llegó a salvar el barco encargándose se los números 35 al 37. Aquí, entonces, está la descarga de episodio 35 de la Justice League of America.

Este es el arranque de un arco argumental (va al grano y no es ninguna maravilla) que enfrenta al súper equipo con los villanos de la Royal Flush Gang. Además, dos viejos enemigos de la JLA y la JSA también entrarán a escena.

Descárgalo desde acá (4shared).
Muchas gracias a la traducción de Idevnam y maquetación de Mal.

Acá está la descarga de tercer episodio de Justice League “Cry For Justice” (acá el review). En este capítulo tenemos villano Prometheus, personaje de gran carisma creado por Grant Morrison.

Damos la bienvenida a Supergirl y Shazam, quienes se unen a The Atom (Ray Palmer) y los héroes esmeralda Green Lantern y Green Arrow. Así es, el  equipo comienza tomar forma.

Descárgalo desde acá (4shared).
Muchas gracias a la traduccion de Idevnam y la maquetación de MAL.

I have actually been working on this since about some time in September and finally got around to do the finishing touches the other night.   Here is it,

A Pile of comic Blocks

That is right its a pile of blocks, but if you rearrange them in a certain way they can look like this,

Side #1

or this,

Side #2

or this,

Side #3

or this,

Side #4

or this,

Side #5

or finally this,

Side #6

One day while I was looking at different types of unfinished wood products, I stumbled upon some unfinished wood blocks.  I thought it would be fun idea to put an image on a couple of blocks so I could stack them and put them on my desk or something.  I picked up 50 unfinished 1” square blocks online and went to work.  Over the summer, I grabbed a copy of Justice League of America #10 out of quarter box and thought I could find couple cool images I could use.  I ended up using one whole page and part of another.  Next I laid the blocks out in the shape that I needed and then glued the page to the blocks using (of course) Modge Podge.  Once the one side was attached and relatively dry, I flipped it over and pasted an image on the opposite side.  Then using an Exacto knife, I cut each block free from the bigger picture.  I repeated this process for the other four images.  Cutting the blocks free after I had done a couple of sides was not always easy.  You can see there a few places where the paper tore or the cut was not exact.  Finally, there was the tedious task of putting a couple coats of Modge Podge on to seal it.  That was the part that I kept dragging out.  I think it was worth the effort.

While my intention was find a cool way to display some comic panels on my desk, it turns out everyone I have shown these to has had more fun trying to put the pictures together.  And when you have one side put together, you have the opposite side together too. 

I am competing in a fantasy hockey league with some folks at Comic Geek Speak forums.  I said I would contribute a prize to the winner of the league, so I think this will be it.

DC Comics’ The Source has an awesome 5 page preview of JSA All-Stars #1! Notice the Action Comics #1 homage with Power Girl on page 1 Freddie E. Williams II put in there. My guess his style will be a good compliment to the subject matter of the series.

I am also interested in where their new base will be. I hope the main team stays at the Brownstone. That building just says JSA to me. Way back in JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice Goyer and Johns gave them a new high-tech base and it didn’t stick. Any thoughts on what a good base would be for this new team?

Sin pena ni gloria, pero digno, acaba este miniarco de transición de la Justice League of America, antes de que en el número 38 James Robinson y Mark Bagley se hagan cargo esta desperfilada colección.

Tal como estaba anunciado, en este final “épico” la JLA se enfrenta a tres versiones de la Royal Flush mientras los villanísimos Roulette y Amos Fortune hacen sus apuestas. Len Wein no se complicó para nada para hacer este arco y los lápices de Tom Derenick tampoco ayudan a hacer algo memorable. Como comentaba en un post anterior, acá se “mantuvo el pasito”.

En general, el episodio tiene harta acción y el guión se esmera en demostrar que ante todo, la JLA es un equipo y que su éxito depende de que los héroes confíen en las potencialidades de sus colegas. Y por eso podemos perdonar que la historia sea básica. Y al menos en un flashback aparece Superman teniendo una conversación con Vixen acerca de mantener vivo – al menos – el concepto de la Liga. Y esto es indicador de que la portada de este número no es publicidad engañosa porque el hombre de acero sí aparece en las páginas de la revista, aunque ande ocupado en New Krypton. Je.

Publicado originalmente en el Diario del Bicho Azul