If you are looking for the best place to get some brand new toys for Christmas, do check out toy titan toys. Featuring some of the latest and most popular toys this holiday season, Toy Titans is a one stop must have on your holiday websites to visit. Some of the more interesting toys available from this website include these bakugan toys which you have all heard about in my previous posts, as well as other cool stuff like naruto toys and webkinz, which I have also previously blogged about. Do not ask me why the name toy titan was given, but it does remind me of that cartoon known as teen titans if I recall correctly, something like the justice league cartoon just that the characters are all teenagers. Pretty cool if you ask me

The core Teen Titans are busy getting into seriously nasty stuff over in Blackest Night #5 this week, so the title is handed off to former member and usual back-up feature star Ravager, in a story written by the Blackest Night: Titans writer J.T. Krul.

Ravager has finally tracked down her father, the murderous assassin called Deathstroke. The confrontation between the two of them is heated enough, but when you come from a family of assassins, you’ve got a lot of Black Lanterns out to hunt you down. Daddy and daughter are forced to work together against demons from their past, both blood and otherwise. Krul again has taken characters that haven’t been living up to their potential lately and made them really strong characters. In the course of this story, you can feel the conflict within both characters, long before the Black Lanterns crash the party.

This is the kind of thing these two should be doing. While Deathstroke never felt right as the anti-hero he was made out to be for much of the 90s, he does still have his own code of honor and, more importantly, a sense of family that’s important to him. Even when his own daughter would rather see him dead. Krul manages to tap into a really great slate of characters to turn on the Wilsons as well — some of the Black Lanterns most likely to mess with their heads (which, of course, has been the primary function of the Black Lanterns to date).

Joe Bennett’s given us some pretty solid artwork too. He does some of the best work on the Wilsons, Slade and Rose both, and I love his Black Lanterns. While we’ve seen a lot of the same basic page this month (Black Lanterns bursting from their own graves), he does it well. This is truly one of the strongest issues of Teen Titans in quite a while, and none of the main cast even appears in it. Dan DiDio has named Krul as a writer to watch. I hope he gets a regular assignment soon.

Rating: 8/10

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.

It’s time for a special Thanksgiving treat courtesy of the Everything But Imaginary players! Step into Rip Hunter’s Time Sphere and accompany us on a quick jaunt just one day into the future, where we travel to the JSA Brownstone in New York. The decorations are hung, the walls are packed, and the aroma of turkey, ham, and Ma Hunkel’s famous Pumpkin Pie fill the air. Three generations of superheroes are gathering, and this year, you’re going to join us for…

Everything But Imaginary #330: Thanksgiving at the JSA Brownstone

Outsiders (Volume 4) #24
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Fernando Pasarin

The penultimate issue of Tomasi’s run may be the strongest issue of his run yet. That could be due to the strength of the Blackest Night concept or because Tomasi get the character of Terra – the evil girl who infiltrated the Teen Titans and betrayed them. She was not duped or drugged by Deathstroke – she was a bad person. It’s pure and simple. I love that Krul and Tomasi are acknowledging this as for a while DC seem to be heading in the direction of ignoring the intent of Marv Wolfman when he created her and pretending that she was this sweet girl who got corrupted. I love how Black Lantern Terra is just as manipulative as she was in life. She acts all sweet and kind to her brother even with that horrible zombie look – and he believes her! It was awesome. You know she is setting a trap for the Outsiders. It was great to see Katana and Halo’s close friendship acknowledged (Although she calls her Violet again ahh!) and Katana’s family who I hadn’t even predicted would show up as black lanterns.

Taylor has put up with my feminist outrage for a long time.  When we sit down to watch a television show at the end of a hard day, it’s almost tradition for me to see an ad and blurt something like, “Come on!  By using a woman they are insinuating that women are the only ones who are incapable of taking care of themselves without additional security!”  And Taylor raises his eyebrows a little bit and agrees with me when I press him about it.

I can be a little out of control, it’s true.

My feminist rage is at its strongest when watching cartoons.  It’s a fact: most all of the coolest cartoon characters are men.  The boys are allowed to have complex motivations and badass fight scenes.  They typically get the best jokes and tend to be the main characters.  The women’s motivations tend to be “SHE IS A LADY.  THAT IS WHAT LADIES DO,” and their jokes are limited to nagging  and histrionics.

It’s true that some characters are worse than others, though.  For your pleasure (and to give Taylor’s ears a break) here are the Seven Worst Female Cartoon Characters, rated in order of how much they conform to an unhealthy and unnecessary stereotype.  You may note that I’ve left out the classics – Betty Boop, Disney Princesses…I feel like these characters, sexist though they are, are the product of their times.  But now we have decided we are progressive!  Our entertainment features women who can rassle!  Women who know math!  So our modern cartoons are devoid of girls who rely on sexuality or bitterness, right?

Ha.

Are you ready to get your Righteous Indignation on?

7.  Candace from Phineas and Ferb:  I like Phineas and Ferb.  The show centers around two young boys who live each day of their summer vacation to the fullest, often concocting wild and impressive schemes to get what they want.  They are good natured and fun loving.  Their older sister, Candace, is not.  Candace likes boys and makeup and being a star, and hates fun and things that are messy.  She often plays the role of the villain in the cartoon, but her motivations are completely transparent.  It’s as though the creators decided she was A Big Sister and left it at that.  Boo, Candace.  Booo.

She is the very spirit of fun and mischief!

6.  Roxanne from A Goofy Movie:  What do we know about Roxanne from A Goofy Movie?  The main  character, Max, loves her and wants to impress her.  Why?  Because she’s hot, of course!  And she like…uh.  I guess we don’t really know what she likes.  But she’s very….oh.  I guess we don’t really know her personal qualities either.  Well, we KNOW her name is Roxanne, and that she is HOT!  And that’s enough for her to be a truly compelling character, right?  Right?  You guys?

She has a sparkling uh...personality?

5.  Amy Rose from Sonic The Hedgehog:  When you have a cartoon and video game franchise centered around a blue hedgehog, the natural choice for his counterpart is a pink hedgehog.  It is the law of the wild.  Amy Rose exists to chase Sonic with large hearts in her eyes, wielding a hammer that she uses to stun him into submission.  When she isn’t chasing him, she is nagging him to ‘be more sensitive’ or ’slow down and do things with her’.  Flash forward twenty years and he will be an overweight husband in a dead-end job, and she will be a hot wife that only wants him to do the dishes, and harps on him to eat a salad now and again.  Stay in school, girls!

Don't showcha your chocha, Amy!

4.  Jean Grey from X-Men Evolution:  Okay.  I’m going to catch a lot of flak for this one, because lots of people like Jean Grey, but her X-Men Evolution iteration is…maybe a little less than impressive.  In this era, Jean is a high school student.  She is gorgeous, limber, the most popular girl in school, gets straight A’s, and has fantastic telekinetic and telepathic powers to boot!  All this besides the undying love of most of the male characters.  So, here’s what I don’t like about Jean: she is entirely focused on what others think of her.  From the outside, this sounds like a solid motivation for a character, but Jean, in the true tradition of dim female characters, relies entirely on the males around her to define herself.  Is she dating the football jock or sensitive Scott Summers?  Is she being kidnapped by Magneto, or are her Phoenix powers being squelched by ultra powerful psychic Charles Xavier?  Jean is a grievous cartoon stereotype offender because she purports to be a Modern Woman – smart and powerful, but ultimately she relies on the men in her life to boost her esteem and supply her opinion.

Don't be afraid, Jean! Somewhere out there...somewhere, there is a shirt that will cover your midriff.

3.  Raven from Teen Titans:  In the bold tradition of Jean Grey, Raven is a heroine who seems quite heroic until you take into account who pulls her strings.  She is the daughter of vicious demon Trigon, which has imbued her with impressive magic.  The magic controls her more than she controls it, and when Trigon comes to earth, he promptly subjugates her to his whim.  A great story would be if Raven found her courage and her strength and rose up to slay her father, freeing herself and gaining control over her power.  Buuuuut Robin the Boy Wonder does it for her, and she is so pleased to be saved it establishes her trust in humanity.  Yay, Robin!  You’ve finally showed us all that we don’t need to save ourselves, as long as we can go from one male protector to another.  Did I mention she does all this in a tight-fitting legless leotard?

Dig the belt, Raven! But I think you...did you forget to put something on this morning? Starts with a P? Ends with an 'Ants'?

2.  Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon – Oookay.  I know Tuxedo Mask is a dude.  I’ve been focusing mostly on horrible female stereotypes, but male stereotypes exist as well.  Tuxedo Mask is the Edward of Sailor Moon.  He is a preteen girl’s ultimate fantasy.  That bratty guy at school that causes her so much grief secretly loves her for no apparent reason!  And what’s more than that, he is secretly a super hero!  He always shows up at the right moment to save her from evil amid a show of bubbles and delicate rose petals.  What does he like?  What are his hopes and dreams?  What are his fears?  It’s a mystery.  After all, Tuxedo Mask doesn’t need to be a real person, as long as he loves me.  Sob sob sob.

Ohh, Tuxedo Mask! Let me stare into your eyes for another four hours!

1.  I have reserved the number one spot for a cartoon creation that truly kindles the flames of my red-hot ire.  I speak, of course, of The Ruiner.  The Great Hair-Flipper, the Bunny-Smoocher, whose vapid stare and saxophone-stoked entry music sends me into paroxysms of rage.

I speak, of course, of Lola Bunny.

You guys remember the movie Space Jam.  Aliens try to take over the Looney Tunes, and they challenge them to a basketball game.  To tip their hand, the Tunes snag Michael Jordan.  Hilarity ensues.  When it turns out they don’t know how to play basketball at all, Michael Jordan says, in desperation, “Hasn’t anybody here ever played basketball?”

You guys.

Lola Bunny has:

I feel like that is all I really need to say about Lola Bunny.

Tune in next Monday when I post my picks for Top Seven Awesomest Cartoon Ladies!

We knew Conner was going to become a Titan again I just didn’t think he’d be a Tiny Titan.

Superboy Returns in Tiny Titans

TINY TITANS #25
On Sale February 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US
Written by Art Baltazar, Franco & Geoff Johns Art and cover by Art Baltazar
Special guest co-writer Geoff Johns comes to TINY TITANS, and he’s bringing Superboy along with him! And Superboy’s bringing his bizarro brother Match! And Match… well, Match always brings mischief wherever he goes. Join us for an extra-super issue jam-packed with colored rings and awesome things!

Also I’m pretty sure Geoff Johns writes everything that is good at DC Comics.

I’ve never been able to pinpoint the exact causes for why drawing “manga” style typically doesn’t look quite right, but there’s some things I’ve noticed that I think point towards why this tends to be the case.

The artists did not grow up in the culture. I had a Japanese teacher who one day as part of a vocabulary exercise brought into class a drawing she made of a “handsome guy.” Now, my teacher was not an artist, but the picture she drew was clearly that of a manga-style character and nothing seemed out of place. It was just, when drawing a cartoon character who’s supposed to look stereotypically handsome, this is how it turns out. While I don’t think not growing up in Japan or Japanese precludes an artist from developing that style, I think you can see how growing up in different environments with different artistic influences can change how even a normal person draws or sees drawings, let alone a professional.

But what then are those stylistic differences? Why is it that a manga artist who draws super realistically can still feel naturally like manga? Why is it that even a lot of the non-Japanese artists who get the basic visuals right (i.e. understanding that it’s not just big eyes and small mouths) still tend to produce works that jar you out of the illusion?

The first big one is the different philosophies in paneling. Traditionally in manga, the flow of panels is very important to the story, with emphasis on the concept of “flow.” That’s not really an official term or anything, but it’s one I like to use. Manga are typically designed to have the readers’ eyes be guided smoothly through the page, from one panel to the next, with everything in the panel, art and word bubbles and all, facilitating this flow. While American comics for example also take care to utilize word bubbles in strategic areas to help move the reader along, traditionally the American comic has been about having self-contained panels, each of which encapsulates everything going on at the time, a perfectly stilled moment. I’m reminded of when Grant Morrison in an interview after Final Crisis said, “We talk about events all the time. Well, why can’t every panel be an event?” In a way, he’s not far off from the tradition of Western-style comics, whether it’s indie, superheroes, or newspaper gag strips. It’s also what I think is the real difference between “compressed” and “decompressed” storytelling.

Basically, think of manga as a river, and American comics as a series of ponds. While of course there’s more to comics than just America and Japan, I’m simplifying for the sake of what little claims to brevity I have left. And while there are exceptions on both sides, take note how a manga with not as much “flow” such as Space Adventure Cobra or Nausicaa do well in the west, particularly Europe where highly illustrative backgrounds tend to be emphasized, or how an American comic with a strong sense of visual “flow” in Little Nemo could be seen fondly in Japan (at least I believe it is, if someone can correct me, please do so).

And then there’s other smaller things. Scott McCloud in Understanding Comics for example talks about how back when romance stories in American comics were more common, they still tended to compose scenes as if all of the characters were figures placed in a room. Contrast this with shoujo manga, which tends to emphasize the emotional over the physical; it’s not as important that you know where characters are standing.

But that only applies to manga, right? What about all those cartoons that try, but don’t quite get it. Your Teen Titans and Totally Spies and what-not. There, I’m not as certain about it, but I think it just has to do with what’s considered common in Japanese Animation to the point of it being ingrained into the system. I think the most prominent example of this might be animating on the 3’s, which means changing the image on every third frame instead of every second one as is common with American cartoons. This was originally one of many necessary money-saving techniques for anime on limited budgets as far back as Astro Boy, and what ended up happening was that stuff like animating on 3’s and using lots of stills and closeups, stuff which had its origins in having scarily low budgets, began to be embraced and improved upon and mastered until it in essence became the style anime is known for. What’s important here is the way in which factors such as these influenced the sense of timing that anime tends to have, and if you don’t understand that sense of timing then it becomes difficult to replicate it. Anime has a unique sense of timing.

To summarize, what makes manga seem like manga and what makes anime seem like anime goes deeper than how the characters or backgrounds look, all the way to how the story is told through the visuals. Another important thing to remember is that this is less about quality, or why one is “better” or “worse” than the other, and more about why things are the way they are from the worst comics to the best ones. If you were to compare X-Men: Misfits, an American comic trying to be manga, and that Japanese X-Men manga I posted about a while back, a Japanese comic trying to be American, you’d see that neither one is able to fully escape their origins. Whether these are the most significant factors, I don’t know, but that’s what I’ve seen.

“Holy costume party, Batman!”   Believe it or not, that’s an actual quote from the boy wonder Robin from the Classic 60’s BATMAN show.  I found it most appropriate to start this particular blog post!

Last year, my company held an internal Halloween party with a contest for “best costume”.  I won last year wearing a screen-used Star Trek: The Next Generation jumpsuit and wanting to hold my title again this year, planned to make my costume. 

Going with a super-hero theme, I thought about Batman, but his character seems pretty saturated – I decided to do his trusty sidekick, Robin instead.  For a nostalgic moment, I thought about the Robin from the classic TV show, BATMAN; however, I opted to go with the more modern version as depicted in the current DC Comics and Teen Titans.

Collage Courtesy of Rob Turner

Having lead the costume efforts for the Starship Farragut Internet film series, I wanted to make my costume from scratch.  I did some research on the Internet and worked primarily off two pictures. 

Photos Used for Reference

With the exception of the boots (already had), pants, mask, and cape – I made the costume from scratch.  Here are some details from a costume construction perspective:

Shirt = Using a raglan shirt pattern, made the sleeves green using Kelly Green spandex with the wrong side out making it less shiny.  Red fabric was nylon double-knit fabric.  The “R” logo was an embroidered patch and the yellow square buttons came from a child’s Rubies brand Robin costume that I found at a thrift store.  Cutting the three squares out and then using fusible web interfacing, made it into a patch that was then sew onto the costume.  The collar area edging was simply turning it inside and sewing it down and the sleeve hems were blindstiched.

Underwear = Simple “trunks” made of matching red fabric.

Utility Belt = Using a karate belt, I lined it with shiny yellow plastic that I got from using a children’s raincoat.  The belt buck was simply a Craftsman’s workmans belt.  All items purchased for under $5.00 at a thrift store.

Cape = using a Dracula cape, I modified it by removing the high rising collar.  Didn’t have enough time to align the inside with yellow fabric as depicted – although I had purchased a yellow bed sheet from a thrift store do to so.

Well, competition was fierce this year (only six people participated in the costume contest!), but safe to say that this year I took home the “best costume” and a nice bottle of red wine.     

Fellow Farraguteers Rob Turner and Cheryl Thomas-Smith partipated as a cowboy and “ultimate Phillys fan” respectively.   For Starship Farragut fans, RT in this case means Sherriff “Rough & Tough!” 

Cheryl Thomas-Smith & Rob Turner

A big shout out and thanks to my girlfriend who hung in there during the creation of this costume!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #76
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Yildiray Cinar
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Cinar

The main story was eh okay. Not the best, I think Henderson still hasn’t quite grasped all of the Titans yet. Wonder Girl seemed totally fine with Beast Boy taking over leadership last issue and now all of a sudden she just switches?! I mean sure he left to save Raven but come on. Cinar’s art is much better in the Ravager back-up which means that the main feature was probably rushed because another artist backed out. Why can’t they give this book a good regular artist again?

Here are a couple of greeting cards I made a while back, but never got around to putting on the blog.

The Superman card came from a George Perez issue of Action Comics and the Teen Titans card once again came from Wednesday Comics #1. Although, it is hard to tell I used those little square things so that the Superman and the Titans circle sit slightly above the background. I am really liking that effect.

Let me know what you think

“When Doves Cry”

Written by: J. J. Krul
Art: Ed Benes
Inks: Scott Williams & Ed Benes
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Rob Clark Jr.
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editors: Eddie Berganza & Brian Cunningham
Cover: Benes, Rob Hunter, & Rod Reis (variant by George Perez)
Publisher: DC Comics

In a way, when you get right down to it, there isn’t a whole lot to describe for this issue. The various Titans continue to deal with their respective Black Lanterns, who are dredging up some very specific and painful emotional reactions from the living heroes. However, as we see the Black Lantern Hawks accosting Dove, we witness an interesting reaction that is likely to play a key role in upcoming chapters of the Blackest Night event.

As a mini-series–as with the Batman and Superman ones that also ended this month–this doesn’t have a very satisfying conclusion, as we’re basically left with a lead-in to these characters joining the bigger party of the event now that their “foundation” and “connection” to the overall story has been established. While the incursion of the Black Lanterns was saved for the actual kickoff of the event with Blackest Night #1, this first wave of minis seem like they would have been better-served as either prologues, or triple-sized one-shots, to launch the respective characters into the event as a whole.

Despite that, as a reader not steeped in Titans knowledge nor invested in the ongoing series, it’s great to have a series that is reasonably accessible to chronicle the characters’ involvement in the event without having to have ongoing plots in the main book competing with the story elements of the event I’m following.

Donna Troy is forced to face her dead husband and child, and must overcome what her eyes tell her to act based on actual knowledge. Beast Boy faces the same challenge with his lost love, and has some self-realization in handling things. Dove (who seems to be the same character I recall being killed in Armageddon 2001 almost 20 years ago) is in a similar predicament as then, but doubled.

The visuals are very well-done, and really accentuate the story itself. The “big moment” of the issue with Dove is something that would not come off the same way with bad visual work. There’s also a bit at the end of the issue that really illustrates the way story and visuals work together in a comic in a way that isn’t possible with the same subtlety in a prose work.

As the final issue of a 3-issue arc, I don’t recommend this issue unless you can snag the first two; but taken with those first two and as its own story tied to Blackest Night, this is well worth your while. I suspect the older Titans fans more familiar with the characters and their history will appreciate things more; but for me, this has exposed me to characters I haven’t had much exposure to in awhile–if at all, and has put down groundwork for me to care about their involvement if they continue to play much of a role in Blackest Night.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 8/10

Continuing to surprise me with its unexpected levels of awesometude, Blackest Night: Titans #3 wraps up J.T. Krul and Ed Benes’s exploration of what the rising dead mean for DC’s not-ready-for-prime-time superheroes. With two dead Hawks leading the charge of the Black Lantern Titans against the living variety, our heroes are facing some hard choices. Donna Troy, wounded by the undead form of her infant son, fears what the infection will do to her if left unchecked. Beast Boy is forced to face the truth of his greatest loss, and Dove may somehow hold the key to salvation.

Donna, Garth and Dawn really tale the spotlight this issue, with each of them making terrible, gut-wrenching choices that do more for their characterization as true heroes than any other comics of the past three years. Krul puts them each through seven kinds of Hell, but the fact that they can rise the way they do is nothing short of remarkable. Dove’s importance to the overall Black Lantern story seems to mark this book as a more direct tie to the main series than some of the others, but other threads promise to lead into the upcoming two-part crossovers in Teen Titans and Outsiders as well. While all three of the spin-off miniseries thus far have been wonderful reads, this surprises by potentially being the most significant.

Rating: 9/10

Arkham Reborn #1 of 3

So Arkham Asylum has been rebuilt.  This issue begins with the director of the Asylum giving a tour to Kate Spencer (Gotham DA and current Manhunter), Bruce Wayne (really Thomas Elliot aka Hush unless something drastic changes in the near future) and Commissioner Gordon a tour, showing them the new facilities and introducing the new staff.  Wasn’t a great story, wasn’t a horrible story either.  I would read another issue in this.  Art is solid, seems to be setting up another corner of the Gotham hierarchy that I think is worth exploring.

Batman #691

So Tony Daniels is back as both writer and artist.  He worked with Grant Morrison on RIP, as well as writing and drawing Battle for the Cowl.  As crazy as Battle for the Cowl was, he did a decent job.  I think we all know it was rushed, and Daniels did get the gig at the last possible minute (I think Judd Winick was supposed to write it originally, but his story ran too long or something?  I’ll have to look into that at some point.).  Anyway, this issue features Grayson as he starts working on how to take down the Black Mask and his criminal empire.  Features a Catwoman cameo, I think this was a solid issue.   Delved into the new status quo with a new Batman and Catwoman, which I think was well done.  After Battle for the Cowl, I think it is good to see Daniels back on the character.

Blackest Night #4

So there’s a new big bad introduced, the heroes of Earth start to regroup and hold plan their last stand.  Solid issue, continues the story well.

Blackest Night: Titans #3 of 3

So this concludes the Titans tie-in for Blackest Night, where they figure out that Dove is more powerful than anybody thinks.  I’m not a huge fan of having all these tie-ins to the main series, but it seems to be effective so far and maintains relevance to the primary story.  I like that Don Hall is unable to be a Black Lantern purely because he is an embodiment of peace, and Dove is therefore able to do something to the Black Lantern Rings.  Overall, a very solid tie-in.

Detective Comics #858

Basically this is getting into the origins of Batwoman, shedding some light on the character’s childhood and her family background.  Still kind of lukewarm about the character in general, but it’s a good story, good art.  The Question, I do have some issue with.  Particularly the art and the track suit.  But mostly the art.  The art just kind throws me a bit more than I would like.

Fantastic Four #572

Reed Richards has been teaming up with his doppelgangers (a word I do not use often enough) to figure how to solve everything and was fighting a group of angry Celestials.  Key point of the issue is when he is talking to one of the other Reeds and they explain the price of their work is to lose their family.  Reed decides he does not want to do that, and goes back to find Sue waiting at his door.  I hope this is where the story goes, because it is about family.  Family is what drives these stories and I think Reed has moved well enough beyond the scienist to be the Dad for awhile.  Jonathan Hickman wrote this, with Dale Eaglesham on art, and it’s been a very good Fantastic Four story.

Gen 13 #32

So Fairchild is going through the paces of the Warhol virus, just as the rest of the team is struggling to escape the latest mad scientist who’s captured them.  Not a bad story, they finally get to Tranquility to see that it’s gone.  Wildstorm has been pretty solid lately.  Since they had their apocalypse and such, there have been some pretty decent stories being told.

Gotham City Sirens #5

Wow, that’s a bit of a blast from the past.  How many people can actually say they remember the Joker having another sidekick besides Harley Quinn?  I have to say, this was a great story.  With the “Joker’s” attack, Catwoman and Poison Ivy are ready to go on the offensive.  Harley is not, but that’s mostly because she’s crazy.  I’m liking the story here, it’s enjoyable and it works.  Paul Dini, one of Harley’s cocreator’s is doing some great writing here.

Green Lantern #47

Hal, Carol, Sinestro, and Indigo One are on Korugar, fighting the Black Lanterns Abin Sur and his sister.  This issue had a lot of good stuff for Sinestro and his character, giving him some more depth.

Hulk #16

So, there’s a Red She-Hulk now.  Meh.  Got some more backstory on the Red Hulk, but I don’t think we really care.  Basically the whole point of this series is an overblown guessing game where the readers try to figure out exactly who these pyschotic killers are.  For fun, I’ll just give y guess for whom these two would be… Betty Ross is Red She-Hulk and either Glenn Talbot or Agent Pratt are Red Hulk.  I know those people are supposed to be dead, but there has been so little logic to this storyline, why not?  But based on what I’ve read with these two characters, and probably (mostly) a gut instinct, that’s my guess.  I’ll read the next issue just to see if I’m right.

Jack of Fables #39

Young Jack Frost is off on his adventure, realizing how difficult it actually is when he gets captured by the monsters.  Meanwhile, Jack Horner is slowly getting fatter, sprouting a tail and getting some scales.  Corrupted by greed?  An enjoyable story here, good art.  If you don’t read this and Fables, why not?

Justice Society of America #32

Of the team books at DC right now, this is probably the best one out there.  Geoff Johns got it started beautifully, and now Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges are continuing things beautifully.  The Society is attempting to solve the apparent murder of Mister Terrific while a large group of supervillains are gunning for them.  I’ve enjoyed this story so far, we know these guys are good from their work on Fables, and they don’t let up.

The Last Days of Animal Man #6 of 6

Solid end to this series, really a solid “Twlight of the Superheroes” type moment where Buddy managed to take down Prismatik and Bloodrage while losing his powers.  Nice closing to this, Gerry Conway put it together nicely.

Ms. Marvel #46

Interesting story.  Carol Danvers is kind of dealing with an identity crisis as she fights Karen Sofen, a new Ms. Marvel.  I found this story to be fairly blah, but I think it finished strong.  Carol get’s her head together and manages to separate Sofen from the Moonstone, and forces Sofen to do some introspection.  I was not a fan of this story, to be honest, but I think it finished strong.  I might just pick up the next issue to see where it goes.

Superman #693

Long story short, General Lane tries to recruit Mon-El, Parasite helps him escape, but the villain double-crosses Mon-El.  I like the character of Mon-El more now that’s a regular character in the DCU, and he’s definitely doing a solid job as the star of the book.

Teen Titans #76

Not much to say about this one.  Basically this can be sumed up as “Old vs. New”.  Beast Boy thinks he should lead the team, which nobody really goes for.  The quality in this book has dropped a bit since Johns left, but it’s been fairly solid.  I like the idea of the older generation of Titans starting to come in and try to take over, as you don’t have Nightwing or Robin there to say “No, that’s a bad idea.”

Wonder Woman #37

Diana realizes how in danger that the Amazons and her mother actually are, and goes to help them.  There she is confronted by Donna Troy, who’s kind of screwed up after their battle with Genocide.  Good issue here.  I suggest people check it out.

World’s Finest #1 of 4

So Sterling Gates is doing this miniseries where a member of the Bat family of books teams up with a member of the Superman family of books.  First up, Red Robin teams up with Chris Kent, the new Nightwing, to rescue Thara, aka Flamebird and his girlfriend, from the Penguin.  Good start here, definitely worth checking out, the art’s solid.

X-Men Forever #10

Wolverine’s funeral.  Claremont is doing some fairely interesting stuff here, giving us an extended “What if I never left back in 1991?”  I’m liking this so far, it’s a fresh look at an old story, and I think it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of the X-Men in any era.

Wenn ich bei jedem Ständer in der Öffentlichkeit “He rises!” schreien würde, gäbe es einen Riesenaufstand!

(Last Updated Nov 28, 2009 @ 8:29 pm EST)

Now You Can Follow The Computer Savvy Weblog Via Twitter: http://twitter.com/DCz_Dead_Rise

On Sale: Nov 25, 2009

Retail Price: $3.99 USD

Availability of Comic

*1st Print: Very Easy To FInd

Comic Book Price Book Guide Cost: $ 4.00 (1st Print Cover) Graded @ 9.4 (http://www.comicspriceguide.com)

About Comic: It’s a return of the teenage dead in this BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in issue! There’s certainly no shortage of dead Teen Titans, so when the Black Lanterns come a-calling, old teammates return with a vengeance! It’s a Titan’s worst nightmare come true!

*1st Print Cover*

For full Information on this comic book please click on the following link “Teen Titans #77” -

Till Next Time,

Remy “Se7en”

In recognition of the in development Flash film, I decided to give it a nice, warm welcome to the superhero movie family with this promotional poster. Which, roughly took 7-10 hours in Photoshop CS4 Extended. I even stayed up till 2 am finishing it up. You can find the full version here.

I’m a huge fan of DC Comics Titans – whether its New, Teen, Team, New(er), East, or West; I love them all. I especially love the cover to The New Teen Titans #1 and sub-sequentially all of its homages. Here are just a few of the ones that I know and love.

I know there are tons more but I didn’t feel like looking for them.