Well, the Ninety-Nine, as standard superhero fare goes, it is worth the attention. After only six issues this is hardly a masterpiece such as have been seen by Alan Moore or Grant Morrison, but then it is also aimed at a slightly younger audience, and fits comfortably into it’s niche. I don’t criticise Booster Gold for not being ‘deep’ enough when it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp. It’s always nice to see a new company do well, especially one in my opinion with cross-cultural leanings, mainly because I get to learn new things. I really hope that this is the start of a tradition, and soon DC will also do a crossover with Raj Comics. I can’t wait to see some of those in English!

Meanwhile, the Thanos Imperative concludes today, and although I suspect I am wrong, I rather hope this is not the end of the story. It’s not exactly an official crossover, but to see this Lovecraftian influence on the Marvel Cosmic stage has been an absolute pleasure. Even if we can see the ending of the Imperative coming a mile off, that Thanos’ death will break the power of Life Incarnate in Cancerverse, the whole saga has maintained Abnett’s momentum (following Annihilation and the War Of Kings) and makes me want to know what’s next.

I still hope I am wrong though. Let it be something more than just Thanos dying. Don’t let me down Dan.

Now I have been lucky enough to find the first two issues of The 99, which I found thoroughly enjoyable, but since then later issues have seemed as available as rocking horse poop. Reading the press coverage I was amazed to find out that by now nearly thirty of the 99 heroes have been revealed (which eventually will surely rival even the fabled Legion Of Super-Heroes, or even the X-Men for a cast), of which I maybe know of the first seven or eight. Partnering these up with the JLA is a masterful move, as I for one want to see a lot more of these characters. However all the coverage so far just refers to an un-named DC villain teaming with Rughal (the link is just one example), but erm, look at the picture. Starro anybody? (I suppose since this is supposed to happen on the fabled Earth-Crossover, Starro’s recent defeat in the pages of REBELS is irrelevent.)

All such considerations aside, this is great. Now, next I want to see DC (or Marvel) do the same with Raj Comics. (For that matter, I would love to see some of Raj Comics translated into english.) So that alongside the heroes of the Middle East we can see the heroes of the Indian subcontinent. What I have read of them, the characters are fascinating, however I unfortunately do not read Hindi. I truly miss some of the Virgin Comics titles, such as Devi. Please don’t tell me she’s gone for good. I know the new incarnation of Liquid Comics has a few Hollywood projects lined up, but when was the last time we heard any news about them? Raj Comics promises to fill that gap. Someone, please, translate them already!

The British stable of characters seem to have all defected to the US, as seen by Marvel’s current Miracleman reprints. (Although is Miracleman British or American? With his complex history as Captain Marvel and Marvelman, who can tell?)  Yet the rest of the world may be full of characters we don’t know about, and I want to seee them all. Britain’s publishing may have dried up, but there is no shortage of British creators working for the larger companies, and taking the rich British stable of characters with them.  Yet the world has rich cultures to draw more stories from, Africa, South America, and I cannot wait to see what riches these comic worlds have for us.

Hmmm.  How very imperialist of me.

We have seen the spirit of it in the very-definitely epic JLA vs Avengers, and it would be nice to see a sequel to that. (Lawyers take note here.) One could of course say that Kurt Busieks Trinity was indeed that sequel, but that only looked at one side of the dimensional/commercial divide. Personally, I think Access (or more to the point Dark Access) has a lot of potential in the hands of the correct writers, especially if the space is given for a good story to develop.

Take for instance the aforementioned sequel Trinity, a timeline in and of itself (briefly), and one as deserving of longevity as that of The Kingdom. Mirroring that is the House Of M, how indeed was the battle between to two great Brothers fought in those timelines? Darkseid is returning (it appears) in the current issues of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, despite his very final, never coming back, he is definitely dead this time death in Final Crisis. Who better to resurrect him than his corrupted future self of Axel Asher?

Infinite Crisis resurrected the multiverse, where did that leave Kismet of the Superman/Dominus stories? M-Day that wiped the vast majority of mutants from the mainstream timeline and according to Forge and the Beast, all neighbouring realities as well (even if it did not seem to affect the Exiles all that much), was an event that could have been felt by the Red Brother himself. Plus we saw that interdimensional tsunami (what a concept) in the Uncanny X-Men House Of M crossover, a plot thread that could be used to kick off events. A total excuse for a series of relaunches, the Ultraverse, the New Universe, another Squadron Supreme, the list goes on. (You just knew I had to get the relaunch concept in somewhere, eh?)

The two companies could really make a meal out of this. I mean, if they can overcome the licensing issues for the various four-issue mini-series, then they could do a year long series. And I don’t just mean a twelve issue run, because this would definitely be a biweekly series I would invest in.  Hell, make it another weekly, with lasting ramifications for both continuities. Surely they could write something into the agreement where they can be allowed to refer to these events later? Possibly in a less clumsy form than DC have in the case of JLA/Avengers. (Still, you have to give DC credit, they at least didn’t ignore it unlike Marvel).

Researching this gave me hope, as I found the following quote online:

While at Comic-Con, recently promoted C.B. Cebulski was asked at the Marvel Mondo Panel on Thursday if we can expect a Marvel vs. DC Crossover in the future. Cebulski’s answered for the panel by stating that Marvel would be more than willing to do it again, and that the ball is in DC’s court. He then tasked the room to extend that challenge back out to DC in Marvel’s name. DC has yet to respond.

I would ask the two companies to seriously consider this, and really go to town on the idea. In fact, we should all start badgering them at every possible opportunity. (Your mission, should you choose to accept it……………)

Now I can understand why Max Lord appears in Power Girl, and it’s nice to see that Max is scheduled to prevent the events of The Kingdom by sorting Magog. But don’t all these plot threads belong in the pages of Brightest Day?

On the note of the JLA/JSA crossover, too much too soon? This team is barely established, yet has done nothing so far to show that it is not a second rate league like the Justice League Detroit, or maybe even the JLI. (Speaking of which, have you been reading Justice League Generation Lost? That seems to be the best League title out there currently.) Forcing it into a team up that was little more than one very long fight scene seems, well, pointless really.  Maybe I’m falling out of love with DC! Still, we’ve had our rough times before, we’ll get through it.

A far better read this week has been Image’s Guarding The Globe. Now I’ve only recently started reading Invincible, I still don’t know who all of these characters even are, but while Invincible is away fighting the Viltrumite War, we can rest assured that the Earth is in safe and highly entertaining hands. They may have had to change the titles name at Marvel’s demand, but nonetheless, this is an enthralling group that I know just enough about to make sense of the title. Perfect for a jumping on point into the Invincible universe and definitely my pick for the week.

Brightest Day #0

Brightest Day #1 ships today, promptly picking up the pieces from the Blackest Night. The first six pages are previewed over at Newsarama and stars Boston Brand the Deadman who is of course not so dead anymore. For a career ghost, that is not a good move.

Still, it looks like there may well be a White Lantern Corps after all, as it appears his touch now has the power to resurrect small birds. I fail to see why he is despairing, it’s not as if he doesn’t know Dick Grayson is the current Batman and could set him up nicely. Still, a life-touch may well have interesting consequences if applied to characters like Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter.

I suppose as ever it has been shown that J’Onn is the backbone to the Justice League, as it has not been having a good time since his passing. Just how his responsibility will change if he is granted this new power will be interesting, I wonder if we will be seeing a potential return for Lian?

I hope we will see J’Onn in quite the starring role, as he has long been the coordinator of the League, but if next months Justice League: Generation Lost solicitation is anything to go by, he may well have his hands full. To quote –

“Someone is targeting the old members of the defunct Justice League International. Now, surviving members Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice have to figure out what unseen mastermind is threatening to destroy the entire Super Hero community!”

My, I wonder who that could be? Do you think their neck aches much? I do hope that this series will not turn Maxwell Lord into some second-rate villain after his time in the spotlight during the Infinite Crisis. After all, that very plotline nearly justified the entire Bwah-ha-ha run of the JLI. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it at the time, I did, but it was hardly more than disposable entertainment. But then maybe we were all just spoilt by Grant Morrison.

Justice League Of America 80 Page Giant #1

And the award for Most Bizarre Relationship goes to:-

Cheetah and Snapper Carr, mascot of the Justice League!

JLA 80pg giant #1 (I’m sure it should be #4) was released last week, in a story that was reminiscent of the high points of the Silver Age and a traditional Gardner-Fox Justice League story. Epoch the Lord Of Time casts the team (obviously before the latest schism in membership) across the ages, allowing such stars as Cinnamon, the Black Pirate, the Shining Knight and the Crimson Avenger to team up with the League, plus a wonderful little short featuring The Bride (who I’m convinced is a fairly new character). I have no doubt said before how much I love seeing the characters that once filled the comics of the Golden and Silver Ages still receiving attention, and this one issue does not let us down.

However, it was the framing sequence that made it for me. Snapper Carr, the luckless mascot of the League, who during Final Crisis:Resist was a saviour for Mr Terrific and the remains of Checkmate until his, erm, urges got the better of him; seems to be letting those urges lead him astray once more. He never was known for his sense of character.

Or it seems his sense of location. The issue begins with Snapper meeting Barbara Minerva after he calls her, in the old JLA mountain base. Perfect venue, wouldn’t you say?

Now I have always liked George Perez’ reinterpretation of the Cheetah. Despite later stories trivialising her, Minerva was always a complex character, mercenary but not heartless, held in bondage to the fertility god Urzkataga (who always reminded me of the aspidistra Great Uncle of an old show called the Adventure Game, in his part-time role as a drug dealer and pimp), focussed on her goals but apart from when driven mad by her god, lacking the maniacal qualities of many super villains that spring to mind. However, relationships with super-villains never tend to work out, just look at Speedy/Red Arrow Roy Harper and the assassin Cheshire, but still, I hope this one plays out for years. It will all go wrong, even without Snappers bad luck and judgement. However, would we like to see a young Snapper-Cat?  Hopefully it won’t go that far, but then, she does serve a fertility god.

Then again, I thought he was the jealous type.  I mean, how can Snapper compete with a potted plant?

I don’t want to spoil the story, or reveal just how Snapper remains as luckless as ever, but when Minerva asks him towards the end if he wouldn’t rather be a super-villain considering that he seems so good at it made me laugh out loud.

It’s a while since a comic made me do that. Now the dark and gritty fad seems to have been relegated to where it belongs and today’s creators feel free to draw on the better parts of each decade, I find I am now enjoying nearly every comic I read, rather than it being hard work. Long may the quality, and humour, continue.

get a raw deal.

If you have been reading The Last Days Of The Animal Man, you will already know that Buddy’s life has once more taken a turn for the worst.

Fortunately, #3 has revealed to me (maybe I missed it before) that this series is actually set fifteen years in the future. We also see a progression of the relationship between him and Starfire, (fast moving there Buddy), and the deterioration (again) of his relationship with his wife Ellen.

So far with this series? As nice as it is to see Buddy have his own title again, I’m withholding judgement. Power Girl suddenly a scientist? Maxine with no powers? And the League Of Titans? I so hope this turns out to be Doctor Destiny or some other reality warping force at work.

Still, it has its moments. The art is crisp, and Buddy facing the way his life has affected his family over the years are nice touches. So, I do recommend this, if only to bump up sales so we can see an Animal Man series set in the present. No more alternate realities, potential futures or imaginary stories, but putting Buddy back in the centre of the DCU like Fifty Two and Countdown To Adventure promised. Get him into the Justice League already, and prove that he deserves the limelight.

Plus now Sue Dibny has passed, wouldn’t Ellen Baker make a good replacement?

Well, Blackest Night #1 is out on the shelves, and as set up issues go, it was okay. As I feared however, it looks like the Blackest Night is going to swamp the War Of Light storyline in Green Lantern unless that carries on after this crossover is finished, which I doubt. It does run the risk so far of just being a zombie story I think, but I will refrain from criticism until we are at least three issues in.

Speaking of super-zombies however, the Super-Zombies title from Dynamite has sucked me in. A whole new universe of characters, politics and intrigue established from the get-go, and in four issues I have already begun to care about the characters. This has risen to the top of my must-read list, and if you haven’t seen it already, I advise picking the issues up and giving them a chance. Yes you will be confused as to who everyone is to start with, I still am and need to re-read it to check who’s who. However, I started reading the DC Universe with Crisis On Infinite Earths, and you can imagine how much back-reading I had to do to find out who everyone was there. My only regret is that with Super-Zombies, that back material is not available to dip into.

What has me really pumped however is how the return of the Milestone universe is rolling on, this week in The Brave And The Bold #25, starring Hardware and Blue Beetle. Hardware is his usual sociable self and we see the return of his age old adversaries The System. Oh yeah, and the new Blue Beetle was in it as well.

I adored the confrontation recently between the JLA and the Shadow Cabinet, culminating in Justice League Of America #34, where we learnt just how it is that the Milestone Earth is now part of the DCU. The mysterious Dharma used the power of Rift Fred Benson (from Worlds Collide) to merge his universe with the DCU.

(Erm, from pre Zero Hour to the New Multiverse, did he misfire and shoot past the post-Zero Hour earth? Hell of a pattern that, knit one, drop one, knit one. “Ma, I lost a universe, have you seen it anywhere?)

Anyway, for a geek like me that means for once, all the previously titles still stand in continuity. There was some really good stuff in the old Milestone, and I was very disappointed to see it go.

Now, we’ve seen Holocaust, but I can’t wait to see what’s left of the rest of the Blood Syndicate and what they are up to nowadays.

Of course nostalgia seems all the rage at the minute. Anyone else dig that updated sixties-vibe in Superman World Of New Krypton? And how about the latest revamp of the Red Circle characters? !mpact comics was a bit of a flop, although it too had some good stories. However, I am just old enough to remember some of the actual Red Circle comics themselves. The Crusaders, The Fly and Fly-Girl. Villains like the Brain-Emperor and Eterno.

I am pumped about these, and I look forward to seeing the latter four characters again. The legacy of The Fly with the legacy of Shazam – now that would be an interesting mix.

Oh and have you seen Octobers solicitations? The X-Babies are coming back, but get this, WITH PLANET TERRY! I was too old to read Planet Terry the first time round but that didn’t stop me then, and it won’t stop me now.

Recycling in the music industry is bad. But here in the comic world? It’s good to see all of these old friends again.

As long as they are not zombies.