31 July 2012
MoneySupermarket.com has created an infographic of the estimated cost to be Iron Man… or, rather, to have/build a suit of Iron Man-like armor and Tony Stark’s lifestyle.
Archive for the ‘comics’ Category
The Cost of Being Iron Man
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012Superhero Motivational Posters
Sunday, July 29th, 201229 July 2012
Comics Alliance has a feature on Kerrith Johnson’s artwork which features superheroes – and a couple of villains – on motivational posters:
It’s a fun and good-looking series. You should check them out!
“Together we’ll break these chains of love…”
Friday, July 13th, 201213 July 2012
Comic Book Resources has a column called “I Love Ya, But You’re Strange…” As it describes itself:
Every week, I will spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories (basically, we’re talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books).
This week’s entry examines a Golden Age Wonder Woman story in which “…her secret identity comes back to haunt her in a really, really odd fashion.”
And, I have to admit: It is bizarre and just plain weird. Seriously weird. “How so,” you ask? The title of the article is: “THAT TIME THE HUSBAND OF WONDER WOMAN’S EXACT DOUBLE CHAINED HER TO A TABLE” Yeah, it’s that weird… and, yet, so in keeping with a lot of the Wonder Woman stories of the day. (Look up William Marston, Wonder Woman’s creator, some time. His story makes for a rather interesting read.)
‘What If There Wasn’t Only One?’ (Part II)
Friday, June 1st, 201231 May 2012
Yes, it’s been almost eight months since I dusted off Four-Color Coverage, but here we are. And, it seems fitting that the subject of my last entry is also the subject of my newest one:
In my last post, I hypothesized a few possibilities for what Marvel’s cryptic might mean. With the release of Marvel’s Winter Soldier title, we now know (or at least have a good idea of) what’s been going on with Project: Zephyr.
However, the real reason for this post was the dialogue from this issue. Bucky (The Winter Soldier), Natasha Romanova (The Black Widow) and Nick Fury (the classic one, not the Samuel L. Jackson look-alike) find themselves in an unlikely – and uneasy – alliance with Fantastic Four nemesis: Doctor Doom. It turns out that a former Prime Minister of Doom’s has gained access not only to one of Doom’s weapon caches, but also to the launch codes to the Latverian nuclear missile silos.
::: cue ominous music :::
As the quartet prepare to face their foe, the following exchange takes place:
Nick Fury: This is unbelievable! He programmed nuke launch codes inta his damned Doombots?!
Bucky: Nick, I know… believe me. But.. just…
Fury: Y’know, Doom, for the second-smartest man in the world, you can be pretty friggin’…
Bucky: Nick. C’mon. He’s helping us now.
Doom: The boy has a point, Colonel Fury… or is it ex-Colonel now? Von Doom stopped trying to keep track of all your promotions and demotions long ago.
Fury: Sure, because “Von Doom” was too busy programming robot doppelgangers of himself… like any sane ruler of a country does, right?
Doom: Only a fool would criticize perfectionism.
And just like that, Doom proves, once again, that he is… Doom.
And it makes me smile.
And maybe – just maybe – it won’t be another eight months before I get to write another entry here.
Cheers!
‘What If There Wasn’t Only One?’
Friday, October 7th, 201107 October 2011
Newsarama posted the following earlier:
The second Marvel teaser of the pre-New York Comic Con Friday has arrived, this one promising answers in January.
The message is simple: “What if there wasn’t only one?” Given that the image consists of a star — similar to the one on Captain America’s shield — on a black background, the likely most obvious implication is that it has something to do with Cap. Return of Bucky? Something else entirely?
My guess: “What if there wasn’t only one Winter Soldier?”
Why do I think that? For a few reasons:
- Bucky/Winter Soldier was an interesting and complex character. A man in his 80s, with the body of a man in his late 20s/early 30s… who was not only Captain America’s sidekick – and replacement – but the brainwashed weapon of a foreign government.
- Bucky, after taking on the mantle of Captain America, became a popular character. Even though readers knew that Steve Rogers had to return to the red-white-and-blue, they bought issues of Captain America with Bucky carrying the shield, month after month.
- The most glaringly obvious thing, at least to me, is that Bucky/The Winter Soldier had a red star imprinted on his cybernetic arm.
The ad doesn’t feature a white star – like on Cap’s uniform or shield… or even Red Guardian‘s uniform or shield. It’s red.
And, let’s face it: We’re talking comics. The realm of the hyperbole is the stuff of stories in comics. It would stand to reason that the people behind the Winter Soldier program would want more than just one “perfect assassin” in their army. It… makes sense… in a comic book kind of way.
What are your thoughts?
DCnU: The New 52 – Week 1
Saturday, October 1st, 2011I decided to pick up all fifty-two of DC Comics’ new #1’s, so that I could attempt to get a better feel for what they were doing with the DCU DCnU. I was not planning on continuing to read all 52 of the new books, but I figured that I’d give them a shot and see if there were any new/different titles that I might want to add to my subscription at my local comic shop. There were a number of hits, some misses and a fair bit of “that was a decent read, but I don’t think that I’ll be adding that title” along the way. In this post – and the three to follow – I will point out what I feel were some of the highlights of the past four weeks of DC’s releases.
- Action Comics #1 – This was the book that started it all for superheroes and for DC, sorry… “National Comics,” back in 1938. With this reboot/reimagining, Grant Morrison brings us a Superman who’s a little less… well, “super.” Faster than a speeding bullet? More or less. More powerful than a locomotive? Well, he’s at least as strong as a tank. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Depends on the building. This Superman is still new to the game and, from first appearances, operating well outside the auspices of the law. But he still seems to be the Superman that we all grew up with at heart. We are also (re-)introduced to familiar faces such as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, General Sam Lane and, of course, Lex Luthor. All in all, it was a fun read and I’m curious to see what Mr. Morrison does with this version of the Man of Steel.
- Animal Man #1 – I started reading this book in its last incarnation, when… surprise, surprise… Grant Morrison was writing it. And it was a very good read. This time, it’s Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Superboy) at the helm. And his take on Buddy Baker seems to be that of a man who’s at peace with who he is and who he was — as a man, a hero and an activist. He also appears to be a man who’s willing to put the costume back on when there’s someone in need. Again. What’s different about this version is that Lemire seems to be introducing more of a horror bent to the story. While it’s a little too early for me to make a “Keep” or “Trash” call on this series, I’m intrigued enough to stick around for a few more issues to see where it’s going..
- Batgirl #1 – It’s not Cassandra Cain under the cowl. Nor is it Stephanie Brown. It’s Barbara Gordon. The original Batgirl is back. We do know that it takes place after The Killing Joke. We don’t know how Babs got the use of her legs again. That, I guess is a mystery for another time.
- Detective Comics #1 – Wow. This one hit the ground running. At a full sprint. And it didn’t slow down. It appears to take place early-ish in Batman’s career and among his early encounters with The Joker, an adversary whose motives have long eluded the Dark Knight… and it seems that The Joker has plans in the works. Big ones.
- Justice League International #1 – The United Nations looks to assemble a multi-national superhuman team… and have it led by… Booster Gold?! YeahbuhWHAT?! Are they serious!? (And I’m a Booster Gold fan.) There seems to be much more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. And Batman. Always Batman.
- Static Shock #1 – Static is back… but this ain’t Dakota. The teen hero has moved to the Big Apple. And, he appears to have gotten a few new toys, courtesy of Hardware. And he’s already caught the attention of some people whom it seems have something to hide. I never read Static back when he had his original series, but I am appreciating the way that Scott McDaniel is writing him — as an intelligent young man… who… happens to have superpowers. I’ll be sticking with this for a few issues, at least.
Four-Color Coverage: DCnU – “The New 52”
Thursday, September 1st, 2011The powers that be at DC Comics have hit the “reboot” button and are crafting a new universe for readers. This isn’t the first time that they’ve done this. In 1985, they rebooted the DCU with Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was an attempt to streamline their continuity and make their characters accessible to readers. It happened again – though to a lesser degree – with Zero Hour and, yet again, with Infinite Crisis.
And so, the era of “The New 52” is upon us. The DC Universe – which has been referred to as “the DCnU” – has been reborn/reimagined. Readers have been teased with images and bits of backstory, but this week the doors have been opened and we get our first full views of the new DC Universe with Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1:
Flashpoint #5 – This issue served as the introduction and catalyst for the new universe. In it, readers learn not only how the DCnU was… created/ignited/born… but we also learn who the true “villain” of the story was. Yet, it’s more nuanced than that. There’s an adage that says: “The villain is the hero in his own story.” [SPOILER DELETED] wasn’t really a villain; they were just trying to do what they saw as correcting an injustice. Yes, it was a selfish motivation, but it was also very personal… which makes for good storytelling. And the story’s coda was not only fitting, but also showed an interesting side of the relationship between [SPOILER DELETED] and [SPOILER DELETED].
Justice League #1 – This issue “happens” five years in the past. Before there was a ‘Justice League.’ When the characters we know as heroes are still very much unknown quantities. The pacing on this story was a little slower than one might expect from the first issue of the first book of a “new” universe; but for me, that was okay. Most of the issue follows Batman and Green Lantern’s first meeting — the Dark Knight, a veritable urban legend, and the Emerald Warrior, a new hero from the west coast with a certain attitude about his “second job.” In the former DCU, Geoff Johns explored what lied at the heart of the divide between Batman and Green Lantern in Green Lantern: Rebirth —
In this incarnation of the DCU, Johns explores it again.. but with a twist: Green Lantern is cocky and headstrong and very much of the “I can handle anything” mindset. Batman is… Batman. And when Green Lantern finds out that Batman is:
Green Lantern: Hold on a second… You’re not just some guy in a bat costume are you? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!
Batman (smirking… with GL’s ring in his hand): What’s this do?
GL: How the Hell’d you get it off?
Batman (examining the ring): I don’t see any buttons, so I’m guessing that it works off concentration. (turning to look at GL with a sly smirk) You… weren’t concentrating.
GL (willing his ring back to his hand): You won’t do that again.
Batman: Not unless I want to.
GL: You really want to pick a fight with someone who can create anything he can think of?
Batman: I’d be worried if I thought you could think.
And there we have it. We are also briefly introduced to a pre-Cyborg Victor Stone and some guy in red and blue with a yellow-and-red “S” on his chest.
It wasn’t a perfect book, but it sets up an interesting story and one that I may actually be interested in following.
And with maybe not so much a “Big Bang” as a “jump to the left,” the DCnU is underway. Let’s hope that it’s a good ride.
Four-Color Coverage: So, it’s been a while…
Friday, December 10th, 2010…and that “while” was a lot longer than I had planned to go without some kind of a post.
There have been many good things that have come out in the past few months. I’m going to take a 10,000-foot view of most titles or groups of titles, with spotlights/highlights from a select few. And with that said, let’s get to it:
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- Young Justice/Teen Titans/Tiny Titans
- Because I missed writing about it before, we’ll start, out of alphabetical order, with the animated Young Justice, on Cartoon Network, starting in January. In the opening, we meet Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin, and Speedy, sidekicks to Justice League members, who are about to begin their first step to full membership in the League…. or so they think. After a disagreement with the senior Leaguers, Speedy quits and the remaining three undertake a mission – correction: an unsanctioned mission – to investigate a government-run facility. By the episode/feature’s end, the kids have formed a new team, sanctioned by the League, with new rules and a new mission. All-in-all, this was a good take on the Teen Titans… I would say even better than the Teen Titans ‘toon from a few years ago. If you have the opportunity to catch an encore presentation, do so. It’s good. Very good.
- Teen Titans #89 – I picked this up because of the introduction of Robin (Damian Wayne) to the team. I wasn’t disappointed… not because it’s natural to have a Robin on the Titans. In fact, quite the opposite: Damian isn’t really a team player, which doesn’t sit well with the other Titans. I may give this a few issues and see if it is worthy of becoming a regular addition to my subscription.
- Tiny Titans and Tiny Titans/Little Archie and His Pals – This book/these books are still just plain “fun,” and I must admit the TT/LA crossover came off much more smoothly – and more entertaining – that I had thought.
- Action Comics – With Superman going on walkabout in America, Lex Luthor has taken over as the protagonist in this title. And the story – following Lex’ quest for a power ring – has been good. Including his brush with (Neil Gaiman’s version of) Death.
- Batman/Batman and Robin/Batgirl/Batwoman/Red Robin
- Batman titles – Bruce Wayne is back from his trip through the timestream… and he’s broadening his view on his war on crime: He’s going global and recruiting others to his cause.
- Batman and Robin: Dick Grayson still wears the cowl in Gotham City, while Damian Wayne maintains his role as Robin
- Batgirl – College student by day; crimefighter by night, Stephanie Brown patrols Gotham City as Batgirl, with the assistance of Oracle and Oracle’s new protege: Proxy.
- Batwoman – We’ve only seen the zero issue, but I’m liking this take on Kate Kane.
- Birds of Prey #6 – When Black Canary leaves the team to train under the mysterious newcomer who calls herself “White Canary,” Huntress and Zinda travel to southeast Asia to find out what’s really going on. This, in turn, leads to a spectacular fight between Huntress and Lady Shiva, one of the world’s most accomplished – and deadly – martial artists.
- Captain America – With his past as Winter Soldier exposed, James “Bucky” Buchanan – the current Captain America – is now preparing to stand trial for his crimes.
- Young Justice/Teen Titans/Tiny Titans
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- Fantastic Four #584 – Ben Grimm, after taking a formula created by Reed’s new Future Foundation, takes a formula that allows him to be human again… for a week. Jonathan Hickman writes a good story about Ben and Johnny, two regular guys out on the town. Oh, and Galactus pays Reed a visit, too.
- Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps/Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors
- Green Lantern – The quest for the Avatars continues.
- Green Lantern Corps – Ever wonder just who it was that fashioned Sinestro’s first yellow ring? That question is answered. And, we learn he’s not all that happy with Mr. Sinestro, either.
- Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors – Exactly what is the Lanterns’ mission in the Unknown Sectors… and how do Atrocitus and Bleez fit into the picture?
- Legion of Super-Heroes/Adventure Comics
- Legion of Super-Heroes – The Legion and Science Police team up to take on a group of Durlan assassins, out to “avenge” the death of R.J. Brande. And, in a bit of a surprising twist, Earth-Man hooks up with [SPOILER DELETED].
- Adventure Comics – Paul Levitz has done a fantastic job of recounting early Legion stories and returning a young Clark Kent – as Superboy – into the Legion mythos, including a story where Brainiac 5 leads the young LSH on a mission to the past to take on [SPOILER DELETED]. Also, the new Green Lantern 2814 is named.
- New Avengers #6 – In the aftermath of the fight with Agomotto, the New Avengers try to chart their new direction. For Jessica Jones-Cage, that means finding a new nanny for Danielle. The line-up of applicants is impressive (and a little scary), but the winning dialogue of the story comes from Squirrel Girl. (Yes, I said “Squirrel Girl.”) And it’s not just one item, but three. In one issue. Read it.
- Spider-Girl #1 – This re-kickoff issue of an Arana/Spider-Girl series was fun. Teenaged superhero – with a little angst-laden fun. (Besides, how many titles have captions/asides in the form of Twitter posts?) I am really looking forward to seeing where the series goes; I just hope that it holds up to the high bar set by this issue.
- Superman/Supergirl/Superboy
- Superman – The Man of Tomorrow has been continuing his very human journey across America. I’ve been quite happy with J.M. Straczynski’s storyline and will be interested to see I, Zombie writer, Chris Roberson’s, take on it when he assumes writing duties with Issue #707.
- Supergirl – I’m going to jump to Supergirl Annual #2 here. Why? Because it features the LSH. The classic Legion, that is; not the 247-Legion where she spent the “1 Year Later” timeframe. As an added bonus, this issue also served to not only return (or would it be “insert”) the modern incarnation of Supergirl into her classic role with the Legion, but also respark her classic semi-relationship with Brainiac 5.
- Superboy – To paraphrase the old Oldsmobile commercial: “This is not your father’s Superboy.” But, in some ways, it is. This time it’s Conner Kent, not Clark… but Jeff Lemire and company are establishing his friends and rogues gallery, all while keeping Conner rooted in Smallville.
- Wonder Woman – I’ve liked the direction that the altered time line has taken. In many ways, it’s giving readers a sort of origin story on the new Wonder Woman, showing what forged her into from “princess in exile” to “warrior princess.” (And, yes, I still like the new costume.) There are signs that characters have noticed the changes to the timeline, but the question becomes: “How can they repair it?”
Four-Color Coverage: The Singularities of Earth-Two
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Comic Book Resources’ Grumpy Old Fan has written a few thoughts about Earth-Two (the classic Earth-Two, that is), how legacies worked there and its place in the multiverse:
This business about both Bruce and Dick being Batman (or “Batmen,” I guess) got me thinking about Earth-Two.
At the risk of being remedial — and some of you may want to skip to the next paragraph — Earth-Two was the home of DC’s original-formula superheroes, whose adventures took place roughly in real time. Superman first appeared in 1938, Batman in 1939, Robin in 1940, Wonder Woman in 1941, etc. It was the Justice Society’s Earth, where the Jay Garrick Flash had been around since 1940 before being “discovered” by Barry Allen decades later. Because the Golden Agers had all pretty much gone into semi-retirement, they had time to get married and raise kids. These children then became superheroes themselves. Earth-Two was retired itself in Crisis On Infinite Earths, but DC’s current Multiverse has its own Earth-2 (note the subtle change to numerals) which is very similar to the old one in most respects.
Read the rest of the article here.
Four-Color Coverage: Alan Moore rejects DC rights offer: ‘I don’t want Watchmen back’
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010Comic Book Resources takes a look at Alan Moore’s refusal to reclaim his rights to the Watchmen property:
Alan Moore, whose tumultuous relationship with DC Comics is legendary, claims the publisher offered this week to return the rights to his most famous creation — in exchange for a concession.
“They offered me the rights to Watchmen back, if I would agree to some dopey prequels and sequels,” Moore told Underwire today. “So I just told them that if they said that 10 years ago, when I asked them for that, then yeah it might have worked. But these days I don’t want Watchmen back. Certainly, I don’t want it back under those kinds of terms.”
To read the rest of the article, click here.