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LWIC: Clones, Too Many Batmen, and Creepy Zombie Action!

If you are looking for the results from last week’s Friday Night Fights and wondering why they are not at the top of the page on a Tuesday night, don’t worry they were posted earlier. Last Week In Comics was delayed a day since I spent all day yesterday reloading the software back onto my main desktop PC. So if you are here for the results of Friday Night Fights, you may as well read through my opinion of six day old comics from last week as you scroll down to the results.

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 6 day-old comics.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36

In the monthly books Spider-Man is trapped by Norman Osborn and about to die and then LWIC Peter is whisked away to Boston… Ok…

Giving continuity aside this was a fun book and brought back memories from the last time I consistently read Spider-Man books – the days of the Clone Saga. Don’t get me wrong this book was not totally out of continuity, aside from being almost dead at the hands of his arch enemy, everything else was fine in this book.

LWIC (Last Week In Comics) Peter accompanies his Aunt May and her future husband, J. Johna Jameson Sr. to Boston for an engagement party. After some hilarity ensues between Peter and his new “Bro” and former boss J. Johna Jameson Jr. he gets attacked in the bathroom. After many pages of action and witty spider-banter it is reveled that the attacker was not after Peter but instead he was after one Ben Reilly. You see back in the 90’s comic companies were all about making money, they cared about it so much it ruined them and some readers.  (Check out these two articles: One & Two) During the 90’s every main character was either dying (Death of Superman) or being revamped to be more “extreme”  and Spider-Man followed suit. Instead of killing Spidey off they made him more “extreme” and not by just changing his costume, they decided to change the character. It was reveled that the Spidey we all knew and loved was a clone of Peter. Supposedly when Spidey fought his clone back in the 70’s they got mixed up, seeing how they had the same memories and such – think of the briefcase scenario in movies. After the fans warmed up to the idea that there were two Spideys around and the one we knew as Peter was not Peter, Marvel switched it up again… confused?  Well, so was I and I stopped reading Spider-Man until a couple years ago.

Anyway, the Clone Saga was monumental and it seems that the current creative team saw something fun in the story and they are bringing the clone Ben Reilly back into the mix. Will this annoy me enough to quit reading again… I doubt it. I trust the new creative team… as long as they never introduce a huge new story arc before reaching the climax of the previous one again.

Green Lantern #43

I used to make fun of Marvel and it’s Marvel Zombies series, but it seems like DC has finally jumped on the bandwagon…
Ok, maybe not but I stopped reading Green Lantern after the Sinestro Corps arc and every other color of the rainbow got their own power ring and corps. Prior to and after Infinite Crisis, people were making a big deal about the outrageous numbers of people in the DCU dying, and not only dying but dying violent over the top deaths. Now it seems as if all of those deaths were not for shock value and sales alone, it seems as if Geoff Johns has been secretly planing, building, and writing the Black Lantern Corps for a while now.

LWIC the “Blackest Night” began. Green Lantern’s enemy, the Black Hand, took his own life and unknowingly started the Black Lantern Corps. The Black Lantern Corps consists of once dead folks who rise from the dead to bear power rings and fight Green Lanterns. Sound silly, simple, and odd? Well it is, but man it works. I am not a fan of Zombies and the many movies that they have stared in, but this comic I liked. There wasn’t much to this issue but an updated origin of the Black Hand and the rational behind the creation of the Black Lantern Corps, but from the setup presented in this issue I may also jump on the zombie bandwagon.

Red Robin #2

So Bruce Wayne dies/disappears and the whole Bat-Universe goes crazy. Tim Drake, the current Robin when Bruce passes, was acting more like Batman than anyone else including the current, post Bruce, Batman – Dick Grayson. So after Bruce died, Tim didn’t believe it and decided to go find him and donning a new costume and name: Red Robin. As Red Robin, Tim follows in Bruce’s footsteps by focusing on nothing but his goal, even if it means giving everything else up.

LWIC Tim Drake almost fully becomes as Red Robin what Bruce was as Batman – a man focused on a goal. It was nice to see that the writers post Batman R.I.P. are creating new characters but staying true to the original characterization. Before Bruce died, Tim was more like Batman than Nightwing and that characterization is still true even though Nightwing is the new Batman. The same statement can be said about Dick Grayson’s (Nightwing) characterization as Batman. Watching Tim focused and driven like Bruce is nice; it gives us readers access to the gritty Batman we all became accustomed too since Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and that is the type of character I grew up reading.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
BATMAN #688

I love characterization and continuity, these two things keep me coming back to the funny books every week. Last week Batman #688 had both and this is why it was easily the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK!

Dick Grayson, former Robin turned superhero Nightwing has taken over as Batman for the dead/missing Bruce Wayne. Since taking over as Batman, Dick has had some problems adjusting to his new role. Last week in “Batman and Robin” #2, Alfred suggested that Dick try not to “be” the Batman (Bruce Wayne) but instead think of it as a “performance.”

LWIC Nightwing, err Dick, is adjusting to his new “role” better. Instead of trying to be Batman, he is playing the role the best he can. By putting on a performance Dick feels more comfortable changing things up a little bit to get the job done efficiently. Dick and Alfred discuss changes that need to be made to the costume so that Dick can use his acrobatic circus style of fighting. Another thing that Dick does differently as Batman is he makes himself visible. Batman in the past had always hid in the shadows and preferred to be unseen, Dick does not disable the security cameras so that the Police have visual evidence of the crime before Batman bashes heads. This style is different but effective and people are starting to notice. I say people, but I mean person, but the plural form “people” may be a better describing factor.

Nightwing’s last solo adventure, which was one of his best, was against Two Face. Two Face specifically sought out Nightwing for help, and Nightwing failed him. So Nightwing becomes Batman. Two Face, heartbroken and angrier than usual returns to Gotham, and realizes the difference in Batman’s style and the similarity to Nightwing… this looks like it will be a fun ride – and it plays into both Bruce and Dick’s continuity.

Posted by Fred on July 14, 2009 @ 11:00 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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FNF:G7 Round 7 Winner & Pre-Fight Rules

To be down with G7-Fight Music send an email to fnf [at] spacebooger.com no earlier than Tuesday at 6PM,
and no later than Friday 6PM (EST)!
In the email make sure to include the url of your fight. A direct link to your post or include a link to your homepage – I will check at 8PM on Friday to find the exact url.

Every entry needs to include the following:

Last Week’s Musical “Man”slaughter
Was Brought To You By:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!

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Music by: Black Sabbath – “Nightwing”
(You need to follow the image’s link to truly appreciate this awesome fight!)

Don’t forget to stop back between Friday night at 11PM and Sunday night at 11PM to vote for your favorite One Panel of Pain by posting a comment.

Voting is encouraged and will be open to all visitors of the site and participants of the round. The winner of the round will be posted the following Tuesday with the Pre-Fight Rules.

Friday Night Fights:G7
Round 8 July 17thd at 11PM!!

*original jukebox image by Anonymous Account on flickr

Posted by Fred on July 14, 2009 @ 2:00 PM Under: Friday Night Fights
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