LWIC: Kryptonian Cold War
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
The Amazing Spider-Man #624
The origin of the new mob connected Vulture continues, but that’s the boring stuff. LWIC (Last Week In Comics):
- The new Vulture, a former mob hitman now mutated monster, was told that J. Jonah Jameson is the person to blame for his creation.
- J. J. did have a hand in creating the super-villain the Scorpion, but this newest accusation is false, and Spidey knows it.
- After the Vulture attacks Jameson, Peter photoshops a photo to prove that the Mayor is not connected to the creation of New York’s newest winged wacko.
- Jameson thanks Peter for clearing his name by outing Parker to the public and admitting that the picture that proved his innocence was fake.
Pete has always been the “Woe is Me” hero, so much that sometimes he has been characterized as the whiny hero. For the first time in a while I really feel for Pete and the “Parker Luck” that has landed him jobless and publicly embarrassed.
Action Comics #887
In the last issue we learned the origin of the Nightwing and Flamebird. Here is a quick excerpt from last month’s review to get you caught up:
The story explains how Rao created three beings: Vohc-The-Builder, Flamebird, and Nightwing.
Vohc-The-Builder was created by Rao to build everything on Krypton, including life.
Flamebird was created by Rao as the destructive part of the “renewal and rebirth” process clearing the slate of Vohc’s old or tarnished creations.
There was a third player in the “renewal and rebirth” process, he was a shadow creature who just watched and was equivalent to Rao’s eyes – the Nightwing.
Flamebird fell in love with Nightwing.
Vohc also loved the Flamebird and built the Phantom Zone. Then out of jealousy he trapped Nightwing inside, hoping that Flamebird would renounce her love for him.
Flamebird refused to renounce her love, and this drove Vohc-The-Builder over the edge and he became Vohc-The-Breaker.
LWIC:
- Vohc the Breaker recreates Rao, a better Rao in his eyes, one that will not betray him.
- Flamebird tries to do what she was created to do – destroy Vohc’s creations, but cannot.
- To ensure that his plan is fulfilled, Vohc destroys Nightwing who was betrayed by Vohc in disguise when he was ill.
- Meanwhile, Lois Lane is reporting via the internet the truth behind the impending “Cold War” between New Krypton and Earth exposing both Zod and her father.
Action Comics is one of the books I have been reading for a while, mainly because of Superman. I was disappointed when he was replaced by his “adopted” son, Nightwing. Unlike many comics where the main character is replaced by a second tier hero, this comic has taken a life of its own with a unique storyline not directly related to Superman. This comic is a refreshing read in the sea of comics with “replacement” characters with a fresh fantasy take reminiscent of the great Greek and Roman god stories.
Batgirl #08 & Red Robin #10
First off I have to say that this Batgirl cover is goofy. The new vehicle that Batgirl is sporting, as silly as it is, should never be drawn at that angle. It looks as if Batgirl is floating in a bubble being chased by an older version of Red Robin.
The origin, the finding of their “true selves,” is over. Now these former sidekicks take action as partners, heroes, and a new dynamic duo.
LWIC:
- Tim Wayne, or is it Drake, returned to Gotham with the League of Assassins hot on his trail.
- Tim meets up with his ex-girlfriend who is a sanctioned member of the Bat-family and donning the title of Batgirl.
- After a lover’s quarrel and power struggle, the two decide to work together to save their mutual friend, Dr. Leslie Thompson.
- After the rescue, Batgirl finds out how Tim took over the League of Assassins and then took out their whole communication and computer network.
- Wanting revenge, Ra’s al Ghul is trying to destroy everything and everyone Tim has ever cared about – including Stephanie.
- Red Robin and Batgirl team up to save Gotham and Bruce Wayne’s legacy from the evil team up of Ra’s and Tommy Elliot (the villain who is posing as Bruce Wayne and was formerly known as Hush.)
Big blockbuster events seem to have been filling the Batman universe since R.I.P. and it looks to continue this summer with the Return of Bruce Wayne… good thing these two titles feel like the Batman books of the past. If you are looking for a fun read with great characterizations, filled with action and plenty of supporting characters reminiscent of the 70’s and 80’s Batman books, look no further than these two titles.
Batman And Robin #10
Ah a mystery. It seems as if just when Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne are reaching their full potential as Batman and Robin, Bruce Wayne will make his comeback. LWIC:
- After learning that the dead body believed to be Bruce Wayne was counterfeit, Alfred wonders if Bruce was in fact displaced into time (via Darkseid’s Omega Beams)and if there would be clues left in the 200 year old Wayne Manor.
- Alfred notices that the history of the Wayne family has always revolved around stories about Bats. From an ancestor disowned by the family for summoning a “bat demon” to clues left in the paintings of his ancestors that all look similar to Bruce Wayne, Alfred and Dick think Batman again has a contingency plan.
- Meanwhile, while being healed from his last injury, Damian’s mother tries to cause distrust between him and his father’s replacement.
At first I was quite irate that DC was bringing Bruce back so soon, especially since the new Batman and Robin were finally the stars instead of stand-ins. But, something tells me that Grant Morrison has something else planned for the dynamic duo than just Bruce returning and wanting his “job” back. I’m excited to see how this story unfolds… but, I’m not excited that there will be more tie in comics I will have to pick-up to follow along.
Superman – Last Stand of New Krypton #1
All of the Superman books have been building up the prospect of a war between Earth led by General Sam Lane and New Krypton led by General Zod. So I was a little surprised that the “Last Stand of New Krypton” was against Braniac and not Earth. LWIC:
- Braniac attacks New Krypton.
- Fueled by the reminder that they were once captives of Braniac, the people of New Krypton fight feverishly to fend off the evil alien.
- Zod uses the Kryptonain equivalent to a nuclear bomb to destroy Braniac’s ship, but it killed all of the Kryptonian soldiers instead.
- Disgusted by the ease in which Zod sacrificed his soldiers, General El resigns from the Kryptonian army and resumes his former identity – Superman.
- Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes meet with General Zod offering their assistance against Braniac as long as he helps them retrieve all of the bottled cities from his ship.
- Instead of accepting their aid, Zod immediately arrests the Legion.
- Superman smashes his way on board Braniac’s ship only to find out that this attack is more than just Brainiac vs Kryptonians, it also involves Lex Luthor.
If New Krypton’s last stand is against Braniac, how are they going to wage war against Earth? Hmm… the story is not that compelling, but my curiosity on how this ties into the Earth vs New Krypton war will keep me reading this mini-series.
Print-N-Pixel Batman NES: Recommended Reading
Is the pixelated and physic defying world of video games a perfect playground for the over-the-top characters found in comic books? There is only one way to find out:
What is Print-N-Pixel?
Print-N-Pixel is an in depth Group look at Comic Books In Video Games. Print-N-Pixel is more than just playing comic book related video games, its also a “book club,” a month long video game AND comic book club.
Even if you don’t play video games and you only read comic, or vise versa, stick around and participate in the discussion of either the game or the comics. And if you missed the introduction to Print-N-Pixel you can find it here.
Recommended Reading
The last installment of Print-N-Pixel introduced Sunsoft’s Batman for the NES as the featured game and recommended a couple comics to read. This week we will be looking at the characters featured in both the game and the comics. We will also take an look at, and hopefully discuss, the Batman stories tsuggested last week.
For more about the history and how to play the game check out the first installment of “Print-N-Pixel: Batman NES.”
Characters
Characters in the Game:
- Good Guys: Batman.
- Bad Guys: Killer Moth, Electrocutioner, Maxie Zeus, Firebug, Shakedown, Heatwave, K.G.Beast, Deadshot, and the Joker
Characters in the Comic:
- Good Guys: Batman, James Gordon, Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen, Michael Akins, Oracle
- Bad Guys: Killer Moth, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Riddler, Charlatan, and the Joker
Recommended Reading: Introduction
I have to admit, when I decided to feature Sunsoft’s Batman, I was more excited about playing the game than reading the comics. I read Batman comics on a weekly basis and feel like he and his rouge gallery are part of my extended, and fictional, family. Not wanting to write about one of the already popular Batman vs Joker stories, I decided to focus on some of the other villains featured in the game. After rereading some of the single issues with Firebug, Heatwave, and Maxie Zeus, I could not find any that I really thought worth of discussion, until I remembered (with the help of the DC Database) Ed Brubaker’s “Dead Reckoning” story.
Published in Detective Comics at the same time that “Hush” was being told in Batman’s self titled book, this overshadowed story is one of my favorite Batman tales and one I prefer over Hush. This story may not be the first one to come to mind that coincides with the Batman video game since the only character I remembered being in common with the game was the Joker, but I was wrong. The whole storyline is set up by Killer Moth who just happens to be the video game’s first level’s boss and the one most players of the game are familiar with. Killer Moth introduces the featured villain, sets in motion the creation of the villain (all of Batman’s rouges have tragic origin stories,) and is the first targeted victim at the beginning of the story.
Recommended Reading: Review
“Dead Reckoning” - Detective Comics #777-#782
Dead Reckoning begins with a small time crook named Lenny being released from Arkham, only to be found dead a few days later wearing Killer Moth’s costume.The only clue left at the scene of the death was a double sided coin full of scratches similar, but definitely not, Two-Face’s signature coin.
The only witness for Killer Moth’s imposter’s murder was one Charlie Tann; an older man living in the building where Moth was killed. After some interrogation of the dead man’s associates, Batman learns that an older man named Charlie wanted to hire Killer Moth, and since Lenny knew where Moth kept his costumes he decided to cash in and take the job and impersonate Moth. Little did Lenny know that Charlie Tann didn’t want to hire Killer Moth, instead he wanted revenge.
After finding out about the death of Killer Moth and the imitation “Two-Face coin” found at the crime scene, the Gotham Underground begins to get restless. Especially restless is the Penguin, who receives a double sided and scared coin in the mail.
Retired Police Commissioner, Jim Gordon is the second target of Gotham’s newest villain. During the attack on Gordon, the former commissioner fights back noticing that the attacker was wearing a prosthetic or some kind of mask to hide his true identity. Like the previous attack a double sided and scared coin was left at the scene of the crime.
Batman decides to pay Harvey Dent a visit in Arkham Asylum, since this new villain is somehow connected to Two-Face. Two-Face reflects on a “job” that the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, and Killer Moth were planning eight years ago and how he declined the offer to “team-up” with the other villains. Two-Face then flips his coin and decides not to share his recollection or any information at all to the Caped Crusader.
The Penguin scared by the coin he received in the mail decided to hide, only risking going out in public once, but one time was enough for the new villain to attack. The Penguin risks his life to visit a nursing home and on his way back he is attacked and left for dead with the coin in his hand.
The Penguin thought the ghost of an actor named Paul Sloane was causing all of the ruckus involving the fake “Two-Face” coins. The Penguin decided to rid himself of the “ghost” by visiting a retired “Spiritual Detective.” But to his surprise, the haunting was real but the ghost wasn’t. It seems as if Paul Sloane was not dead like the Penguin thought.
Now that he had a lead to who Gotham’s newest villain was, Batman decided to interview the actor’s widow. Sloane’s widow tells about her husband’s addiction to perfecting any role that he played. She told how the actor would want to be in perfect character for every performance, and that he sometimes took it too far by fully believing that he was really that character. This obsession ended eight years ago when he disappeared while working on an “opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.” His widow could only imagine that whatever caused her husband to go missing was “something truly unique, to have attracted Paul the way it did.”
Back at Arkham, the Mad Hatter notices something odd in his dinner – a double sided scratched coin. Almost immediately he realizes that he had been poisoned, and is rushed to the hospital. With members of the “villain team-up” dropping like flies, the Riddler beefs up his security. Even with bigger guns and more men, Batman pays the Riddler a visit to find out more about the fall of Paul Sloane.
The Riddler confesses that the group of villains didn’t think they could pull off the “job” eight years ago without Two-Face’s involvement. So they hired Sloane to act as, or impersonate, Two-Face. According to the Riddler Sloane was dead before they ever attempted the “job,” which was to kill Batman.
Since hiring Sloane to impersonate Two-Face was the Joker’s idea, Batman pays the Clown Prince of Crime a visit. The Joker confirms the Riddler’s story and tells how Sloane didn’t just want to impersonate Two-Face, but instead he “had” to become him. To make sure that he was in character, Sloane’s obsession caused him to try pulling off a heist as Two-Face. Like most crimes committed by Two-Face, Sloane’s crime was publicly thwarted by Batman. The real Two-Face didn’t like the bad press created by Sloane’s failure and wanted revenge on the imposter.
Once Two-Face caught up to Paul Sloane he tortured him for two days “slicing his face to pieces” so that Sloane could really “feel” what it was like to be him. Annoyed by his fellow criminals attempt to impersonate him, Two-Face dropped off the lifeless body of Sloane at the villain’s hideout. Scarecrow pronounced Sloane dead and had his body delivered to his personal lab.
The Joker reveals that not only was hiring Sloane his idea, so was tipping Batman off about Sloane’s crime. The Joker realized that the team-up of that many villains would never work, so he decided that it would be more fun to mess with Sloane’s mind and turn him into a monster.
Batman realizes that the only member of the villain “team-up” that had not yet been attacked by Sloane was the man who pronounced him dead – the Scarecrow. Upon being interrogated, the Scarecrow admits that Sloane was not dead when Two-Face dropped him off at the hideout. The Scarecrow saw the near dead man as an opportunity to conduct some experiments of his own. With “willing test subjects” hard to find, the Scarecrow used Sloane to help him isolate the chemical receptor in the brain that controlled fear. The painful experiment was a failure, but Sloane survived. Yet his ability to fear did not. After Sloane escaped, Dr. Crane now feared his creation that could not, and did not, fear anything anymore.
The Scarecrow told Batman that Paul Sloane wanted revenge and to finish what he started eight years ago. Batman tracked both Sloane and Two-Face to an abandoned factory where the two men were having a standoff with pistols pointing at each other. Batman disarms both men only to have Sloane change his focus from Two-Face to the Caped Crusader. Sloane takes a couple shot at Batman stating that he was originally hired to kill Batman, and that he has been in character for 8 years in preparation to finish the job.
Two-Face flips his lucky coin and decides to flee instead of fighting leaving Sloane to take on Batman by himself. Batman takes care of Sloane in just a few panels and delivers him to Arkham Asylum. With the job still undone, Sloane remains in the character he spent eight years creating that will one day kill the Batman – the Charlatan.
Recommended Reading: Conclusion
To me, this is the ultimate Batman story. It’s a story where the villain has just as powerful of an origin and motive as the hero, making the reader care for him as much as the hero.
One of the draws to the Batman universe is the fact that all of the characters are created out of emotion and exaggerated flaws we all have. The Charlatan, Paul Sloane, is a perfectionist who felt he had to go all out to be successful even if that meant truly becoming an evil entity powerful enough to rival the Batman.
Add that characterization with thrilling detective style story and you have a perfect “Batman vs” story.
What is your favorite Batman vs ____ (insert villain team-up) story?
Share it in the forums.
This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements
SpaceBooger Achievements are earned by playing the featured game, and also for comic book related tasks such as reading and obtaining recommended comics. SpaceBooger Achievements can be earned for any game or comic at any time, but I encourage all participants to attempt to earn the achievements when they are posted.
This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements are:
“Recommendation”
Suggest other comics that may be relevant to enjoying this feature. (Medium)
“Another Castle”
Short for “I’m sorry, the Princess is in another castle.”
Beat the Game using cheats, continues, or extra credits. (Medium)
“1-1″
Defeat One Level with One Quarter or No Continues. (Easy)
“1-2″
Defeat Two Levels with One Quarter or No Continues. (Medium)
Past Achievements:
“Member” – Become a member of the SpaceBooger.com forums. (Easy)
“Input” – Suggest a game and/or comics for upcoming Print In Pixel features. (Easy)
“Press Start” – Play the featured game at least once during the time it is featured. (Easy)
“Hard Copy” – Obtain and play an Original Hard Copy of the game. (Hard)
“Comic Book” – Read one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Medium)
“Comic Collector” – Obtain a Hard Copy of one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Hard)
Remember to leave a comment letting me know what achievements you earned along with posting them here in the forums.
Next on Print-N-Pixel:
- An in-depth look at the levels in the game.
- My review of the game.
- And the final wave of “SpaceBooger Achievements” for this game.
Looking for the newest installment of Print-N-Pixel?
You will have to wait until next week.
After successfully completing the first round of Print-N-Pixel, X-Men the arcade game, I have decided to update Print-N-Pixel every two weeks. Updating every other week gives everyone more time to suggest, read, and discuss comic books related to the featured game AND more time to play the featured game!
So dust off your long boxes and start reading, suggesting, and discussing some Batman comics that feature Killer Moth, Electrocutioner, Maxie Zeus, Firebug, Shakedown, Heatwave, K.G.Beast, Deadshot, and/or the Joker before I review Batman: Dead Reckoning from Detective Comics 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, and 782 next week.
If you have not yet read the introduction to “Print-N-Pixel: Batman NES” you should along with discussing the game in the forums.
Click here to find out more about past games
and comics featured in Print-N-Pixel.
LWIC: The Dark Knight vs The Blackest Night
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
The Amazing Spider-Man #622
Spider-Man has been dealing with a gang war and a wave of attacks from his rouge gallery. Most recently with the help of the Black Cat, Spidey reclaimed a vial of his blood that was being weaponized against him. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
- The Black Cat admitted to selling Spider-Man’s blood to vampire wannabes who drink famous people’s blood to get their kicks.
- Spider-Man goes to the club where his blood was sold only to find out that Morbius the “Living Vampire” was the buyer.
- A female vampire hiding among the wannabes directs Spidey to Morbius’ hideout.
- Upon arrival at Morbius’ place, Spider-Man starts to pummel the vampire.
- The female vampire from the club convinces Spider-Man to invite her in and then she attacks Morbius.
- Morbius and his ex-girlfriend fight. Morbius wins and explains to Spidey that he only wanted the blood to use to heal a friend.
- Realizing that he was wrong to attain Spider-Man’s blood without asking, Morbius destroys the vial.
- Feeling guilty, Spidey surrenders some of his blood willingly.
Spider-Man has been riding high as the Best Comic of the Week for a couple weeks in a row, but the emo-like Morbius and the non noticeable tie to the overall story weakened this issue.
Weekly Blackest Night:
Blackest Night #7
Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed, or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color.
The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanterns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness.
Nekron revealed that he is the reason all of the heroes of the DCU were able to be resurrected in the past, he put himself between them and “everlasting death” so that he would have power over them whenever he decided to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardian’s replicate one of each power ring and deputize new Lanterns to help the charge against Nekron: The Scarecrow (Yellow – fear), Wonder Woman (Violet – love), The Atom (Indigo – compassion), Barry Allen (Blue – hope), Mera (Red – rage), and Lex Luthor (Orange – greed). The only hope for the universe is a new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns working together to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light. LWIC:
- All of the “New Guardians” (the original leaders of the colored lantern corps) and the new deputies focus their attack on Nekron.
- Dove, glowing bright with white light, notices someone or something inside the Black Lantern’s power battery.
- Harnessing all of the lantern’s light along with the sacrifice of a Guardian of the Galaxy, Nekron releases “the Entity.”
- The Entity is “the living light bestowed upon the universe that triggered existence itself.”
- The Guardians admit that they are not the oldest creatures in the universe the Entity is.
- The Entity was hidden in Earth, since that is where all live in the universe began.
- Nekron knows that the only power that can stop the Blackest Night, is the white light of the Entity.
- With all of the power from the emotion stirred up by the Black Lanterns, Nekron is powerful enough to destroy the Entity in it’s weakened, half asleep, and hostless state.
- Sinestro, who still believes that his way of policing the universe is better than the Guardian’s, rushes in and volunteers his body to be the host for the Entity.
- Sinestero becomes the first White Lantern and proclaims himself “The Greatest Lantern of Them All!”
It seems like forever since this story moved forward. Maybe it was because of all the “tie-in” comics published every month, or maybe because I have been waiting for something big to happen. In this issue, a couple big things happened. In my bullet points I said that Sinestro becomes the first White Lantern, but I think there is something about Dove that might give her that title. More important may be the fact that she noticed something inside the Black Lantern Power Battery.
The Guardians of the Galaxy have been known to hide powerful entities in power batteries such as Parallax and Ion. So I wonder if there is a powerful “Black Lantern” entity like Parallax and Ion hiding inside the Black Lantern’s battery. The Anit-Monitor maybe? I’m thinking that Nekron may not be as “all powerful master of death” that he proclaims, maybe he is instead just the leader of the Black Lanterns like Hal leads the Green Lanterns and Sinsestro leads the Sinestro Corps (or Yellow Lanterns.)
In the beginning I was fascinated with the idea of emotions being the most powerful forces in the universe and a war between armies wielding that power. Recently the story seemed to slow because of all the tie in titles, but with this issue I am amped up to read the finale.
and
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
BATMAN & ROBIN #9
Dick Grayson tried to revive Bruce Wayne by placing his remains into the last know Lazarus Pit located in England. Aided by Knight and Squire and Batwoman, they are successful at reviving the dead body that Superman identified as Batman during the Final Crisis. Once revived, Bruce Wayne attacked his healers and left them for dead in a cave-in before returning to Wayne Tower in Gotham. LWIC:
- Batwoman was killed by the cave-in and is revived using the Lazarus Pit.
- The revived Batman attacks Alfred and throws the recovering Damian from the roof of Wayne Tower.
- Batman (Dick Grayson) arrives just in time to save Robin.
- Speaking in the same manner as Morrison’s We3, we are shown how Darkseids’ army of Batman clones were flawed.*
- Batwoman and Batman together take down the doppelganger, while Knight and Squire take out the crime boss in England that originally captured Batwoman.
I can’t express the joy from reading the last three issues of this series. I was not a huge fan of the first two arcs of this series, but this one was fun, exciting, and thought provoking. Not only was the story top-notch, the art was AWESOME! I am not a huge fan of Frank Quitely’s art on this book, but Cameron Stewart’s art I am a fan of – he hit it out the park. Add the story and the art together and its easy to see why this was the Best Comic of Last week, but if you look at the ramifications this story has on the whole DCU this may be the Most Important Comic of 2010. We all knew that Bruce Wayne was not dead, but this story explains it in a manner that peaks curiosity instead of fanboy rage.
Oh, and the fact that Dick Grayson was hitting on Batwoman was the perfect humorous ending to an action packed comic.
*During Final Crisis Darkseid captured Batman and attempted to clone him. Cloning the DNA was easy, but the infusion of Batman’s thoughts and feelings that motivates him was too powerful for the clones and corrupted them. Darkseid ordered the destruction of all but one clone. At the end of Final Crisis Darkseid and Batman fight, ending with Batman being hit by Darkseid’s Omega Beams. Superman arrives to find the remains of Batman and declares him dead… but that body was not Bruce Wayne…
Print-N-Pixel: Batman NES Intro
Is the pixelated and physic defying world of video games a perfect playground for the over-the-top characters found in comic books? There is only one way to find out:
What is Print-N-Pixel?
Print-N-Pixel is an in depth Group look at Comic Books In Video Games. Print-N-Pixel is more than just playing comic book related video games, its also a “book club,” a month long video game AND comic book club.
Even if you don’t play video games and you only read comic, or vise versa, stick around and participate in the discussion of either the game or the comics. And if you missed the introduction to Print-N-Pixel you can find it here.
Batman NES
Everywhere you turned in June and July of 1989 there was Batman and I was stuck in summer school, taking gym class. For some reason my parents thought having a study hall as a freshman was more important than my summer freedom, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With the release of Tim Burton’s Batman, and myself being a self proclaimed expert on the Caped Crusader, it was real easy to make friends with my new classmates which, in turn, made the transition into high school almost seamless.
During the downtime at summer school, everyone was talking about Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson as Batman and the Joker. As the little shy freshman, it was easy to break the ice with my peers and even the upperclassmen by being the “go to” resource on Batman. Needless to say, I saw Tim Burton’s Batman movie seven times that summer, not because I was a comic geek, but because I went to see the movie with the many new friends I made. I continued to hang out with one of the friends that I made from summer school throughout the school year and our discussions moved from Batman to video games. As video game connoisseurs, we wanted to play and beat every new and upcoming NES game, and no game was more desired by me than Sunsoft’s Batman game. In the spring of 1990, my friend and I decided that for the Easter holiday that he was going to ask for Super Mario Brothers 3 and I was going to ask for the Batman game and then we were going to swap them out after we both beat our game… the problem was that I never beat Batman… until recently.
History of the Game
Based on Tim Burton’s 1989 masterpiece Batman the movie, Sunsoft released Batman the Video Game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the fall of 1989. The game itself was a phenomenal action platformer that would have been just as awesome featuring any character. In the game, Batman walked and jumped from platform to platform through various locations, throwing KO punches and projectiles at enemies. The controls were tight, the levels were challenging, and the music was awesome, making this one of my favorite games ever.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Batman for the NES was one of those games that was more a “video game” than a “comic book licensed video game,” meaning quite simply that it didn’t suck. Most comic book licensed games were crap games counting on the popularity of a character or franchise instead of solid gameplay to boost sales, and because of the movie, Batman was the hottest property on the planet in 1989. There seemed to be a downside to the game though. Even though it was an almost perfect platforming experience, the game had little to do with the movie other than Batman, the Joker, and the cut scenes. This left some comic book fans disappointed in the game.
I, on the other hand, respected both a good video game and the Batman comics. So after reading the manual for the game and noticing that many of Batman’s rouge gallery was sprinkled throughout the game, I am able to consiously say that this game has a lot of ties to the Batman comics more than the movie.
Recommended Reading
With enemies like Killer Moth, Electrocutioner, Firebug, Shakedown, Heatwave, K.G.Beast, Deadshot, and the Joker featured in the video game, the list of recommended reading could get quite lengthy. Here are a couple comics I recommend reading that revolve around Killer Moth and feature some other characters from the video game:
Batman: Dead Reckoning
Detective Comics 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, and 782
The recommended reading to coincide with Batman the NES game is titled Dead Reckoning by Ed Brubaker and Tommy Castillo from Detective Comics #777-#782. The beginning of this story revolves around the game’s first boss character – Killer Moth. The story may not feature Killer Moth as the main villain, but like in the video game, Killer Moth lays the foundation for elaborate well crafted story.
This is just a list of comics that I plan on reading and reviewing as of now. If you think of any comics that feature any of the characters from the game that you recommend, let us know in the forums.
Game Play
Batman for the NES plays like a standard platformer. Batman starts each of the five levels out moving from left to right with the ability to punch, jump, fire projectiles, and “wall jump.”
To control Batman through the five levels use:
- “Left & Right” move left and right,
- press “Down” to duck,
- B button to punch (or use a selected weapon),
- A button to jump (press the A button again after jumping on a wall to perform a “wall jump”),
- the Start button to switch weapons,
- and the Select button pauses the game.
How To Play
I still have my original Batman game, so I will be playing the game on the original NES. If you still have a Nintendo Entertainment System I would recommend playing the game on the original hardware, and if you need a copy of the game they can be found pretty cheap (as of the time this article was written) at Amazon.com for under $10 shipped.
If you do not have a NES or a copy of the featured game, the NES is pretty easily emulated, and my NES emulator of choice is Nestopia. I like Nestopia because it is compatible with just about every NES game and any PC gamepad and you can import cheat codes from an .xml file. Once you have an emulator running you will need to locate the game ROM. Please don’t ask me where to find the ROM for this or any other game, instead use google to search for the “Batman NES ROM”.
For those of you who are new to emulation, here is a quick guide to emulating the NES:
- Download Nestopia – http://nestopia.sourceforge.net/
- Unzip the using either Winrar or 7zip
- I would create a “roms” folder inside the newly created Nestopia directory, then place the game ROM in that folder.
- Open nestopia.exe
- Go to the File in the menu bar and “open” the rom folder and double click the name of the game to play.
Nestopia is setup to be used with a keyboard, but if you have a gamepad or a Xbox 360 controller I recommend configuring and using that using that instead. If you don’t have a gamepad, here are the default keyboard controls:
- The arrow keys are used to move and represent the NES’ directional pad.
- “Enter” is the Start button
- “Right Shift” is the Select button
- “,” is Button B
- “.” is Button A
If you have an Xbox360 controller or other gamepad in the “Options” menu under “Input” is where you can redefine the controls.
If you are having trouble beating the game and want a little “help,” Nestopia supports “cheat codes.” You can download and install every cheat code for almost every NES game into the “cheats” folder from Mighty Mo’s World.
If you have any problems with the emulator check out the Emulation thread in the forums.
This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements
SpaceBooger Achievements are earned by playing the featured game, and also for comic book related tasks such as reading and obtaining recommended comics. SpaceBooger Achievements can be earned for any game or comic at any time, but I encourage all participants to attempt to earn the achievements when they are posted.
This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements are:
“Press Start”
Play the featured game at least once during the time it is featured. (Easy)
“Hard Copy”
Obtain and play an Original Hard Copy of the game. (Hard)
“Comic Book”
Read one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Medium)
“Comic Collector”
Obtain a Hard Copy of one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Hard)
Past Achievements:
“Member” – Become a member of the SpaceBooger.com forums. (Easy)
“Input” – Suggest a game and/or comics for upcoming Print In Pixel features. (Easy)
Remember to leave a comment letting me know what achievements you earned by using the “Comment” link at the bottom right of this post, along with posting them here in the forums.
Next on Print-N-Pixel:
- An in-depth look at the characters in the game and the comics.
- A look at the recommended reading from week one.
- And the second wave of “SpaceBooger Achievements!”
LWIC: Batman Plays the “Bad Cop”
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Batman #696
During the events of Batman R.I.P. the Black Mask returned from the dead. With all of the dead rising in the DCU one would not be surprised, except this resurrected Black Mask is not a Black Lantern. Instead of destroying the universe like the Black Lanterns, the Black Mask wants to destroy Gotham. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
- The Black Mask controls his soldiers with the “false faces,” or masks, they wear and he has placed one on Batman.
- The Penguin with the help of the Mad Hatter, reprogrammed Black Mask’s “false face” so that Batman would do their bidding.
- Batman infiltrates the Black Mask’s hideout where the Black Mask thinks he is still in control of the Caped Crusader.
- Under the control of the the Penguin and the Mad Hatter, Batman attacks the new Black Mask.
- During the tussle the “false face” gas mask comes off and Batman regains control only to be shot and left for dead.
- Rescued by Robin and cared for by Alfred and Oracle, Batman replays the scenes in his mind again and figures out who this new Black Mask really is.
After reading the last issue, I thought this story line was horrible and confusing and stated that “This is probably a comic that would be better read in one sitting once the trade comes out.” And I think I may be right. I hated the last issue, but after reading this one the story is beginning to make more sense. I originally thought that Edward Nigma, the Riddler, was the new Black Mask based on previously dropped hints, but the clues in this issue lead to him being Hush. Now I can’t wait for the next issue to see who the Black Mask really is and how Batman takes him and the Penguin down.
Batman Streets of Gotham #9
Batman was the first star of Detective Comics and Batman: Streets of Gotham was supposed to feature the supporting cast and their interaction with Batman… but what we had here was Batman being the Worlds Greatest Detective again. LWIC:
- Working undercover, Dick Grayson figures out that the “escort” that connects all of the murders was setting up her “clients.”
- After the interrogation, Batman and Gordon realize that the only crime Sophia and her accomplice is only blackmailing not killing.
- After some more detective work, Batman and Gordon solve the mystery of the murders and catch the criminal.
The story may have been a “cookie-cutter” detective tale, but aren’t all the good ones? While the plot is quite simple, the exception of this issue gave it it’s charm. Not every story needs to be a “blockbuster event,” a simple well told tale does the job just as fine as it did in the 70’s and 80’s.
Weekly Blackest Night:
Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed, or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color.
The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanterns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness.
Nekron revealed that he is the reason all of the heroes of the DCU were able to be resurrected in the past, he put himself between them and “everlasting death” so that he would have power over them whenever he decided to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardian’s replicate one of each power ring and deputize new Lanterns to help the charge against Nekron: The Scarecrow (Yellow – fear), Wonder Woman (Violet – love), The Atom (Indigo – compassion), Barry Allen (Blue – hope), Mera (Red – rage), and Lex Luthor (Orange – greed). The only hope for the universe is a new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns working together to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light.
Green Lantern #51
- Infused with Parallax, Hal Jordan separates the Spectre from it’s dead host’s Black Lantern ring.
- The Spectre released from the grip of the Black Lantern’s reverts to his normal self – God’s spirit of vengeance.
- Once the Spectre is released, Hal and Parallax are separated, and Parallax escapes into the emptiness of space.
- The Spectre tries to judge and destroy Nekron, but since Nekron has no soul God’s spirit of vengeance is powerless.
Green Lantern Corps #45
- In the last issue Guy Gardner became a hybrid Red and Green Lantern after he became full of rage when he thought Kyle Raner was dead.
- Wielding both color of power rings, Guy was able to fight off the army of Black Lanterns giving Mogo time to finish them off.
- A Red Lantern’s power comes from the ring’s ability to bond with it’s host’s blood – hence the reason they puke up blood to attack.
- Guy Gardner is almost completely taken over by the rage for the red power ring, and this is where Mogo steps in to save the day again.
- Mogo is the man… er, um planet – Since every living thing on his surface is part of him, he is able to send in leaches to purge Guy Gardern’s blood of the Red Lantern Ring’s contamination.
and
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #621
Recently many of Spidey’s rouge gallery has showed up, caused some trouble, got beat down by Spidey, and then recruited for something bigger by Kraven The Hunter’s widow. LWIC us readers were given a little break from the pattern:
- Mr. Negative, the new dominant crime boss currently causing Spider-Man trouble, has kept the hero at bay with his deadly Devil’s Breath gas – a gas that was created and coded to only effect the Wall-Crawler’s DNA.
- Spidey enlists help from his friend, and former lover, the Black Cat in hopes of stealing the sample of his blood that Negative has been using to create his deadly gas concoction.
- Spidey acts as a distraction to Mr. Negative and his seemingly immortal army of thugs, while the Black Cat does what she does best – steal.
- Spidey get knocked around and then through a building and shows the signs of the battle as Peter Parker.
- Carlie Cooper determines that the crooked cop posing as her dad is not one of Mysterio’s illusions and turns her father in.
- After denying her father a second chance she decides to give the second chance to Peter… who she is becoming more aware of his constant bruises and injuries…
- And the last page of the story featured one Dr. Connors a.k.a. The Lizard.
It was nice to see a one and done issue that ties easily into the continuity created over the last dozen issues. I like the character moments the best. Peter’s personality shines during the discussions with the Black Cat, while Carlie Cooper’s personality becomes clearer with the possible foreshadowing of her putting two-and-two together about Peter Parker.
Print-N-Pixel’s Next Featured Game
February 25, 2010
Boot up your game consoles, dig through your long boxes of comics and prepare to reread classic comics and replay comic based games with Print-N-Pixel. Find out more here.
LWIC: Sounds Like A Plan
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Action Comics #866
Finally a real Nightwing and Flamebird story. Since the two newest incarnations of the Kryptonian legends arrived, they have been stuck in the middle of the battle between Earth and New Krypton. The two characters were never defined nor had a true origin story, until now. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
Nightwing, who is as confused as the reader, wants an explanation as to his purpose. Flamebird shares with him the Book of Rao (Krypton’s Bible), and the story of creation is told:
- The story explains how Rao created three beings: Vohc-The-Builder, Flamebird, and Nightwing.
- Vohc-The-Builder was created by Rao to build everything on Krypton, including life.
- Flamebird was created by Rao as the destructive part of the “renewal and rebirth” process clearing the slate of Vohc’s old or tarnished creations.
- Flamebird and Vohc played the game of creation, destruction, and recreation.
- There was a third player in the “renewal and rebirth” process, he was a shadow creature who just watched and was equivalent to Rao’s eyes – the Nightwing.
- Vohc and the Nightwing were friends and one day Voch-The-Builder created a way for the Nightwing to come out from the shadows.
- Upon seeing the previously hidden god, Flamebird fell in love with Nightwing.
- Vohc also loved the Flamebird and created a creature that represented his love, but the Flamebird destroyed it.
- Vohc-Then-Builder, who understood the symbiotic relationship between him and the Flamebird, was hurt when his “love” was destroyed and let his emotions blind him.
- Instead of rebuilding a better version of his love, Vohc built the Phantom Zone and out of jealousy trapped Nightwing inside hoping that Flamebird would renounce her love for him.
- Flamebird refused to renounce her love, and this drove Vohc-The-Builder over the edge and he became Vohc-The-Breaker.
With the Flamebird and Nightwing currently residing within two Kryptonians hunting down General Zod’s sleeper cells on Earth, it is only fitting that their current foe just happens to be the current incarnation of Vohc-The-Breaker – the evil Kryptonian scientist Jax-Ur.
I don’t know if I love this particular issue because it adds substance to the characters of Nightwing and Flamebird, or because I love mythology. The story of Rao, like many religions current and past, is compelling and tied deep into emotions and the philosophical question of “free will.” Whatever the reason, I think this issue was the best issue of Action Comics since Superman left.
Amazing Spider-Man #620
The gathering of Spider-Man villains continue by featuring each one in an individual story, and this issue is the conclusion to Mysterio’s tale. Mysterio was hired by the mob to make it look like their leaders were never killed to prevent the incompetent “heir” to the “family” from putting the mob six-feet under. Mysterio, never satisfied with playing a supporting role, double crossed his employer and took over control of the mob. While in control Mysterio started a war with Mr. Negative’s china town gang. LWIC:
- Carlie Cooper (Spidey’s friend, one time love interest, and NYPD’s forensic scientist) plants a spider-tracer on her newly “resurrected” father not believing that it is really him and just one of Mysterio’s illusions instead.
- Mysterio plays the two gangs against each other collecting a large sum of money from each.
- After collecting the money, Mysterio sets each gang up to meet and destroy each other.
- Spidey tags along with the mob and arrives at the scene and tries to take down Mysterio.
- Mysterio escapes and levels the theater the war was taking place in killing all of the Maggia family, leaving the seemingly immortal Mr. Negative and his crew to escape.
- The comic ends with Mysterio being recruited by the Chameleon to join the merry band of super-villains lead by Kraven the Hunter’s widow.
I have to admit that I never expect anything too deep from my Spider-Man comics. Usually witty dialog, proper characterization of the cast, and at least one punch to the face is all I require. So you won’t hear me complain when a great story that happens to be deeper than a witty punch in the face comes along, especially when it stands alone and yet is still part of a bigger plot.
Batman and Robin #8
This series, and all of the Batman stuff that Grant Morrison has written recently, has been deep rooted starting in Batman RIP and directly tied to Final Crisis. In this issue flashbacks from Final Crisis shed some light on the fate of Bruce Wayne and create doubt in the character’s minds about his death… if they had any time to think while Batman was fighting an enhanced clone of Batman. LWIC:
- It is reviled why Batwoman was found in a coffin in England at the last known Lazarus Pit – The Cult of Crime was again trying to sacrifice her to fulfill the prophecy in the Crime Bible.
- There is also a flashback to Final Crisis where all of the enhanced Batman replicas had to be killed and disposed of since they became insane and uncontrollable with the pain and heartbreak of Bruce Wayne’s memories.
- Darkseid orders all but one of the dead Batman to be disposed of. And if you go back to Final Crisis this scene, minus the “keep one” dialog, took place right before Batman tried to take down Darkseid and got hit with the villain’s Omega Beams supposedly killing him.
- It looks as if the dead body found by Superman was not that of Bruce Wayne seeing how when resurrected in the Lazarus Pit he was super-strong, non verbal, and possibly insane.
- Batman fights Batman in what I would say is the best six page fight scene ever!
- Neither man wins, instead the cave collapses on both Batmen, Knight, Squire, and Batwoman.
- Batwoman dies in Dick’s arms and the insane Batman flies the batjet back to Gotham where Alfred and a wheelchair restricted Robin wait.
Like the recent Spider-Man run, this comic is broken up into smaller complete stories that tie into a bigger plot. These are the types of stories I love. I love continuity. I am not a stricter for continuity and won’t get mad if one little thing from the past is messed with in a current story, but I am a guy who knows that every action was molded by the past and can have repercussions in the future. The awesomeness of this series is a testament to great writing that balances continuity from the past, with the continuity of the future, and adds a perfect amount of mystery and action. Plus, I’m glad that at least one book in the DCU recognizes the fact that Final Crisis happened.
and
THE MOST FUN COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
BATGIRL #7
Fun! That is what the Batgirl comic is all about. Batman’s solo title is dark and mysterious, “Batman and Robin” is deeply rooted in a complex and deep story, “Red Robin” is just like the “Batman” comics of the 80’s, and Batgirl… its just a fun character driven teamwork comic. LWIC:
- Steph (Batgirl) and Damian (Robin) team-up to rescue Batman from being killed on camera.
- Damian continues his stereotypical “girls are gross” and incompetent rant like any 10 year-old would and Steph is trying to be the more mature 18 year-old… notice I said “more” mature.
- After spitting up, Damian takes out the immediate threat to Batman by hitting him with his motorcycle.
- Steph takes out the the pending threat by launching herself out of her new vehicle the “Ricochet.”
- With Batman injured the team-up of Batgirl and Robin takes out the last villain – Riot.
- The whole Batfamily regroup at the Batcave after taking down the orchestrator of the “bet on who will kill the Batman” scene.
- Dick gives Babs his blessing to train Steph, while Steph and Damian have a civil conversation. The End.
I don’t think words can express how much fun the characterization, action, and dialog in this comic was. So instead of trying to explain, I’ll let some panels from the issue show you why this was the BEST COMIC of last week.
LWIC: Hugs!
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Red Robin #9
Tim Drake-Wayne is back in Gotham and back into the Bat-Continuity after taking down the League of Assassins. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
- Tim is back in Gotham and happy, but the happiness seems to have thrown Tim off his game.
- Red Robin takes down Killer Moth, but doesn’t seem to notice the villain is fleeing someone he fears. Tim doesn’t seem to care to investigate why the villain is adamant on leaving Gotham.
- Superboy visits and notices that happiness has replaced the standard “dark and grim” personality Tim adopted as Red Robin.
- Tim is ecstatic that his once dead friends, Superboy and Bart Allen, are alive and this gives him more hope on finding the real Bruce Wayne.
- Tim’s happiness quickly dissipates after a phone call from Ra’s al Ghul.
- Revenge is the reason for Ra’s phone call. Tim took out the League of Assassins which is Ra’s legacy, so Ra’s plans on making sure that the Batman has no legacy…
- Tim rushes to the Batcave to get help from the Bat-Family only to find a surprise member – his ex girlfriend wearing Batgirl’s costume.
I hope this new “dark knight detective” persona Tim created as Red Robin is not overshadowed by Batman’s current drama. Tim being out of Gotham working on his own worked to build his character, he could be an individual outside of Gotham instead of a sidekick.
That being said, this was a good issue even though it was mostly set up. The issue set up: confrontation between Steph and Tim, a huge battle with Ra’s al Ghul, a possible love triangle/partnership with Tam Fox, and lastly a small detail that may play a huge role – Tim will be distracted from his search for Bruce Wayne.
I want so bad to say that this book is my favorite monthly comic, but to be honest there are too many Batman related books that they seem to drown each other out… No matter how much I like one book there is always another one that comes out the next week with a different storyline to replace it.
Superman: World of New Krypton #12
When the bottled city of Kandor was saved from Braniac, the Kryptonians created a New Krypton. Wanting to learn more about his people, and to keep a closer eye on his enemy Zod, Superman left Earth to live with his people and serve in their military. While living there the two worlds have been preparing for a war with General Sam Lane defending Earth and General Zod defending New Krypton. LWIC:
- Superman solves the mystery behind the illnesses and assassination attempts – General Lane.
- BRANIAC RETURNS!
Twelve issues of set-up that could have been done within one issue, or maybe even six pages. I expected, after reading about Superwoman and the framing of Nightwing and Flamebird, that General Lane was working behind the scenes to fuel the war and I never doubted that Zod was doing the same from New Krypton. Therefore, the conclusion of this series did nothing to move the story forward. The most exciting thing that happened this issue was on the last page when Braniac arrived to battle the residents of New Krypton in the next issue of Superman. The last page is proof that this series was filler, the most exciting battle featured in this comic will take place in another book.
and
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
THE QUESTION #37
So why is The Question 37 the best comic of last week?
- Because Vic Sage, the original Question returns from the dead? No.
- Because it is a tie in to the Blackest Night? No.
- Because with this issue I own a complete run of “The Question?” No.
- Because Shiva, Renee, and Tot figured out how to become invisible to the Black Lanterns? No.
- Because Dennis O’neil and Denys Cowan together again on working on my favorite “non spandex” comic of all time? YES!!!
So, if you haven’t yet indulged in the intriguing stories and awesome art that is collected in The Quesiton 1-36 you need to NOW! And if you have partaken in the pleasure found on those pages, read them again! Seriously folks any comic that features Vic Sage as the Question that is written by O’neil and drawn by Cowan will always be the best on my list.
LWIC: Batman Will Drop You!
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Batman and Robin #7
Dick Grayson has finally finished his “can I really be Batman” phase and is filling his mentor’s shoes quite nicely. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
- Batman is in England trying to locate “the last working” Lazarus pit.
- With help from Squire, since Robin is currently out of commission, Batman tracks down the location of the pit and dispatches Knight there.
- By the time Batman and Squire arrive, Knight has already placed the remains believed to be Bruce Wayne into the pit.
- Also, the heroes find Batwoman who was again captured by the Cult of Crime. She deduces that the Cult has some connection to this Lazarus pit.
- Batwoman pleads with Dick not to place Bruce’s remains into the pit because she thinks that the placing of “Batman” into the Lazarus pit is “playing right into their (the criminal’s) hands.”
This may not seem like a lot of plot, but the art and action that fills the pages in this comic is quite beautiful. Cameron Stewart’s rendition of Batman’s acrobatic action is phenomenal and a welcome replacement for words. This by far has been my favorite issue of this series, partly because of the art and partly because we know that the body placed in the Lazarus pit isn’t Bruce’s since he is lost in the time stream… Finally a real story and a real mystery.
Detective Comics #861
The flagship of DC Comics is going back to it’s roots with a mystery that only a disciple of the World’s Greatest Detective can solve. LWIC:
- Three young ladies are kidnapped from Gotham University.
- Two of the ladies showed back up with severe injuries: one was missing her hands and the other was missing her lower jaw.
- The criminal responsible has been nicknamed the “Cutter.”
- Batman and Batwoman both track down clues and interrogate people to find more out about Gotham’s newest criminal.
- Batwoman, Kate Kain, visits her cousin who is a student at Gotham U… this could be foreshadowing.
- After following a couple leads, Batwoman finds the Cutter first.
- Batwoman saves the third victim before the Cutter could remove her eyes.
- During the rescue the villain escapes.
Ahh a good mystery. As much as I loved the origin arc in the last couple issues it seemed that the only mysteries and crime solving going on was in the Question’s second feature. Speaking of the second feature, it still remains one of my favorites. There is just enough humor, violence, and mystery to make it a perfect comic. I hope both stories continue to feature mysteries and deep crime solving worthy of the book’s title.
Justice League of America #41
I haven’t read JLA in a while, but with a new team of “B listers” joining it, I am having hopes of Giffen and Dematteis’ Justice League all over again. LWIC:
- The previous incarnation of the JLA was defeated by Prometheus. Not just defeated but they also let him walk away.
- After Prometheus’ attack many of the members of the JLA were injured and the rest quit th team, leaving Dr. Light as the lone member of the league
- Donna Troy is convinced by Wonder Woman to rebuild the JLA.
- Meanwhile, there is a flashback to an alien artifact found during the revolutionary war that has been hiding in a back room at the Smithsonian since the 1800s.
- Donna talks Dr. Light into staying with the JLA (and possibly leading it) along with it’s new members: Batman (Dick Grayson), Green Arrow, Cyborg, Starfire, and Mon-El.
Not reading “Cry for Justice” doesn’t help at the start of this story since it seems to stem from it’s aftermath, but the rebuilding and plot set up for the next issue is intriguing. It looks like JLA will be a monthly read for me again.
Superman #696
The set-up for a war between Earth and New Krypton continues in Superman 696. LWIC:
- Nightwing, Chris Kent, and Flamebird turned themselves in to the Guardian. They were wanted for the destruction of Metropolis’ sewers and because they are Kryptonian.
- The two Kryponians were framed. Mon-El and Lois Lane convince the Guardian that they were framed by General Lane.
- General Lane arrives to take the prisoners just as the Science Police Headquarters explodes.
- Nightwing and Flamebird flee after being convinced my Mon-El and Lois that it is for the best.
- General Lane places the blame of the explosion on the two Kryptonians. Mon-El knows better and helps them escape.
First of all the art in this issue was fantastic. Bernard Chang’s pencils (and inks) is action incarnate and more realistic than any red and blue 3D glasses can. As for the story… it still feels like filler and set-up that is taking too long. I am looking forward to this summer’s big event that is being set-up by this storyline, but I am tired of stories that drag on for months that could easily be told in one issue.
Weekly Blackest Night:
Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed, or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color.
The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanterns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness.
Nekron revealed that he is the reason all of the heroes of the DCU were able to be resurrected in the past, he put himself between them and “everlasting death” so that he would have power over them whenever he decided to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardian’s replicate one of each power ring and deputize new Lanterns to help the charge against Nekron: The Scarecrow (Yellow – fear), Wonder Woman (Violet – love), The Atom (Indigo – compassion), Barry Allen (Blue – hope), Mera (Red – rage), and Lex Luthor (Orange – greed). The only hope for the universe is a new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns working together to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light.
Green Lantern #50
Nekron has risen and plans on overthrowing the Guardians as the most powerful beings in the universe. The seven leaders of each Lantern Corp and their newly appointed deputies have a run in with a powerful Black Lantern on their way to battle Nekron. LWIC:
- The Lanterns and their new deputies easily disposing of any Black Lantern that stands in their way, until the Spectre shows up wielding a Black Lantern ring.
- Indvidualy and as a team the Lantern’s and their deputies fail in destroying the Spectre.
- Because of who (or what) the Spectre was in life, he is even more powerful as a Black Lantern… too powerful for the combined light of the Lantern’s rings alone.
- Hal Jordan was the host of the parasite Parallax while he was the Spectre and remembered the fear the Spectre had of Parallax.
- With no other plan to defeat the Spectre as a Black Lantern, Hal releases Parallax from his prison inside the green power battery and lets the demonic parasite of fear take over his body again.
When I first saw the cover to this issue I thought to myself “Parallax again!” Since the concept of the Parallax as a parasitic demon of fear was created in 2006, he (or it) has played a major role in almost every “big” Green Lantern story since then. I thought it would be overkill, but the explanation and the fact that it tied directly into his (its) first appearance I was cool with it. I am glad that I didn’t let the return of Parallax influence my opinion of this story, because as much as it doesn’t relate to the overall Blackest Night storyline I am looking forward to a HUGE battle next month… and sometimes that is all I need from a comic book to enjoy it. So bring on the battle!
and
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
Amazing Spider-Man #619
Last week the Maggia crime family was almost ruined by it’s current leader’s incompetence. Just as Mr. Negative’s crime family was about to overthrow the Maggia, the families fallen leaders show up alive and kicking… kicking butt. It turns out that the Maggia’s former leaders were never dead, their deaths were staged by the special effects artists and super-villain Mysterio. LWIC:
- Silvermane and the other once deceased Maggia leaders are battling Mr. Negative’s crew to a stand still.
- When Spidey and the cops arrive, the Maggia flee.
- Before fleeing, one of the Maggia attack Spidey. Spidey defends himself with a KO punch that does more than knocks out the thug, instead it kills him.
- Distraught, Spidey leaves the scene only to be attacked by another gang from his past.
- Spidey finds himself fighting a once “thought to be deceased” foe to the brink of death.
- Spidey is confused by his inability to control his strength and then is more confused when it is revealed that he just took down his exgirlfriends dead father – Captain George Stacy.
- Spidey puts two and two together and realizes that all of these people are in fact dead. They have not been resurrected or in hiding after faking their death, instead it’s all an illusion cast by Mysterio.
- Spidey is right, Mysterio has been hired by the Maggia’s second in command Carmine Karnelli to create the illusion of the Dons return so that he can be in control instead of the idiot who is currently running the crime family.
- With only Carmine Karnelli knowing that the family is an illusion, Mysterio removes him from the equation permanently leaving Mysterio, via his illusion, in control of the Maggia crime family.
This is a well written comic with many subplots and questions that leaves the reader at the edge of their seat waiting for the next issue. I want to know how Mysterio is creating all of his “illusions?” Are they reanimated dead bodies like this issue hinted at, or are they something else? What is the purpose for Carlie’s dad’s resurrection, or is his story the only real one?
I’m not quite sure how well I summarized this issue, but no matter if it makes sense or not you need to pick up this issue and read it if you have not already. You won’t be disappointed.
About the Site
Feature Sponsor
Contact
Post Schedule
Categories
- Ads
- Art
- Comics
- Friday Night Fights
- Last Week In Comics
- Links
- Meme
- Other
- Pint-n-Pixel
- Site News
- Sports
- Throwback
- Video Games
- WebComic
- Writing
Store
Links
- Always Bet on Bahlactus
- BeaucoupKevin
- Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!
- BW Media Spotlight
- Chris’s Invincible SuperBlog
- Collected Editions
- Crisis On Earth-Prime
- DEM’S GOOD READIN’
- Fantasy Theater
- Great Caesar’s Post
- Hero Sandwich
- IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!
- Jimmy Olsen’s Blues
- Meekrat
- Mike Sterling’s Progressive Ruin
- Nerdosity
- PHONING IT IN
- Polite Dissent
- Random Encounters
- Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!!
- Squash is the Enemy
- Stars And Garters
- The Comic Treadmill
- The Johnny Bacardi Show
- The Sock Drawer
- Yet Another Comics Blog
Sponsors
Permalinks By IIS Permalinks