FNF: MINIMUM CLONAGE’S “Clone Clobbering!”
This is a Prize Fight for an Amazon Gift Card and the rules are simple:
- The winners from the 12 regular rounds of Minimum Clonage will enter a Spider-Man fight. Other fighters may join in, but only the previous winners will be eligible and in the poll to win.
- The winner of the Prize Fight must win by at least TWO (2) votes. So that means get your readers here to vote!
- Voting will last for one week and ending on Friday August 6th at 4PM. The winner will be announced by 11PM that evening.
This Week’s One-Hit Wonders Are:
“Bleed More.” Spider-Man (SpaceBooger)
“Ploink” Spider-Man (The Sock Drawer)
“You’re not half as tough as you think you are!” Spider-Man (Stars And Garters)
“Like This!” Spider-Man (Hero Sandwich)
“…But I sure as heck can work my mad off!!” Spider-Man (Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep)
Here are other Spider-Man entries not eligible for the Grand Prize,
but worth checking out:
Spider-Ham (ShadowWing Tronix)
Make sure you vote for the winner!
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite fight by Friday @ 4PM.
All votes will be considered, but in the end I will have the final say. The winner will be announced next Friday.
Visitors and guests – please cast your vote too!
The Spectacular Spider-Man #215
Tom DeFalco – Story
Sal Buscema – Art
The Hulk Likes Hors D’oeuvres!
Note to all party throwers and masters of the shindig: If you invite the Hulk over for a party make sure there are plenty of hors d’oeuvres and polite/attentive waiters.
Another note to all party throwers and masters of the shindig: Don’t invite “that guy” to your party. We all know “that guy” and it’s a fact that the Hulk hates “that guy” more than impolite waiter.
The Incredible Hulk #142
Roy Thomas – Story
Herb Trimpe & John Severin – Art
WebComic: The Monkey Part 3
Two weeks ago. the Booger decided to use the “Booger-Blaster” in an attempt to create a “Monkey on Steroids” to take down the “Butterfly on Steroids” BarryFly.
Not only are monkeys the natural predator of the butterfly, but they are also known to be very aggressive including to those they are closest too once they fully mature. Last week, the Booger learned this the hard way.
This week, the Booger is regretting his newest creation because of both it’s aggression towards him and the fact that his plan has backfired.
Check out this week’s comic strip here: http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php?comicID=163
Friday Night Fights: Minimum Clonage Prize-Fight Rules
Prize Fight:
Clone Clobbering
First of all everyone who wants to participate is encouraged to post a fight and I will feature it with the Prize Fighters!
For the winners of the previous 12 rounds it’s a prize fight for a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card, and they must follow these rules:
- Anyone who won a previous round and is featured on July 23rd has to enter a new entry for the July 30th prize fight featuring the comic character who started the whole clone mess in the first place – SPIDER-MAN!
(note – if a participant won more than one of the twelve rounds they only get one entry) - Every participant featured MUST link to the JULY 30th “Clone Clobbering!” post with a “VOTE” image (large 400px, medium 300px, small 150px):
(here is the link for July 30th’s prize fight:
http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php/2010/07/30/fnf-minimum-clonages-clone-clobbering/
note – the link will not work until 4PM (EST), and the official fight will post around 11PM) - The winner of the Prize Fight must win by at least TWO (2) votes. So that means get your readers here to vote!
Remember everyone may enter a Spider-Man beating or beat-down to be published on July 30th, but only the winners of the 12 rounds will be eligible for the Amazon Gift Card!
All past, present, and future fighters are encouraged to link and vote!
Friday Night Fights: ”Clone Clobbering!”
Prize Fight July 30th at 11PM!!
LWIC: We All Have Wished For Our Own Catwoman Too!
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Batman Beyond #2
Batman and Robin of the future are back… Er, I mean Old Batman and Young Batman (Beyond) are back and together they are solving a mystery that stretches back to when Bruce Wayne was still the Caped Crusader. In the first issue a new serial killer is hunting down Bruce’s old enemies and the media believes that the murder is Mr. Tommy Elliot a.k.a. Hush. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
- Batman reminisces about his last battle with Hush and how it ended with the villain’s death.
- Bruce was never really sure about Hush’s death because he never investigated the dead body before the police arrived.
- The serial killer believed to be Hush takes out another one of Batman’s former enemies, and like the previous murders sends the police off on a wild goose chase.
- Batman (the new one) is distracted from the hunt for Hush by a cat burgler who goes by the name “Catwoman.”
- After some entertaining dialog between the new Batman and Catwoman, she escapes and Batman continues on his regularly scheduled mission.
- The issue ends with Batman and Hush meeting face to face.
As much as I have been loving Grant Morrison’s run on Batman and his tie-in titles, I have to say that all of the continuity, clues, and depth of his story can be overwhelming at times. Unlike Morrison’s Batman, Batman Beyond doesn’t take multiple readings to absorb the whole story. In today’s DC Universe, Batman Beyond’s tongue-in-cheek dialog, characterizations, fast paced plot, and art is a fresh breath of life in the darkness of the monthly Batman book.
LWIC Quick Mentions
Supergirl #54
Kara Zor-El gave up being Supergirl in the last issue. Just as she announced her retirement a Bizzaro Supergirl attacks Metropolis. Needless to say that Kara changes her mind and the two throw down. Also in this issue, Jimmy Olsen acts all bad-ass – and it works well for him.
Time Masters – Vanishing Point #1
I loved Booster Gold’s first series and I loved the first ten issues of his new series. Ever since Booster teamed up with Rip Hunter to fix wrinkles in time, I have enjoyed hunting down some of the old Rip Hunter “Time Masters” mini-series. After reading Rip’s solo adventures it is nice to see him get a leading role again. I look forward to the adventures of Rip Hunter, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, and Superman as they search for both Batman and the person responsible for destroying Rip’s base of operation at the end of time – Vanishing Point.
Friday Night Fights MINIMUM CLONAGE 12 Winner Recap!
Friday Night Fights: “Clone Clobbering!”
Here are the winners from the first twelve round that are eligible to reenter next Friday’s “Prize Fight” for an Amazon.com Gift Card!
The Winner of Round 1:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep
The Winner of Round 2:
SpaceBooger!
The Winner of Round 3:
Hero Sandwich!
The Winner of Round 4:
The Last Burly Men On Earth!
The Winner of Round 5:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!
The Winner of Round 6:
Hero Sandwich!
The Winner of Round 7:
The Sock Drawer!
The Winner of Round 8:
SPACEBOOGER!
The Winner of Round 9:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!
The Winner of Round 10:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!
The Winner of Round 11:
Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!
The Winner of Round 12:
Stars And Garters!
RECAP OF THE RULES FOR THE PRIZE FIGHT:
Note: Everyone who wants to participate is encouraged to post a fight and I will feature it with the Prize Fighters!
For the winners of the previous 12 rounds it’s a prize fight for a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card, and they must follow these rules:
- This Friday, July 23, all of the previous 12 round’s winners will be republished to set the bar for the prize fight.
- Anyone who won a previous round and is featured on July 23rd has to enter a new entry for the July 30th prize fight featuring the comic character who started the whole clone mess in the first place - SPIDER-MAN!
(note – if a participant won more than one of the twelve rounds they only get one entry) - Every participant featured MUST link to the JULY 30th “Clone Clobbering!” post with a “VOTE” image (large 400px, medium 300px, small 150px):
(here is the link for July 30th’s prize fight:
http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php/2010/07/30/fnf-minimum-clonages-clone-clobbering/
note – the link will not work until 4PM (EST), and the official fight will post around 11PM) - The winner of the Prize Fight must win by at least TWO (2) votes. So that means get your readers here to vote!
Remember everyone may enter a Spider-Man beating or beat-down to be published on July 30th, but only the winners of the 12 rounds will be eliglbile for the Amazon Gift Card!
All past, present, and future fighters are encouraged to link and vote!
Friday Night Fights: ”Clone Clobbering!”
Prize Fight July 30th at 11PM!!
Print-N-Pixel Recommended Reading: The Infinity Gauntlet
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 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 introduced Print-N-Pixel: The Infinity Saga and recommended a couple comics to read. This week will focus on looking at the first set of Recommended Reading stories.
For more about the history and how to play the featured game(s) check out the first installment of “Print-N-Pixel: The Infinity Saga.”
Recommended Reading: Introduction
In 1991 I was collecting everything X-Men, Spider-Man, Punisher, and all things Marvel. When The Infinity Gauntlet was published I purchased it only because it was the “next big thing” and everyone else who read comics were talking about it. I really didn’t know much about the Marvel’s cosmic cast of characters, but I did know all of the big name Earth based heroes featured in the mini-series. Not knowing too much about the cosmic cast of characters, I had a hard time grasping any part of the story that didn’t feature fisticuffs.
I didn’t enjoy The Infinity Gauntlet too much when it was published, mainly because I didn’t know the characters. After the mess that was the X-Men post Age of Apocalypse and Spider-Man’s Clone Saga I left the Marvel Universe and started to read more DC. I got into DC’s cosmic universe with the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Green Lantern Corps. This interest in DC’s cosmic stories led me back to Marvel and the Silver Surfer specifically. After years of trying to complete my Silver Surfer collection and many more stories read, I tried reading The Infinity Gauntlet again this week. I’ll let you know what I thought about it, but first here is my interpretation of the story.
Recommended Reading: The Infinity Gauntlet
The Infinity Gauntlet
Before he had gained omnipotent power, the titan Thanos was resurrected by Lady Death with the sole purpose of creating a balance between life and death within the universe. To achieve balance Thanos was instructed to remove half of all sentient beings from the universe. Before accomplishing the task assigned by Death, Thanos sought out the six Infinity Gems and fastened them to his glove. This “Infinity Gauntlet” gave the titan Thanos omnipotent power that rivaled the strongest of all the cosmic gods.
With his newly acquired power, Thanso became superior to his master and woman he loved Lady Death. Because of his power, Death is not allowed to speak to him since she is beneath him. The silent treatment does not bode well with the all powerful titan. In an attempt to gain Lady Death’s love and notice, Thanos builds a shrine in her honor Yet she still ignores him. Thanos then realizes that the disdain Death show him could be because he has yet to complete his original task she assigned to him upon his Resurrection. With a snap of his fingers, half of all sentient beings including aliens, cattle, humans, and even Earth’s mightiest heroes all disappear.
The Sliver Surfer, knowing about Thanos and his power, seeks out the aid of Doctor Strange on Earth. After crashing though the Sorcerer Supreme’s roof the Surfer begs Strange to help save the universe. The Silver Surfer is not the only being who knows that Doctor Strange will be needed if Thanos is to be defeated. The recently resurrected Adam Warlock contacts Doctor Strange through the astral plane to share with him the true power and epic destruction that Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet could cause.
The whole universe is dealing with the disappearing of half of it’s population, including the titan Eros. Eris the brother of Thanos is the last being to disappear. Unlike all of the other beings that disappeared, Eros was not wiped out of existence instead he was transported to Thanos where he finds himself his brother’s prisoner. Eros is not Thanos’ only prisoner, there is a being that is wandering aimlessly bordering between the brink of life and death as a reminder of the power that Thanos wields. Her name is Nebula and she is Thanos’ granddaughter. Even with his grand demonstration of power to wipe out life with a snap of his fingers and keeping a living being teetering between life and death, Death continues to give Thanos the cold shoulder.
The villains of the universe are not immune to Thanos’ chaos, Dr. Doom who wants to one day rule the Earth does not want half of his future subjects missing, so he also heads to Doctor Strange’s residence seeking help. As soon as Doom arrives so does Adam Warlock. Warlock tells the group that the initial damage to the universe is only a precursor to the devastation yet to come. Doctor Strange, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, and Adam Warlock begin to comb the Earth for heroes to form an army strong enough to topple the titan Thanos before the whole universe unravels. After all of Earth’s heroes are gathered, the Silver Surfer and Warlock gather all of the cosmic powered “Astral Deities of the universe” to join the fight against the all powerful Thanos.
Sensing that the heroes of the universe are gathering to fight back while Lady Death still ignores him, Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to create his perfect mate – Terraxia. Using the power of the Infinity Gems, Thanos is able to create someone, unlike Lady Death, will love him unconditionally and fight by his side during the impending war. The heroes gather, plan their attack, and then Doctor Strange teleports them directly to Thanos, and thus the war begins.
Knowing that with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet that he could easily end the war before it begins, Thanos decides to try one last time to impress Lady Death. Thanos decides that he should not harness the full power of the Infinity Gems during battle to allow the heroes a chance to win. By giving them a chance to win Thanos will beat them because of both his new found power and natural ability as a warrior, which may impress Lady Death.
As Earth’s heroes battle Thanos, Adam Warlock and the Silver Surfer sit back allowing the fight to act as a diversion. Earth’s heroes never stood a chance against Thanos as the takes them all down, including Dr. Doom, one by one. A couple of heroes rally and are about to lightly scratch Thanos when Terraxia joins the battle at her lover/creator’s side. Cyclops, Cloak, Iron Man, Nova, Quazar, and the God of Thunder all loose their lives during the battle with Thanos. Captain America, one of the last men standing, does not give up and decides to throw down and go at Thanos toe-to-toe. Just before Cap and Thanos throw down, the Silver Surfer finally steps into the battle flying by in an attempt to swipe the Infinity Gauntlet off the titan’s hand. Unfortunately the Surfer misses, allowing Thanos to take down Captain America with one punch.
With Thanos still wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, the Astral Deities attack the titan. Collateral damage is to be expected during any war, and this was was no different. The power released during the battle between the Celestial Deities and Thanos sent waves of destruction throughout the universe, including the place where they battled. Eros and Nebula, Thanos’ brother and granddaughter respectively, should have been destroyed along with the place they were being held prisoner, but instead they were saved by Lady Death of all people. The universe becomes unraveled with planets being destroyed and even used as projectiles against Thanos by the Cosmic Deities. Just as Earth’s heroes before them, the Cosmic Deities as powerful as they are each fell one-by-one to the awsome power of Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet.
After defeating all who stood against him, including Lady Death, Thanos became the center of all reality. Being the center of all reality, Thanos’ soul “is” the universe therefore leaving his body a lifeless motionless shell. Noticing that Thanos’ body is not moving yet still wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, Nebula seizes the moment and snatches the all powerful glove from the motionless body. Now wielding the six Infinity Gems Nebula, the granddaughter of Thanos who he had tortured as a show of his power, takes revenge on her grandfather and sends him drifting aimlessly through space.
While drifting through space, Thanos is rescued by the same people who sought to destroy him – Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Adam Warlock. Adam Warlock gives Thanos the ultimate guilt trip using the power of the Infinity Gems that he used to be one with to convince Thanos to help them destroy Nebula. Thanos agrees to help and the heroes regroup and once again try to take down another evil titan wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.
The first wave of heroes again were just a distraction against Nebula just as they were against Thanos, but Nebula is not as cunning of a warrior as her grandfather. The distraction works allowing Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, and Thanos to get close to Nebula. Upon seeing her torturer, Nebula focuses her attack on Thanos not noticing Adam Warlock behind her. Thanos taunts Nebula claiming that she will never be as powerful as he was while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. To prove that he was wrong Nebula returns the universe back to how it was before Thanos removed half of all sentient beings. This return of the universe also returns Nebula to the creature who teetered between life and death. Thinking that he won, Thanos tries to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from the weakened body of Nebula, but to his surprise she uses the power of the glove to restore her health once again.
Nebula, fully powered, has the upper hand once again and just as she is about to use it against Warlock and company the Cosmic Deities who were also restored to power arrive to continue the fight.
With Nebula fighting off the cosmic beings, Adam Warlock becomes one with the Infinity Gems. By becoming one with the gems, Warlock is able to short them out, leaving them momentarily useless. With the shorting of the gems sending a “shock” of power back into Nebula, she is forced to remove the gauntlet. The Infinity Gauntlet is now lying on the ground. Everybody and their mother scramble to be the next wearer of the power glove. In the end only one man is left holding the most powerful weapon in the universe.
Adam Warlock, wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, now wields the power of a god and returns the universe back to its natural state. With the power of the Infinity Gauntlet Warlock promises “to use it wisely” and states that he will protect the Infinity Gems from ever falling into the wrong hands again. The universe is safe again and has a new protector in Adam Warlock.
Recommended Reading: Conclusion
When I first read this mini-series in high school I didn’t get it. To me the story was just another all powerful dude trying to take over the Universe story. Not fully understanding the characters that made up the Astral Deities meant that I never fully understood the epic proportion of the overall story. When I reread this story I was armed with more knowledge of the characters featured and subsequently beaten down by Thanos, I fully understand how the actions in this story could have damaged the Marvel Universe. The only problem I had with this story was the ending. Not the part where this semi new (new incarnation) character walks away with the all powerful Infinity Gauntlet without any argument from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but instead I have a problem with how Adam Warlock took down Nebula. I wondered this back in high school and I still wonder now, if Warlock could become one with the Infinity Gems why didn’t he just do that at the beginning as soon as he was revived?
Upon rereading The Infinity Gauntlet, I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading it’s sequel The Infinity War for the next set of Recommended Reading.
Did you read The Infinity Gauntlet, and if so what did you think of it? Or more importantly do you know why Adam Warlock did not just become “one with the Infinity Gems” in the beginning? 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:
image
“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:
- Marvel Super Heroes (Arcade) – Game Review
Featuring: A in-depth look and review of the game. - Review of Marvel Comic’s Infinity War
Featuring: A review of Marvel’s sequel to the Infinity Gauntlet. - Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (SNES) – Game Review
Featuring: A in-depth look and review of the game. - The Infinity Saga Around The Internet
Featuring: A conclusion to the Print-N-Pixel: Marvel Super-Heroes – The Infinity Saga with quotes and other’s opinions of the game.
References:
- The comic covers are from Wikipedia
- The original image of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet used in the Print-N-Pixel logo was found at comicvine.com
WebComic: The Monkey Part 2
Last week the Booger decided that he could not win the “war” against BarryFly alone, so he got some help.
Since Monkeys are natural predators of the butterfly, the Booger ordered a monkey off ebay. When the monkey arrived he used the “Booger-Blaster” in an attempt to create a “Monkey on Steroids” to take down the “Butterfly on Steroids” BarryFly.
This week’s comic strip deals with why people shouldn’t keep monkeys as pets, especially mutated monkeys. Check out the comic strip here: http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php?comicID=162
FNF:MC Round 12 Winner & “Clone Clobbering!”
The Winner of Round 12:
Stars And Garters!
With 12 rounds in the book it’s time for:
“Clone Clobbering!”
First of all everyone who wants to participate is encouraged to post a fight and I will feature it with the Prize Fighters!
For the winners of the previous 12 rounds it’s a prize fight for a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card, and they must follow these rules:
- This Friday, July 23, all of the previous 12 round’s winners will be republished to set the bar for the prize fight.
- Anyone who won a previous round and is featured on July 23rd has to enter a new entry for the July 30th prize fight featuring the comic character who started the whole clone mess in the first place – SPIDER-MAN!
(note – if a participant won more than one of the twelve rounds they only get one entry) - Every participant featured MUST link to the JULY 30th “Clone Clobbering!” post with a “VOTE” image (large 400px, medium 300px, small 150px):
(here is the link for July 30th’s prize fight:
http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php/2010/07/30/fnf-minimum-clonages-clone-clobbering/
note – the link will not work until 4PM (EST), and the official fight will post around 11PM) - The winner of the Prize Fight must win by at least TWO (2) votes. So that means get your readers here to vote!
Remember everyone may enter a Spider-Man beating or beat-down to be published on July 30th, but only the winners of the 12 rounds will be eligible for the Amazon Gift Card!
All past, present, and future fighters are encouraged to link and vote!
Friday Night Fights: “Clone Clobbering!”
Prize Fight July 30th at 11PM!!
LWIC: Superman Takes a Walk and Solar Returns
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.
Batgirl #12
The reason I love this comic, I love it so much that every week I’ve reviewed a Batgirl issue it was labeled “The Best Comic of Last Week,” is because of the dynamic between Barbra Gordon and Steph Brown.
“Maybe the dynamic between Batman and Robin is that they are totally different personalities motivated by the same situation but approach the “job” differently. I think the duo between the former Batgirl, Barbra Gordan, and the new Batgirl, Steph Brown has the same chemistry or dynamic as Batman and Robin have.
Barbra Gordon became Batgirl to prove something even though Batman didn’t approve. Steph Brown became Batgirl to prove that she can do the job even though (Red) Robin, her former boyfriend, doesn’t approve. Each version of the hero had something to prove where Barbra was all business and Step is all about fun, these two compliment each other” -Batgirl #9 review on April 19, 2010
With the return of the Birds of Prey and Barbra’s return to her “original” team, I feared what may happen to this comic book if Bab’s left. Last Week In Comics (LWIC) Babs left:
- Oracle (Barbra Gordon) and the Calculator are trapped within the villain’s mind fighting for their lives.
- While trapped in the Calculator’s mind, some of his origin is reveled: A) He was physically abused by his mother as motivation to become a math wiz. B) His wife committed suicide shortly after she brought their twins home from the hospital because he was off playing villain.
- Batgirl and Wendy (as in “Marvin and Wendy” from the Superfirends, who also happens to be the Calculator’s daughter) team up to save Oracle.
- The two teens save the day and the city of Gotham, and continue to pair up as Batgirl and Proxy.
With Barbra’s departure from the title, I couldn’t see how this concept of a “fun loving” hero without her “all knowing all seeing computer wielding conscious” would work, but having Wendy replacing Oracle looks to be a perfect move. Both Steph and Wendy’s fathers were supervillains and both girls want to fight the good fight for fun, so it seems as if this team-up will be just as good if not better than the previous team of “Batgirls.” Oh, also after reviewing issue #9 I so called it that Wendy would be replacing Oracle.
Batman #701
I have a friend who read Batman R.I.P. and assumed that Bruce Wayne died in that storyline, and after I explained to him the events and time traveling happening in The Return of Bruce Wayne he was confused. He asked me “How did Batman go from being blown up in a helicopter in the present day to waking up with cavemen in the past?” My friend never read Final Crisis, the comic where Batman really “died” (got sent back in time) so I had to explain the events of Final Crisis to him. If I only knew that LWIC Batman #701 would fill-in the gaps of what really happened to Batman after the helicopter exploded in Batman R.I.P. up to his death in Final Crisis, I could have saved both me and my friend some time.
- The issue begins with Batman (Bruce Wayne) swimming after surviving the helicopter crash.
- Upon surfacing Batman realizes that he is not wearing his cape and cowl, and attributes that to the curse that Dr. Hurt put on it.
- Batman returns home, struggles with how close to winning Dr. Hurt had gotten and then returns to the crash site to look for Hurt’s body.
- After not finding a body, Batman switches to his “Worlds Greatest Detective” mode and mull over the his near death experience, how Dr. Hurt got the upper-hand, and more importantly many of the statements Hurt made – statements that are still present and playing a large role in the books that take place after the events featured in this story.
- Final Crisis begins, and Batman puts aside the Dr. Hurt case to work with the Justice League to thwart Darkseid’s destruction of all life on Earth.
I have enjoyed the mystery and clues that Grant Morrison has dangled in front of us readers in regards to the real identity of Dr. Hurt and as to what Bruce already knows or doesn’t know. Similar to my friend, the only problem that I had was that the “real” death of Bruce Wayne didn’t take place during Batman R.I.P. but instead in the pages of Final Crisis. I read Final Crisis and saw Bruce’s true “death,” but never thought it was right to not include that in the main Batman book, especially since it was given the subtitle of “Batman R.I.P.” Now that clues have been given in the current books and Dr. Hurt has returned to Gotham and Grant Morrison has decided to give us readers a two issue look back at Batman’s real demise in a way with details that would not have been as exciting a year ago.
And as always, check Rikdad’s Comic Thoughts for a more in-depth look at Batman #701
Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1
As much as I was looking forward to JMS’ take on Superman and Grant Morrison’s explanation of what really happened to Batman during “R.I.P.” the book I was most excited to read last week was Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom. I was so excited for this book I compared this first issue to the first issue of the 1991 Valiant Comic Solar Man of the Atom #1 last Thursday. Now that the comparison has been made it’s time to take a look at the comic itself. LWIC:
- The issue starts off with a battle between a hungry villain named Leviathan and the hero Doctor Solar.
- Leviathan talks trash like a standard cliche comic book villain would, and is easily defeated by Solar who seems to still be figuring out his powers.
- Whitmore Pickerel who is an author is watching the battle on the news and recognizes Leviathan as a character from one of his books.
- Doctor Solar returns to his civilian clothes and visits his colleague Dr. Clarkson to discuss the sabotage of the nuclear reactor that gave him his powers.
- Continuing his discussion with Dr. Clarkson, Doctor Solar states that after gaining his powers, and before he could fully control them, Doctor Solar accidental did something that created at least one anomaly in reality.
- Doctor Solar knows exactly what he did to create the error in reality, but has decided to keep it a secret from his friend and colleague.
- Solar decides that Leviathan was an anomaly created as a result of this accident.
- Leviathan escapes police custody, he and Solar fights again, and Solar follows the villain to Whitmore Pickerel’s house.
- Solar is right about the anomaly, Pickerel the creator of Leviathan seems to now have the ability to bring any of his fictitious creations to life.
After proofing my summary, the comic sounds really good… but it wasn’t. As much as I love the character the art and pacing of the comic ruined it. The story is good, but as I mentioned last Thursday the art is not. In the book there is one specific panel that “Based on the image alone (without reading the dialog) I can’t tell if he floating and holding on to the parking meter?” The art is bad, and it really does ruin my overall impression of this comic.
The pacing of the story seems sort of off to me as well. Solar’s origin was packed into five pages of science heavy dialog. Some people have mistaken that statement to mean that I don’t like the science heavy origin. I have no problem with science, I am a science teacher, but what I do have a problem with is that it is all packed into one area. It was like watching an episode of Fringe where all of the science happened within a 10 minute span and not spread out throughout the whole episode. The science is good, but the art and the pacing was not. Maybe my expectations for this book were too high going into it based off the love I had for the 1991 Valiant series, but over all this book was not bad it just wasn’t as good as I expected. I hope my opinion changes after the next couple of issues because my excitement and hopes for those issues has not changed.
Superman #701
By now everyone has heard about Superman’s walk across the country to become more “in-tune” with the people he has sworn to protect. By now you probably have heard many people bash the comic, make fun of the issue, find flaws, but in the end I like the idea of the story.
My only real complaint is that after spending a year off the planet away from his wife Superman now decides to slowly walk across the country, how does that man stay married? My wife gets upset enough because of the hours I spend reading comics, playing video games, and surfing the net. I can only imagine what would happen to my marriage if I decided to take a year vacation and then walk across the country.
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