Shirtless Saturday - Johnny Storm

Today's entry is the classic cliffhanger from Fantastic Four #512, by the sorely missed Mark Wieringo.

What's worse, that Johnny Storm has managed to lose his pants, or that he's screaming about it at the top of his lungs while sitting in the kiddie pool?

Shirtless Saturday - Conner & Cassie

Conner "the Clone of Steel" Kent and Cassie "Wonder Girl" Sandsmark play "what if this were the end of the world" in the barn in Teen Titans Annual #1. Of course, this being an "Infinite Crisis" tie-in, it doesn't end well, as after a good farm-cooked breakfast, Conner flies off to be killed by the villain now known simply as "Prime".

But at least he died... a Man. I guess.

Getting out from under

Has it struck anyone else as odd that the colorful star-spangled early-Silver Age Wonder Woman is being reprinted in the black-and-white Showcase format, where the Sekowsky-era "powerless" Diana Prince (best remembered in her signature white jumpsuit) gets a full color trade?

On the other hand, I just bought Showcase Presents Adam Strange because I'd given up on DC ever bringing out Adam Strange Archives Vol 3, and guess what they just solicited for March?

Shirtless Saturday - Kara Zor-El

To initiate this feature, I chose the DC universe's favorite strumpet, Kara Zor-El, showing off her considerable underage charms to a Kandorian tattoo artist. From Supergirl #6.

In all seriousness, though, I do have two questions about this. Not "What were they thinking?" since I think we've established that they weren't thinking.

One: Does she still have it, or were the events of "Candor" retconned away in a flurry of alternate earths and timelines?

Two: Can someone with a better grasp of Kryptonian tell me what it said?

Thanks.

The Puzzle of the Fleshless Corpse

Has Faust been... eating Ralph Dibny?

(Does he taste rubbery?)

I haven't been following Black Adam, so I had no idea poor Ralph put in an appearance (sort-of) until Rachelle mentioned it over at Living Between Wednesdays. Neron apparently found a loophole in Ralph's dying binding spell (see 52), but Felix Faust is stuck in Doctor Fate's tower until he dies, or unless a God lets him out. (I wonder if Granny Goodness could do it.)

I suppose nobody knows Ralph is dead but Faust, Neron, and Adam. And who would they tell? The situation is likely to stay that way until a sufficiently high-level magic user tries to find him. You'd think someone would miss him.

If I was a betting man, I'd look for Ralph (and Sue) wherever Doctor Thirteen next appears. Of course, being a skeptic, he wouldn't be able to see them -- but I'll bet Tracy Thirteen could.

Maybe Ralph and Sue could partner with Boston Brand and open a detective agency in the Oblivion Bar.

Meanwhile...

If I were Say It Backwards, I'd put this image in my blog header.

Occasional Superheroine presents some Hot Comic Book Action. I see "Smallville" is going back to the basics: Women without pants. I take it this Kara isn't supposed to be underage.

Then OS talks about Weddingus Interruptus with Dead Arrow. Who, come on, you know he isn't dead. He's getting a "Year One"! And I must be the only reader who isn't that fond of Amanda Conner's art. I mean, it's OK, but everybody else is raving about the wonderfully emotive faces, but to me, everybody just looks drunk. Which, I guess, is appropriate at a wedding reception, but Power Girl looked drunk in her mini, too.

Dave Ex Machina presents clothing for the discerning geek. I could have sworn I saw these shirts at DragonCon.

Rachelle at Living Between Wednesdays wants to hear some cheery stories about people for whom their mutual love of comic books helped them bond. I don't have one, so if you do, you know what to do.

HarperCollins to reprint Scott McCloud's ZOT! for July 2008. If I'm reading this right, it's not complete: It's collecting only the material first published in black and white.

Major Spoilers presents an iconic image from All-Star The Goddamn Batman.

Devon at Seven Hells takes this opportunity to re-examine major DC events of the past twenty years and see how the new characters introduced in these events are doing. He's a lot kinder than I would be.

• Pariah - dead
  
• Lady Quark - dead? (Hey, maybe her Earth is back!)
  
• Harbinger - dead
  
• Question - dead
• Blue Beetle - dead
• Captain Atom - retconned beyond all recognition
• Nightshade - I thought you said "major characters"? Well, retconned beyond recognition anyway.
  
• Peacemaker - retconned beyond recognition
  
• Son of Vulcan - who?
• Wildcat II - dead
• Flash III (Wally West) - still doing OK, I guess... (does he really count as a creation of "Legends"?)
  
• Vril Dox and L.E.G.I.O.N. - yawn
• Monarch I - dead
• All of the "Bloodlines" characters - yawn, with the possible exception of Hitman
• Starman (Jack Knight) - dead?
• Stargirl - so far, so good
• Neron - yawn
• Hourman 1,000,000 - dead

I have to say DC's character creation skills don't look good here. When Firestorm looks like an elder statesman, something is wrong.

Have you seen Sunday's Funky Winkerbean?

See it today at the Seattle P-I, or subscribe at King Features.

LATER: Well, it does look like John Byrne, doesn't it?

On the Streets of Blogopolis

Living Between Wednesdays found this panel of Lois Lane in her natural state, being made a fool of by Superman (who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild- mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, must have a good laugh at her expense almost every hour of the day).

Dragon*Con Podcasting - Podcasting in the Classroom: This panel featured three educators who are creating educational podcasts, and my wife who is skeptical that the thing can have any applications for, how shall I say it, neighborhoods that are less affluent.

Yes, I know it has nothing to do with comic books. So?

Occasional Superheroine has a positive review of The Justice League of America Wedding Special. I really wanted to like this book, and I generally enjoy Dwayne McDuffie's writing (having seen a lot of it on the television JLU). But unlike the Wedding Planner, which actually was about planning the wedding, the Wedding Special is all about setting up this version of the Legion of Doom. I probably shouldn't blame McDuffie for that, since most DC titles seem primarily motivated by editorial mandate these days.

OS isn't crazy about the cover, and I actually agree. Although, given that Ed Benes is drawing it, it's not much of a surprise, is it? The spectacle of Superman bursting out of the cake at the bachelorette party is overcome by the fact that he's the most modestly-dressed person in attendance. Wonder Woman's star-spangled panties are approaching thongness. Any issue now there won't be room for any stars at all.

Progressive Ruin is speculating that Joe Quesada is incessantly repeating "people hate married Spider-Man" in order to make it so. Perhaps Marvel already has the "Because you demanded it!" blurb ready (the smart money seems to say this will happen in "One More Day").
Based on talking to customers in his comic shop (you know, people who actually buy comic books and, like, read them), Mike is unable to identify any groundswell of resentment that Pete and MJ are married. I'm thinking that, in the Marvel offices, the E-I-C and the writers he selects must really think that marriage is a dead end, which is a bigger tragedy than anything they put the characters through.

Seven Hells celebrates the return of the splash page. I think he's missing the point. A splash page is a single-panel summary of the story you're about to read, in tone and personality if not in literal representation of events actually contained in the story. These days, splash pages are places for the artist to show off (not that I mind that: some of my favorite images are the "pin-up pages" of days gone by). The intent is to actually slow down the story, to postpone the introduction of elements the reader might not want to be spoiled by, in full awareness that the first four or five pages of any given issue are likely to be released days, weeks or months in advance of publication, as a preview.

That said, this is still a dandy image, and the one aspect of it that I do see as a Good Sign is that Cassie's costume does not contain a camel-toe crotch seam. If I were looking for one trend to ban from 21st-century comics, that would be a strong contender.

On the Streets of Blogopolis

cosplayahoy

Progressive Ruin: I need to amend the store's dress code. He's got a hot redhead in his comic book shop, and he's complaining because she's dressed as Ginny Weasley. Can't he just be thankful she's there at all?

postmodernbarney: And Then There Was That Time Betty Got Kidnapped By Hillbillies. Or, Deliverance II starring Archie.

Occasional Superheroine: Schoolgirl Witchblade. Reserve a place on your knocker knick-knack shelf now, right beside your McFarlane Twisted X-mas Mrs Claus.

Batfatty: presenting Roberta the Girl Wonder. I really want to see the rest of this story. In fact, I'd like to see all of the stories from this era that featured one-shot female knock-offs of the male hero. I've seen the Aquaman, Green Arrow and Superboy stories. The original Batwoman was arguably one of the lot, except that she sort-of caught on. (The first Bat-Girl stole Roberta's color scheme.) So would have been the Super-Girl that Jimmy Olsen wished into existence. I suppose any of the several occasions when Lois Lane became "Super-Woman" might also qualify. I'd include the "Super-Sister" story, in which young Clark Kent became a girl. Are there enough of these for a trade collection? What would you call it?

Living Between Wednesdays: Snuggles in Disguise. Awwww.

Stephen DiStefano: The difference between Brutus and Bluto

What, again?

I know, I know.

Thank goodness for Sleestak.