Men and the Spoken Word

Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that all men are born with certain natural abilities when it comes to the spoken word. That’s right, all men have the uncanny ability to say completely irrational things to women. To clarify, men have a, knack, if you will, for saying the wrong thing at the right time when in the presence of women.

Left unchecked, this amazing ability would have lead to the eradication of the male portion of the species by the female portion long ago. That’s why nature also granted men the ‘natural word camouflage’ of backtrack and recovery.

Let’s look at a generic example. When prompted with “Does this dress look good on me?” by a woman, a man’s natural answer might be, “Oh no! That dress is not flattering on you at all. It makes you look bigger than usual.” It’s quite obvious that is not the right answer. So, ‘natural word camouflage’ comes into play, and a man might recovery with “That color is all wrong for your skin tones. It doesn’t match your eyes either.”

For a specific example, there was the time I foolishly said, “The most valuable thing I have is my comic book collection”. In this case, I wasn’t aware of the silliness of my statement until my wife casually asked, “More valuable than your wife and children?”

At which point I employed ‘natural word camouflage’ and responded with “Most valuable paper product because your love is priceless.” Since I am typing this, you can see I survived the encounter.

I always thought this was something that men learned over time. But, while listening to Boy at dinner the other night, I realized it was completely natural. I don’t remember what we were specifically talking about but Boy suddenly announced, “Dad, you’re my fourth favorite thing!” Personally, I was touched because I know, deep down, he really meant it.

I think if he had just moved on to another topic he might have gotten away with the comment. But, Boy decided to explain how he came to this conclusion. He launched right into “My first favorite thing is my Nintendo DS. My second favorite thing is the Wii…”

Mom by this point is quite aware of the conversation and asks, “If Dad is fourth, where would I be on your list of favorite things?”

Boy, because he knew the answer, launched right into, “Well you’d be…”

And suddenly, I could see the words freeze in his mouth. I’m not sure what number he had in mind but it was lower than four. And he realized that it wasn’t the right answer.

Boy continued, “Well, you’re…”
Mom, “Yeeessss?”

And suddenly, Boy’s ‘natural word camouflage’ abilities took over, and he responded in the most confident voice I’d ever heard from him, “You’re fourth with Dad!?” And, as the sweat started dripping off his forehead, Boy quickly switched topics to Pokemon.

I will happily report that the Boy is still alive today.

SPARKS #1 - A PAGE A DAY - PAGE #8

With the permission of Chris Folino we are going to present the entire first issue of Sparks one page at a time.

Everyday at 6PM (US Eastern Standard Time) a new page will be posted. The Tag will be Sparks #1 so you can easily collected them all down the road.

Now go and buy the motion comics application http://catastrophiccomics.com/catastrophic_comics_sparks_iphone.html

Best and Worst of Last Week

I wanted to mention two books that almost made the best side of the equation and that is Green Lantern #38 and Wonder Woman #29. Both books were very good but contain so much material that is setting up what is coming that they just missed making the grade to be in the best side of the equation. I also think the whole “Origins and Omens” thing hurt many DC books. While the main stories loss of a couple of pages was not tragic, each book ended with these lame throw away six page things which served no purpose in my opinion.

DC needs to get their overall act together. The planning is lacking and while some individual series are doing okay, the overall line is faltering. In addition the lame hardcover programs they are running are for the most part failures. The “Classic” stuff is a $40 price point for cheap paper and collecting many things that have been done before. The six issue collection from both companies are just trades with a “golden book” cover and glued binding, nothing that will really last. The stuff that is screaming to be done right languishes. The Sinestro War and Grant Morrison’s run on Batman are would be great as deluxe format books with maybe 10-12 issues per book for $40, the Absolute line is printing the Azz/Lee Superman and leaving All Star Superman in the gutters. Archives should be churning out the old sci-fi DC books from the sixties with Space Cabby and other odd ball characters that other companies have made a success of with small print runs.

The news that Judd Winick is writing a Batman book come June is horrendous news as he is one of DC’s weakest writers and to make the “new” Batman work that line-up has to be the best of the best writing those books. I’m now worried that DC is going to do something incredibly stupid like have Tim be Batman with Damien as Robin and Red Robin will be Dick Grayson, which maybe the time that I drop all the Bat titles (if that happens). This idea that seems to permeate DC that if the fans want it, it must be bad or we can never do what makes sense since no one would be surprised. Well enough of my griping about DC, they did get my top Best book for the week.

THE BEST

Madame Xanadu #8 - Writer Matt Wagner, Pencils Amy Reeder Hadley, Inks Richard Friend, Colors Guy Major. This book has never disappointed. This issue we see that the Phantom Stranger had been blocking Madame Xanadu’s attempts to stop Jack the Ripper until he killed a woman who was carrying Jason Blood’s child. Jason (Etrigan the Demon)’s child would have grown to be a depraved and mad leader who would have caused untold suffering. Once the unborn child and woman were killed the Phantom Stranger dispatches the Ripper. Madame Xanadu now plots to be ready for the Phantom Stranger when next they meet as his mysterious ways have her ticked off. The artwork as always is a joy to behold and I lack the needed superlatives to describe how beautiful Amy Reeder Hadley’s art is. In a comic world of wild exaggerations and Jack Kirby or Neal Adams inspired art, she stands unique and brings true beauty to this book. Matt Wagner weaves a wonderful tale that is both Vertigo and the regular DCU like no one else has done before. This book is vying for the top spot every time it comes out.

Battlefields Dear Billy #2 (of 3) – Writer Garth Ennis, Art Peter Snejbjerg, Colors Rob Steen. This was a beautiful and disturbing story all at the same time. In the midst of the war in the Pacific theatre a young aviator and nurse have found each other, but the nurse is so damaged from her being raped and almost killed at the hands of the Japanese she is not longer quite sane. As prisoners are brought into the hospital she is killing a few of the soldiers as a cathartic sort of revenge for the rage that lives within her. The story is being told in the form of a letter she is writing to Dear Billy. It is both a beautiful and touching love story and a horrific tale of what can make a person go insane. One of the most compelling stories I have read in a long time and a story that again illustrates the horrors of war. The artwork by Peter Snejbjerg fits this story perfectly. While I look forward to the final chapter I fear the end will not be a happy one.

Echo #10 – By Terry Moore – Terry self publishes so I forgive the $3.50 price tag for 18 pages of black and white art, plus this is a great story. This issue we see Ivy confront her employer to find out what exactly is she fighting against with the suit. We find out that suit is a power plant that utilized the electrical synapses of the brain, which helps to explain why Julie hears the Echoes of the girl who was killed wearing it. Then Ivy reaches out via cell phone to Julie and tries to convince her she can help her and at the same time Ivy appears to be threatening Julie’s sister. We are not sure what way Julie is going to go when the homeless guy who has another part of the suit shows up to try and kill Julie again. This is a great series with real people, great scientific concepts and theories in it and strong art. Terry Moore is showing everyone how to write a true graphic novel and is issuing it a chapter at a time.

Blue Beetle #36 – Writer Matthew Sturges, Pencils Carlo Barberi, Inks Jacob Eguren, Colors Guy Major. It is a crying shame this book was cancelled. I know sales and other things dictate many of these decisions, but this was a good book. From Keith Giffen and John Rogers to just Rogers and now as Matthew Sturges has just hit his stride on this book, it is gone. It was the best new hero DC has come up with in a long time and it was great to see a young hero grow up and learn what it is to be a hero. I know he will be in Teen Titans, but that will not be the same. Blue Beetle was unique because he had a real family to draw strength from and his own circle of friends and now as a group member that supporting cast will be invisible or play only a minor role. This issue exemplified all that Jamie was and his willingness to sacrifice to save others. The final issue had action, humor, family, loss and gain and left you wanting more. Three years was not enough.

Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #5 (of 6) – by David Petersen. Mouse Guard makes the best list because it is Mouse Guard. No other reason is even needed in my mind. David Petersen has crafted what I think will become a true classic and deserves to be a book that all ages can read and enjoy. I wish that I had young children to read this with because I think it has all the elements of the old time classic children’s stories as it has heroics, but a dark edge of danger and death. Many of the old classic Grimm Fairy Tales in their original forms were quite graphic and horrific and over the years we have sanitized the world for our children to a ridiculous extreme (and of course the internet stripped away all the shelter parents were striving for). The battle with the Owl this issue was very memorable and I hope we see issue #6 and the hard cover and then I hope a more viable publisher gives David Petersen his due.

No Hero #4 (of 7) – Writer Warren Ellis, Art Juan Jose Ryp, Colors Digikore Studios. Warren Ellis has spent a good portion of his career showing us what it might be like if super heroes were in the “real” world. Each interpretation brings to light a different idea. This issue focuses on the cost to be a super hero, Josh, the man trying to gain powers, has survived the drug and gained super powers, but at the cost of having skin, hair, his genitals or his teeth. He is grotesque to look at, but yet at the end of the story he is still happy because he has super powers. The overall story arc of who is trying to kill this world’s super group is ongoing, but this issue clearly exemplified the cost of wanting power or fame at any price.

Astounding Wolf Man #13 – Writer Robert Kirkman, Art Jason Howard, Colors FCO & Ivan Plascencia. I know very few fans willing to give Wolf-Man the love he deserves and I think part of it is the artwork, more on that later. As a story Wolf-Man delivers what I love to see in a comic and that is a story that advances. Gary has just been trained by the elder werewolf and comes back to his home. He is immediately captured and put in jail. Chloe his daughter learns all about her Mom and Dad’s history and it does nothing to dissuade her from her need of vengeance against Wolf-Man. Gary is found guilty of the murder of his wife and is incarcerated. We find out Chloe has been training with Zecheriah and apparently has been turned into a vampire or at least a half vampire. I’m even leaving out plot elements. The bottom line is this book moves and things happen that actually have repercussions on the characters. It reminds me of when Marvel used to let things actually happen to their characters (during the sixties). I think this book lacks a strong vocal following because of the art. Jason Howard is a young artist and his ability is improving, but some of the earlier efforts were lacking. Jason’s story telling skills are growing each and every issue and you can see him starting to push his style forward. In my opinion I find each issue to be better then the last and Astounding Wolf-Man is a worthy companion book to Invincible.

THE WORST

New Avengers #50 – Writer Brian Bendis, Pencils Billy Tan, Inks Matt Banning, Colors Justin Ponsor and a host of guest artist doing one or two pages. Remember learning that if you have nothing nice to say about someone then say nothing ……………………………………Well……………..I never learned the lesson 100%. First the wraparound cover is a glorious scene of the Dark Avengers versus the New Avengers, the fight never happens. I hate false advertisement, especially to the scale of this book. Second was Bendis long series of pages of talking heads. When he does it in a book like Daredevil with a solo character and one or two supporting cast members he can pull it off. When he has a group of heroes whose voices he constantly gets wrong it comes off as stilted and annoying, this issue he achieves the latter. Instead we have a big battle between the Hood and the bad guys versus the New Avengers. Ms. Marvel with Spider-Woman’s help takes all of them out (unfortunately this does not line-up with Ms. Marvel’s book). Next we see Clint Barton in his Ronin gear (a whole other can of worms) walk on TV and say how the people presenting themselves as Avengers are actually bad guys, but his group will be around to protect everyone for real. The logic of the scene makes no sense, as there is no TV station that is just going to allow some bozo to walk in and broadcast some rant he wants to do. It did have lots of pretty pictures and enough new pages to justify the $5 price tag, but this is Bendis at his worst. I love Bendis ideas, but I think he lacks in the execution of those ideas.

It is funny how hard it is for a book to make my worst list, I'm expecting one week to have no book in that category. By freeing myself from my old system I can now see that many books are in that vast middle category, but I’m sure with so many new series coming out that some weeks will have more then one worst of the week.

SPARKS #1 - A PAGE A DAY - PAGE #7

With the permission of Chris Folino we are going to present the entire first issue of Sparks one page at a time.

Everyday at 6PM (US Eastern Standard Time) a new page will be posted. The Tag will be Sparks #1 so you can easily collected them all down the road.


Now go and buy the motion comics application

http://catastrophiccomics.com/catastrophic_comics_sparks_iphone.html

What I’m Getting Wednesday March 4

I have two comments this week. First is about the economy and my overall bleak outlook is getting even less optimistic (add sarcastic tone here). The federal budget proposal is a recipe for disaster, I applaud ending the Iraq War (but not the escalation of the Afghanistan War), but we have to reduce spending in many other areas if we want to spend on all of these other programs. I fear that the coming depression will be even harsher then what I think will happen. You cannot spend your way out of bankruptcy. I feel the economy of the world is going through a major shift, what it looks like after the fact I don’t know, but the transition will be painful.

The second comment is one I have harped on before and it is about the digital revolution of the print media. Is the print media dying? No. Is it going to be in a drastically reduced form? Yes. If the publishers do not get on board with this quickly they will be passed by and they will die. A comic should soon be released in multiple formats at the same time. A monthly book should hit the newsstand, my e-mail or to my Kindle (or other e-book) at the same time. If I’m buying the print version it can be $3, but the digital version better be $1. When the last issue of that comic arc is published, the trade and/or hardcover if appropriate should all hit the store at the same time, as well as the e-mail or e-book version. Again the e-book version should be one third of the price. Re-write your contracts with the creators so they know the digital format will be a different revenue stream, but the savings of not having to publish, cutting out a brick and mortar distributor and the retailer is a huge savings, in fact the net income maybe higher on the digital side of the business. Plus your market is now the world wide. Change or die.


The books I’m looking forward to most this week are:

Agents of Atlas #2 – The proposition of trying to have a group pretend to be bad guys running a criminal empire, but actually trying to do good is a cool concept, but a hard one to execute and keep believable long term. At some point I thing the gig has to be up to keep the series viable. In the meantime I will enjoy this quirky band of characters as written by Jeff Parker. The official marketing pitch “Norman Osborn's shadow government looks to pull ahead in the arms race with the help of the Atlas Foundation and the Uranian weaponry of the world's most bizarre defense contractor, Marvel Boy! The dark contacts grow even more solid when Jimmy Woo meets his understudy - Temujin, the son of the Mandarin! How does this all connect to one of the Agents' 1958 missions? Access M-11's datahold and find out!”

Daredevil #116 – I’m both anticipating this and dreading this as this issue marks the return of the Kingpin. It was in the very early eighties when Frank Miller made the Kingpin the arch-nemesis of Daredevil. In almost 30 years we can’t move forward. Still if done right it could be interesting. The hype “Nearly two years ago, the Kingpin left America to try to build a new life and find a new purpose for himself. Is that new life now coming to the attention of old enemies? And how does this connect to Matt Murdock and his troubles in New York with Lady Bullseye? Find out in this prelude to the new epic – RETURN OF THE KING. Reteaming four-time award-winning best writer Ed Brubaker with groundbreaking artist David Aja for the first time since their work on the cult sensation IMMORTAL IRON FIST!”

Dark Reign Fantastic Four #1 (of 5) – Look it is Jonathan Hickman flying on his own (although I’m sure it was a specific story that Marvel wanted told) and writing a super hero book. I’m excited to see what he can do as I find Hickman’s work to be very good. The word “Dark Reign strikes Marvel’s first family—in an explosive way! Prepared to be blown away as: HAMMER agents attack the Baxter Building. Reed changes everything. The Human Torch suffers a horrible loss and Franklin and Val go shopping. There's Time travel, Alternate realities, Celestials, Eternals, Deviants and Doombots... and more important than all of that, we find out the answer to the question: What is the Bridge?”

Farscape #3 – I so frelling love this series. One of the all time best TV series that was given a two year life extension and then had it pulled away and we were left with a fast two hour wrap up. Now it is almost like the show is back in TV. Life is good after all. The down low on this dren “Author(s): Rockne O'Bannon, Keith DeCandido Artist(s): Tommy Patterson Cover Artist(s): A: Joe Corroney, B: Dennis Calero, C: Joe Corroney TV's science fiction masterpiece FARSCAPE returns! Farscape creator Rockne O'Bannon continues his creation in comic-book form right where the PEACEKEEPER WARS left off! Things aren't looking good for the crew of Moya as Crichton and Aeryn are imprisoned on Hyneria. But don't worry! Their last, best hope is Rygel?! Do the comics tie into Sci-Fi Channel's upcoming webisodes? You know it, 'Scapers! Don't frelling miss this!”

Gotham Gazette Batman Dead – The starting point for the “Battle for the Cowl” stuff. I love Batman and want Nightwing to be the new Batman, but I go into this with great anticipation and trepidation. The company line “Written by Fabian Nicieza ; Art by various; Cover by Dustin Nguyen. A city looking to kill itself. A population without its dark avenger, without answers, without hope. A cop looking to save Gotham from its own madness. A reporter looking to reclaim her career by revealing that it's no coincidence the city's top billionaire and its urban legend are missing at the same time. A doctor seeking to regain her soul by stepping back into Hell. One hero who can't quite get it right no matter how hard she tries. Harvey Bullock. Vicki Vale. Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Stephanie Brown. What do all these people have in common? Without Batman, Gotham City continues to fall apart, and these extraordinary "ordinary" people try to mend the city's wounds, looking into a dark night for answers. This one-shot special explores the effect a missing Batman has on the citizens of Gotham City.”

Jersey Gods #2 – I thought this book was going to be lame, I was wrong. It is a great comic playing with the New Gods type concepts and romance comic clichés and just out and out fun. The first issue was a winner, now let’s see how #2 works out. The marketing blather “Holiday shopping takes a turn for the worse when the Gods choose the Cherry Hill Mall as their battleground. The evil Minog wants Barock's head on a slab and he's willing to kill any mall rat that gets in the way. Unfortunately for Zoe, the mall is also the location of her most recent break-up. And now she's caught in Minog's cross-hairs. With Barock's power failing miserably, will he be able to muster the strength to save himself and Zoe from certain death?”

Locke & Key Head Games #3 – This is one of the best written books on the stands. I say that because the characters are so alive for me. Any week with this book in the solicitations is a good one. What’s inside “By Joe Hill Kinsey, Tyler, and Bode have unlocked the entrance to an unlikely and astonishing world: the secret country inside of Bode Locke's head, where memories mingle with monsters...”

Superman World of New Krypton #1 (of 12) – While the overall DCU is in need of help, the Superman line has been very good since the “One Year Later” jump a couple of years ago and continues to improve with a solid direction to the line. I believe Andrew is not the writer for this series. The alien inside scoop “Written by Andrew Kreisberg; Art by Pete Woods; Cover by Gary Frank. Following the events of the "New Krypton" crossover, the Man of Steel has had to embrace his past to ensure humanity's future. And while a devastating armed conflict with Earth may have been averted, keeping the peace will be Superman's greatest challenge yet. Hot new writer Andrew Kreisberg (BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL) and fan-favorite artist Pete Woods (ACTION COMICS, SUPERMAN: UP, UP AND AWAY!) lead Superman through a world of interstellar treachery and deadly machinations where the lives of two races hang in the balance”

War of Kings #1 (of 6) – Hey isn’t this jumping the gun as the X-Men lead in is not over yet. Oh well, the lead up has been terrific and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning always deliver exciting stories. I know it is an “event” book and I’m looking forward to it, but it is more a mini-event. The solicitation copy “In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire – and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course…and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s cosmic history.”

The rest of the list:

Authority #8 - Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and Russell Utley; Art by Simon Coleby and Ben Oliver; Cover by Simon Coleby. The British government reaches out to the Authority to help apprehend a powerful super-powered being who escaped confinement when the world ended. Can the team, minus their more powerful members, contain a threat of unimaginable power?

Back to Brooklyn #4 (of 5) - Mr. Capreni has a bloody visitor as Churchill does whatever necessary to find out where Bob has gone to and finally ,the thing that turned Bob Saetta into a killing machine is finally revealed. This issue guarantees more blood and guts and Brooklyn bravado then you can fill a body bag with.

Black Lightning Year One #5 (of 6) - Written by Jen Van Meter; Art and cover by Cully Hamner. The origin of Black Lightning wraps up with a bang as he faces The 100 on his own terms and stands up for Suicide Slum. But what does the future hold for Jefferson Pierce and his nemesis Tobias Whale?

Goon #32 10TH ANNIV ISSUE - The Goon's tenth anniversary is upon us! To celebrate, we present this special Goon Anniversary issue, picking up right where Goon Year left off -- featuring thirty-two pages of story from creator Eric Powell, and a sketchbook section with contributions from Eric's comic-creator heroes -- Mike Mignola! Jeff Smith! Kevin Nowlan! And more! Put on your party hats for some merriment worthy of this Eisner Award-winning series. (And don't worry we won't forget the funny bits just 'cause this is a serious and special occasion!) Thirty-two pages of story! Pinups by Mike Mignola, Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Smith, and more!

Haunted Tank #4 (of 5) - Written by Frank Marraffino; Art by Henry Flint; Cover by Shane Davis. As the war falls apart around the crew of the Haunted Tank, the old ghost's secrets reveal that there are some fates worse than death. Don't miss out onthe smash series that's hotter than napalm and more explosive than the most terrible WMD nightmare!

Hellboy the Wild Hunt #4 (of 8) - The Queen of Blood is rallying her monstrous army and preparing to march against the human race, and humanity's survival depends on Hellboy and Alice finding a supernatural army of their own. But the monsters Hellboy has killed over the years had powerful friends, and a vicious horde out for revenge has lured the pair into a trap. Now Hellboy and Alice's only hope for survival rests with three strange little birds, and their even stranger mistress.

House Of Mystery #11 - Written by Matthew Sturges; Art by Luca Rossi, Jose Marzan Jr. and Jim Fern; Cover by Esao Andrews. Sex, suspicions and treachery erupt, and explanations are in order at the House of Mystery. Who is Fig Keele really? Who and what are the Conception? Where is the Space between, and why is this all very bad news for Harry Bailey? Find out here in part 1 of "The Space Between," featuring a violent history lesson illustrated by Jim Fern (CROSSING MIDNIGHT) with an evocative cover by new regular cover artist painter Esao Andrews (FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL).

I Am Legion #2 (of 6) - Writer: Fabien Nury Artist: John Cassaday and Laura Martin Cover Artists: John Cassaday and Laura Martin As World War II rages on, Allied leaders meet to plan the assassination mission of Rudolf Heyzig, a Nazi general and head of the secret 'Legion' program. Little do they realize that the Legion Program hinges on the fate of a little girl named Ana, who harbors terrible secrets of her own!

Jonah Hex #41 - Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; Art and cover by David Michael Beck. The conclusion of "Sawbones: A Grindhouse Western"! Doctor Zimmerman has been torturing and experimenting on people for years and seen the inside of dozens – maybe hundreds – of bodies. But he's about to find out he's never encountered anyone made of sterner stuff than Jonah Hex!

The Mighty #2 - Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Keith Champagne; Art by Peter Snejbjerg; Cover by Dave Johnson. Section Omega is in chaos, and Lt. Cole and the hero known as Alpha One must work side by side for the first time! But in his quest to bring murderers to justice, Cole is in way over his head! When the two locate the villains responsible for the recent trouble, the fight doesn't go as planned, and Cole finds that being partnered with the world's greatest Super Hero isn't what it's cracked up to be. The consequences of their first battle together will leave even the great Alpha One shaken!

New Avengers The Reunion #1 (of 4) - In the wake of SECRET INVASION, Mockingbird is alive and has returned to Earth after being held captive by the Skrulls. Ronin, her estranged husband, volunteers to help her adjust to her new life as a member of the new Avengers, but some old wounds run too deep. And what deadly secret did she bring back with her that could tear them, and the world, apart once more? It's high-octane action and intrigue as the Mr. & Mrs. Smith of the Marvel Universe take on one of the biggest threats in the world...and each other!

Secret Six #7 - Written by Gail Simone; Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood; Cover by Nicola Scott. It's the big finale of the first arc and a punishing battle royal, Gotham City style, as the bloody, ragged remains of the Secret Six fight their way through throngs of Gotham City heroes and villains. And when the dust finally settles, the man pulling the strings of this whole affair will finally be revealed! Guest stars, betrayals and bad taste galore in this powerful issue!

Secret Warriors #2 - Picking up from the earth-shattering conclusion to issue one... we find out who Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors' real enemies are, where they've been hiding, and why they chose now to make their existence known. Get ready, this is going to send shock-waves that will ripple throughout the Marvel Universe. Hail Hydra!

Shrapnel #3 (of 5) - As war rages across the Solar System, Sam launches a desperate gambit to evacuate all the non-hostile civilians from Venus before the unthinkable occurs. The military that Sam once served will accept nothing less than complete surrender, forcing her into an agonizing decision. She must choose between saving the lives of the innocents in exchange for the sacrifice of their freedom or sacrifice these same lives for a freedom that will remain undying.

Solomon Grundy #1 (OF 7) - Written by Scott Kolins; Art and cover by Scott Kolins. Born on a Monday! Writer/artist Scott Kolins (THE FLASH, FACES OF EVIL: SOLOMON GRUNDY) brings you the origin behind one of the most mysterious figures in DC comics! Smashing out of the pages of his "Faces of Evil" one-shot, Solomon Grundy teams with Cyrus Gold – the man he once was before becoming a monster – to uncover the truth behind the Grundy curse! But how can he team with Cyrus Gold? How was Solomon Grundy created? And can Cyrus ever be set free? There are seven issues for each day of the nursery rhyme that haunts the longtime DC favorite, and by Sunday, could this be the end of Solomon Grundy?

Strange Adventures #1 (of 8) - Written by Jim Starlin; Art by Manuel Garcia and Al Milgrom and Jim Starlin and Rob Hunter; Cover by Jim Starlin and Rob Hunter; Variant cover by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter. Master storyteller Jim Starlin takes readers on an epic sci-fi adventure starring Adam Strange, Comet and the reverse Superman known as Bizarro. A deadly peril threatens the universe, and it's up to Adam Strange to stop it. Meanwhile, a contract is put out for the death of Comet while Bizarro finds a new purpose in life, which leads to the beginning of a strange new journey.

Sub- Mariner The Depths #5 (of 5) - Satan’s greatest trick? Convincing the world he didn’t exist. Here, at the bottom of the ocean, at the bottom of the earth, Dr. Randolph Stein is about to plumb the depths of his very soul, as he discovers that some things can’t be explained by facts, or science or reason. Some things do defy explanation. Something does live down here in the black water of the Marianes Trench, and it wants to show Stein its secret, whether he wants to see it or not.

Terror Titans #6 (OF 6) - Written by Sean McKeever; Art and cover by Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson. It's the explosive finale! Clock King's final, twisted plan terrorizes Los Angeles. Can Ravager stop it? Will she even want to? What role will Static play? And when the dust settles, how will each of the Terror Titans feel about the Clock King, their team...and themselves?

Trinity #40 - Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza; Art by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert, Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens, Tom Derenick and Wayne Faucher and Mike Norton and Ande Parks; Covers by Jesus Merino. As the Dark Trinity's all-out war reaches fever pitch, Krona rears his head with destructive consequences, and Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman face a world that's changing all around them. Can they find a way back from exile? And even if they can, does the world have any hope of survival? Guest-starring everybody!

X-Men First Class Finals #2 (of 4) - Why are threats from the X-Men’s past coming back to haunt them, just as graduation looms? What kind of job could Cyclops hold out in the world? Why does Angel have to have costumes that his hair sticks out of nowadays? And does Professor Xavier even live here anymore? Come find more mysteries to ponder in the second part of FINALS!


A rather normal week for me and as time goes forward I expect to see more cuts from my list then adds. In fact at one time my list was well over 150 titles (some published rarely) and now my list is in the 120 bracket with about 40% of the list being mini-series that are shortly ending and less coming on. Also my hardcover collection is slowing down as I have reached a saturation point with a collection that numbers over 300 volumes. So expect the list to be smaller in the coming months.

SPARKS #1 - A PAGE A DAY - PAGE #6

With the permission of Chris Folino we are going to present the entire first issue of Sparks one page at a time.

Everyday at 6PM (US Eastern Standard Time) a new page will be posted. The Tag will be Sparks #1 so you can easily collected them all down the road.




Now go and buy the motion comics application http://catastrophiccomics.com/catastrophic_comics_sparks_iphone.html

BATMAN YEAR ONE

Now this is a classic. An example of comics at their finest, pulling together both excellent writing and excellent art to tell a coherent, compelling story. Coming on the heels of the landmark The Dark Knight Returns, DC quickly put out Batman Year One in May 1987. Unlike the Dark Knight Returns, which got its own miniseries, Year One just took over the regular Batman title, appearing in issues 404-407. It has nothing to do with the issues that appeared before it nor the issues that succeeded it. It's just a stand alone 4 issues of excellent story.

What's more, each issue can be read on its own and thoroughly enjoyed without reading any of the others. I accidentally discovered this while re-reading the series this week because I started with issue 405, failing to pay attention to the nice big words on the cover that said Part 2. Even without reading Part 1 first, though, the story told a complete tale unto itself. Sure, there were loose ends because there was more story to tell, but this issue alone told the tale of Batman's first effort in the costume.

Did I mention this work of great art was written by Frank Miller and pencilled by David Mazzucchelli? No, guess not. Colorist Richmond Lewis should also be recoginized for bringing wonderful muted tones to the dark tale of Batman's beginnings. And, of course, the inestimable Todd Klein on letters doesn't hurt, either.

There was a certain amount of luck in my buying these 4 issues. I had started buying Batman with the anniversary issue 400 and stuck with it for awhile after. I may have sought out these 4 issues anyway, having read The Dark Knight Returns already. Once I take a liking to a writer's works, I tend to see what else he or she has done that I'll like, so chances are I would have gotten these issues. The other Batman issues from those days I no longer have. They didn't stand the test of time.

So, the story. Like the covers say, it's Batman Year One, so it's taking place in Batman's first year operating in Gotham. More accurately, it's the first year of Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham after being abroad for 12 years. It starts in January of an unnamed year, but obviously is not 1939 by the cars and the jet planes. Still, Mazzucchelli's art strongly relies on a noir feeling, which suits Batman well no matter what era the stories are set in.

On the same plane Bruce Wayne is taking to Gotham, Barbara Gordon, Lt Jim Gordon's wife, is also arriving. Gordon's a new leuitenant in an entirely corrupt Gotham Police Department. He's brought in because he's had some troubles of his own in the past and not turned on his fellow officers, leading the corrupt Commisioner Gill Loeb to believe Gordon will fit right in with his department's criminal operations. Of course, it doesn't work out that way. Gordon doesn't take bribes, doesn't beat loiterers, and doesn't turn a blind eye to the local mob. He's quickly on the outs with Loeb, but unfortunately for Loeb becomes a TV darling and can't be fired at will.

Meanwhile, Harvey Dent is having difficulty bringing prosecutions against mob figures and Loeb because witnesses tend to disappear, die or recant. Seems a lot like Baltimore, actually, though Baltimore's problem with that sort of thing is at the low level gangs in neighborhoods rather than institutional corruption. Oh, and lest I forget, Selina Kyle is a street walking hooker with a specialty in bondage and an apartment full of cats when we first meet her. She also has a kid sidekick hooker who's really annoying. Anyway, it's safe to say Gotham's in a bad way.

Into this mix Bruce Wayne wants to add his now formidable fighting skills and detective abilities, but he can't figure out how to go about it. When he walks the worst of the neighborhodds in a disguise (he's already had the forethought to play the pampered playboy as Bruce Wayne), just to observe, he lets his emotions get the best of him and gets into a fight with a pimp, whose juvenile hooker then promptly turns on Wayne and stabs him in the leg. It ends up with a corrupt cop shooting Wayne in the chest and Wayne just barely escaping with his life. At the same time Gordon's meeting out a measure of respectful comeuppance to a corrupt detective who earlier lead a squad the beat Gordon in an attempt to intimidate him.

After this rather disastrous incident Wayne hits upon the idea of dressing as a bat to frighten criminals so they're less likely to attack him like what happened in his previous patrol attempt. It's good bit of logic for a basically fantastical idea. Not that it's original to Miller, but it's extremely well told. Kind of a rediscovery of Batman. And the opposite end of the story told in The Dark Knight Returns.

From this set up we have both Gordon and Batman working to take down Loeb, but Gordon's also been tasked with taking down Batman, which he wholeheartedly pursues, looking unkindly on vigilantism as he does. Unbenknownst to Gordon, Dent is working with Batman. Not that Gordon doesn't have his suspicions of Dent. In fact, Gordon considers Dent a possibility for being Batman. He also considers Bruce Wayne, but both men have good alibis for times when Batman appears. Wayne even has the cover of being in Europe skiing when Batman is shot in one arm and both legs by the police.

In my opinion, Gordon's character is more central and more developed than Bruce Wayne or Batman in Batman Year One. Wayne/Batman searches out how to proceed with his plan to save his city from rampant crime and corrupt police and politicians, but he knows who he is and where he's going. He has to find allies, and new villians are put in place for the future, including an actual appearance of Selina Kyle as Catwoman, but Gordon's the one who changes through the story. He begins as a down on his luck cop, taking a job in a corrupt department largely because he was kicked out of Chicago and no one else would have him. His wife is pregnant until a son is born October 12, but during his long hours Gordon falls for his aide de camp, Sgt Sarah Essen and engages in an affair with her. When Loeb tries to use the affair to blackmail Gordon away from pursuing Loeb and his cohorts, Gordon man's up and tells his wife of the affair.

Gordon's certainly not perfect, as we can see. But he is trying to be better. By the end of the story, in December, Gordon recognizes his own limitations in making Gotham a better place and that he has a valuable ally in Batman. He's committed to being a good husband and father. He's addicted to cigarettes. He's not, as might seem the obvious way to go, promoted to Commissioner. He is promoted to Captain, but expects the likely new Commissioner to be worse than Loeb. Sgt Essen gets a job in New York. Gordon's is the story of flaws overcome and an ongoing struggle to be better. Wayne's story is of how to implement an already formed plan. The Joker never appears in the story but a teaser at the end shows him coming soon, as some loon is threatening to poison the city's water reservoir. Batman and Gordon work well together, but Gordon's story is more compelling.

If I didn't have this in my top 20 list when I first started writing on this blog, it should have been. I highly recommend picking up a trade collection of it if you haven't already read it.