I was going to post a humourous picture to illustrate exactly how hot, but I cannot bring myself to use this furnace-machine for that long. Please picture, say, the Human Flame shooting fire at someone, or Plastic Man melting, or Superman saying that it is hot. Thank you.
Yes, the Toronto Fan Expo was this past weekend and no, Those Who Live Between Wednesdays could not attend. Why the others could not do so I'm not at liberty to say (hint: you don't think that nuclear missiles just spontaneously defuse themselves mid-flight, do you?) but as for me it has something to do with being dead broke, plus in the wrong part of Canada.
But do not despair! I have received word that Owen Craig and Isaac Mills of Mondo Magazine did get to go, and what's more, they've written up a multi-part account of their good times for all of us to check out.
First, Owen checks out the DC Nation panel and meets some creators.
Isaac takes in a showing of Batman '66, complete with Adam West Q&A.
Owen comes back with Stan Lee, the Delorean and, most excitingly, hot yo-yo action.
And then: Sunday. After two hectic days, our heroes take it a bit easier.
Meanwhile, Isaac takes in some artists' panels.
And that's that. As I mentioned, I spend a lot of my time sans money - and maybe the room full of comic paraphernalia has something to do with that, I don't know. What am I, a rocket mathonaut? - so I've never actually had the opportunity to go to a con. Or an expo. I will someday, though, and I'm glad that there are folks out there reporting the experience for guy like me with comical moths flying out of their wallets. Thanks, Owen and Isaac, because now I have a better idea of what I will find, and I will be prepared.
Particularly for Dan Didio, because as far as I can tell, that guy is everywhere.
Get Reggie to tell you what he likes: he will not lie, though other Riverdale teens may deny. When a girl walks by with an itty-bitty waist and a round thing in his face, he gets sprung - to the extent that he completely ignores his date and eats her ice cream by mistake.
Also, none of the songs that he writes are any good.
If last week's comic was a bit too funny to deserve its place here then this little number - from Superman No. 19 - may just swing too far in the other direction. Sorry about that, unless you think the idea of little children punching one another in the eye is hilarious, of course.
Hee hee... WHAMMO!
I've had a terrible tendency lately to let the slightest bit of business on a Thursday evening derail me from writing those reviews that I do, but I will battle against those procrastination impulses with the only weapon that I have: brevity! Yes, by telling myself that it will take less time than usual, I have broken free from the shackles of immobility! Huzzah!
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES COMICS: Well, the Superman/Batman No. 75 super-sized special was a bit of a bust. I have never seen Batman do less in the course of a comic. I realize that it is heavily implied that he schooled Brainiac 5 with his mad detective skills, but honestly, as much as I love the Legion, Batman should always explicitly show them up. Being from the future does not give you any sort of advantage over the MF Batman, kids. I did like the Kryptonite Luthor as a villain and the various back-up pieces were fun, but my heavens was this a dull read.
By Contrast, I couldn't be more happy with the Legion of Super-Heroes ongoing, currently at number 4. Huge cast having space adventures? Check. Plots that build off of the series' past rather than merely rehashing it? Check. Quislet? Check. Let the good times roll.
BATMAN COMICS: What a week! Detective Comics No. 868 was just solidly entertaining - Joker imitators and Batman imitators having a war in the streets is nothing but entertainment - but Batman No. 702 was a revelation, quite literally. To whit: about half the time when I finish a Grant Morrison yarn I have the feeling that I'm missing important details, and as much as I liked Batman RIP/Final Crisis/The Return of Bruce Wayne I definitely had that feeling about a million times. This comic made that feeling go away. Mostly. For the Batman parts. It's a joyous feeling.
SUPERMAN COMICS: As I said last time, Lex Luthor in Action Comics is a fantastic time. It will keep me reading at least one Superman book even if variable-speed Walking Superman (well, I assume. He's already about a fifth of the way across the US, right? If it took him a month to get that far, then this should be over by Christmas! But probably not. He'll probably slow down soon) breaks my spirit. Not only does it look great, but Paul Cornell is writing Luthor as the evil mastermind that he deserves to be, something that not everyone can do.
Meanwhile, Superman: Secret Origin No. 6. Well, as I said way back when this started, I agree that Superman's origin was probably due for a tweaking and the first four issues of this series did a pretty good job of that. And then the last two tied Superman's past in to the present that was the storyline that ended almost three months ago. So not only does this issue tie Superman's origin into a plot that is now over but it helps establish the antagonism of a character who is now dead, whoo hoo. On the plus side, it reminded me that no matter how much I loathed the General Sam Lane subplot in last years Superman comics, in retrospect it was much better than the current bumblepiggery.
ROBERT KIRKMAN COMICS: Invincible and Science Dog and Guarding the Globe in one week? and they're all really fun? This cat is on fire! I'm going to use the word trifecta! It's a total trifecta! Yeah!
Seriously, though: I really enjoy these comics.
CODEBREAKERS TP: I could never find the second issue of this series, so this is a complete godsend. If you missed this in single issues then I must encourage you to check it out: it's essentially an action movie starring crypto nerds. Bonus: the main dude has grey-sides-and-back Reed Richards hair and it is amazing. If I weren't going to end up with an amazingly receded hairline I would aspire to hair like his.
And... done! Apologies for the horrible sentence structure but you can't argue with laziness. And laziness is my super-power. I'm the god-damn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
An Action-Packed Thrill-Ride That Never Lets Up and Never Lets You Down!
Thrill! To the Antics of Rack and Gort, the Underworld Thugs!
Chill! To the Cold-Blooded Ruthlessness of Aldo Maxim, Gang Boss!
Grill! Some Burgers in an Effort To Calm Your Nerves After Meeting His Rival, the Man Known as Pete Tanno!
Kill! A Few Beers to Go With Those Burgers as You Ponder the Mysterious Identity of the Mysterious Jobo Larch!
Yes, It's the Cinematic Sensation That's Sweeping the Nation, Bruce Wayne in...
Living Between Wednesdays is a place for people who love comic books and superheroes.
