Justice League: The New Frontier

Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been incredibly neglectful and, personally, I'm disappointed in myself because I wanted to make posting here a priority. Unfortunately, by the time I get home and settled for the night, I don't want to think and write anymore, but would rather just play on my Xbox. When I get a chance, to get to the HD TV. I'll try to do better.

However, the release of Justice League: The New Frontier was enough to release me from my malaise and post again.

Wow.

That's all I have to say. Wow. Just freaking wonderful from the voice work to the character design (although there were times when some characters had more of a Bruce Timm look than Darwyn Cooke) make this a terrific movie.

However, being a comic book fan, I have to find some fault or my membership will be revoked and I don't want that because the dues are nonrefundable.

1. It is too damn short. I know the 75-minute length is dictated by marketing, but if any work could have used another half hour, it was New Frontier. I give the writer credit because he was able to show through suggestion most of Cooke's original story, but it would have been nice had Steel's story been shown as a counterpoint to the more optimistic story. Additionally, since the viewer has seen Ace Morgan from the beginning of the movie, it wouldn't have hurt the story to show the formation of the Challengers.

(However, and not a problem, is the use of characters like the Blackhawks and Adam Strange without the need to introduce them. Doing that, I think, gives the audience credit that they understand that there are more heroes in the DC Universe than just those the story is focusing on.)

2. Even at 75 minutes, the last few minutes of the movie looks as if the producers ran out of money for real animation and resorted to the Marvel Super Heroes method of cutting pictures out of the orignal comic and then suggesting movement by moving the camera around. What the hell?

(However, the opening credits are done in front of title cards that present stylized versions of Cooke's already stylized art. There, the limited animation worked great, but then I love the use of title cards and promise that when I make my first movie, I'll use title cards. And I'll introduce my cast at the end of the movie in the same manner Orson Welles introduced his at the end of Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.

3. The ending still gives me chills, but then I am a sucker for the hope that the early and middle Silver Age books presented. However, the ending of the movie, besides being animated with stationary pictures, kind of failed to present the sense of awe, the feeling of "Just Imagine" when the JLA officially has its first mission battling Starro. In fact, after that image, a new one is shown which tells the viewer those heroes beating up on the giant starfish, that's the Justice League. It would have been nice had Lois Lane's narration leading to the final panel also been used. An iconic moment and image, the JLA gathering for the first time should not need an explantion tacked on at the end.

Three little things that really don't detract from the excitement of the story or the beauty of the images. To paraphrase from Holiday Inn, "Don't ask why, just watch it, and God bless America."

Order for Comics Shipping Primarily in February 2008

Trying to pull everything together before I lose the use of my right hand for a week or so; carpal tunnel surgery, but unlike with my left hand/arm, there is no separate ulnar nerve impairment, which means no cracking open of bones near my elbow and rearranging the placement of nerves. The stitches won't come out until December 26, but I'm hoping to have some use of my hand before then.

Anyway, here's the list. I thought it was a large month, but even before I edit this down, I'm way under budget, so much so that I'm going to try to backorder some comics, Proof and Sword, that I forgot to continue ordering after the first issues. Anything in red, I'm on the fence about ordering.

Previews, vol. XVIII #2
Abe Sapien The Drowning #1
BPRD 1946 #2
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #11
End League #2
Complete Green Lama Featuring Art of Mac Raboy
(Completely reading minds at DC, the reason they haven't collected any of the Quality super-hero comics, besides Plastic Man, or Fawcett super-hero comics, besides the Marvels, into Archives is because all of that work is in the public domain. Therefore, I assume that since DC cannot make a claim for absolute ownership, and thereby preventing others from reprinting the same public domain stories, DC reprints none of it as Archives, leaving the overpriced Men of Mystery as the only outlet for such work. With that in mind, Dark Horse should be congratulated for reprinting these Green Lama stories, especially since Green Lama will be appearing in Dynamic Forces Superpowers series out at the same time as this.)

Gotham Underground #5
Batman and the Outsiders #4
Batman #674
Detective Comics #841
Catwoman #76
Action Comics #862
Superman #673
Countdown To Final Crisis ##12-9
(I'll get around to why this is a better series than 52, but until then, screw all you haters, this is a good comic book.)

Countdown To Adventure #7
Countdown To Mystery #6
Countdown Lord Havok and the Extremists #5
Crime Bible The Five Lessons of Blood #5
Death of the New Gods #6
Salvation Run #4
Teen Titans Year One #2
Teen Titans #56
Booster Gold #0
Bat Lash #3
Infinity Inc #6
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #6
All New Atom #20
Birds of Prey #115
Brave and the Bold #10
Green Lantern #28
Justice League of America #18
Justice Society of America #13
JLA Classified ##52-53
Metal Men #6
Legion of Super-Heroes #39
Spirit #15
Shadowpact #22
Wonder Woman #17
Showcase Presents Phantom Stranger, vol. 2
Will Eisner’s Spirit Archives, vol. 24
Tiny Titans #1
Batman Strikes #42
Justice League Unlimited #42
Teen Titans Go! #52
Legion of Super Heroes In the 31st Century #11
Astro City The Dark Age Special #2 Beautie
(Am I the only one who feels that Astro City is missing something in this permutation?)

Ex Machina #34
Jack of Fables #20
Fables #70
Perhapanauts Annual #1
Urban Monsters #1
True Story Swear To God Archives, vol. 1
(I hate having to re-buy things, but the final pre-Image issues were never traded, so I'm forced to buy this to get those. Oh, well, I've spent more on things far less.)

Dynamo 5 #12
Fearless #4
Godland #21
Jack Staff #14.
Pax Romana #4
Proof #5
Red Mass For Mars #3
Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus
(Buying two, one for me and one for my brother, It feels good to have one Christmas present off the list for next year.)

Savage Dragon #137
Shark-Man #2
Sword #5
Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1
Amazing Spider-Girl #17
Annihilation Conquest #4
Avengers Initiative #10
Black Panther Annual #1
Captain America #35
Daredevil #105
Fantastic Four #554
Immortal Iron Fist Orson Randall Green Mist Death
World War Hulk Aftersmash: Damage Control #2
Iron Man Power Pack #4
Ms Marvel #24
Mighty Avengers #9
New Avengers #38
Nova Annual #1
Order #8
She-Hulk 2 #26
Twelve #2
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #33
Marvel Adventures Hulk #8
Marvel Adventures Avengers #21
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #10
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #36
Essential Avengers, vol. 6
(The last Essential Avengers I should ever buy as it is the first that contains reprints of more comics that I own than that I don't.)

Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury #295
Bart Simpson Comics #40
Simpsons Comics #139
Superpowers #2
PS238 #30
Angel After the Fall #4
Abyss #3
Atomic Robo #5
Neozoic #3
Nexus #101
Comics Now #2
Marvel Defenders Minimates

Tiny Titans May Have Legs

Well, of course, they'd have to for all their running around and daring-do, but that is neither here nor there.

I've already said my piece over what at first appeared to be the cancellation of Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans Go! in favor of new kid-centric comics. Titans Go! received a reprieve, and hopefully JLU will, too. I bring this up because the first comic of the revamped kids line is being solicited for February 2008. I've long enjoyed Art Baltazar's & Franco's work on Patrick the Wolf Boy and I have high hopes for this comic. Somebody at DC must have faith in Tiny Titans as it made the back cover of the latest Previews.

Maybe that person is right, because when I showed the cover to my one-year-old daughter, first she smiled and then she cried when she couldn't have Previews. I'd have bought a copy of this anyway, first to read and then put away for her when she is older, but now I think I'll buy two copies, one to read and save and one for her to eventually destroy as she looks through it.

Compared to Countdown, 52 is a failure

I didn't mean to let so much time to past between posts, but that's the way things sometimes go, unfortunately. I've been working on this post on and off, so I thought I'd post the first part, the second part to follow soon.

From its fifty-first issue, I've heard more complaints about Countdown then I think the series deserves. Many appear to favor 52 as the better series for any number of reasons and with this I disagree. I think, there was more excitement over 52's release because of: (1) the gathering of DC talent, apparently in harmony, to write the comic; and (2) people waiting for the book to stumble and miss a week. Soon, it became apparent that the book wouldn't miss a week, so more people enjoyed the comic for its own sake. Still, despite some enjoyable stories, especially Booster Gold's story, 52 left me cold, never fulfilled its pre-publication promises. For me, 52, no matter how good the stories were, was ultimately a failure because what was offered for sale was different from what was initially promised. However, I am enjoying Countdown much more than I did 52, if for no other reason then that week in and week out, Countdown is exactly the comic book promised.

I think many complaints about Countdown derive from the fact that it isn't 52, which isn't fair to either book. The two are different titles, created with two different purposes aforethought. To complain about Countdown for what it isn't is like being told a red object on display is an apple, buying it after being told it is an apple, and then complaining after taking a bite that it isn't an orange. Countdown is the apple, 52 is the orange.

When we first heard of 52, we were told that it would be a weekly comic published for one year, set in the post-Infinite Crisis DCU and where we would see how the DCU functions without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Additionally, 52 had at least one ongoing hook, "What is 52?", though some, like me, could include the "few months later" questions, such as how did Hawkgirl become a giant and then return to normal size, as another set of mysteries in the book. In the wake of 52's success, DC announced Countdown as its next year-long, weekly comic. The raison d'etre of Countdown, we were told, was that it would serve as the backbone of the DCU as the DCU marched toward "something," which we since have learned is Final Crisis. Additionally, it was said, that if a person read just Countdown, that person could still follow the threads of story therein and when the book ended, have all the information needed in order to follow and enjoy Final Crisis.

Looking first at 52, I suggest that by the time the first issue was printed, DC promised readers they would see three things by its end: 1) Readers would honestly see the DCU without Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman; (2) The presentation and the solution of the "mystery of 52," in which I will expand to include the mysteries within 52, like the "few months later" explanations and who is Supernova; and (3) To present comic-book stories in real-time. For me, by its end, 52 only came through on (3). As for the first two points, the story driving the "mystery of 52" started strong, but that was swept aside early in the run as the writers changed the direction of the book, telling more personal stories of the portagonist(s), thereby isolating the stories more from the DCU than I think was originally intended.

Does anyone really think that the World War III one-shots were part of the 52 publication plan, especially since they weren't written by the 52 writers? I know that in light of the many Countdown-related titles currently in release, it seems absurd that the WWIII one-shots weren't planned out, but wasn't part of 52's conceit the statement that the entire story would take place within its pages. Yet, it appears to me that WWIII wasn't a planned event because within those four books were all the little bits of business necessary to show a DCU without the Big 3 and to get characters and titles to the places they were found when at the beginning of the "One Year Later" stories. People cry constantly that they are forced to buy comics other then Countdown to follow the story, an opinion with which disagree; as part of the Countdown side of this post, I may explain the difference between "necessary to follow the story" and "obsessive need to make sure some scrap of story isn't encountered first hand"; but if you are going to complain about and not the other, then you are blind to the faults of 52.

And, personally, that is the reason that 52 failed with regard to making due with the pre-publication promises. Because of the focus on five core stories--Booster, Question, Heroes in Space, Luthor gives out super powers, and Island of the Mad Scientists--the greater sweep of the DCU was forgotten. By series end, I never had a feeling for the DCU would be like without Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman because there was really nothing inherent in the stories in 52 that made them any different had they been printed as individual mini-series. The year without the Big 3 didn't feel any different reading a random story featuring a random hero.

For example, months can go by in Flash or Birds of Prey with nary a mention or appearance of the Big 3, let alone other DCU characters. You might counter this by saying Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are at least available to lend a hand in those books, but the reality is that, unless it is crossover season, the central character(s) rarely ask for outside help. That's the feeling I developed reading 52: these were five individual stories presented in the traditional DCU and the absence of the Big 3 from those stories was felt no differently by the protagonists therein then if they were going about their lives on any random Wednesday without Batman, Superman, and/or Wonder Woman showing up.

When the time came to reveal the solution of the mystery of 52, the trend of the book, save for the Booster Gold story, had moved so far from having the mystery being central that the solution felt more like an afterthought. That the mystery of 52 had become secondary to many readers was apparent from the reaction of "What mystery?" to the final house ad for the series that asked the reader, "Have you solved the mystery?" If possible, forget that Dan Didio spilled the secret in a DC Nation column months before the series was complete, and just think about 52; do you remember thinking about the mystery of 52 as any of the various stories, other then Booster's, were coming to an end?

In the end, all 52 was was just an anthology title sold to a readership that, so we are told, do not like or want anthologies. It was not pre-sold that way, but that is what it became. All the flaws of 52 are ignored while a majority (or maybe a more vocal minority, afterall, this discussion is happening primarily on the Internet) fixate on the many problems with Countdown, the main problem being that it isn't 52. Next time, why Countdown isn't as awful as people think it is.

Tenative DCBS Shipment for November

And here's the list of what I think will be arriving from DCBS some time between Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, along with a few pre-arival comments:

52 Aftermath The Four Horsemen #4
Action Comics #859
All New Atom #17
All Star Superman #9
Amazing Spider-Girl #14
Angel After The Fall #1
Annihilation Conquest #1
Annihilation Conquest Star Lord #4
Archibald Saves Christmas #1
I am a sucker for Christmas comic books. I used to love the oversized Christmas reprints DC and Marvel used to release in the seventies. Not that this is in the same vein, but it does have "Christmas" in the title.

Astonishing X-Men #23
Atomic Robo #2
Avengers Initiative #7
Back Issue #25
Batman and the Outsiders ##1-2
I'm still concerned that after the remarkable rehabilitation of Batman's persona post-Infinite Crisis/52, this title is a harbinger that Bat-jerk is still hovering around, ready to reappear permanently, which, of course, means I'll be dropping all mainstream Bat-titles again, for another eighteen years, if necessary.

Batman Strikes #39
Birds of Prey #112
Black Panther #32
Booster Gold #4
BPRD Killing Ground #4
Brave and The Bold #8
Anyone who doesn't appreciate what a better place the DCU is post-Infinite Crisis and the return of the multiverse need only read this title and Booster Gold. If you still don't appreciate it, go away because you'll never appreciate that at its most basic, the DCU is a science fantasy universe where "reality" is really an uncomfortable fit.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #8
Captain America #32
Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #2
Countdown Lord Havok and the Extremists #2
Countdown Search For Ray Palmer Gotham By Gaslight #1
Countdown Search For Ray Palmer Red Rain #1
Countdown To Adventure #4
Countdown To Final Crisis ##25-22
Countdown To Mystery #3
Crime Bible The Five Lessons of Blood #2
Daredevil #102
Death of the New Gods #3
Doc Frankenstein #6
Drafted #3
Very good comic book, dealing with an alien invasion of Earth, the twist being that the invasion is for the purpose of drafting everyone on the planet into a military force so that humans can defend themselves from a worse threat.

Ex Machina #32
Delays are hurting this book, and I don't generally care if a comic is delayed, to the point that I want to know how many issues Brian K. Vaughn envisions his story running.

Fables #67
Fantastic Four #551
I know it isn't sound business sense, but if I were running Marvel, I'd rather that Dwayne McDuffie were writing a Fantastic Four comic book that honestly reflects the team rather than giving control of the book to Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. The latter pair will ensure that the book sells well, gaining new readers, but I'd rather those new readers were introduced to the traditional MU Fantastic Four, rather than a FF driven by the beats found in a action movie.

Fantastic Four Omnibus, vol. 1
Fearless #1
Flash #234
Franklin Richards Fall Football Fiasco
Yes! Another issue coming right on the heels of the Halloween issue. Too bad there isn't going to be a Christmas issue.

Futurama Comics #34
Godland #20
Goon Chinatown
Gotham Underground #2
Green Lantern Corps #18
Groo Hell On Earth ##1-2
Hellboy Darkness Calls #6
Heroes For Hire #15
Infinity Inc #3
Iron Man Power Pack #1
Jack of Fables #17
JLA Classified #47
JSA Classified #32
Justice League Unlimited #39
Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #8
Lobster Johnson The Iron Prometheus #3
Lucha Libre #2
The last issue I'm ordering. Like I'd written earlier, I thought the first issue was too long, packed with stories I didn't care about, other than the lead. If this had just featured the lead story at a lower cover price, I'd have continued, but as it is, I can't justify it.

Madman Atomic Comics #5
Maintenance #6
Marvel Adventures Avengers #18
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #30
Marvel Adventures Hulk #5
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #7
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #33
Marvel Comics Presents #3
Men Of Mystery #69
Metal Men #4
Metamorpho Year One ##3-4
I was concerned that the changes to Metamorpho's origin would fall into the category of "changes for their own sake." I was pleasantly surprised that the changes aren't so severe, it does explain how Rex Mason makes a living when penny-pinching Simon Stagg. For this series, it looks like "Year One" is going to refer to the origin story alone, which is kind of a shame because I wouldn't mind seeing Metamorpho in straight stories without an origin hook.

Midknight #1
Moonstone's Holiday Super Spectacular
I don't read any Moonstone comics, primarily because the cover prices are too high. Yet here I am getting this, but what can I say other then that I am a sucker for holiday/Christmas comic books.

Ms Marvel #21
New Avengers #36
New Avengers Illuminati #5
I wrote it before and I'll probably write it again: When it comes to mainstream super-hero comic books, Bendis's greatest strength is that he writes a great illusion of action. The trouble is, once you catch on to that, the comics he writes are kind of dull. Is it wrong of me to be glad that this is the late issue of this book?

Nova #8
Powers #27
Previews, Vol. XVII #12
PS238 #27
PVP #36
Salvation Run #1
Savage Dragon #13
Shadowpact #19
Shazam Ser 1 Action Figure Assortment
When it comes to DC Direct, one of its more annoying policies is multiple editions of the same character, but such a policy is made even more devious by usually ensuring that each succeeding version be more than a re-paint, but a whole new sculpt, one that is much better than the previous. That's how they got me with Green Lantern, as any version had to be better than the one that was released in the "Hard Travelling Heroes" wave. I actually liked the original Captain Marvel/Billy Batson set DCD released years ago enough that I skipped subsequent versions. However, with this set, which includes Maru Marvel, Junior, and Sivana (with Mr. Mind), I just gave up and bought the Captain Marvel figure, too, especially since I was buying a new Billy Batson just to get the Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny figure. You think me a fool? Look at this picture and tell me you could skip out on owning a Hoppy? Besides, he is a fit companion for my plastic Legion of Super-Pets I am gathering, the members so far being Krypto, Ace, Beppo, and Streaky.

Simpsons Comics #136
Simpsons Winter Wingding #2
Another hoilday-centric comic book. If only DC would see the logic in reprinting the complete Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a nice trade at kid-present-friendly prices. And, once it does see the logic, pays the licensing fee, and reprints Rudolph, I want them to put a Scooby-Doo/Batman team-up one-shor on the schedule, a sequel to the time the two met on The Scooby-Doo Movies. What is the point in having the same owner if co-owned properties can't meet occasionally (and, hopefully, meet in a more entertaining way than the way the Superman & Bugs Bunny mini-series played out. However, if there ever was a mini-series deserving of reprinting in a perpetually available format for kids, it is Superman & Bugs Bunny.

Spirit #11
Supergirl #23
Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #36
Superman #670
Superman Annual #13
Superman Batman #43
Super-Villain Team-Up Modok’s 11 #5
Teen Titans #53
Teen Titans Go! #49
I'm not saying that it is because of my complaining, but the good news is that this title isn't canceled. Now, all we need is a similar reprieve for Justice League Unlimited.

The Order #4
Ultimate Fantastic Four #48
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3
Welcome To Tranquility #12
Will Eisner’s Spirit Archives, Vol. 23
Wonder Woman #14
Y The Last Man #59

November 2007 DCBS Order

I didn't mean to let so much time to past between posts, but that's the way things sometimes go, unfortunately. In an attempt to try to post something more often, here's what I ordered from DCBS this month, peppered with an occasional comment.

52 Aftermath The Four Horsemen 6
Action Comics 861
Adam Strange Archives, vol. 3
Al Capp’s Complete Shmoo The Comic Books
Most comic book readers don't appreciate how popular Shmoo was in the late 40s and early 50s. (You can go here or here, if you are interested in learning more.) If anyone knows the character at all, it is from the cartoons that teamed it with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble (who beyond logic were cops in Bedrock) or where the Shmoo played the Scooby-Doo role in another variation on the Scooby theme. These are comics I would never seek out, but in a collection like this, I'll bite. What I'm really waiting for is the archival collection of the Peanuts comic books from the 50s and early 60s.

All-New Atom 19
Alter Ego 75
Amazing Spider-Girl 16
Amelia Rules 20
Angel After The Fall 3
Annihilation Conquest 3
Atomic Robo 4
I'll just pause here for a moment, using Atomic Robo as the example of how good all the Red 5 comics.

Avengers Initiative 9
Back Issue 26
Bat Lash 2
Batman 673
Batman Strikes 41
Birds of Prey 114
Black Panther 34
Bomb Queen, vol. 3
Booster Gold 6
In a million years, I never would have thought that Booster Gold would star in a must-buy comic, especially after he and Blue Beetle were made the JL-Bwah-ha-ha's class clowns, but he is. I just hope that the DCU that remains after Final Crisis allows for continued time travel adventures.

BPRD 1946 1
Buffy The Vampire Slayer 10
Captain America 34
Catwoman 75
Clockwork Girl 3
Countdown Lord Havok and the Extremists 4
Countdown to Adventure 6
Countdown to Final Crisis 17-14
Countdown to Mystery 5
Crime Bible The Five Lessons of Blood 4
Daredevil 104
Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus
Death of the New Gods 5
Detective Comics 840
Drafted 5
Dynamo 5 #11
Engineer 2
Essential Captain America, vol. 4
Fables 69
Fantastic Four 553
Flash 236
Futurama Comics 35
Goon 21
Gotham Underground 4
Green Lantern 27
Harvey Comics Classics, Hot Stuff, vol. 3
I don't know what makes me happier, that Harvey comic books from the late 50s through the mid-60s are getting the recognition they deserve, or that the very bad Harvey comics from the mid-70s forward are being ignored.

Hybrid Bastards 2
Immortal Iron Fist 13
Infinity Inc 5
Iron Man Power Pack 3
Jack of Fables 19
JLA Classified 50-51
Jungle Girl 5
Justice League of America 17
Justice League Unlimited 41
Justice Society of America 12
Legion of Super Heroes 38
Legion of Super Heroes In The 31st Century 10
Lobster Johnson Iron Prometheus 5
Madame Mirage 6
This might be the last issue of this title for me. I bought this solely on the basis of Paul Dini's name and the story is o.k., but I have not enjoyed the art so far. If there is another series, I'll look closely at who is named as artist and make my decision from there.

Madman Atomic Comics 8
Maintenance 9
Marvel Adventures Avengers 20
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 32
Marvel Adventures Hulk 7
Marvel Adventures Iron Man 9
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 35
Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Daring Mystery, vol. 1
I never thought I'd say this, but Marvel really has DC beat when it comes to reprinting its pre-Silver Age material.

Mavis 5
Metal Men 5
Midknight 2
Mighty Avengers 8
Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #4
Ms Marvel 23
New Avengers Annual 2
Nexus #100, Space Opera Act 2 Of 4
Nova 10
Order 7
Pax Romana 1, 3
Previews, vol. XVIII #1
PS238 29
PVP 40
Red Mass for Mars 2
Salvation Run 3
Savage Dragon 136
Shadowpact 21
Shark-Man 1
She-Hulk 2 #25
Showcase Presents Ser 1, Superman Action Figure
Showcase Presents Superman Family, vol. 2
Simpsons Comics 138
Spirit 14
Superman 672
Superpowers 1
Teen Titans 55
Teen Titans Go! 51
Teen Titans The Lost Annual
Was there anyone not taken by surprise by this book on the schedule? I wish someone would ask Dan Didio what happened that he "gets" this book now, after famously taking it off the schedule because he didn't get it when it was completed.

Teen Titans Year One 1
I know that this is going to get on my nerves. Already, the half-fish Aqualad shown on the cover and Bat-jerk giving Robin grief in the preview pages annoy me, but I just couldn't control myself.

The Twelve 1
In theory, I should like this, a new story featuring Marvel's more obscure Golden Age heroes, but I know that JMS is going to insist on putting his post-modern mark on the characters, but I'm still a sucker.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters 5
Wonder Woman 16
Wonder Woman: Who Is Wonder Woman? collection
You never know where life is going to take you. As a child, I really disliked Mike Sekowsky's stilted art on any title other than Justice League, and here I am buying a trade of his Wonder Woman work.


World War Hulk Aftersmash Damage Control 1
I haven't read a single issue of "Planet Hulk" or "World War Hulk," yet I'm buying this because Dwayne McDuffie is writing it.

X-Men First Class, vol. 2 #8
I know it makes me a fanboy, but as much as I like this comic, I'd like it even more if the costumes the X-Men wear actually matched costumes they were shown wearing in previously published stories.

Y, The Last Man 60
Is it wrong of me to be glad that this comic is finally ending. I mean, it started out strong, but geez, it took forever to get to the end.

My Tenative DCBS Shipment for October

This is the last Wednesday of the month, so, hopefully, sometime today or early tomorrow I'll be getting the e-mail from DCBS saying a mailing label has been printed for my shipment. If I'm lucky, the Big Box o' Joy will arrive Friday. Here's what I think will be in the box when it does arrive:

52 Aftermath The Four Horsemen #3
Abyss #1
Action Comics ##856-858
All-New Atom #16
Alter Ego #73
Amazing Spider-Girl #13
Atomic Robo #1
Back Issue #24
Bart Simpson Comics #38
Batman #670
The Batman Strikes! #38
Birds of Prey #111
Black Panther #31
Booster Gold #3
B.P.R.D. Killing Ground #3
The Brave and the Bold #7
Captain America #31
Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #1
Clockwork Girl #1
Countdown ##30-26
Countdown Lord Havok and the Extremists #1
Countdown Search for Ray Palmer Crime Syndicate #1
Countdown to Adventure #3
Countdown to Mystery #2
Crime Bible The Five Lessons of Blood #1
DC Infinite Halloween Special #1
DC Minimates Wave 6
Death of the New Gods ##1-2
Detective Comics #837
Digital Webbing Presents #35
Drafted #2
Dynamo 5 #8
E-Man Dolly #1
Essential Werewolf by Night, vol. 2
Ex Machina #31
Fables #66
Fantastic Four #550
Fantastic Four and Power Pack #4
Flash #233
Futurama Comics #33
Gotham Underground #1
Green Lantern #24
Heroes for Hire #14
Hogan’s Alley #15
Jack of Fables ##15-16
Jonah Hex #24
JSA All Star Archives, vol 1
JSA Classified #31
Justice League of America #14
Justice League Unlimited #38
Justice Society of America #10
Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #7
Lobster Johnson The Iron Prometheus #2
Madame Mirage #3
Marvel Adventures Avengers #17
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #29
Marvel Adventures Hulk #4
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #6
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #32
Marvel Comics Presents #2
Men of Mystery ##67-68
Metal Men #3
Metamorpho Year One ##1-2
Mighty Avengers #5
Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #2
Ms Marvel #20
Necessary Evil
Neozoic #1
New Avengers #35
Nexus Archives, vol. 6
Nightwing #137
Nova #7
Paul Jenkins Super Summer Sidekick Spectacular #2
Potters Field #2
Powers #26
Previews, vol. XVII #11
Proof #1
PS238 #26
PVP #35
Richie Rich Harvey Comics Classics, vol. 2
Savage Dragon #133
Shadowpact #18
Showcase Presents Teen Titans, vol. 2
Simpsons Comics #135
Star Trek Year Four #3
Super-Villain Team-Up Modok’s 11 #4
Supergirl #22
Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #35
Superman ##668-669
Superman Confidential #8
Sword #1
Tales of the Sinestro Corps Cyborg Superman #1
Tales of the Sinestro Corps Superman Prime #1
Teen Titans #52
Teen Titans Go #48
The Jack Kirby Reader, vol. 2
Ultimate Fantastic Four #47
Ultimate Power #8
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #2
Welcome to Tranquility #11
Wolf Man Hunters Moon Novel
Wonder Woman #13