Five Reasons Oliver Queen Is Awesome

Despite the popularity of the show Arrow, fans of Oliver Queen still get a lot of guff about our favorite hero being a half-hearted Batman rip-off.  While it may be true that Green Arrow spent a goodly portion of The Silver Age following in Bruce Wayne's footsteps, later comics turned Oliver Queen into his own man.

So what is it that separates Oliver Queen from all of the other billionaire playboy superheroes and all of the other archery-based superheroes?  Besides epic facial hair, of course.  Well, the man said it best himself in JLA #123.

"...I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound and I don't wear any fancy power rings. Hell, I'm not even the world's second greatest detective, whatever THAT means. But I am a guy with a hell of a lot of chatzpah. And that's got to count for something in a crisis, right?"

More than anything, Oliver Queen is defined by that word - chatzpah.  Call it guts, nerve, boldness, balls or just plain audacity if you want to use a ten-dollar word.  Oliver Queen is a man who will say the unthinkable, attempt the impossible and just plain refuse to back down no matter how badly the deck is stacked against him.

To that end, I've put together a list of five deeds that I think exemplify Green Arrow's awesomeness.  And to make it fair, I've eliminated all of the stories where he dies a heroic death in the name of his principals.  Because that is its own Top Five list.


5. Oliver Queen - The One Man Justice League. 



As Seen In: The Dark Knight Returns & The Dark Knight Strikes Back

I'll admit this one is implied more than it is stated.  But the facts are there on the page.  For those who haven't read The Dark Knight Returns, it's a classic Batman story set in an alternate future where superheroes were made illegal in the United States and a middle-aged Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement to become Batman one last time.  The sequel, The Dark Knight Strikes Back, is not as well regarded but it continues the story of DKR and shows what happened to all of the other Justice League members.

Apart from Superman, Green Arrow is the only Justice League member who appears in The Dark Knight Returns.  We don't get the full details of his story but we do get enough to paint a vivid picture.  Oliver Queen was in prison for a while, escaping five years previously.  He spent that time on the run, striking against the corrupt American government as best he could from overseas.  And at some point before Ollie was imprisoned, Superman was responsible for him losing an arm.

The Dark Knight Strikes Back reveals the fates of the other JLA members.  Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel joined Superman in working for the American government, which we find out is secretly being run by Lex Luthor and Brainiac.  The rest of the team either went into hiding in remote locations or were captured and imprisoned by Luthor and Brainiac.

Logically, that means that for a time, both before being imprisoned and afterward, Oliver Queen was The Justice League.  He was the one hero who didn't back down or give up or agree to fade into the shadows in a world that was going to Hell.  And he did that while single-handedly facing two of the world's most dangerous villains and three of the most powerful superheroes on the planet.

And when I say single-handedly, I mean that in the literal sense as well.  Yet despite that disadvantage, he could still use a bow with Olympic-level accuracy.  Even though he had to pull the bow-string back with his teeth!


4. Oliver Queen Holds His Own Against The Forces Of Apokolips.



As Seen In: Final Crisis #4

At the time of this story, Black Canary was the leader of The Justice League.  And as Apokolips once-again tried to invade the Earth in the name of Darkseid, The JLA Watchtower was attacked.  Knowing the importance his wife held in planning a retaliation against the invaders, Oliver Queen stayed behind to hold off the pursuit as the rest of the team teleported to safety.  

One man with a quiver full of arrows against a horde of soldiers with the strength and endurance of Superman, riding giant hunting hounds and a few brainwashed superheroes as well?  Doesn't sound like much of a fight.  And it isn't.  Ollie tears them apart.

He brings down the hounds and the soldiers with them.  And if Ollie hadn't stopped to try and talk some sense into a brainwashed Black Lightning, he might well have won.  But he didn't and one good shock to the system was all it took to bring Oliver Queen down long enough for a mind-control helmet to be slapped down on his head.

This battle would rank higher, but this fight was a loss for Oliver Queen.  And yet it was a victory, because Ollie did accomplish his goal of buying enough time to let the love of his life and the rest of his teammates get to safety.  And while the villains may have technically won the fight,  it was a hard-won victory that shouldn't have been nearly as difficult as Oliver Queen made it.


3. Oliver Queen Overcomes The Black Mercy



As Seen In: Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #8

Created by Alan Moore for his Superman story For The Man Who Has Everything, The Black Mercy is a sentient alien plant with telepathic abilities.  Parasitic in nature, the plant latches on to a host, to whom it broadcasts a hallucination of an ideal life.  The host slowly wastes away, blissfully unaware that its body is being sucked dry by The Black Mercy in the real world as their every fantasy is seemingly brought to life.

So how strong is a Black Mercy plant?  Strong enough that even Superman couldn't break free of its control without Batman pulling it off of him by force.  And then when it latched on to Batman, Robin had to pull the plant off of Batman for him to be freed of its influence.  Even Hal Jordan was unable to resist the lure of the perfect world that The Black Mercy created for him.

And yet... Oliver Queen did.  He resisted.  He saw through the illusion and dragged himself and Hal back to reality after a single Black Mercy plant latched on to them both.

After the fact, Hal Jordan guessed that the plant had chosen to focus on him since his will was stronger and that instead of giving Ollie a vision of what really would be his ideal world, it had given him what Hal thought would be Ollie's perfect world within the context of Hal's perfect life.  Fine and dandy.  Except that does nothing to explain why Hal Jordan thought to set-up Oliver with Connor Hawke's mom (a woman Ollie hadn't seen in decades and whom Hal had never met) and why there was no place for Dinah Lance or Roy Harper in Ollie's "perfect life".

I think Hal is kidding himself.  I think the truth is that The Black Mercy may be strong enough to cloud the mind of Superman, subvert the fortitude of Batman and even overcome the willpower of a Green Lantern.  But that's nothing compared to Oliver Queen's ability to question everything around him.


2. Oliver Queen Resists Poison Ivy



As Seen In: Batman/Green Arrow: The Poison Tomorrow

Dennis O'Neil earned his place in comics as a living legend with his work in the 1970s on both Batman and Green Arrow.  It was he who developed Green Arrow into the modern-day Robin Hood we know and love and turned Batman into a Dark Knight Detective once more.  He teamed the heroes together in The Brave and The Bold and a few more times besides!  And yet, I think O'Neil's 1992 graphic novel The Poison Tomorrow may be the best thing he ever did with both of these heroes together.

The Poison Tomorrow sees Batman and Green Arrow joining forces after they discover they are working the same case from different angles, with Oliver Queen racing time to save Black Canary's life.  The trail leads from a diseased scientist to Poison Ivy and a plot to use toxic baby food to make a fortune selling an antidote.  In the exciting climax of the story, Batman moves to stop the first shipment of the tainted food as Green Arrow retrieves the antidote from Poison Ivy, who is currently hiding out in a housing development that was built on a toxic landfill!

To his credit, Ollie does try to go in protected.  But he didn't count on how hard it was to draw a bow while wearing a Hazmat suit.  Or on Ivy having a muscle-bound henchman who shared her immunity to toxic waste.  Deciding he can risk the poisoned environment for long enough to hand out a beating, Ollie slips out of the suit and beats down the henchman only to be confronted by Ivy herself.

Ivy, being Ivy, pours on the charm along with the pheromones.  The full "oh my brave hero, let me take care of you" act.  And for a moment, Ollie is tempted.  He's taken a few good lumps from the henchman and he's starting to feel the effects of the toxins around him.  And a little voice tells him he's as good as dead anyway - what harm could one kiss do?  But Oliver Queen's love for Dinah Lance is too strong to be overcome by such cheap tricks.  And with one open-handed strike to the face, Green Arrow shuts Poison Ivy down.

A few years ago, I achieved a modicum of fame for taking Judd Winick to task for his depiction of Oliver Queen as an unrepentant womanizer who cheated on Dinah Lance continually.  This story was largely responsible for my attitude.  Because while a lot of stories show how passionate Oliver Queen is in his love of Dinah Lance, I don't think any story has ever quite so well depicted just how strong that love truly is and how love is a more powerful force than lust any day of the week.  That's why I have nothing but contempt for anyone who tries to sum up Oliver Queen as "a horndog who chases skirts and can't stay faithful".


1. Oliver Queen Walks Out Of Heaven.


As Seen In: Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #10

Oliver Queen was dead.  Astonishingly, to him at least, he went to Heaven.  Or some kind of paradise where he had found the peace that was denied him in life.  As such, when his best friend Hal Jordan (who, at the time, possessed the power of all but one of the Guardians of the Universe) breached the boundaries between worlds to offer him a second chance at life, Oliver Queen turned it down.  But he did agree to let Hal bring him back after a fashion, creating a soulless clone that would possess all of Oliver Queen's memories up to a certain point.

This "hollow Ollie" would go on to reestablish the name of Green Arrow in Star City in Kevin Smith's Quiver and become a target for all manner of supernatural evil.  When that evil threatened Connor Hawke - Oliver Queen's illegitimate son - the hollow Ollie was somehow able to breach the boundaries of Space and Time to deliver his older, wiser self a much-needed dressing down.  That and the knowledge that his son needed him was enough to stir Oliver Queen into action and demand to be returned to Earth.

Oliver Queen defied his enemies.  He defied his friends.  He defied his government and alien invaders.  He overcame a mind-controlling parasite and the most powerful seductress on Earth.  And all of that is awesome.  But for sheer awesomeness, I don't think anything can top Oliver Queen finding the strength of will to walk out of paradise.


Agree?  Disagree?  I await your comments.

Judd Winick Leaves DC Comics

SOURCE: Judd Winick Walks Off Batwing, Leaves DC Comics, For Now

And now, my response to the news that Judd Winick has left DC Comics for the foreseeable future and that he turned down a chance to write Green Arrow again.

Good News/Bad News On Arrow Pilot

SOURCE: GreenArrowTV.com

The Good News -We have our first behind-the-scenes look at Dinah and.she's a brunette.  More, the press for the show is now referring to her as Dinah/Black Canary, though that could just be wishful thinking.  Still, it's a hopeful sign.


  

The Bad News -  Constantine Drakon has been confirmed as one of the bad guys in the pilot.  For those of you who managed to block it from your memory, let me sum up - Drakon was an "original" creation of Judd Winick, who was basically Bullseye without the charm and such a tremendous badass that Deathstroke needed his help to take on Green Arrow.  No.  Really.  Out of all the villains from Green Arrow's admittedly small rogues' gallery they could have brought to the screen... well, Drakon is one of them.

Catwoman #1 - A Review

In my efforts to review all of the New 52 titles, I have tried my best to go into each title with untainted opinions. I struggled to put aside all my previous preconceptions about writers, artists and characters whom I haven’t enjoyed in the past. I also tried to avoid reading any other reviewer’s work until I had read the books for myself. No book tested my resolve in this matter more than Catwoman #1 and – I must admit – I am amazed that it has fallen to me to point this out...

You have all been played!

Blasted by many critics as misogynistic and shallow, Catwoman #1 is actually a brilliant parody of “bad-girl” books. But like most great parodists, Judd Winick and Guillem March’s work has been mistaken for that which it means to mock. This is unfortunate but inevitable given the history of the literary world. A failure to distinguish between parody and the art being parodied led to the satirical novel Naked Came The Stranger being embraced by the romance novel fans it was meant to alienate. And we all know how Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal briefly made Irish babies legal game animals in Great Britain for a certain number of years.

The issue opens with a gloriously over the top scene in which Catwoman is forced to flee her apartment, half-dressed and with numerous kittens thrown into an unsecured cage. She just barely escapes before the building is blown up and turns to her fence – an ex showgirl named Lola – for a place to stay and another job. Set up to spy on a meeting of Russian gangsters, Selina takes time out for some personal revenge only for her cover to get blown and things going very badly. The issue ends on a romantic note, with Selina being confronted by Batman on some matter of business which quickly turns to pleasure.

Winick’s script is a masterstroke of satire, not seen in the comic book world since the early days of Frank Miller & Jim Lee’s All-Star Batman & Robin. Indeed, the very last page of the issue is a sly wink and a nod to Winick’s creative predecessor, with Catwoman’s note regarding having sex with their costumes mostly on being a clear tribute to that work and the scene where Batman has sexy costumed sex with Black Canary.

We haven’t seen comedy like this come from Winick’s pen since the days of The Adventures of Barry Ween and thank goodness it is back!

Of course this book is all in good fun, but Winick showcases his technical proficiency as a writer as well. To give away one bit of clever foreshadowing that might be lost on some readers, Selina notes as she leaves her apartment that the men chasing her “won’t find anything except bras, books, wine and cat food.” One might wonder why Selina specifies bras, rather than saying “underwear” or “lingerie”. This becomes clear on the last page when it is revealed that Selina clearly isn’t wearing any panties under her costume, suggesting – on reflection of the earlier text - that Selina doesn’t own any. This also showcases her strength and independence in a subtle fashion, showing that she will not be contained by the conventions of modern society.

Winick has found the perfect partner in crime in artist Guillem March, who matches him in the comedy department, slipping clever comedic cues into every panel of this book. Consider the first page, in which we see Catwoman cramming kittens into a cramped kitty cage. Would Selina Kyle ever own a cat cage? Of course not! Would she ever endanger or discomfort kittens in the manner we see her doing so here? Certainly not! But what some see as a sign of poor planning is actually a subtle cue that we are not meant to take this book seriously at all. The following pages continue this brilliant visual satire, focusing upon Selina’s breasts, buttocks and comically oversized thighs – all drawn in the bad-girl book tradition, with the readers not even getting a look at her face until the third page.

Ignore the slings and arrows of those who need the joke explained to them. Viewed with the right attitude, this book is hilarious. So consider what I’ve said here and I think you’ll know what to expect from Catwoman #1 and its’ creative team in the future.

By Popular Demand... A New Catwoman Icon

Long time readers may remember a certain set of icons I made several years ago.

By popular demand, I have made an addition to this set.

Enjoy! Use it in good health, but please tell people where you got it from.

Batwing #1 - A Review

As long-time readers of mine are well aware, Judd Winick and I have a long, sordid and disreputable relationship. It may surprise you to know that I’ve enjoyed much of his past work, including much of his run on Green Lantern and the vampire mini-series Blood And Water. Despite this, many of my past Green Arrow reviews focused upon Winick’s failure to research the basic history of established characters he wrote for DC Comics and his apparent inability in recent years to write any series without Batman being a guest-star. But that was all in the past and I am fully prepared to let bygones be bygones. New universe. New start.

Batwing #1 introduces us to one of the newest recruits for Batman Incorporated – a public company organized by Bruce Wayne that sponsors local heroes on a global level, providing them with equipment and resources. Batwing’s secret identity is David Zavimbe; a rare honest cop in the notoriously corrupt police department of Tinasha – a fictional city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This central concept of the Batman name and equipment being out-sourced has been carried over from Grant Morrison’s pre-Revamp Batman book. So if all of this sounds needlessly complicated or confusing, don’t worry – none of that is mentioned in this book. Indeed, there’s no explanation exactly why Batman is in Africa offering assistance to a newbie vigilante who is using the same motif. I fear this may be confusing to new readers whose vision of Batman is not well known for being gregarious toward other heroes and for limiting his activities to Gotham City.

Another thing that may confuse new readers is the book’s timeline. The issue opens with Batwing fighting a masked villain called Massacre, before flashing back to six weeks earlier as Batwing (with Batman along to assist) investigates a series of brutal murders. The issue ends on a cliff-hanger while still in the middle of the flashback. This does little to aid the sense of suspense Winick seems to be crafting as we know our hero has already survived what the last page throws at him.

At least Winick seems to have rid himself of his old habit of having Batman do all the work whenever he’s a guest in someone else’s title. Indeed, Batman defers to Batwing, asking him how he wants to handle his case and sticking to the background, save for one action scene where he handles the clean-up as Batwing confronts a local warlord the locals call Blood Tiger... for some reason.

The artwork by Ben Oliver is all-around amazing but it is colorist Brian Reber who deserves special praise. The use of color on this book is wonderful, with the palette used giving Oliver’s pencils the feeling of a painting in every page. My one complaint is that many of the action sequences suffer for being zoomed-in. There are several panels that might have benefited from a wide-angle shot rather than the close-ups we get.

Sadly, good artwork is not enough to allow me to recommend this book. The action sequences are good but the mystery isn’t engaging enough to make up for a strange timeline and an underdeveloped hero. Batman Inc. fans might enjoy it but everyone else will likely walk away from this book confused.

DC Comics News From SDCC: Day One

'Flashpoint' Panel Confirms Event Will Result in DC's Relaunch Continuity.

50,000 DC Comics fans say "Well, duh..."


Sterling Gates adding a "brand new thing" to the Speed Force that he's very proud of.

SPOILER: It's a caramel center.


Wally West to show up in Kid Flash Lost #3 in an unexpected way.

SPOILER: Drunk. And naked.


Gail Simone reassured a fan that Stephanie Brown would not disappear.

SPOILER: Because technically, if you never existed, you can't have ever disappeared.


Regarding Catwoman - Judd Winick stated that in his first interview he said "sexy" about forty-five times, and it wasn't enough -- and that it was a "dirty, dirty book." Winick described her as sexy, dangerous, prone to stealing things and very, very smart.

Starman has stated that Catwoman was doomed to early cancellation about forty-five-hundred times since it was announced Judd Winick would be writing it, and it wasn't enough -- and that Winick's remarks were "very, very repetitive. Repetitive."


Lobdell said he "doesn't do dark," so this is going to be a "fun" book about a bunch of damaged characters, starring Jason Todd, Starfire and Arsenal.

Noted how incredibly easy it is to do a comparatively fun book with these characters, after what was done with them in Countdown, Titans and Cry For Justice.


On Starfire: Lobdell stated that he wants to shift Starfire away from being fully integrated into human society, and show her more alien side.

Reworked costume will help to show off EVERY side of Starfire.


Wonder Woman's costume to now feature 'retractable pants'.

At least until fan outcry suggests they aren't popular, in which case DC Comics will retract the retractable pants.


The Marvel family is on hiatus for the time being, though they will play a role in Grant Morrison's upcoming Multiversity story, in a book with art by Cameron Stewart titled 'Shazam's Thunder'.

Captain Marvel fans rejoice, for this means Judd Winick is not writing Power of Shazam again.


Because they want to return characters to younger incarnations, Arsenal is now too young to have had children, so Lian Harper no longer exists. He will also have two arms and likely won't be known for abusing heroin.

Roy Harper fans confused. Happy that Rise Of Arsenal is no longer in continuity but sad that all the good stories with Roy Harper are gone too.


Mystery woman on Justice League International cover identified as Lady Godiva.

Disappointed Donna Troy and Gypsy fans mourn. Everyone else asks, "Who the @#$% is Lady Godiva?"


Oliver Queen's new company, Q-Corps, will be “Apple-esque”, says writer J.T. Krul

We hope they mean Apple-esque in that they sell lots of cutting-edge technology to the masses and not because they make substantial financial contributions to anti-gay hate groups.


Dan Didio Says No Big Events For DC in 2012.

Joe Quesada expected to announce No Big Events for Marvel in 2012 by weekend's end.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Justice League: Generation Lost

BAD THING: Judd Winick has done the impossible and sucked all the humor out of a JLI book.

Okay - I know JLI hasn't always been a funny book. And I know that trying to go back to that sort of thing after everything Maxwell Lord did without some massive Superboy Prime wall-punching would be nigh unto impossible. But the tone of the interview Giffen and Winick gave a few months ago regarding this series suggested that it was going to be a comedy series.

However, rather than take the easy way out and complain about false-advertising and the fact that this book isn't what I was expecting, I would like to point out one thing... This book is completely unnecessary if you read Brightest Day #0!

Seriously! The entire book is build up to a scene we've already seen and a set-up we've already been briefed on!

GOOD THING: The back of the comic does feature a preview of Green Arrow #1. And it looks like my optimism was well-founded, so far.

The Final Verdict: Beware, JLI fans! This book is not what you think it is. Go read this week's Booster Gold for your weekly helping of Vitamin BWAHAHAHAHAHA! At least it had a Green Arrow #1 preview in the back as an antidote.

Warner Brothers hates kittens and joy...

SOURCE: DC Animated Projects Canceled

The Bad News: Warner Brothers has not only canceled plans for sequels to the animated Green Lantern and Wonder Woman movies - they have canceled plans for ALL the proposed projects based on DC Comics properties, including adaptations, of Batgirl: Year One, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Long Halloween and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.

The Worse News: Despite this, Judd Winick's Batman: Under The Hood is STILL coming out.

Like Trading Filet Mignon for Dog Food...

I just read that the new writer on Power Girl is going to be Judd Winick.

In related news, God apparently hates me and has decided I can never be happy about anything ever again.

Fast Thoughts - The Week of 11/12/08

Light week this week. But lots to talk about, regardless.



BATMAN: CACOPHONY #1 - No surprise - this being a Kevin Smith book - there's more dialogue than action. What is surprising - at least to those who have missed his previous work with the DC Universe in Green Arrow - is that Smith's back-and-fourth dialogues actually suit The Joker very well.

The opening scene - where Deadshot and Joker talk through a glass wall as Deadshot is getting ready to kill Joker - is classic. And while some may criticize the scene for being overly talky, Smith captures the spirit of both characters perfectly and it makes perfect sense for them to be so "business-like" regarding impending death.

If it weren't impossible given when this had to have been written, you might think Smith had based his Joker on Heath Ledger's portrayal. His Joker is a true dark comedian, seeing humor where none exists, ready to do or say anything for a laugh... including references to necrophilia, prostitution and buggery. You don't think he really WANTS to have his way with Batman's corpse - but he'll sure as hell talk about it to throw people off balance.

We don't see much of Batman apart from one scene - probably the most Kevin Smith scene in the book - involving 90's throwback Mr. Zsasz. He's running out of skin to keep tally on and... well, if he weren't a maker of orphans, I'd almost feel sorry for Mr. Zsasz making the unkindest cut of all. Shalom!


GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #14 - Fellow Arrow-Heads! Our long national nightmare is over. Judd Winick is off the book!

It's such a glorious thing, it's almost enough to make me forget that Judd Winick - as a parting shot - has destroyed Connor Hawke.

Seriously. In the span of three issues - Connor Hawke has, somehow, developed some form of selective amnesia that has literally turned him into Generic Martial Arts Guy.

Every vestige of personality that made him unique (vegetarian, Buddhist, pacifist) has been erased. He can't remember most of his past but he still remembers that Ollie abandoned him and his mother (DAMN YOU WINICK!) And he forgot how to use a bow. And - oh yeah - he has a healing factor now.

And did I mention that Dinah doesn't do a damn thing in this issue apart from look sad, hug Ollie and then talk with Ollie while pulling pin-up poses in her lingerie?

Andrew Kreisberg has his work cut out for him. Here's hoping he can salvage something from this mess.


GREEN LANTERN CORPS #30 - The plots thicken. We get our first look at the home base of the all-female, Love-empowered Violet Lantern/Star Sapphire Corps. Kyle Rayner leads the charge against the child-kidnapping Sinestro Corps member Kryb. And Guy Gardner admits to having a thing for beautiful women giving him orders. Puts a lot of his encounters with Power Girl in perspective...


FABLES #78 - As everyone in my superhero RPG campaign can tell you, that is NOT Mr. Dark.

I have no idea who he is... but Baba Yaga coming back from the dead can't be a good sign.

And wow - sucks to be Boy Blue.

Fast Thoughts - The Week of 9/17/08

Good News, Everyone!

I don't know how I somehow missed two of these factoids until today, when the third factoid was announced. I can only conclude that it was the will of a just and loving deity who wanted to give me some good news to perk me up in the wake of what has been a pretty lousy week.

Still... Every little bit helps.


1. Judd Winick is off Green Arrow/Black Canary as of Issue #15!

2.Mike Grell returns to DC to revive Warlord!

3.Kevin Smith returns to DC to write Batman vs. Onomatopoeia!


My comments?

1. Apparently someone at DC finally noticed that the only active discussions on the Green Arrow boards on their own forums involved discussions of plot-holes in the current GA/BC storyline, complaints about how Dinah and Ollie were secondary characters in their own book with Batman doing most of the work and speculation on how much better anyone else would be at writing the book. Not to mention the series lost whatever new readers it picked up from The Wedding stunt and is back at it's end-of the-GA-solo-series numbers (Sales figures taken from http://www.cbgxtra.com/Default.aspx?tabid=695 )

1. 52,128
2. 42,811
3. 40,297
4. 35,011
5. 36,639
6. 32,611
7. 32,027
8. 30,855
9. 30,319

And on a side tangent... why is it still the Green Arrow boards, huh? It's been a year since Green Arrow/Black Canary put out issue #1 folks. Let's snap to it, huh?

Obviously, I'm happy. I'll admit to being somewhat wary that the new writer is new to DC Comics. Still, he did write one of the best episodes of the Justice League cartoon and his Helen Killer book is much greatness. He's also making a living doing television writing which is just as difficult to find steady professional work in as comics. And he did say all the right things in the above interview - i.e. focus on Ollie and Dinah in their city with their family, no more globe-trotting with Batman.

2. Well, he's not writing Green Arrow... but he's in the perfect position to do a guest spot. Writing or artwork would be cool.

And of course the return of Warlord is a good thing, as well. And that's even ignoring the chance of a revival of the Ollie Queen/Travis Morgan running-gag. Much as I want to see Ollie get back to basics at home, I do love the idea of the Arrow Family getting stranded in Skartaris.

3. Give DC credit. This time they made sure all the scripts were done before they even announced the book. Seriously, I love Smith's writing but the man can't keep a monthly deadline schedule AND keep being one of the best director/producer/writers of his generation.

Re: DCU: Decisions

My friend Patrick passed this one on to me.

SOURCE:DC Comics To Release Politically Themed Book Before Election

Even before I read the article, I just knew The Judd-ass was involved.

But even if he weren't, I'd agree with most of the posters on Newsarama that this series is a Very Bad Idea. But I don't believe this is a bad idea because DC risks alienating some readers by saying that Superman is a conservative and Batman is a liberal or vice versa. I think this is a bad idea because for the vast majority of characters, this kind of series is just plain redundant.

You know why they've never done a story like this before? Because all of the big name heroes have traditionally been too busy to worry about politics. Apart from doing what he can to help support honest politicians in Gotham, Batman has never been very political. Bruce Wayne is more likely to funnel his money into charities or do his own good works rather than give money to a politician and trust them to do good. And Superman has made it a point in the past NOT to endorse any politician.

And this is ignoring the countless characters who we know what their political affiliations are already simply because of their very nature (i.e. Wonder Woman = social liberal/feminist) or because it's already been established (i.e. Green Arrow = Prius-driving ex-hippie). So really, this series does nothing to develop those characters.

But even if - for the sake of this story - they were to break with tradition and have Supes or Bats make a statement on this issue or that, I don't think there would be any truly shocking revelations in this series. We can guess where certain characters will fall based on their actions and histories very easily.

I find it hard to imagine Batman not being in favor of stricter gun-control laws or that Superman would support any candidate who favors the death penalty. Because Batman hates guns and Superman believes in second chances. Even with more minor characters like Martian Manhunter or Aquaman, you can figure out where they'd fall with about five seconds of thought. Is Aquaman an environmentalist? Does Martian Manhunter favor amnesty for illegal aliens?

Quite honestly, this is something which is a lot more fun to argue about with your friends than it is to read about. And that is why this story is going to fail.

Carrying the torch...

Because I don't have the stamina to mock Judd Winick books in this kind of detail anymore, my former editor has taken up the torch.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought Dinah looked AND sounded like a Stepford Wife this time around.

The full thing is up at: http://lysad.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-arrow-black-canary-5.html

Looking To The Stars: The Sixth Annual Starry Awards

The Golden Globes. Mr. Blackwell’s Best & Worst Dressed List. And now (once again), it is time for The Starry Awards. Because it’s just not the start of a new year, without us yammering about the best and worst of last year.

In any case, welcome to what has become a yearly staple of the Comics Nexus: The Starry Awards for Excellence and Disgrace in Comics Writing.

Of course, it has been pointed out that the comic industry already has the Eisners, the Harveys, the Eagles and the Wizard Awards. Why on Earth 2 then, these alleged people ask, do we need another damned award?

Well, none of those other awards are decided by me, are they?

The Starry Awards were started so that I, the ever humble author of this column, might dispense awards to those I felt were most worthy of praise or damnation based on their works in the past year.

The Starries name ten stories in total. Stories, for the purpose of this award, can be single or multiple issues of one book or multiple books relating to one plot-line. The Starries are based solely upon the personal opinions of Matt “Starman” Morrison and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else.

Five Staries are awarded to stories which, more than any other stories this year, made me stand up and cheer, burst into tears or just stopped me in the middle of reading to say “This is damn good stuff.” Five Staries are awarded (if you can call it that) to stories that, for some reason, I found disappointing. Stories that left me feeling that a mark had been missed and missed badly. Some of them are stories that, in fact, I think are just plain terrible.


That said: Here are the winners and losers!

The Best of 2007

Best Moment All Year - The Unveiling of The Sinestro Corps Heralds and Guardian (from Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special)

Most crossovers attempt "big reveal" moments like this but few are able to carry them off. Not only did The Sinestro Corps special manage to pull off one hell of a reveal - they managed to do so in a genuinely surprising manner that nobody saw coming. This is no mean feat in these days when what few stories are not spoiled by fans on the message boards are spoiled by their own writers and editors.

Of course we knew quite a bit by the time this issue had come out. We knew that Sinestro was alive and well and hiding out in the Anti-Matter Universe. We knew that yellow rings, similar to the ones used by the Green Lanterns, were flying around the universe seeking out those who were capable of inspiring great fear.

By the time the issue was over, we knew that Sinestro had enslaved the people of the planet Qward in the Anti-Matter Universe and forced them to construct rings that drew off the wearer's ability to terrorize others rather than stealing energy from Green Lanterns and turning it into yellow light, as the former Qwardian rings had. We knew that Sinestro had assembled a team of, to quote the great Harvey Korman, "rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs...ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists," to use said rings. And in a daring surprise raid, this new Sinestro Corps was able to attack the Green Lantern's base of operations, arrange a mass jail-break of the most dangerous beings in the univese and capture Kyle Rayner - at that time believed to be the most powerful of all the Green Lanterns.

It was a good start for an all-out war across the cosmos. But nothing quite prepared readers for the sheer amount of pants-wetting terror that the Sinestro Corps was capable of inspiring quite like the last two pages, in which the power behind the Sinestro Corps was revealed along with their Guardian's choice for their four "heralds".

Now, for those of you who didn't read the story or follow enough DC Comics to know just who all of these figures are and why nearly everyone who read this story said "Well, crap" when they got to the end of it, let me run down this rogues gallery. From top left counterclockwise...

CYBORG SUPERMAN - The brains behind the attack on Coast City (Green Lantern Hal Jordan's hometown) during The Death of Superman saga, Hank Henshaw was a scientist who developed an amazing ability to bond with and control technology following an accident that he blamed Superman for. Left for dead on the edges of space by a revenge-seeking Hal Jordan, he was discovered by The Manhunters - a race of rogue robotic law-enforcement agents with a grudge against the Green Lanterns - and made into their leader. With his own natural powers coupled with his genius for design, he upgraded the Manhunters by giving them the ability to drain the power of a Green Lantern ring at close range. He now commands an army every bit as formidable as The Sinestro Corps itself.

SUPERMAN PRIME - The last survivor of a parallel universe (Universe Prime) where he was the only superhero, this version of Kal-El sacrificed himself and his universe during The Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which one universe was created from the parts of many parallel worlds. It was a sacrifice he came to view as wasted, having been trapped outside of reality but still able to witness the events within that universe. Angered by how the perfect world he gave of himself to create had been corrupted, he went mad and set about trying to fix the universe by killing all of the heroes he saw as being too flawed and imperfect to be truly heroic. A being capable of altering causality by punching the universe, this Superman was defeated only by the combined efforts of two other Supermen and imprisoned by the Green Lantern Corps.

SINESTRO - Once considered the greatest of all Green Lanterns and a frequent mentor to trainee Corps members, Sinestro has long been considered the greatest enemy the Green Lanterns have. Forced into exile in the Anti-Matter Universe following the revelation that he had turned his homeworld into a fascist dictatorship in an effort to maintain order, Sinestro joined forces with the Qwardians (another enemy of the Green Lanterns), who gave him a ring that leeched off the energy of Green Lantern rings and changed it into yellow light - the one color that Green Lantern rings were unable to affect. Sinestro would return again and again, cheating death itself to hound the Green Lanterns. Despite his crimes, Sinestro still considers himself a member of the Corps and believe that all of his actions are justified in that he has caused the Green Lanterns to slowly assume more and more of his own tactics in the interest of keeping him under control. Ultimately, Sinestro just wants it proven that he was right all along in what steps must be made to maintain order.

PARALLAX - A parasitic being born of pure fear, Parallax was imprisoned within the Green Lantern's Central Power Battery by The Guardians of the Universe. Since color and emotion were closely tied together when the universe was young, the Guardians found that Parallax was able - from within his prison, to prevent the rings used by The Guardians from affecting the color of fear; yellow. Hence, the Guardians selected the bravest beings in the universe to form their Green Lantern Corps, in the hopes that Parallax would be unable to influence them. This plan backfired when Parallax began to slowly chip away at the mind of Hal Jordan, who - unused to feeling fear - was unable to recognize the subtlety of Parallax's attacks. Using Jordan's body, Parallax decimated the Green Lantern Corps save for one Earthling; Kyle Rayner. Now, as revenge on the Green Lantern who stopped him from destroying the Corps from within a second time, Parallax has taken possession of Rayner's body, forcing him to watch atrocity after atrocity as Parllax feasts on the fear inspired by The Sinestro Corps.

ANTI-MONITOR - Ruler and protector of the Anti-Matter Universe, this being was responsible for the chain of events that lead to the destruction of multiple parallel universes in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dead for a number of years, he was apparently resurrected - along with the multiple universes of the DC Comics reality - following the events of Infinite Crisis. Now, returned to his former station, the Anti-Monitor has lent his support to the Sinestro Corps while secretly manipulating them towards hit ultimate goal of destroying all the positive-matter universes so that he may be supreme ruler of all that is.

Any one of these enemies would be a worthy A-Level threat on their own. Pool their powers and resources together and give them a ring, powered by fear, that allows them to do whatever they want and you had a force of evil that put the epic in "space epic" and made this the best comic book all year.


Funniest Read All Year - Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Special

Take Marvel's most infamous 'Merc With A Mouth. Add Marvel Comics' Mightiest Team of Misfit Mutants (Sorry X-Men - these guys have the Angel of Death AND a guy who dies and comes back even more than Jean Grey). Mix them together into a number of short stories in which we find out that Deadpool has a fat fetish, Origami is one of the most deadly Japanese martial arts (and crafts) and that AIM is using a wayward god to make every superhero in the world drunk (Dionysus didn't just fall off the wagon - he fell off Olympus). Throw in better continuity and editing than has been seen at Marvel in a dog's age and some of the most vicious satire Dan Slott has to offer regarding the treatment of Speedball post-Civil War and you have one comic book that is actually comic. Funny funny books? What will they think of next?


Best Team-Up - Harley Quinn & The Riddler (from Detective Comics #837)

While not exactly the most high-profile pairing-off this year, this pairing of two Bat-Villains - both gone legit - was the year's most off-beat and most enjoyable team-up.

A recently reformed Edward Nygma has turned detective for hire. Recruited by Bruce Wayne to find an employee who stole an experimental drug from Wayne Enterprises, Riddler quickly tracks the thief to an Amazon Women's Shelter in Metropolis where it just so happens an equally-reformed Harleen Quinzel is working as Assistant Director.

What follows is a story in which Paul Dini does what he does best - write characters who are sympathetic, if not necessarily heroic. While the focus of the story may be upon a stolen drug and the creation of a new super-villain with ties to the Amazons and Gotham, the interplay between Harley and Eddie is the real treat of the issue. There's just something about the quieter moments where the two reformed-baddies just talk about where they are and how they got there that is so much more compelling than the main plot. Heck, it's even more engaging than the slapstick Dini delights in (Eddie's forceful removal from the Amazon shelter and the untold tale of how Harley left The Secret Six, for instance).


Best Makeover, Revamp or Revival - Sheena, Queen of the Jungle

Originally created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger in the late 1930s and inspiration to a host of soulless, pathetic imitators, the original Queen of the Jungle and first female superheroine to sport her own monthly book returned in style this year.

Neatly updated for modern times in a story by Die Hard scribe Stephen E. De Souza, the only real change is a change in setting from the Congo to the Amazon. Whereas Sheena once fought hostile poachers and smugglers, she must now contend with corrupt business tycoons and loggers despoiling her rainforest. But while the setting may have changed, Sheena hasn't. She is just as fierce and cunning as ever. And unlike her imitators, Sheena manages to look sexy AND formidable, without any of her issues descending into the cheap cheesecake that some artists seem to revel in. Be you an old-timer who still remembers the TV-show with Irish McCalla, a young buck confused as to why that cheesy Gena Lee Nolin show is just now getting a comic or - dare I say - a parent with a pre-teen daughter looking for a suitable superheroic role-model, you'll find a lot to like in Sheena.


Best Retro Tale - Green Arrow: Year One

Regular readers of this feature know that Green Arrow has always held a special place in my heart and that I have been rather outspoken about how horribly he has been portrayed in recent years. But as harsh a critic as I am, my complaints about this series were few and far between. Written by long-time Vertigo Comics scribe Andy Diggle with art by Jock - his partner on the much-beloved The Losers series - this series detailing the origins of DC Comics Battling Bowman showed a depth and maturity that has been sorely lacking in recent treatments of the character.

I shall avoid going into a lengthy description of what Diggle and Jock did right. Doing so would also require me to go into a lengthy discussion where I would compare and contrast what other writers did wrong. So instead of doing that, I will merely advise you all to pre-order the upcoming hardcover collection and assure you that you won't regret it.

The Worst of 2006

Most Likely To Cause Continuity Robots Heads To Explode Award -Every Comic Related To The Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding And Its' Aftermath

I normally limit this award to one single comic or mini-series. But in this case, I'm making an exception because it is unfair for me to single out one single book for an editorial snafu this big.

It doesn't help matters that one of the writers involved in telling this story freely admitted that they didn't intend to explain the hows or whys of how Oliver Queen got kidnapped and replaced with an evil shapeshifter (Confusingly enough, this WAS later explained in Green Arrow/Black Canary #3), who was later killed by Dinah Lance during an attempt on her life.

But what truly makes this continuity clash confusing is that while the end result of The GA/BC Wedding (i.e. Green Arrow's apparent death at Black Canary's hands) had been telegraphed across the Internet for months before the actual comics came out, nobody ever saw fit to tell the writer or editorial team responsible of Justice League about the events of the wedding itself, despite the Wedding being sandwiched by both The JLA Wedding Special and Dwayne McDuffie's opening arc on Justice League of America.

How else can you explain a writer and former editor of McDuffie's caliber letting a detail like this slip except through the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing?

Yes, Dinah. Tell him the long story about how you... KILLED YOUR HUSBAND?!

Seriously, editorial incompetence is the only way to explain such a serious gaff. This, and the many other questions that came up during Justice League of American and Countdown issues that tied into the wedding itself.


The “What The Hell Just Happened?” Award (Most Confusing Story) -Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods

What would have been a one-issue story thirty years ago at Marvel was padded out into a four-issue mini-series by Dynamite Comics.

Honestly, I don't think the artists had any idea what was supposed to be going on. Take this cover from Issue #4. Not only is Sonja uncharacteristically frightened-looking and bound (not a usual state for her in her comics, I'm happy to note)... but this scene does not occur anywhere in the series!

How to sum what does happen in this series? Well...Basically, bad guy Thulsa Doom is doing something to become powerful Some bard needs Sonja's help to stop him, but he has to drive her crazy to do it. And then he decides this is a stupid idea, restores her senses, she kills Thulsa Doom even though he's supposedly a god or just killed a god or something. And the whole thing ends with him being reborn as a flaming skull. I think.


The “I Waited For This?!?!” Award (Most Delayed/Most Disappointing Book) - All-Star Batman and Robin

Honestly, I can't really say I was all that surprised or disappointed in this series this year. But, unlike last year, we actually got a few issues to read what is either Frank Miller achieving the most wicked self-parody in history or the continued degeneration of a one-time master of the genre.


Worst Makeover, Revamp or Revival -Spider-Man

Why Spider-Man? Why do you think?

I'll give you a hint; it's not for the ultimately pointless (though hyped-to death) return of the Black Costume.

Read on for the real reason, True Believers!


Worst Story Of the Year -Spider-Man: One More Day

You'd think J. Michael Straczynski asking to have his name taken off the story would have been a clue.

You'd think an 2/3rds majority "No" vote on the "Should the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson Marriage be ended?" poll on Newsarama would also have been a clue.

You'd think an negative fan-response, so extreme that Marvel had to issue an all-out ban on criticism of editorial decisions on their own message boards might also have been a clue.

But no. Joe Quesada has a teflon brain. No clue will stick! And I truly believe that he won't get the hint that breaking up Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's marriage - much less doing it through the cheesy, magical deus ex machina he employs - was a bad idea until about two minutes after Marvel's Board of Directors is done kicking him to the curb and stapling a pink-slip to his forehead.

You have to admire his showmanship, though. In an act of hucksterism so blatant as to shame Stan Lee, Joe Q suggested that fans who are upset about the end of the Spider-Marriage might want to, instead of boycotting Marvel Comics, consider reading other titles where the Peter/Mary Jane romance is still going strong in order to show their support.

"Like Spider-Girl. Or uh... Mary Jane Loves Spider-... oh, wait... wait... we canceled that one. But there's still... ah... oh... LOOK BEHIND YOU! A THREE-HEADED MONKEY!"

Many fans are swearing off Marvel Comics in droves. And I'm sad to say that I'm one of them. I'll miss Ed Brubaker's Daredevil and JMS' Thor. And I'm really going to regret not getting a chance to see Dan Slott writing Spider-Man on a regular basis. But in the end, I have to follow my heart. And my heart says that there is no way I am giving Marvel Comics another dime or any free publicity until this mess is straightened out one-way or the other.

Looking To The Stars: Lieing In The Gutters

It has been brought to my attention that a certain writer at a different comic-book news site and a panel of allegedly fictional judges have decided that I am not worthy of their annual award for Feud of the Year.

Oh sure. I know that Rich Johnston CLAIMS that that his judging panel was fictional and that none of these writers actually said what he says they said. But let's take a look at a list of who was on his panel... John Byrne, Dave Sim, Brian Bendis, Chuck Dixon, Ed Brubaker, Dan Slott, Mark Millar, Mike Miller and Steve Niles.

Without exception, every single one of these writers has a grudge against me. To briefly discuss our respective histories and why every single one of these writers have it out for me...


John Byrne - outspokenly preferred Birthright to Man of Steel.

Dave Sim - refused to acknowledge his claim as the Ubar of Kitchener; also, refused to keep my girlfriend in traditional Gorean fashion.

Brian Michael Bendis - returned his BFF medallion after admitting that I thought Ultimate Spider-Man had become repetitive.

Chuck Dixon - posted his "spec script" for a Nightwing revival where Dick Grayson quits vigilantism to become a Broadway dancer

Ed Brubaker - heaped generous praise on Daredevil while refusing to even read Captain American

Dan Slott - read The Thing in the store and liked it, but never paid for it.

Mark Millar - abandoned my feud with him to devote more time to hating Judd Winick.

Mike Miller - mistook him for Mark Millar at a convention.

Steve Niles - asked him if he had any idea why horror in comics was a dead genre and nobody had written a good vampire story in years.


Honestly, all you need is Scott Kurtz, Ron Zimmerman and every single one of my ex-girlfriends and you'd have the ultimate Matt Morrison Revenge Squad!

Now, I know what some of you are going to say. Starman, IT WAS A FICTIONAL CONTEST FOR A FAKE AWARD. None of those people really said any of that. Well, that's as may as well be... except that as countless people have written in to tell me, I am not a real writer. Ergo, as I am not real, I am just as fictional as these fictional versions of Mark Millar and company. It follows then, since they are just as fictional as I am, then I am justly entitled to their fictional award, since - not being real - their opinions do not count for anything.

Of course I know the real reason this mob has turned against me. The Brotherhood of Creators is stronger than any feud between creators. And if they were to acknowledge the legitimacy and strength of my feud with Judd Winick, the feud with have to be resolved like all great celebrity feuds. And I would wipe the floor with him.

Ignoring the righteousness of my cause and the whole "my strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure" thing, I have - at least - a good 50 pounds of weight on Judd. I'm well-versed in swordplay and the bow. And I'm a trained fighter, who studied stage combat and fighting technique with Clarence Gilyard; best known as Chuck Norris' right-hand man on Walker: Texas Ranger.

Simply put, I am a fightin' Texas liberal and Judd is, by his own admission in Pedro and Me, a weenie Long-Island liberal. It would be slaughter. Athens and Sparta redeux. However, all of this is a moot point as I have no desire to fight Judd Winick in any arena, fictional or not. Violence never solved anything and at the end of the day, he'd still be writing Green Arrow/Black Canary bloody nose or no.

What I do desire, however, is recognition of the legitimacy of the feud. Not for myself, you understand, but for all of the countless brave men and women who have followed my example over the past year. It is they, not me, who have truly made the Judd Winick vs. Matt Morrison feud into the greatest feud of the year. Because wherever men and women have taken Judd Winick to task - be it on the blogs of When Fangirls Attack!or the message boards at DC Comics - I have been there. If Matt Morrison is one who stands up to Judd Winick and says "This is not acceptable", than these people are just as much Matt Morrison as I am and are just as worth of recognition.

So Rich Johnston - as one fictional writer to another - I ask you to consult with your fictional team of judges and reconsider. Not for my sake nor your own. Not to avoid the angry barrage of e-mails with the subject header "I Am Matt Morrison" which are sure to follow this column. Not even to cause Joe Quesada to have yet another heart-attack when he sees my name in print on CBR.com. I ask you to do it for all the men and women out there who have a little bit of Matt Morrison inside of them.


LIEING IN THE GUTTERS is a satire by Matt Morrison, published on Inside Pulse, Comics Nexus and LiveJournal and is not intended maliciously. LIEING IN THE GUTTERS has invented all names and situations in its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental, or used as a fictional depiction or personality parody (permitted under Hustler Magazine v. Fallwell, 485 US 46, 108 S.Ct 876, 99 L.Ed.2d 41 (1988)). ComicBookResources makes no representation as to the truth or accuracy of the preceding information. This whole column was one big joke and we have nothing but the deepest respect for Rich Johnston, his fictional team of writer/judges and we don't want you to write him except in so far as to give him a big laugh over this whole thing. And if any of you repost or link to this column anywhere else as if it were serious, demanding that I be fired, my editors and I will laugh at you like the mouth-breathing rube that you are.

Oy...

I just got forwarded an e-mail from the head editor at Comics Nexus.

Seems somebody has become so offended by my Titans East review that not only does he refuse to get comics news from us anymore (which is odd as the site switched to a mostly-reviews/criticism format a LONG time ago anyway) but he is going to "have us added to the corporate block site at work".

That's probably for the best, anyway. Unless you work for a comic company, you probably shouldn't be reading about comics at work. I know my workplace frowns upon such things.

I just can't help but reflect upon how funny it is I only ever hear this boo-hoo-hoo stuff from Judd Winick fans and not... oh... say... Chuck Dixon fans.

I'm going to bed. Work tomorrow and then.... Wizard World.

Double Review of Titans East Special #1 & Batman and the Outsiders #1

Many of you are probably wondering why I'm reviewing these two books together. Is it because of some compare/contrast essay I wished to pen? Was I trying to create a sort of Zen balance by reviewing one book each by one of the most outspoken liberal writers in comics (Judd Winick) and one of the most outspoken conservative writers in comics (Chuck Dixon)? Did I wish to compare Winick writing an entirely new team book to Dixon taking over the team book Winick left?

These are all very valid guesses, but they are wrong. The main reason I'm combining my reviews for these books is because I can't be bothered to write a full review for both of them. It's more than I can take.

So granting off the bat that both of these books contain a level of hack writing that is becoming increasingly commonplace at DC Comics and that the artwork by Ian Churchill and Julian Lopez is woefully sub-par, which of the following points should we comic fans be most insulted by?


a. Judd Winick and/or his editor failing to do the basic research to learn that Hawk is Dove's younger sister - not her older one. A fact easily discovered after 30 seconds on Google.


b. Cyborg apparently knowing about Power Boy's "run-in with Supergirl" (i.e. the stalking, kidnapping and attempted rape of Supergirl) and not having any problem with this guy being on his team.





c. Yet another Judd Winick one-shot ends in death, in order to promote a new series.






d. Batman making an unprovoked disapproving remark about Thunder and Grace's lesbian relationship.



(The Following Transcript was provided by a man who has asked only to be identified as 'Roy'. He had the issue in question but no scanner, but was none-the-less willing to give me a transcript of the next page of the comic.)

THUNDER: WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT GRACE AND ME? Have you been spying on us? You like watching, freak?

BATMAN: You have too many issues competing with your primary role in this group. You have skills. You may be even be gifted beyond your powers. But you're not ready. The simple fact that you would interfere with me while your teammates are in the field proves that. And I surmised that you and Grace were good friends by observing your body language when you're together. I didn't know it was more than that until you told me.

THUNDER: Oh.

e. The idea that the World's Finest Detective is unable to tell the difference between close female friends and lesbian lovers.



f. The return of generic 'Batman is a dick' characterization.



g. All of the above are so equally offensive, it's hard to pick just one.


Me? I've got to go with G. I'm giving both of these books a 1 out of 10 rating and welcoming you all to record your votes at the Comics Nexus boards . You will need to register to vote, but if you've never been it is a fun little forum with more intelligent conversation than most comics news boards.

The Last Damned Thing I'm Writing About "The Juddass" for a while.

SOURCE: WINICK ON "THE FIGHT"

Judd just gave a rebuttal to the question of "why didn't Black Canary just use her Canary Cry?" at the above link. I will limit my response to five points.

1. To quote The Joker ne: Bruce Timm, "If you have to explain a joke, then there is no joke!" The same principal applies to action scenes - if you have to explain what is happening afterwards and the art doesn't match up to your explanation, than you wrote a bad story.

2. There is no point in the The Wedding Special that you can look at and say "Ah. THIS is where Everyman switched with Ollie", by Judd's own admission. So Judd Winick just basically said that he not only won't bother explaining how his stories fit into the continuity of other people's work - he won't even bother explaining the flow of action in his own books!

3. It is never a good idea to insult your potential readership's intelligence or bring question to your own integrity as a professional by asking - less than a month after you were swearing blind that you were originally going to kill off Black Canary, but that you thought a story about her dealing with Ollie's death was ultimately more interesting - if people thought you were really serious about killing Ollie off. When you start talking about alternative storylines as a way to defuse anger over what you wrote... yes, we do sort of presume that we should take you seriously. It's called taking someone at their word. You should look into it.

4. Dismissing your own admitted failings as a storyteller by pointing out that George Lucas used the same shortcuts in his writing does not excuse you from being a bad storyteller.

5. The minute you disrespect Stan Lee by suggesting that he wrote the foundation of the Silver Age of Comics at Marvel Comics during "a drunken bender" or that he ever worked in an altered state... that's the minute you lose any right you have for me to regard you as anything other than a complete and total asshat.