Pop Culture Chronicles

The New 52 Review

The rebooting of the DC universe has so far been a huge success. DC Comics released 52 new first issues in a massive relaunch last September. In a prior post I had mentioned my reservations along with some enthusiasm for the new direction.  Now that we're five months into the new 52, here are my reflections:

Superman - I've always thought of George Perez as an artist and he is one of the best. But this book proves that he can also be an awesome writer. I like the fact that there is a lot of dialog. It takes me longer to read this title than any other, so I feel I'm getting more than just a picture book. It's deep and not fluffy. With the Daily Planet being purchased by Morgan Edge and the Planet staff adjusting to the mass media market, including Lois' promotion, it strikes a chord of reality with so many that have to constantly change with the times in the workplace. Characters, like Lois, must make hard ethical decisions in this book. The Clark and Lois relationship is back to its traditional formula. Clark likes Lois, but he doesn't seem to be on her radar, except as a co-worker. The exceptional art also makes this book worthwhile.

Action Comics - While relaunching Superman, in some respects Grant Morrison actually returns the Man of Steel to his roots. A younger and less experienced Superman whose alter ego, Clark Kent, is working for the rival publisher of the Daily Planet while getting to know Lois and Jimmy. I'll keep the Superman titles.

Supergirl- They haven't ruined Kara after all. The stories are great and you can sympathize with the character. I do wish she had a more modest costume though, especially in light of this character being a minor.     

Batman - With at least four relaunched Bat books and at least that many more Batman-family titles, I had to be financially responsible about which titles made my pull list. I began with Batman, Batman and Robin, Detective Comics, and Batgirl. I have so far dropped Batman and Robin and Detective Comics. I found both titles too gratuitously violent. I dropped All-Star Western for the same reason after just one issue. I don't mind some action in my comics, but with people being hanged, skinned alive, and knifed in the first couple of issues I'd had enough. I felt that this was gore for the sake of gore. Agreeing with several online reviewers, I don't think it was just me. If more of us simply stop purchasing when the product isn't doing it for us, maybe DC will get the message. Comics are too expensive for us readers to purchase anything that is short of awesome. 

As for the Batman title, I have been enjoying it up to the fifth issue which I did not feel moved the plot forward at all. It was good, however, to see Robin show up at the end and find out that maybe the little cuss has a heart in there after all and is concerned with his senior partner. The different format for the panels on several pages was also a nice touch, helping us to experience Bruce's surrealism along with him. 

Batgirl - I still think that if they were going to take Barbara out of the wheel chair that they should have done a hard reboot of the entire universe, wiping the slate totally clean. But so far the stories have been really good. I look forward to each issue because I wonder what's going to happen. I actually care about the character. This is how comics should be written. I'd heard about the great writing Gail Simone does and I am convinced. The art by Ardian Syaf is very good. And Barbara Gordon actually has a personal life. I like that.

Justice League - I love almost everything about this book--especially the team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The witty dialog, the humor, the way characters are drawn and introduced, the plot itself. This book has everything going for it. If I could only read one DC comic a month, this would be it. 

Batman: Robin Origins

Not as famous as Batman: Year One was Batman: Year Three. The story unfolded over Batman # 436-439 (1989), written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by Pat Broderick. The origin of Robin (Dick Grayson) is retold in flashbacks, while the then-current continuity explored Batman's psychological burden since the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Batman is pursued by Grayson's current alter ego, Nightwing, as the two solve the mystery of who is slaying the gang bosses of Gotham. This all takes place as Boss Zucco, the murderer of Grayson's parents is being paroled from prison. Alfred refreshingly plays a key role in the story. 

Following this arc was "A Lonely Place of Dying" in Batman # 440-442 (parts 1, 3, & 5) and The New Titans # 60-61 (parts 2 & 4). The pencils in Batman were done by Jim Aparo and in Titans by George Perez. Here is the origin of yet a third Robin, Tim Drake. He actually appeared in the previous Batman arc, "Year Three," but the reader isn't clued in until "A Lonely Place of Dying." Drake doesn't make his first appearance as Robin until the concluding chapter in Batman # 442. 

Wolfman's writing has always been consistently good. I was especially struck by dated references to what was going on in the real world. As Two-Face contemplates his next crime in Batman 441, he considers blowing up the twin towers. This seems a bit eerie now. Although it was the Gotham twin towers, this fictional city was for many years considered the analogue to New York City in the DC Universe. Two-Face then considers stealing a double diamond pendant from Princess Diana which calls to mind yet another eerie tragedy. There is also mention of President Bush in issue # 440. Long as we're noting details, there appears to be a lettering blooper on page 14 of Batman 441 where Dick calls Tim "Jeff."   

This cross-continuity between Batman and the New Titans occured during the era in which Wolfman and Perez had made the Titans one DC's most popular properties. After the New Teen Titans had run successfully for four years (1980-1984) and forty issues, their new adventures were renumbered starting with issue 1 in a deluxe format, higher price, higher paper quality, direct-sale-only publication with the same title. The word "teen" was dropped from the title with issue # 50.

Meanwhile, the numbering of the former New Teen Titans series continued in a series called "Tales of the Teen Titans" (# 41-91) which reprinted the deluxe format editions for the newsstand crowd who couldn't afford the big bucks. Are you confused yet? It turns out that renumbering and relaunching is really nothing new.

Of course the Teen Titans have since been relaunched again for a series from 1996-1998 and again for a series that began in 2003. Drake has been the most recent Robin in the Teen Titans which will again be relaunched in late September. Since Damien Wayne is now the fourth Robin, Tim Drake is now "Red Robin" who will be fighting alongside Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.            

Batman: Year One

I collected a good number of the Batman titles from 1983 through 2003. I stopped reading, however, in about 1987. So now I'm catching up. Here are some of my impressions:

Batman: Year One - (Batman # 404-407, 1987). This story by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzuchelli redefined the Batman mythos. Here is the definitive post-crisis origin tale confirming Batman as the Dark Knight, distancing him further from the campy 1960s TV series and the 1950s sci-fi era. It's fairly consistent with Dennis O'Neil's run as Batman writer in the 70s and O'Neil just happened to be serving as editor during Miller's four-parter.

I can see where this story influenced the movie Batman Begins. We have police lieutenant James Gordon, before he was Commissioner, a good cop fighting corruption in a big city police department. Bruce Wayne has just returned after twelve years abroad preparing himself as the supreme crime-fighter and vigilante of Gotham. Also, like the movie, the police surround Batman in an abandoned building where he uses special technology to summon the bat population.

The gritty realism is what I've always liked about Batman since the O'Neil days. I prefer to see him fighting gangsters as opposed to members of his rogues gallery. In this story a highly trained, yet inexperienced Batman struggles his way through. The human element comes through in Gordon's relationship with his wife and his detective partner.  

This story, since reprinted in hardcover and various trade paperback editions, is one of the best Batman stories ever. I felt as if I was watching a movie while reading this truly suspenseful comic. I love Batman in any incarnation, but the Dark Avenger of the Night is how he was meant to be from the start. 

Now here is some good news. Batman: Year One is going to be a made-for-DVD animated movie released later this year.    

Pull List / Reviews July 2011

Here is what I'm reading these days:

DC

Flashpoint # 3- I'm behind on this, but just read the latest issue. I was determined to stay away from any more big events, but I learned that this series will be the transitional point into the altered DC Universe. Here is where (I think) the changes in the time-stream will be explained. This issue by Geoff Johns was (not surprisingly) well written with good characterization, suspense, action, and witty dialogue. It was well drawn by Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope. It seems that the Flash is working to undo some changes in the time-stream due to events that were altered by the Reverse Flash. So Flash is in some alternate reality with Thomas Wayne, who is Batman, who did not die at the hands of a mugger, and whose son never became Batman. The two team up with Cyborg to release the captive survivor of a doomed planet whose rocket-ship was never discovered by the Kents, but landed in Metropolis doing fatal damage. The survivor was then taken into custody by the government who is conducting a "Project: Superman." Okay, I'm hooked. 

Justice Society of America # 52 - So we still don't know how Mr. Terrific lost his intellect, but now we know whodunit. Two issues to go before Mr. Terrific's own series is launched and the Justice Society is cancelled. I understand that in the realigned universe, characters who made up the JSA will still exist. But there will be no JSA. Superman will again be the first super hero in this altered continuity, which in a sense goes back to DC's roots. But it seems that the Golden Age of heroes is being retconned out of existence. The JSA has so often got the shaft when it comes to these reboots, relaunches, or whatever you want to call them. Following the orginal "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Golden Age heroes who had modern doppelgangers were retconned out of existence. The remaining JSA was banished to another dimension. So what happens to the JSA now? Will the earlier careers of originals like Jay Garrick and Alan Scott never have existed? Will the original Flash and Green Lantern ever have existed? We'll see. 

One plot in the current JSA arc that intrigues me grows out of one of Jay and Alan's WWII adventures. Will a retro guy like me ever be able to accept a JSA without the Golden Age backstory? I do hope the multiverse will play more of a role in the altered universe. I'd love to see the "Justice Society Infinity" team from "Justice Society of America Annual" # 1 return, with Superman and Batman of Earth 2 alive and well. Maybe they could have annual team-ups with the new JLA. Who knows?  

I'll review what I'm reading from Marvel soon.     

DCU Relaunch or DCU Deconstruction?

Everybody is talking about it so I'm finally going to weigh in with my thoughts regarding the DC Universe relaunch set to take off in September. In case you've been in Limbo or some alternate universe, DC is relaunching its entire line in September with fifty-two new first issues. Even the old staples like Action Comics, Detective, Superman, and Batman will start the numbering over with issue number one.

As more information is released some of my initial assumptions have been proved innaccurate. I thought maybe the whole universe was going to be rebooted like after Crisis on Infinite Earths, but not so. I thought maybe the whole DC Universe history would start over again from the very beginnning with new origins and the whole bit. That was also incorrect. 

But some things are definately going to change. In addition to the relaunch of some titles, others will be cancelled, and some new ones will start. There will be changes to a number of characters. I'm thinking these changes might result from alterations in the timestream brought about by events in the Flashpoint limited series, which I have not been reading, but now wish I had been. After Final Crisis I was sick to death of universe-altering cross-over events. But now my curiosity has got the best of me thanks to yet another DC marketing ploy.

In regard to the changes occurring, Supergirl is described as an unpredictable teenager who does not share Superman's love for the people of earth. It sounds to me like they are ruining the Kara we all know and love. She was recently rebooted in a Superman/Batman story arc which returned her to her roots. I hate to see her messed up again.

Dick Grayson will be going back to being Nightwing with a new issue number 1. He made such a good Batman that I thought the new Batman, Inc. series would allow him to retain the cowl. Too bad that doesn't seem to be the case. Was this Bruce's idea and is Dick happy about it? Bruce will be the only Batman and Damian will remain Robin in a relaunched Batman And Robin # 1. This has some potential.

I hear that Barbara Gordon will return to her role as Batgirl with a new first issue. I'm not sure I like that since as Oracle she was DC's only disabled hero and a strong one at that. If they must do this, I almost hope the time-stream is altered so that she was never shot by the Joker as opposed to some miraculous healing or technology that allows her to swing above the streets of Gotham. I do wonder if the avatar design Bruce Wayne handed her in the one-shot Batman: The Return is some kind of clue. As to where this might leave Stephanie Brown, Bruce assigned her to finishing school in England, which makes me wonder if she might be the U.K. Batgirl when Batman, Inc. begins next year.

The Birds of Prey roster will undergo drastic revision including the absence of Oracle. A new number one issue is in store here as well. So it is with Catwoman who returns to her roots as a jewel thief with another new number one. I hate that. I'd rather see a progression of the Bruce/Selina relationship similar to the Elseworlds story, Justice League: The Nail.

As with Oracle, I wonder if the changes to Catwoman will result from an alteration to the universe or an alteration to her life in the current continuity. If an alteration to the universe, I would love to see a reboot of several other characters in which a lot of the tragedy never occured. I'd like to see a Hal Jordan who never became a killer and a Roy Harper who still has his arm. If DC really rebooted, why not a Barbara Gordon who was never shot, or a Selina who never reformed as opposed to some lame explanations for their changing back to how they were?       

Many of the heroes will have new or altered costumes, including Superman, Black Canary, Mr. Terrific, and Supergirl. I typically love Jim Lee's art, which I enjoyed in Batman: Hush and All-Star Batman and Robin. But as far as the new costume designs go, I'm debating as to which term more adequately describes my feelings: hate, despise, or loathe. It reminds me of those horrible redesigns of the 80s which now look so stupid and dated. But if it doesn't work, DC can always change things back.

A couple of other things make the relaunch less exciting. So many of these titles were just recently relaunched or re-relaunched, including Wonder Woman, Flash, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Justice League, Legion of Super-Heroes, Blue Beetle, Birds of Prey, and others. How many relaunches do we have to endure? 

Well, the debate with me is now about which new number ones to pick up. I've occasionally picked up the first issue of relaunches in the past just to check things out. But I cannot afford to buy fifty-two issues at once! I think DC is making a huge mistake releasing them all at once since so many fans are on limited budgets in this ailing economy, not to mention the fact that comics are already woefully overpriced. So which books do I want to check out? Here are my first through third tier options: 

First tier:

Justice League - The team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make this appealing. They are first tier creators even if the new costume designs stink. 

Batman; Detective Comics; Batman and Robin - Since Batman is my favorite fictional character and the one who got me into comics, I may be checking into these just to see where the character is going. I'll stick only to the titles that really grab me.

Batgirl - I'd like to see how they explain Barbara's return to this role and if it's too stupid I can drop it.  

Superman; Action Comics - I'd be crazy to pass up a first issue of Action Comics even though it will never be worth anything. With Grant Morrison writing one book and George Perez the other, I'm interested. I'm usually not a Morrison fan, but he did a great job with All-Star Superman. So I'd like to see how the Man of Tomorrow is relaunched. I'm curious to see if the marriage of Clark and Lois ever happened in this altered reality.

Second Tier:

Supergirl- Just how big a brat will she be, anyway?

All-Star Western - Jonah Hex lead story with other western back-up stories. The 3.99 price gives me pause, but the first issue has Hex in Gotham City, which I thought was on the Eastern Seaboard.

DC Universe Presents - Sounds like a relaunch of the latest Brave and the Bold.

Third Tier: 

Legion of Super Heroes - Another relaunch? How much more confusing could it be?   

Animal Man - I learned to love this character in 52 and Countdown to Adventure.

I won't be buying all of these, not even all the number ones. But these are my thoughts today. I do wonder if the Justice Society, Power Girl, or the multiverse will have any future in this altered universe.                    

Free Comic Book Day 2011

Saturday, May 7 was this year's annual Free Comic Book Day. Publishers provide dealers with free promotional comics to give away. This allows readers to sample various companies, characters, and titles before deciding where to invest their entertainment dollars.

Some of the free books offered are simply glorified commercials without any real story or just a partial story that is continued to the regular comic series. But each year there are a few books that provide a decent self-contained story along with the commercial. This year's Captain America/Thor team-up was especially good as the two were thrown back in time to Camelot. I wonder why Marvel chose Captain America and Thor? Could that have anything to do with this year's movie offerings? Marvel is still the greatest when it comes to All Ages stories that are really for all ages and not simply juvenile. DC's Young Justice/Batman: Brave and the Bold also had some decent self-contained stories. The Batman story was a good short story teaming Batman with Flash as the opinions of society's upper crust are contrasted with the real Bruce Wayne.

The comic shop we patronized for FCBD this year really went all out. There were people in costume (most notably Green Lantern & Batwoman), a sketch artist, and photographs with the life-size Spiderman statue. A long table with free super-hero buttons and numerous FCBD offerings allowed patrons to choose up to five titles each. And this comic shop did not stamp the covers with their store name, although there is a place for it. I love it when the covers aren't stamped. Every serious collector knows better than to desecrate a comic in that manner. This shop even had a sidewalk sale with dollar comics and free coffee. I'm impressed! It was like a mini-convention.

In addition to my five free titles (which also included Green Lantern, The Misadventures of Adam West, and Amazing Spiderman) I also had to raid the dollar boxes resulting in a fairly good stack. These included one-shots of Batman and Captain America, the Superman: Last Family of Krypton series, and the Amazing Spiderman issues with the "One Moment in Time" story arc. So FCBD was a real event for our family this year. Thanks to those comic shop proprietors who go the extra mile.       

Pull List and Reviews (June 2010)

Here is a list of my current subscriptions and what I thought of some newer issues:

DC

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne This book picks up where the concluding issue of Final Crisis left off, with Bruce Wayne stranded in the caveman days. Now he makes his way forward through time toward the 21st century in this six-parter. In issue two he stopped off for an adventure involving some witch hunting Puritans, and he is moving on to a pirate's life for one issue, and then to the old west. It's interesting to see the bat-guy in all these different historical settings. History is retro.

Interestingly, Bruce has amnesia, yet his resourceful instincts aren't lacking. He is being pursued through time by Superman, Rip Hunter, Green Lantern, and Booster Gold. They have to somehow intercept Bruce before he unknowingly serves as Darkseid's weapon to destroy the 21st century, whatever all that means. I'm still not clear what Bruce was doing near the end of time unless maybe he was trying to pinpoint a position in time in order to return there and save an accused witch from hanging. Who knows? I don't totally get it, but I think I'm supposed to buy a zillion cross-overs before I do, including the forthcoming Time Masters: Vanishing Point mini-series, and several issues of Batman and Robin. It's all about marketing, but I'm not taking the bait.   

On the positive side, the cover art by Andy Kubert is exceptional. The Sprouse and Story art team did a great job on the first issue, but the Frazer Irving interior on the second didn't do much for me. I don't care for what I call the "sketchy" look, but I suppose it works well for the 17th century mood. For super heroes though, Iriving is not my favorite. In all, I would grade this series a B- but it does have potential.

JSA All-Stars The Johnny Sorrow story arc finally concluded and with some very interesting plot twists. Now we know why he appeared to be in love with Stargirl. It's great to see Atom-Smasher back with a JSA-related team. It will be interesting to see Al and Courtney's relationship develop, assuming it will. Romantic tension is good for a series. We need more of a human element in today's comics.  

I won't be missing Magog or Damage at all. I'm not sure why some characters with no JSA links to their origin are even on this team (i.e, Lightning, King Chimera, Judo-master). I wouldn't mind if they took a hike and Power Girl, Cyclone, Hour-Man, Sand, and Stargirl were returned to the mainline team. But these characters are why I keep reading. I don't care for the art though. While I don't know the lingo to be a good art critic, the lines just seem jagged and choppy to me. My grade: B-

Justice Society of America It's twenty years into the future and the neo-Nazi fourth reich has taken over America. All super heroes have been stripped of their powers. It's the day of Batman's execution in a prison camp where several heroes are incarcerated and Mr. Terrific, Clark Kent, and others are plotting their great escape. 

I LOVE this book! But what's going on? Is this someone's dream, the future of an alternate reality or parallel earth, or a failure that the JSA will travel back in time to "fix"? The next issue (#39) should be concluding this arc since the JSA-JLA crossover is coming up. So I'll be buying both titles for a while. 

This series has made Bill Willingham one of my favorite writers. The art team of Jesus Merino and Jesse Delperdang is outstanding. My grade: A 

DCU: Legacies This ten-part series which retells the history of the DC Universe is off to a great start. What could be better than a Len Wein story with the art team of Kubert and Kubert? Paul Lincoln narrates the start of the Golden Age with an appearance by Crimson Avenger and an exciting team-up of Sandman and the Atom who prove themselves to be heroic in character as well as in braun. A backup story features the Spectre and Dr. Fate with art by J. G. Jones. I like the way Inza was incorporated into the story and the art has a definite retro feel. My grade: A 

Marvel

The Torch This series concludes with its final issue in early June. Will the Torch survive and why does Thomas Raymond have the Horton cells? One of the highlights of this series for me was to see the original Torch and Toro team up with the Johnny Storm Human Torch for one issue (# 5). I can't wait for the conclusion. My grade: A+ 

Captain America: 1940s Newspaper Strip. This forthcoming 3-part series by Karl Kesel explores the newspaper strip that never was. With a story reflective of a 40s newspaper strip, I'm hoping for an age appropriate story that I can share with my kids. I'm also hoping for a fun read. 

Dynamite

Project Superpowers, Chapter Two I continue to read this, but I'm a little behind. My grade: B+  

Interesting Stuff; Spring 2010

Here is some upcoming stuff that interests me.

Floppies

By "floppies" I mean monthly periodical comics:

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - I may actually purchase this six part series as it comes out, beginning in April. From the looks of the covers, it appears that Bruce Wayne makes his way forward from the beginning of time with some interesting historical stops along the way. This one is written by Grant Morrison, which could be great (i.e., All-Star Superman) or not-so-great (i. e., Final Crisis).

Legacies - A ten-part History of the DC Universe from the viewpoint of a man on the street. Now hasn't Marvel done something like that already? (i.e. Marvels)? But the retro appeal, including some Golden Age era stories, makes this right up my alley. This one begins in May.

The Twelve: Spearhead - A World War II era one-shot guest starring Captain America. This one just came out. Maybe there is still hope of Marvel concluding The Twelve limited series sometime. 

War of the Supermen - The series will launch with # 0 given away at Free Comic Book Day. Then I'll decide whether to purchase the series.

Trades & Hardcovers

Who's Who in the DC Universe- I could buy the 15 issue limited series that begins soon, but I choose to wait for the trade for a more encyclopedic feel. It's also easier to take a volume like this off the book shelf as a reference than it is to thumb through single issues in boxes.

The History of the DC Universe - I think this will be a one volume book updating the universe since the alterations brought about in the last few crises. 

Other Titles I May Read in Trades

Batman and Robin - A good series, but I just can't read everything.

Fantastic Four- With Dale Eaglesham having done art chores for this title, I cannot refuse.

Green Hornet - How can I ignore all of Dynamite's hype for this new series? It's got retro appeal too, but I'll wait for the trades.

Zorro- Another good title I haven't collected since the first couple of issues. I'll check out some of the trades.  

Books with Retro Appeal

Here is a listing of some books I'd like to eventually check out, especially if I could find them in a public library:

1000 Comic Books You Must Read by Tony Isabella

Should be interesting to see what makes his list and why. Amazon has it for 19.79.  

Alex Toth in Hollywood (Pure Imagination Publishing)

This late great 20th century artist spent some years working for Western Publishing (Dell & Gold Key) drawing comics based on TV series and movies. This volume includes stories from Roy Rogers, Sea Hunt, The Lennon Sisters, Disney's Zorro and Sugarfoot. Also included is an adaptation of the John Wayne film, The Wings of Eagles and James Stewart's film The F.B.I. Story.

Batman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski and Superman: Earth One by Geoff Johns

Two of the greatest writers take on two of DC's greatest heroes. These graphic novels retell the origins of these heroes outside the context of regular DC continuity. Anything can happen as we see yet another universe's version of these heroes. I'm thinking these should be out in the Spring.  

Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary (hardcover).

I would look this one over for the sheer nostalgia, although I'm not a huge Casper fan. But these kind of old kid-friendly stories and art take me back to my childhood and celebrate the Golden Age (which I'n not old enough to remember, but only enjoy through reprints and back issues).

This one, published by Dark Horse, reprints Casper #1 from St.John Publishing (1949) and Casper # 61 from Harvey (1952). Amazon has it for only ten bucks. Back issue reprint collections are a great way to share a comic hobby with your kids without exposing them to all the graphic violence and language in some of today's comics. 

Crisis on Multiple Earths, vol. 5 (trade paperback) 

I've waited a very long time for the next volume in this series that reprints the annual JLA and JSA crossovers. This one should cover the late 70s and early 80s. It is scheduled for late April release. 

Jonah Hex: No Way Back (DC Comics)

An original graphic novel, scheduled for May release, just in time for the live action movie starring Josh Brolin.

Last Days of Animal Man (DC Comics)

This early March release collects the six issue mini-series of the character I grew to love in the 52 series. I'll read this one after I check out Countdown to Adventure which I believe to be a bridge from 52 to this series.  

Supermen: The First Wave of Heroes 1936-1941(Fantagraphics, paperback, 192 pages)

Reprints of early and rarely seen heroes drawn by the likes of Kirby, Wolverton, and others. Amazon has it for $23.07.  

Tarzan Archives. vol. 5, The Jesse Marsh Years (Dark Horse, hardcover)

Reprints Dell's rare issues 23-27. 

Was Superman a Spy? by Brian Cronin 

This one is dirt cheap on Amazon right now, listed as a bargain. Written by the author of the popular Comics Should be Good blog, this book deals with the urban myths and legends of the comic book industry. Divided into three sections; Marvel, DC, and other publishers, this volume either confirms or dispels many rumors. 

It purports to answr such burning questions as "Why did Ditko leave Spiderman?"; Why did a robot replace the Human Torch on the 70s Fantastic Four cartoon series?"; and "Was Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle based on a comic character?" Sounds like some amusing light reading.  

Waiting for Some DC Collected Editions

Here are some recent, current, and upcoming comic book series which I either have skipped, or probably will skip, in favor of waiting for the reprints in either hardcover or trade paperback format. I can save a bundle if I wait for some of these to come to public libraries or by purchasing the collected editions from Amazon or other discount booksellers: 

DC

Bat Lash: Guns and Roses - Being a fan of the Old West, I loved the first issue of this limited series. I hope to read the trade through in a sitting or two and learn the gambler's origin.

Batgirl- The new Batgirl in town is not Barbara Gordon. I'm interested in checking out at least the first story arc of this new ongoing series once it appears as a collected edition. 

Brave and the Bold- Now that Straczynski's writing this one I'm anxious to see one of his story arcs.

Countdown to Adventure- reprint of the limited series starring Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire--my favorite storyline in the 52 series.

First Wave- This offspring of the Batman/Doc Savage one-shot combines 30s pulp and sci-fi in an alternate universe of non-super-powered heroes. The one-shot was okay, but not outstanding. I am looking forward to seeing these guys co-exist with the Shadow, the Spirit, the Blackhawks, and Rima. The "floppies" haven't even begun, but I think I can wait for the trades.

JSA vs. Kobra- I usually get everything JSA, but I had the discipline to wait for the trade on this limited series. 

Red Robin - Tim Drake's new alter ego who refusing to believe that Bruce Wayne is dead launches his own investigation.

Superboy Greatest Team-Ups - I think this reprints Silver and perhaps Bronze age stories. Should be fun and make me feel like a kid again.

Superman: Red Son- An alternate reality in which the rocket ship containing baby Kal-El lands in the Soviet Union where Superman grows to be Russia's favorite son. I can't believe I still haven't read this.

Superman: Secret Origins- The fact that Geoff Johns is writing this series greatly appeals to me. It will be interesting to see such an outstanding writer's take on a classic character.

Trinity - After Countdown I wasn't about to fall for another weekly series. I hear this one was much better, but I simply could not afford it. I hope to see this story of the big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) in my local library.