Pop Culture Chronicles

Superman of Earth 23

I enjoyed the return of the Earth-23 Superman in the latest Action Comics, vol. 2, # 9. He was introduced in the mini series Final Crisis 7 (2009) in which all the Supermen of the multiverse came together against a common threat.

On Earth-23, Superman is President of the United States and also black. In Action Comics we learn of a potential controversy surrounding his place of birth. This echoes the controversy involving Obama's birthplace which is nothing more than his political enemies grasping at straws. While some did not appreciate the parallel to the Obama controversy, I thought it was well done. Imagine the uproar if it were discovered that a President was born off planet.

The Earth-23 Superman's alter ego is Calvin Ellis. It took me a while to realize that this name is derived from Kal El. I'm slow like that sometimes.

It was good to see the return of Earth-23's Wonder Woman, who is also black, and Ellis' assistant, Courtney. I'm glad that not every concept introduced in Final Crisis was scrapped with the coming of the New 52. Once a new Multiverse was introduced in the 52 series, DC published a list of earths cataloged thus far. Earth-23 was not yet on the list, and was not yet named as such in Final Crisis. I look forward to a complete catalog of Earths in the new 52 universe and I suspect there will be 52 of them.

The multiversal take on this story was underscored by the appearance of the Lois Lane and Clark Kent of yet another parallel earth. We haven't met these folks before and the Kent of this planet is not Superman. I look forward to more back story on these characters. And it was great to see the use of the Superman robots on Earth-23 which caused me to reminisce about some old Silver Age stories. Overall, I was pleased with Action Comics # 9 and I hope the title can be a place to introduce even more Supermen of the multiverse.   

Great News for Retro Fans!

The return of Earth-2's Power Girl and the Huntress is some of the best pop culture news I've heard in a long time. The first four issues of JSA: Classified in 2005 explored the questions of Power Girl's true origin. This story arc, wonderfully executed by Geoff Johns, Amanda Connner, and Jimmy Palmiotti, served as prelude to the events of Infinite Crisis which began that same year. It was later revealed, in the final issue of 52, that the crisis had indeed led to the birth of a new multiverse. 

In Infinite Crisis, also penned by Johns, we learned that Power Girl was the lone survivor of the former multivere's Earth-Two, not to mention the last daughter of that universe's Krypton. Having been best friends with Earth-Two's Huntress, Helena Wayne, Power Girl's suppressed memories leads her to seek out the post-crisis (on infinite Earths) Huntress, Helena Bertinelli, who provides no answers regarding Power Girl's origin.

In Justice Society of America, volume 3, Annual 1, Power Girl goes to Earth-2 where she unites with the Huntress of that world (Helena Wayne). But in this post-Infinite Crisis, Post-52 world, another Power Girl already exists on Earth-2, leaving our Power Girl again displaced. 

Well now the DC universe has experienced yet another reboot resulting from Flashpoint. In this altered reality both Power Girl and the Huntress (Helena Wayne) have always been residents of Earth-2, but they are now stranded on DC's mainline earth (whether that be New Earth, Earth-1, or whatever they're calling it these days). While in this predicament, the duo's adventures will now be told in a new volume of Worlds' Finest, slated to appear in May. Notice the apostrophe after the "s" likely in acknowledgment of the Multiverse. The writer of this series is Paul Levitz, creator of the Huntress for the JSA revival in All-Star Comics back in the late 70s.

Huntress was originally the daughter of Earth-2's Batman and Catwoman, but the post-crisis Huntress was Helena Bertinelli, daughter of an Italian mob boss. The post-Flashpoint, new 52 universe combines the best of both worlds for the Huntress. Bertinelli is an alias of Helena Wayne. The Italian mob connection is present in Levitz's current Huntress limited series where she is in Italy under the assumed name of Bertinelli. She fights those who traffic in weapons and human beings. A couple of occasions revealed her fondness for cats, perhaps a nod to her being the Earth-2 Catwoman's daughter.

The Huntress, whether in the Wayne or Bertinelli incarnations, has always been firmly situated in the Batman family as either daughter or crime fighting protege. So it's fitting that this Batman family member will be paired with Superman family member, Power Girl, in the upcoming Worlds' Finest. The original World's Finest Comics regularly teamed Superman with Batman.

Adding to the excitement is another comic called Earth-2, also premiering in May and starring a rebooted Justice Society. Also, I hear that Grant Morrison will be writing a future series called Multiversity. I've been waiting over 20 years for Earth-2 to once again play a major part in DC comics. I'm excited.      

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.     

Superman in the 90s

I collected most Superman and Batman titles throughout the 90s. I hardly read any of them since there just wasn't time during that phase in my life. So for the last two years I've been catching up on reading the Superman titles from that era. I got the first few issues of the second Superman series when it began in 1987, but then dropped it until Superman died in issue # 75. From that issue, dated January 1993, I collected the title until Spring of 1999. I've been able to fill most missing issues from bargain bins at comic shops.

Throughout most of the 90s fans could get weekly installments of Superman's adventures with cross-continuity across four regular titles including:

• Superman
• Adventures of Superman
• Action Comics
• Superman: The Man of Steel

Right now I'm up to 1995 in my reading. Having gone from 1993 to 1995 with these four Superman titles, I've been through the Funeral For a Friend, Reign of the Supermen, Resurrection, and Dead Again story arcs. I've just finished Superman # 100 which began the "Death of Clark Kent" storyline. The Superman titles were characterized by the following features at this time:

• The engagement of Clark and Lois
• Perry & Alice White's adoption of an African-American youth
• Metropolis P.D. officers Maggy Sawyer and Dan Turpin
• Superman's mullet phase
• Comics Code approved

The creative teams included Dan Jurgens who did both story and pencils for Superman until after issue # 100 when the pencils were handed to others. Brett Breeding's inks were a nice compliment to Jurgen's pencils making them one of my favorite 90s Superman teams. This was during Superman's long-hair (or mullet) phase which lasted until about 1997. Jurgens and Breeding didn't overdo the long flowing mane thing like some others did, which in retrospect looks so ridiculous and dated. 

By the mid-90s Adventures of Superman was written by Karl Kesel who did a decent job, but I was not overly impressed by the art of Immomen and Marzan. They were quite good with human anatomy, female facial features, and city scapes. But the way they drew Superman just didn't do it for me. The hair was too long and the face too weak (if that makes any sense). In the team-up issue 522, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman are done quite well.

Action Comics had the team of Michelinie, Guice, and Rodier. The writing was okay, but the art team for this title was some of the best for this era in Superman's history. Superman's hair was a bit wild though.

Louise Simonson did the writing for Superman: The Man of Steel. The art team was Bogdanove and Janke. This title includes some of my favorite writing and least favorite art from this era. 

DC will soon be paying homage to the Superman of the 90s with the series of DC Retroactive one-shots in September. One of the titles will be Superman-the 90s which reunites Simonson and Bogdanove. 

I'll write more about Superman in the 90s as I continue to read through it. I'll eventually get around to the Batman titles.  

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.       

Most Wanted Trades & Hardcovers

While browsing through lists of upcoming comics, I discovered that there just isn't much coming out these days that appeals to me. I don't see many World War II era stories coming out, but that could change with the release of the Captain America movie in May. And what happened to DC's multiverse? Sure there are series like First Wave which take place in some of these alternate realities, but I was hoping for some good crossovers. I haven't seen the Justice Society of Earth Two since Justice Society of America Annual 1 and that was nearly three years ago! Plus it's getting really pricey to collect comics. I hear DC will be drawing the line at 2.99, but even at that a comic had better be consistently good before I drop that kind of money.

My pull list is currently down to a couple of titles: DCU: Legacies and Justice Society of America. The first is a limited series that will soon end and I may drop the second due to DC's recent trend of inserting their bleeding-heart liberal agendas into the stories. So I may be done with JSA very soon.

But I haven't given up comics completely and I was most recently impressed by DC's hardcover one shot Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski. It was a masterpiece, reminiscent of all the best elements from previous Superman origin stories, all integrated into this one streamlined reimagining. The art by Shane Davis is some of the best I've seen. The dialog, especially between Perry, Lois, Clark, and Jimmy during Clark's "interview" was priceless.

So I think I'll start going the trade route in the near future. Then I can read a complete story in one sitting. Here is my most wanted reading list as of today:

1) Crisis on Multiple Earths, Volume 5 - More reprints of the JLA / JSA crossovers.

2) Invaders Classic, Volume 1 - In all there are four volumes of these 70s reprints by Roy Thomas.

3) Bat Lash: Guns and Roses - Western adventure reprinting the 6 issue series.

4) Batman: Earth One - by Geoff Johns, if it ever comes out.

5) Superman: Secret Origins - by Geoff Johns. I may wait for softcover since hardcover is so expensive.

6) Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, vol. 1 - 3 vol.s with Eaglesham art in the first two.

7) Team ups of the Brave and the Bold by J. Michael Straczynski. Soon to be in paperback, August 2011.

8) Thor by Straczynski (3 volumes altogether)

9) Superman: Grounded, Volume 1 Straczynski hardcover due August 2011.

10) JSA vs. Kobra reprints 6 part mini-series.

11) Legion of Superheroes by Levitiz. Hardcover available in April 2011.

12) Dark Shadows, volume 1

13) Dark Shadows, volume 2

14) Spiderman: The Complete Clone Saga Epic, Book 1 (at least five volumes)

15) Simon and Kirby Superheroes

I think I'll head to the public library with this reading list.