Hold On Comics

Comic comments on hold for a short while… the last Wheel of Time book came out on the 8th! Here’s hoping Brandon Sanderson doesn’t ruin it like he did his Mistborn trilogy.

Let’s Talk about Comics

Who came first, Laszlo from Doctor Who’s Daleks in Manhattan (who was converted into a pig-faced slave) or Professor Pyg (Lazlo Valentin) from Batman? Grant Morrison first premiered Prof. Pyg in Batman #666, which came out in July of 2007. Daleks in Manhattan aired the 21st of April 2007. Guess that answers that. But did Grant use this as inspiration, or was it merely coincidence caused by Prof. Pyg’s Pygmalion roots? I know Mr Morrison does love all things Doctor Who….

Let’s talk about Comics

I’m finally working through my fat pull list that I collected before the Holidays. So far I’m caught up on the new 52 Batman, Justice League Dark and All-New Xmen. So Justice League dark – I just finished #14, and the gang is off to find Timothy Hunter (who I was clueless about before this) and Zatanna. I liked the Books of Magic storyline, though it was not particularly deep. JLD seems to focus a lot on the snarky dynamics of its ensemble cast. But now I need to know more. So, how is it exactly that the Books of Magic are machines? Are they an advanced alien technology sent for safekeeping on Earth with the sole purpose of taking Tim Hunter “home”? Why is Zatanna always getting abducted? Is Black Orchid’s outfit an extension of her skin? I’m not too familiar with this Dr. Peril fellow who just showed up – is he a regular? What is his history? I’m sure a lot of this is just me needing to fill in a lot of my missing comic knowledge – really I just need to read MORE.

I’ve been enjoying Scott Snyder’s Batman. The Court of Owls was a Morrison-esque storyline – the history of the Wayne family, the cultish tie-ins, the inescapable labyrinth (needed more Minotaur though). Now we have gone back to that old familiar foe, the Joker, who wreaks havoc as usual. But does the Joker really know every member of the Bat family’s identity? I’m thinking not, since this would beĀ disastrousĀ for the whole Batman universe – they’d pretty much have to kill off the Joker and ensure that none of his cohorts learned of the secret identities. I’m thinking that the Joker is just being the Joker and bluffing for the effect. What baffles me the most is Batman’s failure to tell the rest of the family of Alfred’s capture. Was that really beneficial for the whole family? Or is Batman acting out of, dare I say it… FEAR??? Not my Batman. Let’s see what happens though.

My thoughts on All-New XMen are mixed and brief. The good scientist Beast seems none to concerned about the state of the space-time continuum. The “current” future would be in flux the minute the past XMen were exposed to their possible future. I’m pretty picky about my time-continuity business though. My biggest qualm lay in the fact that both sets of XMen had an all-out battle in midst of hundreds of innocents without seeming concerned. That was a little discontinuous.

More thoughts after I get through the newest Before Watchmen, Thunderbolts and Detective Comics. I’ll put up some old comments about my current favorite, Batman Inc. as well. And I’m still missing my issue #27 of Prophet – I can’t continue without it!