Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 54 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Five

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #54

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Five of Five

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March, 1986)
• History of the DC Universe #1 (January, 1987)
• History of the DC Universe #2 (February, 1987)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

 Alrighty, let's take this baby home...

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 53 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #53

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four of Five

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January, 1986)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 (February, 1986)

In addition to starting down the home-stretch of our Crisis on Infinite Earths coverage, I'd like to present you all with a short video I recorded yesterday regarding an update as well as a Cosmic Treadmill "Call to Arms".

The gist of the thing is, on September 13, 2020 I'll be putting up the FINAL episode of Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill... and, in order to really do it right, I want to send this project off on as happy a note as possible.  To do so, I need help.  If you are a listener of the Cosmic Treadmill, and would like to share some of your memories of the show with me, I encourage you to reach out.

I figure there are three ways we could go about this...

1. If you record a bit of audio and send it to me, I can play it on the air
2. If you write something and send it to me, I can read it on the air
3. If you wanted to set up a call with me, where we can chat about the show and I can include that on the episode

Whatever is easiest for you, will be fine by me.  If you're a listener with a story to tell, I really hope you reach out.  I'm not putting any sort of time-restrictions on these segments... if you have a few words to share, or long stories... that works for me!  If you happen to know any listeners, that may not be blog-readers, please pass this video along to them.  Thank you!

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 52 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #52

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three of Five

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 (September, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (October, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

Today we're revisiting the episode with those issues of Crisis folks seem to care most about... featuring the deaths of Supergirl and Barry Allen!

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 51 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #51

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two (of Five)

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 (June, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

This is one of those episodes that we in the biz would call "a doozy"... technical term, of course.  We're covering three issues of Crisis on Infinite Earths, including... the fifth one.

What's so special about the fifth one?  That's not the "big issue", right?  Well... if you're following along, or know anything about Reggie and my process, you'll know that we're giving bios and histories for every single character to show up in Crisis.  That fifth issue... features that scene (included below), where like skatey-eight hundred major and minor DC characters all show up and meet up.  We covered them all.  It's nearly a three-hour endeavor, I hope you packed a lunch... or have an especially long commute.

Also: I neglected to mention this yesterday, but we prefaced our Crisis coverage in Episode 50 with an overview on the JLA/JSA crossovers of the Silver and Bronze Ages.  This episode continues that tour, taking those crossovers right up to Crisis on Infinite Earths.  We were eventually going to do complete Cosmic Treadmill episodes for each of the JLA/JSA crossovers... however, we only ever got around to doing one... but that's a story for another day.

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 50 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part One

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #50


Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part One (of Five)

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (May, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

As we were approaching our landmark fiftieth episode of the Cosmic Treadmill, we racked our brains trying to decide the perfect "milestone" comic book event to cover.  I mean, Crisis was probably the first thing that popped into both our minds... but, was that really "fiftieth episode" worthy?  Like, shouldn't Crisis be saved for like our hundredth episode?

Well, the fact that we were a tiny comic book podcast that actually managed to make it fifty episodes when so many other shows peter out long before... and even fewer make it into the triple-digits, we decided not to put off a day that might've never come.  It did, of course... but, that's a story for another day.

BONUS BOOK - Teen Titans (1996)

BONUS BOOK - Teen Titans (Pre-October, 1996)
"Titans Children"
Story & Pencils - Dan Jurgens
Finished Art - George Perez
Colors - Gregory Wright
Enhancement - Digital Chameleon
Letters - Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Edits - Eddie Berganza

Waitaminute, waitaminute... You might be thinking "I know the Titans Insert Prevue, (in fact we've looked at it twice)... and this, is not that book!"  Well, you'd be right... because this one, my friends, is not that book.  This is actually a Prevue that I'd forgotten all about!  It wasn't until I had my memory jogged by pal, Grant Kitchen, that this little ditty was included betwixt the pages of Superman (vol.2) #116!

This is a sneak-peek at the second volume of Teen Titans... ya know, that attempt to give the newly teen-aged Atom a place to hang out?  That Titans book where Dan Jurgens allegedly wasn't allowed to use any Titans characters?  Yeah, that one!  We've already looked at a few issues of that run here... including the first issue.

You might notice the... very odd cover date here.  Not sure what in the world "Pre-Oct, 1996" means.  Does that mean it could've been published anytime between January and September, 1996?  Does it just mean that Superman (vol.2) was twice-monthly at this point, and for whatever reason they used "Pre" instead of "Early"?  I'm sure whatever the explanation is, it's very boring.

Before we hop in, just wanna let everybody know that this is the final post of the Fourth Year of Chris is on Infinite Earths!  Tomorrow kicks off the fifth!  Tomorrow's anniversary piece is going to be a lot of fun... and maybe just a little bit weird!

--

We open, two days ago, on Titan... the largest of Saturn's 22 known Moons.  Nowadays, Saturn's known to have at least 62... though, Titan is still regarded as the biggest.  Heck, it's larger than Mercury.  Anyhoo, these Titans of the Teen variety, who we have yet to be introduced to, are... maybe being abducted and held hostage there?  A hooded figure (that is, Omen) laments their failure in stopping this from occurring.

We join them in space, where the fellas have all become just a bit more buff.  They fight a pair of Psion aliens, the blonde kid refers to as "Pinky and the Brain", just in case we'd forgotten when this book came out.  In the skirmish, they discover the bagged body of... oh my, is that Doomsday?!  That sure looks like Doomsday's Goggle-Sack outfit!

Well, no... for better or worse, it's not Doomsday.  It's actually Prism, who will be another member of our team.  She blames the Psions for taking her world... and postures threateningly.

We jump ahead, and the day is saved... apparently.  I gotta say, this is a really strange way to give an "Insert Prevue".  This is really just bits and pieces from issues of the series that are yet to come out... so, we're bouncing around a good bit.  So yeah, everything's cool... and the kids have even convinced the Psion, Dorek to give them a ride home.

We wrap up back on Earth... and the Titans try on their new "Calvin Klein" duds, and pick their code names.  The recently teen-aged Atom, who was a part of this whole mess decides to stick around and help out.  It's not like he has an ongoing series or anything... so, what the heck, right?

--

So... heckuva way to introduce a new team, huh?

I am, of course, being facetious... this wasn't really all that great.  An assortment of scenes from the first few issues of the soon-to-release ongoing series... with much/all of the context removed... just doesn't seem like anything to get all "rah-rah" about.  I know, had I been reading DC Comics back in 1996... I most certainly would not have been enticed to pick up the first issue of Teen Titans (vol.2) based solely off of this Prevue.

It just doesn't do anything to introduce the characters... which, ya gotta figure, is sort of the selling point to a team book... no?  You want to follow a team book because you care about the characters... you have some sort of interest or investment in them.  This fails to provide any of that.  Even the "mysteries" here feel half-baked.  Who's the hooded figure?  Who cares?  What's the deal with the girl in the Doomsday gimp-suit?  Again, who cares?  Now that I think of it, if anything... this Prevue might've actually hindered me from picking up that first issue!  Couldn't imagine how actual Titans fans felt seeing this back in the day!

Worth noting (maybe just to ninnies like myself), if you scan any of the DC Wikis and whatnot looking for first appearances, these new Teen Titans we're introduced to are listed as first appearing in Teen Titans (vol.2) #1... and not here.  According to Mike's Amazing World, this issue of Superman (vol.2) hit shelves on July 31, 1996... whereas, Teen Titans (vol.2) #1 came out almost a full-month later on August 28.  So, these Titans don't quite get the New Teen Titans treatment of having their first appearance listed as the "Insert Prevue".  Probably a weird sticking point for me... but, these are the sort of things that keep me up at night!

Overall... nah, didn't dig this.  Felt too disjointed, and didn't build much of a defined mystery to derive curiosity from someone who was just reading Superman... but, that's just one dude's opinion.  Maybe you feel differently... and this Prevue got you hyped to jump into TTv2 with both feet?

Anyhoo, that'll do it for today... please come back tomorrow for my FOUR-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of putting out DAILY Discussions and Reviews of DC-and-DC-Adjacent-Comics!  It'll be a good time... I promise!

--

Interesting (and Relevant) Ad:

BONUS BOOK - New Teen Titans (1980)

BONUS BOOK - New Teen Titans (October, 1980)
"Where Nightmares Begin!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Pencils - George Perez
Inks - Dick Giordano
Letters - Ben Oda
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein

I had planned to cover a different book today... considering it's my... yeesh, 40th Birthday.  I think I remember there being an issue of Green Arrow where he deals with the fact that he's approaching/approached middle-age...

But, ya know what?  I'm just not feeling it.  There's no need to malaise over the fact that time moves forward... because, heck... being old enough to turn 40 definitely beats the alternative, doesn't it?

Anyhoo, today we're going to continue looking at "Bonus Books" or "Insert Previews" or whatever we wanna call it... I use the terms interchangeably.  Today, we're going to look at the Insert that kicked 'em all off... the first appearance of the NEW Teen Titans from 1980.

This insert appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 (October, 1980), and was one that eluded me for quite some time.  It was actually one that I flat-out just assumed I'd never get.  Online speculation, CGC slabbing, and ridiculous streaming-TV tie-ins have really done a number on many collect-ability aspects of the hobby.  Folks who never gave a second thought to comics are suddenly "buying in" on whatever they assume the latest "hot book" is gonna be.

Hrmm... in my now advanced age, I could swear we already went through something like this... and barely made it out the other side.  Ah, I'm probably just talkin' nonsense.

Anyhoo, I said all of that so that I might say this... earlier this year (April, 2019) I actually came across a copy of this very issue at a record store!  In near perfect condition (I don't use terms like "mint" because, c'mon... that's subjective as hell)... for ONE American Dollar... and Ninety-Nine American Cents!  A buck'99!  I nearly fell out.

So yeah, I now have this issue... so, it's fair game to actually talk about.  Only problem there is, I kind of already discussed this story when I looked at Tales of the Teen Titans #59 (November, 1985) where it was reprinted!  Oh well... there ain't no rules to none of this... and, let's face it... barely anybody reads this blog anymore as it is... so, chances are, this is new-to-you!

Enjoy!

--

We open with Robin stood before S.T.A.R. Labs being filled in by a couple of police officers about a terrorist stand-off going on inside.  They're threatening to detonate a bomb if their demands aren't met... and so, Robin goes to rush on inside... only, he's overcome with a most strange sensation.  He suddenly finds himself stirred back to "reality" by Wonder Girl... and he's now stood before the... never before seen - Titans Tower!  He doesn't have a clue what's going on... and I'd wager most of the folks reading this at the time felt the same way!

They head inside, where Dick is reunited with Beast Boy (now going by Changeling) and introduced to a couple of brand-new faces: Starfire and Cyborg!  Dick hasn't ever seen these people before... but they definitely know him.

Wally speeds on to the scene a moment later, and Robin's just happy to see another familiar face.  Everybody looks at Dick like he's got three-heads... because he really shouldn't be this confused.  After all, they're teammates!

Finally, Raven arrives.  This is another brand-new face to both Dick and the original readers of DC Comics Presents #26.

She comes with the dire news that a certain scientist managed to open a portal into another universe.  Now, if you think that sounds like a really bad idea... you're right.  From this portal oozes a gelatinous beast that overcomes the scientist.

The Titans (?) decide to hop-to and see if they can't topple this terror.  Gar attempts to rally the troops by doing a little Titans-Rah-Rah.  The best he can come up with is... "Titans--Let 'er Rip!", which I'm sad didn't catch on.

The team heads out, and finds the Flan-Beast atop a high-rise building.  Raven sends her soul-self into the monster... and finds herself immediately separated from it.  Even in her first appearance, Raven was so over-powered that she had to be kayoed within the first couple of beats of battle!  Worth noting that Wally is particularly protective of Raven... which is neat, considering their upcoming arc.

The rest of the Titans try and take the fight to the Pudding-Horror, however, all of their offense proves to be ineffective.  Then... Robin "wakes up".  He's back outside S.T.A.R. Labs, where one of the Police Officers informs him that he had to shove him down out of the way of a terrorist bullet!

Robin shakes off the weirdness, and decides to attempt to infiltrate S.T.A.R. Labs via his "rocket grappler".  No sooner does he scale the building than he is thrown back into that other reality... where he's battling the Custard-Critter!

The Titans fight the monster for a bit longer... not gaining much in the way of ground.  Then... after Cyborg is able to wound it using some heavy-duty decibels the thing finally attempts to flee.  At this point, Robin has an idea.  He's certain that the Wobbly-Wicket is heading back to its "point of origin", and he has a sneaking suspicion that place is somewhere inside S.T.A.R. Labs.  Upon arrival, Cyborg is none too pleased to head inside.

Robin rushes inside and chats up that scientist that called the thing here in the first place.  He informs him that there's no way they can beat this baddie... and their only hope is to send it back from whence it came.  Since this things primary attack is converting Oxygen to Methane... they realize they're going to have to get this Whopper into an air-tight room.  Starfire volunteers to act as a lure, since she doesn't need to breathe Oxygen anyway.

Then, they do the thing... and everything's hunky-dory.

As the dust settles, Cyborg has words with the scientist... who we learn is actually his father, Silas Stone... also, the man who created Cyborg's mechanical body (though, if we're being technical, he also created his organic one).  It's clear that there's no love lost between the Stone men.

Suddenly... Robin "wakes up" again.  The Officers thank him for ending the terrorist stand-off without a single loss of life.  He hasn't the foggiest idea what any of them are talking about.  Then, he's approached by a most grateful Dr. Silas Stone... which ups the confusion all the more!

We wrap up with Robin heading off, questioning just about everything that just went down.  He ultimately writes it off as a dream/nightmare and decides to just sleep it off.  Raven is nearby, however, to inform him (and us) that this was no dream... the New Titans are his (and our) future!

--

Unfortunately, it's pretty damned difficult to just "forget" everything that happens after this... and treat it like the (in some cases "literal") brand-new thing that it was when it appeared in DC Comics Presents #26.

I'd love to be able and go back to experience this one the way it was meant to be experienced.  It's just such a strange way to introduce, not only brand-new characters, but a whole new concept for an existing property.  I wonder if there were people who were annoyed by this... if there were any readers who felt this besmirched the "sanctity" of the Teen Titans.  If only I could find USENET posts going back all the way to 1980 (the earliest ones I've found are around 1984)!

The story we get here... uh, I guess you could say it's a bit difficult to follow, perhaps hindered more by our current-day familiarity with the Titans.  Robin not knowing any of the newbies puts us in this strange "is it a dream/nightmare/twilight zone?" mindset which is kind of difficult to shake off, ya know?  That's probably why I usually skip this issue anytime I did a New Teen Titans "re-read project".

I never felt like it added all that much... though, if we can squint enough to view it as a sorta-kinda "flash-forward", there are things to dig here.  We get (some of) the skinny on the tension between Cyborg/Silas.  It's made pretty clear here that Wally and Raven have some sort of connection.  Beast Boy now goes by Changeling.  All things that we will know to be true sooner than later.

--

Interesting (and Relevant) Ad:

Tales of the Teen Titans #59 (1985)

Tales of the Teen Titans #59 (November, 1985)
"Where Nightmares Begin!"
"Reunion!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Pencils - George Perez & Carmine Infantino
Inks - Dick Giordano & Romeo Tanghal
Letters - Ben Oda
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75

Hey Gang!  Welcome to this most special day... for today, we are celebrating our Three Year Bloggiversary!!! (with three exclamation points).  That's right... three full years of Daily Discussions and Reviews (including a Leap Year!).

I wracked my brain thinking about a book that would "fit" for today's milestone entry... and my mind wandered back to the very start.  I had mentioned way back in the long ago (and more recently during an episode of the Chris-Show), that I had this sorta ritual/routine (whichever word sounds less demented) wherein every New Year's Day I would attempt to start a new blog.

Every year it would be a different comics theme... and I'd come out the gates full of P&V... until losing complete and total interest by around midday.  Well, the year we started this journey (2016), that "theme" was going to be the New Teen Titans.

So, I sez ta myself... self; what better book to act as our last regular Discussion and Review here (more on that below), than the one that (if the bloggy-stars aligned differently) would have been the first!

--

We open with Robin stood before S.T.A.R. Labs being filled in by a couple of police officers about a terrorist stand-off going on inside.  They're threatening to detonate a bomb if their demands aren't met... and so, Robin goes to rush on inside... only, he's overcome with a most strange sensation.  He suddenly finds himself stirred back to "reality" by Wonder Girl... and he's now stood before the... never before seen - Titans Tower!  He doesn't have a clue what's going on... and I'd wager most of the folks reading this at the time felt the same way!

They head inside, where Dick is reunited with Beast Boy (now going by Changeling) and introduced to a couple of brand-new faces: Starfire and Cyborg!  Dick hasn't ever seen these people before... but they definitely know him.

Wally speeds on to the scene a moment later, and Robin's just happy to see another familiar face.  Everybody looks at Dick like he's got three-heads... because he really shouldn't be this confused.  After all, they're teammates!

Finally, Raven arrives.  This is another brand-new face to both Dick and the original readers of DC Comics Presents #26 (where this story first appeared as a "Bonus Book").

She comes with the dire news that a certain scientist managed to open a portal into another universe.  Now, if you think that sounds like a really bad idea... you're right.  From this portal oozes a gelatinous beast that overcomes the scientist.

The Titans (?) decide to hop-to and see if they can't topple this terror.  Gar attempts to rally the troops by doing a little Titans-Rah-Rah.  The best he can come up with is... "Titans--Let 'er Rip!", which I'm sad didn't catch on.

The team heads out, and finds the Flan-Beast atop a high-rise building.  Raven sends her soul-self into the monster... and finds herself immediately separated from it.  Even in her first appearance, Raven was so over-powered that she had to be kayoed within the first couple of beats of battle!  Worth noting that Wally is particularly protective of Raven... which is neat, considering their upcoming arc.

The rest of the Titans try and take the fight to the Pudding-Horror, however, all of their offense proves to be ineffective.  Then... Robin "wakes up".  He's back outside S.T.A.R. Labs, where one of the Police Officers informs him that he had to shove him down out of the way of a terrorist bullet!

Robin shakes off the weirdness, and decides to attempt to infiltrate S.T.A.R. Labs via his "rocket grappler".  No sooner does he scale the building than he is thrown back into that other reality... where he's battling the Custard-Critter!

The Titans fight the monster for a bit longer... not gaining much in the way of ground.  Then... after Cyborg is able to wound it using some heavy-duty decibels the thing finally attempts to flee.  At this point, Robin has an idea.  He's certain that the Wobbly-Wicket is heading back to its "point of origin", and he has a sneaking suspicion that place is somewhere inside S.T.A.R. Labs.  Upon arrival, Cyborg is none too pleased to head inside.

Robin rushes inside and chats up that scientist that called the thing here in the first place.  He informs him that there's no way they can beat this baddie... and their only hope is to send it back from whence it came.  Since this things primary attack is converting Oxygen to Methane... they realize they're going to have to get this Whopper into an air-tight room.  Starfire volunteers to act as a lure, since she doesn't need to breathe Oxygen anyway.

Then, they do the thing... and everything's hunky-dory.

As the dust settles, Cyborg has words with the scientist... who we learn is actually his father, Silas Stone... also, the man who created Cyborg's mechanical body (though, if we're being technical, he also created his organic one).  It's clear that there's no love lost between the Stone men.

Suddenly... Robin "wakes up" again.  The Officers thank him for ending the terrorist stand-off without a single loss of life.  He hasn't the foggiest idea what any of them are talking about.  Then, he's approached by a most grateful Dr. Silas Stone... which ups the confusion all the more!

We wrap up with Robin heading off, questioning just about everything that just went down.  He ultimately writes it off as a dream/nightmare and decides to just sleep it off.  Raven is nearby, however, to inform him (and us) that this was no dream... the New Titans are his (and our) future!

Our second story begins with an unconscious Speedy being dumped into a lake.  Thankfully, Aqualad is nearby... and he scoops him out before he can drown.

We jump over to Titans Tower, where there's a knock at the door.  Starfire goes all lunatic-warrior-alien, and lunges toward the door as though she's about to wreck whoever dared knock.  Donna lassos her up before she can do any damage... and it's a good thing too, because their guests are... Aqualad and Speedy!  How 'bout that?

After Roy comes to, he shares his tale of woe.  Ya see, he was investigating a group of drug dealers.  He watched them from, of all places, up in a tree.  Which... I mean, if you're going to wear a bright yellow and red outfit... maybe hiding in trees isn't the best idea?  Maybe if it was Fall we could give that a pass... but, this is just dumb.  Anyhoo... one of the drug-runners just happened to be a machete expert.  I tell ya, this dude is so good at throwing machetes that they turn around in mid-air!  From here, Speedy got dumped in the lake.

After giving Starfire the quick 'n dirty on just what drugs are, the Titans decide to take care of bidness.  Robin takes point, and sends Wonder Girl and Starfire off to follow the druggies' helicopter to Miami (I guess that's the location of the Druglord's "Corporate Offices"), while the fellas are going to attempt to topple the local chapter.

And... well, that's exactly what happens!  Really not much more to say.  In the matter of two pages, the Titans win the war on drugs.  The story wraps up with Roy and Garth being invited to stay on as full-time Titans... but they're both too busy to commit.  Annnnnd, that's that!

--

Now, that was a nutty couple of stories, wasn't it?

I feel like reading our lead story without the proper context does it a grand disservice.  Unfortunately, it's pretty damned difficult to just "forget" everything that happens after this... and treat it like the (in some cases "literal") brand-new thing that it was when it appeared as a "Bonus Book" in DC Comics Presents #26 (October, 1980).

I'd love to be able and go back to experience this one the way it was meant to be experienced.  It's just such a strange way to introduce, not only brand-new characters, but a whole new concept for an existing property.  I wonder if there were people who were annoyed by this... if there were any readers who felt this besmirched the "sanctity" of the Teen Titans.  If only I could find USENET posts going back all the way to 1980 (the earliest ones I've found are around 1984)!

The story we get here... uh, I guess you could say it's a bit difficult to follow, perhaps hindered more by our current-day familiarity with the Titans.  Robin not knowing any of the newbies puts us in this strange "is it a dream/nightmare/twilight zone?" mindset which is kind of difficult to shake off, ya know?  That's probably why I usually skip this issue anytime I did a New Teen Titans "re-read project".

I never felt like it added all that much... though, if we can squint enough to view it as a sorta-kinda "flash-forward", there are things to dig here.  We get (some of) the skinny on the tension between Cyborg/Silas.  It's made pretty clear here that Wally and Raven have some sort of connection.  Beast Boy now goes by Changeling.  All things that we will know to be true sooner than later.

The backup story (which first appeared in The Best of DC (Digest) #18 (November, 1981)... was... ehhhh.  It kind of feels like a(n extremely) dry-run for the Anti-Drug PSAs that would come in 1983... only without the Protector.  Super-quick superheroics... with some rather unpleasant Carmine Infantino art.  Not much more to say about this one.  It filled the pages... it did that much.

So yeah... that's that!  Three full years of "Random DC Comics Discussions and Reviews" in the can.  This is usually where I'd get all gushy and do the "Oscar Speech" thing... but, we'll forgo that this time around... just know that if you've ever visited the blog, reached out, said hi, left a comment... you've made my day.  I've loved doing this... and I love y'all for stopping by.

So, here's the thing...

In a scant handful of weeks, I will be heading off to Grad School in order to procure my Ed.S. and State Certification to become a School Psychologist... this is most certainly going to put a crimp in my "free time".

Now, this little blog may not look like much, but I do put two-to-three (sometimes four) hours of work into it each and every day.  That's upwards of thirty hours a week... could be over a hundred a month.  That's a lot of time.

Between the blog and the "Chris and Reggie Network of" show(s)... I knew something was going to have to "give".  There's no way I could continue both and still have time for school, work, and family.  And so, after more sleepless nights than I'm comfortable admitting to (though, I suppose I sorta just did), I decided that with this Anniversary post, I was going to "put a pin" in the site.

I decided that around New Year's... so, like a month ago.

Then, I found myself going through the classic Kübler-Ross stages of grief.  Ya see, as if this isn't abundantly clear, I have sort of an addictive personality... and a hard time letting go of things.  I mean, this blog, as unspectacular as it may appear, has become sort of my "digital home", ya know?  It's also like the second-longest "relationship" I've ever had.

And so, I eventually hit stage three on the Kübler-Ross Scale: Bargaining.  How could I somehow continue this blog... while returning to school, and maintaining the Podcasts (and ya know, all that "real life" stuff too)?

As I was pre-hearsing my final sign-off for this blog... that's a normal thing people do, right?  Like write bits and pieces of their blog while in the shower or doing the dishes or something.  That's not obsessive behavior, is it?  Well, anyhoo... while mentally pre-writing what I assumed would be my final "send-off" and farewell... well, I think I might've found a way to keep on truckin'... it's going to be kind of different, though somewhat familiar.

And at this point in my writing, I'm chuckling to myself because really... nobody cares about "my process".  Barely anybody knows or cares that this blog exists in the first place.  Ah well, in for a paragraph... in for an essay.

One of the books I've wanted to discuss long-form, almost from the get-go is... Action Comics Weekly.  I've wanted to go through and cover every story in the anthology... but always considered it too daunting a task.  I mean, there's a lot of pages in those books... and not all of 'em look fun.  Action Comics Weekly is also a subject Reggie and I want to cover the entirety of in future episodes of the Cosmic Treadmill (we've already done four-episodes on the Green Lantern chapters alone!).

So, here's the plan... for now.  We're going to cover a single-chapter from Action Comics Weekly a day.  ACW has six chapters per issue... so, each issue will take a week (on the seventh day, I'll compile the chapters into one great big "normal" post).  We'll call this project:

Now, this isn't to say that we won't deviate from Action Comics Weekly, should I get the urge to write about something else... because, that's going to happen.  It's also not to say that this whole thing won't blow up in my face, and peter out in no-time flat.  I can say for certain that it'll likely be a bit wonky at first while I iron out any wrinkles and get situated.

I'm generally a pretty rigid dude when it comes to how I format my stuff... so, this will likely be quite the learning experience for me.  We'll play with it... because, I mean... it's not like there are any rules here to break... only the ones I've imposed on myself!

So, I hope you'll join me for our adventure into Action Comics Weekly... and for anything else I'm able to fit in.  Thanks so much for stopping by... especially if you managed to read through all my mutterings to this point.

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