Green Lantern: The Animated Series #0 (January, 2012)
"True Colors"
Writers - Art Baltazar & Franco
Illustrator - Dario Brizuela
Colorist - Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer - Saida Temofonte
Editor - Kristy Quinn
Cover Price: $2.99
I don't have much of an intro today... your humble blog-host is fumblin' stumbling and rumblin' through something that might be a lesser-migraine, or a terrible sinus headache... so, we're gonna just jump right in.
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We open with some narration from Hal Jordan that introduces some of the concepts of the Green Lantern Corps. In the distance, there is a green light floating in space. Hal and Kilowog decide to deboard their spacecraft (which they call Aya) to investigate.
They head ever closer and are shocked to learn that it is a Green Lantern ring. Upon closer investigation, Hal notices that the symbol engraved on it is not quite right.
Moments later, the ring changes to it's real color... red! Before they know it, Hal and Kilowog find themselves surrounded by several Red Lanterns.
A fight breaks out, despite Hal's suggestion that they try and discuss things (like civilized beings). Outmanned, Hal suggests they beat a hasty retreat... and so, he heads back to Aya. He doesn't even look back to see Kilowog's capture. Whatta pal!
Onboard Aya, Hal learns that his oversized buddy didn't make it back. Hal orders Aya head back, despite her thoughts to the contrary. She feels the odds of him rescuing 'Wog are too slim to pursue... but, orders is orders.
Aya offers that she is detecting a strange secondary signal... and Hal is cool with the pit-stop. They soon arrive at a site where they find a Quantum Refractor.... which is like a "darker than black" cube, that has the ability to bend light around objects. This is how the Reds lured our boys in with the phony-colored ring. This also gives Hal reason to believe Kilowog might still be alive.
Speaking of Kilowog... moments later Hal is able to locate him. That's pretty convenient, but we'll allow it. 'Wog is surrounded by about a half-dozen Red Lanterns... and is shackled at a sort of alter.
Hal considers his options, as a head-on assault would likely not work in his favor. He runs a few scenarios past Aya... and concludes that his new Quantum Refractor could be of use... and so, he uses it to bend light around Kilowog, rendering him invisible!
The Reds are taken by surprise, and after getting in a few good punches, Kilowog and Hal retreat... that is, until Aya informs them that there are actually two energy sources coming from the Quantum Refractor... and it would be best if they retrieve it. Why Hal dropped it in the first place, I'll never know!
Kilowog runs a distraction, willing up a giant hammer... and Hal slides in for the nyoink.
They return to Aya, and Hal pries the box open... inside it they find a Particle Feeder... a little critter that feeds off of itty bitty ions and atoms. At this point it's so pale it's almost transparent... however, mere moments later it's back to it's bright and vibrant form.
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Eh. I think I'd mentioned when we discussed Superman Family Adventures #1 a few months ago that the concept of "All Ages" or in this case "Rated E" books is kind of lost on me. Maybe that's my "1980's privilege" talking, but it's still definitely something that hinders my ability to fully enjoy a book such as this. The distillation of characters down to catch-phrases and the keyest of character traits really doesn't help.
I mean, I get it. Just not the way I was introduced to the characters... and my current attitude toward the comics industry makes it so I'm quite annoyed that my kids won't have the same introduction to some of my favorites. Instead, they will get the "animated series" version, or the "adventures" version. I dunno... something about that just bugs me.
For the story itself... it serves as a perfectly fine introduction to Hal Jordan (and Kilowog). I suppose if this series really wants to emphasize the Corps, it's easier to launch it by having them face off with a whole 'nother Corps rather than a villain like Sinestro. Perhaps his story will come later... and will include his betrayal to the Green Lanterns. I dunno.
The art here was fine... although, man Hal's got himself some humongous shoulders! I mean, dude must have to get his shirts custom made. Wasn't too keen on the fact that Hal wasn't portrayed as being especially smaller than Kilowog. I mean, 'Wog is clearly larger... but not by as much as I'd have wanted. Overall, the artwork inside the book was nice... colors were bright and poppy. The cover however, looked a bit cheap. I can't really put it into words, but it's got this sorta digital look... that you'd see in commercials for a local "Technical Institute". There's a genericness to it. Dunno, don't dig it.
So yeah, not for me. Hindsight tells me it was probably quite unfair to subject a book of this sort to my brand of analysis... but, here we are. Kids will probably dig it, and comic fans less anal than me should as well. I suppose I can best sum it up by saying "It's not you book, it's me." If you think this book might be for you, it is available digitally.
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Fun Stuff:
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New Adventures of Superboy #18 (June, 1981)
"Superboy's Do-it-Yourself Doom!"
"Day of the Costume Change!"
Writers - Cary Bates & Bob Rozakis
Penciller - Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker - Dave Hunt
Colorist - Jerry Serpe
Letterer - Ben Oda
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.50
It's been a long day in Chrisville... so let's unwind in Smallville.
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We open with Carl "Moosie" Draper sulking by the water. He's apparently madly in love with Lana Lang, however she only has eyes for Superboy. He wishes that the mysterious Kator would have soundly beaten his foe to expose him for the over-rated fraud Draper believes him to be. He chucks a few stones into the drink, and notices in the rippling reflection... Kator! And he's got a plan to make Moosie's wildest dreams come true!
Elsewhere, young Clark Kent is walking home from school, and we get the quick and dirty on Kator. Looks like via use of the Mind-Prober Ray, Superboy was able to fill in some of his memory gaps from Krypton, including those of his father Jor-El building robots... and so, Superboy created his own robotic foe as a way to keep his powers sharp by using its own independent thought to attempt to outsmart our boy. That bot is Kator... and he first appeared the issue before this one, not that there are any helpful editorial notes or anything.
We shift to the Kent's General Store... which makes me remember that there was, at one time, a Kent's General Store. Anyhoo, Ma is working the counter, and it would appear to the patrons that Pa is out sick. In actuality, he's... get this, seated at a table with his finger hovering over a button with which he could deactivate Kator should the bot-boy return, and get "out of hand". What an existence...
The next morning we join Superboy as he flies through the streets of Smallville. He passes Moosie, who uncharacteristically smiles and waves. He's not really happy to see Superboy, however... he's happy to see Kator about to (theoretically) put a whuppin' on his arch-foe!
And a battle rages. Kator grabs the Boy of Steel by the cape and drags him far out into space. They struggle among the stars until Superboy realizes that his powers are fading. Turns out Kator purposefully brought the battle into the path of a comet that had passed through a red Sun! They're also too far out for Superboy to successfully contact "at the button" Pa. Uh-oh.
Thankfully, Superboy is not without his wits. He decides to thrust himself through the path of the crimson comet... which, er... gives him his superpowers back? Okay well, he's also back in the proximity of a yellow Sun... somehow. Anyhoo, from here Superboy does what he should do most of the time when dealing with a baddie... he grabs Kator and throws him into the Sun! No foolin'.
Superboy returns home, where he gets an "I told you so" lecture from his parents. They didn't quite cotton to the idea of a Krypto-science-A.I. critter loitering around their fair town always looking for a fight. Pa drops the killswitch into the garbage... which, ya know... might not be the best idea. Just sayin'.
Elsewhere in Smallville, we rejoin our old friend Moosie. He is following the directions of a glowing gadget given to him by Kator, into the hills. Apparently Kator had a contingency plan... when he ceased to be, the trinket would begin to glow, and Moosie would do as it told. The tired, sweating Carl finally comes across a cave. Inside it is an apparatus "far out hardware" he'd been instructed to sit in. He is, obviously, pelted by rays.
Back at the Kents, Clark is on the phone with Lana Lang... when he hears a terrible struggle. He suits up and heads out. He sees the Lang house now has a smoldering hole where Lana's bedroom is, and has to use his telescopic vision to locate his gal. He tracks her down at the athletic field behind the high school.
But, Lana's not the only one he finds there. No, he also finds... Kator 2.0? Seems to be a bit heavier than last time, right? Okay, we all know it's Moosie Draper in the get up. They start to fight, but Superboy's punches are powerless. Wouldn'tcha know it, Moosie buried some Kryptonite under the football field. Just how is Kryptonite so plentiful anyway?
Superboy lets Moosie nail him with an uppercut to send him out of the range of the Kryptonite. They fight into the sky, and Moosie appears to vaporize after a particularly powerful punch. In reality, the husky Kator has phased inside Superboy, threatening to blink him out of existence... because science? It's not worth thinking too hard about because Superboy is able to shake him pretty quickly.
He returns home to dig the killswitch from the bin... and isn't able to find it! He looks up to find Moosie sitting on the Kents' (reinforced?) dining room table. He reveals that he knows Clark Kent is really Superboy, because it wasn't just the powers Kator passed down, but his knowledge as well! Seems like poor planning for Superboy to share that bit of information with a robot he is crafting with the express purpose of being his worst enemy, right? Anyhoo... before Moosie can go any further, Pa Kent pushes the killswitch, and puts the baddie on the ground.
Superboy grabs Moosie and brings him to the Mind-Prober Ray in the basement. He figures if running it normally fills in memories... throwing it into reverse should do the opposite. Sure, that sounds legit. And so, Moosie gets the Professor X special, and his mind is wiped clean. Before we close, we learn that Moosie will grow up to become the Master Jailer! Dun-dun-dunnnn.
Our second story begins with Lana Lang buying a bolt of fabric at the Kent General Store. She is planning on making a new dress before they begin high school the following week. She suggests perhaps Clark change up his look as well... maybe grow his hair out, get some "mod" clothes. He kinda shrugs it off, because apparently his hair doesn't grow on Earth... and he wears his normal CK outfit for certain reasons... which I don't recall. Well, just because Clark can't change, doesn't mean Superboy can't shake things up, right?
And so, he designs a new Superboy outfit... and it's yellow. It's like, really yellow. Ma Kent sews it up just in time for a geyser to become radioactive. Boy, it's lucky they were watching that channel!
Anyhoo, Superboy heads out... and notices that his powers are dampened. He feels the stinging pain when he touches the acid, and he actually sweats from the 110 degree temperatures. He fights his way through in his weakened state, and caps the geyser with a giant stone. Gotta mention, I can't help but notice that the sky is very red during this bit... so maybe it's the red Sun Earth looks to be under that is affecting his powers. Okok, probably not.
He leaves, passing over a carnival where he sees some crooks carrying guns (and a briefcase... they've always got a briefcase!). He uses his telescopic vision... which is fuzzy. No matter, he swoops in and takes out the baddies... however, not before being shot at several times. He can actually feel the impact of the bullets... but only on the yellow part of his costume!
He returns home with the realization that the yellow costume is reflecting the power-giving Sunlight from him... leaving him too weak to properly be Superboy. Hmm... I'm no scientist, but I'm not sure it works that way... at least with UV rays. Anyhoo... he hangs his new-old togs in the closet, vowing never to don them again.
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Man, I love these ridiculous Superboy stories. They're like the perfect mix of the Silver Age and late pre-Crisis wack.
The idea that Superboy would build the robot of his own demise is pretty interesting. It definitely doesn't feel like something out of an 80's book, pre-Crisis or not. I mean, that just doesn't sound like a good idea no matter how you slice it.
In reading these New Adventures issues, I'm actually quite surprised that Clark Kent didn't grow up to be a hyperviolent sociopath. I mean, it seems like in every issue there are classmates out to get him! That's gotta really skew a kids sense of reality, right? Talk about an invitation to a victim complex.
Overall, this is a great series with which you can sorta (and I mean no disrespect here) turn your brain off and just enjoy yourself. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to take a break from contemporary "think too hard" comics where every nuance and story beat needs to be addressed and analyzed... by some nitwit on a blog... ahem. This series is yet to be collected or made available digitally, so if you're down for a romp through sorta-1950's Smallville, you're gonna have to be down for a romp through the bins.
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Letters Page:
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Batman Adventures #20 (May, 1994)
"Smells Like Black Sunday"
Writer - Kelley Puckett
Penciller - Mike Parobeck
Inker - Rick Burchett
Colorist - Rick Taylor
Lettering - Richard Starkings/Comicraft
Assistant Editor - Darren Vincenzo
Editor - Scott Peterson
Cover Price: $1.50
Happy April Fool's Day!
Decided to give our Patron Saint of the "holiday" Mr. Mxyzptlk the day off, so we might instead check in with some other fools in an issue of Batman Adventures.
While we're discussing Batman, I do want to mention that I'd been turned on to a new (to me) podcast this week via a shout-out during an episode from our friends at Warlord Worlds. It's called Bat-Books for Beginners and is hosted at The Batman Universe. The hosts Chris and Gerry put on a great show that I believe would prove interesting and inviting to actual bat-book-beginners, while also being entertaining to we seasoned folks. Even though we're no longer in #trypod month (I just found out #trypod was a thing yesterday!), this show is still worth giving a try.
Anyhoo, onward!
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We open in the prison cafeteria where Mastermind, Mr. Nice, and the Perfesser are planning their escape. Unfortunately for them, it's not like they're just gonna walk out of jail... so, they're going to need a diversion. And, so... the Perfessor stands up and calmly says "Fire." The resulting riot facilitates their procuring a gun from a prison guard, with which... Mr. Nice can shoot out the power lines. So far, so good... right?
The Perfessor uses his computeresque brain to easily guide the trio through the darkness... and out of the prison via a convenient sewer pipe. Their first breaths of free air are short-lived, as they find themselves surrounded by some rather angry (and rabid) looking dogs. Mastermind tries getting the pistol from Mr. Nice so he can... ya know, kill the pups. Mr. Nice, being a nice guy, ain't feeling it. During the tussle, the Perfessor grabs a stick and whittles it into a flute. After giving it a toot, the dogs vamoose.
It isn't long before the escaped convicts rob a bank and run afoul of a certain caped crusader. Luckily, Mastermind is at the wheel for this getaway, though, we appear to be missing Mr. Nice. Anyhoo, Mastermind has accounted for just about everything that might go wrong. The tires are batarang-proof... and he has devised a route with which they will be able to elude capture.
They cut through an intersection just as the light turns red, and figure that Batman's going to at least have to stop to allow traffic to cross. What Mastermind failed to take into consideration was the Batmobile being equipped with nitrous oxide. Batman is able to blow through the intersection with ease... and remains on the baddie's tail.
Mastermind tries calling the police from the car in order to divert their attention elsewhere... however, this doesn't quite work out. After nearly t-boning another car, our baddies skid to a stop. Batman arrives moments later for the pick-up. Mastermind, who is counting down to zero, doesn't seem terribly bothered. He scoffs at Batman, claiming that he's "too late".
Batman asks just what in the world Mastermind is going on about, and it is explained that Mr. Nice is currently at Fort Bragg procuring nuclear warheads. Hmm, sounds legit. Anyhoo, Mastermind made Nice promise not to be... nice, until after midnight. Meaning until then, he'd be fine just blowing fools away, right?
Well, as it turns out... yeah! We join Mr. Nice as he infiltrates Fort Bragg... and dude is budda-budda-budda'ing at everything that moves! He busts inside, and goes nuts with the gunfire.
That is, until he runs into a teeny tiny puppy.
We wrap up our tale... right where we started it, the prison cafeteria. Our boys are huddled around the same table... until Mr. Nice and the Perfesser can't take any more of Mastermind's crazy schemes. They abandon him, leaving him to rant all by his lonesome... that is, until some inmates get tired of hearing the geek go on. We close out with the Mastermind deposited in a garbage can!
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I totally slept on this series when it was coming out. I think the X-Men Adventures tie-in comic kinda ruined me on animated series books. I just always looked at these as low-priority "cheap" books the companies put out to cash in on unwitting parents who might wanna pick up a mag for their kids. I'm still not convinced I'm wrong... but, I gotta say... this was a fun read!
Let's start with the art. I'm sure I'm not the first fella to extol the virtues of the late Mike Parobeck. The dude was great... his work here looks effortless, and yet... painstaking. Not sure if that makes any sense... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would have to work mighty hard to make my work look so perfectly simple.
The "animated style" isn't one that I always cotton to. We discussed an issue of Adventures in the DC Universe last year, which had similar art... and I really didn't dig it. I think Parobeck makes all the difference to me. His work just comes off as first-rate... and not as an artist trying to make their work look "DC animated", you follow?
The story was... silly, and light. Perfectly fine, and as I'd mentioned, perfectly fun. I like that the story's focus was on the baddies. It offered a different and novel perspective, and allowed us to explore the fellas' quirks and idiosyncrasies. In doing a bit of research, I've learned that Mastermind and Mr. Nice are both established characters in the DC Universe... with Mastermind showing up in an early Challengers of the Unknown story. Mr. Nice has actually showed up in post-Rebirth Nightwing comics... which is pretty neat. The Perfessor appears to be an original character for the animated series, and seems to have been based somewhat on Denny O'Neil. How fun is that?
Overall, this is a light, fun Batman story... that Batman doesn't really loom all that large in. I'd say if you are a hard-copy fan (like I am), this might be worth it at cover price and below. Wouldn't recommend paying much more than that. If you're not like me and digital comics don't make your teeth itch, this issue has been made available in that format. Worth a look.
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