Multiple Mon-Els

"Multiple Mon-Els" from Valor #21 (DC, 1994) by Kurt Busiek, Colleen Doran and Dave Cooper

Meant to build the legend of Mon-El in the absence of a post-Crisis Superboy so HE can inspire the Legion of Super-Heroes, the idea that he seeded the various worlds of the 30th century with superhumans didn't even take place in this series. So it was all rather tepid space superhero stuff, quick to become irrelevant when Zero Hour hit and changed everything (again). The final issues tried to connect Valor to the LSH before it was too late.

Raging Supergirls

"Raging Supergirls" from Supergirl vol.6 #22 (DC, 2013) by Michael Alan Nelson, Diogenes Neves and Marc Deering

I've tries three times now to get into New52 Supergirl, mostly because I want to support iconic female superhero books, but DC makes it very hard. I tried the first issue, of course, but it was a return to rage-filled teenage girl, something that was done in volume 5, and I wasn't interested in her slugging it out with her cousin. The Silver Banshee issue made me look, but it wasn't enough to get me back in. Then Power Girl, a favorite character, showed up, and those issues were a scream. So I stuck with it, and Supergirl had mellowed since the first ish, and then, well, a new Cyborg Superman that's her dad (or something) and we're off into Villains Month and so on. I'm out again.

And those knee holes? Nonsense. The crotch patch? Extra terrible.

The Superman Family in the New 52

"The Superman Family in the New 52" from Superboy vol.5 #0 (DC, 2012) by Tom DeFalco, R.B. Silva and Rob Lean

In a nutshell. Insert your opinions about Harvest here.

Orion Was Always His Own Greatest Enemy

"Orion Was Always His Own Greatest Enemy" from New Gods vol.3 #13 (DC, 1990) by Mark Evanier, Paris Cullins and Willie Blyberg

Mark Evanier, a good friend and sometime assistant of Kirby's, seemed a good choice to continue the New Gods' saga, and he did initiate the title's longest run (28 issues), but none of the issues I've read have been all that remarkable. Maybe it's that Paris Cullins, an artist I normally like a great deal, can't approach the kind of grandeur Kirby brought to the series. It's all a little cartoony for me. But perhaps I need to revisit the series in its entirety.

Will the Real Space Cabbie Please Stand Up?

"Will the Real Space Cabbie Please Stand Up?" from Mystery in Space #57 (DC, 1958) by Otto Binder, Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs

Mystery in Space isn't just Adam Strange, people! It's Knights of the Galaxy! It's Interplanetary Insurance Inc! It's Star Rovers! It's Hawkman! It's Space Ranger! It's Jan Vern, Interplanetary Agent!, it's Ultra the Multi-Alien! And yes, it's freaking SPACE CABBIE! 'nuff said!

Will the Real Metamorpho Stand Up?

"Will the Real Metamorpho Stand Up?" from Metamorpho vol.1 #5 (DC, 1966) by Bob Haney, Joe Orlando and Charles Paris

Sometimes I think I should do a Chronological Bob Haney on the Blog of Geekery or something. I've done a lot his material already, mostly Teen Titans and Brave and the Bold. Metamorpho has escaped examination up 'til now though. Hey, what is it about shape-changers? Like Plastic Man and the Metal Men, Rex too has that tongue-in-cheek, cartoony quality that almost pushes his adventures into the realm of the humor comic. Certainly, for a book that only went 17 issues, it's got a really fanciful and memorable supporting cast.

Bloodwynd vs. Martian Manhunter

"Bloodwynd vs. Martian Manhunter" from Justice League America #74 (DC, 1993) by Dan Jurgens and Rick Burchett

The Giffen League that started as Justice League and then became Justice League International, was eventually split into two books - JL America and JL Europe - to better cover the globe with justice. It wasn't the BEST move in the world. JLE was a straighter take, leaving JLA to go for more and more comedy, to the point where the joke wasn't that funny anymore. General Glory, for example? Not funny. The art started to suffer as well, and Giffen eventually ended the series with the Breakdowns event. Of course it went on, and by issue 80 or so was nigh unreadable dreck. But between Giffen and the bad writing/bad art eras, there was a shining beacon of frankly readable comics. Dan Jurgens took over the book and though the team composition was all over the place, he brought a solid superhero look and storytelling style that was perfect for the period's crossover with the Death of Superman, for example. I think it's never been collected, because I often read comments asking for a trade. It's worthy. What came later, not so much.

The Mirror Martian Manhunter

"The Mirror Martian Manhunter" from House of Mystery vol.1 #154 (DC, 1965) by Jack Miller and Joe Certa

Obviously, the House of Mystery is best known as a horror anthology hosted by Cain, but it wasn't always so. It once featured such kooky superhero features as Dial H for Hero and the Martian Manhunter. J'Onn J'Onzz isn't considered "kooky" today, of course, but back in the day, he was accompanied by a silly alien dog and had his share of Silver Agey adventures in Apex City. This is, after all, where he fought a guy who shot fire from his nipples. J'Onn wouldn't be silly again until he joined Giffen's Justice League and started craving Oreos, but alas, those days are far behind us. Too far...

New vs. Dead

"New vs. Dead" from Hawkman vol.4 #21 (DC, 2004) by Geoff Johns, Rags Morales and Michael Bair

Springing from the pages of the JSA's early 2000s relaunch, a Hawkman who integrated all his incarnations more smoothly starred in a well-liked series by Geoff Johns, and is on my reading list for some future date. Likely, when I stop being pissed off by Johns' current work. The splash I found is cool because it shows Hawkman facing his various reincarnations, including two of DC's historical stars, Nighthawk and the Silent Knight (are any of the others recognizable characters?). We never realized reading those strips in Brave and the Bold or Western Comics we were actually reading Hawkman comics, eh?

Old vs. New

"Old vs. New" from Hawkman vol.3 #12 (DC, 1994) by William Messner-Loebs, Steve Lieber, Luke McDonnell and Curt A. Shoultz

Hawkworld gave way to a third Hawkman series, and we lost what I thought was a great version of Hawkwoman in the process. It's perhaps appropriate that today's splash has Katar Hol fighting Carter Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman, because these two would soon be merged into a single character (along with Hawkgirl and a hawk god) by the Zero Hour event (occurring early in this book's second year). The character was already going in strange directions, revealing Katar was half-human, born of a Cherokee mother, but by issue 14, he'd become a hawk avatar, a reincarnation that somehow ran concurrently with the previous. Anyway, the big Hawkmess really begins here, folks, and I lost touch with the character.

More Than Enough Dr. Fates

"More Than Enough Dr. Fates" from Dr. Fate vol.3 #22 (DC, 1990) by J.M. DeMatteis and Shawn McManus

The Eric & Linda Strauss Dr. Fate series was one of those things I picked up in bulk when I moved to a town with a comic book shop, along with Animal Man, Doom Patrol and LEGION. What they all had in common was being unlike anything I'd read from the spinner racks where I came from. Dr. Fate didn't go Vertigo, like my first two examples, but it might have done. A mystical hero, a literate approach, and Shawn McManus who would eventually work on Sandman. Perhaps it was Petey the Demon and other comedy characters that kept it from attracting the imprint's attention. Of course, like a lot of DeMatteis stuff - including Moonshadow, which he did for Vertigo - it goes all metaphysical and pretentious at the end. After 2 years' worth, Fate's mantle was passed on to Inza, and to William Messner-Loebs. I read it, but it was nowhere near as memorable for me.

MMO Luthors

"MMO Luthors" from DC Universe Online Legends #26 (DC, 2012) by Marv Wolfman, Howard Porter and Livesay

The one true superhero MMORPG, City of Heroes, closed up shop last week, and I haven't heard terribly good things about DCU Online, one of the would-be pretenders to the throne. If you played, tell us what you thought. If you read the comic based on the game, tell us what you thought too.

Know. See. Feel. Truth.

"Know. See. Feel. Truth." from Captain Atom vol.3 #10 (DC, 2012) by J.T. Krul and Freddie Williams II

I was, I think, one of the few fans of the New52 version of Captain Atom, and I'm as surprised as you are about that given how critical I've been of Krul's writing in the past (and concurrently). His work, to me, has been either outrageously sensationalistic (Arsenal) or ordinary and dull (Green Arrow). Here, it's neither. Maybe it was more Doc Manhattan than it was Captain Atom in areas, but it was somewhat experimental, had a story to tell about yielding ultimate power, some really weird ideas about the Captain's future, and some really neat art by Williams. RIP Captain Atom volume 3.

Beyond Grounded

"Beyond Grounded" from Batman Beyond vol.2 #1 (DC, 1999) by Hilary J. Bader, Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh

I've seen all of the Bruce Timm-designed DC animation series EXCEPT Batman Beyond. Well, I do have to keep something for my retirement! DC seems to be exploring the Beyond universe well beyond the animated series' expiration date, with digital exclusives about Batman, Superman and the Justice League of that possible future. The series has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while now, so maybe some day soon, I'll make a gift of it to myself.

Adam Strange Trips Out

"Adam Strange Trips Out" from Adam Strange vol.1 #1 (DC, 1990) by Richard Bruning, Andy Kubert and Adam Kubert

Really going after their father's style too. The series is sometimes subtitled The Man of Two Worlds. (I'll skip vol.2, because I've done it before, last year.)

Too Many Colberts

"Too Many Colberts" from Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #4 (Oni, 2009) by John Layman, Tom Peyer and Robbi Rodriguez

Ant-Men Demolition Derby

"Ant-Men Demolition Derby" from Irredeemable Ant-Man #6 (Marvel, 2007) by Robert Kirkman, Phil Hester and Ande Parks

Wonder Woman's Evil Twin

"Wonder Woman's Evil Twin" from Wonder Woman vol.1 #175 (DC, 1968) by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick and Mike Esposito

Manhunter, Hunt Thyself

"Manhunter, Hunt Thyself" from Action Comics #596 (DC, 1988) by John Byrne and Keith Williams

The Two Bigheads Clash in Epic War!

"The Two Bigheads Clash in Epic War!" from Sulk vol.1 (Top Shelf, 2008) by Jeffrey Brown