Hermes' Tour of Mythical Greece

"Hermes' Tour of Mythical Greece" from Wonder Woman vol.2 #14 (DC, 1987) by George Perez, Greg Potter and Bruce D. Patterson

Volume 2 of Wonder Woman (post-Crisis) gave us almost another 10 years of stories and again, Diana was pulled into all sorts of different directions, some good, some not so good. Perez' original vision tying her more closely than ever before to Greek myth was worthy and featured good art, but it never really turned my crank. I don't know what it was about it. Might be interesting to revisit the 5-year era. Messner-Loebs then took over and no one remembers what he did with the character until Mike Deodato came on and "Imaged" Diana. The book became all about T&A and Diana was replaced by Artemis because all the DC heroes at the time had to be temporarily replaced with darker characters (Azbats, the four Supermen, and so on), or more permanently by the next generation (Green Arrow, Green Lantern, etc.). That mercifully ended at #100, and John Byrne's more superhero-driven vision brought me back to the book, albeit not for long. It's not that I didn't like the idea that Diana was given her own DC city (Gateway City) or the stories that led to a Golden Age Wonder Woman who could be part of the JSA, it's that his page layouts often amounted to 2 panels a page, and the quickest read in comics. I couldn't support it for long. After that, I lost sight of the book though I've heard good things about both the Jimenez and the Rucka runs, especially the latter.

The Wedding of Donna Troy - Mother of the Bride

"The Wedding of Donna Troy - Mother of the Bride" from Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (DC, 1985) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Mike DeCarlo and Dick Giordano

Like Legion of Super-Heroes, Titans became "Tales of..." when the Baxter series popped up, featured some original stories for about a year, then turned into a reprint book. That Donna Troy's wedding was in Tales and not the pricier, more exclusive book is a small marvel. It remains one of superhero comics' most praised single issues.

What Do You Think?

"What Do You Think?" from New Titans #55 (DC, 1989) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal

George Perez is an awesome artist, but I question many of his costume designs. Troia, Jericho, even Deathstroke is a nightmare when you think about it. Looks like only Starfire is enchanted.

New Titans was a continuation of New Teen Titans from #51 to #130, before being replaced by the new ongoing Teen Titans in 1996 that starred a rejuvenated Atom and a bunch of forgettable newbies.

Wish Fulfillment: Trigon Fries Jericho

"Wish Fulfillment: Trigon Fries Jericho" from New Teen Titans vol.2 #1 (DC, 1984) by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

I first experienced the direct sales-only series of the New Teen Titans through reprints in Tales of the New Teen Titans, about a year later (so Who's Who would routinely spoil the story, but it was stuff I didn't care that much about like Kole's death), and I know I've gone on record lately saying I had little interest in revisiting these stories. A lot  of the excitement was over soap opera elements, continuing arcs and such, more than any single story that I can remember, and while that's great month to month, going back doesn't really interest me. But it's probably worth it for the art alone! When it wasn't Perez, it was people like José Luis Garcia-Lopez and Eduardo Barreto, but y'know, I think the New Titans' best stories were almost all in volume 1.

The Titans in This Picture Aren't the Giant Lizard Men

"The Titans in This Picture Aren't the Giant Lizard Men" from New Teen Titans vol.1 #1 (DC, 1980) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal

I can't believe New Teen Titans started as far back as 1980! But then I came in very late on the book, by which time it had already become "Tales of", though before it started reprinting the Baxter series. Still, with George Perez handling the art on many issues, it's nice to go back. The title makes me wonder if "Teen Titans" was somehow tainted that it needed that clumsy "New" in front of it. I mean, they stayed the NEW Teen Titans or NEW Titans for years and years. They outgrew the Teen, but not the New? Who was YOUR favorite new Titan? If I can't say Robin/Nightwing or Wonder Girl (old Titans), I guess I'd have to say Cyborg. The clearest concept and frankly deserving of the attention DC is almost spending on him right now.

Who Knew the Spectre Would Grieve So Much for the Flash?

"Who Knew the Spectre Would Grieve So Much for the Flash?" from Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (DC, 1985) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Jerry Ordway

I'm sure there were those who felt your pain, Spectre! I personally wasn't terribly unhappy with the original Crisis doing away with 50 years of continuity (such as it was), probably because I didn't have that much invested into it. By then, I'd been reading a few DC books, occasionally, for what, three years? So I guess I was like one of DC's new New52 readers, coming to DC at a time of change to see what they'd do with it. Of course, I don't think the original Crisis was as subtractive as the Flushpoint. While a few properties were torn asunder and rebuilt over the next few years (Superman and Wonder Woman, most prominently), the loss of the multiverse meant tons of extra-dimensional characters moved to the mainstream DCU, so we gained far more than we lost. It creates a world that with heroic tradition going back decades, same as the publisher's comics themselves. I guess I'm trying to articulate why I don't have the same sense of excitement about the New52. Instead of expanding, the world and the timeline have collapsed. And this time, I DID lose a universe I felt I'd invested in for some 25 years. So I'm blaming in part on my mindset, but DC's strategy is still lacking. Crisis was a celebration of what went before; the New52 is a condemnation of it.

The Guest-Star Continuum

"The Guest-Star Continuum" from The Brave and the Bold vol.3 #6 (DC, 2007) by Mark Waid, George Perez and Scott Koblish

Skipping right over the forgettable 90s B&B mini-series, we get to a Waid/Perez revival in the late oughts. Instead of one-offs, the book's first year was dominated by a single arc through which various characters teamed up, often in a chain (A meets B, then in the next issue, B meets C, and so on). It was TOTALLY in the spirit of the original (and to some extent, the cartoon series of the same name), as discussed yesterday, with appearances by such varied characters as Supergirl, Lobo, the Legion, and the Boy Commandos. Great stuff. The series didn't do so well after Waid left, giving up the ghost at #35, by then limply written by boring old JMS.

Post-Crisis JLA vs. Apokolips

"Post-Crisis JLA vs. Apokolips" from Action Comics vol.1 #650 (DC, 1990) by Roger Stern and George Perez

Over the past year, we've seen two versions of the JLA fighting the forces of Apokolips, one on the new Earth-1, and the other on the new Earth-2, with very different results. I hadn't realized the old continuity ALSO featured this event, and it's even at a time when Superman didn't yet know he was from Krypton.

Legionnaires!

"Legionnaires!" from Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds (DC, 2009) by Geoff Johns, George Perez and Scott Koblish

The Avengers vs. Starro--Wha?!

"The Avengers vs. Starro--Wha?!" from JLA/Avengers #1 (DC/Marvel, 2003) by Kurt Busiek and George Perez

Avengers Week? Yeah, I guess Avengers Week. Makes sense. Five days straight!

Wonder Woman Meets Atlas

"Wonder Woman Meets Atlas" from Wonder Woman vol.2 #14 (DC, 1988) by George Perez, Len Wein and Bruce D. Patterson

Superman Museum

"Superman Museum" from Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 (DC, 2008) by Geoff Johns, George Perez and Scott Koblish

There Will Always Be a Wonder Woman

"There Will Always Be a Wonder Woman" from Wonder Woman vol.2 #1 (DC, 1986) by George Perez, Greg Potter and Bruce Patterson

Bit o'Perez, Bit o'Byrne

"Bit o'Perez, Bit o'Byrne" from Action Comics #600 (DC, 1988) by John Byrne and George Perez

Last Mummy Standing

"Last Mummy Standing" from Brave and the Bold vol.3 #7 (DC, 2007) by Mark Waid, George Perez and Bob Wiacek

The Remains of Galactus

"The Remains of Galactus" from Avengers/JLA #4 (Marvel/DC, 2003) by Kurt Busiek and George Perez