Wednesday (coda)
Today was good. It was monkey-free, too.

After work, I continued Furniture Trek. I stopped in a couple of John Paras stores; they had some nice things… though some were a little pricey. *shrug* Best feature of the stores: The sales people. They approached me when I entered the store – or a given area – and when I told them that I was just looking… they acknowledged that and left me alone to peruse their offerings. It was a very nice change of pace from yesterday.

I also stopped to pick up this week’s four-color goodness. Yes, I went a day early. I had the time and opportunity, so I took advantage of them. This week’s haul was good. Capsule reviews:

  • 52: Week Thirty-Seven – I really have to hand it to DC. So far, they have done something that I wasn’t sure they would be able to pull off: They have stayed on-schedule (unlike Marvel’s Civil Bore… I mean “War”) and managed to make the stories interesting. Sure, there have been a couple of slow or off weeks, but on the whole, they have done a very good job of storytelling. And… I was right about the identity of Supernova. I talked it over with (coworker) Matt after reading 52: Week Thirty-One and said that I’d wait to see how it panned out. I wasn’t 100% spot-on with the hows and wherefores, but I got the basics right.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #104 – This was a pretty solid issue, too. Doc Ock. Peter/Spidey. Jessica, the female Peter clone (who, I’m guessing will be “Ultimate Spider-Woman” when she grows up). Oh… and General Nick Fury. And the Fantastic Four. Not to mention a cliffhanger that I didn’t see coming.
  • Ultimate X-Men #78 – Teen X-Men in Love. Or something like that. This issue was basically just a big fight between the X-kids and the Ultimate Universe’s version of the Six Pack. And Bishop. And things that go “BOOM!” This issue was kind of lackluster to me. Maybe I should reread it at some point and attempt to give it a more impassive, critical look.
  • X-Men: First Class (5 of 8) – The original X-Men: Scott, Jean, Warren, Hank and Bobby. And a frost giant. And Thor. The writing was crisp. The dialogue was good. This was, quite simply, fun. Period.
  • Fantastic Four #542 – Yet another Civil Bore… I mean “War”… crossover issue. But, this was a good issue. It starts out with Reed and Johnny – on opposite sides of the issue – in a coffee shop… and ends with Reed trying to explain (once again) to Sue why he supports the Superhuman Registration Act. One of the best exchanges in the issues comes from Reed and Johnny,who is in disguise:

    Johnny: Here you go, Reed. Decaf, because you’re so grumpy lately.
    Reed: Why are we here, Johnny?
    Johnny: You kidding me? Do you see that girl at the counter?
    Reed: No, I am not, in any way, kidding. You’re important to me, you wanted to meet somewhere away from the Baxter Building, so here I am. But, I’m very busy, I don’t have time for ga– Why are you wearing glasses?
    Johnny: It’s a disguise. So I won’t be recognized.
    Reed: That can’t possibly work.
    Johnny: Oh, and I guess that fishing hat makes you the Man of a Thousand Faces.
    Reed: This isn’t a disguise. I like this hat.

    Take that, Mr. Kent!

  • Green Lantern #16 – Green Lantern. Sentinel. And a rather unhappy Justice League. What more could you want?

The Scales of Justice
Tonight, a new champion appeared on the streets of Paragon City: The Hand of Nefer-Tem.


His story: Karim al-Farrad is the latest in a line of hereditary champions. Members of his bloodline are the divine agents of the Judges of Ma’at. Each generation is groomed for the day when he or she will assume the mantle. When the old champion is dying, s/he and the champion-to-be journey to the Middle East. There, a ritual is performed where the tem-akh – the spirit of the dying elder – is bound to his or her mortal successor. This creates something more than human. The tem-akh carries with it knowledge from its life as well as the spirits and combined knowledge of those who have come before it.

At some point, Karim was bound to a Kheldian nictus, becoming a Warshade. The combining of the three lives – old, new and alien – created something even more powerful than the Amenti, or mummy, he had become as the agent of Nefer-Tem. The three points of view offer him a unique perspective on the world around him, the people in it and the meaning of justice, mortal and immortal.

Stray Toasters
I have a few – quite a few – to post, but they’ll keep until later.

Namaste.