Saturday – 20 October 2007
It’s been a good day, so far:

  • SaraRules and I met , theimaginarygirl, Tyranist and Rish to see 30 Days of Night.

    According to tig and Tyranist, who have both read the graphic novel, the movie was a good adaptation. It was a good movie and I give it a thumbs-up with an okay.

  • Stopped by to say “Hi” to Kate and Perry.
  • I came home to find a package from my father – my birthday package. It was chock full of Butterscotch Krimpets. Three boxes of ’em. Mm-hmm, that’s right. Three. And, there were other things in the box too, but none of them were Krimpets – although that’s not to say that they weren’t equally cool.

Yesterday, I did made it not only to the Garden of Sweden, but also to Costco. Yeah, I joined the masses and bought a membership. On a whim, I stopped at the one near 21st South… and ran into one of the technicians from the REC. As he walked down the aisle, we looked at each other with that “I… think I know you…” expression. Recognition seemed to kick in for both of us about the same time. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Last night’s Clitorati was also good. Pretty decent turn-out. The conversations were… lively and varied, as usual.

Four-Color Coverage

  • Action Comics #855 and #856 – Richard Donner and Geoff Johns give us a new look at Bizarro and how Htrae and its Bizarro inhabitants came to be. But, what does all of it have to do with Jonathan Kent? Best image: Bizarro JLA, including a Bizarro Batman… with a smiley-face on his chest.
  • Countdown: Issues 30, 29 and 28 -The New Challengers continue their journey through the multiverse. Jimmy Olsen catches up with the Newsboy Legion… or is it the other way around? The further adventures of Mary Marvel, magically-powered spoiled brat-at-large continue. Karate Kid breaks one off. Monarch puts in an appearance.
  • Elephantmen #11 – This issue was a look at the lives of two men. Two men who saw opportunities… and worked to fill what they saw as voids. The issue was written in an overlapping manner, so that common threads in the mens’ stories lead to “crossover” points between their tales. Once again, this was a solid issue in a book that continues to impress me.
  • Green Lantern Corps #16 and Green Lantern #24 – The Sinestro Corps War continues. The tide seems to turn a bit when GLs are allowed to use lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. A powerless Hal Jordan takes on Kyle-Parallax. John Stewart snaps off a little somethin’ for Parallax, too.

    • And Kyle gets a (or “yet another”) a new costume and job description.

  • Justice League of America #14 – The JLA vs. The Injustice League, Round 2: Superman and Black Lightning versus… well, just about everyone. And we actually see a subtle, yet still-twisted, side of The Joker’s humor:

    Lex Luthor (hologram): Your friends need help. Come and get them.
    Superman: Where are you?
    Luthor: You’re Superman — find me.
    *hologram blinks out*
    Black Lightning: Dammit. I was tracking the resonance of his broadcast frequency, but it’s too subtle–
    Superman: It’s already gone. I was trying to do the same thing. But he did leave us something to work from. His holgraphic projector. *picks up the projector*
    Black Lightning: Superman, WAIT!
    *projector explodes in Superman’s face, splattering him with green paint*
    Superman: AHHHH!
    Black Lightning: Superman…?
    Superman: Get it… OFF me…!
    *cut to Luthor and Joker, watching a video feed*
    Luthor: Kryptonite paint?
    Joker: Who knows? We might get lucky.
    Luthor: Unlikely.
    Joker: True. But you did say you wanted him mad. And in the irritating department, a face full of Kryptonite has to rank right up there with a cavity search from airport security. Not that a rousing cavity search between loved ones can’t be a good time…
    Luthor: Too much information, Joker.

  • The New Avengers #35 – The Hood, apparently taking a page from Lex Luthor’s journals, is gathering villains in the Marvel Universe and bringing them together as a… coalition? …society? …league? All of this while Venom symbiotes seem to be taking over New York City.
  • Superman #666, 667 and 668 – The first two issues deal with Superman continuing his quest for Arion. And, being Superman, he does manage to find him. Duh. Issue #668 is a “Superman and son” issue: Chris Kent, bored with having to hide his powers, decides to play hooky. The problem with that is that when your foster father is Superman, there aren’t a lot of places that you can hide. Solution: Introduce the kid to Batman and Robin… and while Chris and Robin are getting acquainted, have Batman rig up a miniature red sun projector to help keep Junior’s powers under wraps. He’s the Batman. It’s what he does.
  • Superman/Batman #40 – Superman, brainwashed by Darkseid. Batman, beaten to a near-pulp by Superman. Bekka, wife of New God Orion, to the rescue.
  • Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman #1 – We learn exactly why it is that Hank Henshaw despises Superman and why he has spent the past few years trying to destroy him. We also learn what it is that he hopes to achieve through siding with the Sinestro Corps.
  • Uncanny X-Men #490 and #491 – The X-Men vs. Masque’s band of Morlocks. And, much to their chagrin, Masque discovers why it’s not a good idea to entrap a claustrophobe. Especially one who commands the weather. And especially why you shouldn’t do it while you’re standing in fairly short visual range.

    Storm (in a coffin-sized box): Where are we, Masque?
    Masque: ’bout an hour away from yer funerals. But that’s okay… they’ll be prayin’ up there by then, anyway.
    Storm: No… it’s early morning.
    Masque: Yep. Sunday mornin’. An’ the tunnels above us, right below that fancy old cathedral, are loaded with explosives… ready ta blow at my say-so. An’ when the cops find all yer X-Men corpses at the site of the bomb… there’s gonna be no turnin’ back.
    Caliban: Masque cannot mean that! Masque is not evil!
    Masque: Yeah, well maybe evil’s just a point’a view…
    Storm: No, it isn’t. Killing innocents is evil… no matter where you look at it from. *eyes glowing*
    CAPTION: Even from below ground, she can feel the wind and the thunder. The lightning. She calls it to her. And it listens. Like it always has.
    Masque: What?!
    *lightning shatters the chains binding Warpath and Hepzibah*
    *Storm’s coffin explodes*
    Masque: NOOO! What’d you do?!
    Storm: I may not like confined spaces, but it’s been a long time since a wooden box could hold me… so all you’ve done is make me mad.

    Masque: Damn you! This ain’t how it happens! *clutching the book of Prophecy*
    Storm: I suppose we’ll see.

    And who’s that certain silver-haired gentleman meeting a former New Mutant in a late night cemetary meeting?

Stray Toasters
None tonight… mayhaps tomorrow.

Namaste.