Saturday – 18 August 2007
The morning started with some errand running. One of which seemed to go smoothly, but I discovered a gross error and had to go back to correct it. It was handled quickly, fairly efficiently and effectively.

On to coffee with Perry. dropped in a short while later. The three of us chatted for a bit before we decided to make a pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden. Of course, it was a bloody madhouse. But, we basked in the glory of “the land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size.” We ate lunch in the restaurant and then it was off to the races: I picked up the last two frames I need for my tourbooks and a couple of curtain rods for a banner I have been wanting to hang.

Four-Color Coverage

  • Action Comics #854 – The secret’s out. (I’ll cover this more in the Countdown bullet.) Mr. Action, Superman and… Krypto take on the Kryptonite Man and Titano. And, young Jimmy Olsen asks his buddy if he can get a try-out for the JLA.
  • Booster Gold #1 – When Booster Gold first appeared in the post-Crisis DCU, he was a definite sign of the times: A self-aggrandizing hero who was all about appearances and what he could do to earn a fast buck. Sure, he actually managed to pull off some actual heroics, but it was all about the glory game. Over the years, he managed to get into the Justice League… but was mainly written off as comic relief. Second-rate. “Crowd control.” (That last one will make more sense if you’ve seen the Justice League Unlimited episode, “The Greatest Story Never Told.” But, following the events of 52, Booster’s back and trying to do the right thing. Too bad that no one will ever know…
  • The Brave and the Bold #6 – Batman, Green Lantern, Supergirl and Adam Strange face off against the Lords of Luck. The prize: The Book of Destiny. And time’s running out. No, time’s changing. So, the heroes call in some help. Maybe it will be enough.
  • Countdown: 38 and 37 – Oracle vs. The Calculator. Zatanna and Mary Marvel vs. Deep Six. Robin vs. Mr. Action?! All of this plus: The reason that Karate Kid and Una broke into Oracle’s lair. And, as I said above: The secret’s out – Jimmy Olsen finds an astounding discovery about Clark Kent.
  • Green Lantern #21 and #22 – The Sinestro Corps War rages on. Lanterns continue to fall before the onslaught of the newly-formed Sinestro Corps. And it looks as though many more will fall before the war’s end. Guardians Ganthet and Sayd recruit Hal Jordan to undertake a secret mission. He’s going to need help. Unfortunately, the Lost Lanterns – GLs whose rings Hal took (and whom he left for dead) when he was possessed by Parallax – still have axes to grind with Jordan, so it doesn’t look like he’s going to get much assistance from them. And just what is it that Hal Jordan fears? Plus, Hal takes on a Parallax-possessed Kyle Rayner. And, Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg-Superman, asks the Anti-Monitor for a boon.
  • Justice League of America #12 – I actually bought two copies of this… so I could have both halves of the Alex Ross cover. This issue deals with two shadow figures watching the JLA as they deal with… “Monitor Duty.” The duo are voicing their opinions about the various members, what each brings – or could potentially bring – to the team. And they look at how those various elements, no matter in what combination, serve to make the team stronger than the sum of its parts.
  • The New Avengers #33 – Welcome to another rousing round of “Are You a Skrull?!” The team, already under stress from the events and aftermath of Civil Bore War, shows how tightly wound they are as the lack of trust grows. And who’s that making shadowy deals with crime lords (and a lady)…?
  • Superman/Batman #39 – Scarecrow. Desaad. Darkseid. And a brainwashed Superman. Yep, the Dark Knight has his hands full with this one. Very full.
  • Ultimate X-Men #85 – Bishop’s all-new, all-proactive X-Men take on Sentinels. Jean’s talking to her imaginary friends again. Dazzler pulls a new trick out of her sleeve. And a couple of someones may be getting visitors from their pasts. While this book is still rather hit-or-miss, I’m intrigued enough by the new story to stick it out a little longer.

I should probably decide which brand of trouble I’d like to get into this evening.

Namaste.