I'm honestly thinking that the story-lines these days are just overblown and created more to make money then they are to tell a story.

And I do mean in the industry as a whole and not just one particular company.

He'll be working on "Action Comics".
It's only a ten-page story.

And still going 11 years later.
Amazing.

Just finished reading DETECTIVE COMICS #400 - 800 with a gap here and there. Some drek. Mostly classic stuff.

That's one way to kill 11 years.

Hey! I had spare time! But I wasted that on Clix

current issues: Mister Miracle.

a very interesting new take on the Darkseid story

I loved that issue with the Female Furies in the hospital. That scene with the Fahren-Knife will always stay with me.

And why is Marvel imitating DC's NU shtick ?
Come to think of it, it may be the other way around.

In my spare time I try to watch cartoons based on comic books. Some classics. And I try to take note of things I never noticed before.
Like this episode of the Justice League cartoon from the early 2000's.
There's a scene in Part 2 of "The Savage Time" where Superman turns into the Original Human Torch.
It only lasts for a few seconds but it was interesting to see. I hadn't noticed that before.

Justice League Odyssey.... WOW that ending

The Sinestro: Year of the Villain one-shot came out last Wednesdsay, and it was a good read.

"...How does one defeat gods? In my experience it's the same way they defeat us. From the inside out."

I almost didn't buy it because the luster of Scott Snyder's Justice League series has been fading for me lately, BUT I saw that it was written by Mark Russell (Prez, Flintstones, Second Coming, Red Sonja, Wonder Twins), so I gave it a chance.

Sinestro, in the service of the current Legion of Doom, is tasked with stopping a seemingly-invincible alien force whose path of planetary destruction is not only interfering with Lex Luthor's plans, but also threatening Earth itself. Due to the strange nature of the alien force, Sinestro has to confront the order of their entire society. Of course he does so in his own sinister and cynical manner.

Russell's signature societal commentary is absolutely present here, but still used in the service of a good super-villain plot. Don't expect any real revelations about the Year of the Villain storyline, but if you are interested in a well-crafted, memorable supervillain one-shot story, this one is a gem.

...And then, right after I wrote that last post I read another great DC comic - Dial H for Hero #6.

"I only listen to financial reports and Frank Sinatra."

This issue is the climax of this new series' first story arc. I'll attempt to word all this delicately to avoid spoilers.

Mr. Thunderbolt, the ongoing nemesis of the series, has created an environment of chaos, resulting in a multitude of normal humans being simultaneously empowered by the Hero Dial. Miguel and Summer, the series' protagonists have to navigate that chaos.

That's the plot, which by itself is quite entertaining, but the writer and artist are clearly playing games at multiple levels and the Easter Eggs that comprise those levels are the true joy of the comic.

I'm a big fan of comics, obviously, and the breadth of my comic interest over the decades, while certainly including DC and Marvel superheroics, has also gone well beyond that. That breadth of interest is richly rewarded by the wealth of clearly intentional tributes to not only characters from across the universe of comics, but also to the artists. Joe Quinones salutes a number of great artists by morphing his style to match the varying styles of great comic artists. I am sure I am missing some, but I see clear tributes to Michael Allred, Matt Groening, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Jack Kirby, Erica Henderson, Bruce Timm, Daniel Clowes, Frank Miller, Mark Schultz, Jaime Hernandez, Mike Mignola, and Jae Lee, as well as a character or two done in traditional manga style and at least one who looks like a Disney cartoon.

The other connection I get from this comic is how it beautifully reminds me of the superhero MMOs I love to play. For fans of City of Heroes, Champions Online, or DCUniverse Online, this comic will feel a bit familiar - there are supheroes of wildly different looks, designed by wildly different sensibilities, all over the place, often in the same panel. Of course some of them are inevitably (intentionally?) stupid, and those ridiculous characters stand side-by-side with the crafty and more serious superheroes. This comic creates the ridiculous, beautiful, egalitarian hodge-podge of comic characters that is rarely actually seen in comics but is ever present in superhero MMOs. In those games, I would not at all be surprised to see characters named Lo Lo Kick You, Dumpster Liar, Mammawthome, Fuzzy Lollipop, Business Affairs Mafioso, Dundee Rex, and Rocket Bethany. In comics, we don't get enough of that craziness.

Although this particular issue was a stand-out, I can happily recommend the entire series.

Have you read Top Ten? Gene Ha packs that sort of detail into every panel, and it is glorious.

I have! I love it.

Now that you mention it, I think it may be time for yet another re-read of that classic. Man that comic was SO good.