Review: Justice League 2 and 3, and Superman 1

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I went to Acme Comics, pulled out my wallet, creaked the damn thing open and sacrificed about ten bucks and bought some comics.

I made a good deal. Kinda. I bought Justice League 2 and 3, and Superman 1. These are part of the “New 52″ storylines. I’m beginning to get it. We’re supposed to swallow the idea that every single DC superhero is now five years younger. But some some of them, the pre-New 52 story lines are still pretty much the same as the were before. But, we’re not supposed to ask too many questions, as a lot of it just doesn’t make sense from a continuity standpoint. Superman’s timeline has been completely rewritten, but Batman’s and Green Lantern’s timelines are pretty much intact.

So the premise to the new Justice League is that there is no Justice League. To recap Issue 1, Batman teamed up with Green Lantern to try to stop one of Darkseid’s minions from planing explosive devices. The two eventually team up with Superman, but before they yell at each other about tactics and how their powers work and all that (remember, they’ve never MET before).

In issue 1, Green Lantern actually places a phone call to the Flash, who spends more time arguing about why he’s not showing up to help than he does actually showing up to help. Issue 3 brings Wonder Woman into the fray, and the book ends with Aquaman showing up demanding to be put in charge. There’s a plotline running in the background that’s essentially the origin story of Cyborg.

Give them two or three more issues, and they will have resolved this Darkseid crisis and will be meeting monthly, just because.

In Superman 1, we have what is essentially a comic designed to set up the new series and introduce characters and relationships. Lois Lane is a former anchorwoman/reporter who is an executive of some sort with Galaxy Broadcasting, the new owners of the Daily Planet. Perry White and Jimmy Olsen are introduced, but they have new looks. Morgan Edge is now a black man. Meanwhile, in between fretting about the future of the Daily Planet, Superman fights a fire monster. No really.

I, for one, fail to see how the Flash changing his personal history can made these changes happen, but hey …

Oh, the big change in the Superman mythos is that Lois and Clark are NOT together. She’s shaking up with some smarmy dude.

I like the New 52, in that it jettisons a decade’s worth of crap about past history. I wish they would try some new things. Like maybe having Lex Luthor and Superman being allies. Or having Clark reveal to the world that he is Superman.

It’s still too early to judge. I’m liking what I am seeing, though.

New Superman looks retro, way cool

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The new Justice League 1 came out early Wednesday night. My favorite comic book shop, Acme Comics, ordered extra copies, but they has looooong ago sold out by the time I cashed my check and headed out to the store on Friday morning. So, I haven’t even read the issue. I have to wait for the second printing in two weeks.

But, the first six pages of the new Action Comics 1 came out and it looks really cool. Set five years prior to the present day, Clark Kent has essentially put on a cape and is walking around writing wrongs in a blue t-shirt and jeans. This doesn’t mean beating up on guys with guns only, but beating up on corporate bad guys. This, naturally, puts him on the wrong side of the law.

In other words, they’ve taken the character back to his late 1930′s roots, when he was known to toss around a corporate big wig or two.

Given the current economic times, I predict this will be a very popular strip.

Cross posted to PeoriaPundit.

And here’s ANOTHER thing that bugs me about the Green Lantern movie

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There’s a scene in which Sinestro is standing in front of every single Green Lantern in the universe talking about how Parallax is the biggest bad ass they’ve ever faced, and he’s got them all whipped up into a frenzy and they are all going to bolt off into space and kick its ass. That’s some 3,600 Green Lanterns.

And the next thing, you know Sinestro is leading a squadron of six — that’s right, SIX– out to space to intercept Parallax.

Bah.

The Guardians of the Universe seem to be woefully ingorant of math

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OK. So there are 3,600 members of the Green Lantern Corps, according to the comix, the movie and this Website. There are more than 100 billion galaxies. Do the math. Each member of the Green Lantern Corps has to patrol a sector of space that has, roughly 27,777,777.78 galaxies in it. How many stars are in each galaxy? Well, the Milky Way galaxy has 200 billion to 400 billion stars in it.

In the DC Universe almost every star system we can name has inhabited planets in it.

So, that’s a LOT of friggin’ planets to visit on your daily patrol.

So, apparently David E. Kelley’s ‘Wonder Woman’ actress isn’t going to resemble Ally McBeal

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Calista Flockhart is a lovely woman, to be sure. But she could NOT fit the requirements for this role. Or this costume.

I still have some concerns about David E. Kelly treatment of the character. Adrianne Palicki fills it out nicely, but she seems more baby-faced than I would have expected. The uniform is almost exactly that appearing in comics now.

Flash comic will vanish into this air after 12th issue

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Wow. That didn’t last long. A year ago, the return of Barry Allen as the Flash was a big part of the Darkest Night summer mega crossover madness at DC. Now, they are cancelling “The Flash.” But don’t worry. Barry and the whole Flash Family are a big part of one of this summer’s mega crossover madness, this one called “Flashpoint.” And no one’s life will ever be the same. Again. DC Comics: Where continuity depends on who is in charge. Note: I LOVED this version of the Flash.

The chick playing teenage Mystique is hot, nominated for an Oscar

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Her name is Jennifer Lawrence and she looks more like a cheerleader a blue-skinned, shape shifting mutant terrorist. But she is going to be topless:

Later this year comes “X-Men: First Class,” where she’ll play the mutant Mystique, blue-skinned and topless. (“Did I feel naked being naked?” she asks, so you don’t have to. “Yeah. Totally.”)

She is nominated for her role in “Winter’s Bone.”