Justice Blog of America

Oh, that’s not ME saying this:

The man in question: DC Comics editor Matt Idleson. The pronouncement he issued was just eight words long, but such is its paradigm-shattering power that it will surely stand one day in the annals of comic book history, alongside “With great power comes great responsibility,” “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” and “Shazam!”

Thus spake Idleson:

“I never want to see Supergirl’s panties again.”

And with that, the character of Supergirl — in a stark departure from many years of institutionalized cheesecakery — started wearing red shorts under her skirt.

Meanwhile, over at the comic “Powergirl,” DC Comics is putting on big boob/bondage/tentacle porn fest:

Seriously. Go look at issue No. 3. It would make Irving Klaw blush.

Hey, buddy: Have a few million to spare?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A rare copy of the first Superman comic will be put up for auction online on Friday and bids could soar as high as the “man of steel,” experts say.

“Action Comics #1,” published in June 1938, is considered by collectible experts to be the world’s most valuable comic book and is valued at about $126,000.

“It’s the Holy Grail of comic books,” said comic expert Stephen Fishler, who created the 10-point grading scale that has become the industry standard for evaluating comic books.

“This is the one that started it all. There was no such thing as a super hero before it. No flying man. Comics weren’t even that popular. It’s the single most important event in comic book history,” he said.

If some millionaire celebrities get into a bidding war, egos may take over and you might see this thing go for a million or more.

My take?

Feh. I bought the “Famous First Edition” back in 1974. Story is the same.

The people who run D.C. comics cannot stop with the gimmicks. There are, I think, some six or seven multi-issue, mega-cross-overs going on right this instant. All of them involving every character in the D.C. universe, and all of them supposedly designed to change everything.

Meanwhile, the best books are those that focus on character development, smart writing and crisp art. Few of these books are coming out of D.C.

So what’s the latest gimmick? They are sending the Man of Steel into space for about a year. Of course, they are doing this gimmick while the titles are undergoing a renaissance.

Just like they did in 1988. And as I recall, they brought him back to take part in what-the-hell-ever super mega cross over was being done THAT year, then had him go off again for a few months once it was over.

Oh-gee-will-he-ever-come-back.

Oh, for the love of God, will someone please rid us of DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio.

So, I’m reading AICN comic reviews and I came across Ambush Bug’s mini review of Green Arrow/Black Canary No. 14. I was blown away by this passage:

This issue seemed a bit rushed and unfinished. I don’t know if [writer Judd Winick's]  departure was a sudden thing, but that’s the way this issue reads. Sure I gave him flack for using Connor as a punching bag and getting splinters on his feet from the soapbox he was standing on by force-feeding AIDsy the Teen Sidekick on us, but when Judd focused on the action and super-heroing, this was a fun comic to read.

Really? Did he really use ‘AIDsy the Teen Sidekick’ to refer to character Mia Dearden, Green Arrow’s adoptive  daughter and young crime fighting partner, named “Speedy,” who is HIV positive? Yes, he did.

I cannot find myself disagreeing with any of these. In fact, I double-dutch agree with a couple of ‘em.

I still think his run on JLA was the best.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

Best. Interview. EVAR.

Via BoingBoing:

Thomas Denton of comic blog Say It Backwards has a nephew who was diagnosed with cancer. A charity called Candlelighters helped his family out. Thomas decided to use his connections in the comics world to organize some charitable auctions featuring original artwork by various artists to give something back to the organization. Apparently Time Warner (who own DC comics, who in turn own Superman, Batman and most of the cool superheroes who wear capes) objected to the selling of the pieces featuring their copyrighted and trademarked characters on eBay, specifically Superman from what I understand.

Boo! Boo!

As my loyal readers know, I’m a serious fan of Captain America. Writer Ed Brubaker is doing wonderful things with the book, not the least of which is a storyline in which the main character was killed off. I’m not buying the finality of this for one moment, especially considering the body went missing. But Brubaker has exactly the right take on the character, having portrayed him as the ultimate solider and government agent, albeit with a strong moral code.

Marvel Comics has announced that a new Captain America will return to the pages of the book in January 2008, complete with a spiffy new costume designed by hotshot artist Alex Ross. This isn’t the first time that Marvel has used a “new Captain America” storyline. But this time, it’s generating publicity because of the fact that the new Cap is going around armed with a handgun. Naturally, the Washington Post is making a big deal out of that aspect of the story.

Who who is the new Captain? Integral to the current storyline is the return of Cap’s original partner, Bucky, who was thought to have died in the closing days in World War II in an exploding that hurled Cap into the frozen waters of the North Atlantic, where he became frozen in a block of ice until he was revived decades later by the Avengers. Bucky, as it turns out, was also frozen, but suffered massive memory loss and was revived by the Soviets and turned into an agent named Winter Soldier.

Thanks to the Cosmic Cube, Captain America was able to restore Bucky’s memories and free him from the control of the former Soviet general (he was himself under the domination of the Red Skull, no less) who had been using his as a pawn. But before Cap and Buck could really renew their friendship and partnership, the events of Marvel’s Civil War (a parable of the Patriot Act) caught up with Cap and he ended up under arrest and charged with treason. Before he could have his day in court and he was assassinated.

Bucky partnered with Cap’s current partners, the Falcon and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter (Cap’s girlfriend) to capture the killer. As of the end of the most recent issue, Bucky had been captured by evil psychiatrist Dr. Faustus, who was the one who brainwashed Sharon into pulling the trigger, assassinating Cap.

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that the new Captain America is going to be the former Bucky. The character never hesitated to use firearms before. Indeed, even in the original WWII-era comics, Bucky (as well as the good Captain) never hesitated to whip out a gun and waste some Krauts or Japs (using the vernacular of the times). And having an armed Captain America fits in with Brubaker’s entertaining take on the character and the super-spy sorts of adventures he dreams up for them.

But I’m also betting that sometime within the next year — or at least before the inevitible Captain America movie hits theaters — that the original Steve Rogers will be back in uniform.

And D.C. Comics, Marvel’s major competitor, should take note. If you are going to stage a “Death of …” storyline, this is how you do it.

[/fanboy geek fest]

Hat tip: Big Head D.C.

In The Gate, writer W. Andrew Powell heaps criticism on “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” for various artisic reasons. Fair enough. But then he goes off on a tirade about how the movie needed to more closely follow the comic book version. For example (spoiler alert): Continue reading ‘Galactus, H.E.R.B.I.E. … Yeah, I get those two mixed up all the time’

This Star Trek casting news is sorta comics-related, I guess:

Things are apparently moving forward quickly with Star Trek XI — IESB.net is reporting that at the L.A. junket for Transformers, screenwriter Roberto Orci told the roundtablers to expect some major announcements (presumably about casting) at this year’s ComicCon. He said the casting process is going on right now, and that some significant decisions are going to be made soon. He also told the journalists that the film is scheduled to begin shooting in November. Up to now, there has been nothing more than educated (and uneducated) guesses about who could possibly lead this thing. Names that have been bandied about include Matt Damon, Gary Sinise, Jennifer Garner and James McAvoy, but nothing solid has developed.

[tags]Star Trek.movie,Comics-Con,JJ Abrams[/tags]