Top Five Starmen

Here we go! The top five Starmen!!

5. Mikaal

I liked Mikaal well enough, but he never seemed to DO much of anything.

4. Prince Gavyn

I was not a big fan of Gavyn either, but he at least held down his own serial for a decent amount of time.

3. Will Payton

I thought Will's series was a lot of fun, when written by Roger Stern. After Stern, it sagged a bit for me, but it was still enjoyable.

2. Ted Knight

Ted Knight was one of the more unique heroes out there, especially when James Robinson got a hold of him. He was tough competition, but ultimately, I think his son was enough to overtake him.

1. Jack Knight

There were times when I felt that James Robinson was a bit TOO proud of his creation, but most of the time, any pride Robinson felt was well deserved, as Jack Knight was really one of THE best characters created in the 1990s.

What do you folks think? Agree? Disagree?

Monday Challenge - Spidey Who?

Name me a current, living superhero who exists in the mainstream Marvel universe who has never met Spider-Man.

Nagging Thoughts for 1/29

How easy it must have been for Barry Allen to travel. His whole closet could fit into a handful of rings!!

Wouldn't that be a cool cover, if Barry and Hal were both on the cover shown brandishing the other person's ring? Why hasn't that been done?!?!

Why do you think writers, as of late, have portrayed Jessie Quick as such a loser?

Is Iris' father still around?

If so...what's up with THAT? I mean, if he's around, isn't he Wally's grandfather? Isn't that a big deal?

Who Is It? for 1/28

Remember, tell me who it is, and on what clue you figured it out.

1. This creator had a multi-issue stint as artist on an Ultraverse title.










2. This creator did work on a number of DC's "Big Book of ____"s.









3. This creator contributed to Negative Burn in the 90s.













4. This creator wrote a story in the most recent Marvel Holidays Special.










5. This creator invented "The Intermen."

Who is it?

Who's Yer Fav'rit....

Robin?

Dick Grayson...



Jason Todd...



Tim Drake...



or Stephanie Brown?

Which 1/25 Comic Book Did You Have No Snark For?

Which book from this comic book week did you have zero snark for?

For me, I did not have any snark in my soul for Nextwave #1.

I thought it was a ton of fun, with really great art.

I also have no snark for this week's Local, which I thought was a great look at the workings of a band.

How about you folks?

First Cover Appearance Wednesday!

New shtick!

I will post three covers each Wednesday that depict the first cover appearances by three (fairly) notable characters!!

This week, famous replacements of the Avengers' "Big Three"

1. Jim Rhodes



Jim didn't waste much time. He was introduced in Iron Man #118, and was on the cover of the book by issue #125.

Man, those were some EXCELLENT comic books.

2. John Walker



John (the future USAgent) also did not waste time (only FOUR issues after his first appearance!!), actually), but in his case, he was introduced as a major character - the Super-Patriot.

3. Eric Masterson



Compared to the first two, Masterson had to wait a lifetime! Introduced in Thor #391, Eric did not show up in the comics until #408, where he was merged with Thor.

That's it for this week!

Hope this was kinda fun!

Top Five Batman Girlfriends!

The man DOES get around!

Honorable mention goes to Julie Page. She really didn't DO much, so she is not higher. Also, Sasha does not count as a girlfriend, consarnit!

JUST missing the list is super plot-device, Shondra Kinsolving. She showed up right before Knightfall, then was basically a DOUBLE deus ex machina. First, she was a reason for Bruce to leave Gotham, so as to facilitate Jean Paul Valley's descent into madness (Bruce had to rescue her) AND she was the reason he healed (she had powers - out of nowhere).

Also, Talia is not a girlfriend!

5. Vesper Fairchild



Vesper is not much better than Shondra, but while she was also fairly annoying, she was not there for a plot device.

Until Greg Rucka brought her back to the book to be used as a plot device, but that's neither here nor there.

When she was in the book, she was a pretty interesting foil to Bruce.

4. Vicki Vale



Poor Vicki.

I do not think that she ever really got enough to do in the books. I think Alan Grant was wise to write her out of the title when he did. Still, she's a fine character, just not used to her fullest as Bruce's girlfriend.

3. Silver St. Cloud



I really liked her as Bruce's girlfriend, but I thought her whole dilemma over Bruce as Batman was a bit much.

I liked her in Dark Detective, though.

2. Catwoman



I think Bruce and Selina have a pretty good relationship, although, at times, it seems almost like a case of "They are both big names, so that is why they are together."

1. Julie Madison



I think Julie Madison just flat-out rocks. Is there anything actually WRONG with her?

You folks let me know!!
(Pics for #1-3 and #5 courtesy of this cool Batman site).

MONDAY CHALLENGE: A battle between...

Bat-Mite and Qwisp...who takes it?

Nagging Thoughts for 1/22

Who do you think felt sillier when they found out their significant other's identity? Iris or Lois?

What do you think Iris is up to now?

Who has more awards, Lois or Clark?

I forget, did Iris win ANY awards?

Do you think the eHarmony guy thinks that he could have prevented Identity Crisis?

Who Is It? for 1/21

You know the game...you tell me who it is, and on what clue you figured it out!

1. This character debuted in the Golden Age.









2. This character appeared regularly until the late 60s.








3. This character was revealed to be a comic book character in the Marvel universe.






4. This character had enhanced agility.






5. This character gained powers due to Roxxon's Mutagenic Department.

Who is it?

1/22's Who's Yer Fav'rit....

Original Member of the Sinister Six?!?

Doctor Octopus?



Electro?



Kraven?



Mysterio?



Sandman?



Vulture?



(Photos courtesy of SpiderFan.org)

What 1/18 Books Did You Have No Snark For?

What books this week did you have no snark for?

I had no snark for All Star Superman #2, which I thought was a very nice examination into Lois Lane and Superman's relationship, while still managing to fit in a whole pile of wacky ideas, to boot!!

I also had zero snark for Walking Dead #25, which got that title right back on track, with a nice helping of discoveries and plot development.

How about you folks?

Cover Theme Day for 1/18

Like last week, I list three comics that fit a theme, and you folks try to name other comic covers that ALSO match that theme!!

Today's theme is SUPERHERO SKELETONS!!

1.



2.



3.

Top Five Characters Who Talk Like a Moron

Today's top five features the top five comic characters who talk like absolute morons.

#5 is Ajax, from the Incredible Hulk.

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/1866/400/1866_4_0405.jpg

This dude was preeeeeeeeetty dumb.

#4 is Caliban, who actually WASN'T that dumb. He just SOUNDED dumb.



He was also creepily obsessed with Kitty Pryde.

#3 is Drax the Destroyer



Man, I thought Infinity Watch was such a fun book.

#2 is the Incredible Hulk



The classic dummy!

Look at that vacant stare!!

#1, in an upset, is Bizarro!!



Hulk didn't ALWAYS talk like a moron, unlike Bizarro!

Great upset!!

I am pretty damn sure that there is a character that I forgot. Anyone have any thoughts?

Monday Challenge - Kyle vs. Hal

In a game of chess.

No rings or anything.

Who wins?

Nagging Thoughts for 1/15

Today's nagging thoughts is devoted to some artists whose absence from mainstream comics has been nagging on my mind.

So, anyone know what Terry Shoemaker is up to nowadays?

Luke McDonnell?

Geoff Isherwood?

Tom Lyle?

Ron Lim?

Darryl Banks?

Who Is It? for 1/14

Remember, tell me who it is and what guess gave it away!!

1. This creator is not American.







2. This creator has written a number of children's books.








3. This creator has scripted a number of Disney comics.








4. This creator has worked most notably (even writing some) on Star Wars comics.









5. This creator is from Croatia.

Who is it?

Friday the 13th edition of Who's Yer Fav'rit...

...House?

House of Mystery



or

House of Secrets?

What 1/11 books did you have no snark for?

What books this comic week did you have zero snark for?

For me, I had no snark for DMZ #3, which I think very effectively drew the initial storyline of the title to a close, and gave us a very nice setup for the rest of the series, which should be even BETTER than #1-3.

How about YOU folks?

Cover Theme Day for 1/11

NEW GAME!!

I name a theme and show you five covers that fit the theme, and you folks try to think of any other covers that match the theme!!

Today's theme is...covers with Superman making out with someone other than Lois Lane!

1. Superman and Maxima



2. Superman and Wonder Woman



3. Superman and Obsession



4. Superman and some mystery lady



5. Superman and What's her name, the lady Lex Luthor was into.



Name some more!!

Top Five One Term Avengers

Today's top five list is for Avengers who only served one term with the Avengers (I am stretching the term a bit as, for me, one term is measured from when they joined until they left the team, even if the makeup of the team around them changed dramatically in the time interval).

5. Spider-Woman II

Julia Carpenter is one of the more unlucky Avengers, in the sense that she had the bad luck of following up another Spider-Woman, and as we all know, comics like to revert back to the mean, so a name like Spider-Woman is hard to hold on to, and once you lose it, no one really wants a part of you anymore, which is a real shame in the case of Julia, who was a really good character.

4. Quasar

Quasar was a strong character who never really got to have a shining Avengers moment. I think the writers felt that he was too powerful, which has some truth to it, but it is still a shame. I liked him.

3. Crystal

Crystal as an Avenger is still weird, but to be honest, I think her tenure in the Avengers is probably a highlight of her comic career. She was really fairly well-adjusted during her Avenger tenure, which was not really the case when she was in the Fantastic Four, and since she stopped being an Avenger, has she had more than a dozen lines in ten years?

2. Beast

The perfect "I get why he can't be an Avenger again, but dayum" character, Beast was such a fun Avenger.

1. Captain Marvel II

I am such a fan of Monica Rambeau, but sadly, she fell victim to the same thing that Julia Carpenter had, which is that once you lose your famous name, writers are less willing to write a character.

However, Captain Marvel II was a real special character. She was a really neat member of the Avengers, and had a very long single term with the team (over 50 issues!).

I hope she is someday ineligible for this list.

Anyone you'd rather see on this list?

For the record, the following Avengers are what I would call "one term Avengers":

Ant-Man II (Scott Lang)
Darkhawk
Doctor Druid
Gilgamesh
Hellcat
Hulk
Human Torch I
Invisible Woman
Jocasta
Living Lightning
Luke Cage
Mister Fantastic
Moon Knight
Moondragon
Rage
Sandman
Sersi
Spider-Woman I
Starfox
Thing
Thor II/Thunderstrike
War Machine

Monday Challenge - Thanos vs. Darkseid

...at Dance Dance Revolution!!

Who can bust a move the best?

Nagging Thoughts for 1/8

What do you think a Bruce Wayne date is like?

How come paparazzi never come by Wayne Manor?

Is Dick Grayson famous in the DCU?

If not, SHOULDN'T he be?

Who's more famous Bruce Wayne or Lois Lane?

Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne?

Batman or Bruce Wayne?

Who Is It? for 1/5

Remember, tell me who it is, and what clue gave it away!!

1. This character is a Marvel character.











2. This character got his/her powers from a suit.









3. The first owner of the suit died.










4. This character was actually a man and a woman who SHARED the suit.













5. Tragically, the male half of the team was killed, so now the suit is worn just by the female half of the team.

Who is it?

What 1/5 Books Did You Have No Snark For?

What books this comic week did you have NO snark for?

For me, I had no snark for this week's Marvel Team-Up, as I thought Robert Kirkman wrote a really fun action story.

Similarly, I have no snark for Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #2.

A really trippy action story!

How about you folks?

1/5 Who's Yer Fav'rit...

...Aquaman costume?

Only counting the three majors ones, as I agree with Laura, the Veitch costume is not really a costume.







Pictures courtesy of THE Aquaman site.

Cover Theme Day!

Jim Gordon on Batman/Detective Comics covers (plus one Shadow of the Bat)!!!!!

Isn't it funny that Gordon didn't appear on a cover until 1969, and when he finally DID, he appeared in back-to-back issues!!!





And then, right after, he made his Detective cover debut...



Okay, so that's not MUCH of a debut...hehe.

Then he showed up in support of his daughter a bunch of years later...



He couldn't miss Joker's birthday party!!



Uh oh...trouble for Babs!!



This was the first of three straight only Detective covers...



including this sorta remake of his FIRST cover appearance!



Year One Gordon was next...



and then a rare John Byrne Batman story...



This was a sad one...



The ol' CIGARS WILL KILL 'YA!! issue.

Gordon's only Shadow of the Bat cover was a memorable one...



Uh oh, Gordon is in trouble!!



Some MORE trouble!!





His last cover appearance as the commish...



And his last cover appearance period...



Feel free to point out ones that I've missed!!