Author: Matthew Peterson

Or – “There Are Eight Million Stories In The Checkmate City…” I actually remember the FIRST time I read a number 12 issue of Checkmate (and I refuse to believe it’s been nearly 20 years, either), an Invasion Aftermath extra written by Paul Kupperberg, with art by Steve Erwin (not the late Crocodile Hunter, mind you) and Al Vey. I liked that series, with it’s attempt to meld the soopahero and spy genres, although I didn’t read it until years after it’s cancellation. (I was completing my run of Suicide Squad at the time, and the crossover issues were compelling.)…

Or – “Y’know, I Loved Kingdom Come As Much As The Next Guy But, C’MON!” With this issue of JSA, it’s official… It IS just me. I’ve had long, involved conversations with the folks at work (including both my fellow counter monkeys, as well as several customers) and to a man, nobody but me is bothered by the amount of Alex Ross in the issues of JSA thus far. They DO agree with me that his covers are less attractive than the variants by interior artist Dale Eaglesham, but aren’t bothered by the obvious thumbprints of Mr. Ross all over…

Or – “What’s In A Name? You Wouldn’t Ask If Yours Was ‘Hortense.'” In the DC Universe (or, to be honest, the streamlined and updated DC/Quality/Fawcett/Charlton/Etc Universe), the name “Manhunter” has carried with it a bit of a stigma, for some reason. The first Manhunter (from Quality Comics) was Dan Richards, a police officer who put on the mask to clear a friend’s name. He was retconnedly brainwashed, and later murdered by a later claimant to the name. Paul Kirk, the second Manhunter, had an abbreviated run in Adventure comics, was trampled by a Rhino, cloned, killed, cloned, killed, cloned,…

Or – “Strange Days, Indeed… Most Peculiar, Mama.” Of all the mysteries left unsolved in the wake of the time-jump caused by 52, the question of what happened to the Outsiders has been the most maddening, partly because their change in status quo was so dramatic, and partly because Judd Winick has insisted on giving us absolutely nothing to go on, not even an oblique hint. Even now that they’re revealing the events that filled the one-year-gap, certain questions remain maddeningly unanswered (notably the whole “Grace isn’t what she seems” issue), and Winick is probably going to hell for it.…

Or – “Where Ya Want The Fake Cake Fulla Snake?” One of the joys of being a comics geek are the moments where you get to say “I know this story!” or “I remember where this happened!” ‘Earth’s Mightiest’ continues it’s quasi-“Behind The Music” look at Avengers #58 through 61 (so far) and gives us the full Paul Harvey (that’d be… The REST Of The Story) on the decision to allow a previously murderous synthezoid to join up, on the impromptu wedding of Henry Pym and Janet Van Dyne, on the reasons why intelligent men (not to mention the Vision’s…

Or – “The Secret of 52 Is…  Gardner Fox Was A Frickin’ Genius.” There are those who find the Silver Age of comics ridiculous, and the situations laughable.  They cite simpler art, weird stories, and a general lack of realism as sticking points, whereas I cite them as the main selling points.  In those days, the language of comics was still in it’s formative years (after all, the time difference between the debut of Superman and the debut of Barry Allen as the new Flash was a mere 15 years), and every story essentially came from whole cloth.  And nowhere is this…

Or – “I Had A Pair Of Pants Show Their Seams This Quickly, And Demanded A Refund.” On paper, New Avengers looks like a guaranteed hit, a no-brainer. Luke Cage getting respect. Iron Fist back at his best friend’s side in his hour of need. Spider-Man, at his lowest point, but no longer alone. Spider-Woman finding a group of people who ALSO don’t have anywhere else to go. Doctor Strange, once again the backbone of a team book. Wolverine doing what he does, at which he is the best. The mysterious masked Ronin, probably someone we know, and many of…

Or – “Waitaminnit!  That Ain’t Kristy Swanson!  I Call Shenanigans!” \ I can tell you right now where the real difficulty lies with each and every Buffy comic I’ve ever read.  Sure, that Joss Whedon dialogue is rough to reproduce, and the exact personalities of the various Scooby gang members can be a little amorphous (especially Willow), but the real difficulty, the thing that’s torpedoed my enjoyment of some previous Buffy comics is simple:  Sarah Michelle Gellar’s face defies any attempt to draw it.  There is some strange aspect of the way her features coalesce that makes Buffy look not-so-much like…

Or – “How To Get A Head In The World…” No, Wait, How ‘Bout “He Shoulda Quit While He Was A Head.” Wait! Let’s Try “That’s Not What I Meant When I Asked For…” Oh, Nevermind. I’ve been wavering for a couple of months about Heroes For Hire, whether or not I’m going to continue reading it, and I’ve decided that I’m keeping it on my hold list, for one of my simplest reasons: I sincerely believe that Marvel will end the title before too much longer. Certainly I’m not saying that Heroes is a bad comic book, it isn’t,…

Or – “Because Salieri Demanded It, And I Don’t Want To Wind Up Like Mozart…” The Marvel Universe is a huge tapestry with hundreds of superhumans that we never see anymore, characters who seem to have just dropped off the face of the Earth, usually after quitting a team book or losing their “next big thing” status. For all it’s faults, at least Civil War tried to reflect that, with the likes of Prodigy, Typeface, and Thunderclap getting involved in the conflic (if only briefly), showing that the events affect EVERYONE, even those who are no longer active. Last issue’s…

Or – “When Is A Surprise Ending NOT A Surprise?” There’s a theory that circulates around my comic shop about the Fantastic Four, that states that people misunderstand the roles of the members. Contrary to popular assumption, says our thesis, Sue is NOT the heart of the Fantastic Four. That’s Ben Grimm, the member most likely to respond on an emotional level. Likewise, Ben is not the steel in the FF’s backbone, it’s Sue that truly acts as the team’s fist, the spine that will not break, even when everything has gone to pot and a big purple fat guy…

Or – “Multiple Maaan, Multiple Maaan, Doin’ The Things A Multiple Caaan…” It’s no coincidence that, in addition to titling this particular book, “x-factor” refers to that certain something that raises a particular person, place or thing above the average and mundane. Every time I feel like I’ve gotten the whole story on the characters, they throw me a curve and I have to start all over. From Guido’s sudden murderous turn (he was brainwashed) to the Siryn/M/Madrox triangle (they weren’t) to the strange vibe surrounding “House of M” plot device Layla Miller (she’s more than she seems, but we…

Or – “Who’s The King, Baby? Whaddaya mean ‘Kirby?’ ” There are some concepts that are just flat-out too cool to be ignored. The original premise of “Marvel Zombies,” to be honest, is NOT one of them. It sounds like Marvel just cashing in on the usual crazes. “Walking Dead” sells for Image, so we get the writer of that to bang out a one-off series featuring zombie versions of Marvel heroes. What they DIDN’T count on was the off-kilter humor of Kirkman, and the way that he translated his long-time love of Marvel’s finest into beautiful character moments, distilling…

Or – “And Now, A Moment Of Silence For The Late Dave Cockrum…” … … … … … …