#mongul is so polite

[momachan]

"If you don't already know my name, then you're not worthy of an introduction. I'm the new manager around here. Naturally, I shall need time to settle in and adjust to your many interesting customs... I know for example, that your society makes distynctions on a basis of gender and age. Perhaps, then, you could advise me... Which of you would it be polite to kill first?"

Superman: Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow? The Deluxe Edition (2020). "For The Man Who Has Everything".

"When you have to kill a man, it cost nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill. 😆

[coella-cox]

Oh a lot of discourse™️ about that SM episode and…

I don’t think screaming meals even knows what they want to be or do (lowkey they kind of just want to make money? or views?) they seem stuck between being a podcast about racing, or a podcast with racing drivers about whatever, or just being boys talking into a microphone (imo…they aren’t interesting enough to do the last one and that’s why no one listens to clems wine corner). And they keep trying to anticipate what their female audience would want (and missing horribly) while also clearly trying to move beyond that audience into…idk (and they don’t either).

I’m in America and regardless of drive to survive no one really know about f1- and believe me when I say NO ONE knows about Indy car (and mind you Clem drives f2…) so the boys can do with that information what they will. But ultimately I think they need to accept that they do a VERY niche thing and so their audience might never expand beyond niche. Obviously it’s hard being in content creation and seeing people like Yung Filly dabble in Motorsport while being an entertainment/content mongul but Yung Filly is…better at it? Lol

Anyways one day I will write the essay about how many men don’t view women/girl fans as legitimate and how they simultaneously discredit the fans support and also crave it (but they want it from other men! bc that legitimizes it to them bc men don’t usually think of women as fully complex and intelligent peo- [GUNSHOT])

Also… there is an underlying tension of like social/class divides between the boys and their potential audience and as a spectator…you can feel the tension simmering lol

And Rory has to spend hours editing podcasts down to absolutely nothing bc of this underlying tension and idk babes…let the mask slip and just adopt critical thinking skills

Idk be open to changing and growing and being corrected and they won’t have to worry about being canceled or whatever it is that they think of when they say “politically correct” on the pod

[thevindicativevordan]

So…The United Planets being in the modern day is officially a thing

How would you utilize it as a part of DC(and the Superman mythos) going forward?

The United Planets has thankfully been something that's been carried forward even after Bendis' run on Superman ended.

Makes me happy because apart from the Invisible Mafia and Red Cloud? Having Superman actually form the United Planets in modern day DC was one of the best parts of the Bendis run. It opens up a whole new field of stories that can be told with Superman, and offers a chance to flesh out DC's Cosmic side (which has historically been much weaker than Marvel's). Now we've got this fledgling organization founded by Superman that aims to be a democratic body for various races and planets. How is that going to work when some of these groups have been at each others throats for millennia before mankind even existed? Keep in mind that some of the members, such as Thaaros, Sinestro, and Zod, don't share Superman's morals. There's a good chance that the United Planets could mutate into something besides the organization dedicated to peace and justice that Kal intended for it to be, if the darker elements manage to take control.

And there will be attacks from outside the United Planets that will demand a response. How is Superman going to respond to those kinds of threats? How will Zod and the more ruthless members of the United Planets respond to those threats? Many would be quick to advocate for war as a method for solving disputes with other groups. Some might go as far as to suggest either enslavement or genocide against any group that poses a security risk or endangers the safety of the United Planets. For some of the members it wouldn't be that taboo behavior to respond to attacks in such way.

Aside from the internal politics and power struggles, there will also be external threats. We already had the previous Mongul attempt to destroy the organization, doubtlessly there will be more attempts from other directions. Besides the obvious threats, Brainiac, Solaris, the other Superman, GL, and any other DC Cosmic Rogues, there's one Superman Rogue in particular who I think would be perfect to head up an organization that acts as the United Planet's ideological rival: Maxima.

Almerac is a place we know barely anything about beyond Maxima being the ruler and her Royal Family practicing eugenics. That means it's a blank slate that can be crafted into something deeper, something that makes Maxima a more interesting Rogue or LI for Superman and the United Planets. Way I would revamp Almerac is that besides being the planet where Maxima was born and rules, it is also the capital world for a group of various races and planets united in one organization: The Empire of Almerac. Unlike the United Planets being a federation with a democratic government where each member species has a voice, Almerac is a totalitarian government with the where the final voice on matters is Maxima's (in theory anyway), and they grow by either conquering other worlds and forcing them to join as vassals, or getting them to join willingly as protectorates. Some worlds would find Almerac preferable to the United Planets because Almeracan protectorates are free to run their internal affairs as they see fit, long as they provide the mandatory tribute to Maxima and obey any orders issued. In contrast, the United Planets under Superman expects it's members to adhere to certain standards regarding personal liberties and basic rights before they are allowed to join.

Now you've got two competing organizations jostling with each other to become the main powers in a region of the galaxy. Both Superman and Maxima are viewed as the "faces" of their respective organizations, Superman being the founder of the United Planets and Maxima being the current ruler of the Empire of Almerac. You can contrast the two governments and their paragons in a way that lets there be a personal aspect to the realpolitiking happening as the two jostle for influence, given Superman and Maxima's history with each other. Neither wants to directly fight the other, but there are elements in each's organization that doesn't believe the two can coexist. Both aren't sure if the two organizations can coexist either, or if they should. Superman finds Almerac's imperialism repugnant, while Maxima views the United Planets support for democracy as an existential threat to her rule. Conflict seems inevitable and compromise doesn't even seem all that appealing either given the ideology underlying each is diametrically opposed to one another. Whether it results in war or if another solution can be found would be the main plotline driving the Galactic Cold War that materializes.

[davidmann95]

Thoughts on the leaked Superman TV suit redesign?

Assuming this is real - and I’m inclined to say so, that’s a real assistant costume designer on Arrow and a concept artist credited, both people who would be assigned to do this sort of thing but finding their names would take more work than I imagine the typical dude with photoshop would put in for this - while probably not final I actually like it a lot! It’s not the truly correct answer of putting the classic s-shield on Routh’s Crisis suit, but next to that it addresses all my issues with what Hoechlin’s had so far: the belt’s better (and visibly functions as a belt) and does the missing trunks’ job of breaking up the colors, the boots are streamlined, the texture of the cape is better, and the cape clips are placed so that the cape drapes over him as it should while still providing the apparent comfort of that compared to tucking it in. Not wild about the red cuffs or the two-tone on the bodysuit, and if the lighting isn’t deceptive it needs to be more colorful, but as if nothing else a representation of where the creators’ heads are at I find it very encouraging, and the suits have always been tweaked over subsequent seasons on the CW shows anyway.

The truly big thing however is that this is hot on the heels of Superman & Lois being officially picked up as a series rather than waiting for the pilot to be judged - obvious as it seemed, it would have also seemed obvious that they’d pull the trigger on this 3 years ago, and also there was always the worry that the movie division would either pull themselves together or simply chicken out and pull the plug on this at the last minute. But now it’s official, and having been 3 years since I first gave thought to how a Hoechlin Superman series could work (Tulloch and Cryer weren’t even in the mix yet), many of my assumptions as to what would be in play have been dashed, and it’s ended up with distinguishing features going in I never would have guessed. So as is, my primary hopes for the series:

* For the first couple years, keep things relatively simple and streamlined in terms of season arcs. Todd Helbing’s in charge, and from what I’ve seen of his past work as showrunner of Seasons 4 and 5 of The Flash (where I jumped on, which is a shame since it sure seems like there was a drop in quality compared to what I’d been seeing before) he had a really hard time juggling the substantial cast of characters it had built up by that point alongside a season-spanning threat…but he also wrote or cowrote excellent individual episodes, including easily the best episode of the entire CWverse to my knowledge “Enter Flashtime”, and it’s arguable those seasons were generally casualties of having used up the obvious threats and buying time until Crisis. Going into this I don’t see much need for a sprawling supporting cast from jump, so if the overarching villain can be managed appropriately I don’t see him being a poor choice for shepherding the first season or two.

* Keep the soap operatics largely confined to the sons. Whether it’s Chris or Conner or Damian joining Jon, I’d imagine half the point of bringing in a pair of teenagers to a show with a pair of leads who have moved past the figuring-out-life-and-love travails of your average CW protagonist is so that *they* can do that stuff instead. Let Lois and Clark focus on reporting and superheroics and as advertised “the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society”, along with assorted character journeys and challenges tailored to them that fall outside the typical arc of CW series leads. Meanwhile, the teens can contend with burgeoning love lives and deciding who they want to be alongside figuring out how to become heroes.

* Maybe break it up across multiple timelines? I know they did a lot of this sort of thing with Arrow with the flashbacks and flash-forwards as series-spanning anchors; maybe there’d be something to be mined here with present-day sections, past sections of Superman’s earlier years in Metropolis before he and Lois got together or Lex turned on him, and future events. Heck, the latter could get the super sons as teens without any need to age them up in the present, and permit easy crossovers with Legends or the upcoming apparently future-set Green Arrow and the Canaries.

* Lex obviously has to be in the mix, but shouldn’t be the sole villain of the first season when he was already the bad guy for the last season of Supergirl. Given his amazing new status quo of being Silver/Bronze/Modern-Age Lex masquerading as Byrne’s Luthor, taking him down would be the obvious centerpiece of the Daily Planet chunk of the series, especially for Lois since that’s presumably going to be her primary domain. Once he’s exposed though totally go all-out supervillain with him.

* Can’t believe I’m saying this, especially on the heels of that last note, but maybe don’t get too political. I know Supergirl has made efforts, but everything I’ve heard about the execution sounds incredibly mixed, between a black Machester Black being told not to kill Nazi stand-ins, and the first preview for the current season basically opening with Supergirl narrating “We deposed our corrupt Trump analogue, so I thought people would be committed to fighting for social justice…but they’re obsessed with their Facebook gizmos instead!”, a truly bizarre instance of trying to appease all sides. Totally have instances of Superman taking some lefty or at least liberal stances as is tradition, but it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to try and build a season around a given message given both the track record and that all the extra eyes on this will mean it being subject to even more extensive pressures.

* Speaking of the number of eyes on it, god I hope this is allowed to get weird even given it’s probably going to be the flagship for the network and therefore will definitely have higher-ups wanting to make sure it isn’t alienatingly off-beat. They put Beebo and Sargon the Sorcerer in the Crisis finale for Christ’s sake! The least they could do is let Hoechlin fight Krull or go on an adventure with Calvin Ellis, and let Tulloch get witch powers and tame Titano; the last live-action Superman show in Lois & Clark was made in a pre-Morrison world and aired on ABC, and it still had a time-travelling H.G. Wells as a recurring character and an episode where he gets shrunk down to a teeny-tiny little Superman (which also just happened with this guy!). The clear All-Star influence so far is a good sign along with how odd The Flash has frequently gotten as the current center to their shared universe - including under Helbing - but this is still probably my primary concern. Give us at least a few truly high concepts per season even if I suspect the goofiness will be toned down relative to its older siblings.

* I’m not that concerned with the villains: he’s got a few established already between Lex, Metallo, Mongul, Reactron, Zod (maybe the inexplicable decision to have had Superman kill him off-screen can be undone by Crisis), Maxima, and Doomsday, it’s implied by Elseworlds he got his own Bizarro, Brainiac’s easy to introduce, and the villains introduced as specifically Supergirl’s enemies such as Parasite, Silver Banshee, and Mxyzptlk could easily roll into Metropolis. And there’s plenty of other possibilities with the likes of Solaris, Prankster, Subjekt-17, Terra Man, Magog, Ultraman, Riot, or Atomic Skull who either have tons of potential to unearth, or don’t but as a simple visual or gimmick could easily carry an episode or two. I’d still prefer the more exploration/mystery-driven angle suggested in my original pitch up above, but I recognize that’s not too likely.

* Finally, if he’s truly committed to being done after getting the little epilogue and sendoff he deserved he’s got all the right in the world, but if Routh would have any interest absolutely make him the shows’ equivalent to John Shipp on Flash as Uncle Kal from Earth 96, popping by every now and then to be the fun uncle to the boys and give Clark life advice.

[thecomicsnexus]

For the Man Who Has Everything

SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 AUGUST 1985 BY ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS AND TOM ZIUKO

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman pay Superman a visit at his Fortress of Solitude, with Batman and Wonder Woman bearing gifts for the Man of Steel's birthday. However, upon their initial entry, they see Superman standing rather still with a strange alien plant attached to his chest and wrapping its tendrils around him. They call out to him, but Superman doesn't respond. His mind is entranced by a vision he sees a vision of him being on a Krypton that never exploded, living out the normal life of an average Kryptonian, being married and having a son and a daughter. He comes home from work and is greeted by a surprise birthday party which most of his family, except for his father Jor-El, attends. His father has become angry and bitter over being the laughingstock of the Science Council for predicting the end of Krypton which never happened, and is now joining with an extreme political sect called the Sword of Rao in the hopes of restoring Krypton to the way it used to be.

As the three heroes try to determine where the plant came from and what it's doing to Superman, a gigantic yellow-skinned muscular humanoid male named Mongul shows up, telling them that the plant is a Black Mercy, which gives its victims the desire of their hearts, trapping them in a dreamworld that they cannot escape from. He challenges the three heroes to take him on one-on-one to find one among the Earth beings worthy enough to kill. Wonder Woman steps up to the challenge, nearly breaking her hand when she gave Mongul a punch. Mongul throws her through a wall, where she enters the weapons room of the Fortress, and uses one of the more powerful energy blasters to take on Mongul. Meanwhile, Batman tries to reach out to Superman to get him to snap out of his dream world as he attempts to unwrap Black Mercy's tendrils from the Man of Steel.

On Krypton, Kal-El meets his aunt Allura in the hospital to comfort her when his cousin Kara fell victim to a violent protester demanding the release of the Phantom Zone criminals. He calls his wife and tells her to go someplace safe with their daughter and that he and their son will meet her there. Along the way Kal-El finds a gathering of Sword of Rao loyalists hearing Jor-El's charged speech about the current state of affairs on Krypton. Finally he takes his son to the site where the city Kandor used to be, and tells him that he has a feeling that nothing he has experienced is even real. Soon he starts to see his son and all Krypton vanish before his eyes.

Batman succeeds in pulling Black Mercy off Superman's body, only for it to now latch onto him and give him a fantasy based on the desires of his heart. In Batman's fantasy, he sees that his father, on the night that his parents were murdered by a low-life criminal on the street, succeeds in overpowering the criminal and thus preventing the murder from ever happening. Bruce grows up happily, marries Kathy Kane, and they have a teenaged daughter.

Superman, now freed from the Black Mercy's thrall, attacks Mongul in a rage, angry that he had been pulled from his fantasy of being on a Krypton that was never destroyed and losing everything that was so dear in the process. During this fight, Robin uses the gauntlets that Mongul pulled off his hands and grabs Black Mercy, pulling it off Batman and carrying it to where he would hope to dump it on Mongul.

The fight between Superman and Mongul, with neither side prevailing, carries over into a room where the Kryptonian is distracted by the statue of his parents holding up a globe representing the lost world of Krypton, and Mongul uses it to pummel Superman. However, Mongul is distracted by Robin calling to him and sees him through a hole in the ceiling one floor up. Robin then drops Black Mercy right on Mongul, and instantly it wraps itself around Mongul, giving him a fantasy of his own heart's desire. In that fantasy, he kills Robin as well as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and then takes over as the leader of a new Warworld. In reality, Mongul simply drops to the ground, with the heroes now relieved that the fight is over.

Batman and Wonder Woman finally present their birthday gifts to Superman. Wonder Woman shows him a perfect replica of the bottled city of Kandor, while Batman shows him a rare species of a plant blossom called the Krypton -- a blossom that ended up being crushed during the fight. Superman nonetheless is pleased that his friends and allies have even thought of bringing him gifts and then offers them coffee.

REVIEW

Had this story been published this decade, it wouldn’t have that high of a score. But at the time, this was unlike other Superman stories.

Some observations: This is actually a very fast story. The illusions take most of the issue, but the whole thing seems to happen in less than an hour.

The reason why Superman can overcome the Black Mercy and Mongul cannot, is that Superman is selfless. So, when he imagines his desire of Krypton never exploding, it immediately affects other characters: his parents and his cousin. Mongul, on the other hand, gets what he wants, and he doesn’t care who is affected by it. This is an interesting detail that is easy to ignore.

Also having Jason outsmart Mongul is very funny. My only complain is that he looks too much like Dick Grayson (Jason is supposed to look like a kid).

Wonder Woman almost doesn’t make it into this story. Moore wanted to use Supergirl, but she was about to die in the Crisis and no one was sure about the schedule, I suppose.

I give this issue a score of 10

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1298

Monday, January 27, 2020

 It's the Year of the Rat man. I hope it's a happy one for you and yours. I had the pleasure of spending time with the newest member of the Jee Gang toting baby Ashton around while he took in the happy chaos at our Chinese New Year gathering yesterday. His wonder at the world makes it a happier place.

 Conan Serpent War #4 - Jim Zub (writer) Ig Guara & Vanesa R. Del Rey (art) Frank D'Armata & Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This bizarre adventure teaming up Conan, Solomon Kane, Agnes and Moon Knight concludes with the demon Wyrm chopped up into fish food. This story won't matter to anyone other than fans of those four heroes but it sure was fun to read.

 Batman #87 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm happy Catwoman and Cheshire are in this story. I love how Guillem March draws women. There are a lot of players in Gotham City right now so please pay attention as the mystery unfolds.

 Once & Future #6 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Dan Mora (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). That's two fantasy stories that ends with the death of a serpent. Must be a common theme this week. One of the bad guys gets away and the story of Duncan and his Granny will continue. I don't know if I'll read the next arc since this one didn't conclude very well. I felt that Zombie King Arthur was defeated too easily.

 Detective Comics #1019 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Scott Godlewski (art) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). And so the winter solstice passes and the mystery of the Nordic cult ends. I'm glad this story about a creature from the nether regions was short.

 Atlantis Attacks #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Ario Anindito (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I picked this off the rack to read because I wanted to see what Namor was up to these days. He's back being the angry ruler of Atlantis pissed off at the air breathers. This time he's mad at all of the Agents of Atlas. That Jimmy Woo sure hangs out with the weirdest heroes of the Marvel U. If you're a fan of all those Agents you'll want to add this 5-issue mini to your subscriptions.

 Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting & Javier Fernandez (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Cool. It looks like Lex Luthor is going to be the one to save the world this time. I like who he's asking for help. I'll give you a hint: har.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #38 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Here's the latest twist to the life of Peter Parker: J. Jonah Jameson is helping Spider-Man now instead of vilifying the hero. Jonah is also working for a new media firm and the old fogey does not like what he sees. We're back to the Chameleon storyline where Peter and his spy sister Theresa are trying to get back all the S.H.I.E.L.D. tech that was stolen. All the dangling plot threads are starting to get annoying.

 Superman #19 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Joe Prado, Danny Miki, Julio Ferreira & Oclair Albert (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop after Superman's big secret identity reveal. All of his Earthly super villains haven't taken advantage of the news so let's head out into space shall we? This is where Mongul attacks the new United Planets. The Superman versus Mongul fights have been epic and this new one won't disappoint.

 Fantastic Four #18 - Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina, Francesco Manna & Carlos Magno (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Now I get the point of this "Point of Origin" story. When Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben launched all those years ago, the Overseer of the planet Spyre saw a threat to his perfect planet and shot cosmic rays at the ship to kill the FF. We know how that went off the rails. So now we have the Fantastic Four returning to Spyre and basically screwing up the whole planet like the Overseer foresaw. Hey, you don't mess with Destiny. I wonder why Reed is so pissed off in the next issue teaser.

 Batman Superman #6 - Joshua Williamson (writer) David Marquez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) John J. Hill (letters). Well that was a whole lot of yakkity-yak. This issue takes place before Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1. Batman and Superman find Wonder Woman to tell her the bad news that Donna Troy has been infected by the Batman Who Laughs. Then they continue to try and find a cure for the infected. The issue ends with a surprise appearance of two super villains making the next issue a "must read" for me.

 Marauders #6 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli & Mario Del Pennino (art) Erick Arciniega & Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Kitty (call her Kate) saves the day but is sunk in the end. I've been ambivalent about reading this title of political intrigue and this issue made up my mind to bench this book. The subject matter is mature but the dialogue is juvenile so I'm outta here.

 Kill Lock #2 - Livio Ramondelli (story & art) Tom B. Long (letters). The search for the key to disable the Kill Lock continues. I care about the plight of these four condemned droids.

 The Old Guard: Force Multiplied #2 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). The team goes to rescue victims of human traffickers and get a surprise when they open the container. This book will blow you away.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Call him Racoon, Rocket Racoon. Rocket's gone from looking like road kill in the last story arc to quite the fashion plate in this new run. And his guns have gotten a lot smaller. The team is recovering from the Universal Church of Truth massacre but their respite is short lived. Zeus and his Greek gods have returned and they're all evil now. You can tell because they're dressed in black. Nova asks the Guardians for help but only Starlord, Rocket, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell/Captain Marvel join the fray. I like that Marvel Boy is back and when the mission goes FUBAR, a surprise ally makes an appearance. The art alone makes this worth picking up off the rack.

 Basketful of Heads #4 - Joe Hill (writer) Leomacs (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Poor June, she keeps meeting up with bad men. You can't blame a girl for defending herself. Now there are two heads in the basket. Basket head number three just introduced himself. This is just too weirdly fun.

 Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula #1 - Frank Tieri (writer) Angel Unzueta (modern day art) Stefano Landini (flashback art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is the last of the one-shots leading into the 5-issue Ravencroft mini. It's going to have lots of Marvel heroes and villains if this issue is any indication. In the first few pages alone we have Man Wolf, Misty Knight, Mr. Fantastic, the Falcon, Power Man and Iron fist and the Winter Soldier who introduces the flashback where Captain America fights with Dracula. When we return to the present, new inmates are being incarcerated into the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminal Insane. I could only identify Mr. Hyde but I didn't recognise the others. The consultant hired to work with these inmates was a surprise and may entice you to pick up Ravencroft #1 when it hits the racks on January 29. Imagine if the Joker were hired to work at Arkham Asylum.

 Wonder Woman #750 - I read all 9 stories in this $9.99 US anniversary issue to see where Princess Diana was at right now. Nothing much has changed since I stopped reading her book regularly so I won't be picking up #751. I've read other comic books aimed at young female readers, the Unstoppable Wasp is a good example, but this one doesn't spark a renewed interest in me to follow Wonder Woman's adventures.

 Birds of Prey 100-Page Giant #1 - Now this is more like it. There are 3 new stories and 3 reprints that I've not read before so it's a great value at $4.99 US. The core team of Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress are joined by Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, all fabulous females ready for action. Almost makes me want to see the Birds of Prey movie that hits theatres Friday, February 7.

[frasier-crane-style]

This just in: politics in comics can be really dumb

DC Comics: Superman is a refugee! If you like Superman, you should like refugees!

Me: Yeah, and so is Supergirl, but to continue that metaphor, there’s also Zod

Faora

Non

Ursa

Brainiac

Doomsday

The Eradicator

Jax-ur and Mala

Cythonna

Reign

Astra

Quex-ul

Really all the Phantom Zone criminals. Not to mention all the non-Kryptonian alien menaces like Mongul, Darkseid, Imperiex, Lobo, et al. Heck, even Jor-El is kind of a villain these days.

So I guess to carry the metaphor to its logical conclusion, there are one or two good refugees, but most of them are murderous criminals bent on destruction!

Guess no one really thought that one through...

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/3tg7jHi #

In Action Comics #1034, Supergirl just called out Superman for being reckless. It’s been well documented that Supergirl, in the future, wants nothing to do with Superman and the House of El. This has all come from Supergirl being “twice as good, but second best” due to Superman being the original Kryptonian on Earth. Supergirl, on Earth, will never be seen as a hero in own right without comparison to Superman. His shadow is far too big to escape on Earth, so that’s why she moves off-planet in Future State.

Not only is Superman dealing with one of the deadliest cosmic threats in DC history with Mongul, but he’s also trying to prevent the U.S. and Atlantis from going to war. The Man of Steel’s hands are incredibly full. When people are stressed or stretched too thin, brash decisions are often made. In this issue, Superman’s actions come across as very brash as he juggles with his priorities.

Related: Superman’s New Family Member Just Broke His Most Sacred Rule

In Action Comics #1034 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Christian Duce, and Adriano Lucas, Superman steals the Genesis fragment from Atlantis. This decision will have big ramifications due to him breaking the trust of both Atlantis and the U.S. Not to forget, Superman also just ruined his friendship with Aquaman, who sides with Atlantis. After stealing Genesis, Superman and his family fly towards the Fortress of Solitude to store the deadly power source away. However, it’s here when Supergirl calls out Superman’s brash decision to forcibly take Genesis from the Atlanteans.

In Future State, Supergirl feels that Superman was wrong to pass on his mantle to his son. Kara strongly believes that Jonathon Kent is not a good hero and that someone more worthy could’ve been chosen. As aforementioned, Supergirl makes the decision to leave Earth and retire as Supergirl in a moon colony. Unlike her being denied on Earth, Supergirl, who goes by Superwoman, is applauded for her heroism on the moon. However, it’s here where readers can get a glimpse at the beginning of the schism. Supergirl strongly believes that Superman has gone too far as he just interfered in a political battle without thinking of the consequences. Naturally, Supergirl’s comments come across as true and as to how someone like Superman should act.

The Man of Steel is clearly in a stressful state due to his reignited fear of Mongul and Warworld. Superman’s unusually brash nature is born when the Justice League shows little interest in assisting him to take down Warworld. He clearly believes the U.S. and Atlantis conflict is petty and has nothing on what’s happening on Warworld. But Supergirl’s words draw attention to the importance of keeping a level head. This is Supergirl’s first proper instance of going against Superman, and it’s only the beginning. It’s clear that Superman will suffer for his actions here, but in what way? That remains a mystery! Action Comics #1034 is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now.

Next: Superman Writer Wants A Green Arrow & Black Canary Series

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[britesparc]

My Justice League, by Me

I've never really been one to write fan-fiction, not since I was a kid and I used to make dozens of Transformers comics. But one thing I did used to do quite a bit – which is obviously fan-fiction – was write synopses, outlines, and treatments for film or TV adaptations of my favourite properties (this was about 10-15 years ago; I don't really have the time nowadays as I'm trying to write my own original stuff). I think I thought, however unlikely, that maybe one day I'd be in a position to pitch for them, and I wanted to be prepared; and, indeed, I'd be lying if I said I didn’t still harbour some faint hope of one day being in a similar position, even if I don't genuinely think I'll ever get a crack at a big superhero or sci-fi movie or anything like that.

One thing I wrote – back when the prequels were still coming out – was a treatment for a whole new Star Wars trilogy, my own Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. I know the first one was going to be called The Ancient Fear and the last one The War of the Jedi, but I can't remember what I'd named Episode VIII; I do remember I was trying to avoid "The Adjective of the Noun" type titles and go with something similar to The Empire Strikes Back, but I just can't recall what I'd decided - something like The Broken Prophecy I think. Anyway, I might write more about these some day. I also wrote a very detailed outline for a Star Wars mini-series, but I'm not saying anything about that at all, in case I do ever get a shot at pitching any kind of Star Wars story (novel, comic, game, whatever).

Something else I wrote – and I'm pretty sure this pre-dates the Marvel Cinematic Universe – was a detailed plan for a Batman/Superman team-up movie. Indeed, it was designed to serve explicitly as a jumping-off point for a wider shared universe; I think I was inspired by the release of Superman Returns and Batman Begins and just wanted the two heroes to share a universe (it might have been even earlier and inspired more by the Justice League cartoon). So here I present, mostly from memory as I can't seem to find my original documents, a very brief summation of Young David's DCEU.

World's Finest: the ideas for this one were the most fleshed-out. It was set about a year into the careers of Batman and Superman. In brief, the plot centred around Luthor attempting to prove that Superman was dangerous and that he was the real hero. In doing so, he ends up creating Parasite (who proved a physical threat to Superman) and also releasing Joker from Arkham, to stage a bit of chaos (Joker's doctor, Harleen Quinzel, is taken hostage at the same time and essentially "becomes" Harley Quinn over the course of the film, although she never donned the costume or fell in a vat of acid or anything). The basic idea was that the film was a buddy-cop movie: Superman was open-hearted but very by-the-book, Batman was caustic, sarcastic, and all about the end result. They never have a physical fight in the film at all, but ideologically they're on different sides until the end of the second act, when Supes realises that Batman is far more of a hero than a vigilante, and Bats realises that he can't win this fight alone and his way isn't always the only way. At the end, they form a loose partnership; the Joker is back in Arkham, Parasite is locked away in STAR Labs, and Luthor is halfway to being ruined politically and financially (although still free as they couldn't pin anything on him).

World's Finest: Trinity: the sequel brought Wonder Woman into the mix. This film was a bit less well-planned. I'm going to try to be honest about my ideas, although in retrospect I think they're a bit "male gaze-y"; not that the film was salacious, but the idea of a "battle of the sexes", however it was framed, is absolutely not something I'd do nowadays, and I disagree with its interpretation of the Amazons. I was inspired by the comics I was reading, and at the time I viewed them as warriors first and foremost, and often quite anti-male. Anyway, the basic idea is that the Amazons start invading and attacking/assassinating prominent (male) figures. But this new character, dubbed "Wonder Woman" by the press, turns up to protect them. Supes & Bats attempt to find out who she is, who these "Amazons" are, and why they're attacking. Bruce has to get a bodyguard, and is assigned one Diana Prince – you see where this is going. Catwoman, Zatanna, and Poison Ivy were all in it. It is revealed ultimately that Circe had bewitched Hippolyta and Diana had been banished for opposing her mother, but at the end the villain is defeated, peace is restored, Diana officially becomes Wonder Woman and remains in the world at large. I still think, broadly, the plot works, but introducing Diana as an adjunct to Batman and Superman rings a bit false to me nowadays, as does introducing the Amazons as enemies (even if ultimately they're redeemed by the finale). Like I said, it's not the plot I'd write today.

World's Finest: Justice: The final part in the "trilogy" so to speak was – naturally – a Justice League movie. Now, by this point, I anticipated having a Green Lantern origin movie, and possibly Flash too, so these characters wouldn't be brand-new or introduced here. This film I'd planned the least; the villain was actually Mongul, who was (I believe) using his "Warworld" (which was a Death Star-like space station bristling with armaments) to conquer earth and build a slave army (I think his ultimate aim was either to defend himself against Darkseid, or win favour by providing him with an army; I forget). He may have used Starros to enslave the populace, I can't quite remember. It was Martian Manhunter who united the League (this was conceived in the days before Cyborg replaced J'onn as a founding member). Robin was in the film – I may have planned for there to be a Batman & Robin movie in between this and Trinity – and played a crucial role in the film's climax, freeing the League when they were all captured. I'm trying to remember who was actually in the League; Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Martian Manhunter for certain; I think I may have skipped Aquaman; I'm pretty sure I wanted another female character but I'm not sure who I went for – Zatanna, I think, as she was introduced in the previous film and I always like having a magic-user on the team. As a nod to a wider universe or sequel-bait, it was firmly established at the end that there was a worse threat than Mongul – specifically Darkseid, who was turning his attention to Earth.

So there we go. I had, naturally, planned further – I know that I envisioned a kind of two-part Justice League sequel (I think called Justice League of America and Justice League Unlimited) which was all about Darkseid’s invasion, with a cliffhanger at the end of “episode one” where Superman is apparently killed, and his resurrection being a significant plot point in “episode two”.

Now at the time of writing I’ve still not seen Justice League. I’ve read some reviews and I know it’s not very highly thought-of. That’s disappointing. I don’t know if my ideas are any better; certainly, apart from some concepts from my first World’s Finest plot, I’m not sure I’m awfully fond of most of it myself anymore. I’m not even sure why I’m posting this at all, but I guess sometimes you have stuff that you’re thinking of and it’s kinda nice to get it off your chest. And, for me personally, it’s fun to imagine an alternate universe where a Batman and Superman team-up movie was more optimistic action and sardonic comedy than people miserably shouting the word “Martha” in the rain.

[kierantc-blog]

Dark Nights: Metal #1 - An In-Depth Look

So with the first issue of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Dark Nights: Metal dropping this week, i thought i’d take the time to write a bit about the references of the issue as not everyone fully grasped the magnitude or significance of everything it had to offer.

Braal and The Legion Of Super-Heroes

One of the things that has been teased by DC since Rebirth is the return of the Legion Of Super-Heroes. Currently they have Saturn Girl locked up in Arkham Asylum after her appearance in DC Universe Rebirth #1, and in Metal we get another mention. Faced with Mongul and his new War World, Batman wonders how he managed to do it considering the Braalians were suppose to be watching him. The Braalians are a race of human-like aliens from Braal, a planet that is home to LoS founder Rokk Krinn AKA Cosmic Boy.

Even though Rokk won’t exist for another 9 centuries, this is an important detail in the story. Rokk and other Braalians have a unique ability to manipulate magnetic energy, and as Batman later notes that a planet like Braal with a heavy metal core is probably going to come under some stress due to the nature of the current Metal problem, thus explaining why Mongul was seemingly allowed to make his new War World.

What's the deal with the Tribes?

In the DC Universe there were 4 known tribes at the beginning of mankind, the Wolf Tribe, the Bird Tribe, the Bear Tribe and the Bat Tribe. These all directly relate to known people in the DCU, the Wolf Tribe is known for being the tribe of Vandal Savage (although they were previously known as the Blood Tribe), the Bird Tribe is where Carter Hall AKA Hawkman came from, and the Bear Tribe was home to the Immortal Man, a person we saw talking about Duke Thomas’s mother in The Forge #1. And then we have the Bat Tribe....

The origins of this tribe directly relate to Bruce Wayne. In the first issue of the pre-Flashpoint story The Return Of Bruce Wayne, we find the Caped Crusader stranded in the stone age, surrounded by a small tribe known as the Deer tribe. Meanwhile the Wolf tribe, led by Vandal Savage, tries to kill Bruce as well as destroy the entire Deer tribe, but when Bruce fights back and saves the tribe, they decide to rename themselves the Bat tribe and would later be known as the Miagani people of Gotham.

This tribe would literally lead their lives around Batman (or Man Of Bats as they called him), carrying with them the relic of the original cape and cowl Batman wore when he shot Darkseid, which would eventually end up in a cave beneath Wayne Manor centuries later.

The tribes are a very important part of the story because they lead into the next segment.....Barbatos.

Barbatos? Who The Heck Is Barbatos?

So now that you understand the history of the tribes slightly, it’s time to rewind a little bit in the timeline of Bruce Wayne and venture back to Final Crisis itself. During this Crisis Darkseid has everyone on the back foot and he plans on destroying everything, but Bruce manages to get hold of a radion bullet that killed the New God Orion (Darkseid’s son) and uses it to mortally wound Darkseid.

In immediate retaliation, Darkseid unleashes the Omega Sanction and kills Batman. Even though Batman is dead in the present day, he’s thrown back in time by the Omega Sanction into the stone age. Then Darkseid releases the Hyper-Adapter, a creature that will follow Bruce Wayne throughout history, feeding on his timeline until it reaches the present day when it will effectively destroy all of creation. It’s basically Darkseid’s final gambit after realising that he was mortally wounded by the radion bullet.

As this Hyper-Adapter follows Bruce throughout time, it begins to share the legend of the Man Of Bats and sometimes appears as a giant bat as well as an octopus creature, but it’s the bat sigil that has the bigger impact and would later lend to the name Barbatos. It’s through this Barbatos myth that one of Batman’s biggest villains prior to Flashpoint would come to light, Doctor Simon Hurt.

In 1765, one Thomas Wayne of Gotham was part of a cult that summoned Barbatos, and when confronted with the giant bat Thomas would bargain with it and become imbued with some of its powers, granting him a long life. Thomas would later be driven mad by this power and would later adopt the name Simon Hurt. 

During the Batman RIP story, Hurt would try to discredit the Wayne family name by claiming to be Bruce’s father Thomas in an attempt to take the Wayne family fortune but he would be stopped by The Joker of all people and a banana peel.

The important part of the story of Barbatos when it relates to Metal is that he was seemingly a tool of New God origin, but it appears he might actually be more than that. Could he in fact be a New God of the Dark Multiverse and the Hyper-Adapter we met in Final Crisis and Return Of Bruce Wayne was merely an avatar? Time will tell, but Barbatos is a name that we should keep an eye on going forward in this event.

Lady Blackhawk And The Bird Tribe

In Metal #1 we’re finally introduced to Lady Blackhawk, a woman we had heard rumblings of back in All-Star Batman (also written by Snyder) but now we know her identity, Kendra Saunders AKA Hawkgirl. The Blackhawks are a team that Kendra has seemingly assembled in order to investigate the disappearance of Carter Hall, following a trail of clues he left behind to his whereabouts. For years the Blackhawks and by extentions the Bird Tribe would utilise the expertise of various people such as T.O Morrow and his Metal Men as well as the explorers The Challengers Of The Unknown and the original Star Man.

For years both Kendra and Carter were curious about their ability to reincarnate over hundreds of years and began to investigate the Nth Metal in their wings. Eventually Carter concluded that the metal must have come from a dark side of the Multiverse where dark matter comes from. Kendra disagreed and in order to prove he was right he and the Challengers Of The Unknown decided to go there, and in the process the base of the Challengers known as Challengers Mountain was ripped out of reality. This is the mountain that appears in the middle of Gotham in Metal #1.

Given Batman’s comments here that the material for the equipment is old but rather advanced in design means that the Challengers Of The Unknown and Hawkman have seemingly been missing for a number of years, possibly decades.

The story of issue 1 ends with Batman finding Carter Hall’s journal in the study of Wayne Manor, hidden for some time and in it Carter says that he entrusts the journal to a family he trusts and name checks the Wayne family as a member of the Bat Tribe. This isn’t a sentiment shared by Kendra though as she tells the Justice League that Barbatos’ entry into their Multiverse will be paved by a member of the Wayne family, and as Carter says in his journal that Barbatos has marked this person since the “final moment of crisis”.

Kendra believes that Challengers Mountain appearing in Gotham is no coincidence and she’s probably right, but could her disagreements with Carter be bigger than we realise? If Carter trusts the family of the Bat Tribe and she doesn’t, it could be an indicator of the politics between them that forced Carter’s hand.

Neil Gaiman Drops By Wayne Manor

The ending of Metal #1 is crazy, like seriously crazy. Batman finds Carter’s journal in his study (coincidentally the place he chooses to become a Bat) and is confronted by a pale figure called The Dream Of The Endless who tells him that his nightmare is only just beginning. 

This pale figure is a man created by legendary writer Neil Gaiman for the Vertigo series The Sandman. Now i haven’t read The Sandman but i know of it and the love it receives from all who have read it, and the fact one of the main characters of that series is in this book is a feat in itself. Unlike most creator/publisher relationships where the publisher can use characters as they see fit, DC and Gaiman have an agreement that his characters will only be used with his permission, so for one of them to be in Metal #1 means that Gaiman has given his seal of approval.

In The Sandman series, the Endless are physical manifestations of powerful forces that exist throughout creation. The man we see here is Dream, but there are others such as Death, Destiny and Desire. This particular version of Dream is inhabited by a young man named Daniel Hall, who is actually the grandson of Carter Hall AKA Hawkman and thus he technically belongs to the Bird Tribe. His mother, Hippolyta Trevor-Hall was the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor and his father Hector Hall was the son of Hawkman who would later become Doctor Fate.

Daniel is not the first version of Dream to exist, the previous one Morpheus gave up his life for a new Dream to exist and they are different in appearance too, making it easy to identify the one from Metal #1 as Daniel. Morpheus in appearance has spiky black hair and pale white skin, with two white stars for eyes, whereas Daniel only shares the pale skin with him and has medium length white hair and black space for eyes. 

The significance of Dream as a character is that he is literally the embodiment of all dreams and has untold powers that make him as powerful as any God, maybe even more so. 

So why is he in Metal #1? This is speculative but if the Dark Multiverse is made up of Nightmares, the one person who would know about it is Dream, and he would certainly want to help the heroes against such an enemy, especially if his grandfather is somehow involved too.

So there you have it, i hope i’ve done justice to some of the story elements from Metal #1, it’s truly a fantastic story but it does need some background information for new readers to fully appreciate what Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are crafting.

Anyway thanks for reading! I’ll soon be posting a review of sorts for the entirety of DC’s Rebirth lineup, but there’s a lot to go through so i’ll probably post it by Tuesday at the latest.

Stay safe.

[shifflab]

Every Wall has a Door: Art about Migration

As globalization spurs the movement of people and wealth, understanding the history of migration will help create rational and fair policy. This small collection of art ranges from a relief sculpture of Romans fighting Goths to a conceptual piece about Palestinian diaspora. They show how different groups reacted to migration in the past couple thousand years.

Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus

Marble, Roman artwork, 251/252 CE

This high relief sarcophagus shows a group of disheveled Goths being crushed from above by Roman soldiers. The Goths look savage with their bare chests and unkempt beards while the Romans wear ornate armor and triumphantly look upon the Goths with contempt. A wounded Goth father watches as his son is dragged away, possibly to become a slave, his hand slipping from his father’s shoulder as if his grip was just broken.

The sarcophagus was made during the Crisis of the Third Century -- a period of time when the Roman Empire nearly fell because of an economic depression, political strife, invasions, and climate change. As the Huns pushed Germanic tribes into Roman territory, the Goths were forced into conflict with the Romans resulting in battles like the one shown here.

Наконець-то дома! Картина М. Маймона. (Finally at home! Picture by M. Maimon.)

Print, Moshe Maimon, 1910

An attack on Russian Jews, called a pogrom, left this family’s home ransacked and several members dead. Bodies are strewn across the floor as rabbi reads a prayer and an injured man cries in grief.

After the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, the new Tsar blamed Jews for the attack which resulted in pogroms and discriminatory legislation that restricted where they could live.

A Happy New Year

Print, Hebrew Publishing Company, 1910-20

Because the official response from the Russian government and the pogroms, many Russian Jews emigrated to the United States. In this New Year’s postcard, American Jews dressed in patriotic colors welcome Jewish refugees by stretching out their arms. An American eagle flies overhead with a banner that says “Shelter me in the shadow of your wings.”

Panel 1: During World War I there was a great migration north by southern African Americans (1940–41)

Tempera painting, Jacob Lawrence, 1940

Between World War I and World War II, millions of blacks moved from the rural south to the urban north during the Great Migration. Jacob Lawrence documented this movement with a series of 60 socially conscious works that shows their struggle, joy, and the discrimination they experienced.

In this panel, blacks line up for buses departing to several northern cities. People are broken down into simple shapes forming a collective mass that scurries through the gates. While their individuality is gone, so is the minstrel caricature that usually represented blacks at the time.

The Great Wall of People

Bricks of human hair, Gu Wenda, 2004

At first glance this piece by Chinese artist Gu Wenda seems like a piece of the Great Wall, though when inspected closer, the bone black bricks are made of matted human hair. Artists like Wenda are responding critically to the Great Wall which is a symbol of Chinese nationalism. This piece shows the horror and beauty of the architectural marvel that was ineffective at stopping the invading Monguls and cost about 500,000 lives to build.

Homesick

Architectural model, Hrair Sarkissian, 2014

Hrair Sarkissian created an exact scale reproduction of his parents’ home in Syria and filmed its destruction. Sarkissian left Syria in 2008, but his parents, like many of their generation, stayed behind in Damascus refusing to Syria until recently. While his parents’ home is still standing, many other families’ are not because of the civil war.

This house, which looks like an ordinary home, is removed from its environment and isolated in a white walled room. Personal effects like colored drapes and a ladder are generic enough to remind us these inhabitants live like anyone else. The result is a meditation on the loss of personal history, identity, and security when a home is lost to violence.

Where we come from

Photographs, Emily Jacir,2002-2003

“If I could do anything for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?” was the question Emily Jacir, who holds a US passport, asked Palestinians living in far flung cities such as Paris, Kuwait, and Bethlehem. Here she documents the reason why they cannot travel to Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Accompanying photographs document her process of trying to complete their requests, such as eating candy, photographing nieces and nephews, and in this piece, leaving flowers at a mother’s grave. These pieces show the emotional cost of national divisions and question fairness in immigration.

[thevindicativevordan]

On Maxima

Every time DC wants to put Supes in a relationship with someone other than Lois, I always wonder why they don't just go with Maxima.

Especially since she's basically what they turn Diana into every time they try to hook the two of them up. Why not just go with the actual Superman Rogue/supporting character who is also a warrior-queen? Who is already almost as violent as she is horny, forcing Clark to try to get her to chill out, even as he's tempted to join her? If it isn't already clear, I like Maxima. Her character archetype, the supervillainess who tempts the hero with sex appeal, is one that's pretty damn popular for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons, this kind of character can provoke a backlash nowadays.

Personally I think she can still work just fine, she just needs some revamp. The basics of her character and backstory are still solid and offer storytelling potential. She's the Queen of the alien Empire of Almerac. Maxima is drawn to Superman because of his power. The real big fix is changing why she's attracted to his power, and why she came to Earth in the first place, shifting it away from eugenics to something else.

What I'd Do With Maxima

So I'm going to take some cues from the DCAU incarnation of Maxima in that the reason she seeks Superman out is because she's been deposed.

DCAU Maxima got deposed after she met Superman, but she lost her throne because her people judged her too self-absorbed and immature to lead them. Which she totally was, and changing that formed the crux of her character development over the course of the episode. I'd take a similar route with reworking comics Maxima's backstory.

Maxima has just taken the throne when the Interstellar Empire of Almerac comes under the assault of Mongul of Warworld. Crushing Almerac's defenses, Mongul gives the world an ultimatum: Turn over a selection of their greatest fighters to fight for Almerac's continued right to exist in Mongul's gladiator arenas or he'll reduce the entire planet to ashes. He also demands a sizeable portion of the population be turned over as slaves tasked with keeping Warworld running, and he wants Maxima to be among those slaves as a symbol of Mongul's authority over Almerac. Maxima angrily refuses, but her people don't trust in her leadership on account of her youth and immaturity, and Maxima is overthrown. She's handed over for transport to Warworld, but while en route she breaks free and seizes control of the transport. Alone and without allies, Maxima sets a course for Earth to seek out the one person she's heard is a match for the Lord of Warworld: Superman.

Only interested at first in his power, and planning to use and dispose of him afterwards, Maxima at first presents herself to Clark as a potential mate. Her hope is that will entice him to support her on what could be a suicide mission, and that offering power and wealth via marriage will cement his loyalty. Being betrayed by her subjects still stings her though she takes great pains to pretend otherwise. Superman turns down the marriage offer, but agrees to follow her to take down Mongul and free Almerac. The two travel back to Almerac which is in the midst of choosing who will fight on Warworld. Clark pretends to be a native of Almerac and is chosen as one of the champions. Initially planning to stay on Almerac and purge those who betrayed her while Clark fights on Warworld, Maxima chooses to give herself up to Mongul, after he announces that he will be vaporizing an entire continent as punishment for the Almeracans failure to turn her over to him. Amused at her compassion for those who betrayed her, Mongul adds Maxima to the roster of gladiators, and she departs with Clark to the arenas.

Over the course of a series of battles, Maxima and Clark butt heads, watch each other's backs, and gradually fall in love with each other. Maxima admires Clark's resolve, restraint, and maturity, traits she's forced to admit she lacked. She's skeptical of his idealism however, seeing it as a flaw that undermines his effectiveness, particularly when it comes to killing. Clark admires Maxima's passion, bravery, and refusal to settle for anything less than the best in anyone including herself. All traits that make him ponder if perhaps she does have it in her to be a good leader. He dislikes her arrogance and entitlement however, particularly when it comes to her royal right to rule. A frequent source of fights between the two is whether the common person should have any voice in government with Maxima scoffing at that and point at how the mob gave in to Mongul, with Clark countering that Almeracans had long felt unheard and cut off from their rulers. Obviously that they're both super hot doesn't hurt as part of why they end up sleeping together.

Ultimately through a series of events Superman and Maxima succeed in freeing Almerac and driving Mongul away. Then everything promptly goes to hell. Having fallen for Clark for real over the course of their adventure, Maxima repeats her offer to him of marriage, except genuinely this time.

The two have had sex a couple times already, and Clark is genuinely tempted at the prospect of sticking with Maxima. He's grown to enjoy her company (having sex tends to do that), he enjoys the freedom to be himself without having to hide his powers, the Almeracans embrace him as their champion, and as Maxima's consort he could take an active hand in shaping society. At the point in Clark's career where I'd want to do this story, he's growing out of his youthful rage, but he's still not at peace with his lot in life. Earth's inability to meaningfully change at the pace he wants frustrates him, and leaving behind the restrictions of life there does entice him. My point is that I think the appeal of Maxima to Superman should and can be more than just breeding little Clarks as has been the case in the past.

However Clark ultimately rejects the offer. He can't bring himself to cut ties with Earth, Maxima's unwillingness to cede some of her power to her people isn't something Clark can accept, and Clark is also concerned that taking up her offer would compromise his ability to be a hero. As you would expect, Maxima is pissed at his refusal, treating it as another stab in the back. Due to his help in freeing her people and reclaiming her throne, she spares his life but exiles him from Almerac, declaring him persona non grata throughout the Empire.

Unbeknownst to Clark, who leaves after it's made clear the Almeracans don't want a civil war, Maxima is pregnant with his child. The child allows her to avoid entering into a political marriage, maintaining her independence since she now has a heir. This daughter will be groomed in hidden to take over the Empire, which Maxima now has plans to expand. The humiliation Mongul visited upon Almerac has had a big impact on her mindset. Now she's focused on eliminating any potential threats to her people, and she wants to transform Almerac into the greatest Interstellar Empire in the Milky Way. Then it will never be at the mercy of a foreign power ever again.

For stories, Superman and Maxima are clearly going to clash given she's become an imperialist herself, no better than Mongul. You can tell stories about Clark foiling Maxima's attempts to conquer other worlds, or Earth itself. Maxima would occasionally dispatch assassins or go personally to attack Clark, for the purpose of preventing him from getting "soft". The public reason for this is that he's become a roadblock to her aims, and needs to be eliminated. Secretly, her goal is to constantly push him to be stronger because she wants him to meet his daughter one day. Not for any sentimental reasons mind you, Maxima wants Superman to teach their daughter to be his equal in ability and resourcefulness. After learning everything she can from Clark, said daughter will be charged with leading the invasion of Earth. Conquering Earth, and defeating Superman, will be the girl's rite of passage into cementing herself as Maxima's heir. The world of her father, Superman, is destined to be her own Throneworld as Almerac's is Maxima's.

Think you could have a lot of fun in giving Clark a "Damian" of his own to deal with. Personally I'd have it so that the "daughter" would be akin to the New 52 Maxima who I thought had some potential. You could have Maxima and Maxima Jr. argue about the morality of Almerac's expansion, with MJ ultimately taking her father's side which causes enormous problems for her mother since she can't disown her daughter without a replacement heir. I think that could be a fun family dynamic to explore.

Wondering where Maxima will show up next. Part of me was hoping Almerac was that part of underdeveloped Superman lore PKJ talked about fleshing out, but that seems to be either Warworld or the Phantom Zone. I still think Maxima and Almerac have a lot of potential to be major players in Superman's world, but it's going to take someone being interested in fleshing them out. Maybe the upcoming Superman cartoon will accomplish that? If not I'll just have to hope someone will down the line.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Everything I Own

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2HIs9b6

by twriting

"Oh, did I neglect a local courtesy? Please allow me to introduce myself; I am the Grand Marshal and Tyrant of the Imperial Infinite, and Supreme Commander of the Warworld. I am Mongul. And I am the new manager around here. Naturally, I shall need time to settle in and adjust to your many interesting customs. I know, for example, that your society makes distinctions on a basis of gender and age. Perhaps then, you could advise me... Which of you would it be polite to kill first?"

Words: 2129, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Fandoms: Superman - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, Wonder Woman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman), Dick Grayson, Rick Flag, Mongul (DCU)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Female Clark Kent, Female Dick Grayson, synopsis for those who haven't read the rest of my au and don't want to:, Clark Kent is now a college student named Cantrell, but Batman and Wonder Woman and the other older heroes are all their usual sexes and ages, although somehow the sidekicks got dragged into the whole rule 63 business as well, but Dixie Grayson is the only sidekick in this story so don't worry about it, blame vyndktvx if you need a reason

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2HIs9b6

[memoriesofatraveladdictchick]

Would you go to Paris and not see the Eiffel Tower? Or to Mexico and not visit the Chichen Itza? Or to Rome and not go to the Colosseum? Or to Egypt and not check on the Pyramids? Would you go to India and not have the energy/effort/money/mood to go to the TAJ MAHAL? I think it sounds crazy but some people really do so. You know my opinion about them…. We are not such people; we went to the Taj Mahal to see one of the 7 wonders of the modern World. Yes, there is a crowd, yes, it takes time to go there, yes, it is expensive and yes, it is wonderful! Elmennétek Párizsba, úgy hogy nem nézitek meg az Eiffel-tornyot? Vagy Mexikóba és nem látogatjátok meg a Chichen Itzát? Vagy Rómába és nem menentek el a Colosseumba? Vagy Egyiptomba és nem ugrotok el megnézni a piramisokat? Elmennétek Indiába és nem lenne energiátok / pénzetek / hangulatotok, hogy elmenjetek a TAJ MAHAL-hoz? Őrülten hangzik, de néhányan tényleg ezt csinálják. Ismeritek a véleményem róluk … Mi nem ilyenek vagyunk; mi elmentünk a Taj Mahalhoz, hogy megnézzük a modern világ 7 csodájának egyikét. Igen, nagy a tömeg; igen, sok időbe telik, hogy elmenjetek oda; igen, drága és igen, csodálatos!

Just to know what I am talking about: WHAT IS THE TAJ MAHAL FAMOUS FOR? It was built by a Mongul Emperor for his wife who had died of childbirth. He promised his wife he would never remarry and will build the richest mausoleum over her grave. It took 22 years to finish the building; it is the symbol of eternal love. They started to clean the surface of the Taj Mahal this year (2018), because of the air pollution it had become dirty/greyish. It will take some time to finish… Csak hogy tudjátok miről beszélek: MIRŐL HÍRES A TAJ MAHAL? Egy mongol császár építtette a feleségének, aki szülés után meghalt. Megígérte, hogy soha nem fog újranősülni és a legcsodálatosabb mauzóleumot építi fel a sírjául. 22 év telt el az épület befejezéséig; az örök szerelem szimbólumává vált. Ebben az évben (2018) kezdték megtisztítani a Taj Mahal felületét a rárakódott kosztól, amit a levegőszennyezettségnek/szmognak köszönhet. Beletelik egy kis időbe, míg befejezik…

You can go to Agra from New Delhi by train, you can buy your ticket at the station or on some internet websites. I booked it on Cleartrip.com. BUT i n India you have to be careful, the following story happened to us: At the train station someone came to me and asked my ticket while we were waiting for the train. He said we hadn’t validated it so we would get a fine (50$) on the train. I was shocked and asked him what to do? He said they can validate it for 20$ or such we had to go to the office. To the office, which was closed at that time, because it was really early? I believed him. We went up to the office and a man was coming from the direction of the closed office. Just later I realized he just was passing by to pretend being coming from the office. I was suspicious but ok we paid, they gave me a simple signature onto the paper and we went back to the platform. On the train I saw a girl sitting next to us having in the hand the same type of ticket she also had bought on the internet. I asked her if she also had to pay for the validation. She just was staring at me and said, no. WTF???? So we were very much f@cked up ! Excuse the language… I was so stupid! I had a 6th sense really and I felt there was something wrong but I didn’t trust my feelings. I didn’t see these bastards again… OK, I calmed down, my parents said it was not a big deal don’t let this spoil our day. But it is so annoying, isn’t it? You suppose everyone is fair/just around you and they aren’t. So this is how our day started! It is a warning to you too! Agrába Új-Delhiből vonattal mehettek, a pályaudvaron vagy internetes honlapokon vehettek jegyet. Én a Cleartrip.com weboldalon foglaltam. Indiában vigyázni kell ám, amíg vártunk a vonatra, a következő történt velünk: Az állomáson valaki odajött hozzám, és kérte a jegyet. Azt mondta, hogy nem érvényesítettük, így büntetést kaphatunk (50 $) a vonaton. Megdöbbentem és megkérdeztem tőle, mit tegyek? Azt mondta, 20 dollár ellenében érvényesíti, el kellett mennünk az irodába. Az irodába, ami akkor zárva volt, mert túl korán volt… Hittem neki. Felmentünk az irodába és egy férfi jött a zárt iroda felől. Később jöttem rá, hogy csak úgy tette mintha onnan jönne. Gyanús volt, de nem gondoltam különösebben semmire, adott egy aláírást a papírra, és visszamentünk a vágányokhoz. A vonaton láttam, hogy egy mellettem ülő lánynak ugyanolyan típusú jegye volt az internetről. Megkérdeztem, hogy neki is fizetnie kellett az érvényesítésért. Csak nézett rám és azt mondta, nem. Micsodaaa???? Hát nagyon átvertek minket!… annyira hülye voltam! Igazából a hatodik érzékem azt súgta, hogy valami nincs rendben, de nem bíztam benne.Természetesen nem láttam ezeket a gazembereket újra … Rendben, lenyugodtam, a szüleim azt mondták, hogy nem nagy ügy, ne hagyjuk, hogy ez az egész elrontsa a napunkat. De olyan bosszantó, nem? Azt gondolod, hogy mindenki tisztességes körülötted és nem. Így kezdődött ez a nap!

The train ride takes about 1,5 hours and you arrive in Agra. There we took a rickshaw to go to see the Taj Mahal. The entrance for foreigners was 750 Rs (back then, some years ago… now 1000Rs), the line is smaller than the one for the locals, and we were inside in 10-15 mins. A vonat kb. 1,5 óra alatt ért Agra-ba. Ott fogtunk egy riksát és elindultunk a Taj Mahal felé. A külföldieknek a belépő 750 Rs volt (még évekkel ezelőtt…most 1000Rs), a sor rövidebb, mint ahol a helyiek állnak sorba és mi 10-15 percen belül bent is voltunk.

It is amazing, beautiful, and full of people but they don’t disturb you like in Delhi. An Indian family even asked me politely to take a picture with their daughters… I was the curiosity there 🙂 Csodálatos, gyönyörű és tele van emberekkel, de nem zavarnak egyfolytában Titeket, mint Delhiben. Egy indiai család udvariasan megkért, hogy készíthessenek egy képet a lányaikkal … Én ott voltam az egyik látványosság 🙂

  We spent there at least 2 hours to see the whole complex, then slowly went back to the train station and took a taxi for 3000 Rs to take us back to Delhi. We didn’t want to wait for our train because it would have been a couple of hours more and it was too tiring especially in that heat. Legalább 2 órát töltöttünk ott, hogy az egész épületet és hozzá tartozó kertet is megnézzük, aztán lassan visszamentünk a pályaudvarra és fogtunk egy taxit 3000 Rs-ért, hogy visszavigyen Delhibe. Nem akartuk megvárni a vonat indulást amire jegyet foglaltam, az még több óra lett volna, ami abban a melegben különösen fárasztó volt…

Yes this wasn’t the only city we visited in India, we did a roundtrip on our own there: London – New Delhi – Agra – Jaipur – Jodhpur – Mumbai – Varanasi – New Delhi – London, 18 days, fantastic experience. I will write about it later 🙂 Nem ez volt az egyetlen hely Indiában, amit meglátogattunk, egy saját szervezésű körutazáson vettünk részt: London – New Delhi – Agra – Jaipur – Jodhpur – Mumbai – Varanasi – New Delhi – London, 18 nap, fantasztikus élmény volt. Írok még erről nemsokára 🙂

Vicky

More posts about India / Több bejegyzés Indiáról:

The Blue City – Jodhpur, India / A Kék város – Jodhpur, India

Visiting Bombay (Mumbai) / Rövid látogatás Bombay-ben

Bishnoi Village Safari from Jodhpur, India / Bishnoi Szafari Jodhpurból, Indiában

The Road Full of Rebel Monkeys and Pilgrims in Jaipur, India / Egy utca az indiai Jaipurban tele vad majmokkal és zarándokokkal

AT THE TAJ MAHAL IN INDIA / A TAJ MAHAL-NÁL INDIÁBAN Would you go to Paris and not see the Eiffel Tower? Or to Mexico and not visit the Chichen Itza?

[totesmccoats]

Dark Nights: Metal #1

This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).

The League returns from the new Warmoon to find a mountain has sprung up in the middle of Gotham city, a hollow mountain filled with advanced technology emitting a powerful and unknown energy. Also investigating the mountain are the Blackhawks, in this iteration led by Kendra Saunders to recover Carter Hall’s research with his Challengers of the Unknown.

Bringing them to Blackhawk island, Kendra explains to the League about Nth metal, the multiverse (borrowed from Morrison’s Multiversity interpretation), and Batman’s prophesized role in the end of everything.

And that really is just the beginning. Go into this issue as fresh as you can and let it wow you with its references, deep cuts, and surprise character inclusions.

  Batman #29

Bruce Wayne invites the Joker and the Riddler to his home to try and make peace over a traditional French nine-course meal. It goes surprisingly well, especially after Bruce offers a billion dollars to whichever side can convince him that they should be the ones to kill Batman.

I’m feeling like this issue is a bit of an intermission in the arc, the eye of the hurricane, a brief peace before the war rages on. It’s nice from a pacing standpoint, while also giving King a great opportunity to just have Joker and Riddler talk almost directly to the reader in explaining their motivations and modus operandi. Riddler is arrogant and verbose, while Joker predictably doesn’t take any of it seriously.

Janin’s layouts in this issue are amazing, symmetrically dividing certain pages, spreads, and the book in total intro equally weighted Joker and Riddler moments, with Bruce doing his best to literally come between them and mediate. He’s also stacking the panels on top of the background plane, which gives the effect of the dinner being a polite formality for what each guest is really thinking – what they’re really hoping to accomplish.

  Superman #29

Following a spate of missing kids puts Superman on Parallax’s – the universal embodiment of fear and the power-source of the yellow lanterns – trail, but even if Superman can conquer his own fear, it may not be enough to stop fear itself.

Honestly, my favorite part of this issue may be how the Zoo Crew is a fictional property in the DCU, and how it had its own Zoo 52 reboot, and a Pokemon Go! Inspired app. The rest of the issue feels very on the nose, with Superman’s inner monologue going a little overboard on telling us how afraid he is for other people while “fear” is spelled out in various backgrounds. Also, considering the way that Parallax tries to enter Superman, I have a feeling that someone on this book may have a vore fetish going on.

Regardless, I generally do like Sinestro whenever he shows up in stories, which is weird as I’m generally not a fan of Green Lantern, and I’m hoping having Sinestro and Superman together leads this book into some fun places.

  Green Arrow #29

Holy hell; I did not know how much I needed Ferreyra drawing Batman in my life until this issue but I need more of Ferreyra drawing Batman. The opening pages where we slowly zoom into a puddle of blood only to see Batman perched on a building, reflected in red is the coolest goddam thing in comics this week.

Green Arrow follows Luthor’s advice to Gotham, where, as Oliver Queen, he pals around with the blue bloods long enough for them to lead him to the Ninth Circle partners in the city – the Court of Owls, who have begun using their Talons to hunt the poor for sport. And, of course, no trip to Gotham is complete without a visit from the Batman.

This isn’t as strong an issue as the last one, with Superman; but being in Gotham and around other rich people does give Green Arrow plenty of opportunities to just go off on how terrible rich people are, which I do always enjoy. Angry socialist Arrow is best Arrow.

  Wonder Woman #28

My favorite of Fontana’s issues of Wonder Woman so far, probably because it’s the simplest, plot wise.

Diana takes Etta home from the hospital to give her some in home care, but before she can even finish the dishes, they’re attacked by a sniper hunting a bounty on Wonder Woman’s head.

That’s it. A little bonding over hamburgers, then a fight scene, some background on the fight scene, and we end with promise of more fights. I still don’t like Fontana’s inner dialogue for Diana; the idea that there’s a peace in the bonds you make while at war is heavy on the bullshit; but Shea can script a good action heavy issue.

  Spider-Men II #2

The Spider-Men fight Taskmaster, who can more than handle both of them, making a clean escape while knocking Peter and Miles around for good measure. And, overhearing Taskmaster use his name in conversation, Miles finally begins to wonder who his 616 doppelganger might be – and what they have to do with Taskmaster.

In-universe, Spider-Man’s banter is supposed to be insufferable; not just to villains either, even other heroes think he talks too much. With Peter and Miles giving this a stereo effect, the insufferableness may even get to the reader. Even if you like the banter, which I do, it really is the rapidity and volume of it that gets to you. This thread is beginning to feel like a criticism of Bendis’ writing which, I guess goes to show why he’s kind of perfect for this book. Peter and Miles are two guys who, in-or-out of costume, are never off; always able to find something in the last thing someone else said to riff on. A scene with just Miles talking to his crush, Barbara, is much more charming, with Miles on the other side of the quips, but able to finally speak up enough to ask her out to the movies.

  Black Panther and The Crew #5

In ’69 (nice), Ezra begins to lose control of the Crew when they discover they can use their powers for personal gain. In the present, Manifold defends his block of Harlem from the Americops when they try to arrest a couple of kids out past cerfew.

There’s no arguing against the fact that Marvel’s mutants have always been analogues for minority peoples, but this may be the first issue I’ve seen to directly relate the treatment of mutants in the Marvel universe with the treatment of black people in the Marvel universe. Manifold narrates the issue, explaining why he’s decided to move to Harlem, and it’s because he realizes that people are afraid of black people in the same way they’re afraid of mutants in the Marvel universe. He finds kinship not through his powers, but through his skin color, and when he’s lost one family, is able to find another to protect and who will have his back.

Manifold expresses that Harlem chose him, and we get the feeling in this issue that it really did. Harlem didn’t have the same protections from violence under the law that other neighborhoods in the city did, so they elected vigilantes like Manifold, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, etc to be their protectors.

  Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #3

Another strong group of anthologies to the Bitch Planet spin-off series. Those People follows a soldier on his first mission out to arrest a group of terrorists that his CO’s make out to be demons, but – as we find out, aren’t nearly has harmful has he will be to them. Big Game is slightly similar in structure and tone, with a first time ranger out with his mentor on their first hunt of a “man-eater,” whom also, doesn’t live up to explanations. Love, Honor & Obey rounds things off with a noir inspired scene of a detective investigating a manslaughter case where a woman is blamed for the heart attack of a man having sex with her. All strong stories, all equally terrifying by how close they are to the lived reality of women and minority peoples. It does kind of weaken the second story to come right after such a similar one, but both have different enough endings, and work well enough on their own. Can’t really blame the writers for how the issue was structured, and I really don’t want to blame anyone working on this series because they’re all doing such great work with it otherwise.

Comic Reviews for 8/16/17 Dark Nights: Metal #1 This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).

[aion-rsa]

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2016: #100 – #76

Think the holidays are over? Think again! Because today marks the start of the most joyous season of all — CBR’s annual Top 100!

Each year, we take a thoughtful look at the comic book industry’s abundance of offerings and poll the passionate, thoughtful and always-opinionated CBR staff for their rankings of the top comics of the year. Every publisher putting out new comics material in English, regardless of genre or format, is fair game; each individual list is then factored in (all thanks to the power of mathematics and the magic of spreadsheets) to determine the overall Top 100 that will be unveiled on CBR over the course of this week.

2016 was another big year for the Top 100, once again with more than 40 contributors to the list and more than 200 comics nominated. That’s resulted in a typically diverse and sometimes unpredictable field: world-famous superheroes alongside creator-owned works; major publishers sharing space with indie favorites. Of course, even with 100 spots, no list can be an exhaustive collection of every noteworthy piece of work in a year, but the end result of the CBR Top 100 is a wide selection of eclectic comics and graphic novels worthy of attention.

Today, we start unveiling the list with entries No. 100 to 76, with the countdown continuing each day this week. Here’s the schedule, mark your calendars accordingly (all times Eastern): Tuesday, 1/3, 3 p.m.: Top 75-51; Wednesday, 1/4, 3 p.m.: Top 50-26; Thursday, 1/5, 9 a.m.: Top 25-11; Thursday, 1/5, 3 p.m.: Top 10; Friday, 1/6, 9 a.m.: Master list.

Start perusing the list below, and if you feel so moved, take to Twitter and (politely) discuss your thoughts using the hashtag #CBRTop100. While you’re here, feel free revisit our Top 100 lists from previous years:

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2015

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2014

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2013

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2012

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2011

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2010

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2009

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2008

CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2016: 100 -> 76 | 75 -> 51 | 50 -> 26 | 25 -> 11 | 10 -> 1

100. Empress

Written by Mark Millar

Art by Stuart Immonen

Publisher: Marvel/Icon

“Empress” is another sci-fi story reminiscent of Star Wars. It’s got the “Long Ago” part down pat, as it’s set 65 million years ago, only instead of in a “Galaxy Far, Far Away,” the seven-issue miniseries begins on Earth. King Morax is the head of an interstellar empire. Life in this empire is what you would expect it to be like if DC Comics’ Mongul had ever managed to take over the universe. As a result, the empress of the empire plans on leaving her psychotic husband before he turns his psychotically sadistic gaze onto her or their children. With the help of a Poe Dameron-type, she takes her kids and flees deep into space. With the story focusing on their escape, trying to stay ahead of the empire that’s out to kill them, and dealing with rebellious teens, “Empress” reads a heck of a lot like “The Incredibles” meets “Star Wars” and comes highly recommended if you like either franchise.

— CBR List Editor Brian Patry

99. Prophet: Earth War

Written by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy

Art by Giannis Milonogiannis, Simon Roy, Ron Ackins, Grim Wilkins, Brandon Graham, Jenna Trost

Publisher: Image Comics

Brandon Graham and Simon Roy’s millennia-spanning continuation of Rob Liefeld’s space barbarian character wrapped up in a most enjoyable fashion. Most of the series’s huge stable of artists returned for a final battle for the fate of the cosmos that was equal parts Jack Kirby, Frank Herbert and “Fist of the North Star.”

— CBR Contributing Writer Tom Baker

98. The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks

Written & Illustrated by Igort

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

This book was originally published as two volumes where Igort traveled to the region, and tells stories about the people he meets and the stories he overhears as he investigates the 1932 Holodomor, where the Soviet government caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians, and the more recent murder of a Russian journalist who was critical of Vladimir Putin.

— CBR Staff Writer Alex Dueben

97. Tetris

Written & Illustrated by Box Brown

Publisher: First Second Books

Box Brown shows the incomparable power of strong narratives, in the way that he takes a topic (the creation of the video game “Tetris”) that you wouldn’t necessarily think would be an interesting one and infuses it with such fascinating characters and insights that you discover an unhidden area in your brain that, you know what, is apparently super-interested in “Tetris.”

— CBR Staff Writer Brian Cronin

96. Black

Written by Kwanza Osajyefo

Art by Tim Smith III, Jamal Yaseem Igle, Steven Walker

Publisher: Black Mask Studios

Kwanza Osafjeyo’s story resonates deeply because of how it addresses the sociopolitical state of America when it comes to the issues of Black Americans and their concerns over equality. Given the state of turmoil brought on by police shootings, this book, with bold covers by Khary Randolph, came at a time where the country was engaged in a heated elections race and took a bold stance by creating a world where Black people gained superpowers in a time where people feared and hated them. It felt like Black Lives Matter speaking through the comics medium, making manifestos and not statements — big, controversial but necessary ones that the world needs to hear. An indictment of how people of color are treated and a call to rally for justice.

— CBR Contributing Writer Renaldo Matadeen

95. Paul Up North

Written & Illustrated by Michel Rabagliati

Publisher: Conundrum Press

Michel Rabagliati is a master cartoonist who evokes an entire world in his detailed, but not fussy, drawings. His latest Paul book, translated by Helge Dascher, chronicles an ill-fated hitchhiking trip made by teenage Paul (based loosely on Rabagliati himself) and a friend; it’s funny and touching and beautifully told.

— CBR Staff Writer Brigid Alverson

94. Lucifer

Written by Holly Black

Art by Lee Garbett, Stephanie Hans, Marco Rudy

Publisher: DC/Vertigo

Reminiscent of Mike Carey’s “Lucifer” in all the best of ways, while also becoming something entirely new and different for our favorite fallen angel. Holly Black was the perfect choice for breathing life back into this bit of comics mythology, and with the help of Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela, this fresh take on Lucifer is infinitely complex and rewarding. This comic has given us so many gifts, including but not limited to giving Raphael a human boyfriend and a lot of strategically placed angel nudity. These creators clearly know what the people want!

— CBR Contributing Writer Heather Knight

93. Spell on Wheels

Written by Kath Leth

Art by Megan Levens

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

“I’ve compared the book to ‘Buffy’ and ‘Charmed’ for a number of reasons,” Kate Leth told CBR in a September interview on “Spell on Wheels.” “One of them being that they are joyful. Even when things get dark and scary, these kinds of stories are about magic, which is an incredible, brilliant thing. I wanted that to shine through in the art, and Megan and [colorist] Marissa [Louise] have done it better than I could’ve hoped for.”

92. Ghosts

Written & Illustrated by Raina Telgemeier

Publisher: Scholastic

Raina Telgemeier’s latest graphic novel, “Ghosts,” merges the fantastical dead (ghosts coming out during the Day of the Dead) with a very real specter: a family where the younger daughter, Maya, has cystic fibrosis. It would be easy for Telgemeier to use the fantasy elements of her novel to provide some sort of special cure, but what we get instead is a very adult, realistic approach to having a family member with a terminal condition, while still being accessible to younger readers. Her art brings the northern California coastal town to life in an inviting manner even as it’s filled with restless spirits, and the writing is heartfelt but never sappy. “Ghosts” might be marketed to younger readers, but this is a book that truly all ages will enjoy.

— CBR Staff Writer Greg McElhatton

91. The Fade Out

Written by Ed Brubaker

Art by Sean Phillips

Publisher: Image Comics

The year 2016 saw a number of creators working on projects that served as ideal expressions of their particular creative powers, none more so than this ultimate hard-edged crime noir tale set at the height of Hollywood’s so-called Golden Era. Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips have traveled pitch-black roads like this together before, but never so stylishly.

— CBR Staff Writer Scott Huver

90. Detective Comics

Written by James Tynion IV

Art by Eddy Barrows, Alvaro Martinez, Al Barrionuevo, Andy MacDonald, Carmen Carnero

Publisher: DC Comics

This is the definitive Batman team-up book. James Tynion IV, Eddy Barrows & the rest of the creative team have taken supporting cast members like Batwoman, Red Robin, Spoiler and Cassandra Cain and propelled them to starring roles.

— CBR Contributing Writer Tim Adams

89. Jonesy

Written by Sam Humphries

Art by Caitlin Rose Boyle

Publisher: BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box

Flat out, “Jonesy” is the funniest all-ages comic out there. In an era where we’re seeing more great, original comics for kids since the heyday of Dell, Humphries and Boyle’s ferret-obsessed, love-doctoring outsider outpaces the competition for sheer entertainment value. Like a 21st Century Little LuLu, only with wilder colors.

— CBR Staff Writer Kiel Phegley

88. Hellboy in Hell

Written & Illustrated by Mike Mignola

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

What happens when it’s time to turn out the lights? This happened fictionally and in the real world thanks to “Hellboy in Hell” this year, as Mike Mignola brought Hellboy’s story to a conclusion. Hellboy’s time in the underworld drew to a close as all of his enemies were defeated and he brought an end to Hell itself. Mignola’s depictions of a burnt-out, cold, abandoned realm were chilling, and it was hard to keep from feeling a little emotional as Hellboy — and Mignola himself — prepared to move on. If only all long-running series could end in such an elegant manner, maybe the idea of a conclusion wouldn’t be so scary in the serial side of comic books.

— CBR Staff Writer Greg McElhatton

87. Plutona

Written & Illustrated by Jeff Lemire & Emi Lenox

Publisher: Image Comics

A new twist on a coming of age story similar to Stand By Me, except with superheroes — sort of. This comic took me by surprise twice; first because I hadn’t been expecting it to be a superhero book and then second because I hadn’t been expecting it to actually end up being a book about a group of kids finding a dead body in the woods, and everything that happens after. Jeff Lemire, Emi Lenox and Jordie Bellaire weave together a compelling story about adolescence, friendship, and secrecy, with an ending to the first story arc that was positively haunting and left me wanting more.

— CBR Contributing Writer Heather Knight

86. No Mercy

Written by Alex de Campi

Art by Carla Speed McNeil

Publisher: Image Comics

DeCampi and McNeil’s tale of rich pre-college kids getting out of their depth on a charity service trip in central America really does live up to its name. This is a series about survival and horror is equal measure. For me, its standout story of the year came in issue #9, a tale of identity and family that draws heavily on the real-life stories of abuse at various “residential treatment centers” in America and beyond.

— CBR Contributing Writer Rob Cave

85. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Written by Amy Reeder & Brandon Montclare

Art by Natacha Bustos, Marco Failla, Leonard Kirk, Ray-Anthony Height

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Surprisingly thoughtful, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” skillfully blends Marvel’s comedic sensibility with contemporary issues in a fun and thrilling all-ages title. Lunella’s journey is still beginning, but she may prove to be an essential Marvel character in the years ahead.

— CBR Contributing Writer Erik Amaya

84. East of West

Written by Jonathan Hickman

Art by Nick Dragotta

Publisher: Image Comics

While it’s easy to get swept up in its dystopian-future setting (complete with an alternate history of the United States) and political and religious machinations, “East of West” is at its core a very human story, which is perhaps most evident when it focuses on the inhuman, whether that’s the personifications of Death, War, Famine and Conquest, or young Babylon, the son of Death who’s been raised from infancy to become the Beast of the Apocalypse. Written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Nick Dragotta, each issue of “East of West” is filled with horror and wonder, providing an almost-irresistible treat for fans of sci-fi and Westerns.

— CBR Editor Kevin Melrose

83. Copra

Written & Illustrated by Michel Fiffe

Publisher: Copra Press

What began as a homage to the classic John Ostrander-written “Suicide Squad” run has evolved into something quite singular and unlike anything else in mainstream superhero comics. Fiffe evokes the style and art of a number of great artists, like Miller, Steranko, and Ditko, while adding his own unique touch of minimalist colors, intense action and an ever-changing story, elevating the project from tribute into something truly special that should not be missed under any circumstance.

— CBR Contributing Writer Sean Fischer

82. Big Kids

Written & Illustrated by Michael DeForge

Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

“Adventure Time” designer by day, endlessly innovative cartoonist by night, Michael DeForge’s latest from Drawn & Quarterly was a wonderful, empathetic fable about heightened states of consciousness and the messiness relationships. And tree people. There were also tree people.

— CBR Contributing Writer Tom Baker

81. Karnak

Written by Warren Ellis

Art by Gerardo Zaffino, Antonio Fuso, Roland Boschi

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Even though this title has only had five issues — four in 2016 — it still stood out in Marvel’s ongoing focus on the Inhumans. With this only one more issue scheduled to be released in early February and Karnak slated to co-star in the new “Secret Warriors” ongoing series, don’t forget Marvel’s brilliant reimagining of the Inhuman who can sense the flaw in all things.

— CBR Contributing Writer Adam Barnhardt

80. Snotgirl

Written by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Art by Leslie Hung

Publisher: Image Comics

I never knew how much I cared about the misadventures of the professional vanity class until Bryan Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung showed me. Lottie Person is insufferable and magnetic, making her pretty much a perfect avatar for the internet writ large. She’s reactive and petty, but still, somehow, worth it. I’m rooting for her, possibly because I know folks of her type are not likely to go away, so if she can prove herself to be worthy of doing some good in the world, maybe there’s hope for us all. And even barring that, if you can’t have hope, try a healthy dose of vapid, vacuous distraction.

— CBR Staff Writer Brendan McGuirk

79. Han Solo

Written by Marjorie Liu

Art by Mark Brooks

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Marjorie Liu catches the very essence of the swaggering nerfherder in just five short issues in a perfect exploration of the character. Christ, I need more.

— CBR Contributing Writer Leia Calderon

78. Romulus

Written by Bryan Edward Hill

Art by Nelson Blake II

Publisher: Image/Top Cow

Nelson Blake II can draw like nobody’s business. That’s no surprise. Bryan Edward Hill, however, comes from the screenwriting and TV writing world like a force of nature, and together they put together a secret society story that other books like it wish they could keep up with. Keeping a tight focus on a small cast, this series is intimate and shocking, intricate and kinetic. A super enjoyable series from people who are firing on all cylinders.

— CBR Staff Writer Hannibal Tabu

77. Secret Wars #9

Written by Jonathan Hickman

Art by Esad Ribic

Publisher: Marvel Comics

“Secret Wars” #9 by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic was not only the perfect cap to Marvel’s best event book in recent memory, it was also one of the finest Fantastic Four stories of all time. Starting with a cosmic-level battle between an Infinity Gauntlet-empowered Black Panther and a God-Doom, and culminating in a very human conflict between Reed Richards and Victor von Doom (which, in turn, led to the rebirth of the Marvel Universe, proper), this issue, which was released (admittedly late) towards the start of 2016, was as perfect as an event tie-in can be, and a litmus test for how to stick the landing on a multiple year-spanning story.

— CBR List Editor Steven E. Paugh

76. Lumberjanes

Written by Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters

Art by Carey Pietsch, Ayme Sotuyo, Carolyn Nowak

Publisher: BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box

Consistently fun and still the gold standard for all-ages titles. The characters continue to pop as its world becomes larger and more layered.

— CBR Contributing Writer Erik Amaya

Check back with CBR on Tuesday for more of the Top 100!

The post CBR’s Top 100 Comics of 2016: #100 – #76 appeared first on CBR.com.

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