The Dark Knight can be such a tease...

Consider this me doing my part for the viral marketing campaign surrounding a movie about a certain lunatic.

Click on me. Ha Ha ha haha hA ha HA ha Ha hA.

Of man and superman...

And here's part two of the countdown.

5) Hyperion (Marvel Comics - Supreme Power version)
Mark Milton is the sole survivor of an alien race, rocketed to Earth and given over to the custody of the United States government. As the child grew, his powers grew as well, and the young Mark found himself possessed of unearthly strength, the power to fly, enhanced senses, atomic vision and superhuman speed. The arrival of Mark's rocket sparked other superhumans - in some cases granting powers to normal humans, in other cases re-awakening long dormant powers. Leading many of them as the head of the Squadron Supreme, Mark Milton is no doubt the most powerful being on Earth.

Why he's number 5: First, please excuse me for the fact that I'm talking about the Supreme Power version of Hyperion, but using a picture of the old-school Hyperion. I just like the visual better. Hyperion is a very straightforward pasting of Superman, right down to the aliterative name. (Yes, Clark and Kent start with different letters, but they're the same sound.) His origin differs once he gets here, but the infant that would become Hyperion could very well have been Kal-El. It again comes down to attitude - Hyperion sees himself as a hero, but he is far more brutal than Clark would ever allow himself to be. Part of that comes from the fact that Hyperion never had the chance to be human - something that defines Clark.

4) Samaritan (Homage Comics)
The man who calls himself Asa Martin in his daily job at the Astro City Current is, in fact, Samaritan. A displaced traveler from the future, sent to save our time-line from mirroring his own, Samaritan commands Empyrean Flame, and is the leader of the Astro City Honor Guard.

Why he's number 4: Samaritan shares a lot with Superman both in level of power and in attitude - something which rockets him ahead of those on part one of this list. It's in his origin story and more significantly, ability to be "human" that makes him really different. Samaritan does share that "last survivor" aspect with Superman, but he's a time-traveller instead of being from another world. Samaritan also started as a normal human and then became superhuman, something that wasn't the case with Clark. But Samaritan lacks any semblance of a normal life. He has a job and co-workers, but none of them are really friends. He doesn't date, or go to parties. Even his assumed name, "Asa Martin" is an anagram of his code-name.

3) Statesman (City of Heroes computer game/Image Comics)
Marcus Cole received his powers by drinking from the Well of Zeus, at the same time as his one-time best friend, Stephen Ricter did. Ricter became the menacing ruler of Arachnos, Lord Recluse, while Marcus became the world's greatest hero, Statesman. Leading several generations of heroes through the Freedom Phalanx, Statesman has been a steadfast protector of mankind from threats both native to Earth, and from far beyond.

Why he's number 3: Statesman is actually a pretty straight-forward alternate version of Superman. World's greatest hero, superstrong, invulnerable, and even wearing a similar color scheme. (Actually, one of only a few on this list who shares colors with the last son of Krypton.) He also shares the fact that it was his presence in that universe that prompted other heroes to come forth. Where he's mostly different from Superman is that his role in the universe *must* be downplayed in order to make players of the game feel important enough. He also lacks an achilles heel like Superman does.

2) Icon (Milestone Comics)

An alien starliner malfunctioned and exploded, jettisoning a life-pod in the middle of a cotton field in the American South. The life-pod made its passenger mimic the first-life form who found it, in this case, a slave woman. The alien is still with us, disguised as his own descendant and using his superhuman power to perform quiet acts of charity, until one night when a teen girl, Raquel, sees him use his powers. Raquel persuaded Augustus to become a superhero named Icon, with herself as his sidekick.

Why he's number 2: Icon's creators dismissed seeing him as "the black Superman," but it's hard to deny the similarities. Icon's race may still be out there waiting for him, but he's had no more contact with them then Kal-El has. The idea that the life-pod altered the alien to resemble humanity is a carry-over from Superman's origin as well, at least in some versions, and most "possible futures" show that Clark either doesn't age, or does so very slowly. There are only two reasons why he doesn't actually take the number one spot: The first, obvious one is that he's black - something which cannot help but color his perception of humanity. The second one is a bit more subjective, but in my mind is significant, and that is the fact that he has met Superman, in-continuity (at least for him). It's harder for me to say "you're another version of Superman" when the character has met the man.

1) Supreme (Image Comics - Alan Moore version)

Supreme is really Ethan Crane, a mild-mannered artist for Dazzle Comics, who received his powers as a result of a childhood exposure to a meteorite composed of pure Supermium, a meta-element that can alter reality. When not saving the world as the archetypal superhero, Crane illustrates the adventures of Omniman, a Supreme-like character undergoing a re-launch with a change of writers.

Why he's number 1: Once Alan Moore got his hands on this character, Supreme became what the others on this list only flirt with - a method of discussing the role of Superman in comics and within it's universe. Through the meta-narrative, Supreme illustrates the changes that have come in a character with sixty years of history. Supreme has a supporting cast that is as closely a mirror of Superman's as he is of the man himself. Moore also used the cliches which are a part of Superman's mythos without his customary irony - and he himself has said that Supreme is, in part, an apology for the deconstruction of comics that he has been blamed/credited for. I adore V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Miracleman, The Killing Joke, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and others, but if I could only have one Alan Moore graphic novel on a desert island? It'd be Supreme: The Story of the Year.

So, there's my top ten. Who do you think I missed? Who do you think belongs elsewhere on the list? I'd love to hear.

Will the real Son of Zor-El please stand up?

It's really kind of funny, actually. The creators of superheroes have shown themselves to be phenomenally creative in what abilities our champions (and their foes) can possess. Hard sound constructs? Check. Molecular manipulation? Sure thing. Probability alteration? No problem. Telekinetic hair? Uhhhh.... sure.

So why is it that our greatest heroes tend to be flying strongmen?

Superman has lots of other powers, sure. But he's essentially a guy who flies around and is massively strong and tough. And he's not alone.

(And no, I'm not referring to the fact that with as many other Kryptonians running around as there are, it seems like the only people who died when Krypton blew up are Jor-El and Lara.)

But let's run down my top ten pastiches of the Man of Steel. Note that this list is based on nothing more than my own subjective rankings, and I might change it at any moment. I also intentionally left off of the list characters directly related to Superman; this includes other Kryptonians (Supergirl), clones (Superboy, the Cyborg Hank Henshaw), those inspired by Superman (Steel), other alien races that are almost Kryptonians (Mon-El), and alternate universe versions of Superman (Ultraman).

All of these characters are super-strong, fly, and are near invulnerable. But they each have some significant differences as well.

10) Mighty Mouse
Singing his trademark song, "Here I come to save the day!", Mike Mouse becomes the super-powered Mighty Mouse! Flying to rescue Pearl Pureheart, there is little that can slow down this marvelous rodent.

Why he's number 10: Because, well, he's a mouse. He's also the least developed character on the list - his cartoons rarely dealt with Mike Mouse's life, and no specific vulnerabilities were ever discussed.

9) Apollo (Wildstorm)
Bio-engineered member of a little known Stormwatch team, the man known as Apollo is able to channel solar energy through his body to devastating effect. Both as a member of Stormwatch, and then later with the Authority, Apollo has shown himself ready, willing, and able, to be an effective warrior against evil.

Why he's number 9: There are a number of major differences between Apollo and the Man of Steel (though none quite so glaring as being a flying rodent). To begin, he is visually the most distinct from the Man of Steel. Secondly, Apollo is a homosexual man, married to the Midnighter. Third, he maintains no secret identity. Superman knows the importance of being Clark Kent, but Apollo is always Apollo. Finally, Apollo is willing to kill. He's clearly cast in Superman's mold, but the mold was pretty well warped.

8) Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

When Billy Batson invokes the name of the wizard Shazam, he is granted the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Courage of Achilles, the Power of Zeus, the Stamina of Atlas and the Speed of Mercury, becoming Captain Marvel, the world's mightiest mortal. The protector of the Rock of Eternity, where the Seven Deadly Sins are imprisoned and Fawcett City, Billy is joined by his sister, Mary, and their friend Freddy, who become Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr., respectively.

Why he's number 8: The similarities between him and Superman were great enough that Fawcett was sued by Timely comics, and lost the ownership of the character, so you'd think he'd be higher. But really the Marvels are amazingly distinct. Firstly, their powers are magical in nature, where Superman is highly tied to science - so much so that he is vulnerable to magic. Secondly, and they are unique on this list in this, those who possess the power of Shazam are ordinary humans most of the time. The relationship between the Marvels and Black Adam is also unlike anything in the Superman mythos. I like Marvel more than any of the others here, including Superman himself sometimes, but he's really very little like Superman. He also doesn't get the respect he deserves from the people of his comic universe - all of those higher ranked on the list are usually regarded as the "greatest hero of all" or darn close. While Marvel probably is, the people of the DCU don't see him that way.

7) Mr. Majestic (Wildstorm)
Majestros is an alien warlord who has come to Earth, where he has become the single greatest hero on the planet. His strength, invulnerability and other powers are so awesome and varied that his name has led to an entire classification of superhumans. Whether in his native world, on Earth, or even transported to another dimension, Majestic is a force to be reckoned with.

Why he's number 7: Majestic was specifically created to mirror Superman - so much so that when Majestic was transported to the DCU, many people believed him to be Superman with a change of costume. Beyond strength, speed, invulnerability and flight, Majestic is also an absolute genius. But his attitude couldn't be more different than the Man of Steels. Majestic is a warlord, first and foremost. He fights pre-emptively, and is not above killing if it is needed. He answers to no authority beyond his own, unlike Superman who takes the laws and morality of humanity to heart. He also is Majestic all the time, except for a short time when he did live as a human - at Superman's own suggestion! He would rank lower, but Majestic is considered the mightiest hero of his Earth, and as such, he fits Superman's role for the Wildstorm Universe.

6) The Sentry (Marvel Comics)
Robert Reynolds possesses the power of a thousand exploding suns. (What that means precisely is up for debate). He is one of the Earth's greatest heroes (sometimes), and the Golden Guardian of Good is now a prime member of the Avengers. Though suffering from a troubled past, and an immeasurably fierce arch-foe in The Void, Bob is one of Earth's mightiest champions.

Why he's number 6: The Sentry may, in theory, be Marvel's Superman, but Clark would take one look at Robert and say "We need to get you assistance." The Sentry actually almost approaches the pre-Crisis Superman in terms of his powers and abilities - especially in their vagueness. No one seems quite willing to precisely define Robert's powers - this is even more true when you consider that the Void is a part of him as well. And here's where he differs most from Superman - The Sentry is his own worst villain. And even when not in battle with the Void, Robert suffers crippling self-doubt. Clark may occasionally wonder if he's doing the right thing, but inaction is never an option for him.

So, there's numbers 10-6. We'll handle the Top 5 in a later post. Stay tuned!

Partial weekly comics update

I said I wasn't going back to my old weekly comics updates, and I'm not. I'm only going to highlight a few of the books I read each week - mainly those that I think you really shouldn't miss. Today we'll hit the Marvel comics of note from my pull this week. Tomorrow or Monday I'll throw out the DC comics of note (of which there aren't quite as many).

World War Hulk 2
The wild ride that has been World War Hulk continues as the Hulk and his warbound take on first the Avengers and then the Fantastic Four. (Complete with a wholly unsuccessful attempt by Reed Richards to emulate the Sentry, who apparently is able to calm the Hulk just by being near him.) Following this failure, the Earth's heroes try to convince the actual Sentry to help, with no immediate sign of how he will react. Rick Jones arrives to talk sense into the Hulk, only to have Dr. Strange use the moment as an attempt to magically force the Hulk to give up. Talk about bad timing. And at the end, we have the re-appearance of an old, old foe of the Hulk - though one who I honestly don't know what he expects to accomplish.

Hulk v. X-Men 2
Somedays the X-Men are just dumb. This whole issue was one great fight after another - but the X-Men should have just let Xavier be responsible and turn himself over to the Hulk. Scott, Hank and Emma especially should have known better. It was interesting to see the Juggernaut again, though I must confess that I am completely lost about how he became a part of Excalibur, or why Cytorak is messing with him. A shame, really, because a fully-powered Juggernaut against this vicious, intelligent, and stronger than ever Hulk would've been a phenomenal tussle. A personal favorite moment? Watching the Hulk beat Logan down as the insignificant creature he is.

Ultimate Spider-Man 111
I am not an art person. I've mentioned this before, but wonderful art in a comic won't make up for bad writing. Wonderful writing, on the other hand, will usually trump bad art in my eyes. (Case in point - I find the art in Watchmen and Miracleman both to be rather atrocious. Yet I love both of these comics.) So, the fact that this is Bagley's final issue of USM shouldn't bother me.

But it does. 111 issues (not counting annuals, and specials). That's a lot of comics. Bendis and Bagley are Ultimate Spider-Man, at least to my eyes.

The good news? Their one-hundred eleventh issue? As good as their first. So we don't end with a sense of "at least THAT's over".
The bad news? Their one-hundred eleventh issue? As good as their first. Which means they probably had more in them.

There's a "Spider-Man versus the Spot" story in here, but really, it's secondary. This issue is all about Peter and Aunt May, and what his being Spider-Man means. I didn't read Amazing Spider-Man when this was revealed in the 616 universe, so I can't compare, but I can say that this is exactly what I wanted. Humor in places. Tense moments in others. Moments of hurt that make sense on both sides. But above it all, two people who clearly love one another trying to come to terms with what this issue means.

Do you remember being surprised?

Well, let me turn on my laptop and cellular modem and log onto www.spoilitfortherestofus.com.
-The Great Luke Ski, In the Line Again

There are days when I really hate the internet.

Oh yeah, without it, I wouldn't be writing these words for you to read. Not unless I had a 'zine. (remember those?) And I'd be lost without my e-mail, and the other blogs I read, and forums, not to mention online games like City of Heroes.

But before the internet it was a lot easier to keep a secret.

Do you remember reading in the Star Wars forums about the fact that Vader was Luke's father? Or how about that fascinating discussion on http://www.kane.com/ where we were able to disect why Rosebud was a sled?

The internet has made it too easy to find spoilers.

Now, I like cutting edge news as much as the next person. Hell, I just reposted advance pictures of the Joker from The Dark Knight. But sometimes I miss that sense of surprise.

The death of Captain America was a cool comic to read. So was the unmasking of Peter Parker in Civil War/Amazing Spider-Man. But long before I had those colored pages in my hand, I already knew all about the stories. And I picked them up the day they hit the stands.

I remember being shocked at the final page of Thunderbolts 1. Discovering that the heroes I had been fond of since seeing them in the pages of Incredible Hulk, and spending an entire issue starting to really like, were actually the Masters of Evil was amazing. It was amazing that it remained a secret at the time, what with Wizard of Comics, and the Internet really beginning to become a vehicle for transmitting information. Now it would have been out on a million forums days after Busiek wrote the scene.

Earlier today, my wife told me that spoilers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were already around, and that she literally stumbled across them. I'm avoiding that site. I want to read the book on Saturday and see how it all ends. And I feel the same way about my comics.

This blog will never become a spoiler site. I'm happy to discuss what's already available in print, but I want to preserve some of that mystery and wonder for those of you who anticipate what you will find on the next page.

So, I ask you again, do you remember being surprised? Wasn't it nice?

One really bad day...

Submitted for your comment.

I found this picture (along with others) while browsing Comics 2 Film, where they were submitted to LatinoReview.com by Kavalier 149.

I'm digging it.

A brief question about logic

War is hell. (In logic terms, All A is B.)
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. (In logic terms, all B is C.)
If I remember college logic correctly, these statements can be re-read. "All wars are equal to hell," and "No hells have a fury like a woman scorned."
This statement could be re-written thusly, "War hath no fury like a woman scorned." (All A is C.)

I'm going to add my own tweak on this statement.

"War hath no fury like the Hulk when he has been scorned."

Time to wake up, boys and girls. World War Hulk has come to the Marvel Universe.

Now, I make no secret about the fact that I adore the Hulk, but really, really hated the Planet Hulk storyline. It just seemed like a less-interesting rehash of the Hulk banished to the Crossroads of Eternity. Furthermore, I didn't think that Marvel needed another mega-crossover so shortly on the heels of Civil War.

I will now confess. I was wrong.

World War Hulk has been a wild ride already, and shows no signs of slowing down. From tearing Black Bolt and the Inhumans apart, to his assault on the X-Mansion (and just what will Charles Xavier's answer be, anyhow?), to his showdown with Iron Man in New York City, and the evacuation which was a part of it, WWH has knocked my socks off.

It has it's flaws, of course. The continuity between it and the other aspects of the 616 Universe (the Initiative, the X-Men's Endangered Species storyline, the Inhuman's Silent War, just to name a few) has been... let's be generous and say "less than consistent."

But it's been fun. Which is kind of astonishing, considering it's about the Hulk coming back to Earth at the head of an interstellar fleet to quite literally SMASH the planet. Maybe it's because Civil War was so depressing, turning hero against hero and turning the Marvel Universe on its head. Having the Hulk as a central figure for the Marvel-verse to focus on makes for something much cleaner. Even with the fact that, as always, painting the Hulk as a villain isn't entirely fair. All he wanted, ever, was to be left alone. That never happened while he was on Earth. Then they banished him to space, which generally sucked. But he made a life to be happy about there. And then there was the bomb.

Now, I don't know if the bomb was actually planned by any, or all, of the Illuminati. It seems out of character for most of them. And the truth will out over the next several months.

But the bomb killed the Hulk's wife and child. And finally, he had enough. Mankind clearly wasn't capable of leaving him alone.

So he would make them.

I feel bad for the Hulk, as I always have. I feel bad for those caught in his path, again, as I always have. I want to see him stopped, obviously. But a part of me doesn't.

This is why I read comics people.

Year One...

All right, let's start off with the fact that I am an absolute sucker for these stories. Batman: Year One is one of my favorite comic series of all time, followed only shortly by Justice League: Year One.

I like seeing how the heroes I love became who they are. It's what made Ultimate Spider-Man so interesting to me. We all knew Peter Parker in the 616 universe, and how he became Spider-Man. That story was told. But Spidey is fascinating, in part, because of watching the everyman that is Parker become a hero. A fresh take on it was kind of nice.

And I'll admit, I am one of the folks who will usually give any new hero/new comic in the Marvel/DC Universe at least a one-issue try. (Much to my wife's chagrin.)

(We'll ignore that with the fluid time flow of most comics, it is sometimes hard to tell if we've moved beyond a character's year one anyhow.)

Which brings us to this week's Green Arrow: Year One #1. And all I can say is...

eh

I don't want to feel that way. I like Green Arrow, quite a bit - even if I do think he's solidly in the middle of the pack as far as superheroes go. I really enjoyed the "One Year Later" storyline with Olliver becoming mayor of Star City, and his subsequent proposal to Dinah. (Oh, who are we kidding? They may dither about, but she's going to say "yes".)

In that story, they even did a kind of "mini Year One" with his training on the island alongside Connor and Mia. And that was a heck of a cool storyline, I thought.

But this just kind of fell flat on me. Maybe the later issues will do it better for me, but this felt like they were just going through the motions. Yes, Ollie was a worthless dilletente. He liked archery. He was betrayed and left on an island.

We know this part.

But I wanted something more engaging. We knew that Bruce Wayne had his parents killed, went and trained obsessively, came back to Gotham and got the crap kicked out of him, and then decided on the Bat imagery. But even knowing all of that, Miller made Year One incredibly fresh and new.

I felt like I could have told you the dialogue and the imagery that was going to be on each subsequent page. Nowhere was I surprised, or intrigued, or even saying "Oh, that's a neat twist."

I'll give #2 and #3 a try. But if they don't get a LOT better, then I don't see myself making it to the end.

Superheroes aren't for kids anymore?

Let me begin by saying that I haven’t actually seen Transformers yet.

But Transformers is only the latest in a long line of movies that raise the question of “Who is this movie for, exactly?”

Superman Returns, Spider-Man (1, 2 and 3), Batman Begins, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - the list goes on an on. All of these are movies that I watched and enjoyed. All of them are films that, as a fan of the genre (Ok, sure, Star Wars isn’t a comic-book movie. But if the Jedi aren’t superheroes, they’re certainly close cousins.) I deeply enjoyed. They were high-action, reasonably well acted and had incredible special effects.

1978’s Superman directed by Richard Donner may have made you believe that a man can fly, but Superman Returns made the orphan from Krypton believable as a near-god.

Until, of course, it didn’t, and we saw Kal-El stomped into the dirt by Lex Luthor’s goons.

And here is where I stop and wonder, “Who are these forms of entertainment for?”

As an adult fan, I can appreciate the darker, more violent, and more realistic storylines. The brutality of the fights in Spider-Man show what a superhero fight would really be like. The devastation and mistrust in Marvel’s Civil War make total sense to me.

But as a parent… I worry. My love for Star Wars, superheroes, the Transformers, and even G.I. Joe were formed as a child. And I don’t know that films in this genre which routinely get a PG-13 rating are going to do the same thing for the new generation of kids. More importantly, I don’t know that they should.

I saw Transformers: The Movie when I was nine. But I wouldn’t want a nine-year old seeing Michael Bay’s Transformers. I want to go see it, sure. But there’s a world of difference between seeing an animated Cybertron eaten by Unicron and watching giant robots smash realistic automobiles with people still inside of them.

I don’t know what the answer is, mind you. As an adult fan, I want these “more mature” genre films to be made. What held my interest at twelve may not do so at thirty. But I want a Superman movie I can share with my daughters. I want to be able to take my kids to a time long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away and let them thrill at the desperate struggles of the Rebel Alliance.

This isn’t about strict adherence to the originals. I don’t want that. Make the spider which bites Peter Parker a genetically modified spider created by Oscorp instead of a radioactive spider. Change the membership of the X-Men. Redesign the Autobots and Decepticons to reflect modern vehicles. That’s fine. Strive for storylines that will engage the original fans of the properties, now adults. But can’t we still have something that the kids of today can enjoy?

Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I need to accept that Transformers, and Star Wars, and Spider-Man and Superman and Batman and all the others aren’t for our kids. They were ours as kids, and they’ll remain ours – passing away to obscurity as we grow older and die. And fifteen years from now, some bright director will remake Pokemon for the twenty-somethings of the year 2020. And it will be dark and gritty, and inappropriate for their kids, who will have their own new mythology created for them.

But I kinda hope not.

Emotions really do rule the universe

Last week we got the first issue of Sinestro Corps. Now, aside from an incredibly goofy title, this comic has the potential to be the biggest thing to hit the DCU.

Not "the biggest thing since Infinite Crisis," or "the biggest thing since Crisis on Infinite Earths," or "the biggest thing since Wonder Woman gave up the invisible jet."

The. Biggest. Thing.

Why? Well, for one, there's the rogues gallery that Sinestro has assembled. Not the "Sinestro Corps" themselves, not really. They're mostly forgetable, and some of them are downright dumb. A cosmic sniper? A feral woman/cannibal? Or my favorite, a sentient virus? There's no excuse for that other than a "counterpoint to Mogo".

(Mogo, for those of you who have lives, is the Green Lantern who is a planet.)

No, I'm talking about the real villains here. Not the ones designed to fight off hordes of nameless Lantern Corps members, but the true villains.

Superboy Prime - Anyone remember him? You know, the guy who is responsible for the "blips" in continuity as he hit the cosmic barrier between worlds? The guy who killed several of the Teen Titans, including my personal favorite Superboy - Connor Kent (right after he finally made a connection with Wonder Girl). And not incidentally - the guy who has the powers of a Pre-Crisis Superman. A Superman who pushes planets out of orbit casually. A Superman who can fly around the Earth until he goes back in time. A Superman who just so happens to be completely psychotic. Oh, and Kryptonite from our reality? Doesn't bother him.

The Cyborg Superman - Hank Henshaw, one of very few who has ever managed to walk on the other side of the Source. The man who destroyed Coast City, which led to Hal Jordan being possessed by Parallax (who we'll get back to later).

Parallax - The yellow impurity itself, the creature which forced Hal Jordan to become one of the greatest villains in the DCU. Now in the body of Kyle Rayner, with the Ion Entity pushed out of him.

Amon Sur - The son of the Green Lantern who gave Hal Jordan the ring.

Sinestro himself, the Green Lantern gone bad. Once their greatest star, now their worst enemy. I can't help but think that Sinestro and Anakin Skywalker would've had a lot to talk about.

And all of them in service to the Anti-Monitor - the force behind the original Crisis on Infinite Earths.

I always thought that the greatest weakness of Crisis was its inconsistency. It theoretically tied into Oa, but not really. And if it did, why weren't the Lanterns a bigger part of the story?

But now we see everything come full circle.

What is even more interesting is the role of the Zamorans, the Guardians female counterparts, and the creators of the Star Sapphire. As we have now seen, the purple energy of the Star Sapphire represents the emotional energy of love. The yellow energy used by the Sinestro Corps is the energy of fear, and the green of the lanterns is willpower. But there are more colors to be seen and used as well.

Also of note is the revelation that Ion isn't just a code name, but is actually the name of the creature which lived inside of the Lantern and later in Kyle Rayner. We've already seen that Parallax is the embodiment of the Yellow Energy, and that presumably Ion is the same thing for the Green Energy. Which means somewhere, there is an embodiment for all of the other color/emotions out there.

It could be a very colorful, and exciting, time in the DCU.

We're back!

Sorry for the abcense. But like the big guy alongside me, I'm back and ready to take the comics world by storm.

Of course, Bruce only gets to attack the entire Marvel Universe. I, on the other hand, will be bouncing over to DC where exciting things are going on with Countdown, the Sinestro Corps and many other issues, going to the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the future Marvel Universe where Spider-Girl is currently tangling with Carnage, who we all know how much I love, and even to some other, more unusual comic book realms.

Now, there will be some changes around here. The weekly comic-round ups are probably not coming back. Or if they do, it'll be without pictures. It just took too much time to track down all the cover images. But I promise not to vanish again for an entire year.