Top 5: Creators that should tackle DC's Metal Men

TGIT!!!!

Still recovering from the fine Christmas feast and hangovers are we?
Don't worry, 'cause you're not the only ones. Apparently some of the elves around the House of Fun(*cough Ben Grimm, Nick Fury, Hal, cough cough) can't seem to hold their holiday cheer like they used to. Oh well, it tends to happen with age.

Well how you guys celebrated Christmas, I hope you all got what you wanted, or needed. And at the vry least, something good. If not, well, there's always next year I suppose.

Now onto today's edition of the Top 5.
I was thinking about what the hell I could possibly talk about, then I remebered I haven't done a list concerning certain comic characters or teams and who should work on them that already hasn't.

So for today, the subject of this particular Top 5, are the Metal Men.

Yes, the Metal Men. Those wild and wacky silver age robots who were the brainchildren of famous silver age writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru.

As the creations of brillant scientist Dr. Will Magnus, the Metal Men were created with a unique invention called a Responsometer which gives each robot his and her own unqiue personality according to the main element their created from.

In case you didn't already know, there names are Lead, Iron, Tin, Platinum, and Gold. There's supposed to be another one called Copper as well, but I'm not sure if she's still being used or not. Hell, Doc Magnus himself was once a Metal Man, but I think that was ret-conned into be a dream/hallucination.

It's amazing to think the Metal Men have been around for over 50 years, and yet they don't have a regular title(they did back in the day, but not anymore) and instead are merely treated as bit players in the DCU. Shame really, considering the crazy amount of potential a damn good writer could pull out of them.

And so here's the Top 5 list of comic writers I wouldn't mind taking a stab at those lovable robotic misfits.

5). Kieron Grant.


Kieron Grant's proven himself to be the type of writer that elevates lesser known or lesser used characters, leaving them much better than he found them. And isn't what a great writer does? Just look at the sucess and praise he's amassed since writing Loki, Thor, Phonograph, and now Young Avengers and Iron Man. With Young Avengers, he took a great cast of young heroes, and turned them into legit stars, where lesser writers might've bungled and fucked them up. Not Grant. He has a unique way of making his characters shine with their own brand of wit and grace.

I'd expect no less from him were to tackle a concept like The Metal Men. I can only imagine just how much more social and meta-commentary we'd get from the team,as well as the kind of innovative layouts and 4th Wall-breaking we've already seen in his Young Avengers run. So yeah, a mini or a couple of arc from Kieron Grant, and I bet creators will be breaking the doors down to work the Metal Men again.
Seriously just think of the fun and depth he'd get out each one of the Metal Men's personalities, and you tell me you wouldn't be the least bit interested. I dare you.

 4). Adam Warren.


Speaking off fun and robots, look no further than this guy, Adam Warren. Warren's famous for his work on the Dirty Pair, Gen 13, and other various titles. He's tackled the subject of robots before when he created the mini-series LiveWires, about a group of walking, robotic WMD, pulled from various bad guy groups from the Marvel U. If he can make those characters look awesome, imagine what the Metal Men would look like as drawn by Adam Warren. I guarentee you Platinum and Copper would look even hotty than normal. And if you've seen the way he draws women, than you know what I'm talking about. I guess that'd be one way to make Doctor Magnus notice Platinum more, as creepy as that is;)

3). Warren Ellis.


Would you trust your kids alone with this man? Maybe not, but you'd let him write you some kick-ass and intriguing stories though. Considered the 21st Century's answer to Alan Moore, Ellis has been around for, what over 20 years, writing various titles for various publishers around the world. Most notably Marvel, where write Thor, X-Man and Excalibur, and DC, where he wrote The Authority and Planetary.

I picked this guy because he's at his best when he's writing about technology, as evidenced by his Iron Man: Extremis work, and Doktor Sleepless and Anna Mercury for Avatar Comics. He just knows how to come up or use the right amount of belivible gadgets and upgrades to make you wonder. Even more scary when you think how some of the stuff he comes up with, winds up turning up for real later down the road.

I'd imagine he give the Metal Men a darker, more grittier edge and feel, but enough of his infamous dark humor would be display. I'm just curious on how he'd wrap and twist the technology in the book, and how the Metal Men would adapt and evolve under his pen. Probably best you let Ellis have a mini by himself, but what fun it would be.

2). Mark Waid.


Speaking of fun and the silver age, there's always Mark Waid. If you don't know his work by now, fucking google him. He's shown in the past, and even now with Daredevil, that not only does he write the characters he handles well, but especially in the cases of longtime comic stables like Captain America or Flash, he elevates and reveers them. He writes and treats them with the  utmost respect, all the while makng them fresh and exciting for a new generation. Just look at his work on JLA: Year One. I imagine it was this maxi-series that really helped grease the wheels over at DC and set them in motion to eventually bring back both Hal and Barry, which eventually did happen.

Plus he's just really good at humor and character work, getting to the heart of a person, and going from there. And as a lover of all things silver age, you know the Metal Men are relatively safe in his hands. No unnecessary ret-conned bad pasts or skeletons in the closet for them.

1). Grant Morrison.


Speaking of  a lover of all things silver age and wild ideas, none get wilder, than those that come out of this guy's head. Ol' Mr.Morrison's long proven he can always find new and exciting takes on older properties. Just look at the new ideas and fresh coats of paint he put on characters like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Batman, and The X-Men.

He almost never seems to run out of ideas, themes maybe, but never new ideas. I can only imagine all of the wild and crazy fantastical ideas he'd use to showcase the Metal Men. Not to mention the ways in which he'd highlight there different personalities. Hell, his Doc Magnus alone might get many to ask for a Doc Magnus solo.

And that my friends is a the Top 5 list of comic creators that haven't worked on the Metal Men(that I know of) but should.

Have a good weekend folks:)

Some Thoughts About Superman......

Happy Hump Day kiddies!!!!

And for the ladies, or just Randomnerd:

So I just finished watching the All-Star Superman animated movie that came out back in 2011.
Yeah I know I'm behind, sue me;)

Anyways, I loved it. I really, really loved it!














Everything from the way they used and adapted Frank Quitely's beautiful art and famous panels from the comic series, all the to how well all(well most of them anyways) of the chapters flowed and progressed seamlessly.

I say most, because at least two major chapter and story arcs weren't included in the movie for time's sake.
Those being the famous "Death of Pa Kent" issue and the Bizarro story arc.

I'd have really loved to see how well those two bits were presented here in such animated splendor.
Oh well.....

But we did see a bit of the future Superman from the 853rd Century in a cool bit, as well as the main villain from Morrison's 1 Million mini back in the late 90's, Solaris, the living solar computer.

So very, very cool. And we got to see Superman's pet Sun-Eater, who acted as a stand in for Krypto. Can't beat that one baby. It was just said to see him get

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!





killed off so quick after such build-up.
Just saying......

Here's the part that did make me tear up, and no not the end, or Lois and Superman flying around together, or even his pet Sun-Eater dying(although it was still sad, and now I want one)

This scene at the beginning at the movie

It's just heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.


All in all, the movie and scenes adapted and or extended faithfully, served its purpose to bring the best Superman story around. Yes, I said the best. Morrison's Superman in All-Star, was the Superman we all know and love. The one who's so strong, smart, confident, hopeful, and above all, there to inspire the best in mankind and lead him to the stars with him.

Essentially Superman's like Jesus, but with a colorful costume.

"What!? Jesus? Really?" You might be thinking.

It's simple really when considering Superman's origins and influences.
Basically Superman's an immigrant tale wrapped up in science fiction and superpowers, thus why Superman's like Moses at first.

Then with his powers and amazing feats, and he sheer inspiration he provides, he became a large messianic very Christ-like figure.

Hell, he even rose from the dead, in case you were wondering.

So I can honestly say this film single-handedly made appreciate the big blue boy scout again.
Sometimes I, and a lot of people need something like this to remind us why a certain character or rl life person was so fascinating and mesmerizing to us in the first place.

The documentary "People Are Strange" made me appreciate The Doors more, "Living In The Material World" made me appreciate and love George Harrison more, and this one did it with Superman for me.

I guess I can break it down why I've always felt the way I do with Superman:

See, I'm more of a Batman kind of guy, and always will be. The iconography, the costume, the stories, the villains, just everything about Batman makes him such a compelling figure to me.

Sure, I never watched my parents get straight up murdered in front of me, I'm not a control freak because of said murder, I'm not stinking rich, or have cat-burglars crushing on me(I wish)

The main selling point to me about Batman(besides how fucking smart and prepared for just about any situation he is) is that you could, with years of training and smarts, be like him. Or close to it. And he's just a normal, but very driven guy.

Superman is not ordinary. he has superpowers. So no go there.
But what is relatable to Superman is his whole parentage issue being both an orphan and adopted. And then you through in how inspirational and positive he is. Always looking for and at the the best in a person, whether their shit or just an average person. He single-handedly inspires the best in us, so that we can be more like him.....

.....Even though no one can be perfect like him.
Sound familiar?

See, I told ya, Superman's Jesus:)

90's Week: Day 4

TGIT!!!!!!!

Well we've finally come to the end of 90's week here @ The House. It's okay, don't be sad.

I do want to correct an error on my part from yesterday's post. I accidently left the Stone Temple Pilots off my influential rock list. As I mentioned before, I'm pretty sure I heard their music before borrowing their debut album from a friend in middle school. After that, I was hooked and became a fan for life.

So, sorry guys:(

I was thinking of what to topic/subject to wrap up with since I've already covered some TV shows, cartoons, and music.

I was debating whether or not to talk about the toys, but then I've already briefly done that in a post from 2011, when talking about the X-Men Toy Biz figures I bought up like crazy back then.

Then I figured, well maybe wrestling, but then Shlomo would just call it silly(Love ya' Bear Jew;)

So, I guess I'm stuck with the comics side of the 90's.

You know, that decade, depending on who you talk to about, either consider it a low point from comics, or a decent enough era that set up the new millenium.

I think the truth, like most things, lies in the middle.
After all thanks to Image Comics back then, the industry was all about the art, with less attention or stardom heaped on the writers. Plus the gimmick covers. Oh sweet Jesus the gimmick covers!!!!

So yeah, there was both good and bad, so here's just a few samples of the good stuff that stood out to me during the 90's.


1). Image Comics.

Yes, Image Comics. I know they got a bad rap in the early days for it's bad writing that had little to no substance, over-reliance on gimmick covers, and characters that looked too much like exact clones of the more famous Marvel and DC characters. But really in hindsight, was that all that surprising considering it was mainly artists and not writers that created that company?

Really the only one worth a damn as a writer back then was Erik Larsen. Someone had to be while everyone else was content just to be superstar artists. Maybe it's not their faults that their main strengths and attraction was the pretty pictures they drew and the sexy, almost naked chicks that made Fanboys like me drool.
At least they tried. Hell the only successful marketer of the group was Todd McFarlane, and that was with just one character versus the gazillions of characters the other creators(with the possible exception of Larsen) throw out there.

 But that's all in hindsight now. Back then, I didn't care if how bad the stories were, because like everyone else I cared more about the pretty pictures and wild-ass characters that made up the early Image roster.
1995 was the year of Image Comics for me, since once I discovered the product, I was instantly hooked. I'd go on to hunt and scour down every back issue of the titles I liked until I was satisfied.

Early favorites included:

The Maxx, Bloodstrike, Brigade(still miss that title actually) Supreme(yeah I know, I know;) Youngblood and any extra title associated with it, Cyberforce, Shadowhawk, WildC.A.T.S., and Glory(but only because she was drawn so sexy. What? I was a young teenage boy, you do the math)

Say what you will, but without those first years of trial and error, Image wouldn't be the more well-rounded, balanced publisher it's now become in the last decade or so. Well that, and thanks to Robert Kirkman obviously;)

2). DC Deaths

DC had to do something, anything to compete with the red-hot Image Comics and their stranglehold on the industry back then. So some genius in marketing said "Hey, I know! Let's kill and/or replace some of our iconic characters. That'll bring 'em back in!"
Well at least that's how I imagine it went;)













So off to the races DC went, killing off their cash cow Superman, crippling and replacing Batman, and Turning Hal Jordan heel and replacing him, while simultaneously eradicating the the entire GLC.

Good God DC was cleaning house!

The last bits of of those types of tactics was a little event called Zero Hour(Loved it back then) which effectively killed off the trusty old JSA, almost killing Wally West, and Superman's duel identity of Clark Kent(which didn't stick for very long either)

DC got their extra revenue, press, and attention, but it wouldn't last long after blowing their load so to speak, and ruining characters like Hal Jordan and Hawkman for a very long time.

3). Heroes Reborn

If you want to really talk about a polarizing topic, just bring the now infamous take over of the popular mainstay titles of Marvel Comics by Rob Liefield and Jim Lee. A collective groan is more than expected when this object of discussion is brought up. Yes it didn't age well, as in at all, but it was a quick shot in the arm for a company facing bankruptcy.

Yes you heard me right, bankruptcy. Back in late '96-'97, the House of Ideas was staring the dread B-word in the face and fast. So then Marvel Comics EIC Bob Harras and the powers that be decided to they needed to do something, and do something quick. So gave Jim Lee and Rob Liefield(fresh off being ousted from Image) a ringy-dingy, and history was made.

I have to say at the time and being a bit more ignorant of how things in the industry worked back then, this all seemed like a good thing. Books like Avengers, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, were suffering from an all-time low in sales, and this seemed like just the thing the books needed. Of course sacrifices had to be made, and the 1st critically-acclaimed run on Captain America by Mark Waid and Ron Garney was cut short right as it was starting to make become buzz-worthy. The Fantastic Four were also cut short just as Carlos Pacheco getting warmed up, and then there was Warren Ellis' too brief run on Thor.


Thanks to Professor X going bad(again) and becoming Onslaught, the Avengers and FF were forced to conveniently sacrifice their lives so that they Lee and Liefield could give them all makeovers Image Comics-style.

It was fun for a bit, but then one by one, creators came and went, and by the second year it was mercifully put out of its misery. It really was something exciting at first, but just went to shit faster than Liefield's rendition of Captain Man-Boobs America.















4). Warren Ellis is God!

Well okay not really, but he's pretty damn popular.
The late 90's, not to mention the coming decade would not have been as exciting if it wasn't for this man.

All I have to say is Stormwatch, The Authority, and Planetary and you already know where I'm going with this.

Ellis brought something new to the table. He brought excitement and wonderment back. Not to mention, along with Grant Morrison, single-handedly invented the Michael Bay-esque wide-screen action/adventure comic.


He turned what could've easily amounted to nothing more than a true 90's rip-off of the JLA in the Authority,  into a fresh concept. If these guys were the JLA, they were the JLA like you wish they were; proactive killing machines that got the job  done, no matter the difficulty level, just without the pesky moral dilemma of killing people.

And then there was Planetary.











Only Ellis could make a concept like Super-powered archaeologists work, and work he did, along side artist extraordinaire John Cassidy. Planetary allowed to explore the hidden world of the then Wildstorm Universe, showcasing all sorts of weird and secret going-ons, while allowing readers to feel as they were going to these wild and exotic places along with Elijah Snow, The Drummer, and Jakita Wagner.

Plus Ellis' version of an evil Fantastic Four in the, well, The Four, was fun as hell to watch.

Thankfully Ellis and Cassidy got to end the book they wanted too, but I wouldn't be against an occasional special every now and then. Oh wait, that'll probably never happen because of the stupid DC reboot. Damn you Didio!!!!!!!

5). Grant Morrison's JLA


It just wouldn't be a true 90's list, without mentioning the true saving grace of DC back then. Hey, that's no bullshit either!

The Justice League as a team and concept wasn't much to look at back then. It was mostly comprised of some main-eventers like Wally West Flash, WW, and maybe Hawkman(?) with the rest being second- and third-stringers like Blue Beetle, Metamorpho, Ice Maiden, Crimson Fox, Obsidian, and Nukleon.

When Morrison was announced to takeover the book with a new #1, fans were skeptical, and rightfully so. After all, Morrison at that point was mainly known as that "Edgy Vertigo Guy", so there was plenty trepidation about someone like him taking over a mainstream title, and a huge franchise one at that.






But Morrison pretty quickly proved the naysayers wrong with his White Martian Invasion story-line  and from the there the hits just kept coming. JLA vs. the forces of Heaven, "Rock of Ages", Prometheus, His Crisis from the 5th Dimension, and so on. Not to mention Earth 2 and his last arc, World War 3.

I also cannot forget or stress enough just how awesome series artist Howard Porter was on that book. No doubt inspired by Morrison's love of all things Silver Age, Porter infused every panel and page with true creative energy that just made the every scene pop out at you with excitement and wonder.

That'll do it for me this week. As always, feel free to comment like a motherfucker on what you read, or skipped over. it's all good in the hood;)

Have a good weekend people......

Back-Issue Spotlight: Doom Patrol( Vol.2)#53

TGIT!!!!!

So I watched Arrow and AHS:Asylum last night and both were really, really good, AHS especially.

Arrow wasn't too bad, with the inclusion of the Black Hawk name, if not comic-familiar concept. We also got more back-story on Ollie's days on the island, and real twist at the end involving the original Green Hooded man. Turns out that not only did he betray Ollie, but that he might've also been in on the whole ordeal with the warden of the prison island. Maybe next week's episode will clear things up, like if the guy really did betray Ollie, and just why the warden interrogated Ollie about the hooded man's whereabouts if he already knew. Also, next week, we get to see Count Vertigo, or at least this universe's iteration of the Count. In this universe he's a major drug dealer, with his drug of choice being called "Vertigo". Hmm.
Pretty standard episode, but one that continued to expand on Ollie's island years.


The show I was really looking forward to watch last night though, was AHS since it was the season finale and I was damn curious to see how everything got wrapped up. Well the show definitely lived up to the hype, but also seemed to present a couple more questions in addition to the answers.

Like:

-What was the deal w/the Aliens? They obviously came back and took Kit with them before he succumbed to his Pancreatic Cancer, but their origins and interest with human was never explained. So where they really aliens or messed up looking angels?

-What was the big deal w/Kit's kids? Sure we found out they became experts in their fields, but the way things were looking, it seemed as though they were going to be a bigger deal than they wind up becoming. So what was the point, and what made them so special?

Other than that I was pretty satisfied how everyone's story wrapped up, but the most surprising one had to be Lana Winters' story. Her rape baby son Johnny hide out i plain sight as part of the film crew that was interviewing Lana. At the end, when they all leave, somehow she knows he was there, hiding. They talk, he argues with her, and ultimately it appears she's resigned to let him kill her. Or so it seems. Love the twist ending, as it reveals to the audience just how cool, calm, and cold-blooded she really is, as she talks Johnny out of killing her, only to flip the script as it were, and shots point blank in the head, like she did his father. Just Damn!

I think her and Amanda Waller would get along great, since they both determined, hard-headed and gutsy women.

I was definitely sad to see this season end, so hopefully there will be a next season, and an even more exciting story-line next time.


And now onto today's spotlighted back-issue, Doom Patrol (Vol.2)#52....."And men shall call him 
hero!" March 1992.

Yes, I'm still stuck in the 90's, but hey, this one's a pretty damn  amusing read.

This one's basically Grant Morrison's love letter to the Silver Age, specifically the famously classic issue of the Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four#51, "This Man, This Monster" by
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

As a homage to that story about a scientist that secretly trades places with the Thing, likewise a scientist named Norman Caesar trades places with Robotman, or Automation as he's called here.

So yeah, the Doom Patrol are re-imagined as the FF, and that's not all.

Morrison also slyly includes cameos both other DC/Vertigo characters such as John Constantine, the Phantom Stranger, and Dr. Thirteen.

It's pretty amusing to see characters like Constantine and the Phantom Stranger "Marvel-ified" as they are here, showing up in actual standard super-hero costumes. Silly yes, but definitely in keeping with the proud Silver Age tradition as seen above.

From there we see the rest of the FF-inspired Doom Patrol, or the Legion of the Strange, as they're called here.

We're shown around the Legion's HQ, housed on  Man-Hattan Island(literally shaped like a man) and all of the typical interactions of the team just like the FF of old.

and the homages don't stop there, as the other main bad guys of the story are the Galactus and Silver Surfer-inspired characters named Celestius and his herald the Living Guru. Yeah, they look just as crazy as their names sound but in a good way.

Celestius is off to Earth from the Negative Zone-inspired dimension, Foreverwhere.

It's there that he runs into the Legion as they attempt to rescue the inhabitants of a building that's rapidly being sucked up into another dimension. It's here that Celestius runs into the fake Automation who's already struggling against his main mission of revenge. Like the scientist from the FF story, Caesar winds up proving what a hero he really was by saving the life of a little blind girl who was targeted for death by Celestius. 

In the resulting battle between Caesar-Automation and Celestius, they fall back into Foreverwhere as the portal behind them closes. The massive energy that results from the portal closing, cures the little girl of her blindness, just as the rest of the team shows up to wonder just what the hell happened.

The little girl's a nice little nod to Alicia Masters, and all ends well, just like in the FF story.

You can tell Morrison really enjoyed writing this little stand-alone story, and shows with all of the little Easter eggs, cameos, and story bits that can only come from a true fan of that time period.

And the guest artist, Ken Steacy does pretty damn good job evoking the feel of reading a Silver Age comic with the way he draws the characters in the proper stylings from that era. Really nicely done.

Very cool story indeed.

Before I go, I'd like to highly recommend giving the mini-series, Masks by Dynamite Comics a try.

I recently bought #'s 2 and 3, and absolutely love them.

Basically the premise is all about pulp heroes such as the Shadow, the Green Hornet and Kato, Zorro, and others, battling a very corrupt new political regime, brutally enforced by gangsters posing as armored cops. You don't really have to know all about the backgrounds of the characters that appear here, as you kind of already get a basic feel for what motivates these heroes of yesteryear. 

Just think of it as the Justice League, but with pulp heroes.

It's being written by Chris Robinson of DC fame, with stunningly beautiful art by former Marvel artist Dennis Calero of various Marvel titles, specifically Peter David's X-Factor for example.

I'm enjoying it for the very cool story and art, as well as it being a breath of fresh air from the current Reboot and Crossover-fatigue that seems to be running rampant in the major mainstream offerings from Marvel and DC.

So again, if you're likewise feeling the same way, try something different for a change, and give this series a try. Who knows, you might even like it;)

Have a good weekend folks......

Morrisonian Dream-Weaver

Once again, TGIT people!

So I was wondering what the hell to write today, since my lazy ass only really wrote and created two new skits, and then I came across an interesting idea.

Fans and longtime readers of Wizard Magazine might remember how every so often, the staff writers would come up with their own list of dream teams; creative teams they'd like to see take over certain comic books.

One time it was for Marvel, the other for DC.

And so I it got me thinking about my own list of writer/artist duos that I'd like to see on certain titles.

But instead of going through a whole huge list, I decided to just pick one person today and list about 10 titles if I could think of them, that a writer, artist, or writer/artist combo hasn't done yet.

Today I picked Grant Morrison.

He his work should be common knowledge to even the most casual of fans/readers, so I won't bother going into his long laundry list of works and achievements.

Instead I'll try and come up with at least 5 titles Morrison hasn't written yet, and why he'd be a good fit for them.

It's go time!

1). Fantastic Four

Now before you guys start to cry foul, yes I know that Morrison's already worked on the FF before. Along with artist Jae Lee, Morrison wrote awesomely brilliant Fantastic Four 4-issue mini-series, 1,2,3,4 for the then Marvel Knights imprint in 2000.

And he managed to condense all those ideas and plots into four issues. Imagine if he'd been allowed to do an even longer run, and on the main title no less.

Knowing Morrison's style and penchant for writing long epics, that 4-issue mini could've easily been expanded to about 20.

Really those 4 issues alone, easily proved to FF fans and Marvel in general, just how much Morrison loves those characters, as his love of all things from the Silver Age certainly showed here with all those crazy ideas he put into that mini. Unfortunately Marvel never let Morrison play in the main sandbox, so those adventures may, or may not be in continuity anymore. Which doesn't really diminish how cool that work is, just that it makes us only wonder "what if?"

I don't really if Marvel really ever let Morrison play with the FF toys again, and I guess that really depends on Morrison, his ideas, and the current ruling administration at Marvel at the time.

I'm thinking one of the reasons he wasn't allowed to write the FF proper, was probably when he was quoted as commenting that "Namor is a way for Johnny Storm to have sex with his sister(or live out that particular fantasy by living vicariously through him) rather than actually doing it in person."

I'm only paraphrasing just a little bit, but yes, that's the gist of what he said.

Hmm, and yet one wonders why Marvel wasn't hopping aboard the Morrison train on that one. And don't forget, before Mark Millar, Morrison also pitched an idea to write the Ultimate Fantastic Four series, that would eventually go to Millar.

All that aside, I'd still love to see Morrison do an extended run on the FF, with his love new scientific concepts and all things Silver Age as a guide for how he'd interpret them.

Just leave out the implied incest angle please.

As for the artist to work alongside Morrison, Uh I don't know maybe the usual suspects of Frank Quitely or Ethan Van Sciver. Or just have Van Sciver draw the covers, that works for me. Or, he could also work with current collaborator Darrick Robertson. That'd work fine for me.

Like I said, just imagine a year or two run, with Morrison using all of the familiar supporting casts and villains associated with the FF like, the Molecule Man, Mole Man, Impossible Man, the Skrulls, Diablo, hell he can even throw in the Puppet Master, Alicia Masters, Old Willie Lumpkin, and Adam Warlock(Him) in there if he wants. I just know if he was writing the book, it'd be damn good.

2). Silver Surfer

If you thought Morrison would be great for the FF, just imagine what he could do with the Silver Surfer.

I imagine Morrison would have no problem giving the character and concept of ol' Norrin Radd a good polishing(no pun intended) and leave him better and more prominent than he'd found him. And trust me, a once again relevant Surfer benefits everybody, especially Marvel.

If I could attempt to predict what approach Morrison would take with the Surfer, it might be exactly like/similar to the Stan Lee/Moebius's graphic novel The Parable, where the Silver Surfer was viewed as a messianic, christ-like figure come to save that planet's people. I think he might use this particular concept again, but expand on it like only Morrison can, infusing the character and story with his own unique views on religion, transcendence, and mythical beings.

Picking the right artist isn't easy for me, as a large number of artists could work well with this project.

Alan Davis, Essad Ribic(he worked on the Surfer before) Alex Ross, or even maybe the artist Ladronn, whose heavily Jack Kirby-influenced work would really make this project shine.

It's a thought.

3). Deadman.

Continuing on the concepts of religion and inner and universal consciousness, Deadman is another interesting character that Morrison would leave better than when he found it. Similar to how Morrison used Animal Man as way to champion and animal rights and speak out about the misuse and cruelty shown by humans to animals, so too would Deadman be used as a meta-commentary on life and the general behavior of humanity, and basically the way people tend to hurt other people.

Also, religion would also play a huge role in Morrison's run, since it was the Rama Krishna aspect of God that created Deadman in the first place and sent him on his mission to restore the cosmic balance.

There's really no telling just how far and how deep Morrison would go to expand upon and explain in detail the importance of this mission, both to humanity and all life in general, but also as salvationary, redemptive tool for Deadman's own soul.

Yeah, this could be really good!

As the possible artists, maybe on covers, Neal Adams, with maybe Ryan Sook, current JLDark artist Mikel Janin, or hell, how about Alex Maleev on interiors? Now that'd be some nice, moody-ass art huh?

It's a thought.

4). Captain America.

Yeah I know, what a random choice huh? And he is in all honesty. But just imagine what a writer like Grant Morrison would have to say with a character like Cap? No doubt he might use Cap and his allies and villains as allegorical commentary on terrorism or how the world views America, like former Cap writer John Ney Rieber tried, but better. Or maybe he'd tackle the old "Man out of time" angle like writer Rick Remender is doing again to an extent in the new Captain America series? Or talk about the very concept of war. Or maybe Morrison would be better than all that, and actually try an original approach to Cap. Wouldn't that be cool?

Possible artists, wow, that is a bit of a toughie. 

Frank Quitely's interpretation in Cap, and in particular his enemies like the Red Skull, Baron Zemo, and Arin Zola would be pretty damn interesting, not to mention all the new creations he could throw at Cap, so there's that. Or even use Ladronn again. Like I said, his style's like a modern, euro-version of Kirby's, so that might work.

Marvel's got a good roster of artists from Morrison to choose from, so really anyone of them would do.

5).Green Lantern.

Seriously think about that one for a minute. You have a character like Green Lantern, with his mastery over fear and an incredible weapon powered by the strength of his will, patrolling Earth and outer space as a cosmic cop? 

Now tell me Morrison wouldn't write the shit out of that series. 

Not only would we probably finally see Hal's Earth-based Silver Age villains again,who have long been forgotten and left behind in favor of Johns' desire to tell a giant, sprawling space epic, but just imagine GL's world filtered through Morrison's lense.

It might be like that one one-shot by J.M DeMatteis and Seth Fisher,Willworld, where the world inside GL's ring is explored, also similar to Jim Krueger/Alex Ross' Justice maxi-series. Or maybe not.

But I'm sure it'd be pretty damn cool and original, not to mention all of the different possible alien races Morrison would create. 

Any current DC artist in their stable would be acceptable, including current artist Doug Mahnke, or former GL artist Ivan Reis, or someone in that similar vein.

So that's at least 5 possible character choices off the top of my head that I can see Grant Morrison working magic with.

Feel free to write in more suggestions or your very own lists of possible writers/artists you'd love to see take your favorite characters.

No idea's that far out, since this is the world of comic books, so go nuts!

Whew!

Not bad for a filler piece, or as my favorite Aussie-turned Kiwi transplant Dan loves to call them "Puff Articles."

Finally there's this little piece I just finished today:

Captain America as a fat-chick thriller? Sure it goes against type, but since most of America's obese anyways, it's not that big of a stretch is it? Ha, get it? Stretch?

Hey, what can I say, I like to leave you guys with smiles on your faces.

Have a good weekend people:)

"You say hello, and I say goodbye"

Continuing on with the unofficial Batman theme @ the House this week, I'll be providing some scans from an interview with Grant Morrison and Neal Adams featured in Wizard Magazine#194.

But first,
if you checked in over @ bleedingcool.com, then you'll know that Morrison's planning or has planned to leave DC and possibly comics in general in 2013. It seems he's ready to do other stuff away from comics that doesn't include ignoring continuity and writing President Obama as Superman. I kid, I kid. I'm glad he chose to willfully ignore the reboot and do things his way; face it folks, he's one of the very few comic writers around to be able to do it and get away it. No Mr. Morrison's ready to spread his wings and write for movies, and what not. Here's the link to get the skinny on the whole thing:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/24/tuesday-runaround-grant-morrison-to-leave-superhero-comic-behind-in-2013/

Now he is supposed to finish up that long-delayed, long-talked about Multiversity mini by next year, so here's hoping because I and countless others have been waiting or that thing to come out since what, 2008?

And since the project doesn't have to be connected or rooted to the current DCU continuity, it stands a much better chance of being a success. Well at least it does to me. Who doesn't want to Morrison's take on The Watchmen? Or a whole world devoted to the Captain Marvel family? Throw in 6 other worlds, and call me sold!

Then following that, Rob Liefield announces he too is leaving in 2013. And no one cares.........
Seriously, who's buying Hawkman, Grifter, and Deathstroke right now? Anybody? He twitted(oh brother) all three titles sold out, which is nice and all, maybe for fans of those titles/characters. But what he didn't mention was that he was probably the one that bought 'em all in the first place. Oh you........

Anyhoo,
Here's the scans from that Wizard interview. This was wayyyy back in Dec '07 when Morrison was really  starting to get into the grove of his Batman saga. He was tasked with bringing Ra's Al Guhl back from the dead after writer Greg Rucka killed him off, or rather had Ra's daughter Nylissa do the deed.

This was a way too short interview that should have been at least 4-5 pages long, instead of the short 2 we got, as you can tell how much Morrison just loved talking about Batman with Adams. In the short space provided, we get a small glimpse of the wide range ot topics they go into; such as discussing how Ra's should be drawn, the dueling ideologies between Batman and Ra's, how hot Talia is, and how Batman should be portrayed. All good stuff, and no doubt they talked about a lot more stuff than that. Shame really, but that was how Wizard Magazine rolled in its later years. High on fluff, and a lot of the good stuff. Oh well, I'll still miss you Wizard.

So here they are in case you didn't see them the first time.....

Enjoy!

Finally, here's some parting music with who else, The Beatles! And yes if you didn't know already, this is their hit, and a personal favorite of mine, "Hello, Goodbye"

"Much ado about Morrison"

So I figured I'd talk briefly about Grant Morrison's X-Men run. There's a lot of differences in opinion concerning how he approached the X-Men. Some loved it, others hated it, and others were left wondering what the hell happened, especially concerning Morrison's last arc, Here Comes Tomorrow. I'll admit I don't have his complete run myself. I have E for Extinction, #'s122-123, the 1st part of Riot at Xavier's, all of the Planet X storyline, and 2 parts of Here Come's Tomorrow. But I think I still got a decent handle on where he was going, and I've recently read through on-line opinions about his run, and mostly the only legitimate complaint I see regards how Morrison portrayed Magneto.

Now granted it was confusing for most to see him apparently killed off during E for Extinction, then suddenly return as "Xorn" during Planet X, and I feel alot of that stems from the later retcon job that then EIC Joe Quesada and writer Chuck Austen performed. I get that Magneto was supposedly messed up in the head due to taking the x-gene enhancing drug "Kick", and that somehow he was possessed by the spirit of John Sublime, and that made him go so far in trying to kill off so many humans and ultimately kill off Jean Grey. I guess he wanted to finally get rid of Magneto, even though even he admits he went about it the wrong way.
I'd say overall, he did a fine job doing what he was hired by Marvel to do; namely shake things up and make the X-Men exciting again. He did just that, but unfortunately it seems like Quesada felt he went too far in his changes. Here's how he felt needed to change about the X-Men at the time:
"To make the X-MEN feel fresh once more, we need to take a closer, harsher look at what's not working in this book and the comics field in general. The recent X-MEN stuff has been written in an old-fashioned, overdense style for one, and we need to update, streamline and demystify the storytelling techniques considerably to appeal to modern sensibilities."

- Grant Morrison,
from "Morrison Manifesto"

 Then Qesada went back and let things get stale again and return to the status-quo he was wanting to change so much. Doesn't make sense to me, but then that's corporate thinking for you.


Here's a link to a good article about Morrison's X-Men run by Dirk Deppey of the Comics Journal:
http://archives.tcj.com/262/e_jista.html

And here's another one too. This article runs down what happened to each X-men during Morrison's run.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/400082/the_unofficial_guide_to_grant_morrisons_pg2.html?cat=4

So tell me what you guys thought of Morrison's run.

"Sweet Dreams, Superwoman...."

Random Comic Review time folks, and today I picked out a nice one. It's fairly recent, but no less exciting or lacking as a soon-to-be classic. I'm talking about Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All-Star Superman.

Now recently I told you all how I just picked up Vol.1 of Morrison and Quitely's Silver-Agesque All-Star Superman series, with Vol.2 to be picked up at a latter time and date. Trust me when I tell you if you haven't bought the series yet, or even the Absolute Edition, then you should. Run, don't walk to your local bookstore or comic book shop and pick up this series that'll make you feel like you just stepped back in time to the Silver Age. In the first volume alone, there's plenty of issues worthy for review; in truth it's hard to just pick one, so I'll no doubt come back and review more. But still, trust me when I say Morrison's Superman is written not just like he could be or would be, but how HE SHOULD BE.

Sure, not everyone is a Morrison fan, or if you are, you might not like all his work, but his version of Superman presented through Silver age lenses wrapped up in classic Morrison sensibilities, makes you wonder how come he's writing just Batman and not Superman on a regular basis. JMS be damned.

For today's review, I picked All-Star Superman issue 3, "Sweet Dreams, Super Woman..." I know, I know, there's so many more worthy, or just as worthy pics; such as issue 6 where Pa Kent dies, or Jimmy Olson being director of P.R.O.J.E.C.T. for a day in issue 5. And trust me I'll probably review those too, but for this one, I chose issue 3. This is where Superman grants Lois Lane the ultimate news scoop by letting her become like him, super-powers and all, for 24 hours. Just Imagine what that'd be like. To have powers like Superman, even if it is only for a day. What would you do? Where would you go? The possibilities truly would be endless, and now the star reporter for the Daily Planet, miss Lois Lane herself has them, what does she do? How's her day like? Let's see shall we?.......

The issue starts off where it previously ended, Lois had just walked in on Superman making/finishing his secret birthday gift for Lois. Now we get to see what he was working on. It's a liquid solution that contains all of Superman's powers, and gives it to Lois for her birthday. The catch is that the solution only lasts for 24 hours before the effects wear off. Nonetheless, Lois is very happy to get a chance to see life the way Superman does. She even gets her very own costume to boot.  "My Super-powers. In liquid form. Happy Birthday Lois." to which she responds "You're serious? I get to be like you? for a whole day? Bring it on." I believe Superman is giving Lois this opportunity for at least two reasons; one, so that he'll finally have Lois on equal footing as him at least temporarily, and two, it's a test. He obviously loves Lois Lane, and by giving her the chance to be like him, he's seeing and observing how'll she'd fit into his world. And of course she passes with flying colors.   The scene shifts to Metropolis, where a giant lizard monster calling himself Krull, is tearing up the city. Superman and Lois fly to the scene preparing to take Krull on, only to be beat to the punch by the mythical hero Samson. This is itself a throwback to the mid to late '50's, where mythical heroes like Hercules, or Samson, or even Atlas, would show up a fight Superman just to see who was the stronger of the two, and don't you know that's just what happens in this issue as well!  Samson and his buddy Atlas serve as possible suitors for a now super-powered Lois. And even though she tells them that it's temporary, they still have wild lust in their eyes for her.  After they all send Krull back to his subterraean world, Samson goes on to present Lois with radioactive crown jewel, which causes major trouble for Lois later on in the story. Samson and Atlas both takes turns attempting to woe Lois, all the while Lois laps it up with Superman saying "I don't get it Lois. I can't believe you're flirting with Samson and Atlas!" To which she responds, "Well maybe I'm teaching you a lesson. We both know you'll win any contest these losers can dream up. It's my birthday, have some fun!"
Superman figures, and rightly so, that the time-traveling Samson and Atlas are nothing but trouble, and tries to get rid of them. Of course Samson let's Superman know he knows Superman doesn't have that long to live, so why not try to get with Lois. The radioactive jewels Samson gave Lois eariler comes into play when the pervious owner, the Ultra Sphinx, decides he wants the jewels back.  The Sphinx grabs Lois, putting her in a state between life and death, only to relent if Superman answers, you guessed it, a riddle. The riddle is the same type of question that's been asked for years by scientists and laymen alike, and I won't spoil it here, but I guess the answer makes sense. I know what most likely would happen, but Superman's response is also acceptable. Even with all that, both men start to pick a fight with the man of steel on the basis that Superman didn't show what they thought was a true feat of strength. So Superman arm wrestles both men at the same time; Samson on one arm, Atlas on the other, saying "You can quit any time. Come on fellas, or would you like me to Push!?"And procedes to what else? Beat them both. So hard, that both of their arms  break due to the true strength of Superman.  Superman and Lois fly up to the moon, where Superman tell her "You know, there's something I've wanted to do since the very first day we met." They then proceed to kiss amidst the backdrop of a beautiful, full moon.
Lois and Supes fly back to Earth, where she proceeds to konk out due to the 24 hour limit expiring, and all the eventful things that transpired that day. The issue closes out with Superman tucking Lois in and kissing her forehead before leaving her to sleep. 

Not a bad issue, and really, you can say that for the whole 12-issue series. Again so many silver age concepts brought back and showcased here, but with that Morrison twist. I highly, highly recommend going out and picking this series up. It'll make you wonder why he's not writing Superman proper, or at the very least a sequel to All-Star.

Also, there is an animated movie version of All-Star Superman out by Dwayne McDuffie who just recently passed away. Some scenes are left out of the 80 minute movie, but from what reviews I've read, it's a really good movie overall.