DC Comics Rebirth Continues

A couple weeks back, I looked at the introductory comic, DC Universe Rebirth, and since then more than a few first issues of this new continuity dynamic have come out. Here I'll look at some of them briefly.

Superman - One of the bits in the above-mentioned comic that I didn't care about was the death of the New 52 Superman. This comic picks up on those hanging threads as the pre-Flashpoint Superman visits the Fortress of Solitude and reminisces about Doomsday with the New 52 Lana Lang. It was more fun and much better than I expected. I want to read more, despite the huge amount of baggage here to move forward.

Batman - Much like Superman, I'm not thrilled with the new Batman costume. Sorry, I'm a traditionalist and resistant to most change. If it was an alternate Batman, I'd be cool, but not the 'real' Batman. Much of the issue is taken up by the Calendar Man and his antics, including a weird new supernatural twist of his aging and rejuvenating through the seasons. There is also the inclusion of Duke Thomas, who may or may not be a new Robin, or perhaps a Lark, or something new. Darker and more sociopathic than I like my Batman, I'll pass.

Wonder Woman - Greg Rucka returns to the Amazon Princess in this issue, and while his run was critically acclaimed, it was not by me, as you can see here. This Rebirth issue, while well done, enticing, and encouraging, is one of those 'everything-you-know-is-a-lie' stories that may or may not return Wonder Woman to what I consider greatness, or create yet another version of the character I won't be reading. It's a great start, let's hope it's the former and not the latter.

Titans - I miss the Teen Titans, and yeah, I'm in get-off-my-lawn-mode, but I was never a big fan of the New Teen Titans that everyone went gaga over in the 1980s. They were cool, yeah, but my Titans were the Nick Cardy teen hero generation of the early 1970s. What's weird is that these Rebirth Titans are twisted versions of the ones I dug. I looked forward to this book as Wally West was the best thing about DC Universe Rebirth and I wanted to see more - what I got instead was a distorted revisionist history of characters I thought I knew. It isn't the same, as a matter of fact, it's all-new. I don't know who any of these people are, and I'm not interested.

Green Arrow - One of the tragedies of the new 52 in my opinion was the rejuvenation and Tony Stark-ization of Green Arrow, as well as the removal of Black Canary as his romantic and 'business' partner. Their reunion is about all I liked about this new start, I disliked the art and the story as well.

Green Lanterns - I'm sure Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are someone's favorite Green Lanterns but I'm just not that into them. This book is more about them than Hal Jordan, and if I'm going to read a Geoff Johns Green Lantern comic, I want Hal Jordan. Pass.

Aquaman - Speaking of Johns, another great bit from the original Rebirth comic was Aquaman proposing to Mera, thereby breaking the unspoken rule about no happy marriages in the DC Universe. The problem of course is that Johns is not writing the new Aquaman series, so who knows what happens next. Dan Abnett, who had been writing the regular series, feels right at home with this soft reboot. I look forward to more of this, and more of Black Manta.

Flash - As I said, Wally West was my favorite part of the book that started all this, so like Titans, this was another I was looking forward to. The first thing that struck me was the art. It's not bad per se, but it's definitely not suited to the character of The Flash. Carmine Di Giadomenico is a terrific artist, and I admire his attempts to pay homage to Carmine Infantino, but for me, it just doesn't work. We don't get much more in the way of story than we did in the initial Rebirth book. It reminded me very much of the retelling going on in Marvel's Civil War II. I'm still on the fence with this one.

Arrow S03 E21: "Al Sah-Him"

We get cool freshness in the opening seconds, a new spin on Stephen Amell's usual voiceover narrative, that indicates Oliver has entered a phase of his life, that of becoming the new R'as Al Ghul. In exchange for Thea's life, he has given himself over to Demon's training. Shortly after finally consummating Olicity, our hero is getting a buzzcut and a branding, as well as a new name, Al Sah-Him, which is, ironically enough, Arabic for 'The Arrow.' All this happened last episode.

What is most intriguing about the opening scenes of this episode is the discussion of a character called Damien Darhk during a heart to heart chat between R'as and Oliver. Darhk considered himself R'as' rival and equal, and his hesitation to kill him years ago has made a thorn in R'as' side ever since. This Darhk has not only his own hive of operatives, and some water from the Lazerus Pit, but has been involved in Oliver's affairs as well.

Notably, according to R'as of course, Darhk has tried to purchase Malcolm Merlyn's earthquake generator, has had dealings with Markovia, and was involved with that incident with Mark Shaw. R'as makes it clear - Damien Darhk is not just his enemy but Oliver's as well. This enemy must be eliminated.

Now there is not just one comics precedent to this character, but two, and they both fit. There was a Doctor Ebeneezer Daark who R'as put in charge of the League of Assassins, but eventually turned against the Demon. And then there's the closer name approximation, Damien Darhk, who was one of the leaders of the criminal organization called the H.I.V.E., who menaced the Teen Titans for years. Rumors say the H.I.V.E. will be baddies next season, and it wouldn't be the first time Arrow fought Titans villains... so perhaps this Darhk is a mix of the two.

As many of you may or may not know, I maintain a blog about French fries, so when we dropped in on Laurel and Nyssa discussing, eating, and dipping French fries into milkshakes - yeah, I was loving it. I have never really been a fan of Katie Cassidy, up until her recent appearance on "The Flash," and here bonding with Nyssa. Or maybe I just like her in this scene because fries are involved. Anyone who dips their fries in their shake is okay in my book.

Darhk and fries aside, the main plot of this episode revolves around Oliver returning to Starling City to kill Nyssa and basically erase all vestiges of his former life. This drags on seemingly forever. I liked the bits with Team Arrow re-shifting to adjust the absences of Oliver and Roy, and I dug the dinner at Dig and Lyla's. I hated that Oliver kidnapped Lyla. The only real good part is the debut, finally, of the second Speedy, even if it's Thea instead of Mia.

In Flashback Hong Kong, that we know is going to be all right because of 'the Superboy paradox' that I touched on here and explained here on The GAR! Podcast, but we see that characters can be markedly different on TV than they are in the comics. Case in point - General Shrieve, who is sooo not a villain. All I'm watching the flashbacks (or is it coming in the present day?) for is to finally see Katana in costume. At least now we know where this storyline is going.

Okay, show of hands, who else is done with this whole R'as Al Ghul storyline?

Next: The Bride of the Demon



For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Arrow S02 E15: "The Promise"

Deathstroke the Terminator. Since before "Arrow" even started, in the earliest publicity shots that featured only his mask, the ones that made fanboys and fangirls want to watch the show even more than the fact it was a show about Green Arrow, Deathstroke has been here. Introduced several episodes in, and expertly played by Manu Bennett of Starz' "Spartacus," he has been hero, friend, and now villain to Oliver Queen, but who is he really?

In the comics, Slade Wilson, better known as Deathstroke the Terminator, was created in 1980 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez in the second issue of the breakout comics series The New Teen Titans. Granted superhuman strength, agility, endurance, and an enhanced healing factor by government military experiments, Slade Wilson became DC's resident mercenary. He would go on to become that revamped team's most dangerous and persistent foe.

In his frequent battles and schemes against the Titans, he became quite popular with fans. Fan favorite status gained him his own series where he went from villain to anti-hero. Marvel Comics even parodied him with much success as Deadpool. He has been included in many of DC's big events as one of the continuity's major villains.

The biggest turning point for the character may have been during Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis maxi-series when Deathstroke took down the Justice League singlehandedly. In just a few pages, he did what serious JLA foes like Amazo or Darkseid or the Secret Society had been unable to do for decades. It was also in this comic that the vendetta level feud with Green Arrow began. GA didn't defeat Deathstroke, but he hurt him, and a dangerous grudge began, one that bleeds into "Arrow."

On the show, Slade Wilson is still a mercenary, but one that was stranded on what I've been calling Flashback Island with Oliver, and at times Yao Fei, Shado, and Sara. He taught Oliver to survive and to fight, along with the others. While a romance bloomed between Oliver and Shado, Slade loved her silently from afar. When Ivo captured everyone but Slade, Oliver indirectly caused Ivo to kill Shado. In Flashback Island time, the now superhuman (thanks to Mirakuru) Slade is gunning for Ivo, not knowing Oliver's involvement in her death.

In the present, Oliver has mentioned more than once that no one made it off the island alive except him and Sara. So, surprise surprise when Slade not only turns up alive, controlling Brother Blood and other baddies stalking Starling City, but suddenly in Oliver's own home, supposedly making a donation to his mother's mayoral campaign. And that was our cliffhanger last time. We open seconds later in "The Promise."

The first thing I notice is how touchy feely Slade is with Mom. It's more than a little creepy. His conversation is filled with double meaning as he and Oliver both pretend they haven't met before. Of course predictably, it leads to a flashback, this one with the two as friends planning the attack on Ivo's freighter, the Amazo. We're going to learn what happened finally. The shame is we already kinda know... or do we? One of the best things about "Arrow" is the twists and surprises.

There is one thing I liked that I'm not sure if it was planned, or if the writers were covering their asses. Either way, it was done well and seamlessly. Sara makes Oliver promise that if she doesn't make it, he's to tell her family that she died on the Gambit. Continuity hole filled in nicely.

While Oliver deals with Slade's family visit in the present, he is captured by Ivo on the island, and given truth serum. But like most of their plan of attack, it's all diversion, and it's beautiful watching it come together. Best parts? Oliver in his hood and Slade in his mask.

When the moment of truth comes and Oliver confronts Ivo, he breaks down in misdirected guilt and admits he killed Shado, unknowingly in front of Slade. And thus the rift. Slade turns on him. After he kills Ivo, he makes Oliver a promise, matching this episode's title, that he will make him feel complete despair. And that's where we're left in the past - Oliver on the ship now run by Slade, and Sara along with a handful of freed prisoners on the island.

Meanwhile Team Arrow plans an assault on the Queen home to save the family from Slade. Roy shows up, trying outhandshake Slade with his Mirakuru strength, and then Sara. They subtly and threateningly surround him, until Slade says good night. Diggle is outside however waiting to take him out sniper style. Slade knows already and Diggle us disarmed. Slade leaves, swearing to fulfill his promise.

"The Promise" was a fantastic episode, one of the best as friends had been telling me before I'd had a chance to see it. They were right. There are some nagging questions though. Why did Ivo need an eye? What's Slade been doing for five years? Can Moira be more of a bitch? And is that Harley Quinn in the preview for the next episode?? Yeah baby, next: Suicide Squad!

Arrow S02 E11: "Blind Spot"

While various big bads are circling Starling City, Laurel has made it her mission to expose Sebastian Blood for the villain he is. She knows that he killed both his parents now and may be gunning for her. She goes to Arrow for help, who's aligned himself with Blood while at the same time hunting the man in the skull mask - no knowing they are one in the same.

One very cool side effect is Arrow and Laurel's excellent adventure to steal a file from the city hall archives. This is an awesome action sequence I'd like to see more of. It not only showed that not all of Starling City's police are inept, but also that Arrow can outthink as well as outfight them when needed. It kinda puts Starling's cops a notch up on Gotham's in my book.

When Laurel gets a bit too close to finding out the truth about Blood, Slade intervenes and forces Blood's hand. Suddenly she is set up and arrested by Blood's plant in the police. It's too easy because Laurel's been using illegal drugs and copping her dad's prescript painkillers as well. The chick is wrecked, and easy to frame, as well as hard to believe about Blood. Score one for the bad guys.

Going for that second score, Blood then kidnaps Laurel under Oliver's nose to lead the Arrow into a trap. At last! Arrow vs. Brother Blood, even the closed captioning acknowledges the villain's true name. He gives a nice rationale for the mask, and exhibits some very Batman-like disappearing techniques, but still, Arrow and Laurel manage to take down... the wrong guy.

Brother Blood is revealed to be Officer Daily, Blood's plant on the police force. This cleverly covers Blood's ass as well as shaking Laurel's drug addled resolve. More importantly, it gets her fired from the DA's office. It's a ruse that makes sense, which makes it even more dangerous. Blood is still on the loose, and unsuspected.

Roy spills the beans to Sin about his newfound powers from the Mirakiru, and proposes he become a living target to find the bad guys in Starling City. And even though telling one gal and not the other puts a bit of a romantic split in the Speedy Gang, Sin and Roy set out after the Starling City Slasher.

It seems that with great power comes greater anger management. Roy uses his superhuman strength and lack of control to put the perp in the hospital. He's remorseful but the rest of the Speedy Gang is worried.

On Flashback Island, Oliver and Sara have a bit of a heart to heart chat that doesn't shed a very nice light on Laurel. It's suggested the rivalry between the Lance sisters may go a bit deeper than previously thought. Oliver, especially pre-island Oliver, wasn't that much of a prize, was he? Of course, to punctuate the evening's conversation, Sara slips away in the night.

Seems her loyalties lie more with Ivo than with Oliver. She takes the walkie talkie and immediately calls her old boss. And it also seems like Ivo may have been more old flame than old boss. Either way, let's just say it's going to be a bad break up.

In the Easter egg department, it's mentioned that Sebastian Blood lived in the Zandia Orphanage, Zandia being Brother Blood's land of origin and nation under his religious thumb in the New Teen Titans comics.

Speaking of old NTT villains, at the end of this episode we get our first look at the present day Slade as Deathstroke in costume. Not too shabby. I have to say I prefer the island mask as it has more of the comics look as opposed to this hockey goalie vibe, but still, it's Deathstroke, finally.

Nick Cardy 1920-2013

A big chunk of my comics childhood has passed away. Nick Cardy, born Nicolas Viscardi, was perhaps the first influential artist on Aquaman and Teen Titans, but most importantly, he illustrated almost every DC Comics cover in the early 1970s. To me, Nick Cardy's versions of the DC superheroes were the definitive versions, as those were the ones I saw all throughout my childhood, and even on the covers of books I didn't read. And he was damn good. Nick Cardy passed away this weekend.

Here is the official press release from DC Comics:

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Nick Cardy, one of the industry’s greatest artists. A talented draftsman with a knack for layout and energetic cover design, Cardy’s art leapt off the page and helped redefine some of DC Comics’ most lasting characters for a new age.

"Like many early comic pros, Cardy began his career working under the tutelage of the legendary Will Eisner, as part of the Eisner and Iger studio. But it was his arrival at DC Comics in 1950 that saw the artist begin to show signs of the legend that would soon form around him.

"Cardy’s smooth line and dynamic sense of action graced the first appearance of the Teen Titans in THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #60, not to mention almost 40 issues of AQUAMAN during the character’s initial Silver Age solo series.

"Cardy continued his relationship with DC’s teen team for the entirety of TEEN TITANS 43-issue Silver Age run, redefining the collection of sidekicks through his innovative and yet still classical brushstroke, with a dash of post-modernist design and 60s swagger.

"Cardy was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2005.

“We’ve lost one of the artistic pillars here at DC,” said Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment. “Nick’s work on Aquaman, Teen Titans and beyond helped define how we look at these characters today. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and many fans.”

“Nick Cardy was a wonderful artist and person, but I’ll always remember his amazing covers,” said Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher. “From the classic “Is This My Foe?” AQUAMAN #42 image that featured a victorious Black Manta hoisting Aquaman above him to the first appearance of the Teen Titans, Cardy just knew how to get a reader’s attention – and that is a talent that can never be understated. He was my definitive DC cover artist for the 60s.”

“Nick Cardy’s work helped define some of the things we see in comics today and take for granted,” said Jim Lee, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher. “He broke out of the mold in terms of covers and layout and created a truly interactive experience for the reader that directly points back to his time with the Eisner studio. His versions of Aquaman, the Teen Titans and Bat Lash – to name a few – remain iconic today. Our sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time.”

When I think of the Teen Titans, I think not of Marv Wolfman and George Perez' wonderful New Teen Titans, I think of Nick Cardy's Titans. The heroes of the comic my big sister read, on which I learned to read, the ones that even taught me about Shakespeare, and slavery, and the Civil War, and the civil rights movement. We have lost a comics legend, and I have lost a piece of my childhood.

To see a few more of Nick Cardy's covers, check out my Tumblr here.

Arrow: The Undertaking

About mid-season of the "Arrow" series, the powers that be finally gave a name to the master plan that the bad guys of The List had for Starling City. They called it The Undertaking. It's never been clear what it actually was, but we know it has sinister implications for The Glades - the 'bad' section of the city, and home to Roy Harper, the Verdant nightclub, and the ersatz Arrowcave. One supposes by the title of this episode, we'll finally find out exactly what The Undertaking is.

From all indications, we might just find out what happened to Walter as well. A unique flashbacknot to the island, shows us a meeting of The List several years prior. It seems their original plan was to blackmail bad people into doing good things, but John Barrowman's Merlyn suggests a new 'undertaking,' leveling The Glades and starting from scratch. No Glades, no crime. And there it is.

And OMG, the thing that's going to level The Glades is called the Markov device. Comics readers know that half-siblings Brion and Tara Markov are Geo-Force and Terra, metahumans with earth elemental powers. Brion was a hero who joined the Outsiders and later the Justice League. Tara was a teenage psychopath who joined the Teen Titans in order to betray them to... Deathstroke, with whom she had a very unhealthy and possibly illegal relationship. Wow. I'm guessing The Glades go in an earthquake.

In the soap opera zone, Laurel goes to Verdant to cry on Oliver's shoulder about her break-up with Tommy. Felicity's awkward walk-in may have sent odd signals to Laurel. Sigh. To quote one of my favorite "Simpsons" lines, "When are they gonna get to the fireworks factory?" In this case, fireworks factory equals superhero action.

In a slightly more high quality melodrama moment we get to watch Barrowman tell of his wife's death in order to convince Oliver's father to go along with The Undertaking. It really the first time "Arrow" has given the man room to act. Finally. And we get a glimpse into the making of a villain.

In the distracting secondary plot of the episode (because on "Arrow," the overarc is always the main plot), Felicity goes undercover in a casino to find clues of Walter's whereabouts. As I've said before, Emily Bett Rickards' Felicity cleans up real nice, but then again I like her in and out of nerd.

With no Diggle for back-up, The Hood has to save her, doing so like a bull in a china shop. I counted at least four arrows to the chest, one a woman, probably some of them only patrons to the casino. Once again, I find myself rooting for the police to put this murderous Bizarro version of Green Arrow away.

At first it seems that Walter was dead, and then alive. The Hood saves him, plowing through henchmen to get him, but first parachuting down onto their hideout from a plane. I couldn't get past that. Who was flying the plane? Wouldn't they know it was The Hood on board, and jumping out? Seems like a major loose end here.

Things are heating up and finally coming together. Oliver makes up with Diggle. And he admits to Laurel he still loves her. And, most importantly, he knows that Merlyn and his mom have been lying to him, and they are behind The Undertaking. The secrets are out, time for the real game to begin.

Other shout outs to the comics in this episode include Ted Kord for whom a fundraiser was held in flashback. Ted Kord was the second Blue Beetle. And Walter was being held in Bludhaven, Dick (Nightwing) Grayson's old stomping ground.

Yes, things are finally heating up, I can't wait for the next episode. As long as they keep tying up loose ends, that is.

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast for 2-22-2012

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast is shot live every week at All Things Fun! - the area's best comics and gaming store, located in West Berlin, NJ.

Co-hosts Ed (Off the Rails) Evans, Allison (Non-Marvel Girl) Eckel and Glenn (Get Off My Throne) Walker discuss the new comics out this week in two fun video segments, in wicked high definition, and available on the YouTube. See it here!

This first segment includes discussion of the following topics: The Live Used Game Auction, the AvsX Launch Event, the AvsX Program Guide, the Avengers and X-Men titles of the week, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, Thor and Ultimate Spider-Man, All-Star Western #6, Teen Titans #6 and Titans semi-continuity, The Ray #3 (of 4), and more non-sparkling vampires.



The discussion continues here in segment two including: Hoarders moment, Aquaman #6 by Geoff Johns, The Flash #6 by Francis Manapul, Wally West speculation, Batman The Dark Knight #6 by David Finch and Paul Jenkins, Batman vs. Bane, The Savage Hawkman #6, and the rest of DC, Star Wars comics and other goodies, indies including Chew, Danger Girl, Transformers, and Godzilla, Allison's kids comics, and Ed's trades.



Be sure to check out the dynamic new All Things Fun! website, and the All Things Fun! Blogs, by Allison and Glenn, and ATF! on YouTube.

And be back here every Wednesday (or Tuesdays at midnight) to watch the new broadcast, and thereafter throughout the week!

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Don't forget, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES by Fran Metzman continues today at Krista Magrowski's blog. Don't miss it! For a full list of Blog Tour stops, go here.

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast for 10-26-2011

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast is shot live in a real comics and gaming store in West Berlin, NJ - All Things Fun! - co-hosts Ed (purveyor of Legion Flight Rings) Evans, Allison (awesome sauce) Eckel and Glenn (get off my lawn) Walker discuss the new comics out this week in two fun video segments, now in high definition, and also available on YouTube. See it here!

The first segment includes discussion of the following topics: Ed goes first with Legion Secret Origin #1 and Legion Flight Rings, the Indies, pin-up covers from Zenescope, IDW's Star Trek #2, The Walking Dead #90, Star Wars and Avengelyne #4 from Mark Poulton and Rob Liefield.



The discussion continues in segment two including: Madness in the morning, Aquaman #2 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, The Flash #2 by Francis Manapul, Teen Titans #2, Gail Simone's Firestorm #2, Savage Hawkman #2, Fear Itself and Spider-Island, fast Marvels, Allison's kids comics, and Ed's trades.



Be sure to check out the All Things Fun! website, and the All Things Fun! Blogs, by Allison and Glenn, and ATF! on YouTube.

And be back here every Wednesday morning at 11:30 AM EST to watch the new broadcast, and thereafter throughout the week!

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast for 9-21-2011

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast is shot live in a real comics and gaming store in West Berlin, NJ - All Things Fun! - co-hosts Allison ("I remember the 1980s") Eckel and Glenn ("Hey you kids get off my lawn") Walker (boss man Ed Evans returns next week!) discuss the new comics out this week in two fun video segments, now in high definition, and also available on YouTube. See it here!

The first segment includes discussion of the following topics: The New DC 52 including Scott Snyder's Batman #1, the multiple Robins and their heights, iffy Teen Titans continuity, Catwoman #1, Wonder Woman #1, Birds of Prey #1, Blue Beetle #1, Supergirl #1, J.T. Krul's Captain Atom #1, and the rest.



The discussion continues in segment two including: We forgot about Ed, Hawaiian hot dogs, the Fear Itself comics of the week including Avengers #17, Brian Michael Bendis' talking heads and dissing 9/11, Allison's kids comics, Kevin Smith's Bionic Man #2, Tiny Titans and Young Justice, Treehouse of Horror, more Marvels, a pair of X-Factors, Ultimate X-Men in a bag, the indies, and the trades.



Be sure to check out the All Things Fun! website, and the All Things Fun! Blogs, by Allison and Glenn, and ATF! on YouTube.

And be back here every Wednesday morning at 11:30 AM EST to watch the new broadcast, and thereafter throughout the week!

Wizard World Philly - Sunday

Got a late start today and friend and fellow Comic Widows writer Anthony came along for the ride this time. The main thrust of the trip today was to attend the Avengers panel, so after showing the press room to Ant, trying to do some writing and helping myself to one of their kindly offered Cokes, I was off to Avengers-land.

In attendance: king of the Annihilation pimps Bill Rosemann, the gracious Molly Lazer, Jim McCann, CB Cebulski of Loners (applause) fame and of course, Bendis (who was late).

The panel began with (what else?) a slide show. We got to see House of M: Avengers again. They said that libraries and bookstores had requested more House of M because it were so popular(!). They pushed Avengers/Transformers really hard. It made me wonder if they were worried about this one, or just really proud of it. It’s got the pre-Civil War Captain America in it, now there’s a selling point.

Then we dived into Skrull territory. With the dead Electra being revealed as a Skrull in the most recent issue of New Avengers, the vibe has been – who can we trust? Who is a Skrull and who isn’t? Bendis pointed out that this has been going on for almost three years at least, referencing the “shadowy figure on page two of New Avengers #1.” Hmmm, I had always thought that was Nick Fury, but maybe it was the Skrull double of Nick Fury?? Nevertheless, Bendis said the Skrull story will come to a head early next year.

Next slide was about appearances of Tigra, Machine Man and Sleepwalker in upcoming issues of Ms. Marvel. The cover shown looked like a ‘catfight’ between Carol and Tigra. I’m glad my buddy Ray wasn’t there today. ;-)

The talk returned to Skrulls. Bendis put forth the idea that this was a great opportunity to get more for your money with your comics. You could re-read all the books from the last few years, play detective and look for clues as to who is and who isn’t a Skrull. What is out of character behavior because of a change of attitude, and what is a change because of Skrulliness? The Skrulls have always attacked with rayguns and spaceships, why should they when they are shapechangers and could just infiltrate us? This is especially viable with the state of the world today with terrorism and all that. Who can you trust?

Next up for me was the Marv Wolfman panel, which wasn’t really a panel at all, but just himself with a slideshow. He talked his career from fanzines to Warren to Marvel to DC and today. He of course spotlighted Tomb of Dracula, New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths. When the slides were done he went to the room for questions.

Regarding Crisis Marv said he hated continuity. Continuity ties the hands of good writers with the stories of bad writers. Interesting. This was merely the first of many astonishing statements from Mr. Wolfman. He doesn’t read any series he’s written after he’s left that book. He never saw Deathstroke as a villain. He didn’t want to kill the Barry Allen Flash, that was forced on him. He thinks we are in the ‘real Golden Age’ now because we have so many truly talented people in the industry today. What about your generation and before, Marv? Told ya, astonishing.

Wolfman discussed his creation of the current version of Lex Luthor. He grew up in the 1950s where Luthor in his prison grays would escape every other issue, and thought the super-suit was a mistake, as Luthor would never be Superman’s equal physically. He surmised Luthor’s greatest weapon was his brain, so he should use it to conceive crimes he could never be convicted of. Also, jealousy not vanity would be why Lex hates Superman. Better idea, better motivation. He also praised Michael Rosenbaum for his portrayal of Luthor on "Smallville."

Marv talked of Dick Grayson and how he preferred Robin as the responsible leader of the Teen Titans rather than the jerky pun-spouting brat who was Batman’s partner. He said when the Bat-editors wanted Robin back he suggested they create a new one. They loved it, and came up with Jason Todd and Marv made Dick Grayson Nightwing. He didn’t care, as long as he got to keep Grayson.

He briefly discussed new projects like a new Superman series, and he just finished the script for the new animated Teen Titans movie. All in all, a pretty enjoyable if surprising panel of one. By that time, Anthony and I were hungry and beat. After a stop at Philly’s Hard Rock we were done.

I had a lot of fun and really wore myself out. I was stunned by the amount of folks who knew me, both from Comic Widows and especially Avengers Forever. I have to say that comparatively this was a smaller con than most Wizards I’ve been to. Perhaps New York and the Heroes Con in Charlotte are taking a bite out of Wizard’s reign?