I blame the society

I haven´t posted much since my last post ( which now that I write it down sounds stupid and redundant ) because I started to work again. And even if I don´t work every day on the other days I´m just catching up on my sleep or have to buy stuff or do something else for the job.


On the other hand I really like that I can work again because now that I don´t work for the rest of the week I am kind of disappointed. Especially since I bought some new shirts for it. Yesterday I didn´t do much of anything even if I have a thousand things on my plate. I recently did a translation for THEM OR US in spanish and have send the first version in. I´m not sure if I should do the second story they sent me right away or if I should do the english version of the first story.

Right now I haven´t heard anything new from Karl Nagel who wanted to send me a full version of InDesign. Right now I´m using a free version which has some problems. Anyway, the translation was more difficult than I thought because some words were very specific. But I think the next story will be a bit easier.

It seems that I had forgotten to put up the download link for those who still haven´t got issues 0 and 1 of THEM OR US. I have put the link in the post with my last update about the magazine but you can also download the pdf versions for 99 Cent each here - THEM OR US download

For this post I wasn´t sure what I should talk about since I have read so much stuff in the meantime. A few weeks ago I was at the comicshop in Ludwigsburg FANTASY STRONGHOLD but couldn´t buy the ones that seemed interesting because I knew that sooner or later I would see them for half price on conventions. So instead I went to the PANINI message board where I got three of them for half price. I also wanted to get the first TRINITY trade but since my brother got the first trade from the comicshop a few days later I skipped on that.


But more about that in some other post since I have decided to write a bit about the latest comics I read. Some of this stuff was destined to go into a new SOLICITATION post but since I have read most of the comics I have saved for the solicitation posts I´m going to put it into the relevant comic section. This way I can even include some links - which may be a bit old for some readers as I haven´t doen many news link posts lately.

MAGOG TO SOCIETY

One of the consistantly best written titles at DC is JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA and I´m not just saying that because Power Girl is on the book.


When the book restarted with a new number 1 one of the main reasons to keep it on my pull list was artist Dale Eaglesham. I really liked him on VILLAINS UNITED and the fact that he wasn´t on the following incarnations of the title is probably one of the reasons why I sold all of the issues. So I was pretty sure that the art would be great but I wasn´t so sure about the stories. Not that I thought Geoff Johns would slip up since he already had done a pretty decent run of the title.

Which is kind of an understanding since he´s one of the guys who reinvented the book. But he´s also heavily invested in writing the GREEN LANTERN franchise and preparing ( now it´s in full effect ) BLACKEST NIGHT so I thought he could be stretching himself too thin. So far JUSTICE SOCIETY was the one title who outdid JUSTICE LEAGUE even when Grant Morrison was on JLA. As it turns out all my worries were in vain. After a few done in one issues that were among the best standalone issues I read in a long while the supersaga THY KINGDOM COME just blew my mind.

I really like all the stories that have come out so far and it´s difficult to pick a favorite but THY KINGDOM COME is one of the classics for future generations. Especially since the story has been collected into three trades. I really would like to get a complete edition but I´m not sure if it will ever be done. On one side because I´m not sure how high the demand is on the other because the sheer size of it - it had to be collected into three trades after all.


Regarding the story I don´t want to say too much since I don´t like to spoiler stuff but I´m going to reveal a few things. If you don´t want to be spoilered just jump ahead to the links after the JSA THY KINGDOM COME trade reviews from my fellow partner blog COLLECTED EDITIONS.

The story begins when Starman - Starboy Thom Kallor from the Legion of Superheroes - opens a black hole through which Superman from KINGDOM COME is sucked into our universe. KINGDOM COME is one of my all time favorite stories and not only does THY KINGDOM COME build upon the events of the story - although it is more of an altenative ending - but comic legend Alex Ross provides some art for the issues. He even does one of the specials all by himself which of course is beautiful and it is also his first penciled and inked issue.

Now the funny thing about reading Starman´s dialogue is that you can´t understand it when you are reading it. Because it sounds like the usual stuff crazy people say but in the case of Starman it´s a result of his journey through the multiverse and it only makes sense later on. Everything he says is true and he practically spoils a lot of stuff. But because you only learn the context a few months down the line it´s more like prophecies than anything else. Back to THY KINGDOM COME : the news of an alternate Superman brings in the Justice League and leads to a few interesting scenes as the Superman of our world meets his older twin - well, kind of.


It is also nice to see the interaction between this other Superman and Power Girl who lost the cousin of her world during CRISIS ON INFINITE WORLDS and again at the end of INFINITE CRISIS. She´s one of the few who really knows what it´s like to loose your entire universe ( Superman from our universe has also lost his whole home planet but Power Girl lost her whole universe ) so there is a kind of older brother - sister relationship forming between the two which isn´t very surprising since the Superman from the KINGDOM COME story is more like the Superman from Power Girl´s world.

Of course it wouldn´t be connected to KINGDOM COME without a villain called MAGOG who goes around killing superheroes but once again not everything is as you expect it. But I have already said too much so I just want to add that during the story many new characters join the Justice Society - thus really deserving the name society - and they are just in time for the big battle royal finale. The special thing about the Justice Society is that it is always about legacy as three generations of superheroes fight and live alongside learning from each other and it´s not always the older heroes who are the teachers. What is so great about the story is that there are some specials thrown in before the big brawl that shed some light on the pivotal players like Power Girl or Superman from Kingdom Come done by such great artists like Alex Ross or Jerry Ordway.


Of course the society wouldn´t be the society if there was no dissention in the ranks that this time goes so far that they split up and fight against each other. It has often been said that superhero comics are trite but with the way Geoff Johns shows the different faiths and philosophies of the characters that argument is undone. Naturally there are also the big fights but I think the story achieves a good balance between action and quieter moments. A really big saga that I can´t recommend high enough to everyone who loves comics especially since you can get part 1 for 14.99 instead of 19.99, part 2 for 14,44 instead of 24.99 and part 3 that normally goes for 24.99 for a measly 9.40 at amazon right now ( amazon.de ). Which means that instead of 69.97 you pay 38.83 which is 31.14 bucks less. I´m talking about the hardcovers here. And there are only 5 copies left of part 1 and 2. If you want to know more here are reviews to all three trades from COLLECTED EDITIONS :

thy kingdom come first trade / second trade / third trade



some preview pages :

preview issue 18 / issue 19 / issue 20 / issue 21

preview issue 22 / kingdom come superman special


Well, as great as THY KINGDOM COME was it was also sad news because after the BLACK ADAM story by Jerry Ordway that followed it Dale Eaglesham finished his stint on the book with an issue about Stargirl´s birthday party. He is now going to be the new artist on FANTASTIC FOUR ( as most of you already know having read the first issue ) but I´m not sure if I´m going to follow him on the book. After Brian Hitch ended HIS run on Marvel´s first family the title is off my pull list and i´m probably going to check out the new issues before deciding if it goes back to the pull list. Anyway. here´s an interview with Dale Eaglesham about the end of his run on the Society - Dale Eaglesham ends JSA

Of course the big question was who was going to be the new artist on the book. I feared it might be Pasarin since he did so many of the issues and specials during the THY KINGDOM COME story and I also hoped it would be Jerry Ordway. Instead fellow paisano Jesus Merino is now the new artist and after having read his first issue I have to say they couldn´t have chosen a better one. In America Jesus is mainly known as Carlos Pacheco´s inker on all the good looking stuff but in Spain he´s also known as an artist on such books like TRIADA VERTICE that followed the popular IBERIA INC by Fonteriz both penned by none other than Carlos Pacheco. He also did JAQUE MATE and HANNIBAL GRIS for Laberinto Comics.





As someone who has done a few team books he can pull off the dozens of characters of the Justice society and make them look good - even Power Girl who wears her regular simple oval cleavage window instead of the new strangely formed one she has in her own series and which must be hell to draw. And it´s good that Jesus can draw so many characters because the first issue of the new writing team of Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges does not only have every member of the Society it also introduces two new members.




more preview pages from issue 29 :





The issue has a battle royal with as many - if not more - villains as heroes and ends with a bang.


Just the right way to kick of a new era of greatness that will also lead into two new tie - in titles JSA ALL STARS and the new MAGOG title. Together with Power Girl´s own book that are now four JSA related books. I´m not sure if that is a good thing but as always with the society I´m willing to stay my final verdict till the books come out. So far I haven´t been disappointed even if I´m a bit worried about Freddie Williams as the artist on JSA ALL STARS. And even if the new book is not that good we still got Jesus Merino on the regular JSA book that still goes for only 2.99. Eat this, Quesada. You can have top notch writers and spectacular art on a 3 Dollar book.

There is also a JSA VERSUS COBRA series coming out but since I prefer Gene Ha to draw the more realistic stories I don´t think I will buy it. Although I have to say that he draws a really nice Power Girl.


edit : Gene Ha doesn´t draw the interior but only the covers. Interior artwork is done by longtime Justice Society artist Don Kramer. I must definitely check this out.

new jsa all stars title / giffen and porter start magog title

magog 1 preview / jsa society panel

Wow, that was quite a lot about the JSA and initially I hoped to cover a few other titles like TEEN TITANS or BOOSTER GOLD now that the first issues with the back up features have come out. I guess that will have to wait till another post.


New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

If it involves you, the Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and a bottle of grappa Dinah alrady told me. And all I have to say is : Well played, Sir.