JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #9 DC COMICS
Well, it’s about time! I actually had to go down in the archieves to find issue #8 and reread it to refresh my memory. But now that I have, I have to say that I am glad that Geoff Johns is continuing on the path of the old JSA comic and sticking with the legacy topics. While I know that many are not fond of the retrofitted new characters, it was nice to see a little more of them and where they were ending up. Cherry Bomb and Ladybug ending up with the Freedom Fighters makes sense and gives me hope that they might get their own title again in some form. And while I am not impressed with the revelation of the identity of the Golden Age Legionnaire, it was a surprize. I also like that the other New Golden Age titles fit nicely into the story. All in all I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION #51
Not a Flashback entry, but an honest to goodness reproduction of the odd and wonderous world of comics in the early 1970’s! And while Superman was off fighting Muhammad Ali, Batman’s first storyline with Ra’s Al Ghul was being reprinted in an oversized comic. Highlighting four issues with the talents of Neal Adams, Denny O’Neil, Irv Novak, Dick Giordano, and Julie Schwartz (Ah! Bean Soup!), the only difference here is that the paper quality is much better than in it’s original form. In a world that is obsessed with shrinking everything down, expanding the comic page to a 10″x13″ is a welcome change. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
NACELLEVERSE #0 ONI-LION FORGE
Get ready to revist the world of 1990’s cartoons, as toy company Nacelle creates its own comic universe. I would assume to promote a new line of toys coming soon to a toy aisle near you. But this is so much more. Writer Melissa Flores does an excellent job of mixing the storyline up to include the four main toylines into one interesting story. And while I remember Biker Mice From Mars, Sectaurs, Power Lords (once released as a mini series by DC!), and Robo Force (I seem to remember liking the Biker Mice cartoon), by this time I was boxing up my Micronauts and Shogun Warriors into storage so I never really got into the toylines. Nevertheless, the art of Rahmat Handoko, Rhoald Marcellius, Francis Portela, and Diogenese Neves really capture the characters as they appeared back then. But, of course, my favorite character has to be The Great Garloo! Created by thge Marx Toy Company in 1961. At almost 2 feet tall, the motorized giant alien (Remember this was 1961 and motorized toys were awe-inspiring!) was connected to his control box with a mini steering wheel and three switches could move around, bend at the waste and pick things up! And by the checklist in the back, it looks like the four main stories will be getting mini-series over the next few months. This #0 issue shows a lot of promise, bring on the mini-series. Is anyone else reminded of the Kirbyverse comics from back in the day?Giving it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.