Well This is a Kick in the Head

First, I'd like to apologize for all of the nerd-heavy posts lately. On one hand I try to limit it to stuff that I'd hope folks might find interesting even if they're comic related. On the other it's easier writing about colorful funny book pamphlets than, you know, actually relevant stuff, so there you go.

That said, I read today that Dwayne McDuffie's been fired off the Justice League comic for discussing the editorial side of writing that book, specifically mandated tie-ins to other stories, characters being off-limits, writing a scene where a deceased character is mourned in a cemetary and then finding out they decided they weren't really dead after all (leaving the background tombstones curiously out of place), that kind of stuff.

But even being hamstrung as he was, I thought the book was doing pretty good. Not great, but there was still enough stuff in every issue to make it an entertaining read. And of course, I found out about this after finishing the latest issue, musing over the better bits as I checked out a few of my usual online haunts.

This is a real kick in the head. Really stinks.

Thoughts at the Moment

Well, I pre-ordered a copy of the third printing of the Spider-Man comic book with US President Obama on the cover. I already have a copy of the 2nd printing, so I'm not sure if springing for another version (even if the cover is slightly different) is okay or just kind of dumb. Still, in the event I win the contest I've entered for a copy of the first printing, I suppose it'll be good to have all three. I'm just hoping there isn't a fourth, since I'd probably wind up buying that too, because, as we've well established here, I'm a dope when it comes to these things.

On a semi-related topic, how neat was it for Obama to tell the Citibank folks to cram it with walnuts when they wanted to buy a 50 million dollar private jet. Good show. It hasn't completely sunk in that Bush is no longer the President of the United States, but it's starting to. And now that the US is finally in good hands I can start worrying/caring about my own domestic politics, something I've neglected while the global superpower forty minutes from where I live was going all bowling ball-ish.

On another semi-related topic, I read the seventh and final issue of DC Comics big crossover series Final Crisis last night. And I'll probably be reading it again soon since I have no idea what actually happened there.

This issue I understood better, and while it's contents are slighter and less all-encompassing than Final Crisis, I still enjoyed it a great deal since I quite like the featured villain, the Parasite. He's one of those B-level villains, that's too important to kill off for good, but not important enough to, you know, take over the world or cause any serious trouble. I have an affinity for those middle-of-the-road folks, and in this case it's coupled with a great visual. Nice that they did some work with his characterization as well, since he's often neglected in that area.

Reflective Thoughts on 2008

As I look back at the past year and the experiences that have shaped my life and current direction, my mind focuses on a select few I thought I'd share as 2008 comes to a close.

Although several of my favorite television programs were canceled this past year, I'm still pleased that Chuck hasn't been axed yet.

I've finally lived up to one of my perpetual resolutions and got out to the movies quite a bit this past year. Looking back, I suspect that had more to do with the number of interesting movies released more than a general desire to get out to the show, however.

As I wear my new pair of glasses with my updated prescription lenses, I begin to realize how much I must've been squinting when watching TV or movies with my old pair.

I've updated my list of fake names to include "Funky Buckwald" and "Dr. Quincy R. Mason", putting my total at five fake names to hold onto when the situation calls for it.

I still haven't gotten sick of Coke Zero, egg salad sandwiches, four cheese Bistro Crustinis, and fruit and yogurt bowls, despite the frequency with which I enjoy those food items.

I've unexpectedly found myself attracted to my barber, a comely young woman with a fondness for dyeing her hair and tattooing her hips. I think, more than all of the other indications offered throughout the year, that the fact I considered asking her out a sign that my troubles with depression are improving. And thanks to the wonders of the internet I was able to discover she's (sadly) currently attached, sparing me the embarrassment of asking her out and making things awkward, especially since she's 'almost' got my haircut right. If only that technology were around when I was in high school.

And then the obligatory ten ten list...

My favorite comic books of the past year (in no particular order):

True Believers (five issues, Marvel Comics)
Green Arrow/Black Canary (twelve issues, DC Comics)
Justice League of America (twelve issues, DC Comics)
Amazing Spider-Girl (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Captain America (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Avengers: The Initiative (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Shadowpact (five issues, DC Comics)
Captain Britain and MI13 (eight issues, Marvel Comics)
Ghost Rider (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Blue Beetle (twelve issues, DC Comics)

Hard to say which is my favorite of the lot, but there they are. Not to say I haven't also enjoyed X-Force, the Flash, Vixen, I Hate Gallant Girl, Manhunter, or any of the other series I regularly followed, but those are the ten that spring to mind when I'm thinking of titles I particularly enjoyed or put at the top of my reading pile.

And with that I conclude my personal year-in-review. Are there other things worth noting? Perhaps. An exciting story there, the fact I might be a published author under one of my fake names, the numerous games of online scrabble and wordscraper, the comfort and affordability of the Klobo... but what's the fun in boring you, humble reader, with minutia (however nice the Klobo's turned out to be). Here's to a decent year and the hope that the next will be better yet, and the fact I can finally get around to using two of my favorite seasonal jokes -- saying "wait 'til next year" on January 1st, and toasting to "peace on earth" just as an attractive woman walks by and saying "piece of that fine ass". Slightly crude, true, but amusing to me, no matter how often I pull that old chestnut out.

See you for now, and have a happy new year.

My Favorite Song, and a Few Observations

Here's a couple of youtube clips featuring my absolutely favorite song, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". My favorite version is by the Shirelles, but some of the other versions --particularly the one by Dusty Springfield (who, for years, I'd assumed was a man) -- are pretty good. But before we get to that, here are the aforementioned observations.

I voted in the election held a short time ago. For anyone outside Canada, you vote for your local MP (Member of Parliament) and the party with the most MPs has it's leader elected Prime Minister. Needless to say, this is the fifth election I've voted in, and since my candidate didn't win, my success rate is 1-4.

I've been thinking about throwing a US election night party, but there are two things holding me back from going forward with it: 1) I doubt I'd be able to keep my friends focused on the election coverage and we'd just wind up playing Mario Kart and NFL 09 like we do every other time we get together, and 2) if McCain wins I am going to be awfully cheesed off, which won't be fun for anyone. Still, it could be fun I suppose.

The price of Marvel Comics in Canada went up 50 cents last week, and DC is likely to follow suit soon too. My local comic shop has already raised the price of DC titles to match Marvel because they're losing too much at the current prices. A bit of a kick in the head, but it's not too bad since I get a pretty good discount as a regular customer. And since four of the titles I follow have been cancelled (Amazing Spider-Girl, Checkmate, The Flash, and Manhunter), the timing works out. Unfortunately though, since I really like Spider-Girl, the Flash, and Manhunter. Checkmate I was probably going to drop anyway. I shudder to think what it's going to be if Marvel raises the prices in the US. I'd really come to believe that a $4.25 comic was a thing of the past.

Anyway, onto the music:

The Shirelles:

Amy Winehouse:

Carole King:

Elton John:

Dusty Springfield:

Brenda Lee:

The Bee Gees:

Cilla Black:

Rainbow:

Re: Teen Titans #62

Through some odd twist of fate I happened to avoid the hoopla that briefly erupted online and read Teen Titans #62 before seeing the reaction to it's contents. Contrary to the image pictured above, the otherwise gentle story of the friendly trio of Wonderdog, Wendy and Marvin pictured above comes to a shocking end halfway through the issue when *spoiler* Wonderdog mauls Marvin to death and appears to eat Wendy.

A shocking twist, all things considered? Sure. It caught me totally off guard and the suspense building was handled remarkably well. That said, is it really the best idea for DC to put out a Teen Titans comic where this kind of thing happens? Some folks were concerned a parent would see the issue and pick it up based on the name recognition of the property (the Teen Titans cartoon isn't that old, and even reaired on the CW this summer) and the all-ages-ness of the cover. Not to mention that it's another notch on DC's ever-growing list of dead teenagers, and yet another example of the unnecessary bleak stories DC's been putting out for far too long.

Would I recommend this issue? Maybe to a friend who doesn't follow the Teen Titans comic to catch them off-guard. But to regular readers who are sick of DC's output of stories focusing on death, rape, and destruction, it's more of the same, and the tonal shift mid-way through might be enough to put them off DC altogether.

You know...

...I was just thinking about the Tangent: Superman's Reign comic book (issue 6 on sale now), and I'd probably buy a "Brave and the Bold" style title by Dan Jurgens and Jamal Igle. Don't know if Igle's going to stick with the title once his run on Supergirl starts up or if they've ever worked together before this title, but they're really gelling as a team and I'm really enjoying their takes on Green Lantern and the Flash (John Stewart and Wally West, specifically).

...I tried watching "Gossip Girl" Monday night, but couldn't make it more than ten minutes into the episode. Not that it seemed to be a bad show or anything, and not to say I don't enjoy the prime time teen soap (I watched a lot of the first season of "The O.C."), but I really couldn't get past the fact that the teenagers on the show looked older than I am. Is it really too hard to find actors to play teens that actually look like teens or are *gasp* teenagers themselves?

...Salt and vinegar Pringles aren't that great, especially after having the salt and vinegar Lay's Stax chips. Those are pretty good. The Pringles... not so much.

...The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are in reruns at the moment, which is a kick in the head, but on the bright side they seem to have picked up on this so there's fewer reruns these days than in years past. I'd still prefer they not just rerun the prior weeks episodes during a repeat week though. But I still watch it all the same, so who am I to complain?

Thoughts on "Flash: Rebirth" (warning: nerd alert)

You'd almost think DC Comics had totally given up on the idea of moving their stories and characters forward with the announcement that they're giving recently resurrected Flash, Barry Allen, his own "Rebirth" title by the same creative team that relaunched similarly deceased and boring silver age character Hal Jordan as "the greatest Green Lantern of them all" (notwithstanding the fact that the other four major Green Lanterns have more character in their worst stories that Hal Jordan's had in any of his his, excluding the time he went nuts and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, a wealth of material for character development of stories down the line that got wiped away because DC decided they didn't like it).

I didn't have a problem with DC bringing Barry Allen back in their Final Crisis series (and preferably only for the duration of the Final Crisis series, I add), but I take issue with making him their star of the Flash comic. 'Current' Flash, Wally West, is a great character and very undeserving of the expected shuffle aside that then-current GL Kyle Rayner got when Jordan returned, and even if the book with Allen is great and exceeds all expectations, it all begs the question that if DC was capable of doing this great relaunch, why didn't they do it in the first place with Wally West?

Despite what DC might say, this is likely the end of the line for Wally West as the main Flash, and as someone who grew up with the character and has really come to like him over the years, it's a real kick in the head. And I assure you, I'm not adverse to change -- I followed the Flash title when it looked like Wally was out of the picture and replaced by his former sidekick, Kid Flash. But this isn't change, not really. It's turning the clock back twenty-three years to bring back a character aging writers and editors liked way back when instead of actually moving the stories and characters forward along with the audiences. You think a new reader knows who Hal Jordan is? Not when they've been exposed to Green Lantern John Stewart in the Justice League tv show and video games (not to mention his inclusion in the on-again, off-again Justice League movie). Similarly, Wally West is the Flash of this generation and my generation before it. That's two generations going on three who know this character as THE Flash, and as recognition for our love of the character we're seeing him shunted aside so a character who's been better handled after he died nearly a quarter of a century ago can appear in some books for reasons I can only think of as being short-sighted.

Again, don't have a problem with DC doing something with Barry Allen. I liked him in JLA: Year One (coincidentally the only place I've ever liked Hal Jordan), I like the stuff they did with him in the Flash title from a few years ago. But I think it's an awful idea to have him come back as DC's main Flash.

I think Graeme Burke commented on this very nicely, over at the Comics Should Be Good blog:

"I loved the Barry Allen Flash. One of my favourite superheroes. And I am against this series for every reason you just said and more. I’m tired of comics being written to an agenda of bringing things back they loved when they were kids. It’s not 1971 anymore. Stop it."

Well said.

File This Under "Who Didn't See That One Coming"

After months of hearing that Final Crisis artist JG Jones was seemingly behind schedule, it's revealed that Carlos Pacheco will be joining him on the series from issue 4 on. Not that it's a bad thing since I like both artists equally -- and Pacheco drew the issue of Justice League of America that led into the series -- but didn't Jones start work on the series sometime last year? Not that I'm suggesting they delay each issue by months à la Marvel's Civil War so he can catch up and handle each issue himself, but considering how predictably inevitable this outcome was they should have planned for this outcome from the get-go.

Following up...

Following up on the last post, the Kids in the Hall show was great fun. Sure they were a little older and chubbier than they were back in the heyday of their show, but they were great as ever. Kevin MacDonald's voice was a little coarse -- apparently he had a cold -- and one of the running jokes of the night was how rough his voice was. There was one or two sketches from the show, but the rest was new material.


There was a great sketch with Dave Foley and MacDonald, where Foley played a guy who only ordered one beer at a last-call and was berated by his buddy for not ordering more. Foley explained he didn't need to order more than one because he had a time machine, upon which MacDonald berated him further for having a time machine and using it to get drunk instead of going back in time and killing Hitler or something. So Foley goes back in time and orders two beers at last-call. After a call-back at the end of another sketch, a third sketch had the character going back in time to kill Hitler when he was an art student, but the good-natured Hitler offered him a German beer, which the guy reluctantly accepted instead of killing Hitler. I didn't do the sketch justice, but rest assured it was great -- definitely the sort of thing you'd see on the show.

On Tuesday I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Wasn't a great movie necessarily, but Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford made it work when lesser hands wouldn't. And even if it wasn't the best movie I'll probably see this summer, it was worth seeing on the big-screen and I'd recommend it for that reason.

Not much else to say really. I finally put a DVD-TV stand unit together that I'd been planning for a while. For someone with zero carpentry skills, it turned out half-decent -- I had to build it from scratch since I couldn't find a unit to fit the spot I wanted to put it in, much less a decent unit for less than a hundred and fifty dollars.

Nana's settled into her room at the nursing home. She seems to like it, even if she thinks she's still in the hospital and will be coming back home at some point. My cousin, Aubrey, almost spilled the beans when he mentioned that we'd loaded her bed-frame into the truck he rented to move her stuff around, but we didn't dwell on it and moved past it.

Finally, here's a plug for Tangent: Superman's Reign from DC Comics. It's a nicely done, self-contained 12 issue series with nice writing and great Jamal Igle artwork. I'm really enjoying the interplay between Green Lantern and the Flash in the series and wish there was more being done with the characters as a pair elsewhere. It's an easy series to overlook since it's in his own little spot and not really connected to other titles, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit and recommend it.

Hi there.

Not much to say today. I'm going to see the Kids in the Hall perform in Toronto tonight and I'm pretty excited about that. Kids in the Hall is probably the funniest Canadian TV show of all time, and it's really nice being able to see them live (on top of which it's the last date in their current tour, which is pretty nice too).

The last issue of Justice League Unlimited came out yesterday. It was a pretty good issue, but it's still a kick in the head that the series is over. Apparently it has a lot to do with changes in DC Comic's publishing plan for it's Johnny DC line -- less emphasis on titles based on animated series (JLU, Teen Titans Go!, Legion of Superheroes, The Batman), more on original titles (Tiny Titans, Superfriends, Shazam). It's still a shame though since JLU wasn't a bad title and hit a nice medium between the mainline Justice League of America book and the more kid-friendly Superfriends, something kids and adults can both enjoy.


Finally, I found this neat blog rating system thing. Apparently I'm G-rated, which I guess is good (?).

More later, I suppose.

Hi there.

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been busy. A got a bookcase; I saw one at Staples a little while back and finally got up there to get it. It's pretty sharp, and was on sale too. Not big news, but it's a great looking shelf all the same.

Haven't seen Indiana Jones yet. Might go to see it sometime, but I think I'd have to go with someone else. I've got to be honest, I'm just not feeling the hype about the Indiana Jones movie. Sure I liked Raider of the Lost Ark, I mean, who didn't? And I have fond memories of watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with my Mom as a child. I don't know though... It just doesn't feel like the must-see movie pheomenon that people seem to think it is. But like I said, I'll probably wind up seeing it in theaters, but only if someone else is going to see it.

Former Minnesota governor was on the Colbert Report about a month ago, promoting his new book adorned with the familiar image of him, you know, that whole neatly bald, mustached, pro-wrestler thing.

That was an older picture since he currently has scraggly hair, no mustache, and is looking pretty paunchy and old. The interview wasn't that great either, since he doesn't seem to have a sense of humor, although Colbert was able to get a rise out of him partway through the interview. But anyway, point is, he seemed a little out of touch and nutty. Then I read this quote from him from Thursday night's "Verdict":

"Well, first of all, I made a statement when I was governor and stand by it today. Love is bigger than government. Who the hell are we as a government to tell people who you can fall in love with? I think it‘s absurd that fact it‘s even being debated."

The man might be a little out there, but damned if he isn't right on the mark there. I'd written him off after the Colbert Interview, but I'm rethinking that.

Final Crisis #1 is out tomorrow and I've got to be honest -- not too excited about this storyline, at least not the same kind of excitement I felt for Marvel's summer crossover, Secret Invasion. Probably has more to do with the whole Countdown debacle that dragged on and on and didn't really go anywhere, the deaths of all the New God characters (all of whom, apparently, are returning in Final Crisis), and the fact that there's characters resembling the New God versions from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers thing running around the DC universe which I find totally confusing. I'm hoping the first issue gets me really jazzed on this series, since I'm not feeling it right now. I still plan on checking it out and getting every issue for the Grant Morrison writing and the J.G Jones artwork (even if rumor has it there'll be fill-ins down the line).

That's about everything on my mind at the moment. I'll probably check in someone soon and ramble a bit

A Couple of Things...

Hi there. Saw Iron Man Thursday night with Kerr and Edmond. It was great. Didn't quite have the punch of a Spider-Man or X-Men 2, but it was a really solid film that I wouldn't mind seeing a few more times. Might try to catch it at the show again while the big crowds are going to be there. Don't know what else to say -- the cast was great, the direction was sharp, the action was good, the dialog natural and entertaining. All things said elsewhere and in better words. Two moments of nerdishness were the fact they stayed so close to the comic book origin and the cameo at the end of the film. That was just awesome.


Anyway, apparently the whole point of the fifty cent DC Crisis/Countdown book from last week was to bring Barry Allen back. Which is a really bad move on DC's part. I hate all of this need to strip mine the past and rob earlier stories of their impact by bringing back characters creators remembered fondly as children but ultimately failing to provide any real reason for the character's return. Thankfully Marvel's handled Bucky so well and it wasn't really Captain Marvel back from the dead, so I'm not too angry about the whole thing. That said, I totally missed the whole Barry Allen thing. If anything I assumed the weird glowing figure was, like, Darkseid or something since it resembled his appearance just before "dying" in Countdown.

And another thing -- wasn't this supposed to be a wrap-up for Countdown before leading into Final Crisis. Seemed more like an extended ad made up of short, albeit occasionally interesting vignettes. I also could've sworn that the caption box belonged to Zoom once the lightning bolt showed up with the caption boxes, even if they wouldn't have made much sense that way. I don't know. Seems like a really bad idea to bring Barry Allen back. Wally West is a great character and fills the role of the Flash perfectly and entertainingly. Maybe they'll do great things with Barry Allen this time around, but as it stands there's absolutely no reason DC needs to or should bring Barry Allen back. None at all.

Now that that business is off my chest, I'm going to Quebec this weekend. If anything exciting happens I'll probably write about it here, but I'm expecting a fairly uneventful trip.

Stick People Comic Reviews: Countdown #22

It's like a regular review, but with more Stick Man.

Turns out they're not killing Batman.

Yeah, according to yesterday's Lying in the Gutters they're not going to kill off Batman. Not due to fan outcry, mind you, but because when the brass at Time Warner, DC Comic's parent company, caught wind of the plans they stopped that plan cold. Turns out it's a bad idea to kill off the lead character of a franchise known world-wide and featured in films, television programs, and just about every bit of merchandise imaginable, from lip-gloss to underwear to wedding cake figurines. To say nothing of the fact making Jason Todd the new Batman would've just been wrong, but there you go.

This makes me:

Countdown to Final Crisis #23 - - Sold Out?

So, yesterday I went back to my local comic shop to look for a couple of back issues and to get a book or two that I missed on Wednesday -- Captain America #32 and Countdown #23. Captain America because it's a great book that I really enjoy following month-to-month, Countdown because I'm an idiot who doesn't know when to stop reading a book, much less a finite title like Countdown, even if it does mean I'm committed to it for another six months.

I got Captain America, of which they still had ample copies. I didn't get Countdown.

Now I don't know if they under-ordered the latest issue -- that would be the obvious solution -- but this is the first time in as long as I can remember, even going back to 52 (Countdown's predecessor in the weekly DC Comics game), that it's been sold out. The fact they still had extra copies of the last four weeks worth of Countdown issues could mean they finally curbed their orders accordingly. And certainly the fact the issue seemed to be about Superboy-Prime* torturing Mr. Mxyzptlk doesn't make cry out "must have collectors item".

I'll have to make a point of finding out what happened on Wednesday. Unless I forget, which I will almost certainly do.

And by the way, I got a copy of Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Gotham by Gaslight #1 instead. Yeah, yeah. I know.

*Because calling him Superboy-Prime sounds less stupid than Superman-Prime for some reason.

From Todays "Lying in the Gutters"...

"In June/July, DC are killing off Batman. Or rather, Bruce Wayne. Robin will inherit the Batman cowl. One of the Robins anyway. Tim Drake. Jason Todd. Or possibly Red Hood. Hey, maybe Jean-Paul Valley, it has been ten years since Azrael."

This makes me:

But here's the upside:

"Either way, the book will relaunch with a nice shiny #1."

Yay.


Sigh.

I've Never Heard of Fabio Laguna...

...But the man sure ripped Jim Lee off a lot.


There's more at this great blog, the swipe file. It's in Spanish and I have no idea how often it updates, but it's really surprising how many artists got work in the 90s by literally ripping-off the popular artists of the day and how many of them haven't been heard of since then. Except for Roger Cruz. Must've been hard for him when Joe Madureira went into semi-retirement.

Check out the Swipe of the Week

So... Has DC Cancelled Justice League Unlimited or Not?

Because if they have, well, that'd be a real kick in the head. The latest issue was a lot of fun. Great story by Justice League Unlimited TV writer Matt Wayne, great art by Dario Brizuela, and is was a neat follow up to the bit in the JLU series finale when Giganta (pictured above), kissed the Flash (pictured running away from Giganta, above). It was a cute story too, and a solid entry in a pretty solid series.

I'm not 100% on this, but I think DC is cancelling the series. I got the impression they were also axing the Teen Titans animated-style comic, but I think they're keeping it around for a while. I don't see why they can't do the same with JLU. Unless sales are just awful. It's too bad really, especially since they seem to be cancelling it and replacing it with a new "Superfriends" title, based on the kid-friendly Mattel toys. I don't want to get ahead of myself or anything, but it looks terrible.

I also got a copy of the latest Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with the Mary Jane-on-white variant cover. I asked about the other white variant covers and if there was one for the last Amazing Spider-Man. Not that I'd ever seen that particular Spider-Man-on-white variant in the three shops I've been in since it came out. Turns out they had a few copies in my local shop and I'd been passing by them since the reordered copies came in. So I'm glad. Just hope I can snag a copy of the last white variant cover with Peter Parker. It looks neat.

And now I'm just rambling.

"Who is the Best Flash" Poll

There's a neat poll going on over at the Occasional Superheroine site, asking readers which Flash would like to see take the lead if DC Comics were to do a fresh-start reboot of the character. The question comes from the fact that there've been about four different Flashes over the years.

The first Flash, Jay Garrick, who first appeared in the 1940s and is still around today thanks to some complicated explanation that probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

The second Flash, Barry Allen, who first appeared in the 1950s, killed his arch-enemy the Reverse-Flash, retired to the future, and died saving the universe in the first DC Crisis.

The third Flash, Wally West, formerly Barry Allen's sidekick Kid-Flash and assumed the mantle after Barry died, and who, thanks to some wacky explanation, has ten year old kids while still being in his mid-20s.

And the fourth Flash, Bart Allen, named for his grandfather Barry, formerly known as Impulse, then Kid-Flash to Wally's Flash, and who briefly assumed the Flash identity when Wally went missing until he was beaten to death.

I voted for Wally. True, Wally was the Flash when I started reading comics so there's that kind of attachment to the character, but he's a really great character besides. Wally's just an average guy who's a superhero because he loves being a superhero. He's a bit of a smartass and makes mistakes here and there, but he's also a good honest guy. I really, really hate to say it since it's a total cliche, but Wally's the everyman of the DCU.

I could defend the other Flashes and give reasons why any of them could head up a reboot of the character -- there are valid points for all three -- but Wally's my pick. Why not cast your vote here:

http://occasionalsuperheroine.blogspot.com/2007/10/poll-who-is-best-flash.html

Worse than the "Star Wars Christmas Special"?

I stumbled upon the fabled Legends of the Superheroes special from the late 70s on Youtube about a half hour ago and it's every bit as terrible as you'd assume it to be. It was a comedy program featuring very comic-accurate versions of a lot of big name and lesser known DC Superheroes. Normally that would be enough to capture my interest -- there is something neat about seeing characters from the printed page come to life -- but it's really bad. Like Star Wars Christmas Special bad, except no one wants to see this, and DC isn't worried about people watching it because, quite frankly, who would want to.

I'd considered posting the "roll call" intro clip here because of how cool it is seeing characters like Hawkman, the Flash, Huntress and Black Canary in live-action, but once it got to the villain roll-call, cool as it is to see very comic-accurate representations of Solomon Grundy, Mordru, and Weather Wizard (plus Frank Gorshin as the Riddler), it just killed me. The dreadful performances and weak attempts at humor punctuated by repetitious laugh-tracks is just terrible. That alone would warrant a look... that is if that were the worst the special had to offer.

No, the worst part of the Legends of the Superheroes would have to be the appearance of Ghetto Man: black superhero and cheerfully racist stereotype. With jokes about how having Green Lantern on the team doesn't count as colored superhero, and how Hawkman's not so tough ("Let him walk through Harlem them wings on; by the time he gets to Lennox avenue, he'd be Kentucky Fried") you really start why NBC, DC Comics, Hanna Barbara, and about four dozen cast and crew members, thought this was a good idea. And it gets worse -- when I started writing this post I started checking around to figure out which network this bloody mess aired on and discovered that there were actually TWO Legends of the Superheroes specials that aired! The first was the one with the villains, the second was the one with the roast (featuring our old friend, Ghetto Man).

The bright side to this whole thing is that hardly anyone even remembers these specials, and those that do or those like myself who've stumbled on it years after the fact unilaterally agree that it's absolutely terrible and should be erased from existence.

That said, here's a clip. And yes, I am being ironic.