Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Martian Sightings for July, 2013



I'd like to discuss the JUSTICE LEAGUE CHESS SET. Unlike most other chess boards featuring licensed characters that I've seen, this one is classically monochromatic and hues to more proper figure construction for the game. In other words, there are eight Flash pawns, two bishops, rooks and knights represented by Green Lanterns, Aquamans, and Batmans, then Superman and Wonder Woman. Under most circumstances, Batman would be the queen, but I like how the tyranny of gender roles makes Wonder Woman easily the most powerful white piece. Equally awesome, the Cheetah is her counterpart, with a pantywaist Lex Luthor as black king, followed by pairs of Black Manta, the Joker and Sinestro. That having been said, Martian Manhunter has been excluded from another JLA product, and there is little in life more boring to my mind than a row of Reverse Flash pawns. Someone set Gentle Giant's crumby $300 board on fire for me, would you?

Martian Manhunter
JUSTICE LEAGUE #22
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:00 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale JULY 3 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

TRINITY WAR, the action-mystery event of the summer, begins with a full-length epic adventure! The death of a hero ignites a violent war among the Justice Leagues! It’s League vs. League vs. League as an impending darkness approaches the DC Universe. But the truth behind it all will lead to an evil that threatens every hero on the planet. And what does the Secret Society of Super-Villains have to with this? Everything.

There's no way I'm buying that a war between the three Leagues was in DC's plans when they announced "Trinity War" over a year ago. Perhaps it was going to be a war between Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, all depicted on the cover of The New 52 FCBD Special Edition? Maybe it was that trio versus the Trinity of Sin comprised of Pandora, the Phantom Stranger and (puh-leez) the Question? Maybe it was supposed to involve Justice League International, or maybe their reasonably well selling book was axed because it was later determined to be in the way? Personally, I think the concept was as half baked as the New 52 in general, and in working things out en route, came up with a bigger story for this to simply lead into. Therefore, I expect that this will suck.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and JEFF LEMIRE
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:00 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale JULY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 2! The War of the Justice Leagues continues as one hero is arrested and another goes rogue. Who is responsible for the evil that has infected the League? And who is the true killer? Only the Question knows the answer...
I'm really struggling with how stupid making the Question a mystical character is. Nice prominent spot for the Atom, and I dig Pandora's passivity amidst this chaos. It'll be interesting to see how the Justice League relates to Martian Manhunter and his team. I guess that coffin on the cover of the last issue meant something after all. Good that the JLofA will get field tested on their secret reason for existing straight away, rather than stringing us along endlessly on the conflict.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #22
Written by JEFF LEMIRE and RAY FAWKES
Art by MIKEL JANIN
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:00 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale JULY 24 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.

TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 3! A member of the Justice League defects to Justice League Dark. But what does Constantine know about this murder that he isn’t telling? And what dark secret does one of our Leaguers hold that could turn the tide of this Justice League War?

No one seriously cares about how JLDark matches up with the other two teams, but Lemire would be wise to use their magic angle to spin out of this event hard. Not A.J. Lieberman stripmining Hush hard, but there's an opportunity there. Just please don't have Vic Sage join the team as their Fox Mulder/Lone Gunman.

TRINITY OF SIN: PANDORA #2
Written by RAY FAWKES
Art by DANIEL SAMPERE and VICENTE CIFUENTES
Cover by RYAN SOOK
1:25 B&W Variant cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JULY 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

As “TRINITY WAR” erupts and battle lines are drawn, Pandora finds herself standing alone against The Secret Society of Super-Villains!
In case you missed it, the SSoSV will likely figure into an event unto themselves, given their build-up. Wonder if their role in those last issues of Savage Hawkman will figure into this? Is anyone going to represent the Vile Menagerie?

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA’S VIBE #6
Written by STERLING GATES
Art by PETE WOODS and SEAN PARSONS
Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale JULY 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Being chased by bounty hunters? The guns of A.R.G.U.S. aimed at your head? It’s a typical day for Vibe!

This one's here for the Gypsy factor. Besides, it's no less than halfway through its run already, right?

5 comments:

LissBirds said...

Well, I guess one could pretend that one of those Flash pawns is J'onn in disguise? Maybe? It is sad that J'onn doesn't even make an appearance. Aquaman may be the butt of jokes on "The Big Bang Theory" and "Robot Chicken," but at least he gets mentioned. (Okay, he did get mentioned on Robot Chicken, but anyway...)

I'll take Fox Mulder Question over mystical Question anyday. Frankly what I think they've done to the character almost seems as if they're trying to punish his fans. I can't think of any other reason. On top of stupid mystical Question is Phantom Stranger with a definite origin story (and an angsty fallen angel one ripped right out of a teen YA novel, to boot), which isn't much better. (Remember the multiple-choice origin stories in Secret Origions? Great idea.) Two of my favorite characters, completely mangled. There's hardly any characters left for me. (Even Adam Strange is gone.)

The whole Trinity War stuff is ridiculous; the name sounds like something stolen from Marvel. Even the FCBD giveaway book isn't a Trinity War tie-in, so that's got to mean something....

mathematicscore said...

As a chess aficionado, this lames me out. Going by powers, I'd keep Wondy the Queen, Superman and J'onn as Rooks, Aquaman as a Knight, GL's as Bishops, and I'm not opposed to having the Flash as Pawns, as a kind of superposition nod. Batman, as the least in terms of raw power, but an important figure, is a natural choice for King. For a second Knight, I'm not sure, perhaps Green Arrow or Hawkman?

Diabolu Frank said...

I was reading today about how JC Penny may finally go out of business after a costly renovation into a newer, hipper "JCP" that's only half done and the sudden return of the CEO that allowed the brand to get moldy in the first place. I kept thinking about how DC is chasing theoretical new readers with all of these radical, poorly thought out changes that alienate folks like me, while still hewing too close to the same-old same-old to excite anyone not already invested in their universe. Who is responsible? Mostly the same guys who bankrupted Marvel in the 1990s, literally and creatively. Have you noticed all the WTF month covers that got redrawn from scratch? They can't even figure out what they're doing from month to month before offering solicitation copy. It's a sorry state of affairs.

MC, I started to reply with my own board layout thoughts, but realized that we could travel countless miles down that road. My issue here is that of all the ways to do a chess board, this one is only slightly less dull than just having the pawns be pawns. It is however vastly superior to checkers where all the red side have S-shields and the black side have bats on them, though.

LissBirds said...

You're completely right about "JCP:" they tried to go "hip" and now nothing appeals to their usual customers, and I don't think younger customers are crazy for them, either. They're just trying too hard to be "stylish," when really people just want the basics. (Sorry I don't want to buy sea foam green cropped jeans...that is just silly...I just want a regular pair.) I didn't think of applying that metaphor to DC, but, you're right, it's the exact same situation.

It's kind of scaring me that DC may just be destroyed in the "revitalization" process. They fact that they keep changing things doesn't bode well--disorganization is never good in any organization. There's just no direction--how many cartoon series did they build up only to cancel after a few seasons? They just need some clear (and new) leadership, fast. It's too bad they don't have a spiritual leader like Marvel does with Stan Lee. Are there even any DC old-timers who are still alive?

Diabolu Frank said...

Let me think... no. Everyone is dead, retired, or persona non grata.