Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Interesting things going on in this book, which for once is not connected to a crossover. First someone breaks into the Bat Cave and steals something. Something that Batman has put under lock and key in the event he needs to take down one of his teammates. And it’s not the only such item! Great idea, that. Then we have two Leaguers undercover in the Middle East, the new Atom playing video games from the inside, a talk between the big three about the relationship between two of them, and real big trouble on the League satellite, with a surprise guest that should make next issue interesting, too.

In the Shazam backup, this issue is full of back-story and explanations, after very little of that previously. Black Adam is searching for Shazam, but can’t find him as Billy Batson. Batson wants help from his mentor on the Rock of Eternity, but can’t get to it without becoming Shazam. Unexpected help comes from someone I don’t think we’ve seen before, but Billy does not benefit from her advice.

Good writing on both from Geoff Johns. The Shazam story reminds me of a teenager: hardly telling you anything you want to know, then it suddenly all spews out at once and things get even more complicated! Great art on both stories by Ivan Reis with three inkers, and Gary Frank alone on Shazam.

Recommended.

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Word is out that this book’s final issue will be #23, until it’s relaunched again for the umpteenth time. Paul Levitz’s run as writer this time is actually longer than that, as he was writing in the previous version, really it was just a reset of the numbering with little or no revamp. I’ve enjoyed this run, though I wouldn’t put it at the top of Legion runs I like. Still, Paul knows the team well, and plays out their dynamics and personal interactions with skill.

Right now in the book, everything’s blowing up, though. Was this an attempt to find new readers? Keith Giffen came aboard in the role of spoiler and destroyer, not for the first time, and things in the Legion universe are well messed at this point. The Fatal Five are loose and killing everyone in sight, some of the group are stuck aboard a sleeping giant who’s not completely asleep, and…well, no one is having a good day.

Giffen seems to be off the book except for plot advice. The art by Scott Kolins and Jeff Johnson is veering toward the cartoony, which has worked okay in the past but doesn’t serve this storyline well. Even the distortions on the faces on the cover, above, seem extreme and unappealing to me, though the cover is by someone else. The book feels like a sinking ship at the moment. We’ll see how the end pans out, I know Paul will deliver a satisfying conclusion.

Mildly recommended.

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

The crossover is nearly over. At least Sinestro is in this one. He’s back from the Dead Zone and flaming mad about the fate of his homeworld, Korugar, which has been destroyed. Kyle Rayner has the power of a White Lantern (all the colors combined), but even that, and help from Star Sapphire aren’t very effective against Sinestro’s wrath. (He’s the Kahn of the GL Universe, don’t you think?) Soon they’re joined by more Lanterns, including Simon Baz, the newest Earth one. Will that put a stop to Sinestro? Lots of fighting to find out.

Nothing wrong with the writing by Tony Bedard or the art by Andres Guinaldo and Raul Fernandez, I’m just tired of this storyline. Mildly recommended.

I can sum it up in one word: AWESOME. The 2009 revamp by the same team of creators and actors set things up nicely to continue the Star Trek franchise into the 21st century, and with this film, director J.J. Abrams and his writers have firmly announced they’ll take second place to no one. This film also shares some important story elements and characters from the second film of the previous era, but re-imagined in great ways to make it seem fresh and familiar at the same time. In fact, that seems to be the miracle that Abrams is able to bring to these characters. Despite a whole new set of actors, some perhaps a little better than others in the roles we know well, there is often a dual feeling of freshness and familiarity throughout the film. I saw some things coming, especially character moments and lines, but only seconds before they arrived, and it made me smile every time. Many other plot elements were unexpected and yet felt perfectly right when they happened. The overall plot is clever, complex and emotionally rich. The effects are wonderful, but never dominated the acting except here and there in moments of battle. Mostly if felt like they were tools to help tell the best and most exciting story possible, as they should be. There are echoes from the franchise’s past everywhere, visually, yet none that interfere with the story or feel dated. It’s really quite a remarkable balance of old and new.

Before this I always thought “Wrath of Kahn” was a film that couldn’t be topped as far as Star Trek movies go. This one may not top it, but comes in a VERY close second. Highly recommended.

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Here are two more letter-column heading logos, for when most comics had actual printed letter columns.

Often the request was to have these titles follow the style of the cover logo, and both of these do. FILLER mimics my own logo for the comic THRILLER…

…while OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE uses the style of my logo for ADVENTURES OF THE OUTSIDERS, which itself used Gaspar Saladino’s original OUTSIDERS logo as a starting point, then added telescoping. Gaspar’s logo is the better one here, in my opinion! Letter-column logos were fun to do because the hard work of coming up with an original style was usually not required, you were simply adapting something already created.

That’s what I was up to this week when I wasn’t home working. Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings I helped lead field trips in Belleplain State Forest for NJ Audubon’s Cape MAYgration festival. The weather was great, and so were the birds, all three trips got good looks at many beautiful species.

Scarlet Tanager is usually a favorite for participants, and Summer Tanagers were seen all three days, too, as well as many of the dozen or so nesting species of warblers, several kinds of Vireos and Flycatchers, and lots more.

Favorite spot on the trips is usually this one, looking into overgrown fields where we often see Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, White-Eyed Vireo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird…

…and lots of Prairie Warblers like this one. We also had good looks at Blue-Winged Warbler today, much harder to see. I feel privileged to be able to have a nature preserve like this close to home.

Speaking of home, I’ve also done a good deal of gardening this week. The bed to the outside of the stone walkway has for years been planted each May with annuals. I’ve grown tired of the labor involved in that, and decided to try something different this year; I’ve put in several kinds of ground cover and just a few annuals in pots.

We’ll see how they do, and which ones survive the voles and squirrels and our poor soil. If some don’t make it, I’ll add more of the ones that do next spring.

Oh, and here’s my entire vegetable garden: one Poblano Pepper plant and some herbs—oregano and thyme. Not quite true, there’s a rosemary bush in another pot. I used to have a real vegetable garden when we first moved here in 1989, but the trees have grown in so much there isn’t enough sun now. Besides, we have great farm stands nearby to supply us.

The larger Rhododendrons are beginning to bloom behind the Azaleas, something which doesn’t always happen at the same time. Looks good.

Rhododendron blooms are quite impressive up close, like a rosette of orchids.