Super Dictionary: fasten

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

ComicPageOfTheWeekend: Ollie's Stupendous Chili Recipe

Time for some cooking activity with Green Arrow!
Here's a pretty fun page, Ollie's own "Chili Recipe". Beware though, it's certainly edible, this isn't just a joke, but like you'd expect from GA, it's HOT! Really hot, like it will burn your entire mouth and ruin your sense of taste for months!

But if you feel up to the challenge, try it~

I wonder who at DC spent the time making this one up :P

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Only a hothead like Ollie or someone with Bats' discipline is able to survive this chili!

JLA © DC Comics

CBR JLA: Incarnations

 

Remember my Justice League: Year One review?
Now's the time to dig into it's sequel, a zip through the JLA's following years and teams!

Comic title: JLA: Incarnations
Art by Val Semeiks, Prentis Rollins, Kevin Conrad, Eric Battle, Keith Champagne, Ray Kryssing
Story by John Ostrander

Published by DC
From 2001
Lineup JLA
Format: Maxi-series, published as JLA: Incarnations issues #1-7.

JLA Incarnations is a follow-up to Mark Waid's own JLA Year One.
It picks up where Year One left off, the idea behind this series was to cover various key points over the League's history in all-new adventures taking place during these "eras".

And to take on this dantesque job, it was none other than Mark Waid John Ostrander. Who, you might ask?
John Ostrander is a renowned comic book writer, best known for his classic and popular work on the Suicide Squad, the long running Martian Manhunter series and his most recent work on Star Wars: Legacy.

His style his big, epic and bold, perfect in my eyes to carry over Mark Waid's style.
This mini series serves to tell the history of the JLA during the ~10 year gab that follows the likes of JLA: Year One or Batman: Year One, the vague period of time the mid-80s Crisis event kept but retconned from Golden Age and Silver Age comics.

JLA: Incarnations issues are all double sized.
Each issue tells more or less self-contained stories, on 38-pages long issues. The story picks up fresh from the JLA's formation and first year. Through a sort of "retroactive retelling", we revisit past incarnations of the Justice League up to then-the present time of publication (that is, the JLA composed of the likes of Kyle Rayner!Green Lantern, the bearded spear-handed Aquaman, Plastic Man, etc).
We see how the League evolved, the gradual changes brought to the roster and team.

The first issues covers the "Silver Age" of the team. The roster stayed mostly the same, composed of GL, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Black Canary and Green Arrow. The League was still based in a mountain.

It's a great way to see how these stories took place in the post-Crisis DC Universe.
Subtle changes are given either to the continuity throughout the stories or the characters themselves over the course of the years.
Each issue focuses on some standalone members more than the others.  The first issue takes place around the first confrontation between the JLA and the JSA (without any silly Earth-2 aspect), the JSA seems a bit resentful against their successors at first, it's not like in the old comics when they just simply stumbled  into another world where other people filled their roles. It's your classic "villain manipulations"-plot though.
The second issue shows us how the "World's Finest" (Superman and Batman) came to  be reserve members rather than full League-status.

The third issue, one of my favorites, takes place around the "Satellite era".
When Green Arrow ends up leaving the League, feeling out of touch with the population from the space headquarters.

Ostrander plays "continuity cop", cleans up the DCU hitory and yet still manages to have fun with these overall characters arcs.
You feel invested in these characters in such few pages.

After the depart of Arrow, "thanks to fascists pigs" like Hawkman, there's a whole issue 4 dedicated to Martian Manhunter and Aquaman as they see the constant struggle to keep the team together during the time Elongated Man and Zatanna joined the JLA.
And finally even an issue 5 over a decade in the making, a Crisis tie-in!
And quite an original issue, taking place during that classic event that redefined DC Comics, but from the perspective of the actual resultant "Earth", not the old retconned Silver Age one, and from the eyes of the infamous "JL Detroit", a real team of underdogs heroes. (with the likes of Vibe, Vixen,,..)
There's also a revisiting of Barry Allen's final moments before joining the Speed Force.
And a back-up story taking place during Ostrander's own plotted Legends mini-series (glimpsed in my Blue Beetle review). When heroes became outlawed.

My favorite of the bunch is without a doubt the Super Buddies-esque issue.
Issue 6 sees Blue Beetle and Booster Gold get the Justice League International in trouble.
With some spot-on JLI-era humor, a fun (and funny!) adventure in Bialya
The same issue also offers us a extra tale during the disbanding of +the 90s Extreme Justice.
Finally, issue 7 takes place during the current League, and features the JLA's first foes, the Appelaxians! (last seen in Year One!)

JLA: Incarnations is about epic larger than life-adventures!

There's a lot of character moments, something you don't always get in these kind of action adventure comics.
This comic book series revisits and reimagines past events making they fit each other in the history of the League. There's some bigger character arcs that take place over various issues.

The book covers various classic League villains and some more obscure ones, such as Wotan, Gorilla Grodd, Kobra, etc.

The art is quite appropriate to the periods visited.
I really liked Val Semeiks' chameleon art stly,e, at times channeling John Byrne, other times George Pérez.
The art is bright, sometimes more realistic, other times more comic book-ysh. It ends up with more cartoony Superman and Batman "in the present" at issue 7.
The various inkers truly help Semeiks pencils fit the period of each issue.

There's also an on-going side story, from the perspective of Tully Reed - a reporter who is a big fan of superheroes, though he goes under some changes over the years too.
He's our entry-point into this fantastic world, and like the readers, will often cheer to the heroes, other times resent them..but in the end, he'll follow their heroic example.

Overall, it's a great enjoyable read!
Such a fun ride through the years.
It's also quite easy to get into, this is the kind of story the characters will refer to in their other comic book series.

From their golden days to the dark times and return to form.
I also loved seeing the Martian as the Justice League-constant throughout the years.
(Which, sidenote, reminds me why I just can't get into the currents New 52 League, no Martian Manhunter really? And Didio & co threw him into Stormwatch, nor JLA nor the JLI, really? booooh!!)

Loved all the little details, the mail from the fans-page designed to imitate the JLA at the time,
Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatties feel of the JLI issue...

It's truly a shame this has never been collected (as of today, as I write these lines).
Even if you only find a issue or two, it's self contained and quite accessible.


I give it:

  2.5 / 3 Plastic-trophies!

#AwesomeCosplay Pics of the day: Black Canary

Here's the incredible cosplayer Alouette, this time as Black Canary!

 
Wonderful cosplay^^
That's one helluva impressive costume work too.

Super Dictionary: hug

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

Outcast Studios - LIVE DRAW NIGHT March 2012

http://outcaststudios.com/forums/

It's that time again...

This Sunday night was held another one of our usual LIVE DRAW NIGHT drawing jams at the Outcast forums.
Our quarterly Jam session featuring 4 hours of non-stop drawing.
As before, I kept my Twitter account updated all the way through the challenge.

It was fun, it was crazy, lots of neat fun art were produced by all who entered the jam!
Here's my usual blog-recap of the evening.
You can have a look at my past entries in these following posts:
- LDN February 2011
- LDN May 2011
- LDN September 2011
- LDN December 2011

Let's dig into these drawings produced by yours truly, shall we?
HOUR ONE
It consisted in a series of 5 minutes quick sketches to warm things up.

The LDN was going strong already!
Here's Hellboy, in all his chum glory.

Bow, mortals, before the fantastic Galactus!

Someguy called Briareos apparently...

Catwoman's turn now!

And finally, Daredevil!


HOUR TWO
Two 25 minutes sketches, using both two different set of proposed characters and then reimagined as "ROCKSTARS".

So I simply took STEEL.

...and here's Black Canary!

HOUR THREE
25 min per sketches - using proposed characters and a little gimmick rule.

First one was to make your own Amalgam character using 2 of the first proposed characters.

So I took Booster Gold and Jubilee and made "Booster Lee"!! XD
'didn't came out half bad, if ya ask me~


Jubilation Lee Carter, aka Jubilee Gold!!
A sparkly mutant in search of fame and fortune in the past.

This second one was a gender bended character.

I took Adam Strange, though I prefer to consider this to be Alanna Strange in a similar costume personally~

HOUR FOUR
Remembering a Legend: Moebius

RIP Moebius
To end the night, we got to pay our respects to the passing of this comic book artist, we had a little homage to Moebius to come up with.
A 50 minutes drawing.

'Went with this tribute of Arzach/Moebius.

~

And that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed 'em all!


The next one will be in June (sadly..).
Another fun practice session, and fun time.
You can join in the jam at the outcast studios.

Good Night everybody!~

Super Dictionary: apartment

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

AwesomeCosplay Pics of the day: Black Canary

Here's yet another Black Canary cosplayer by BladeAlchemist.

Outstanding!
Gorgeous cosplay/cosplayer/and picture!

AwesomeCosplay Pics of the day: Badass Black Canary

Here's a badass Black Canary cosplay by the lovely Alisa Farrington.

Absolutely stunning!!!

Drawing - Black Canary

Today, my "dailysketch" entry is Dinah Laurel Lance aka Black Canary!

Time: 14 minutes

With the reboot...does that mean she isn't the daughter of the original Black Canary of the JSA anymore?
Man...hopefully in one year they'll have all this mess re-retconned :P

AwesomeCosplay Pic of the day: BIRDS OF PREY team shot!

Here's a pretty kickass group shot of a bunch of Birds of Prey cosplayers!
Awesome work, guys!

AwesomeCosplay Pic of the day: Fries

Even heroes need to eat once in a while.

CBR JLA: Year One

 

Over the years, DC Comics released a lot of Year One titles.
Afte rthe big crisis of the 80s, the Post-Crisis DCUniverse was brand new to explore. Most books kept their old and classic roots (like the ongoings Green Lantern, Flash...), others were given a fresh start (Wonder Woman, Superman: The Man of Steel,...) as I already discussed in my Batman: Year One review.

As for DC's first team-up book, the Justice League, it wasn't clearly defined for a while. But with Batman keeping for himself in Gotham, Wonder Woman arriving late in "man's world" and Superman protecting the world all by himself the roots of the team wasn't as clear as it seemed.
That is where Mark Waid came in.

Comic title: JLA: Year One 
Art by Brian Augustyn
Story by Mark Waid & Barry Kitson

Published by DC
From 1998
Lineup JLA
Format: .Trade paperback collecting JLA: Year One issues #1-12.

JLA: Year One is a bold new retelling of how the Justice League came out to be.
It's what some would call a smart "retroactive retcon". This story try to keep and reuse classic JLA moments and plots in a brand new overall storyline.

Sure, nerds and fanboys didn't like how this new team came out to be without a Wonder Woman, Batman or Superman in the roster, but I really think it helped out flesh out these other Leaguers.
(plus, didn't you like Wonder Woman's reboot by George Pérez?? It's amazing!)

What about the story itself?

Five young heroes will band together to face an outter space menace...

The story starts out with some bigger than life threats.
All across the world, some giant elemental creature strike out but get quickly dispatched by "super heroes".
These guys and gal are: Aquaman the king of the sea, the fastest man alive The Flash, ring-wielder Green Lantern, the detective Martian Manhunter and Justice Society's kiddo Black Canary (II)!

But those aren't the world greatest's heroes most readers are used to now. They are early incarnations of them, all this book is clearly "Year On-ysh".
Aquaman is a man, alone, trying to find a place in the world of the land-dwellers.
The Flash is adjusting to his superpowers and his double life as Central City's hero and as Barry Allen - police forces' forensic scientist.
Hal Jordan, test pilot and Green Lantern is still young and cocky.
J'onn J'onn the Manhunter from Mars...well he's been around for a while, 50 years at least. But he lived most of his time on Earth hidden. And now with these strange being we call "superheroes", he can finally try to become accepted and expose himself.
And finally, Dinah Lance the Black Canary? She's trying to step out of her mother's shadow, the first Black Canary on the JSA, another superheroic team.

Quickly, Hal Jordan establishes himself as the Leader. (at least, that's what he thinks)

Mark Waid does a great job of working on a clearly climatic event working its way over the 12 parts of this Year One tale, something that would need and result in the formation of the League... While still keeping it localised and really character-driven.

He perfectly captures the voices of all five heroes, and will make you a fan of any of them. (even myself, I didn't really like Aquaman originally..but this book won me over the king of Atlantis).
All five are very different individuals, with very different backgrounds and type of powers.
This mini-series was told over 12 issues, which gave Waid the pace and time to drop by every corner of the DCU. There's a great deal of time spent on each character's side, as we learn who these Barry Allen, John Jones, Hal Jordan, Arthur (?) and Dinah Lance are.

The team works it out all in the open during its first year of activity.

The art of Brian Augustyn is great! Terrific!
He has that artstyle that makes this story looks simple enough, classic, while still being a modern book.
Like a modern take on a Silver Age-era comic book.

Everthing looks great, perfectly in-character, from a writing and artwork aspect.
There isn't a lot of splash pages, something I feared when I first saw this was a 12-parter (comics should tend to use those a lot less...it may look nice, but it's such a waste story-wise... IMO...).

It's a great JLA story set in its early era and trying to establish its new roots.

And a team was born...

Speaking of which, it's not only the JLA the plot tries to establish, but its roots and relations to the larger DC Universe, and a lot of future important characters that would interact with the League.
There's a lot of things going in this book, while the heroes face an alien threat and try to stop an incoming invasion. The JSA inspires and is omnipresent throughout the book, other teams such as the Doom Patrol (in all their classic glory) appear and draw comparison to these newbies...
Batman may not be part of the team, since a Bats from that "era" was such a recluse and only sought to protect Gotham, though he does observe and appear in these events.
Superman also appears a bit more. He almost joins the team..but renounces due to how isolated he was in his early career (as can be seen in other Superman-related comics).
Green Arrow is almost an secondary member of the team seeing him pop-up so much throughout the issues. (and he does play an "important" role without spoiling much here..)
Wonder Woman...well she arrived on "man's world" much later...

All in all, it's a very enjoyable ride, a great big typical superhero comic.
With lots of fanservices, tons of characters, references to old classic Silver Age comics while still not depending on it and a lot of love for these characters and the DCU in general.

Overall, it's fun and recommended read!
Great starting point for those who want to dig into the larger DCU or the Justice League title.
Reader friendly while still playing tribute to these characters.
Fresh, fun, one of my all-time favorite JLA tales.

And for nit-picking nerds, it's still very much in continuity despite what some might say.
Yeah, Supes and Bats are barely in the book, but they might have teamed up with these characters in some off-panels occasions. And Wonder Woman post-crisis couldn't be her, don't be sad about that, rejoice for Black Canary! She doesn't get that many non-Birds of Prey moments to shine!

The book is great, sets the foundations of these World Finest heroes, pays a lot of respect to past tales yet doesn't depend on those solely and builds up the roots for many future threads such as Ted Kord becoming a the new Blue Beetle, Snapper Carr helping out the League as its go-to guy, Ollie and Bats relation with the team, Maxwell Lord's inspiration and so many more...

I give it:

  3 / 3 Plastic-trophies!