#gordon deadman

[nightshadepaladn]

The current vibes

[kstarlitchaotics]

Heh who wants to tell him especially when one of them will work with him later 👻

[frogaroundandfindout]

(blackest night #2)

[doe-earth-n]

Richie recovers from his ordeal and finally reveals to Duncan and Tori about his inner demons in regards to the Dark Quickening ordeal; Duncan then opts to patch things up with Joe; Constantine and his crew talk to Jason Blood about a close call situation and go to track down Felix Faust.

[splooosh]

“glow-in-the-dark”

Neal Adams

[dc-megatournament]

A Master List of fighters in the “Batman vs Everyone” tournament so far

If a character isn't listed here, they haven't been submitted.

List of the Fights Already Posted (in Alphabetical Order)

Amazing Man/Will Everett

Ambush Bug/Irwin Schwab

Animal Man/Buddy Baker

Ant-Man/Hank Pym

Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Arsenal/Roy Harper

Avatar Aang

Azrael/Jean Paul Valley

Aztek/Uno

Barbie

Batgirl/Cassandra Cain

Batman Beyond/Terry McGinnis

Batwing/David Zavimbe

Beetlejuice

Ben Tennyson

Big Barda/Barda Free

Big Hero 6 (Hiro Hamada, Baymax, GoGo Tomago, Honey Lemon, Fred, Wasabi No Ginger)

Black Canary/Dinah Laurel Lance

Black Cat/Felicia Hardy

Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce

Black Orchid/Susan Linden

Black Panther/T’Challa

Blade/ Eric Brooks

Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes

Blue Beetle/Ted Kord

Blue Devil/Dan Cassidy

Booster Gold/Michael Jon Carter

Bucky Barnes

Buffy Summers

Bugs Bunny

Captain America/Sam Wilson

Captain America/Steve Rogers

Captain Atom/Nathaniel Adam

Captain Cold/Leonard Snart

Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Marvel/Billy Batson

Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Cassie Hack

Catwoman/Selina Kyle

Citizen Steel/Nathan Heywood

Cosmo and Wanda

Cyblade/Dominique Thiebaut

Cyborg/Victor Stone

Deadman/Boston Brand

Deku/Izuku Midoriya

Detective Chimp/Bobo T. Chimpanzee

Doctor Doom/Victor Von Doom

Doctor Fate/Kent Nelson

Doctor Fate/Khalid Nassour

Doctor Fate/Linda Strauss

Doctor Light/Kimiyo Hoshi

Donald Duck

Dr. Mid Nite/Charles McNider

Dracula (Castlevania)

Echo/Maya Lopez

Eda Clawthorne

Elektra Natchios

Elsa

Emma Frost

Etrigan/Jason Blood

Finn & Jake

Fire/Beatriz da Costa

Firestorm/Jason Rusch

Firestorm/Ronnie Raymond

Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze

Godiva/Dorcas Leigh

Godzilla

Goku

Green Arrow/Connor Hawke

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen

Green Goblin/Norman Osborn

Green Lantern/Jessica Cruz

Green Lantern/John Stewart

Green Lantern/Kyle Rayner

Green Lantern/Simon Baz

Hatsune Miku

Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders

Hawkman/Katar Hol/Carter Hall

Hawkwoman/Shayera Hol/Shiera Hall

Heather (TDI)

Hellboy

Hulk/Bruce Banner

Human Torch/Johnny Storm

Huntress/Helena Bertinelli

Invincible/Mark Grayson

Invisible Woman/Sue Storm

Iron Man/Tony Stark

Jade/Jennifer-Lynn Hayden

Jenny Wakeman/XJ-9

Jerry (Tom & Jerry)

Jesse Quick/Jessie Chambers

Jessica Jones

Jim Gordon

John Constantine

John Wick

Katana/Tatsu Yamashiro

Kim Possible

Ladybug/Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Cat Noir/Adrien Agreste

Light Yagami

Lobo

Luke Cage

Luke Skywalker

Madame Mirage/Angela Temple

Madame Xanadu

Magik/Illyana Rasputin

Man-Bat/Dr. Robert Kirkland Langstrom

Manhunter/Kate Spencer

Mario & Luigi

Martian Manhunter/J’onn J’onnz

Maxima

Megatron

Metamorpho/Rex Mason

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Ann Hart, Billy Cranston, Trini Kwan, Tommy Oliver)

Mister Miracle/Scott Free

Mon-El/Lar Gand

Monkey D Luffy

Moon Knight/Marc Spector

Mr. Rogers

Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan

Mystery Inc (Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby)

Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Nimona

Oracle/Barbara Gordon

Orion

Percy Jackson

Phantom Stranger

Pikachu

Pink Panther

Plastic Man/Patrick "Eel" O'Brian

Powergirl/Kara Zor L/Karen Starr

Powerhouse/Naomi McDuffie

Queen Hippolyta

Red Hood/Jason Todd

Red Tornado/Ulthoon

Regina George

Rick Grimes

Robin/Damian Wayne

Robin/Tim Drake

Rocket Red/Dmitri Pushkin

Rocket Red/Gavril Ivanovich

Rogue/Anna Marie LeBeau

Sailor Moon/Usagi Tsukino

Saitama

Sanderson Sisters (Winifred, Mary, Sarah)

Sara Pezzini

Sharon Carter

She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters

Snoopy & Woodstock

Sogeking/Usopp

Sonic the Hedgehog

Spawn/Al Simmons

Spider-Man/Miles Morales

Spider Woman/Jessica Drew

Spoiler/Stephanie Brown

Squirrel Girl/ Doreen Green

Star Butterfly

Starfire/Koriand’r

Starman/Mikaal Tomas

Star Sapphire/Carol Ferris

Steven Universe

Stitch/Experiment 626

Storm/Ororo Munroe

Strawberry Shortcake

Supergirl/Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-El

The Atom/Ray Palmer

The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo

The Crow/Eric Draven

The Cullens (Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, Emmett)

The Darkness/Jackie Estacado

The Doctor

The Flash/Jay Garrick

The Flash/Wally West

The Punisher/Frank Castle

The Question/Renee Montoya

The Warner Siblings

Thor

Troia/Donna Troy

Vampirella

Vibe/Cisco Ramon

Vixen/Mari McCabe

Walter White

Wasp/Janet Van Dyne

Wolverine/James “Logan” Howlett

Wolverine/X-23/Laura Kinney

Wonder Woman/Nubia

Word Girl/Becky Botsford

Zheng Shang-Chi

Fights That Have Yet to Be Posted (also in Alphabetical Order)

Alfred Pennyworth

Alphonse Elric 

Amy Rose

Angus MacGyver

Artemis

Atom Smasher/Albert Rothstein

Baldi

Batman/Jace Fox

Batwing/Luke Fox

Batwoman/Kate Kane

Beast/Hank McCoy

Bingo Heeler 

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

Bluebird/Harper Row

Bluey Heeler

Captain Kirk

Crazy Jane

Cybersix

Danny Phantom

Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Darwin

David Haller

Dolly Parton

Edward Elric

Element Woman/Emily Sung

Ellie (TLoU)

Elongated Man/Ralph Dibny

Elric of Melninbone

Elsa Bloodstone

Enchantress/June Moone

Eva-02

Ezio Auditore

Flamebird/Bette Kane

Gabby Kinney

Geo-Force/Brion Markov

Giovanni Zatara

Green Lantern/Guy Gardner

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Grumpy Bear

Gundam Aerial

Gwen Tennyson

Gypsy/Cynthia Reynolds

Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Hello Kitty

Hua Cheng

Ice/Tora Olafsdotter

Iceman/Bobby Drake

Ichigo Kurosaki 

Jar Jar Binks

Jean Grey

Joel Miller (TLoU) 

Jubilee/Jubilation Lee

Katara 

Katsuki Bakugou

Kirby

Kisuke Urahara

Lan Wangji

Link

Luo Binghe

Mariah Carey 

Max Tennyson

May Chang

Mickey Mouse

Midnighter

Mizu

Mr Fantastic/Reed Richards

Naruto Uzamaki 

Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Nightshade/Eve Eden

Obsidian/Todd Rice

Odysseus

Onyx Adams

Optimus Prime 

Ozymandias

Phineas & Ferb

Plastique/Bette Sans Souci

Power Puff Girls

Prodigy/David Alleyne

Puss in Boots

Raven

Ryu (Street Fighter)

Sally Jackson

Santa Claus 

Scar (FMA)

Shade, the Changing Man/Rac Shade

Shen Qingqiu

She-Ra/Adora

Solid Snake

Spectrum/Monica Rambeau

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Stan Pines

Stargirl/Courtney Whitmore

Steel/John Henry Irons

Superman/Clark Kent/Kal El

Swamp Thing/Alec Holland

Terezi Pyrope

The Atom/Ryan Choi

The Flash/Barry Allen

The Pope 

The Question/Vic Sage

The Ray/Ray Terrill

The Shredder

The Signal/Duke Thomas

The Thing/Ben Grimm

Tigress/Artemis Crock

TMNT (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo)

Toph Beifong

Ultraman

Uncle Iroh

Velvet Crowe

Wei Wuxian

Winry Rockbell 

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Xie Lian

Yami Yugi

Zatanna Zatara

[puppetmaster13u]

It's the last day of Mermay...

So have my most common headcanons on who would be which (or take inspiration from such) for if they were merfolk <3 Yes, this is DCxDP but can be used for either separately if you want.

Bruce- Ray

Alfred- Remora

Kate- Angel Shark

Dick - Guppy

Cass- Cuttlefish

Jason- Thresher Shark

Tim- Bichir

Steph- Spanish Shawl Sea Slug

Duke- Anglerfish

Harper- Cichlid

Cullen- Rasbora

Damian- Stingray

Carrie- Dusky Batfish

Jarro- Starfish

Terry- Devilfish

Matt- Koi

Barbara- Jellyfish

Gordon- Squirrelfish

Ghostmaker- Moray Eel

Harvey- Tiger Shark

Selina- Catfish

Harley- Clownfish

Poison Ivy- Leafy Seadragon

Riddler- Corydoras

Joker- Piranha

Bane- Pufferfish

Mr. Freeze- Leopard Seal

Scarecrow- Anglerfish

Waylon- Saltwater Crocodile

Solomon Grundy- Coelacanth 

Penguin- Longfin Icedevil

Ras Al Ghul- Sturgeon

Talia- Pike

Dusan- Pike 

Deathstroke- Tiger Barb

Clark- Sea Lion

Connor- Fur Seal

Jon- Fur Seal

Kara- Sea Lion

Martha Kent- Ribbon Seal

Jonathan Kent- Manatee

Lex Luthor- Cardinalfish

Barry Allen- Marlin

Wally West- Swordfish

Bart- Marlin

Iris- Trout

Thawne- Wahoo

Captain Cold- Beluga Whale

Heatwave- Guppy

Captain Boomerang- Discus Fish

Mirror Master- Mahi Mahi

Green Arrow- Goby

Arsenal- Arapaima

Artemis- Grouper

Black Canary- Orca

Diana- Lionfish

Cassie- Lionfish

Cheetah- Spotted Snapper

Vandal Savage- Dunkleosteus 

Marvel- Whale Shark 

Billy- Wrasse

Mary- Wrasse

Freddy- Killifish

Eugene- Loach

Pedro- Danio

Darla- Goby

Black Adam- Gar Fish

Dr. Sivana- Dolphin

Mister Mind- Bristle Worm

Martian Manhunter- Octopus

M’gann- Octopus

Aquaman- Hammerhead Shark

Kaldur- Blue Tang

Oceanmaster- Ray

Plasticman- Oarfish

Booster Gold- Goldfish

Blue Beetle- Blue Shrimp

John Stewart- Sailfish

Hal Jordan- Neon Tetra

Red Tornado- Mantis Shrimp

Zatanna- Swordtail

Constantine- Fighting Fish

Doctor Fate- Wrasse

Deadman- Glass Fish

Klarion- Platy

Cyborg- Mola

Raven- Squid

Beast Boy- Triggerfish

Starfire- Koi Fish

Beast Boy- Fluffy Sculpin

Lobo- Wolf Fish

Deadshot- Ruby Barb

Killer Frost- White Koi

King Shark- Great White Shark

Doctor Light- Dolphin

Catman- Tigerfish

Angel Breaker- Redtail Black Shark

Trigon- Giant Squid 

Martha Wayne- Mako Shark

Thomas Wayne- Devil Ray

Lucious Fox- King Mackeral 

Jack Drake- Freshwater Angelfish

Janet Drake- Comet Goldfish

================================================

Danny- Betta Fish (Or Giant Phantom Jelly)

Dan- Lancetfish

Ellie- Betta Fish

Jazz- Oarfish

Sam- Lamprey

Tucker- Devil's Hole Pupfish

Valerie- Cherry Shrimp

Vlad Masters- Vampire Squid

Maddie Fenton- Lion's Mane Jelly

Jack Fenton- Whale

Ida Manson- Gulper Eel

Mr. Lancer- Hatchetfish

Spike- Gourami

Wes Weston- Carp

Kyle Weston- Perch

Paulina- Dragonfish

Star- Cichlid

Dash Baxter- Short Beaked Dolphin

Kwan- Goldfish

Box Ghost- Boxfish

Lunch Lady- Killifish

Skulker- Sea Turtle

Ghostwriter- Lyretail

Sidney Poindexter- Shubunkin

Jonny 13- Corydora

Kitty- Loach

Ember- Basslet

Desiree- Seahorse

Spectra- Eel

Walker- Frogfish

Nocturn- Lanternfish

Overgrowth- Sea Pig

Fright Knight- Swordtail

Pariah Dark- Skate

Princess Dora- Dragon Goby

Pandora- Leaf Scorpionfish

Frostbite- Crabeater Seal

Clockwork- Colossal Squid (or Congor Eel)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you want pics of any of the fish/creatures I am happy to put them out, I just can't put that many links on one post lol. (Also apologies if I missed anyone)

[syppys-den]

The DC Universe as vines

John Constantine: Hey bro what do you want to eat?

Etrigan: THE SOULS OF THE INNOCENT~

Jason Blood: A Bagel

Etrigan: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jason: (glances at Etrigan) two bagels (smugly)

WHO’S THAT POKEMON!? (shows Superman silhouette)

IT’S PIKACHU!!!!!!

IT’S CLEFAIRY! (shows Captain Marvel)

FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Madam Xanadu: if you are here speak to us

Deadman: JUST A CITY BOOIII!!!! BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTH DETROI-

Bruce: this is… so dumb…

Clark: the higher I am the better I can see

Bruce: you can- you can fly-

Clark: hush now gregory! I am searching!

Diana: like I really wanna teach yoga and zen and overall centeredness but I also like to really kill and STAB people on the weekends!

Kara: hey! How you doing? Well I’m doing just fine! I lied. I’m dying inside-

IDK: hey do you have any shaving cream?

J’onn: no i don’t like the way it tastes

IDK: wait you eat shaving cream?

J’onn no why would I eat it if I don’t like the taste?

Bruce: hey let me see what you have!

Damian: A KNIFE!

Bruce: NOOO!!!!!

Bruce: In the winter I like to dress in a cozy black jacket shirt and jeans~ in the summer I wear the same thing because I look good in black and I’m willing to suffer!

Lex: I didn’t ask to be born perfect. I demanded it.

Gordon: Detective this is a crime scene

Bullock: WHAT IS THIS THE MURDER WEAPON!? GET OFF MY DICK!!!

J’onn: Oh yeah I can do a pretty good human! (transforms) ahem Hel-lo! I-have-a-job! I’m going to work!

Krypto: yeah that’s pretty good!

Hippolyta: Son?

Diana: Yes Papa!

Hippolyta: How old are you?

Diana: I am three Papa!

Hippolyta: Take this knife, go hunt bear

Diana: Just one?

Hippolyta: Ho ho!

Kilowog: How does it feel to be the worst cop ever huh!? Sinestro: shutupyourmothabuysyoumegabloksinsteadolegos!

Kilowog: You fuckin take that back y-

John Constantine: Hey there demons it’s me, ya boi

Kara: EARTHLING TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER!

Lois: (sigh) this is him (shows president Luthor)

Kara: Oh ma gaw- I’m so sorry!

Lois: I’M SORRY FOR US-

Dick: We uh… don’t know who killed him…

Damian: May I make a suggestion?

Dick: WE’RE NOT GONNA CUT HIM OPEN PHIL!

Damian: YOU GUYS ARE BORING!

Kara: I may suffer from anxiety and depression but I’m still a queen

Bruce: (looking at the Joker’s body) He’s dead…

Dick: (Nudges Clark’s shoulder)

Clark: “Not the dickhead!” what do you want me to say!?

Diana: I’m so bored!

Clark: I wish Ryan was here!

Arthur: HEY GUYS!

Both: RYAN!!!

John Constantine: I was thinking I could do some magic!

Jason Blood: You!? Magic!? Charles! It says TALENT show!

Bruce: Show me the Police Sketch! What the- what the hell is this?

Eel: ART. Okay!

Bruce: OW FUCK!

Gordon: WHO’S THERE!?

Bruce: NOBODY FUCK OFF!!!

Harley: what would you do if there was a child right in front of you?

Joker: dgfghjfdkjsdiuj!!!

Harvey: I’m attorney Doug, you need a lawyer? Well don’t call me! I’m busy!

Lois: Who the fuck are yiou?

Clark (as Superman): Who the fuck are yiou?

Lois: I asked you first!

Clark: I asked you second!

[superman86to99]

Action Comics Weekly #642 (March 1989)

Superman gets offered a job as a Green Lant-- hey, wait a minute, why are we back in 1989?! Is Zero Hour already messing with the timestream? Nah, it's because, while making a Superman '86 to '99 reading guide at League of Comic Geeks, I noticed we never covered this issue -- we have a post about the Superman serial in Action Comics Weekly #601-641, and one about the classic Action Comics (Non-Weekly) #643, but this one sorta fell through the cracks since it wasn't technically part of the serial but not really a monthly issue either. So, with present-day Action Comics going weekly again this month, it seems like a good time to right another long-time wrong and plug this tiny hole in the '86-'99 continuity.

Anyway, the issue starts with a flashback to the day Green Lantern Abin Sur crashed down on Earth and, in his dying moments, instructed his ring to select and bring over a successor, who ends up being... Clark Kent?

Yep, this issue reveals that Clark was Abin's first choice for Earth's Green Lantern -- and no, this doesn't take place in some alternate timeline, like that annual where Superman becomes GL and President of the USA. However, the ring soon determines that Clark doesn't qualify for the gig because he's from a species "not native" to this planet, even though Man of Steel #1 established that he was born on Earth. Still, I guess it wouldn't be good for his GL authority to be undermined by any potential birther movements. Before having his memory of the incident wiped by the ring, Clark sees a projection of the other GL candidates, which include Robin, someone who looks like Pope John Paul II, and a test pilot Clark remembers interviewing called Hal Jordan. (Oh, and no women, leading Clark to correctly deduce that Abin's bosses have "an attitude problem.")

Clark recommends Hal for the job because he's "the straightest arrow I ever met" and will surely never go insane and kill a bunch of his buddies. Great call, Clark.

Meanwhile, in the present (well, 1989's present), Hal Jordan returns to that same desert where he first became Green Lantern to investigate a bunch of stolen nuclear materials someone's been piling up here. Some military types start shooting at Hal, which wouldn't normally be a problem for a Green Lantern, except that Hal is feeling so insecure lately that his ring malfunctions and lets the bullets hit him. When an army major shows up and starts barking orders, Hal just lets the guy arrest him and ends up getting shot in the chest by him. Again: great call, Clark.

As Hal lays dying in the desert, his ring is like "whelp, here we go again" and goes looking for potential Green Lantern candidates from all over the planet. They are: a union leader at an Eastern European factory, a priest in South Africa, an old Native American guy who fights mountain lions, a hostage negotiator in Beirut, Nightwing (so Robin again, but all grown up), Deadman (currently possessing some criminal), and Guy Gardner. Doesn't Guy already have a GL ring? Nope, because he just gave it to some very confused arms dealer who looks like G. Gordon Liddy to make a fight more interesting.

Oh, and Clark Kent again. Wasn't Clark already disqualified from the job? You'd think the ring would keep track of stuff like that.

As Hal's ring-projected ghost looks over his potential replacements, who are frozen in time at the desert, Deadman is able to talk to him (being a ghost too) and tries to convince him to just let himself die and go to heaven, where he can chill with Abe Lincoln, Ghandi, MLK, Robin Hood, and some unicorns. Clark unfreezes himself in time and tells Hal he should continue living, his main argument being "What if you miss out on the exciting space exploration that's definitely happening in the next decades?" (which is kind of a weird thing to say to a guy who can fly through space on his own).

Clark and Deadman get so caught up in their argument that they don't even notice an AI version of Abin Sur coming out of the ring and joining their little ghost party. "Abin" tells Hal that all of these other candidates are "lesser wills" compared to him, which surprises Hal (wonder if he heard "lesser willies"). Apparently that's what gives Hal the confidence to go back to his body, instantly heal himself, go kick those military dudes' butts, and convince a judge to prosecute them. While Hal's doing all that, we see that every one of the potential candidates took some GL energy with them as they got transported back to their countries and unknowingly used it to deal with the sticky situations they were in, from "convincing a factory boss to hire an old man back" to "declawing and defanging a mountain lion."

As for Deadman, he possesses the body of a kid from Clark's building just to continue his life/death argument with him. Clark tries to ignore him as he walks through Metropolis, but Deadman keeps jumping from body to body (a doorman, an old lady walking a dog, the dog) to pester him. Clark refuses to take the bait...

...until Deadman goes away, proving that Superman's will may not be as big as Hal's, but at least it's bigger than this guy's.

Creator-Watch:

Unless you count the Kingdom Come novelization, this was the only Post-Crisis Superman story written by prolific Pre-Crisis writer Elliot S! Maggin, who wrote over a hundred Action, Superman, and Superman Family issues in the '70s and early '80s. This is also, not coincidentally, the only Post-Crisis Superman story that ends with this Clark offering his once-customary last panel wink at the reader, though nothing we've seen so far suggested that fourth wall-breaking winks was in his power set. Maybe he just saw Bibbo across the street?

Plotline-Watch:

The "ACTION - CLOSED FOR RENOVATION" sign up there is a reference to the ads DC used to hype up the Action Comics Weekly series in 1988, which showed a theater marquee with messages like "WATCH FOR GRAND OPENING" and "GALA PREMIERE." Ending with "RENOVATION" is appropriate, since the regular Action title wouldn't be back for three more months.

The retcon about Clark helping Abin Sur pick Hal Jordan as Green Lantern means that, in a roundabout way, Superman is responsible for all those deaths in "Emerald Twilight" and certain dramatic events we're about to see all over the DC Universe. So, if you think about it, this issue is connected to the Zero Hour coverage we've been promising for some time now...

When Clark and Deadman are arguing about whether Hal should live or die, Deadman says one shouldn't "screw around with the way things go" (meaning: you can't just go back to life if you already died). Clark says "I resent that." I'm guessing he resents it even more post-Doomsday.

The stuff about Hal feeling fearful and insecure is explained in his ACW serial, but it's interesting that it lines up with the future retcon about a certain space parasite crawling up his butt sometime around this period. His next appearance would be in the rebooted Green Lantern #1 (1990), which is the issue where his hair started going grey (due to the fear caused by the aforementioned space bug, it was later revealed).

Don Sparrow says: "This issue, which was supposed to wrap up a number of the anthology of storylines depicted in Action Comics Weekly (or just feature the players within the book) was actually the second attempt at a final issue. The first attempt was written by Neil Gaiman, but was deemed unsuitable since his story relied on Superman and Hal Jordan knowing each other’s civilian identities, which was an editorial no-no at the time. So the story that Gaiman -- fresh off Black Orchid at the time, but before he'd hit it big with Sandman -- wrote went on a shelf, eventually emerging as a one-shot prestige format book which was released 11 years later. Though it had its moments, that story also felt similarly disjointed, to me at least, and the art styles from each chapter clashed even more jarringly than this issue. But at least that’s the last controversy Neil Gaiman was ever involved with." (Who's gonna tell Don?) I remember kinda liking that one. Since it came out in 2000, it's outside the scope of this blog, but maybe we'll cover it at the newsletter and Patreon at some point anyway.

Shout Outs-Watch:

Speaking of which, massive Hal Jordan's willforce-sized shout outs to our supporters, Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Sam, Bol, Dave Shevlin, and Dave Blosser! You can join them at those links above, because we feel self-conscious enough about plugging them once already.

And now, Don's take on this issue, plus more art from the stacked roster of artists (including Steve Ditko and Kevin Nowlan)!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

Starting with the cover, and it’s a strange one.  I absolutely adore Ross Andru generally, so, not knowing if it’s the inks or the pencils, both the drawing and colouring here seems pretty rushed.  The image of Superman weighing the Green Lantern uniform is a good concept, and would have made a decent panel, but it seems a little under-developed for a proper cover.  Add to that the fact that only some of the crowd behind Nightwing, Deadman and Superman are familiar, and there’s a strange weightlessness to Nightwing’s stance, and it just doesn’t feel like what I’m used to seeing from Ross Andru. 

Inside the book though, we open with an absolute treat, with the opening pages drawn by the instantly identifiable Gil Kane.  This is late period Kane, and while it’s not as sharp as his drool-worthy early Green Lantern or Spider-Man runs, his late, ligne claire style is still a joy to read.  It’s especially wonderful that these early pages are right in his wheelhouse with a lot of space technology—Kane did practical-seeming high-tech buttons, panels and wires about as good as anyone.  It’s fascinating seeing the visuals of the other candidates Abin Sur’s ring seeks out—to my eye that looked like Pope John Paul II (I guess the ring, nor the writers of this comic could see that he wasn’t entirely honest, or without fear), Dick Grayson (who I mistook for Jason Todd because of the haircut), John Stewart, and then Hal on the far right.  I wasn’t sure, on my first reading just who the mustachioed fellow is between Stewart and Jordan—Hector Hammond I thought.  So I was glad the stories in later chapters elucidated these images. [Max: Worth noting that it's mentioned John Stewart wasn't invited to the latter part of the story because he was off-planet, not because the ring has something against architects. Also, they say the white priest is dead by then, so that can't be John Paul II unless 1981 went very differently for him in this universe...]

If I dare criticize someone with a legendary career, I was a bit thrown by how frequently Kane draws Clark with a prominent (and very Superman-like) S-curl in his hair, jeopardizing his secret identity.  Then again, he recognizes the alien is dying, so maybe he’s deduced it’s ok to be a little careless with the forelock.

After Kane’s brief story, we’re treated to another rarity for its time—mainstream comic pages from Steve Ditko!  Being fairly familiar with his style in the 80s, I’d say Art Thibert (future super-teamster, lending a very Jim Lee aesthetic to Dan Jurgens lines in the early '90s) has a pretty heavy hand here, as Ditko’s pencils, while always energetic and succinct, had gotten a little looser by the late 80s.  No matter who is more responsible for the images we see, there’s a great sense of movement and imagination to these pages, especially Hal’s use of his ring. Battering rams we’ve seen before (even in Superman comics, wherein Hal may or may not look so totalled it makes Superboy wanna hurl) but making a dragon creature to simultaneously capture armed guards and excavate a roof is pretty darn inventive.  I also appreciate Ditko’s pure cartooning—this is certainly a more visibly expressive Green Lantern than we’re used to seeing, so it’s bold to have the character emote a little more. 

The Curt Swan pages that follow are unsurprisingly excellent, Ty Templeton’s precise inks making them look all the more crisp (if memory serves, Templeton was a sharpie marker guy as well!) but they don’t give Swan a lot to do, drawing lots of real world, civilians in clothing type storytelling.  Don’t get me wrong, Swan can do it all, but this glacial, decidedly non-superhero interval gives a hint to me as to why Action Comics Weekly kinda sputtered out. Though it’s perhaps a dull scene (Clark typing out a story on a computer), the rendering and lighting of the panel of Superman using his visual powers is almost photographic, it looks so good.  The Deadman section has a bonkers depiction of Heaven, complete with Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Himself (!), Robert, Earl of Huntingdon (AKA Robin Hood) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, with Deadman assuring a ghostly Hal Jordan that Lincoln is the funny one in the group. [Max: Wait, is that Jesus? I thought it was Uncle Sam without the hat, or maybe a time-displace Lex Luthor Jr.]

A few pages later we get a great look at Hal Jordan diving into a spiral caused by helicopter blades, and as often happens with Kevin Nowlan, the penciller underneath, no less than Carmine Infantino, gets a little lost—not that I’m complaining—I love Kevin Nowlan’s sometimes overpowering inks, because they’re so clean and delicate. [Max: Side note: Why do all the guns in this issue look like water pistols squirting green liquid?]

The Nightwing section is Jim Aparo at his reliable best, though the inks by Nyberg look a little dated next to the more modern finishes of Nowlan. 

SPEEDING BULLETS:

Fun, but tragic fact—the consistent line weight of Gil Kane’s self-inked pages (like the ones in this book) were largely created by non-archival alcohol or xylene based markers, so a lot of Kane’s original art from around this period yellowed so significantly over time that some of his pages feature ink “blacks” that are light yellow on white, making those beautiful creations almost invisible.  Fortunately, having looked into it, these very pages still look pretty good today.  

I like that even back in 1988, Clark Kent is evolved enough to question why Sur’s ring didn’t find any female candidates.

While it’s fun to explore the function of Hal’s ring, I don’t know if I subscribe to the notion that his shield would be that weak if he had a confused thought. 

I like oldies enough that I can’t help hearing Neil Sedaka’s high pitched tones as I read Hal thinking “Oh, Carol!”

On the whole, I found this whole yarn, about military corruption, with the brief if colourful interstitials to introduce the other Lantern candidates (which had little bearing on the rest of the story) pretty hard to follow.  Even more so, since we don’t actually see the fruits of Green Lantern’s labour—Major Easterly isn’t shown being arrested, we see only the signing of the warrant for his arrest, which feels like something more consequential than the kid selling door to door in Clark’s apartment building, say.

Action Comics Weekly was an interesting experiment, and there’s a pretty in-depth explanation of DC’s reasoning behind discontinuing it.  They do acknowledge that sales weren’t strong, but also posit that they weren’t at cancellation level.  Their rationale for cancellation was that the weekly schedule was too difficult to keep up with, especially with a double sized book like Action Comics Weekly.  I remember being incredibly excited when it was first announced, then crushed when I realized that Superman got only two pages in each issue.  Yes, the story was by Roger Stern, and yes, illustrated by Curt Swan, so we were in good hands, but there was a dullness and a lack of fantasy or superhero action in the stories that persisted, and made ACW feel less than essential.  The teams were top notch talents (people like Mark waid, Peter David, Dave Gibbons, Christopher Priest, etc).  The characters were ones I wanted to read about, but what happened in the stories often felt like strange choices.  For example, there was an extended Hal Jordan story where it was revealed that Hal Jordan, whose only thing is that he’s honest and fearless was revealed to be neither honest, nor fearless, but had been subconsciously purged of fear and dishonesty by his ring, requiring him to deprogram the ring to remove that influence.  That decision led to reading about Hal Jordan cowering on the ledges of buildings, afraid to fly as he got his bravery back.  Interesting concept, or intellectual exercise, perhaps, but is it what the average Green Lantern fan would want to read?   It felt like there was a lot of that to me (though it did have the unique element of depicting Oprah Winfrey threatening to break…something… of Green Lantern’s). Once Roger Stern was brought on as a regular writer, some elements (like the Superman cult of California) were a little more integrated into continuity, but for the most part as a Superman fan at the time, the ACW story read a lot like pre-Crisis Superman.

Missed an issue? Looking for an old storyline? Check out our new chronological issue index!

[havendance]

New Comics Time!

Doing an abridged one this week because otherwise I will not get around to it (reminder that Shazam and Batgirl are the two series that I'm pulling and all the non-holiday ones are a month behind):

I agree with everyone ranking Absolute Superman above Absolute Batman and below Absolute Wonder Woman. The backstory stuff on Krypton compelled me, especially Supes' mom, the present day story less so. Still interested in reading more.

I do feel like the main plot of Action Comics is picking up with this time travel plotline. I am still reading mainly for the backups though.

Don't have much to say on JSA or Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight. Both of them have lots of characters.

We really did not need that Koyuki Jim Gordon plot affair in Batman :/

Poison Ivy continues to be a fun read as does the Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries

Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg was just a really solid holiday anthology. I don't think there was any story that I really thought was weak. Maybe the Deadman story, but it was just remarkably even for an anthology. The top stories for me would probably be the Secret Six story, the Vixen one, the Joker one actually (sometimes DC can actually write enjoyable Joker stories I have to admit), and the superman one.

This issue of Birds of Prey did confirm for me that I made the right choice in switching to digital. There's a lot in it's that fun and I do like all the Cass stuff and the scene between Dinah and Sin, but I also am looking at Onyx and Grace in this issue and how they're still just sitting off to the side and this arc's only going to be four issues. It does still bother me how Thompson struggles to balance her whole cast. Surely there's a way to plot this arc so that Cass isn't the only person doing things for two issues in a row when you've brought in two new people for the mission.

Shit is going down in Shazam and I am enjoying it. I do like the note it ended on.

Finally, I am continuing to enjoy Batgirl. Like everyone else, I do like Ba Bao and co and if they are all dead I will be sad because I want to see more of them :( Gorgeous panel of Cass there at the end without the mask.

[kotalketz]

finally getting to redesigning some of the gcpd and a bonus consultant

Jim gordon, Renee Montoya, Harvey Bullock

Lisa Drake, Jim Corrigan, and Deadman (the baby girl)

[danthepest]

The Batman family and associates as seen in the DC Animated Universe. In order:

Batman - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #27 (1939).

Alfred Pennyworth - First appearance in Batman v1 #16 (1943).

Nightwing - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #38 (1940).

Batgirl - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #359 (1967).

Robin - First appearance in Batman v1 #436 (1989).

Catwoman - First appearance in Batman v1 #1 (1940).

The Creeper - First appearance in Showcase #73 (1968).

Thomas & Martha Wayne - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #33 (1939).

Leslie Thompkins - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #457 (1976).

Jim Gordon - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #27 (1939).

Harvey Bullock - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #441 (1974).

Renee Montoya - First appearance in Batman v1 #475 (1992).

Jason Blood - First appearance in The Demon v1 #1 (1972).

Etrigan - First appearance in The Demon v1 #1 (1972).

Deadman - First appearance in Strange Adventures v1 #205 (1967).

Lucius Fox - First appearance in Batman v1 #307 (1979).

Hamilton Hill - First appearance in Detective Comics v1 #503 (1981).

Kirk & Francine Langstrom - First appearances in Detective Comics v1 #400 (1970) and Detective Comics v1 #402 (1970).

Dr. Robert March - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Dr. Bartholomew - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Veronica Vreeland - First appearance in DC's Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special #1 (2018).

Pierce Chapman - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Grace Lamont - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Maven - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Karl Rossum - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Simon Trent - First appearance in Gotham Academy #4 (2015).

Summer Gleeson - First appearance in Gotham Knights #33 (2002).

The Master - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Yoru - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

Kairi Tanaga - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons.

[batmanonthecover]

Brave & The Bold #79 - August 1968 (DC Comics - USA)

Cover Art: Neal Adams

THE TRACK OF THE HOOK

Script: Bob Haney

Art: Neal Adams  (Pencils & Inks), Ben Oda (Letters)

Characters: Deadman [Boston Brand]; Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Hook; Commissioner Gordon; Whitey Marsh (Death); Carlton "Kubla" Kaine; Edward T. Weeks; Bill Rawls; Alfred; Tiny (Cameo, Flashback); Rama Kushna (Flashback); Willie Pigeon; Monk Manville [Max Chill]

Synopsis: Deadman goes to Batman for help finding his killer and ends up helping Batman track down a mysterious syndicate boss.

Batman story #1,243

[doe-earth-n]

This is the penultimate chapter of this story. Richie and Tori are in shock upon learning a face from the past, who has joined Cult X before the IUA takes the cult members into custody and Cassandra informs the couple of a prophecy regarding Duncan MacLeod; Duncan takes Clay's head after dueling him; Blue Bird aka Harper Row debuts in Earth N while helping Connor, the Defenders and the Bat Family; Methos joins the battle with the Justice League Dark fighting Destiny, including Mandrake, Lothar and Amy.

[whosthatdccharacter]

Click "keep reading" to see the answer! ↓

[ID: Comic panel of seven characters in various poses against different backgrounds. Text reads as follows.

"They came from everywhere, and in all forms and disguises. From the mysterious faceless crimefighter known as The Queston to the supernatural wizard called Prince Ra-Man.

"At times, the way fate creates its heroes appears almost capricious. Scientist Bruce Gordon appeared normal, but the rays of a total eclipse would change the young scientist into the evil Eclipso.

"Boston Brand suffered the most capricious of all fates when he was killed by a cadre of assassins only to be resurrected as Deadman.

"Aboard the Monitor's satellite I met hundreds of Earth's most courageous souls. People like Buddy Baker, the ANimal Man; Jack Ryder, the fearson Creeper; Johnny Mann, The Son of Vulcan; literally hundreds of brave men and women who risked their lives for the lives of others." /END]

It's:

The Question

Prince Ra-Man

Eclipso

Boston Brand

Buddy Baker

Jack Ryder

Johnny Mann

From History of the DC Universe #2

Congratulations to @finndiseicla, @pluckyredhead and @kideternity  for being the first to guess correctly! 🎉

Each of you actually several right, and even though it was supposed to be one point per person, I'm giving two points each since you were the three that participated!

[deadguydeathmatch]

Welcome to the Dead Guy Death Match Elimination Round!

Due to the broad nature of death as a concept, most of the submitted characters only received a few votes each causing a massive tie. I figured the fairest way to sort out this issue would be to hold an elimination round to let you guys vote on who you want to make it into the bracket.

There will be two elimination rounds the first of which will start on Monday the 3rd of April at 3pm BST and the second will start on Saturday the 8th of April at 3pm BST.

Elimination Round 1 will feature polls of 5 or 6 unrelated characters (all of the matchups were generated randomly) for you to vote on. The lowest voted character will be eliminated and all of the remaining options will progress to the bracket.

Elimination Round 2 will feature polls of differing numbers of characters from the same or similar media and only the highest ranked character among them will progress to the bracket, all of the others will be eliminated.

Both sets of polls will last 24 hours.

I've tried my best to only include official images for all of the characters on the polls but I'm not familiar with every series listed so, when the polls go up, if you notice I've used a fanart or cosplay image without permission or credit please let me know and I'll add credit and correct it for any future appearances of that character.

The matchups are listed under the read more and hyperlinked to the polls

I apologise if I’ve accidentally spelled something wrong or used a wrong name for something, I’m not familiar with every series listed.

There will be spoilers for many series ahead.

Round 1-

Poll 1-

Leif- Bug Fables

Claire Foley- Professor Layton

Magne- My Hero Academia

Koki Kariya- The World Ends With You

Matsuri Kanroji- Demon Slayer

Tiso- Hollow Knight

Poll 2-

Polly Geist- Monster Prom

Beetlejuice- Beetlejuice

Kim Namwoon- Omnicient Reader’s Viewpoint

King Arthur- King Arthur

Chidi Anagonye- The Good Place

Duncan- Dragon Age

Poll 3-

Breakdown- Transformers

Varl- Horizon

Captain Orimar Vale- Skyjacks Podcast

Deep Throat- The X-Files

Connor Murphy- Dear Evan Hansen

Poll 4-

Catherine Earnshaw- Wurthering Heights

Johannes Cabal- Horst Cabal

Mr Boddy- Clue

Galivar Kholin- Stormlight Archive

Seth Gordon- All For The Game

Poll 5-

Jay Gatsby- The Great Gatsby

Billy Loomis- Scream

Esmeralda- The Hunchback of Norte Dame Novel

Kili- The Hobbit

Charles Vane- Black Sails

Poll 6-

Ned Stark- Game of Thrones

Hua Cheng- Heaven’s Official Blessing

Skelly- Hades

Nate- Levarage

Owen Carvour- Spies Are Forever

Poll 7-

Andre Grandier- Rose Of Versailles

Ash Lynx- Banana Fish

Jade Irinka- Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish Granting Engine

Hugo Oak- Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Evelyn Hooper- Less is Morgue

Poll 8-

Pandora Hearts- Xerxes Break

Bow- Inanimate Insanity

Sam Cortland- Throne of Glass

Matoro- Bionicle

Tigerstar- Warrior Cats

Poll 9-

Deadman- DC Comics

Bunny Corcoran- The Secret History

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight- Saw

Tobias Tattersall Hawthorne- The Inheritance Games

La Signora- Genshin Impact

Poll 10-

Erik- The Phantom of the Opera

Diggory Graves- Hello from the Hallowoods

Max- Sam and Max

Nicholas D Wolfwood- Trigun

Pip Pirrip- South Park

Poll 11-

Pedro Madrigal- Encanto

Midori- Your Turn To Die

Charles Foster Kane- Citizen Kane

Rufus Emeterio- They Both Die at the End

Tuuri- Stand Still Stay Silent

Poll 12-

Manny Calavera- Grim Fandango

Howard Hamlin- Better Call Saul

Tanya McQuoid- White Lotus

Diallos Hoslow- Elden Ring

Sayaka Miki- Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Poll 13-

Meiji “Menma” Honma- Anoha: The Flower We Saw That Day

Chiyoko Fujiwara- Millenium Actress

Mari- Omori

Simon Karin- Pathologic

Lee Everett- The Walking Dead

Poll 14-

Rachel Amber- Life is Strange

Jason Grace- Riordanverse

Violet Harmon- American Horror Story

Vylad Ro’Meave- Minecraft Diaries

Chara- Undertale

Poll 15-

River Song- Doctor Who

Queen Serenity- Sailor Moon

Sliver of Straw- Rain World

Manny- Swiss Army Man

Mr Nobody- Transistor

Poll 16-

Shizu- Slime Tensei

Michael Afton- Five Nights at Freddy’s

Neil Perry- Dead Poet’s Society

Silhouette- Watchmen comics

Garret Jacob Hobbs- Hannibal

Poll 17-

Junpei Yoshino- Jujitsu Kaisen

Okudera- Yakuza 5

Shinichiro Sano- Tokyo Revengers

Yuri Nakamura- Angel Beats

Emily- Corpse Bride

Round 2-

The Owl House-

Flapjack

Caleb Wittebane

Star Wars-

Kanan Jarrus

Obi Wan Kenobi

Fives

Torchwood-

Owen Harper

Ianto Jones

Ace Attorney-

Mia Fey

Deid Mann

Critical Role-

Laudna

Mollymauk Tealeaf

Star Trek-

Jennifer Sisko

Spock

Tasha Yar

Hamlet-

Hamlet

Ophelia

Dracula-

Quincey Morris

Dracula

Marvel-

Loki

Tony Stark

Natasha Romanoff

Final Fantasy-

Haurchefant

Aerith Gainsborough

Ysale Dangulain

The Last Of Us-

Joel Miller

Sarah Miller

Riley Abel

The Vampire Diaries-

Nora Hildegard

Stefan Salvatore

Klaus Mikaelson

Avatar: The Last Airbender-

Avatar Kyoshi

Avatar Roku

Jet

Hatoful Boyfriend-

Nageki Fujishiro

Ryuuji Kawara

Black Butler-

Grelle Sutcliffe

Angelina Dalles

How To Train Your Dragon-

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock 2

Stoick The Vast

Les Miserables-

Gavroche Thenardier

Eponine Thenardier

Supernatural-

John Winchester

Castiel

Buffy The Vampire Slayer-

Jenny Calender

Tara Maclay

Arcane-

Silco

Vander

Infinity Train-

Tuba

Simon Laurant

Sally Face-

Sal Fisher

Larry Johnson

Ghosts-

Pat Butcher

Pete Martino