#stephen reads jsa

[radroller]

[corner-stories]

in every way but blood

Bart Allen. Jesse Chambers.

Accusations. Aggressive Drumming. Hugs.

1798 words.

(ao3.)

Bart Allen was never fond of school.

There was something nefarious about a system that forced every kid to be judged by the same standard, despite no two people ever being the same. There was something even more nefarious about the deciding factor of someone’s potential future opportunities being the extent of their ability to analyze Catcher in the Rye or whatever, even if their chosen career path had nothing to do in that field. 

When Bart was asked to redo a test, a sudden sense of rage ignited inside of him, an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time. Apparently doing too well on the social studies final came off as suspicious, especially from Keystone High’s resident jittery goofball. It seemed that his disinterest in doing homework — which barely counted towards his overall grade — led to a slacker reputation that just didn’t mesh with getting every question right on the final exam. 

Bart surprised himself by remaining oddly civil during the meeting with Mr. Aition, who was lucky to only get a stern, grumpy nod from his student in response. For once in his life, he managed to keep his stupid mouth shut as he grabbed his bag and left the classroom. 

So now he was here, secluded in the Garrick household with only his thoughts and a hobby to keep himself company.

Drumming was a strange thing for him to have picked up. Although Joan and Jay seemed panicked when he rolled up with a second-hand set purchased from Craigslist, they were strangely supportive of him as long as he set up his drums in the garage and the garage only. They even let him sound dampen the walls. 

Bart liked to believe that he didn’t suck at drumming. When he first picked up the sticks he immediately made an attempt at emulating the erratic antics of Keith Moon, but after enough practice he found himself preferring a different style of percussion. 

He was less drawn to the wilder, aggressive styles of the craft and more entranced by the subtler, more technically precise methods. The beats in songs that spoke to him were very machine-like, keeping a rhythm with intense rigor and meticulousness. When he drummed his hands were a blur over the set, something that would make Stephen Morris very proud. Some days he preferred to hit the toms more often, other times he would stick to the hi-hat and snare. He kept his fills fast and slick, even if it made his hands ache afterwards.

Bart had read books filled with exercises and drum rudiments, often practicing until either Jay or Joan politely requested some peace and quiet. Perhaps if that whole speedster thing didn’t work out for him, then he would certainly have a promising career as a human drum machine. 

With Jay at the JSA HQ and Joan giving a lecture at Keystone University, Bart was left to his own devices. Not that he minded though, as it meant that he could be as loud as he wanted and hit his kit to his heart’s desire. 

As Bart sat on the throne and held the sticks in his hands, he made sure to make every strike count. Hitting the rack tom just felt satisfying, pressing down on the foot pedal made him feel less jittery, and taking his frustrations out on a hi-hat and snare was just plain soothing. The kit was used, but with every strike Bart was reminded  just how much life was left in it. Physically he was here, but emotionally he was a percussionist in some 80s British post-punk band singing about how much Thatcher could suck it. It felt nice to be that, even just for a little while. 

Bart played at his usual pace, playing the main beats with a kind of particularity but adding some flair through the various fills. Sixteenth notes were often his favorite to play. In this state he could think — his head felt clear in the time between hits, milliseconds that he could stretch out forever. 

He tried to think of anything else. He tried to not think about Mr. Aition sending a scathing email to Jay and Joan, as opposed trusting the student to tell the news himself. He tried to not think about Jay and Max’s choice to keep Bart in the midwest, as apparently Keystone’s schools were better than Manchester’s. He tried not to think about the future, or what he wanted to do about school, or how someone would ask him about college at the next family picnic, or the inevitable reality that he would have to redo his god forsaken social studies test because Mr. Aition could suck it. 

Then in the midst of a double fill, Bart felt his senses perk up — something that filled him with a sudden feeling of anticipation. The second Bart bestowed paradiddle onto his snare, he saw flashes of bright yellow lightning in the corner of his eye. 

In the corner of the Garrick garage stood Jesse Chambers. The scowl on her face and furrowing of her brow indicated a rather intense amount of frustration bubbling in her brain — the fact that she was also currently three months pregnant probably wasn’t helping either.

“Hey, is it true?” asked Jesse, clearly upset about the whole ordeal.

Bart grumbled and put his sticks down on the snare. “That there’s a door? Yes.”

Jesse wasn’t having it. She walked up to the set and took him by the shoulder. “Answer the question — did a teacher accuse you of cheating?”

For a moment Bart could only look up at her. Absolutely sweltering from the drums, he could feel drops of perspiration moving down his forehead and over his eyes. He wiped it off and avoided her gaze, trying his damndest to ignore the pit of anger that had been brewing inside for the last hour. Perhaps he should have hit the drums a little harder.

“Yeah, so what?” he said like it never mattered. He grabbed his water bottle off the floor. “Who told you, anyway? Jay or Joan?”

Jesse shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. What’s your teacher’s name?”

Bart let out a sigh. It seemed that having tenure on both the League and the Society, a lofty share in her father’s company, a loving himbo husband, as well as a child on the way couldn’t stop Jessica Belle Chambers from meddling in other people’s business.

“Why do you wanna know?” asked the younger speedster, sounding just the slightest bit defensive.

“Because I’m gonna give that man a piece of my mind, that’s why I wanna know,” Jesse claimed with a frightening sense of determination in her voice. “What’s your teacher’s name?”

“Jess, it’s fi-”

“What’s your teacher’s name!?”

Her voice was loud and resonant, a noise so jarring that it made Bart’s heart skip a beat. In his odd years of life he had seen Jesse angry before — lord knew that she had lots of reasons to be — but today there was something vengeful in her eyes, like a line had been crossed to hell and back again.

“Jesse, chill!!!” Bart pleaded, standing from the drum throne. He raised his hand up to placate her. “It’s fine! Why are you even doing this?!”

“Because the idea that you’d ever cheat doesn’t make any sense!!!” Jesse explained loudly. “Come on, Bart, you’re too lazy to even think of it. Why would your teacher even do this?” 

His first reaction was to scoff. “Well, that’s it, right? I’m lazy and shit,” Bart explained as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. He gave Jesse a shrug. “I don’t do my homework a lot — fuck it, y’know? It doesn’t add up to my final grade so what’s the fucking point?” 

Avoiding her gaze once more, Bart took a few steps away and placed some distance between him and Jesse. He could feel his heart rate rising. In his chest he felt a weird empty hole, like nothing was there at all. He wiped more sweat off his forehead, though at this point it was hard to tell how much was from the drumming and how much was from his stress levels. 

“Mr. Aition accuses everyone of stupid shit,” he claimed like it would justify everything. “Last week, he accused some ninth-grader of shooting up in the bathroom. She’s a diabetic, for god’s sake! Let her do that needle thingy in peace!”

Impatiently, Jesse put her hand on her hip. “Bart, stay focused.”

“I am!” he insisted, feeling himself getting more and more frustrated by the minute. “Listen, I don’t care what Mr. Asshole wants any more.” In frustration he grit his teeth. “If he’s gonna fail me because he thinks I’m a goddamn idiot than so fucking be it!” 

Then suddenly the garage went silent. The look of grievance on Jesse’s face slowly softened. 

For a few seconds more neither speedsters spoke, then gently Jesse said —

“That’s not gonna happen… because I’m gonna talk to him.”

Bart didn’t know what to say — his heart was pounding and his face felt hot. He rarely ever got angry, as the feeling often left him with a headache at best and severe regret at worst. 

With a few slow breaths he could feel himself calming down. A million thoughts ran through his head as he looked up at Jesse. In every way but blood she was his older sister, a sister who bothered and annoyed him to seemingly no end, but one who loved and doted over and cared for him just as much. He had forgotten that lately, having been so swept up in an existence of speed and school and adventures around the world. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Bart finally spoke. Something inside of him tensed, an uneasiness that told him that his words were a lie. 

“I don’t have to,” Jesse avowed. “I want to.” 

Somehow, her promise was enough to make Bart smile, albeit a simple one. He made a sound that sounded somewhat like a laugh.

“Do you always have to baby me?” he asked, putting his hands on his head in an attempt to fidget and busy himself. 

“Always.” 

And with that said, Jesse pulled him into a hug. Bart didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, immediately wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. Nowadays he stood a tad taller than usual, but even then he still had to get his toes just a bit to better hug Jesse. Not like he cared, though. 

Life for a speedster was strange, time often moved so fast that one could forget the simplest of things, and sometimes one could forget that Max, Iris, Jay, Joan, Linda, and Wally weren’t only people who helped make Bart Allen. 

[thevindicativevordan]

Weekly comic review ?

Nightwing #100 - A great artist showcase that Taylor manages to stay mostly out of the way of. No real narrative developments worth mentioning, the Titans shilling and obvious setup for a new Taylor written Titans ongoing just makes me roll my eyes but hey - whatever pries Taylor off of Jon I'm all in favor of.

World's Finest #11 - Solid ending to an arc that surprised me. Got thoughts to share on Magog now that it's over that I'll write up in a different post, but I will say I didn't expect him and Clark to part on such amicable terms. Of course Waid canonized the depower chamber from Superman II, should have seen that coming. Ending is definitely setting up some kind of follow up, be that in a future arc or in a spinoff mini like how Lazarus Planet is resolving the Nezha plotline.

Stargirl #3 - Continues to be great, guessing the Foster Father is Per Degaton. Eventually I'm sure Courtney will join the JSA book, only question is how many of these legacies will too.

One Bad Day: Bane - After Dark Crisis shit the bed Williamson needed this book to come out to remind me why I was on board for his Superman. It's solid and I love the twist that the "one bad day" for Bane actually ends up being the day he broke Batman. He peaked then and there, and never achieved anything as noteworthy ever again, something Bane himself recognizes and regrets. By the end he's become a quasi-Batman figure himself, taking in and mentoring a young man in an attempt to find a new purpose in life. Very much feels like an abbreviated DKR for Bane which is fitting given his status as the Evil Batman.

Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton -

Dreamer: Fine. Mostly just served as the story to explain what the hell is going on if you didn't bother to read Batman vs. Robin or the Alpha issue.

Jon - Wow actual chemistry between Jon and someone else! Almost forgot what that felt like after a year of utter blandness between Jon and Jay. God just break those two up already and put Jon with Ash, it would at least be amusing to see Jon dating someone who pushes back at his preaching.

Mercy - Good, I liked the flashes we get of her relationship with Lex and I approve of her becoming more like her animated Young Justice counterpart. Not quite a cyborg, more like Alex Mercer in terms of powerset.

Power Girl - Beautiful art, and Leah seems to have a good handle on Karen's voice. If she's getting telepathy I think she needs to give up one of the powers she already has in exchange. Looking forward to the backup.

The New Champion of Shazam #4 - Ending was a bit rushed but on the whole this was an enjoyable mini that left me feeling very optimistic about MAWS. I'm not thrilled that they seem to just want to have Mary go by "Shazam" too, come on surely we can come up with a better code name for her than just having her use Billy's. Especially since not only is he coming back, but his book is going by Shazam! Have Mary go by "Captain Shazam" if DC/Campbell is that opposed to a gendered name for her, it pays homage to Billy's original name and let's her be "Shazam" without literally having the same name as him.

Immortal X-Men #10 - Holy fuck I haven't been this eager for the follow-up since HoX/PoX. Gillen nails Xavier, there's no question that he is a good man, but his goodness doesn't stop him from taking actions that leave you unsettled. And that cliffhanger... looks like we're seeing the beginning of the end for resurrections.

Invincible Iron Man #2 - It's fine. I have no clue what is going on with Riri since I have never read anything with her in it, but she comes across as Tony's equal in arrogance alongside intellect.

Strange #10 - I was not familiar at all with Clea before this mini but now consider me a Clea fan. Great ending and i can't wait to see where McKay takes these two next. I've seen articles hyping up the new Strange series coming as being about Stephen as a wife guy, but brethren, it's Clea who is the husband gal. Look at that adorable psycho itching to slaughter an entire building this issue, but shows mercy because she loves her husband that much! Awwwww!

[aion-rsa]

Stargirl: Who Are the Seven Soldiers of Victory?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains Stargirl spoilers.

Stargirl continues to deliver some of the deepest cuts in DC Universe TV history to fans each week. Not only that, it does it with not a hint of irony about it, even when it’s presenting characters who, to modern eyes, might appear a little bit hokey if presented in their original form. The latest example of that comes with their revelation of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, a relatively obscure group of Golden Age superheroes who fought alongside the Justice Society of America back in the day.

The DC Comics version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory first appeared in 1941’s Leading Comics #1 by Mort Weisinger (who went on to become a legendary editor of the Superman titles during the Silver Age) and Mort Meskin. Having seen the success of the Justice Society in the pages of All-Star Comics, it was clear that another super team with some other heroes who didn’t have enough to do in their own titles could make for a solid headline feature for Leading Comics, and the Seven Soldiers were born.

The team never quite caught on with readers the way the JSA did, and slipped into obscurity after a few years, but were resurrected in the pages of Justice League of America in 1972. In a story that could potentially fuel a future season of Stargirl, the JLA and JSA need to track down the Seven Soldiers who have been scattered throughout history.

The name was revived for a Grant Morrison DC Comics event called Seven Soldiers, which showcased a very different Shining Knight, a new version of Jack Kirby’s Guardian, Mister Miracle, Bulleteer, Frankenstein’s monster (yep), Zatanna, and Klarion the Witch Boy. It absolutely rules and you should read it on DC Universe.

But the version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory we’re introduced to on Stargirl is very much the original/traditional model of the team. In “Brainwave,” once again, Pat Dugan is giving Courtney Whitmore a history lesson, and as is the source of so many great DC Comics Easter eggs on this show, we get an old black-and-white photograph featuring the heroes.

(screen grab courtesy of the great Andy Mangels’ Facebook page).

From left to right we have…

The Crimson Avenger and Wing

The Crimson Avenger pre-dates Batman as the first masked hero in DC Comics, first appearing in Detective Comics #20 in 1938. Essentially a knock-off of popular radio hero the Green Hornet, the Crimson Avenger was Lee Travis, aided by his sidekick Wing. The Crimson Avenger’s original costume is exactly what we see in this photo, but he later adopted a more traditional superhero costume. Here, Wing is wearing the costume he sported during the Crimson’s tights-and-cowl days, and they’re pretty similar.

Green Arrow and Speedy

In case you needed any additional proof that Stargirl doesn’t take place on the Arrowverse Earth-Prime, here it is. I’m not sure who that is in the Green Arrow suit, but maybe, just MAYBE there’s a tiny resemblance to a more clean cut Stephen Amell. Sorta. If you squint.

Nevertheless, here’s Green Arrow in a costume that is perfectly accurate to how he appeared in the comics of the 1940s, not to mention Speedy’s less than flattering red version of the costume.

The Shining Knight

Stargirl viewers may recognize the sword as the one belonging to Justin the janitor at Blue Valley High. It appears that each week Justin remembers more and more of his past as “Sir Justin.” It looks like the mystery of Sir Justin will come to a head in next week’s episode, which is appropriately titled “The Shining Knight.”

The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy

OK, obviously these two need no introduction, but this is only the second or third time we’ve caught a glimpse of Starman in his younger days, with a perfectly comics accurate (and less flattering) costume than the one we saw him rocking in the first episode.

The Vigilante

No, not the Arrow villain! The Greg Saunders version of the Vigilante was created by Mort Weisinger and Mort Meskin in the pages of Action Comics #42 in 1941. He was just a traditional Western character until he joined up with the Seven Soldiers.

The post Stargirl: Who Are the Seven Soldiers of Victory? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3gYg6G9

[westofwonder]

Pull List (12/14 & 21/2022)

Batman/Superman World’s Finest #10 Black Panther #12 Catwoman #50 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103 Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 Radiant Black #20 Stargirl: The Lost Children #2 Starghenge Book One: The Dragon and the Boar #6 Strange #9 Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 (Facsimile Edition) Wonder Woman #794 X-Men Annual #1 Earthdivers: Kill Columbus #2 & #3

World’s Finest - Consistently good. Glad this book has excellent talent on it.

Black Panther - Black Panther’s continuing role as an Avenger is always something that is cool to see during the changing notions of Wakanda.

Catwoman - Yay! 50!

Power Rangers - I’m barely tolerating Matt at this point. When I’m reading a comic about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I want it to be about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers! Matt is Poochie at this point.

Monica Rambeau - Glad to see Monica get some spotlight.

Radiant Black - Glad this book is consistent.

Stargirl - This is a good book. And this is surprisingly better than the new JSA book. Looking forward to see how Courtney helps solves the mystery of the disappearing sidekicks.

Starhenge - Such fun artwork I can’t wait to read it all.

Strange - Not sure how I feel about Stephen Strange coming back into the role so soon; I was enjoying his time as the Harvestman.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man - Yay, Miles!

Wonder Woman - So close to 800 is making me nervous.

X-Men Annual - Firestar getting this issue is hilarious for me.

Earthdivers - Grabbed two issues because I forgot when these were out.

This is short because I’ve had a lot of stuff to do recently.

Happy readings and happy holidays!

[mybookplacenet]

JSA by Geoff Johns Book Three by Geoff Johns

About JSA by Geoff Johns Book Three: An all-star lineup of writers and artists headlines this JSA collection! Can the legacies of the classic JSA members be exploited and corrupted? Plus, Roulette runs the most dangerous gambling den on Earth, where heroes are lured to fight while super-villains bet on the outcome. Collects JSA: All Stars #1-8, JSA Annual #1, JSA Secret Files and Origins #2 and JSA #26-31, plus a never-before-collected story from JSA SECRET FILES #1 and a treasure trove of bonus material. Written by: Geoff Johns Illustrated by: Rags Morales, Stephen Sadowski Targeted Age Group: Young Adult Buy the ebook Buy the Paperback Book Buy the Series Read the full article

[pubtheatres1]

KICKED IN THE SH*TTER by Leon Fleming Directed by Scott Le Crass The Hope Theatre until 8 April “Life is pretty shit” ★★★★ Before ‘Job Centre plus’ there was the ‘Labour Exchange’. In London, there was a ‘Labour Exchange’ specifically for Actors. This was in Victoria. On leaving Drama school, with no employment, I went to this ‘Labour Exchange’. I joined a queue and to my astonishment in front of me was (Sir) Derek Jacobi. A few years before he had starred in the acclaimed television series “I Claudius”. He was an enormous star. “Mr Jacobi, can I say what a tremendous honour it is to be in the same queue as you.” He replied, “that’s nothing, look at the front of the line. There’s Peter O Toole”. And it was. Leon Fleming’s play “Kicked in the Shitter” has these government agencies very much at the heart of the action. The list of Government acronyms seems to go on forever: JSA. ESA. PIP. etc. As Leon Fleming says ‘It’s grim out there. It’s grim everywhere’. The play centres around a brother and sister whose love and dependency on each other is enormously touching. We are drawn into their world. It’s a world of depression, anxiety and self harm. But where Leon Fleming is so clever is in the fact that he never allows it to become maudlin. The whole piece is laced with humour. It’s also a play about the defiance of the human spirit. It is grim out there but in the end, it’s a piece that is redemptive. Without a doubt, Leon Fleming is a first-class wordsmith. His dialogue is ‘raw’, effective and very telling. “Kicked in the Shitter” quite honestly hits you like a bucket of the aforementioned. Do I have reservations? Well yes, I do. It’s about structure. Every now and again he loses his audience because, it seems to me, that he digresses. He doesn’t go for the jugular. Leon Fleming is a young man with a very bright future. This is his second play. He will only get better. The two actors Helen Budge and James Clay- as ‘him and ‘her’- give searingly honest performances. Miss Budge in particular manages to wring every ounce of humour from her despair. Scott le Crass’ direction is clear, heartfelt and imaginative. In a note in the programme he says he has eschewed ‘popular music and a naturalistic set.... to focus on the story, its relationships’. Certainly, for me the settings worked terribly well but I wasn’t sure about the Music. Every now and again the Radio is switched on during the action and I found this discordant. Lastly praise must be heaped upon The Artistic Director of the Hope Theatre, Mathew Parker. Not only has he created this absolute powerhouse of a theatre. But he has had the ‘cojones’ to programme such a visceral piece as “Kicked in the Shitter”. Photography: Ashley Carter Read our interview with playwright Leon Fleming http://bit.ly/2nl3GgF BOX OFFICE: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/166203 telephone bookings: 0333 666 3366 The Hope Theatre is above the Hope & Anchor pub. The address is 207 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1RL and can be found on the corner of Upper Street and Islington Park Street. Reviewer Richard Braine is actor, director and playwright. As an Actor, he has worked extensively throughout the country including Chichester Festival Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Birmingham Rep, and Stephen Joseph Theatre in Yorkshire. His Television and Film credits include: “Calendar Girls”, “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies”, “Finding Neverland”, “Bridget Jones”, “Suspicions of Mr Whicher”, “Mr Selfridge” and many years ago Gussie Fink-Nottle in “Jeeves and Wooster”. He has also filmed over 150 Commercials all over the world. He has directed the European premiere of Sternheim/Martin “The Underpants” at The Old Red Lion Theatre and written three plays: “Being There with Sellers”, “Bedding Clay Jones” and “Sexing Alan Titchmarsh”.

[acmecomics]

Acme First Look #133 for 5.26.10

Acme First Look #133 for 5.26.10

Hopefully everyone is getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather AND a copy of Avengers #1! If you haven’t already, flip to the back and make sure you read the oral history of the Avengers! It’s gonna be running through at least Avengers and New Avengers and might give you some fresh perspective on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Stephen’s So-Called Emo Life! Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire’s JSA – by…

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Queen

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@bobbytriesatlife BOBBY LITERALLY IM READING THIS AND THE ARTISTS DRAW HER SO BUFF IM LOSING MY MIND

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I DID NOT EXPECT THIS ISSUE TO BE SO RAW HOLY FUCK

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Im this woman in the background who’s like “lol nice knowin ya!”

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Rawest shit in the universe. All that’s missing is an insert theme or smth

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Geoff Johns be like “dw i’ll retcon this later”

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God im glad we don’t have to worry about shit like this when it comes to Power Girl’s origin anymore. It’s like Donna Troy 2.0

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HE WAS BLUFFING! THE MADMAN!!!!!