My Problem With Guy

 

People are stupid. People are jerks. That's really the bottom line.

When did we stop looking up?

Heroes should have some kind of virtue. Heroes should be role models. Yes, I know, that's kind of an outdated, antiquated concept, but why are we celebrating jackasses?

You can argue that Guy Gardener is a jerk, BUT at least he's OUR jerk. He's on OUR side.

I beg to differ. We live in a world where citizens want to DEFUND the police. Citizens are protesting ICE doing an ugly, thankless job of separating citizens from illegal aliens. You can call them "undocumented" all you want, but if you try to get into a concert or a sports game without a ticket, you're not an "un-ticketed audience member". There is a disrespect that borders on lawlessness and chaos. The debate rages due to bad apples. Guy Gardner is a bad apple. His gimmick only works in comic books and maybe stretched thinly in live action. I like Nathan Fillion- I really do - however, his portrayal of Guy Gardner is troubling mostly because it's so spot on. My gut tells me that if Guy Gardner were a real person, things would not stop at "one-punch" from Batman. One of his fellow heroes might just kill him and hide the body.

There's a theory that if Gilligan's Island were real, the other six castaways would actually KILL Gilligan. After a while, they'd get tired of him ruining every hope and chance of rescue. They'd kill him and maybe eat him.

My gut tells me that there is a very fine line between Guy Gardner and Sinestro. 

Sinestro is the former Green Lantern that trained Hal Jordan. Sinestro was arrogant. Sinestro was a jerk. Eventually, he got tired of following. He got tired of being told. Sinestro eventually wanted to do things HIS own way. So, he found the one weakness of the Green Lanterns. The conceit is that the Green Lanterns' ONE weakness is yellow. So, the Sinestro Corps - imagine that: he named the corps after himself! - bears the YELLOW power ring of FEAR. At one time, both Batman and The Scarecrow were pawns of the Sinestro Corps for their ability to inspire fear.

If Guy Gardner were real, he'd be the cop caught choking someone. He'd be the one caught with his knee on someone's throat. He just strikes me as reckless in his arrogance.

Heroes can be accidentally reckless. It does happen. A hero shouldn't be arrogant and reckless. I'm looking for some quality that separates Guy from Sinestro and I'm not seeing it. Are you?

Unfortunately, Guy is part of a pack of anti-heroes. Or characters that are supposed to be "bad ass", which is supposed to be cool. Unfortunately, Guy Gardner is just a dumbass jackass with a Moe Howard haircut and way too much power. My gut tells me that, like Gilligan, other super-heroes would get tired of his ****, or the Guardians on OA would get tired of his ****, and either he'd start his own Corps, like Sinestro, or he'd be a dumbass jackass without a power ring.

Heroes should always inspire a person to look up. To be someone and something better. Guy's an arrogant, cocky, oafish, reckless, selfish, loud-mouthed bully. He's not "bad ass". Still, I am looking for redeeming qualities. Not seeing any. I know that he had a relationship with Ice before her passing.

What Guy needs is some sort of re-direction. If you're good at what you do, nobody really focuses or pays attention to your personality or attitude. You might be able to get away with being a jackass if you're actually smart and good at what you do. Like Sherlock Holmes.

Guy Gardner may just be dumb. But he's very close to being an evil super-villain. That's not the kind of role model anyone needs.

That's just one fan's opinion. And you're entitled to it!      

Access Back in Action! The Unlimited Access 1 Review!

Pat Oliffe's cover is very cool! Access is the keeper of the Amalgam Universe. "Inside" Access, too, is the gateway between the DC and Marvel Universes as well! The cover shows that within Access is The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Wonder Woman and The Juggernaut!

The unique and fresh spin for Unlimited Access, is not just space. The two universes, Marvel and DC coming together and teaming up against mutual foes, but bouncing around - or, quantum leaping - through different time periods of each universe! What starts in the present, with Spider-Man and Wonder Woman facing Mantis and The Juggernaut, bounces to Coast City four years after Barry Allen died and Hal Jordan facing The Hulk! Next, Access encounters Jonah Hex and Two-Gun Kid! After sending Jonah Hex off into the future to end up as Hex, possibly, Access ends up with The Legion of Super-Heroes facing The Sentinels!

Karl Kesel, Pat Olliffe and Al Williamson make an enjoyable team for an enjoyable story. The time travel element keeps things fresh!

Bouncing around significant time periods in each universe is a brilliant idea. Okay, maybe not so much original, as Access is now following a somewhat typical story trope. Kesel, Olliffe and Williamson manage to keep things interesting. It's nice that they manage to bounce Axel's relationship troubles off Peter and MJ. There's another laugh when MJ calls out Spider-Man flirting with Wonder Woman.

It's a fun, exciting, thrilling story. "No Time Like the Present" Unlimited Access earns five stars.   
 

For Those That Follow... JSA: All Stars 1 "Legacy" Review

 

David Goyer and Geoff Johns present the Justice Society of America facing Legacy!

The Spectre pulls back the curtain. Sand is escorting The Icicle on a military transport to prison in Florida. Solomon Grundy rips open a side of the plane. Freed, The Icicle cushions the planes crash landing. The rest of the Injustice Gang is on hand, greeted by the Justice Society. The battle engages! It's all very dramatic and somewhat posing and posturing. Very quickly The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Wildcat are transported out of the battle by the bad guys. Sand is immobilized! Returning to their Manhattan headquarters, they try to deduce what the device is that paralyzed Sand and kidnapped four of their members.

The cover is awesome.

Sal Velluto's art, with Bob Almond inks and John Kalisz colors is just the very definition of eye-candy. Ken Lopez's lettering has each character's voice down and dialogue, roll call and effects are unique.

Legacy himself is pretty much a mystery and cypher at this point. Somewhat hollow and shallow. The cliffhanger sets up the master plan that will undoubtedly unfold as the story progresses.

JSA: All Stars 1, "Legacy" earns four stars.

A Veritable Treasure Trove of Invaluable Information! The All-Star Comics Illustrated Index Review!

Murray R. Ward's All-Star Comics Illustrated Index spotlighting the Justice Society of America was definitely one ambitious undertaking! A few words of his own, followed by a few words from Roy Thomas, then headlong into a veritable definitive Who's Who of the Justice Society. Secret Origins, notable adventures and appearances. All of this is a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths wrap to the Golden-Age era, Earth-2 and the classic Justice Society. Crisis on Infinite Earths erased the Golden-Age era Superman family, Batman family, Wonder Woman family and Aquaman. The sliding timeline meant that the Justice Society had already formed without these heroes. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were now part of the Justice League. And Wonder Woman wasn't even a founding member of the Justice League! Black Canary was a founding member of the League, and Diana joined later.

So gone were Superman, Batman and Robin, Helena Wayne as The Huntress and Wonder Woman. 

Starting with DC Special 29, from August-September of 1977, which featured the Secret Origin of the team, this illustrated index features a breakdown of the first four issues of All-Star Comics. The highlight being All Star Comics 3 from Winter 1940, the very first appearance of the classic line-up of the Justice Society.

It's incredibly detailed and researched. Very informative. Unfortunately, it also seemed to be short-lived and cancelled.

For what it is, a first issue and launch of a series it earns five stars.  

Beware The Power of the Darkest Night! JLA: Age of Wonder 2 Review!

Years pass in "The Age of Wonder". Ambition grows. Barry Allen and Ted Knight, now joined by Ray Palmer as The Atom and the enigmatic Plastic Man investigate the explosion at a munitions warehouse that killed Oliver Queen, The Green Arrow. Diana, Princess of the Amazons of Themyscira, was seen escaping the blast. Urban legend The Batman advises that the League should have paid closer attention to an eyewitness. He tells them to find the woman.

As Bruce Wayne, he does. Lex Luthor now is President Wilson's secretary of defense. Diana, an emissary from a Paradise Island, is also Luthor's protege. Luthor is manipulating world events toward world war! Hal Jordan advises the British Army against the Kaiser's forces. He discovers Luthor's treason. In attempting to stop Luthor and Diana, Hal is murdered. 

What comes next is the unimaginable. The Kaiser unleashes an atomic bomb on London, leaving more than 200,000 dead, the city in ruins and uninhabitable.

The one hope is the dying General Jordan send his ring to find Clark Kent. The Super Man returns and unites the League to crush the Prussians. Batman and Diana defeat Luthor. As Luthor is executed for treason, Clark Kent forms the Justice League of Nations.

Adisakdi Tantimedh's story is truly the darkest before the dawn. Luthor's naked ambition to leave a mark and be remembered as greater than The Super Man brings a hellish world tomorrow. P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman and Dave McCaig ignite the explosive fury of Luthor's devilish machinations. It is tragic that Hal and Diana are casualties of Luthor's madness. The hope is that a brighter day rises like a phoenix from the ashes.

JLA: Age of Wonder 2 earns five stars
 

The Man of Tomorrow Can't Catch a Break! "JLA: The Age of Wonder" 1 Review

Jonathan and Martha Wayne are in Philadelphia for the 1876 Exposition. Lois Lane is there, interviewing one of Thomas Edison's top men, Lex Luthor. "The Age of Wonder" opens with Clark Kent making his debut as "The Super Man" at the Exhibition. He selflessly and generously offers his services to Edison. While most men work toward advancement for financial gain. Kent is a humanitarian and philanthropist. Persuaded by Lex Luthor, Kent, Nikola Tesla, Barry Allen and Ted Knight decide to branch off from Edison. Knight develops a power rod, becoming The Starman. Following a freak accident, Barry Allen becomes The Human Flash. With Luthor and Thomas Wayne funding, they become The Justice League of Science. When an alien wielding a Green Lantern power ring arrives on Earth and dies, Hal Jordan joins the group as The Green Lantern. 

Kent maintains his firm stance as a generous humanitarian, even when the public's greed turns noble efforts to failure. Luthor tires to make his mark with unique and singular discoveries, which bring him into direct conflict with Kent. 

Luthor manipulates Jordan to an extreme effort against The Man of Tomorrow.

Adisakdi Tantimedh's story is quite riveting, an ideal Elseworlds "What if..." tale. Unfortunately, the utopian future crumbles under human nature, ambition, avarice and greed. 

P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman and Dave McCaig capture the Industrial Revolution quite vividly and enjoyably. Bob Lappan's lettering enhances the period piece.

JLA: Age of Wonder 1 earns five stars.