Shadow and Flame with Magik

Written by Kyle Higgins

Pencilled by Brett Booth

Inked by Norm Rapmund

Colored by Andrew Dalhouse

I bought this issue solely for the cover, as I’m a huge fan of homages to Uncanny X-Men 141.  I like how, with these homages, that 141 has become this iconic cover.

This comic was pretty good, I didn’t realize that DC doesn’t do recap pages like how Marvel does, which is a shame as all I know about last issue is that the Prankster has essentially blinded Grayson and trapped him in a tank.  The interesting thing is that it looks like Nigthwing is using this as a training exercise or something as he doesn’t seem that troubled by it and the Prankster seems to be trying to encourage him to get through it.  The Chicago police are after the Prankster and, it seems, are after Nightwing too, or maybe they just don’t know who Nightwing is in this new continuity.

Which I don’t mind no recap page or references to the previous issue as when it comes out in trade, you would have to read something that you clearly just read a few pages back, so I like that idea, and Higgins shouldn’t be writing his comic just for the one guy who jumped in the middle of the story, it should be exciting enough to warrant me to go back and buy the previous issue as well as the next issue.  I’m not going to do that but it was a fun diversion.

Nightwing is after Zucco, who killed his parents back in the day, or at least that’s how Pre-Flashpoint/52 continuity was like.  Interesting that they are now just doing a follow up to what I can imagine is his origin story but from I remember reading back in the day, the whole point with the relaunch of the 52 titles, was to start each arc with a great exciting issue and then dig into origins and explain the differences along the way.  Which is why Batman Year Zero is just now coming out.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Slipshift, who can phase through walls, that was pretty cool.  Not a power enough people do with, which is a real shame, as it can be an extremely deadly power.

Imagine if Invisible Woman and Shadowcat went around, while invisible, just taking people’s hearts out of their bodies?  That would be horrible!  Heroes did something like that, during the first season, with DL, spoilers, which I liked how they used the power, not so much with that character but still, a fun watch.  Then again, Kitty is a ninja, and can phase through the ground, so you really don’t need Sue there, but it might be nice to have someone to talk to during this gruesome crime wave.  Luckily, they don’t do this, as they are heroes.

This was my first issue of any New 52 title, I’m flipping through Justice League at the store, but was not tempted to read it.  I’m not the biggest fan of how DC likes to reboot their continuity every 25 or 15 years, it makes sense why they do it, but then there are no stakes.  Marvel doesn’t do that, but I’ve always been a Marvel guy.

DC, to me, has three great characters.  Chase Cameron, Batman, Wally West Flash and as far as I know, Chase Cameron and Wally West, don’t exist in this new 52 universe.  If you ever get a chance to buy that Chase trade, I can’t recommend it highly enough.  Not sure if her first appearance in Batman 550 made it (it would have to, I’ll imagine) but a good read.  I know she was in that Manhunter series towards the end, and that was good too.

I just saw the new 52 has a huge jumping off point instead of a jumping on point but it shows up end in sight and they haven’t done anything where they have hinted that the old universe still exists so its most likely here to stay (for at least another 12 years anyway) but in this age of having to stay current, and having to reclaim new readers each year, it took a lot of courage to do this clean slate, it just wasn’t for me.

Independence Day Film

On a side, note, today is July 2nd, and if you are as crazy as I am, I just wanted to remind any of you, that if you like to watch the 1996 classic film, Independence Day, broken up over three days, today is the first day to do it.  I always forget which day is shorter, I want to say the July 3rd portion is the shortest, with the 2nd being the longest.  Fun movie, not sure why Margaret Colin didn’t work more after that film, she was great in that movie as Connie, who was married to Jeff Goldblum’s character.  Just looking over her Wikipedia page and she was on a TV show called “Now and Again” which I wonder if I can find that anywhere.  She was also on Gossip Girl, so I’ll have to ask my wife about that at some point too.  *mental note*

Watching this movie like this was a fun tradition that my mother and I started, most likely in 1997, when we owned the film on VHS.  I have to admit that there have been years when I plump forgot to do it and either watched the whole film on the 4th or just scolded myself and told myself to make sure I do it the next year.  Its pretty much the only real “our unique” family tradition we had, which was nice as sometimes in school, you have to write essays on stuff like that and I knew other students would struggle with the assignment as they didn’t have anything like that and I could write about a movie for a page and call it a day.