Archie Sunday: Matter Over Mind

Get Reggie to tell you what he likes: he will not lie, though other Riverdale teens may deny. When a girl walks by with an itty-bitty waist and a round thing in his face, he gets sprung - to the extent that he completely ignores his date and eats her ice cream by mistake. 

Also, none of the songs that he writes are any good.

John Bought Comics, Honest

I've had a terrible tendency lately to let the slightest bit of business on a Thursday evening derail me from writing those reviews that I do, but I will battle against those procrastination impulses with the only weapon that I have: brevity! Yes, by telling myself that it will take less time than usual, I have broken free from the shackles of immobility! Huzzah!

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES COMICS: Well, the Superman/Batman No. 75 super-sized special was a bit of a bust. I have never seen Batman do less in the course of a comic. I realize that it is heavily implied that he schooled Brainiac 5 with his mad detective skills, but honestly, as much as I love the Legion, Batman should always explicitly show them up. Being from the future does not give you any sort of advantage over the MF Batman, kids. I did like the Kryptonite Luthor as a villain and the various back-up pieces were fun, but my heavens was this a dull read.

By Contrast, I couldn't be more happy with the Legion of Super-Heroes ongoing, currently at number 4. Huge cast having space adventures? Check. Plots that build off of the series' past rather than merely rehashing it? Check. Quislet? Check. Let the good times roll.

BATMAN COMICS: What a week! Detective Comics No. 868 was just solidly entertaining - Joker imitators and Batman imitators having a war in the streets is nothing but entertainment - but Batman No. 702 was a revelation, quite literally. To whit: about half the time when I finish a Grant Morrison yarn I have the feeling that I'm missing important details, and as much as I liked Batman RIP/Final Crisis/The Return of Bruce Wayne I definitely had that feeling about a million times. This comic made that feeling go away. Mostly. For the Batman parts. It's a joyous feeling.

SUPERMAN COMICS: As I said last time, Lex Luthor in Action Comics is a fantastic time. It will keep me reading at least one Superman book even if variable-speed Walking Superman (well, I assume. He's already about a fifth of the way across the US, right? If it took him a month to get that far, then this should be over by Christmas! But probably not. He'll probably slow down soon) breaks my spirit. Not only does it look great, but Paul Cornell is writing Luthor as the evil mastermind that he deserves to be, something that not everyone can do. 

Meanwhile, Superman: Secret Origin No. 6. Well, as I said way back when this started, I agree that Superman's origin was probably due for a tweaking and the first four issues of this series did a pretty good job of that. And then the last two tied Superman's past in to the present that was the storyline that ended almost three months ago. So not only does this issue tie Superman's origin into a plot that is now over but it helps establish the antagonism of a character who is now dead, whoo hoo. On the plus side, it reminded me that no matter how much I loathed the General Sam Lane subplot in last years Superman comics, in retrospect it was much better than the current bumblepiggery.

ROBERT KIRKMAN COMICS: Invincible and Science Dog and Guarding the Globe in one week? and they're all really fun? This cat is on fire! I'm going to use the word trifecta! It's a total trifecta! Yeah!

Seriously, though: I really enjoy these comics. 

CODEBREAKERS TP: I could never find the second issue of this series, so this is a complete godsend. If you missed this in single issues then I must encourage you to check it out: it's essentially an action movie starring crypto nerds. Bonus: the main dude has grey-sides-and-back Reed Richards hair and it is amazing. If I weren't going to end up with an amazingly receded hairline I would aspire to hair like his.

And... done! Apologies for the horrible sentence structure but you can't argue with laziness. And laziness is my super-power. I'm the god-damn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

And Now, Your Wednesday Night Movie

 An Action-Packed Thrill-Ride That Never Lets Up and Never Lets You Down!

Thrill! To the Antics of Rack and Gort, the Underworld Thugs!

Chill! To the Cold-Blooded Ruthlessness of Aldo Maxim, Gang Boss!

Grill! Some Burgers in an Effort To Calm Your Nerves After Meeting His Rival, the Man Known as Pete Tanno!

Kill! A Few Beers to Go With Those Burgers as You Ponder the Mysterious Identity of the Mysterious Jobo Larch!

Yes, It's the Cinematic Sensation That's Sweeping the Nation, Bruce Wayne in...

CRIME WEARS A STUPID NAME

Justice Society: Purveyors of Animal Knowledge

Oh the things that you learn when you read old issues of All-Star Comics.

Of course, it's not just learning about the true terrifying nature of the giant Galapagos turtle. The JSA also spreads the word on Australia's most diabolical kill-beast:

Yes, the JSA is committed to spreading the word about just how freakishly dangerous every animal on Earth is. Remember: no matter how harmless you believe a creature to be, don't turn your back on it, because it is a stone cold killer.

The Unfunnies: Maw Paw and Willie

I have to confess that I actually really like this comic. But this weekly feature is called the Unfunnies, and so honour demands that I find something to critique.

Pshh, five trumpets for a quarter? There goes my suspension of disbelief. It's a good thing that all of those children have such great hats, let me tell you, or the rage would overwhelm me.

This'un's from New Adventure Comics No. 14!