I like the New Beetle. The kid seems cool and although Ted's costume is classic and cool, it was time for an update.

What a coincidence. I dropped it right before this started...Yeah, huh. Bendis could make someone making a phonecall into a lame 12 issue miniseries.Illuminati was stupid. The cover was great, the art was eh, the writing was Bendis. I especially like that one page of dialogue where Iron Man foreshadows the entire Civil War miniseries. I'm surpised he wasn't smiling at the reader, holding up a copy saying "In comic stores this May".

Other than that, i've been suffering from severe DC/OYL overload. From them offing in 'tec, to the changes in Titans, it's been a pretty damn good week. And how 'bout that Black Adam?

anyone pick up supermarket by brian wood? It's a goregeous book, but the the characters all have the same type of voice.

Is anyone else really disappointed by the storyline running through Tec and Batman?

Being a fan of Marvel for over 30 years I was never a fan of the Hulk, I picked up Planet Hulk 92 and now I am hooked! Just picked up Hulk 88-91 to get the prequel info I need, I am ready for the year of Planet Hulk!

Hopefully they could work out the licensing issues.

I thought about GI Joe but, because the toy line was so successful, they were committed to too strong a tie-in. C'mon, Sgt. Slaughter??? The Fridge??? Even if my memory is faulty and they weren't in the comics, they still had way too many characters that they had to incorporate, not to mention the vehicles! Micronauts did the same thing as well, but it didn't feel like a toy tie-in when you saw microtron or the astro station. It was handled as just another element in a sci-fi story. I don't know how to articulat it. It just felt right. At least during the first 12 issues, my exposure after that was limited. I do remember a Ditko drawn annual that felt very "toy tie-in". Maybe because it was based in a toy store? (or maybe that's faulty memory again?)

Back to GI Joe for a second, that silent issue with Snake Eyes & Scarlet was awsome!

I skimmed thru IC 6 so I haven't read it yet but I've always liked Black Adam.

The thing I loved about the old GI Joe comic was how they had to incorporate strange toyline related stuff like BATTLE FORCE 2000, but then years later they brought them back only to violently slaughter them all.

I just ordered the Alias Omnibus from Instocktrades. I hope the good reviews I've read prove to be true. It's a blind buy.

Alias is great. I just sold my full run on eBay though, since I didn't figure I'd ever read it again. Actually now that I'm thinking about it, I've got rid of almost all my collection that was written by Bendis (aside from Daredevil).

ooops, no i still need to purge Disassembled from my collection.

Alias is the best Marvel work that Bendis has done. Almost as good as Jinx for me.

That was awesome. I remember being traumatized as a kid, because I actually liked the Battleforce 2000 toys (and the makeshift base their vehicles turned into) and they really cleaned house.

GI Joe introduced new characters, sure, but it was never as blatantly toy-driven as, say, the Transformers comic, where you'd get the "new toys" that show up for only an issue and then disappear. Also, Micronauts had the "benefit" of pretty much outlasting the toyline, so they could go and do their own thing.

Any other contenders for "best licensed comic?" As a kid (and even as an adult) I loved toys, and I bought the comics just because I enjoyed seeing toys in print. What amazes me is that now we have comics about toys that are long since gone from toy shelves: the new Transformers comics are based on toys that haven't been around in years. Also, the GI Joe comic storylines were so popular that a few years ago, Hasbro released three packs of new figures based on the comic book...

I think thats a topic that deserves to even branch off into a new seperate thread. Anything that could lead to the possible discussion of Star Comics like Inhumanoids or Visionaries or Popples is awesome to me.

I wanted to order this, but I've heard the book suffers from gutter loss. Those full-bleed pages aren't friendly to tight bindings.

I recently got the New Avengers 1 HC, and that book seemed to suffer from the same thing: the hardcover binding really makes those two spreads that go over two pages impossible to read, especially if there are word balloons that are at the inner edge of the page. First time I really noticed it in an HC.

Why can't they just add a 1/4 inch or whatever to the gutter? Add to the width of the paper and have it line up just fine. Makes no sense. Oh wait, that might cost more. Yeah, that makes sense.

Ive been off and on with the Big ass Alias collection...Its a bit pricey. Maybe once I get going with the mailorders, Ill feel better about dropping that kind of cash on a book. For some reason, I feel sick when I go to do it .

The first issue was sort of blah and left you with a "huh?" feeling, but I like the way the second issue has picked up. Of course I'm also a fan of Robinson's writing.

Now what disappoints me is the Superman storyline. It's just... boring and confusing. If I had come into this forum a month or so ago and said "hey guys, Superman is going to lose his powers and become a mortal at the end of Infinite Crisis," people would be screaming at me for spoiling the story. But for some reason they aren't getting pissed at DC for doing basically the exact same thing by spoiling it in the Superman OYL story. At least with Batman, we still don't know why he was gone a year (unless I missed something in one of the 2 issues).

Well, it was meant to be the big reveal at the end of Superman #650, so clearly DC doesn't feel like it ruins the ending of IC, plus we still don't know practically anything else about IC #7, so giving away one thing that happens isn't a very big deal. Marvel did the exact same thing 20 years ago with Secret Wars, and I didn't mind then. I actually like how DC jumped the gun on some of this stuff before IC ended, since I'm left wondering, "wow, what could possibly happen to Superman that makes him lose his powers"?

Rom is very high on the list. I'd rank Rom first, then Micronauts, then G.I. Joe, although I could see a case for putting those three in just about any order.

Technically, Conan was licensed, but I assume we're talking about "licensed from toys," so I won't count that.

The storyline in Superman hasn't really got me mesmerized, but the writing is better than any Superman book in years. Seriously, someone needs to tell Joe Kelly to get away from Superman.

The batman storyarc is just "meh" for me so far, but I too am a HUGE Robinson fan (one of my first comics was a Robinson work, the one about the Cavalier with art by Tim Sale. One of the best Batman stories ever. And he plays a detective! and oh yeah, the ending makes sense), and his run on JSA was astounding as was "The Golden Age". still, i'm willing to give it a shot. After 8 issues I hope it goes well.

Two comments on the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man:

--a strong case is being made to keep this latest version of the suit around and not have it be a one year thing.
--Peter Parker was drawn like he was 16.

Okay, got my monthly shipment of March comics. I know, I know, I'm a month behind... in fact, I wish Infinite Crisis came out at the end of the month instead of the beginning so I wouldn't be so far behind on it. As it is, I've barely read 5 and people are talking about 6. Ugh. :

JSA 83: Eh, start of a new story arc, seemed a bit scattered, but I'll wait to see where it's going.

JSA Classified 10: I actually liked this Vandal Savage story, though him walking off at the end there with cops coming seems a bit of a stretch. Also, I don't read Hawkman, but it seems like an awful lot happened between his deal with Luthor in Villains United and this issue. Or did he strike that deal after he came back to Earth?

Squadron Supreme 1: Bought this issue because it was on sale, and because I've always loved the Squadron Supreme... unfortunately, I'm collecting Supreme Power in trades, so this book probably spoiled some of the later issues. I like the direction this is going, though I'm going to back off and wait for the inevitable trades of this. Also liked the cover homage. But c'mon, lets give Hyperion a cape, and Spectrum some multicolored duds. or not.

Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes: At first, I wasn't sure if they were going to do a "OYL" thing with this book, but it seems like they haven't (as Lightning Lad's pact with the UP government still seems fairly new). Interesting twist at the end, there, and I'm still wondering whether or not I'm hoping that the revelation is true.

Superman Batman 24: I get a kick out of reading all of the ads in this book... they're months old by now. I still don't like the storyline, and it seems like things are just spread all over the place... but I love the art, and I've waited for it long enough, so I'll stick with it until the end. This is all pre-crisis stuff, right?

Teen Titans Annual 1: Like most annuals, I guess, not a lot happens that we can't piece together elsewhere. Well, except for the premarital sex thing. Liked the acknowledgement about Young Justice and the terrible outfits they wore. Teen Titans (Robin especially) taking charge of all those heroes seemed... unlikely, though they did acknowledge that it was basically because of Superman's say-so. Overall, seems like just a setup for that major spoiler...

Transformers: Infiltration: Finally, finally we get to see some more of the actual Transformers in robot mode. Story is a little slow moving, and I think I'd have preferred waiting for the trade on this one, but I don't mind supporting them like this. The multiple cover thing is a hassle, though.

As I normally save the best stuff for last, I have yet to read my Captain America Winter Soldier volume 1 and the much hyped All Star Superman 3 (man, the acronym for this book stinks).

Yeah, it's a much more appropriate acronym for it's sister book.

Anyone excited about the new DC series 52 that is starting soon? I don't mind buying one issue a week as long as they stay on schedule and don't miss weeks, double some weeks, etc. Think they can do this for one year without being late?