Let's Put a Smirk On That Face! (4-30-12)

Why did the Joker leave Gotham City?

(From The Joker's Joke Book, DC Comics Inc., 1987)

Comment with what you think is the answer! I'll post the correct answer tomorrow morning in the comments section.

Caption Figures #15

"How many knuckle push-ups can you do? I can do infinity."

Please comment with your own captions!

I Can Judge A Comic by Its Cover

My favorite comic book cover of all time is Venom: Lethal Protector #1, illustrated by Mark Bagley, and published by Marvel Comics in 1993. I'll admit that looking at this makes me feel a bit of nostalgia. This comic book cover sticks in my mind more than any other comic from my childhood.

Something interesting about this cover is that there are a few different versions of it floating around. These different covers either have a black (which was actually a printing error -- very rare), red foil, or gold foil background.

My favorite aspect of this cover is that it's so simple, yet speaks volumes. It's essentially a drawing of Venom. However, the illustration has so much depth that you can understand who the character is just by looking at the cover.

Another nice touch is the look of shame/disgust on Spiderman's face in the bottom left corner.

All in all, this is the most memorable and impressive comic book cover that I've ever seen. I encourage you all to comment with your favorite comic book covers!

Nightwing: The Target

“You’d think it’d be too cold for crime… But the drug traders don’t take snow days.”

There aren’t many combinations better than writer Chuck Dixon and Nightwing. Published by DC Comics in 2001 and illustrated by Scott McDaniel, Aaron Sowd, Willie Schubert, and Dave Stewart, Nightwing: The Target is a story that takes place in the city of Blüdhaven. When crime goes down in Blüdhaven, the scumbags have to answer to Nightwing.

Nightwing taking out the trash.

As soon as you turn the cover you're knee deep in action. Nightwing is chasing down a couple of drug traders who don't stand a chance. Money is flying everywhere, shots are being fired, and Nightwing neutralizes the situation with his usual grace.

By day, Nightwing is Dick Grayson: police officer. Sound familiar? Dick Grayson was once Batman's trusty sidekick, Robin. Here, he's a loner looking to clean up the city his own way.

Dick is out patrolling when he notices two thugs making a getaway. He spots some fellow officers chasing them down. Once he catches up to them, he watches his fellow officers brutally beat the hoodlums. Just when he's about to interject, he gets knocked out by the butt of the pistol of Miller, one of the police officers.

Dick wakes up in the hospital only to find out that one of those thugs was beaten to death, the other is almost dead, and he's the only suspect. Because of this, Dick gets suspended from the force until this whole thing is figured out. He heads home, and guess who's waiting for him in his apartment?

That's Bruce, always sticking his nose in other people's business.

Batman and Dick both agree that the only way Dick can gather enough information to clear his name is if he uses his alter ego. No, not Nightwing. Too risky. Any other guesses? IT'S RIGHT ON THE COVER. That's right. The Target, Dick's new alter ego. Don't worry, Nightwing fans, it's basically Nightwing with a mask and a bullseye on his chest.

As The Target, he finds out that Miller and his guys didn't even catch the real hoodlums. They beat the crap out of some innocent kids. The real thug's names were Bigs and Alvie. Apparently, some piece of trash drug dealer named Binh Dan hired Miller and his guys to kill Bigs and Alvie, who once worked for Binh.

Once Dick finds out about this, he pays Binh Dan a visit as The Target and sets fire to his entire operation. While Dick is single-handedly kicking some ass and destroying Binh's whole business, Dick's partner, Amy Rohrbach, finds Bigs and Alvie. To their credit, Bigs and Alvie set the record straight and as a result, Miller and his pals get locked up.

The truth is finally out and Dick gets reinstated to the police force. He better watch his back, however, because the rest of the force isn't too happy with Dick getting his fellow officers locked up. Dick couldn't care less, because Nightwing is back and the people of Blüdhaven have their hero again!

Let's Put a Smirk On That Face! (4-23-12)

What kind of bar won't sell drinks to the Joker?

(From The Joker's Joke Book, DC Comics Inc., 1987)

Comment with what you think is the answer! I'll post the correct answer tomorrow morning in the comments section.

Caption Figures #14

The Flash! Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme

Please comment with your own captions!

Supergirl, Phone Home

The Death of Superman was a very tragic event. In the midst of all of the horror of that day, nothing was as unfortunate as when Doomsday punched the very stunning Supergirl, turning her into E.T.

(From The Adventures of Superman #498: Death of a Legend, 1993)

Thankfully, it didn't last long.

(From The Adventures of Superman #498: Death of a Legend, 1993)

TMNT Micro-Series #2

Get ready to PARTY, DUDES! I'm going to take you through IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series #2 - Michelangelo. I can tell you right off the bat that I enjoyed this comic book just as much as TMNT Micro-Series #1 - Raphael.

Published in December of 2011, TMNT Micro-Series #2 was written by Brian Lynch and illustrated by Andy Kuhn and Bill Crabtree.

The story takes place on New Year's Eve. Michelangelo is out on the town with no plans and he's getting antsy. The last place he wants to be is at home with the rest of the boring Turtles (He thinks they're boring; I think they're perfectly fine.) Michelangelo's boredom doesn't last long. He spots a costume party and like a true ninja, sneaks into it.

The first thing he goes for is the tray of mini-pizza pockets. This is my kind of guy. He's at a New Year's Eve party where everyone's dancing, drinking, and letting loose, and he goes directly for the food. He really stuffs his face, too.

A young lady named Kara mistakes Michelangelo for her friend, Carl, who was supposed to be dressed as a lizard. Lizard, turtle, what's the difference? She drags Michelangelo to a separate room where she meets up with some friends.

*SPOILERS COMING UP*

Look out! *Gunfire* Michelangelo's new friends turn out to be criminals, and they just took out security. They're at this New Year's Eve party to pull off a good old fashioned heist. What they want is the Dresden diamond, a green-glowing gem that's been pummeled with radiation, kind of like Michelangelo.

Michelangelo decides to go along with their plan until he can find the right time to react. They spot the Dresden and it's protected by a laser alarm system. The group relies on Michelangelo (or Carl) to hack the system and shut down the alarm. Michelangelo knows absolutely nothing about computers because he's usually too busy demolishing pizzas like a slob, so he uses his ninja skills to make it through the lasers without setting off the alarm. It makes you wonder how he stays so agile with all of that mozzarella in his system.

As a side note, there are a few cool panels in this comic that I wanted to point out. At the beginning, Michelangelo is imagining what his night would be like if he stayed at home:

During the heist, he remembers what his brothers taught him and uses it to his advantage. When I read this, I had to put the comic book down because I was laughing so hard:

Michelangelo then realizes that setting off the alarm might be a good thing. Here comes the nunchaku. He smashes the case holding the Dresden, setting off the alarm. Then, he jumps out of a window to escape the hoodlums. He climbs up to the roof and runs into Kara. Apparently, she's a cop and she was in on it as well. The lowlifes catch up with Michelangelo and Kara, and Michelangelo beats the crap out of them.

Once the threat is neutralized, he hands the Dresden over to Kara, and heads back home to the rest of the Turtles. But, not without Kara giving him something in return... a handshake. Hey, he's a turtle, cut him some slack.

Was it worth it? Of course. Michelangelo got to party, kick some butt, and pig out. Kara got the Dresden. The hoodlums were defeated. And most importantly, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans were given a great comic book. Cowabunga!

Let's Put a Smirk On That Face! (4-16-12)

Where can Robin always find happiness?

(From The Joker's Joke Book, DC Comics Inc., 1987)

Comment with what you think is the answer! I'll post the correct answer tomorrow morning in the comments section.

Caption Figures #13

"Hey Tony, this suit's a piece of junk!"

Please comment with your own captions!

It's Hammer Time...Unfortunately

The major tragic events in comic book history always pull on my heartstrings. But what about the not-so major tragic events? Some people may be apathetic to them, but I have a history of being just as, if not more affected by them. First The Flash, then Arkillo, and now Plastic Man.

Plastic Man is a bit of a goofball. The very powers that he has acquired are silly in nature. However, as they say, it's all fun and games until someone gets frozen and shattered into a thousand pieces.

(From JLA Vol. 7: Tower of Babel, 2001)

All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Plastic Man together again. But The Flash could, so he turned out to be fine.

Let's Put a Smirk On That Face! (4-11-12)

Why is the Joker's pen mightier than a sword?

(From The Joker's Joke Book, DC Comics Inc., 1987)

Comment with what you think is the answer! I'll post the correct answer tomorrow morning in the comments section.

Taking Over Episode 1 - Wrestling Heroes and Villains

Me and my brother, derryX, bring to you the first episode of our collaboration, Taking Over.

We have many similar interests. One of the biggest, if not THE biggest, is professional wrestling. We've been watching our entire lives and we still talk about anything and everything that has to do with wrestling.

In recent years, we've been seeing a lot of our favorite wrestlers using social media. Here, you'll hear me take a little break from talking about comics as we discuss our heroes and villains of professional wrestlers on social networking sites. Take a listen, enjoy, and tell your friends!

Caption Figures #12

"Just picked up a pack of bubble gum. Today's going to be a pretty ordinary day."

Please comment with your own captions!

The Official Fat Lantern Oath...

In fullest day,

In famished night,

No burger shall escape my sight!

Let those who worship health food's blight,

Beware my hunger...

Fat Lantern's bite!

Aquilonia Comics, Cards & More

Throw me in a comic shop, and I'm set for hours. Throw me in a great comic shop? I'm set forever. When I used to live in Albany, NY, my comic needs were met by one of the greatest comic shops in the world, Aquilonia Comics, Cards & More.

Located in Troy, NY, this little shop has everything you can ask for. A great selection of current and back issues, tons of trades, action figures, cards, and collectibles. Want something that you don't see on the shelves? No problem. They'll order it for you. My favorite thing about Aquilonia, however, is the customer service. Owner Bob Lupe is one of the nicest guys around and makes sure that if you have a subscription, you get every book and tie-in for each title. And, he literally gives you service with a smile, every time.

One of my good friends that I met at Aquilonia, Marc, also works at the comic shop and was my go-to guy whenever I needed suggestions on what to read next. I could always go in and talk to him about our mutual love for Nightwing and Batman stories. He also made sure that I got every single toy Lantern Corps ring.

Living in the NYC, I have a fantastic selection of comic shops. However, Aquilonia will always be "my comic shop". I visited Albany this past weekend and made it a point to stop in to pick up a few trades.

If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend you visit Aquilonia. They're located at 412 Fulton Street, Troy, NY 12180. You can also check them out on Twitter and Facebook.

(Aquilonia Variant Edition of The Amazing Spiderman #666!)

Guy Gardner... Come On Down!

As I stated in my very first post, I don't claim to know everything about comics. I have blind spots. A prime example of one of my blind spots becomes apparent when I read The Death of Superman. In that story, Guy Gardner is in regular clothes, running around with a yellow power ring. I had no idea why. I know him as either Green Lantern, or Warrior.

My love of Green Lantern started just a few years ago during the Blackest Night crossover. My Green Lantern reading has been very Hal Jordan-centric. I'm finally in a financial position to really catch up on a lot of history. As I'm sure most of you know, there is a lot of comic book history, specifically DC history. So you can imagine how I've neglected Guy Gardner's past.

In 1992, DC Comics published Guy Gardner Reborn, a 3-issue story about Guy Gardner being forced to quit the Green Lantern Corps and getting his hands on a yellow power ring. When I heard about this, I immediately found the 3 issues and bought them.

I couldn't have enjoyed Guy Gardner Reborn more. I was a fan of Guy Gardner prior to reading that story. Now? I'm a Guy Gardner super-fan. I want more! Well, I'm in luck. After the events of Guy Gardner Reborn, a Guy Gardner series was published by DC Comics from 1992-1996.

Why am I telling you all of this? It's quite simple. I'm starting a new project: collecting every single issue of Guy Gardner. This includes:

Guy Gardner #0-16

Guy Gardner: Warrior #17-44

Guy Gardner: Warrior Annual #1 & #2

Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage

I will be tracking my progress on twitter. I'll post pictures and update everyone as I collect Guy Gardner comics. If you happen to come across any issues, please comment or contact me on twitter and let me know where you find them, I'd appreciate the help!

Would it be easier for me to just buy all of the issues on ebay in one shot? Of course! But where's the fun in that?

Let's Put a Smirk On That Face! (4-2-12)

How did the Joker make an elephant float?

(From The Joker's Joke Book, DC Comics Inc., 1987)

Comment with what you think is the answer! I'll post the correct answer tomorrow morning in the comments section.