Thor returns in new series drawn by Oliver Coipel and written by J. Micheal Straczynski.  The series is suppose to pick up after Raganork and the fall of Valhalla in what ended the second series of Thor that started in 1998 in the storyline "Dissassembled, in Thor (Vol. 2) #80-85.

Here's hoping that we can return to some good Thor stories reminicent of Walt Simonson.

 

This has been getting some major traffic on a message board for comic books that I visit. Bendis Message Board Thread  I can kind of see why it is quite inappropriate for children . . . but some of the commments that were made seem quite a stretch to me.

Sadly I think it is because I have been desensatized in this generation, or for that matter have just given up fighting. This world is what it is, and yes things like this don't help any. But ummm aren't there more important things than a comic book cover. My biggest leap was "rape" mentioned by quite a few commentors. Even as a husband to a woman that has been raped, I don't see it. Mrs. Warlock herself didn't see it.

I am missing something ladies?

Or am I just missing it all? 8-)

I finally got some time here lately to read some of my books. Just recently I got a chance to read some issues (I had bought awhile back)of Suicide Squad and Captain Atom, both published by DC Comics. They were both written in the mid to late 80's.

There is always an aura in comics that reflect what is going on in the world at the time. I noticed that a lot in Capt Atom and SS (Suicide Squad). The Russians are always the enemy. Nuclear warfare was at the brink of annihilating the world because of the stockpile of nuclear weapons from both the US and Russia (or USSR at the time, I'm not sure). SS is a team of super villains and disavowed government agents that work under the law of the government to accomplish tasks that the US military cannot do legally. Such as the last issue I read, where they were to assassinate a HUGE Colombian drug dealer. Which legally is wrong, but morally it is debatable. With Enchantress' powers (not to be confused with Marvel's Enchantress, based on Norse mythology) she could vaporize the entire cocaine stockpile that he had. Which the amount was somewhere in the tons.

Capt Atom is a bit different. Through an accident working for the government, Adam, was changed to Capt Atom. Since he was already military personnel, the military wanted to use his powers to serve the US military. The thing that I liked about comics in the 80's was all the conspiracy that surrounded both the US government and others. It was a time of uncertainty for Americans with the Cold War and the amassing of nuclear weapons by the strongest nations. I think that a lot of comics today, are a bit naive. They don't carry that aroma of distrust and uncertainty. Now they have Dubyah in the front law of the White House naked and scared (as seen in the Ultimates) or Hulk uttering phrases like "I ate him (speaking of Freddie Prince Jr)." Maybe it is a different approach for a different generation and I just don't get it. The comics of the 60's, 70's, 80's and even some of the early 90's comics were the ones that got me hooked. But after the "Bad Girls" of the mid 90's, comics seemed to have taken a downward slope. Not all, but as a majority. Perhaps it is just my perception of this world now, and how it is reflected in comics.

There are some good issues still out there. Ultimate Spider-Man has consistently entertained me. And presently Grant Morrison (Animal Man) is writing Batman. Although I have always enjoyed Green Lantern, Hal Jordan was never my favorite GL, and he has returned as Earth's sanctioned GL. Anyway, just some thoughts. As I strive to stay more sober these days, I find that reading keeps my mind off alcohol. It is working, so I am sticking with it. Maybe this is what I needed to get this weblog back up and running . . . some sobriety.

                      

With all that has been going on, I haven't had much of a chance to post here, or at least take the time to present something worth posting about. Perhaps this weekend or an evening here soon, I can get out some books, and do a good post. For as much as I talk about comics, you would think that I would post here more often. But I'd rather post nothing then something half-assed. For the few that do read here, I apologize and will post something soon.

Thanks.

Geeks 101 PI's have come across some interesting information regarding the former member of Alpha Flight, Jean Paul Beaubier, otherwise known as NorthStar.  Although not a surprise to readers and fans of NorthStar, those not familiar with him and his time in Alpha Flight, this might come as a great surprise.  A surprise to find out that such issues as these are being regarded in a medium that was once fantasy and adventure.  They have now turned to dealing with real life issues and the things that mankind deal with on a daily basis.  These photos were taken by our own PI's, regarding a "conversation" between NorthStar and Paulie, a then unknown mutant.

The things that you and I see going on in the world have gone on this way for thousands of years.  Man unable to tolerate and accept people for who they are.  On both sides of the fence, people tend to lash out at what they do not understand or do not want to understand.  The sad fact of it is, neither side is making a valid point.  Violence teaches nothing, and anger, misplaced, can substantiate the point of the other side.

But man has been doing this to each other since the dawn of time.  And for such a situation or issue to come about in a medium that was for children, has changed the face of comic books forever.  Although many of these characters have fantastic differences in their lives from reality, we find that the issues that they face, the most common, basic issues, are nothing more than what we face here in real life.

I have enjoyed many such issues, that are written tactfully.  In Robin #40 (which will be considered in our next investigation) Robin and his girlfriend deal with the subject of teen sex.  Masterfully written by Chuck Dixon it is a monument to what can be said, in a medium that has never been taken seriously.

All in all, this mid-300's run of Uncanny X-Men was one of the best that I have read, save maybe the pre-Age of Apocalypse issues.  Scott Lobdell has always been a good writer, lending his hand to many different X-titles.  Salvador Larroca the genius behind the art of this run of Uncanny X-Men, is admittedly why they were so appealing to me.  Mr. Larroca, had a form of art that not many others can even claim to come close to, except maybe Terry Dodson.

Geeks 101 will leave you with some other less pertinent pictures taken.  Showcasing the genius that is Mr. Larroca and his ability to drawn the female form.

May U Live 2 See The Dawn

Tune in next time as we explore teen sex with Robin, in Geeks 101's investigation of Robin #40.