Red Tornado's Path

Unofficially Official

2011-02-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't pulled my stuff together enough yet to get this done, here's a link to The Captain's Unofficial Justice League Homepage. It's a fabulously informative site, filled with all sorts of goodness, but as you can see on the link, the key - for me at this moment - is the Atlas of the Multiverse, specifically Earth-16, the home of the Young Justice cartoon and comic characters.

DeviantArt-ed!

2011-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs on these here internets is that of Dan Woodward, over on It's a Dan's World. Every week or so, Dan drops an awesome bomb on his readers, and this week the feature included a picture of Red Tornado. As a matter of fact it was THIS picture of Red Tornado. Check it out:

Dan had this to say of the piece:

Really showing off why Red Tornado is a force of nature, I love how imposing the android looks without the 'from the waist down tornado' thing going on. Generating his own, from inside the heart of one!

I gotta agree with Dan. Reddy loses a little toughness when he's twirling sometimes, and this image plays up that toughness as Reddy closes in on your noggin.

The art is by Eddie Nunez. You can check out Eddie's stuff over on DeviantArt.

Tattoo You!

2011-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

So my guardian angel in bloggery, Shag, was kind enough to share some nice scans of the Red Tornado-centric tattoos with me that I am now sharing with you.

Shag covered the Firestorm tatts over on his Firestorm Fan page, and Rob! has recently added the Aquaman tattoos to his Aquaman Shrine.

This cartoon was so awesome in the love that it shared across the DC Universe, especially for the "underappreciated" like Red Tornado, Blue Beetle, Aquaman, Ryan Choi Atom, Plastic Man, and B'wana Beast.

Of course Reddy's sticking around on the Cartoon Network in that Young Justice cartoon, which reminds me. I need to get back to posting on that. . .

Welcome to Happy Harbor!

2011-01-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to CBR's preview coverage of the new episode set to debut tonight on Cartoon Network here in the States.

Red Tornado appears in 5 of the 25 screen captures on CBR's site. It also looks like Speedy/Roy Harper has a bit of a role in this episode and someone who looks more than a little like Brick from Judd Winick's Green Arrow run.

This is the first truly new episode of the series, and I'm truly looking forward to seeing where it takes the team and what role Red Tornado plays. I'm hoping he's more active than he was in Peter David's book of the same title, but at least he appeared somewhere during that time.

I'll pop back up at some point over the weekend to share my thoughts on this episode. In the meantime, you can read my thoughts on the Young Justice #0 comic that released from DC this week.

2011-01-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

Over at Action Figure Insider, there's an interesting piece on the new Batman: Brave and the Bold Total Armor line featuring Red Tornado. More specifically, the piece is all about Red Tornado, and some good points are made therein.
Check it out why don't you.

Young Justice Countdown

2010-12-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hmm. I guess I'd actually need a date to start counting down to. . . lemme see. . . oh!
There is it!

Friday, January 7 at 7:00 EST on Cartoon Network.

Of course, CN has a little mini site worth checking out as well. . . not much now, but I'm sure that will change.

Young Justice Trailer

2010-12-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

With the premiere now in the past, we can turn our gaze to the future, to 2011.

January brings the regular series to Cartoon Network, and there's a nice peek on YouTube.

"Red Tornado is your supervisor."

Closing out the War

2010-11-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

While Red Tornado had a prominent role throughout "The Elemental War," issue #93 of Firestorm really set the Elemental Android back on the path towards heroism.

The issue opens with Reddy scaring some pilots over Tokyo. As promised, here's that special moment between Firestorm and Red Tornado with a little Swamp Thing on the side (kinda like parsley - yeah, I went there).

From here, Reddy splits and eventually seeks out Captain Atom, more of which will be investigated in the near (or not-so-near) future. Of note, since this is the absolute last entry in "The Elemental War" crossover, be sure to check out Diabolu Frank's post over at the Power of the Atom. Frank provides a funny, unbridled assessment of Reddy's new threads.

More Elemental War

2010-11-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

So Shag started this whole thing going - and by whole thing I mean the retrospective crossover analysis of the "The Elemental War" story from Firestorm in 1989 - with his inital thoughts on "The Elemental War." I added some initial thoughts on Red Tornado's involvement in the war, but left you all hanging, waiting for more.

In the interim, Shag revisited the War, specifically Firestorm's encounter with Maya - the spirit of the Earth itself. Following that, Shag shared his thoughts on Firestorm's chat with Swamp Thing. Ah, the good ol' days of DC Comics where Swamp Thing could make an appearance or two and not be considered a licensing risk.

Along the way, Frank Delano - over on his Power of the Atom blog - shared some funny thoughts about Reddy's new shell such as it is at the end of issue #93.

Meanwhile here, however, let's take a look at the fury that spins out from Red Tornado during the War.

Teaming up with Naiad, Red Tornado moves in to put the hurt on Nohana, and there's no escaping a ravaging BADAM!

Following a successful and hideously destructive strike on Nohana, the duo set their sights on Tokyo. As they plod along, Firestorm meets Maya (previously mentioned, be sure to check it out over at Firestorm Fan) and the two discuss the origin of Red Tornado.

There's an asterisk in Maya's word balloon that doesn't have any creidt attached to it, so I'm curious as to what exactly it is that she's saying about Red Tornado and his beginnings. Those beginnings, as described here, seem to fly in the face of what was established shortly before in the pages of Justice League of America.

Naturally Red Tornado's continuing story goes elsewhere from here, but the next issue features a special moment between Firestorm and Reddy.

Elemental War

2010-11-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

You all know my friend, Shag, right? He of Firestorm Fan and Once Upon a Geek, Shag, suggested to run a mini crossover of sorts between Firestorm Fan, and the Power of the Atom - a blog that frequently features Captain Atom, THE Atom, and even Red Tornado on occassion.

Shag got it all started covering the first segment of the "Elemental War." Be sure to check out his coverage there as he shares his thoughts about the Naiad and Firestorm splash pages (get it? Yeah, it's a good pun, but it's Shag's not mine) that get the story to a boiling point (OK, that one is mine).

That said, here's some pages from when Red Tornado enters the fray. Images are brought to you courtesy of Shag.

"I have heard a voice in the wind, I have felt a wound upon the Earth! Whoever or whatever thing you be, if you harm the planet you must answer to the Red Tornado!"

Tom Mandrake was really given a chance to shine during this storyline, and he took full advantage of it. Nansi Hoolahan stepped up to the plate and tried to drop some high-class ethereal colors on the art. Unfortunately, limits of technology kept the book from being as amazing as today's coloring would have enabled it to be. Imagine, if you can, Naiad colored with ripples and sea foam patterns. This certainly would have been a different looking book.

Todd Nauck Print

2010-10-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Over on Todd Nauck's site, he's showing a print that he's selling through his site and he'll have at the New York Comic Con next weekend.

It's a fun Young Justice piece, with Red Tornado right there front and center. He even included Traya. I like the more robotic version of Red Tornado that Nauck draws. If I remember correctly, this series followed Primal Force wherein Reddy was drawn at his most inhuman (save for the Ulthoon/Tornado Tyrant appearance). It's fun to see how much liberty each artist takes when given the task of drawing Red Tornado.

I'll admit, even though Reddy was part of the "team" I missed out on a lot of the Young Justice hullabaloo back in the day, but maybe I'll correct that oversight with the "new" Young Justice coming up this fall. I just couldn't justify that book back when it was coming out. I don't regret not getting it, as I would check in from time to time, but I most certainly do not have the full run.

That said, DC is releasing a series of Young Justice mini-trades or super-sized issues or some such under the banner of DC Comics Presents: Young Justice. The first three have been solicited and carry a $7.99 pricepoint. They clock in at 96 pages and they seem to be pretty scattered with regards to where the material stems from, so maybe I need to start hitting the bargain boxes.

Whatever develops, I'll be bringing the results right back here.

Read This Too!

2010-09-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

So we've had this fun conversation bouncing around the Blogosphere about propping up the readership of some of our favorite, but less followed titles. I struggled with this one quite a bit. I covered American Vampire in detail over at My Greatest Adventure, but figured I'd give a little shout-out to some League-mates of Red Tornado in the form of DC's Zatanna and Booster Gold titles.

Zatanna

I have to admit, my first exposure to the Justice League of America was through the Super Friends. That eventually led me to the JLA comic, which I've covered in nauseating detail here. For whatever reason, when I started on Justice League of America, Zatanna was not on duty. I did eventually meet her in JLA adventures pursuant to the comic I first purchased. Zatanna had a fortitude that wasn't common among her fellow heroes as she was one of the few who chose to remain loyal to the League when Aquaman disbanded it. Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Firestorm all walked away. Aquaman disbanded the group, but did so to preserve the League. With Zatanna, Elongated Man, and Martian Manhunter by his side, Aquaman was determined to build a Justice League that the world could count on. The end result was the much-maligned Justice League Detroit.

Once that iteration of JLA finished, Z meandered her way throughout the DC Universe, popping up here and there. She enjoyed a couple of miniseries, including her involvement in Grant Morrison's critically acclaimed Seven Soldiers, as well as a special or two. She'd pop up in the occasional JLA issue or guest star in Batman or Detective, but it wasn't until Identity Crisis hit that Zee got a larger beam of the spotlight. There it was revealed that Zatanna had single-handedly (albeit under duress) altered the course of the Justice League and the DC Universe itself.

All the way along Paul Dini harbored a mad crush on Zatanna Zatara, going so far as to irrevocably tie her into Batman's mythology on Batman: The Animated Series. From there it was only a matter of time before Dini found his way to comic book writing. Once established as a writer, Dini set the goal of bringing Zatanna's adventures to four-color glory. Her appearances in Dini's Detective paved the way for Dini to give Zatanna a chance to star in her own magazine.

Dini quickly established a feel for the series, dividing Zatanna's time between her career as a stage magician, her calling as a protector of humanity, and her sideline gig as a superhero. In doing so, Dini has freely woven in appearances from other members of the DC Universe, such as Vixen and Black Canary, while also establishing new supporting characters for Zatanna, such as her stage crew and her detective friend, Dale Colton.

Dini has also set about establishing a collection of foes for Zatanna. Primary among these is Brother Night, Zatanna's primary adversary throughout the first three issues of this series. Set up as a demonically powered Charles Manson type, Night is an impressive foe for Zatanna and a nice cornerstone to build a rogue's gallery around. Additionally, Dini introduced Fuseli, a demon who draws power from instilling nightmares upon people. Named after John Henry Fuseli's painting of the same name. Night and Fuseli are depicted on Stephane Roux's cover to Zatanna #2 pictured above and to the right.

Joining Dini - at least on the initial arc - was Stephane Roux. Roux draws a fine looking Zatanna, but also delivers the creepy, cadaverous, and cool with equal aplomb. While his last issue was apparently #3, Roux continues on the covers currently, and the title seems to be in between regular artists. The upside to that is that artists such as Jesus Saiz, Yanick Paquette, and Cliff Chiang will be contributing to this title in the months to come.

This title started out with a very solid offering, but the art switch seems to have caused some readers to balk. Rest assured, Dini is still bringing his best to Zatanna, and she has fought a different interpretation of the Royal Flush Gang, caught up with her cousin Zach, and is currently matched against a casino owner in Vegas. Through it all, Dini doesn't bury his character in mystical mumbo jumbo. Zatanna's power is pretty straight forward - or, rather, straight backward - as her spells are cast when she speaks backwards. Reading Zee's speech balloons is a nice exercise to help your brain stay limber, especially if you actually try to read them out loud.

Dini's stories are easily approachable for newbies and rewarding for those who have been on from the beginning. The stories themselves are enjoyable and engaging, and Dini does a great job of mixing up magic, heroing, performing, and just being human. Zatanna is a wonderfully human character and this title is a joy to read every month.

The fifth issue hit the new comic racks two weeks ago, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find the back issues if you're a completest, or you can simply wait until issue #6 hits in less than a month. If jumping in midstream is troublesome for you, a new storyline begins in issue #7, set for an October 27 release.

Kcehc ti tuo!

Booster Gold

I was all set to make Booster Gold my number one with a DC bullet selection for the Read This Too! event, but then it was brought to my attention that one of my co-bloggers had a site devoted to Skeets' best pal. Still, Booster Gold is a title that deserves a little more attention, and I do have a whopping three followers (Hi Dan, Shag, and Rob!) so I could still do right by my favorite hero from the future.

Buy Booster Gold.

There. Done.

On a more serious note, Booster Gold is one of those comic books that everyone whines that "they just don't make any more!" It's a superhero comic book that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, it has healthy doses of time-travel and the paradoxes, what-if scenarios and hyperbole that time travel brings, but at its heart, it is a comic about a man trying to be the very best he can be while helping inspire those around him.

Originally introduced in the 1980s by Dan Jurgens, Booster Gold is a character from the future who came back to make himself a hero. A raging egomaniac, Booster soon emerged as an iconoclast of the hero set, breaking the unspoken rule that forbade endorsement deals. This has been played up to various levels in the character's history since, never moreso than in 52. In 52, however, it was revealed that Booster is mcuh deeper than he appears and this series builds upon that. Spinning out of the 52 series from 2006-2007, this second volume of Booster Gold gives Booster a chance to be "The Greatest Hero You've Never Heard Of!" as he tries to right temporal wrongs with the help of Time Master, Rip Hunter.

This series started off co-written by Geoff Johns and Jeffrey Katz, and was drawn by Dan Jurgens through issue #10 (which was actually the twelfth issue of the current series - agh! time travel!) after which Jurgens found his way to writing and drawing the series. In an attempt to boost sales and to weave a link between Booster Gold and Justice League: Generation Lost, Jurgens stepped aside (he's currently cranking out Time Masters) to let Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis take over the writing chores. The duo set Booster upon the path of trying to oust Maxwell Lord, which is where the title is today. Many presumed that the writers responsible for the Bwah-ha-ha years of the Justice League would revert the character that Johns, Katz, and Jurgens (not to mention Morrison, Waid, and Rucka throughout 52) worked so hard to evolve. That is entirely not the case. There is a great deal of humor present in the title, but very little of that comes at Booster's expense. Like life, funny things happen to and around Booster. The reader gets the benefit of a chuckle in this case.

The great thing about this iteration of Booster Gold is you can never be certain who or what is going to appear. This series has given us visits from Elongated Man, Leonardo daVinci, Mr. Miracle, and Barry Allen, among other characters. There are moments in DC history, such as the New Teen Titans' fight with the Grant Wilson iteration of Ravager, that are revisited and alternate realities that are tapped into. Wonder Woman didn't kill Max Lord before his nefarious plan was set in motion? Yeah, that happens here.

For the most part, Booster Gold has been an all ages-friendly book, a rarity in superhero comics nowadays. I say "for the most part," as Giffen and DeMatteis have added a little more racy quality to the title of late in the form of some more adult-branded humor, inferred situations, and innuendo. None of that drives the book, however, it's just part and parcel to what Giffen and DeMatteis bring to the story.

Booster Gold is a fun, sometimes frenetic comic that revels in superhero action, extreme situations, and entertaining stories. This is a title (moreso with Jurgens) that is inline with what Mark Waid was doing on the Flash title back in the 1990s. There are a number of trades and collected editions available for you to get caught up on the adventures of Booster Gold. Issue #37 is set to release on October 13, and offers a great chance to jump into the world of Booster Gold with both feet.

Lest we forget about Red Tornado himself, he'll be appearing in the upcoming DC Comics Presents Young Justice issues, the first of which hits on October 27.

So there you go. I can't give props to a Red Tornado comic mainly because there isn't one, but I can provide you with a couple heroic recommendations. Check them out, won't you?

Mad love and props to Kelson Vibber from Speedforce.org in organizing this wonderful celebration of the obscure and overlooked. Siskoid deserves high-praise for his hand in crafting the banner flying overhead and Walter of Boosterific helped set up this wonderful list below:

Interested in reading more? Good! Check out the lesser-known titles reviewed in these other blogs and "Read These Too!":

Adam Strange at It's A Dan's World

Astro City at Speed Force

Essential Man-Thing at Firestorm Fan

Forgetless at Girls Gone Geek

Franklin Richards digests at Once Upon a Geek

Glamourpuss at Being Carter Hall

Peter David's Hulk at Fortress of Baileytude

Jonah Hex at Boosterrific

Scott Pilgrim at Toyriffic

Son of Tomahawk and Thor the Mighty Avenger at Aquaman Shrine

Spelljammer at HeroPress

Spire Christian Comics at Mail It To Team-Up

Strange Science Fantasy at Siskoid's Blog of Geekery

R.E.B.E.L.S. at Indigo Tribe

The Unwritten at K-Squared Ramblings

Welcome to Tranquility at Girls Gone Geek

DCU Legacies #5

2010-09-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Save for some appearances in the backup stories in Justice League of America, Red Tornado's been on the downlow (much like this blog) lately, but he gets some love this Wednesday in the form of DCU Legacies #5. The Legacies book has been a fun read, revisiting teams, characters, and timelines and freshening them up a bit. It's not quite the same as the History of the DC Universe book that came out in 1986, but it isn't intended to be.

It's a bit Marvels meets James Robinson's Starman, for lack of a better comparison in my mind, in that, as Starman had the O'Dare family, this story follows Paul Lincoln, a police officer who reflects back on the things he has seen during his lifetime.

The best part of the series, to me, is the art. Yes, Len Wein is a consummate professional and a living legend when it comes to writing comics, but how often can you stop at the comic shop (or open a box if you get your comics through the mail) and pick up a new floppy featuring art by Joe Kubert and his son, Andy, José Luis Garica-Lopez, J. H. Williams III, Dave Gibbons, Walt Simonson, or George Pérez?

As if you needed a reason beyond the fact that this issue features art from gorgeous George Pérez, the issue coming out tomorrow takes a look at the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths. Here's the cover.

Did you notice Red Tornado right there in the middle? Yeah. Me too. Crisis, for me, is the ultimate event book. Yes, there were a lot of tie-ins and crossover issues, but the main story itself is a classic that DC has managed to get me to buy at least three times: floppies, trade, and Absolute.

Those who know me or those who have read my reviews in various places know that I have an affinity for what I call "summer comics." These are comics that are action-packed, smartly-paced, fun reads. In short, they are what comics should be like if done right. To me, the action, adventure, locations, characters, art, and story make Crisis the ultimate summer comic. It's a book I go back to time and again. As a matter of fact, I might be due for a dose of it real soon.

It's great to see the anti-matter wave and red skies chosen as the setting for the Crisis issue of Legacies. With the hundreds of characters Pérez drew in the series, he easily could have put any combination of characters on that cover. I find it all the more interesting that he chose to add Reddy, and in such dramatic fashion too.

Thanks Mr. Pérez!

Here's the solicit text for the issue:

Written by LEN WEIN • Art by GEORGE PEREZ & SCOTT KOBLISH and WALTER SIMONSON with SCOTT KOLINS • Cover by GEORGE PEREZ & SCOTT KOBLISH • 1:25 Variant cover by WALTER SIMONSON

Red Skies hang over the entire DC Universe as each and every hero on Earth gathers for what will be the first in a series of universe-spanning Crises!

Meanwhile, Walter Simonson helps us shift the focus from Earth to the heroes of outer space – and beyond!

DC Universe40pg.Color$3.99 US

On Sale September 15, 2010

Drop back by later in the week for a recap of Reddy's contributions to this issue.

More Young Justice news

2010-08-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Over at Comic Book Movie, Ed Gross popped out an interview with Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman, the producers of this fall's Young Justice cartoon.

Among the noteworthy news in the interview is a spoiler regarding the origin of the new Aqualad and this lovely interchange:

SUPERHERO TOONIVERSE: What kind of role does the Justice League play?
GREG: Some play more than others – Batman and Red Tornado have really big roles in the show, on an ongoing basis. Some characters like Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Flash have large roles in the show, others have lesser roles. Captain Marvel has a big role – Captain Marvel’s being played by Rob Lowe.

I've been looking forward to this series for a little while now. Every little bit extra I see or read, though, gets me more jazzed for it.

Aw yeah! Back to school!

2010-08-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

A few years back, the governor of the lovely state of Michigan declared that public schools in Michigan cannot begin before Labor Day. This was a move on her part to help boost the tourism income. Except Labor Day is a three-day weekend, and starting the day after Labor Day truly makes no difference whatsoever on when people return from their trips. The only economic goose it may have given is to Friday before the weekend, but even that is suspect.

At any rate, there's still a good two weeks until school starts here, but school supply shopping is in full swing. Every loaded backpack needs something super, though. God help us all, but Wal-Mart is bringing the super.

A wonderful folder and notebook set, featuring the George Perez art from the cover of Justice League of America #217. I'll come back and talk about the story later, or you can check it out yourself at Rob Kelly's sensational JLA Satellite blog.

The cover really puts the heroes out there for us, and not just the same old Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. As you can see Superman and Wonder Woman are present and accounted for, but this image also has Hawkman, Firestorm, Aquaman, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom (who got really lucky with the hole punch) but especially good, old Red Tornado. Reddy holds a special spot on this cover, notebook, and folder - right between Wonder Woman and Superman.

Very special thanks to Shag of Firestorm Fan and Once Upon a Geek for the heads up on this one.

Reddy on Young Justice

2010-07-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

My pal, Dan, of It's a Dan's World fame had some splendid coverage of the revelations and announcements from SDCC. One of those updates included this gem of Red Tornado having a chat with the team. Seems like old times:

Sorry, folks, it IS just a screen capture. If you want to check the original (and trust me, you WANT to check the original) click on over to Dan's site.

Reddy here looks a little more robotic, kind of like he did in the Young Justice comic series, than he does in comics nowadays. Personally, I'm a fan of Reddy having a more robotic vibe, as he does here, as he did in Primal Force, as he does on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

I'll share a little bit of what I gleaned from the video clip here. The clip reveals that the League plays an integral part of the new series, and that League is sixteen members deep.

Additionally, Robot 6, one of the member blogs of my homebase of Comic Book Resources, reports that Peter David will be stepping in to craft an episode (I originally typed "issue") of the series.

Young Justice hits the Cartoon Network this November. Get those DVRs tuned up.

DC Comics Super Heroes and Villains Fandex

2010-05-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

Coming to me courtesy of the Irredeemable Shag, I'm sharing with you, my friends, the Red Tornado entry from the not-so-brand-new, but new-to-me DC Comics Super Heroes and Villains Fandex. Click on over to Shag's Once Upon a Geek and check out his review of the piece as a whole. Afterwards, come on back, we'll be here waiting for you.

My oldest daughter (and therefore passed along to her sisters, but since lost, naturally) used to have a couple learning games set up very similarly to this. The learning games were simple math and spelling, things of that nature. Admittedly, this is a bit of a far cry from that, but it's the first thing I thought of when I saw this solicited. I have yet to get my grubby paws on a copy, but with Father's Day on the horizon, anything is possible.

I point you to the Aqua-marketplace on Rob Kelly's magnificent Aquaman Shrine to connect yourself to a copy of this bad boy.

Naturally, DC chose to go with a shot of Reddy drawn by Ed Benes from Brad Meltzer's "The Tornado's Path" story. This image is from the foldout poster that popped up in issue #7 (I believe, sound off if I'm wrong here). Interestingly enough, I had Meltzer sign this image in my hardcover copy of "The Tornado's Path" during his recent signing tour for Heroes for My Son.

Back to the Fandex, though. I do like the line, "Red Tornado grew a soul." If only it were so easy.

Thanks again to Shag!

Red Lead

2010-04-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

Li'l Red

Li'l Red and the Mattel DC Universe Classics
Red Tornado action figure

Side view

You may or may not know about the Eaglemoss lead figurines. They're among the coolest looking collectibles on the market nowadays, with lines going for DC, Marvel, and Buffy among their other products.

The DC lineup is well underway, with over 50 figures already produced. The normal figures stand roughly three-and-a-half inches tall. That said, there are "special" figurines that depict the larger characters and are, therefore, larger figurines. Some of the DC Specials include Darkseid, Demon, Doomsday, Solomon Grundy, Grodd, and more.

I was set to ignore the whole thing, but happened across the Thing while visiting a local comic shop. The detail on some of these figurines - such as Benjamin J. Grimm - is phenomenal and from there I was hooked. I decided to try to limit myself, since these figures run anywhere between $12-16 depending on where, when, and how you get them.

Marvel is farther along than DC, having released over 120 figurines to date. I wanted some of these cool figs, but knew I'd need to keep my collection small, for sake of real estate in my cramped office as well as money in my stressed budget. So I started with the Champions, old favorites of mine from when I was a kid. My mom had returned from a shopping trip with a copy of Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man #17 featuring the aftermath of the Champions breakup. I couldn't stop there, though, so I got the Avengers Forever team, some X-Men, Spider-Man, the Thing, Black Panther, and the Falcon. Then the DC figs hit.

To date, I've remained in control on the DC side. I just picked up my 11th fig - Beast Boy. More on him over at My Greatest Adventure real soon. I don't really have a rhyme, reason, or strategy to the DC ones I'm acquiring. It's mostly just characters I like - Superman, Aquaman, Hawkman, Flash (Wally, thank you very much), Green Lantern, Donna Troy, Creeper, Cyborg, Reddy, Darkseid, and Beast Boy so far. Firestorm has eluded me since all the ones my LCS received were busted.

Anyway, back to Reddy.

The figures come with a magazine that gives an all-too-brief recollection of the hero's (or villain's) history, both as a character and in their respective "universe." Decent read, but not very fulfilling. It's a lite version of a TwoMorrows Companion accidentally thrown in the dryer. Nice enough for characters -like Reddy - who will never merit a companion or encyclopedia-type book. They claim to be 16 pages, but that includes the cover and a two-page DC Timeline in each issue.

Cape detail

Reddy's does a good job of covering the range of his career, but spends an uneven amount of time towards the beginning of Red Tornado's career. Somehow they manage to avoid any Young Justice imagery with Reddy.

In my opinion, the books accompanying the Marvel figurines (they have a team for each brand, as I understand it) are much more satisfying. The DC books list two storylines across a spread as a guide for new fans to check out the characters, but the Marvel ones have a timeline of important issues across the bottom of the entire book.

For what it is - a solid, one-of-a-kind collectible and a light read of the character - these Eaglemoss productions aren't half bad. the lead nature of them scares some folks away, but I've read more than a few reports that the figs are safe enough to handle and display. Of course that doesn't stop me from washing my hands right after.

Next time I hop out here I'll share a little of the magazine with you.

Justice League of America # 192 Part 4

2010-04-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Sorry for the MASSIVE delay, but Walt Disney World was calling the family for spring break, so we broke!

It's time to return to our regularly scheduled re-visit of Red Tornado's adventures in the JLA.

Here's where I just fell in love with Red Tornado, as he sits down to the table and convinces Traya that even he must find sustenance.

The non-verbal conversation between Kathy, Reddy, and Traya is priceless and just adds to the legend of George Pérez.

Unfortunately for all parties, T. O. Morrow has an override implanted into his creation. So much for a quiet meal. Agian, Pérez's artwork shines masterfully here, with effects and layouts well before their time. The superimposed image of Morrow over Red Tornado's struggling face is pure brilliance.

Once in Morrow's clutches, it becomes quite clear that the Red Tornado may be headed for some trouble.

As I mentioned previously, I was an Aquaman fan from his appearances on Super Friends, and to see his shadowy silhouette climbing out to rescue this character racked me with such excitement for the next issue. Of course that issue did not disappoint in any way.

One last note, I'd like to throw a link out here for you kooky kids to check out. As many of you are aware, Rob Kelly - of Aquaman Shrine fame - used to do a JLA blog as well. Here's the link to his coverage of JLA #192.

I'm going to spend some time sharing my thoughts and memories of JLA #193, but for future Justice League of America (volume 1) I'm going to recommend that you guys all take a few days to soak in the greatness Rob has assembled.

Rest peacefully Dick Giordano!

2010-03-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

One of the greats of the industry passed away at the age of 77 on Saturday.

Newsarama has a nice article about Giordano, and CBR has one as well.

Personally, I never had the pleasure to meet Mr. Giordano, but he sure made an impression on the comics I grew up enjoying, whether it was as a writer, inker, or editor.

Rest in peace Dick Giordano, and thanks for all the great comics!

Red Tornado in June

2010-03-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Let's take a brief detour away from memory lane to look at what Red Tornado-centric stuff is on tap for the month of June.

Comic Book Resources (among other sites) posted up DC's June Solicitations yesterday, so I'll save you the trouble of figuring out what Red Tornadoish stuff might be blowing our way in June.

Here we go:

First up is the collected edition of the Red Tornado mini series that just recently concluded.

RED TORNADO: FAMILY REUNION TP

On sale JULY 14

144 pg, FC, $17.99 US

Written by KEVIN VANHOOK Art by JOSE LUIS Cover by ED BENES & MARIAH BENES

The Justice League of America’s android hero discovers his strange family of super powered androids in this tale from the six-issue miniseries. But will it cost him the love of his adopted, human family?

OK, so it actually releases in July, but it is listed with the June solicits. I encourage you to support your LCS, but if you're looking for a deal, this TPB is available over at Amazon for a few bucks less. Is it worth it? In my opinion - as a Red Tornado fan - no. This was a rather disappointing story all told, but if you're looking to learn about Red Tornado, this mini was conceived to establish a new status quo for the sometimes-elemental android.

I'm a little unclear as to whether or not Red Tornado will be making appearances in JLA in months to come, but I'd say it's a 50-50 bet, especially given that Cyborg was making BFFs with Reddy in one of Robinson's early issues.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #46

On sale JUNE 30 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Written by JAMES ROBINSON Art by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER cover by MARK BAGLEY & JESUS MERINO

BRIGHTEST DAY continues with the start of an all-new, 5-part JLA/JSA crossover! The return of one hero heralds the release of the powerful Starheart that empowers Green Lantern Alan Scott. Now this chaotic force is unleashed on Earth, causing magic to go wild – and new metahumans to emerge! It’s more than one super-team can handle, but can even the combined efforts of the Justice League and the Justice Society contain the light and dark power wielded by one of their own? Witness the transformation of the moon and a journey into the Shadow Lands that will corrupt a hero!Continued in next month’s JSA #41, this epic event features a 5-part connected cover spotlighting both teams in glorious action illustrated by Mark Bagley with inks by Jesus Merino!

A JSA-JLA crossover would almost certainly include some Tornado action, right?

The only other remotely tangential Red Tornado related piece is JSA All-Stars #7 where the heir apparent of the Tornado legacy - Cyclone - makes her regular home.

JSA ALL-STARS #7

On sale JUNE 2 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Written by MATTHEW STURGES Co-feature written by JEN VAN METER Art and cover by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II Co-feature art by TRAVIS MOORE & DAN GREEN

Following Damage’s untimely death in BLACKEST NIGHT, the All-Stars gather to pay their respects to their fallen comrade.In the co-feature, their powers and abilities may not be enough to help the unusual team of Liberty Belle, Hourman, Tigress and Icicle when they face various death traps left on their trail to finding the Staff of Life!

Not a lot of Red Tornado coming your way this June, but maybe there will be a surprise or two.

Justice League of America # 192 Part 3

2010-03-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

The JLA fights back against Reddy, with the Flash disassembling Red Tornado at super-speed. Once he's got the android apart, however, Red Tornado appears to self-destruct. Taking the brunt of the explosion, Flash is knocked out. Superman decides to take Flash down to the infirmary, where Wonder Woman is taking Batman who has a dislocated shoulder.

That leaves Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Firestorm to discuss what is happening and try to figure out why Red Tornado would attack them so violently.

Unfortunately for them, the self-destructed android apparently wasn't THE Red Tornado.

George Pérez's art will never, ever cease to amaze me. To say that man is gifted is a tremendous understatement, as you can plainly see from this page here.

For those of you reading this for the first time, there are five pages that occur between what I previously posted about JLA #192 and this post.

Justice League of America # 192 Part 2

2010-03-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

So after buying the comic, I began walking home with my brother, my pace slowed dramatically by the gravitas of the situation unfolding before my eyes.
The Super Friends were in space! For real?!
I knew almost all of these characters, and some of the ones they were talking about from the Super Friends cartoon. I didn't know that guy with the flaming head, but face it, with a visual like that, I was going to remember him for a long time to come.
Just like that, this Red Tornado - who I had never met - took out the Super Friends - er, Justice League of America. Bam. I was hooked.
Real heroes are never truly defeated though. After all, we're talking about Superman here. . .

I had read comics before this - Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, Fantastic Four, Batman, Detective, and of course some Archies. This one 50¢ comic forever changed how I viewed the four-color medium though. It wasn't just a comic. It was art. It was entertainment. It was escapism, and Red Tornado was leading the charge.

Written by Gerry Conway, and stunningly drawn by George Pérez with John Beatty on inks, this book did me in. The characters were awesome, the story was intense, and this issue was shortly after Firestorm had joined (although I didn't know that at the time). Firestorm provided the perfect gateway for an impressionable nine-year-old to learn about comics and superheroes the DC way.

Firestorm, Red Tornado, and I became lifelong pals with this issue. I know, at this point, Red Tornado doesn't seem too friendly, but he eases up. You'll see. . .

Justice League of America # 192

2010-03-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

At the ripe young age of nine, my life was changed forever one Friday evening when my brother and I went up to the local convenience store with our allowance.

We each had 50¢. That's right, a Kennedy half-dollar-sized hole was burning through my hand the entire walk of the short side of a Toledo city block.

All the way there I had visions of jawbreakers, Slim Jims and Dina-Sour Eggs in my head, but when I got there, like any impressionable youth, I decided to see what was going on in the comics. What was Spider-Man up to? Who was Batman fighting.

The I saw this:

. . . and nothing was ever the same. Of course it was in much better condition when I bought it, but this is the first comic I ever bought with my own money. It took my entire allowance that week, but damn, it was so worth it.

Tornado Sketch Collection 01

2010-03-09T01:09:00.000-08:00

Dan Schoening - aka Dapper Dan - artist extraordinaire and sole proprietor of Dapper Dan's Pomade drew this awesome Red Tornado for me when I bought a sketchbook from him back in 2007. Dan asked who I wanted a sketch of, and like Ralphie in A Christmas Story when he finally got up to see Santa, I blanked.

I went with Red Tornado.

Reddy's always been a fave, but not THE character for me. That's Firestorm. I guess Reddy could be more of a Favorite v 1.5, especially since he and Firestorm were introduced to me at close to the same time. More on that later this week.

Dan's art is one of a kind, mixing Don Bluth sensibilities, Bruce Timm dynamics and a modern flair. This guy does some phenomenal stuff. Be sure to check out his site when you get a moment or two of free time. It is a prescription of pure awesomeness for your eyes.
Dan's done work for LeapFrog and DC among other clients (sorry, Dan, those are the two I remember the most!). Speaking of DC, I just now - as in right now as I'm typing this found another blog from Mr. Schoening - Dapper Dan's DC Moleskin(e)! After doing a little happy dance, I've linked it right here.

That said, I'm darn glad I went with Red Tornado. I've struggled for years to find a "theme" or "special character" to get a collection of sketches around. I went to Chicago in 2006 and got Justice League Detroit (or Motor City Justice League) sketches. At Mid-Ohio that same year I got some Animal Man sketches. But Barry Kitson knocked it out of the park with a Firestorm sketch that borders on masterpiece as opposed to sketch. While waiting in line for the gracious Mr. Kitson, I got to chatting with some fellow line-waiters and noticed some of those folks had multiple sketchbooks. No longer would I have to settle on one character.

To that end, I've got a Firestorm (and friends) sketchbook and a Doom Patrol sketchbook. This con season will also see the binding broken on a legacy of the Red Tornado sketchbook. Not sure what con will launch it, but look for the results right here.

Let's get it started!

2010-02-26T06:42:00.001-08:00

Quite a while back, during the Super Powers 25th Anniversary blogathon, I grabbed this blogspot as a placeholder, fully intending to give some love to Red Tornado on the eve of his all-new six-issue mini series by Kevin VanHook and Jose Luis. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and when you try to balance being a father of three, reviewing four (or more) or more comics a week, along with the rigors of a 9-5 job, some things slide.

One of those things that slid a bit was my Doom Patrol blog. I'm trying, I really am, but like this spot for Reddy, the DP blog doesn't get as much love as it deserves.

I'm going to make a stronger effort to get some content on both blogs with greater frequency.

Reddy's enjoyed quite a bit of popularity of late, with numerous appearances on Batman: the Brave and the Bold, consistent page time in the JLA book, and more than a few toys and collectibles produced in his likeness. My hope is to cover those and more here.

I might even have a few surprises.

Swing by next week, and I'll clue you in as to why Reddy's a fave of mine. Until then, here's a link to a small clip of Reddy's appearance in the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD that just released. Thanks to Shag for the link!

The image above is courtesy of DC Comics from their website.