DCU Legacies #5

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.

Aw yeah! Back to school!

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.

Justice League of America # 192 Part 3

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

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

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.