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Snark Free Challenges for 12/19

Brian Cronin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:54:32 +0000

It's been almost exactly three months since I last did one of these, so let's try on some more!

Enjoy!

(A reader submitted this one to Mark Waid and I think it would be a great snark free challenge)
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.

2. If you could bring ONE member of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League back to life, who would it be and why?

3. Who would most likely win in a game of chess (presuming no cheating) - Hawkeye or Green Arrow?

4. Who can do more push-ups - John Stewart or Tim Drake?

5. Who is the better magician - John Constantine or Zatanna?

6. Which member of the original Justice League of America is most likely to own a cat?

7. Come up with a scientific explanation for Spider-Man's Spider-Sense.

8. Who is smarter - Hank Pym or Amadeus Cho?

9. Who would be the best (realistic, so no Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, etc.) choice to write a new Swamp Thing series?

10. Who is deader - the Wasp or Jean Grey?

And remember, part of the challenge here is to answer the questions withOUT snark!

50 Comments

At December 19, 2008, Lee wrote:
Can't do it.
At December 19, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
1- So angry he wasn't thinking straight.
2- Scott Free
3- Green Arrow. Ollie went to a private school. Clint was a ...
At December 19, 2008, Scavenger wrote:
>>1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.

Deathstroke would be expecting Kyle to go ...
At December 19, 2008, Steve wrote:
1. To catch him off guard. I mean, everybody EXPECTS the Green Lantern to do something with the ring.

2. ...
At December 19, 2008, Matt wrote:
1 - He had heard the stories about Batman one-punching Gardner, and he wanted to try the same thing.
2 ...
At December 19, 2008, David wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3. He was dared to by ...
At December 19, 2008, Thok wrote:
2. Rocket Red (Dmitry Pushkin). Everybody else is pretty much assured of getting a resurrection at some point without ...
At December 19, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
# 5 would be Constantine. As he would con "anybody" into thinking he's a magician.

# 9 would be ...
At December 19, 2008, Mysterious Stranger wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.

It was unexpected and probably relieved some ...
At December 19, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
For the JLI member- Martian Manhunter. The DCU is a better place when it has Oreo-loving green martians in it...

Though ...
At December 19, 2008, tk. wrote:
3. Green Arrow; he's always been more of a plan-ahead, big-picture type.

8. Spider-Man's senses are heightened, but these heightened senses ...
At December 19, 2008, Wolfsbane wrote:
1. Deathstroke was expecting an attack with the ring so he thought he'd try a punch.
2. None, never a ...
At December 19, 2008, Chris McAree wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.

Because Zee had messed with his head ...
At December 19, 2008, Anonymous wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
Deathstroke made a comment about Kyle's ...
At December 19, 2008, kyle wrote:
"was Silver Sorceress..." whoops

also, forgot to leave my name...
At December 19, 2008, Niels wrote:
5. John Constantine got the better scores at magic school. Sure, he cheated, but he used magic to do so, ...
At December 19, 2008, Brian Mac wrote:
3. Ollie wins if he's trying to prove Batman wrong. Clint wins if he's trying to prove Cap right.

6. J'onn ...
At December 19, 2008, Lord Paradise wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.~He was busy doing other stuff in ...
At December 19, 2008, Dan Johansen wrote:
Regarding Tom Veitch--he didn't actually write a story about Swamp Thing meeting Jesus while walking through the swamp. The ...
At December 19, 2008, Zack wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3
Because he's not as patient or as ...
At December 19, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:
Just 'cause I'm curious:

Blue Beetle
Max Lord
Rocket Red
and Martian Manhunter are dead, right? Everybody else who was dead got un-deaded?
At December 19, 2008, John wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.

Deathstroke's reflexs are faster then Kyle's, Kyle ...
At December 19, 2008, Cove West wrote:
1. Because the First Rule of the Book of Oa states thus: "Whensoeverth insooth doubst, a Green Lantern punches." ...
At December 19, 2008, Michael wrote:
1. He was pissed off and not thinking clearly.

2. Most of them have come back already. I dunno, Ted, I ...
At December 19, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
I'm answering these without looking at anyone else's answers, and I'll keep my answers as brief as possible:

1.Didn't read it. ...
At December 19, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
I could go for an Ostrander/Mandrake Swamp Thing.
At December 19, 2008, GarBut wrote:
Swamp Thing: Tony Millionaire

It could work.
At December 19, 2008, Ricardo wrote:
1. Because Kyle is one of the worst characters ever conceived?

2. I would bring JLI, the concept. With all its ...
At December 19, 2008, Ion wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
Lulling him into a false sense of ...
At December 19, 2008, sgt pepper wrote:
You have to love comics. Without them, we wouldn't need to make up paradoxical words like deader.
At December 19, 2008, Max wrote:
1. Rayner didn't try to punch him. In the heat of battle, he had a brief hallucination that Slade ...
At December 19, 2008, spqr wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
Throwing a punch is generally the first ...
At December 19, 2008, sgt rawk wrote:
1. Kyle Rayner is not that bright.
2. No idea. Blue Beetle?
3. I'd go with Ollie.
4. Oh, Tim Drake, for sure.
5. ...
At December 19, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
1. Because he was being written by an idiot. Or were we looking for an in-universe explanation?

2. Gail Simone already ...
At December 19, 2008, Basara wrote:
I came up with my answers, then read everyone else's replies in route to replying - none of the answers ...
At December 19, 2008, stephen cade wrote:
2. If you could bring ONE member of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League back to life, who would it be and ...
At December 19, 2008, Scavenger wrote:
Oh..Who is deader...I thought it was deadlier....in that case, Jean. Cuz, that's how Emma wants it!
At December 20, 2008, JD wrote:
If you could bring ONE member of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League back to life, who would it be and why?

Batman. ...
At December 20, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
He just lost it for a second ...
At December 20, 2008, Sam wrote:
To be nitpicky for a moment, neither Batman nor Black Canary were technically original JLA members. Batman is definitely ...
At December 20, 2008, Sijo wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
-Deathstroke did something to neutralize his ring.
2. ...
At December 20, 2008, John Stanshall wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
There was clearly a lot of rage ...
At December 20, 2008, Dalarsco wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
His rage overpowered him and temporarily reduced ...
At December 20, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
1. Unseen by everybody, Deathstroke sprayed Kyle with some sort of gas that dulled his willpower and intelligence.

7. In addition ...
At December 21, 2008, Bill wrote:
Wow, some tough ones here. 'kay, here we go:
1. Kyle tried to punch Deathstroke because a physical attack on the ...
At December 21, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
1. He was so angry about Sue's death that he wasn't thinking clearly?

2. Rocket Red. Because all the others are ...
At December 21, 2008, Dean wrote:
1. Kyle is my favorite GL, but he doesn't always think first, you know?
2. Big Barda. 'Cos i want ...
At December 21, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
1. Explain why Kyle Rayner would try to punch Deathstroke in Identity Crisis #3.
I don't think there was a lot ...
At December 23, 2008, DanCJ wrote:
Not John Ostrander! I couldn't bear yet another terrible run on the character* Swamp Thing hasn't been any ...
At November 3, 2009, mariloche wrote:
7. Spider Sense: Spiders don't really depend on 360 degree vision to hunt and survive as many suspect, only ...

Snark Free Challenges!

Brian Cronin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:11:38 +0000

Yes, this is one of the silliest things you can do, but darnit, one of these got stuck in my head, so I figured if I was going to ask ONE I might as well ask ten, so here goes!

Enjoy!

1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of the Worlds? In the alternative, how many Justice Leaguers?

2. Who could write the best poem - Batman or Tom Strong?

3. Which Teen Titan (past or present - just so long as they're a teenager, so teenage Dick Grayson would count) would you pick to babysit your kids?

4. Who would you rather have taking a half-court shot for $50,000 (sans powers, of course) - Invisible Woman or Zatanna?

5. What member of the X-men would make the best President of the United States?

6. Who would win in a foot race (without using powers) - Colossus or Atom-Smasher?

7. Who is Superman's third-best villain (presuming Luthor and Brainiac are #1 and #2, respectively - and excluding Mxy because he seems too tame to be a villain)?

8. What Marvel hero who has never been an Avenger would make the best Avenger (legacy heroes like Bucky Cap excluded)?

9. What would be your ideal seven-member Justice League team?

10. Who is the coolest non-Batman member of the original Outsiders?

54 Comments

At September 18, 2008, winterteeth wrote:
1. If the martians strike all over the world, you would have to mobilize everyone to keep them busy ...
At September 18, 2008, JacobZC wrote:
1. 3-5 Avengers or 1-2 Leaguers

2. Tom Strong, Bats would probably bust out some sort of highly analytical verse ...
At September 18, 2008, Mitch wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 18, 2008, Random Stranger wrote:
1. Canonically: all of them with only Black Panther and Jokasta as survivors and they still don't win.

2. Batman's stuff ...
At September 18, 2008, Thok wrote:
3. Miss Martian, but only if I can get her before the Titans of Tomorrow storyline.

7. Bizarro

8. Wait ...
At September 18, 2008, Ariel S. wrote:
1- Only one Avenger and One Leaguer: Wanda Maximoff and Zatanna respectively

2- Tom Strong, because Batman would write some lame ...
At September 18, 2008, Jeff R. wrote:
1. 5 Avengers, 1 JLAer

2. Batman

3. Cyborg

4. Invisible Woman

5. Emma Frost

6. Atom-Smasher

7. General Zod

8. Kitty Pryde

9. Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern ...
At September 18, 2008, Stephen wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 18, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 18, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:

9. Ultraa the Multi Alien, Infectious Lass, Gâ€™nort, Mr. Action, Mad Harriet, Deadman, and Rex the Wonder Dog.

Well, *I'd* buy ...
At September 18, 2008, Michael wrote:
It would, of course, take only one Legionnaire to fight off the Martians: Infectious Lass.

But on to the questions at ...
At September 18, 2008, Michael wrote:
It bothers me that Joe and I kinda went to the same well, there.
At September 18, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:
My JLA would totally kick your JLA's ass.
At September 18, 2008, Michael wrote:
Looking back, if I had it to do over, I'd probably replace Buffy with River Tam.
At September 18, 2008, Michael wrote:
Shit, wait, I've only got six! Okay, swap out Buffy for River, and add in Optimus Prime.
At September 18, 2008, Dean wrote:
1.Avengers: 5-6, as long as three of them are original Cap, Iron Man, and Thor.
JLA: One. As ...
At September 18, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
10. Katana.
At September 18, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
1. Avengers 7; JLA 2, maybe 3 if Superman's having an off day.

2. Tom Strong. That man is a renaissance ...
At September 18, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
1. maybe 3 Leaguers (Superman to fight them, Batman to figure out their weakness, Flash to get the germs to ...
At September 18, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
1. Avengers: 6. JLA: 3.

2. I have to duck this one, as I've no idea who Tom Strong is.

3. Pantha. ...
At September 18, 2008, buttler wrote:
1. Any one of the original League could handle it himself or herself. 4 or 5 Avengers could do ...
At September 18, 2008, Eliot Johnson wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 18, 2008, Timothy Yam wrote:
1) 7-9 Avengers, just one leaguer if his name happens to be Kal-El

2) Bats. Bruce is just such a poet.

3) ...
At September 18, 2008, Pitr wrote:
2. I feel like Tom's intelligence-boosting Goloka root would increase his creativity, too. Tom Strong FTW.
3. Wally West. ...
At September 18, 2008, Aaron Walther wrote:
Gonna have to go with Bruce on this one. Tom is smart but kind of an oaf, in many ways. ...
At September 18, 2008, Matthew E wrote:
Without looking at all the other answers...

1. Thor could do it all by himself. So could Superman or Wonder Woman ...
At September 18, 2008, ZZZ wrote:
1. Superman or Green Lantern could defeat the Martians single-handedly. DC heroes just operate on a different scale than H.G. ...
At September 18, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 18, 2008, Jono11 wrote:
1) 7 Avengers. From the Justice League, Superman. And maybe Wonder Woman. I mean, really any of ...
At September 18, 2008, Brack wrote:
1. Six Avengers. Seven Leaguers

2. Tom Strong?

3. Beast Boy

4. Invisible Woman

5. Wolverine.

6. Colossus

7. Bizarro

8. Dazzler

9. Animal Man, Booster Gold, ...
At September 19, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
1. As much as I love the Avengers, it would take way more of them than Leagers. I'd say 20 ...
At September 19, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
1. Avengers - Thor, Ant-Man, Hulk and Scarlet Witch - 4; Justice League - 1 - J'onn would make them ...
At September 19, 2008, mauro wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 19, 2008, chris wrote:
7. Doomsday?
At September 19, 2008, Rusty Priske wrote:
Darkhawk and Machine Man have both been Avengers already. So has Dr. Strange of course, since the New Avengers ARE ...
At September 19, 2008, Allan Lappin wrote:
1. Excluding Zatanna and the Scarlet WItch: Four Leaguers (Superman, GL, Hawkman and Batman). Every Avenger that ever was a ...
At September 19, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 19, 2008, Nick Marino wrote:
01. 6 Avengers; 2 JLAers

02. can't say -- never read any Tom Strong!

03. i don't have any kids, but Starfire ...
At September 19, 2008, Sijo wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 19, 2008, Teebore wrote:
1. How many have colds at the time of the invasion?

2. Batman. Because Batman ALWAYS wins.

3. Tough call...probably ...
At September 19, 2008, John Cage wrote:
7. Who is Supermanâ€™s third-best villain (presuming Luthor and Brainiac are #1 and #2, respectively - and excluding Mxy because ...
At September 19, 2008, chris wrote:
I had such a crush on Halo when I was a kid reading the 80's Batman and the Outsiders series, ...
At September 19, 2008, Scavenger wrote:
@Michael

Cameron can knock River Tam up and down the comic store aisles.
At September 19, 2008, Sam wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 19, 2008, Ken S. wrote:
1. Well, considering it took microbes to beat them in Wells' book, you'd only need one in either case - ...
At September 19, 2008, fanboy d wrote:
1. All of them. All. Of. Them

2. Tom Strong

3. Cyborg

4. Zatanna

5. Beast

6. Colossus

7. Silver-Age Jimmy Olsen

8. Has Namor ever been ...
At September 19, 2008, SPQR wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 19, 2008, David wrote:
4. Zatanna
5. Shadowcat
7. Bizarro
At September 20, 2008, Vichus Smith wrote:
1. It would only take one. Ant man would shrink down and investigate what makes the aliens tick and discover ...
At September 20, 2008, Dan K wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 20, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
1. Two- Thor and Iron Man could get it done. JLAers- Superman or Batman could handle it solo.

2. Tom Strong. ...
At September 21, 2008, Mike wrote:
1. How many Avengers would it take to ward off an invasion of Earth by the Martians from War of ...
At September 21, 2008, Thenodrin wrote:
1. It would take all of the Avengers, especially those who have their own titles, and would be a 15 ...
At September 22, 2008, Dunc wrote:
2.
Batman definitely haiku's for the win.

Dark Avenger
My parents died
Goddamn,

Snark Free Corner for 6/23

Brian Cronin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:40:09 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

TEN COOL THINGS DONE BY GEOFF JOHNS!

I liked last week's bit, so I think I will use it again, this time to come up with ten good things I think Geoff Johns has done!

10. Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. was a fun comic book series.

9. I really liked the way he worked ~~the Wonder Twins~~ Wendy and Marvin (thanks, Graeme!) into the Teen Titans.

8. Johns' Wonderland arc on Flash was a really well-told story - it would have made a great mini-series.

7. The return of Hawkman was handled quite well. I like how Johns uses the re-incarnation angle, which was part of the original origin of Hawkman!

6. Johns wrote a really fun issue of Superman involving baseball. One of the best baseball-themed comics of all time!

5. Booster Gold has been enjoyable!

4. I have enjoyed the return of the original Legion. You can certainly argue about the methods of their return, but their return, in and of itself, has been cool.

3. The Mirror Master spotlight issue of the Flash was handled well - a fine take on a cool Morrison character.

2. The spotlight issue on Captain Cold in Flash was amazing, especially considering that I did not even necessarily like Johns' take on Cold, but he did it so well that it ended up great anyways.

1. Stargirl, from Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. (and now Justice Society of America), is one of the best new characters from DC in the last decade of comics!

COVER THEME GAME

As always, here is the game. I show three covers. They all have something in common, whether it be a character, a trait all three characters share, locale, creator, SOMEthing. And it isn't something obvious like "They all have prices!" "They all have logos!" "They all feature a man!" etc.

In addition, please note that you must have some familiarity with comic book history to correctly guess these comics. You cannot guess the connective theme just by looking at the covers solely, you must have some knowledge beyond just the covers.

A cool point to the first person to figure it out! NOTE: For the sake of this week's game, we're talking Post-Crisis continuity!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

What is the coolest comic book storyline involving time travel?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover featuring Superman's skeleton!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

NAME THAT ISSUE GAME

Here is a BRAND-NEW game!

I give you three panels, and based just on these three panels, you have to tell me what comic they came from (it's not as hard as it sounds)!!

Good luck!

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

64 Comments

At June 24, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Cover theme game guess:
All the covers feature children/descendants of Golden Age heroes who have taken on the same codenames. Liberty ...
At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Post-Crisis, Lyta is not the daughter of a JSA member.

And I'm pretty sure neither Kent nor Inza Nelson were ...
At June 24, 2008, Gary wrote:
Name that Issue Game:

First one - I think that's from the Byrne/Stern run - c 250

Second one - One of ...
At June 24, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
The coolest story involving time travel?

I'd have to say the John Byrne's Next Men #0-30 that incorporated a time travel ...
At June 24, 2008, Brian Mac wrote:
For "coolest time-travel story," I'll have to go with the original "Days of Future Past" story, X-Men #141-142. Just ...
At June 24, 2008, Danar wrote:
For cover theme, all three possess a heroic identity that they share with multiple others. (3 Furies, 3 Liberty ...
At June 24, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
Cover theme game: I'm going to go with the fact that all three married a superhero teammate. Liberty Belle is ...
At June 24, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
Best time-travel story not mentioned yet: Fantastic Four #352. Walt Simonson has Reed & Doom battle each other by traveling ...
At June 24, 2008, Jeff Ryan wrote:
My favorite time travel story is Walt Simonson's indescribale universe-in-peril Fantastic Four story. At one point they fight Josef Stalin ...
At June 24, 2008, wigley wrote:
Coolest time travel story, I have to go with "The Return of Barry Allen".
At June 24, 2008, Allan Lappin wrote:
Best time-travel story (for me) had to be the issue of Superboy where he goes into the past to save ...
At June 24, 2008, Anthony Strand wrote:
For the time travel story, I'll say Flash: Race Against Time, which I thought was Waid's last great storyline on ...
At June 24, 2008, Sigma7 wrote:
The first panel is from Captain America #255, Stern/Byrne retelling Cap's origin. I have, maybe, three issues of Captain ...
At June 24, 2008, Sigma7 wrote:
Can the best time-travel story be one that was never actually produced? I can't get Alan Moore's Twilight of ...
At June 24, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
Cover theme game: All three feature characters wearing a costume made popular by a Golden Age hero-- First Liberty ...
At June 24, 2008, Dan K wrote:
Best time travel comic I can think of would have to be Tales of the Bully Pulpit.
At June 24, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover Game: Action #350
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=20949&zoom=4
At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Cover theme game: Iâ€™m going to go with the fact that all three married a superhero teammate. Liberty Belle is ...
At June 24, 2008, Graham Vingoe wrote:
my all time favourite time travel series is/was Doug Moenchs Aztec Ace . Almost no-one else has ever heard of ...
At June 24, 2008, ThiefTMA wrote:
@Allan Lappin

Marvel: The Lost Generation. And yes, it was some damn good Stern/Byrne work on that series.

But I would have ...
At June 24, 2008, Teebore wrote:
A personal fave time travel story has always been the completely over-the-top West Coast Avengers one that Englehart (no stranger ...
At June 24, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Brian said:
"And Iâ€™m pretty sure neither Kent nor Inza Nelson were related to either Carter or Sheira Hall. If not, ...
At June 24, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
I vote for Adam Warlock jumping a year forward and killing himself, then, sure enough, a year later, we got ...
At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Oh, okay!

This Doctor Fate isn't that Doctor Fate, though! :)
At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
â€œTen cool thingsâ€ doesnâ€™t exactly belong in â€œSnark Free Cornerâ€, does it? The lists are are so circumscribed and specific, ...
At June 24, 2008, buttler wrote:
I believe that second Cap panel was from #283.
At June 24, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:

I really liked the way he worked the Wonder Twins into the Teen Titans.

I thought he worked Wendy and Marvin ...
At June 24, 2008, tk. wrote:
"Days of Future Past" and "Future Imperfect" were both really good-- I especially liked seeing Rick Jones' museum of superhero ...
At June 24, 2008, Michael wrote:
What's to like about Johns putting Wendy and Marvin into Teen Titans? He introduced them and then promptly forgot all ...
At June 24, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
Cover game:
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=87721&zoom=4

My vote for coolest time travel story is "Rock of Ages" in JLA because the time-travel stuff is brilliant ...
At June 24, 2008, Ben wrote:
One Superman skeleton, coming right up -
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=87721&zoom=4

Best time travel story? How about Morrison's Animal Man where he travels back ...
At June 24, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Time Travel: +1 for the original Days Of Future Past.

Do you think Avengers Forever qualifies a time travel story?

World ...
At June 24, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
Teebore already mentioned my favorite time travel story from WCA. I'm pretty sure it was called the Cross-Time Caper. One ...
At June 24, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Avengers Forever is definitely another favorite. But then again, I'm a sucker for time travel stories and-by extension-Kang stories, so ...
At June 24, 2008, yo go re wrote:
Cross-Time Caper was the Excalibur arc...
At June 24, 2008, Patrick Hamilton wrote:
Wasn't the West Coast Avengers arc called "Lost in Space-Time?" It was actually the first issue of that arc ...
At June 24, 2008, Matt K wrote:
Best Time Travel Story: Starman #51 where Jack meets up with a young Jor-El. I especially love the ...
At June 24, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
For my money, Geoff John's Green Lantern run would be about 3 things on a Top 10 cool list by ...
At June 24, 2008, Craig wrote:
I'm not sure if it qualifies as a storyline, but I think my favorite use of time travel in comics ...
At June 24, 2008, Jeff R. wrote:
Coolest Time Travel Story has to be Adventure Comics #247, of course.

After that, I'd put pretty much any one of ...
At June 24, 2008, Rhod wrote:
Ditto Alan Moore's dragnet parody - absolutely ingenious.

I also like (as much for being surprised by its out-of-place-ness as anything ...
At June 24, 2008, JB wrote:
Spider-Boy Team Up #1 from the second round of Almagam is probably the most fun with time travel ever to ...
At June 24, 2008, Craig B. wrote:
Re time-travel stories, my first thought was "Days of Future Past," but with all the people mentioning the West Coast ...
At June 24, 2008, Edward Liu wrote:
It's not a true time-travel story, but there's a story at the end of "The Silencers: Black Kiss" by Fred ...
At June 24, 2008, Zach Adams wrote:
Time travel story: Captain Marvel v4, "Odyssey." It starts off small, with Rick Jones trying to write a ...
At June 24, 2008, Thok wrote:
I feel like the "Nearness of You" from Astro City is worth mentioning. (It's really about the after-effects of ...
At June 24, 2008, Richard wrote:
Favorite time travel story: Joe Casey did an issue of Cable, where the hero fought Immortus. The sequence ...
At June 24, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
That's right, "Lost in Space-Time." I always get that and "Cross-Time Caper" confused for some reason. Thanks for the corrections ...
At June 24, 2008, Teebore wrote:
"what about the original Avengers story where Hawkeye and Thor (and Moondragon?) visit the old West, meet the western heroes ...
At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Will â€œBooster Gold has been very enjoyable!â€ be in 3rd place on next weekâ€™s list? :P Hehe...if I can find ...
At June 24, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
"I thought he worked Wendy and Marvin into Teen Titans. The Wonder Twins (Zan and Jayna) were worked into Young ...
At June 24, 2008, lauren wrote:
to Graham who mentioned Aztec Ace - I too remember that series and I also enjoyed it, so I give ...
At June 24, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
Adventure Comics #369. Mordru scared the Legion so bad they fled to the past to hide in Smallville. It blew ...
At June 25, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
Yeah, Adventure Comics #369 is a classic. So is DOFP, even though loads of people mentioned it. Marvel did run ...
At June 25, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
Best time travel story? Well, I can't remember the issue, but to my nine-year-old slef at the time, Iron ...
At June 25, 2008, Carl wrote:
I think the cover theme game featured characters with too much in common. In addtion to the answers above, ...
At June 25, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
Time Travel: Morrison's final arc on AnimalMan.
Simonson's on FF was pretty awesome, tho.
At June 25, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
I think the cover theme game featured characters with too much in common. In addtion to the answers above, they ...
At June 26, 2008, mrjayberry wrote:
Blackjac-I have the What If? that tells the stroy of what would happen if Dr. Doom tricked Iron Man and ...
At June 26, 2008, Daniel O' Dreams wrote:
OK... How about there all the children of TWO All Star Squadron members! We never did find out who ...
At June 27, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
mrjayberry - thanks for that! But I think there must have been an issue of Iron Man the sprouted ...
At June 27, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:

Best time travel story? Well, I canâ€™t remember the issue, but to my nine-year-old slef at the time, Iron Man ...
At June 27, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
Brian! THANK YOU!!!

You truly are the font of all comic-related goodness!

That is going on my birthday list!
At July 7, 2008, Firestorm wrote:
Time Travel: That West Coast Avengers story was the shit! It had the team lost in the wild west and ...

Snark Free Corner for 6/16

Brian Cronin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:46:23 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Let's send some good vibes DC Comics' way with an all-DC Comics Edition of Snark Free Corner!!

Enjoy!

TEN GOOD THINGS ABOUT DC COMICS RIGHT NOW

Not counting Vertigo and Wildstorm, which would make this too easy (Scalped, Fables, Ex Machina, etc.)!!

10. Batman Confidential has had a couple of fun arcs back to back with notable creators. The current arc by Fabian Nicieza and the amazing Kevin Maguire (admittedly, Maguire does seem to like the nudity a BIT too much, but it thankfully was not a major part of the story) followed a very underrated arc by Tony Bedard and Rags Morales.

9. The Brave and the Bold is the perfect type of book for J. Michael Straczynski - allows him to do sweeping stories with characters that he enjoys - and his early choices all sound fun!

8. The pencilers on the two Green Lantern titles are quite good - Ivan Reis and Patrick Gleason are fine artists.

7. Booster Gold has been enjoyable!

6. James Robinson doing monthly comic books again!

5. I enjoy the return of the original Legion. You can certainly argue about the methods of their return, but their return, in and of itself, is cool.

4. Matthew Sturges, the new writer on Blue Beetle, made a Dylan reference in Salvation Run! You don't get much more awesome than that! It's good to see him getting a new steady gig.

3. Batman R.I.P has been a lot of fun, and the mystery of the Black Glove has been intriguing - I love all the Silver Age nods.

2. Final Crisis #1 was quite good - if the quality of #1 holds up, it'll be the best company-wide crossover ever!

1. All Star Superman is still one of the best comics on the market!!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Invent a new Batman rogue with a bird theme!

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

It's a tough one this week!

Find me a cover featuring Black Lightning, only it can't be an issue of his own title, the Justice League OR the Outsiders!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Floating heads don't count!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character is the offspring of a Golden Age DC character.
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2. This character gained his/her powers through science.
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3. This character has become romantically involved with his teammate.
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4. This character fought against the Ultra-Humanite.
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5. This character first appeared in Infinity Inc.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

59 Comments

At June 16, 2008, ninjawookie wrote:
You forgot teen titans year 1!

Karl Kerschl should be working on a classic lucasarts game, with that talent, but then ...
At June 16, 2008, Thok wrote:
Wow, easy challenge. All three covers feature characters who are not the character they seem to be. (Everyman ...
At June 16, 2008, Bill Reed wrote:
New bird-based Bat-baddie? Easy. The Vulture!

Oh, wait.
At June 16, 2008, Dalarsco wrote:
The guessing game is hard this week. I had Damage pegged at the first clue, and every clue fits ...
At June 16, 2008, Adam Jones wrote:
Cover theme:

All covers have characters who have died and returned (if Blue Beetle returning in the Booster Gold arc counts)
At June 16, 2008, Ben wrote:
Hector Hall, the Silver Scarab for the mystery character. GA Hawkman's son, romantically involved with Fury, fought the Ultra ...
At June 16, 2008, RBradshaw wrote:
For the Who is it? my best guess would be Rick Tyler (Hourman) even though he can have powers 1/24 ...
At June 16, 2008, Billy F wrote:
The who is it is Rick Tyler (Hourman)
At June 16, 2008, Matt D wrote:
I've got nothing but snark in me right now. What a two week period for DC.

I'm just going to keep ...
At June 16, 2008, Billy K wrote:
Justice League of America #173 http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/78/41209_20060525180434_large.jpg
At June 16, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
As far as bird-based Bat-villains goes,
there's none more dangerous than ...
(wait for it) ....
(it's coming) ....
(tremble in fear) ....
(cower ...
At June 16, 2008, Joel A wrote:
The who is it can't be Rick Tyler. Rick has the ability to see an hour into the future. It ...
At June 16, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Justice League of America #173 Remember, no Justice League covers! :)
At June 16, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
The who is it canâ€™t be Rick Tyler. Correct! It is not Rick. Not a bad job of making ...
At June 16, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
Alas, whenever I post a comment with a link, it gets deleted. CSBG's robot guards don't trust me, so ...
At June 16, 2008, Evan Waters wrote:
All feature clones/robots/doubles standing in for the characters on the cover. Blue Beetle was really Everyman, the killer Toyman was ...
At June 16, 2008, Alan Coil wrote:
I think Thok has the right answer. That's the first thing I saw.

Of the books you listed in your 10 ...
At June 16, 2008, Ben wrote:
By George I think I've got it
The second Icicle? Everyything fits apart from the powers (again...).
Son of the Golden Age ...
At June 16, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover game: DC Comics Presents #16, which I'm not linking to because otherwise the comment system thinks I'm spamming.
At June 16, 2008, mightygodking wrote:
Icicle II has powers, Ben, so no dice there.
At June 16, 2008, Brian Mac wrote:
I'm never any good at the challenges in Snark Free Waters, so I'm not going to offer any guesses. ...
At June 16, 2008, Daniel O' Dreams wrote:
Wow I really should know the who is it... I have a complete run of Infinity Inc and JSA since ...
At June 16, 2008, Tom Russell wrote:
Bird-based Bat baddie-- The Kiwi.

First, some really obvious character traits to start with: He's from New Zealand, he's very nearly ...
At June 16, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
Yeah, Daniel, I've got all of Infinity, Inc. and I'm stumped. I'm still hung up on Hector being the ...
At June 16, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
The Guinea Fowl: Old World assassin, brought in by the family. He fights dirty.

Oh, and my wife says she ...
At June 16, 2008, Lee Marino wrote:
Hmm - Did Pat Dugan's kid ever join a team?
At June 16, 2008, Birmy wrote:
Obsidian, maybe? Wrong time frame?
At June 16, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
Obsidian has too many powers!
At June 16, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
I haven't seen the issue in a while, but there was a cross-over in the early 80s between the Outsiders ...
At June 16, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
Whoops, meant to say, BL was on the cover of the Titans issue of the cross-over...
At June 16, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Man, I just realized I was WAAAAAAY unfair with the clues! My apologies! I made the correction - this character ...
At June 17, 2008, yo wrote:
but his "magic" powers are based on science - granted, the science of the 853rd century, but science nonetheless.

I was ...
At June 17, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Icicle it is!

His powers came from his father's gun (prolonged exposure internalized the gun's energies).
At June 17, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
It's funny what we'll call "science" in comics, isn't it?
At June 17, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Hehe...darn tootin!
At June 17, 2008, Danar wrote:
Goshawk. An agile woman who loves hang-gliding. She's familiar with the city because she used to be a ...
At June 17, 2008, stickler wrote:
I like the ideas of Ostrich and Kiwi for Batman rogues, and I'd want to throw in THE EMU as ...
At June 17, 2008, stickler wrote:
Also I would like to say I find it amusing that on 6/16 - a day which always makes me ...
At June 17, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Black Lightning cover: Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #1 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=32383&zoom=4
At June 17, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
Whew... is it the second Dr. Midnight, who died in Eclipso?
At June 17, 2008, swan wrote:
I would love to have mine at the top of this list. It is called Klok and can be found ...
At June 17, 2008, Teebore wrote:
The Whooping Crane!

This awkward, long-legged fop uses his awesome sonic powers and knowledge of Crane-style kung-fu to lethally take ...
At June 17, 2008, HammerHeart wrote:
Here's my pitch for a brand-new bird-themed Bat-villain:

BLACK VULTURE, Carrion Defiler!

I originally thought about creepy gimicks, because good Bat-villains need ...
At June 17, 2008, joecab wrote:
Clown knives, and arrows are all appropriate toys for young children. About time you had an easy one.

Fabian Nicieza ... ...
At June 17, 2008, Chunk_McFat wrote:
Best thing about DC? NO EFFIN' SKRULLS!
At June 17, 2008, WonderGuy wrote:
1. all three are not who they seem to be on the cover
2. Sky Lark ( bird is Skylark)
3. Black ...
At June 17, 2008, WonderGuy wrote:
also... one of the greatest thing about DC right now... is Gail Simone on Wonder Woman. (well, Gail Simone by ...
At June 17, 2008, Anonymous wrote:
All three books feature characters masquerading as other characters.
1) Everyman posing as ted Kord
2) Toyman robot posing as ...
At June 17, 2008, acespot wrote:
All three books feature characters masquerading as other characters.
1) Everyman posing as ted Kord
2) Toyman robot posing as ...
At June 17, 2008, acespot wrote:
damn, thok beat me to it
At June 17, 2008, lauren wrote:
for the bird bat-villain how about the Spotted Owl.

Lived a peaceful existence until his or her environment was ...
At June 17, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Oh right, sorry - meant to say "correctamundo!" to thok.
At June 17, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:

Best thing about DC? NO EFFINâ€™ SKRULLS!

How would you know?

Best thing about DC? New Joe Kubert. The possibility ...
At June 18, 2008, Kane wrote:
I wish someone would bring back Shrike.
At June 18, 2008, Billy K wrote:
DC Comics Presents #16 http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/108/51186_20060818162011_large.jpg
The New Teen Titans #37 http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/2/395_20050921205017_large.jpg
At June 18, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
That's the Titans cover I was talking about...a very nice looking cover, and a good issue as well.
At June 24, 2008, JB wrote:
Bird based bat man baddie

I got two

The Cuckoo. He would kill robin and just show up in the bat ...
At June 25, 2008, Blackjak wrote:
I know it's sad but there are so many great bird names that would never be used:

A couple called "The ...
At July 7, 2008, Firestorm wrote:
The answer for the who is it can be both Silver Scarab AND Hourman II:

Both appeared in Infinity Inc

Both are ...

Snark Free Corner for 5/20

Brian Cronin — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:53:48 +0000

Sorry, this should have been up yesterday, but the server went down for a bit!

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Which Legion was cooler - Abnett and Lanning's or McGraw/Peyer/Stern's?

The McGraw/Peyer/Stern Legion was notable in the way that, along with artists Jeffrey Moy and Lee Moder, it portrayed the Legion as heroes in the mold of the old Binder, Siegel, Hamilton and Shooter days.

The Abnett and Lanning stories were noted by their artist, as well, as Olivier Coipel had a darker feel to his work than Moy and Moder, and the D'n'A stories were a good deal darker.

Both runs spotlighted characterizations as a key part of their writing.

Which one do you Legion fans like better?

Let me know - and remember, in the debate, no snarkiness allowed!!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who would win in a game of basketball - Guy Gardner or Hawkeye?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover featuring Batman laughing...

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character dated a superhero.
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2. This character has been a superhero.
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3. This character has been a supervillain.
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4. This character was once thought to be possessed by the devil.
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5. This character's superhero name is a color.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

29 Comments

At May 21, 2008, Graham Vingoe wrote:
Of the 2 Legion runs you mention I'd plump for the Abnett/Lanning run well over the McGraw/Peyer/Stern run Abnett and ...
At May 21, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
Definitely the McGraw/Peyer/Stern. After the 5YL run, it was a nice change and breath of fresh hair. It wasn't perfect ...
At May 21, 2008, Francisco Germiniani wrote:
It's Magenta, from the Flash. The color clue gave her away.
At May 21, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
Really?, I figured the Blue Devil.

The Giffen/Levitz Legion run wuz the cooolest.

The covers, I guessing here, is about helpless females ...
At May 21, 2008, Rob Schamberger wrote:
Both Legion runs definitely had a lot going on to shake up the characters' lives. The notable moment of ...
At May 21, 2008, John Seavey wrote:
My question is, "Who's the ref?" Because Guy, he'd play dirty. He'd throw elbows, he'd flop, he would violently and ...
At May 21, 2008, Matthew E wrote:
McGraw/Peyer/Stern had their moments, but the Abnett and Lanning run was much better. The art was better, for one thing, ...
At May 21, 2008, Batmite79 wrote:
A few covers I found:

[img]http://www.goldenagebatman.com/cover12.html[/img]

[img]http://www.goldenagebatman.com/cover112.html[/img]

[img]http://www.goldenagebatman.com/bat33a.jpg[/img]
At May 21, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
The cover theme is "hounds." Catwoman's fighting Hellhound, Claremont had Rachel constantly refer to herself as a "hound", and ...
At May 21, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
I don't know if either series had better art, I'd say both had art that was appropriate for the tone ...
At May 21, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
Hawkeye would win. He'd take out his hearing aid, depriving Guy of his best skill, the trash talking.

After that, Hawkeye ...
At May 21, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Wasn't Guy a phys ed teacher at one point? Even still, I have to go with Hawkeye. Guy would be ...
At May 21, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
I was going to throw up a guess for Black Cat. I don't know about the "posessed" qualifier, but ...
At May 21, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
Hate to use the obvious for the cover challenge but...

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=32073&zoom=4

That said, I don't think there's any proof that Batman's actually ...
At May 21, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
I would probably choose the Waid / Peyer McCraw Legion over DnA, but it would be pretty close.

This version of ...
At May 21, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Laughing Batman: Batman #40 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=5870&zoom=4

I'd go with the McGraw/Peyer Legion, but I generally prefer the old-school style.
At May 21, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
I have to go with the McGraw/Peyer/Stern Legion. That was the first version of the Legion I ever read, sifting ...
At May 21, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover game: World's Finest #17. http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/worlds-finest/17-1.jpg
At May 21, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
DnA Legion, for sure. While I hated the Ra's Al Ghul story (and concept), the McGraw/Peyer/Stern years had too ...
At May 21, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
I never read much of the DnA Legion, so I'll have to go with the McGraw/Peyer/Stern Legion out of default. ...
At May 21, 2008, C. Adams wrote:
The knock against the McGraw/Peyer/Stern (not to mention the Biernbaums) run on Legion/Legionnaires was that it was too fun. ...
At May 21, 2008, Craig B. wrote:
For the cover theme game, I was going to say "cats and dogs," since you've got Catwoman, Shadowcat (at the ...
At May 21, 2008, Thok wrote:
Given that Hawkeye is slightly taller than Guy (6'3" versus 6'1" or so) and that he's a better shooter, in ...
At May 21, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Remember, Guy is not just a gym coach - he almost made it to the pros playing football, so that's ...
At May 21, 2008, buttler wrote:
Hmm, my comments aren't showing up again, but I'll try another one anyway:

For the life of me, I can't tell ...
At May 21, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
And the Colorist / Co-Writer on that Legion series was Tom McCraw.

That is all...
At May 21, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:
I like the Waid and Kitson run the best!
Admittedly, it's the only Legion I've read, but it's probably the only ...
At May 21, 2008, wwk5d wrote:
C. Adams, noone (myself included) would knock the Biernbaums run for being too fun; if anything, it was too dark ...
At May 22, 2008, acespot wrote:
Damn.
I got here too late.
And for ONCE! I knew the answer to this.
Which, of course, is "hounds".
Hellhound, Rachel ...

Snark Free Corner for 5/12

Brian Cronin — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:03:16 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

In honor of the finale of the Valiant Comic Book Alphabet of Cool this week, this is an All-Valiant edition!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Which Turok was the best?

The original Gold Key stories featuring Turok had the great Gaylord Du Bois and Paul S. Newman writing the stories (particularly Newman), but they were fairly straightforward tales.

The early Valiant issues had a nice twist, while keeping the whole "hunting dinosaurs" bit, it also had various other weird anomalies in the Lost Land. However, while the series did feature Tim Truman for awhile and a young Rags Morales, otherwise, it did not have creators at the same level as a Newman.

The final Valiant series was created by Fabian Nicieza, and it remakes Turok as a modern-day Native American who gets caught up in his destiny to be the next dinosaur hunter. It was a fun story, and it spawned a very popular video game.

So which series was the best?

Let me know - and remember, in the debate, no snarkiness allowed!!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

You have to make a new Valiant Universe of eight titles - which eight books do you choose, and which continuity do you use for each one?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover featuring a cover homage to a previous VALIANT cover on a Valiant comic book...

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

(This cover homages the cover of Harbinger #1)

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has a daughter.
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2. This character has been in the military.
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3. This character wore a suit of armor.
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4. This character was in charge of a group of armored people for a time.
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5. This character was blackmailed into quitting his post.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

9 Comments

At May 12, 2008, Andrew-TLA wrote:
The only Turok I've read is the third one, so I'm going to have to go with that. No snark ...
At May 13, 2008, yo go re wrote:
The fact that all three covers have somebody wearing Spider-Alien armor is too obvious, but it did make me think ...
At May 13, 2008, Rob Schamberger wrote:
The Truman/Morales/Gulacy run on Turok is one of my favorite comics ever.
At May 13, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
The fact that all three covers have somebody wearing Spider-Alien armor is too obvious Right, but perhaps a twist on ...
At May 13, 2008, mightygodking wrote:
Line of eight Valiant titles:

1.) Eternal Warriors. The Acclaim concept of putting Archer, Armstrong, Ivar and Galad all in one ...
At May 13, 2008, Craig B. wrote:
The "Who Is It" has to be somebody on the Armorines, right? I haven't read those books since they ...
At May 13, 2008, chris wrote:
Found a Valiant on Valiant
At May 13, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: Rai Companion http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=53060&zoom=4 was an homage of Rai #0 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=51978&zoom=4.

Unless it was the other way round.
At May 15, 2008, BlackRivil wrote:
For Who Is It, is it the Guardsman (O'Brien)? Question #4 makes me think of him...

Snark Free Corner for 5/6

Brian Cronin — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:27:19 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

If you were able to change ONE part of Iron Man's history, what would you change?

Would you bring Happy Hogan back? Would you give Tony Stark his secret identity back? Would you make Tony Stark no longer head of SHIELD? Would you bring back Obadiah Stane? Would you bring back James Rhodes? Would you bring Mrs. Arbogast back? Would you make Clytemnestra Erwin a good guy again?

Remember, no snark!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

NOTE: While obscure, the connective theme for this week really amuses me, probably more so than it should, but since it is so amusing to me, I am going to give TWO cool points to the first person to figure it out!!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Invent a new animal-themed villain for Spider-Man.

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover featuring the Phantom Stranger hanging out with a group of more than four heroes.

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has fought Iron Man.
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2. This character has a science background.
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3. This character is a Doctor.
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4. This character has a suit of armor, too.
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5. This character first appeared in the same comic as Hank Pym (while not being Hank Pym, natch).

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

34 Comments

At May 7, 2008, Patrick Hamilton wrote:
For the cover theme game, I'm going to guess it is some kind of body-sharing/switching theme. Captain Marvel used ...
At May 7, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
Cover theme game:

The all feature bad costumes!

- Captain Mar-Vell's original green & white is not as bad as the ...
At May 7, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
oh, wait... this is supposed to be "snark free"... damn.
my bad.

You caught me before my morning tea.

:-(

~P~
P-TOR
At May 7, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
I used to play the Marvel role-playing game a lot. When I did, I liked to come up with ...
At May 7, 2008, Mike wrote:
My interest in Iron Man ended around the time that the second Armor Wars story finished, but if I could ...
At May 7, 2008, Rob M wrote:
For the cover game, Conjurors #1 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=62690&zoom=4
At May 7, 2008, John Cage wrote:
Cover challenge, Justice League Adventures: http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=213877&zoom=4

And I'm thinking cover theme connection has to do with one of the featured characters ...
At May 7, 2008, Jeff Ryan wrote:
On the Iron Man side of things, I would humbly suggest that the teenage Tony Stark storyline. It's like yelling ...
At May 7, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
Depends on what you mean by 'change'. If it means what part of Iron Man's history would I like to ...
At May 7, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover challenge: Swamp Thing #50: http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/swamp-thing/2#i50
At May 7, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
That's easy-- you just reprinted this one:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=41601&zoom=4
At May 7, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Maybe it's because the movie is still on my mind, or I'm misremembering things, but I'd change it so that ...
At May 7, 2008, Randall majors wrote:
Probally not the theme you intended but all three covers feature heroes who's costume changed.

Captain Marvel went to his Red/blue ...
At May 7, 2008, chris w. wrote:
Please to be removing the teenaged Tony Stark from human memory k thx
At May 7, 2008, Scott wrote:
I'd undo pretty much every storyline in Iron Man where he was operating the suit remotely. If Tony's not in ...
At May 7, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Oh, good point about the remote controlled suits-that never really sat right with me. He (or someone) needs to be ...
At May 7, 2008, Bill Reed wrote:
I'd nix Extremis or whatever so we can have Tony's armor fit in the attachÃ© case again.
At May 7, 2008, Evan Waters wrote:
All of those issues were Huey Lewis & the News Songs. Captain Marvel #16 was "Back in Time" and Firestorm ...
At May 7, 2008, Thomas wrote:
Is the "Who is it?" Doctor Doom? It seems too obvious, but it's the only thing I could think of.
At May 7, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Or we could bring back the "turn off the chestplate and he dies" weakness.
At May 7, 2008, Thomas wrote:
Ignore what I said, I did not read the fifth question.
At May 7, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
Brian just showed us this one:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=41601&zoom=4

As for the "Who Is It?", if you're being really tricky, you could say "Dr. ...
At May 7, 2008, Rob M wrote:
For Iron Man, I agree with the Extremis answer. It gives him too many extra powers, including regenerating his ...
At May 7, 2008, Asteele wrote:
Who is it?
Nathan Garret - Black Knight II
At May 7, 2008, Asteele wrote:
Who is it?
Nathan Garret - Black Knight II
If it is Huey Lewis, that is definitely worth 2 cool points.
At May 7, 2008, Jason wrote:
For Spider-Man, how about a 40-something villainess known only as the Cougar?

Jeff Ryan...I think Red Sox Nation forgave Buckner, even ...
At May 7, 2008, Stefan wrote:
Here's the thing about Iron Man. I kinda see where Joe Q's coming from when he says IM's the ...
At May 7, 2008, David wrote:
I say nix the Extremis suit for Iron Man.
At May 7, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
Hey, there they are! Sorry for the double cover post. My posts didn't appear for several hours.
At May 7, 2008, RBradshaw wrote:
Who is it?
How about Stingray, aka Dr. Newell?
At May 7, 2008, fourthworlder wrote:
I did my own Spider-Man issue for English in grade nine or so where I had him fight the Amazing ...
At May 7, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
How about Stingray, aka Dr. Newell Yep!

Was Garrett an actual doctor? If so, then yeah, he'd count.
At May 8, 2008, Carl wrote:
The Crossing has to go. By extension, that eliminates Teen Tony, as well.

I'd also probably get rid of ...
At May 8, 2008, willyboy wrote:
Cover theme: All feature characters that were killed with swords (Supreme Intelligence, Firestorm, and Jericho)

Snark Free Corner for 4/21

Brian Cronin — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:28:27 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Roger Stern or Steve Englehart?

Whose Avengers do you like better?

Steve Englehart burst on to the Avengers scene following Roy Thomas, and he produced a great deal of the most memorable Avengers comics of the time, doing one of the best runs of the 1970s period.

Roger Stern followed Jim Shooter on the Avengers in the 1980s, and also put in a tremendous run on the title, with some notable storylines, as well.

Englehart used more of a traditional lineup, while Stern used more of a unique team.

Both had their pet characters (Mantis for Englehart, Captain Marvel for Stern).

But at the end of the day, which run do you think was better?

Let me know!!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Make up your ideal six-member Suicide Squad team, with the rule that four of the six have to be supervillains and Deadshot has to be on the team.

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover (other than a Green Lantern title) featuring Arisia on it.

Here is an example (which you can't use!)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has been the head of a major corporation.
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2. This character is related to a famous villain.
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3. This character has been the head of a group of bad guys.
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4. This character has had a child with a superhero.
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5. This character particularly digs Batman.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

49 Comments

At April 22, 2008, Mister Midnight wrote:
This was a difficult choice. Englehart was doing the Avengers when I first started collecting comics, the Avengers was my ...
At April 22, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Who Is It: It took me until #5, but it's Talia, daughter of Ras Al Ghul

Cover challenge: Justice League ...
At April 22, 2008, Pedro BouÃ§a wrote:
For the cover theme game, is it mind control? i think all stories had characters being mind controlled (not sure ...
At April 22, 2008, Graham Vingoe wrote:
Englehart is the Avengers writer for me, at least as far as the main Avengers title is concerned. Never warmed ...
At April 22, 2008, Rusty Priske wrote:
I like Englehart's run, but Stern is the guy.
At April 22, 2008, The Indestructible Man wrote:
Stern's run on Avengers is one of the things I learned to read off of as a child (alongside Simonson's ...
At April 22, 2008, Matt D wrote:
Stern's Avengers I could reread forever on a desert island.

I think I'd get sick of Englehart's after a few dozen ...
At April 22, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Talia on #2
At April 22, 2008, Teebore wrote:
I went back and forth on the Stern/Englehart debate when voting for the 100 runs poll. I enjoy a lot ...
At April 22, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
Suicide Squad:

Deadshot: Well, he has to be on the team, right?
The Icicle: I really liked his appearances in JSA, and ...
At April 22, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Both are terrific writers, but Stern gets the nod. There was a much broader variety of stories. The ...
At April 22, 2008, Tekende wrote:
Talia, got it on the first clue.
At April 22, 2008, buttler wrote:
Ooo, clever Avengers question, because of course it's the Roy Thomas and Jim Shooter runs that really stick with me. ...
At April 22, 2008, Danar wrote:
i don't know if its perfect, but i wrote up the first couple issues of a suicide squad book for ...
At April 22, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Who is it? Talia with #4, confirmed with #5.
At April 22, 2008, fourthworlder wrote:
My favorite Avengers run is still Roy Thomas', especially issues 89-100.
Between Englehart and Stern I'd have to say Englehart, but ...
At April 22, 2008, Ian wrote:
I hardly hate ANY character, but I always hated Mantis. Until Starlord and Annhiliation that is.

Oh, and I never ...
At April 22, 2008, J. R. Wick wrote:
Talia on #2.

Don't think I've read either of Stern or Englehart's versions of the Avengers. The extent ...
At April 22, 2008, Alex wrote:
Its Talia Al Ghul, related to Ra' Al Ghul, head of the League of Assasins, had a child with Batman, ...
At April 22, 2008, dhole wrote:
Cover theme game: The three story titles form a haiku.

Cover game: Action Comics #589 (Superman & Green Lantern Corps)

Talia in ...
At April 22, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
I love Englehart. I voted for him twice on my extended runs list. But Avengers? That run ...
At April 22, 2008, Jeff R. wrote:
Suicide Squad Team: Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Doctor Virus (one-page villain from Busiek's Action run...the team needs a redshirt), Killer Frost, ...
At April 22, 2008, Cousin Dick wrote:
While I love Stern's work on almost any thing (particularly 80s Marvel books), Steve Englehart was like a rock star ...
At April 22, 2008, Zach wrote:
This one did not particularly care for the Englehart run and just read it for the first time last week. ...
At April 22, 2008, Dalarsco wrote:
Tali on 5. My first thought was Iron Man, number 2 threw me, number 3 made me think Lex ...
At April 22, 2008, Dan Felty wrote:
"Cover theme game: The three story titles form a haiku."

dhole deserves a win for this one.
At April 22, 2008, Scavenger wrote:
Talia on #1!!!!
Whoo hoo!!! First time I ever got a #1
YAY!!!!!!!
At April 22, 2008, buttler wrote:
OK, I don't like using covers like thism, but the non-GL title rule makes it hard not to. Arisia's right ...
At April 22, 2008, buttler wrote:
OK, since Deadshot certainly fills one of the supervillain slots right off the bat and you have to have some ...
At April 22, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=42916&zoom=4

Because he who controls cool points controls the world.
At April 22, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
Tough for me to judge Englehart vs. Stern fairly, as I read a LOT more of Stern's run, and have ...
At April 22, 2008, Dean wrote:
I am going with Steve Englehart's "Avengers". Stern did some great stuff, like introducing Namor. However, team books ...
At April 22, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
Other possible Squad candidates (because I'm having way too much fun):

1) MIRROR MASTER â€“ The Grant Morrsion Scottish mercenary version.
2) ...
At April 22, 2008, Stefan wrote:
Stern's a better storyteller, a better writer. Englehart was more interesting and exciting conceptually. If I have to ...
At April 22, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
Englehart's stories had a scope and scale to them that suited The Avengers,, especially given how powerful his line-ups usually ...
At April 22, 2008, Stephen wrote:
Got it as Talia with #2 - corporate heads are pretty rare to begin with (Lex, Talia, Tony, whatever), and ...
At April 22, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
FOURTHWORLDER: When I started buying The Avengers, the first issue was the one introducing Captain Marvel. I've bought ...
At April 22, 2008, Matt wrote:
Talia on #2.

Stern's Avengers gets the nod from me, partially because the art was better. But Stern also ...
At April 22, 2008, alistairw wrote:
"Cover theme game: The three story titles form a haiku."

Even if this isn't it, I think dhole just won the ...
At April 23, 2008, John Seavey wrote:
Stern by a landslide, to be honest. Englehart's Avengers run is a lot better as backstory than it is to ...
At April 23, 2008, fourthworlder wrote:
That's neatly ironic, Av63, because the first Avengers I ever bought was 112, which first introduced Mantis. Pretty clear where ...
At April 23, 2008, Daniel O' Dreams wrote:
Uh so what is the answer to the cover theme game?
My best guess is literary refrences. I know Panic In ...
At April 23, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
The haiku one is funny, and I'll give it a cool point, but the "true" one, which I find way ...
At April 23, 2008, Mark_Andrew wrote:
Stern's stuff is always really solid. He has fewer off-days than pretty much anyone in mainstream comics, and ...
At April 23, 2008, buttler wrote:
OK, OK, here's the cover theme. Bruce Banner, Black Alice and the Fixer all hail from from Dayton, Ohio.
At April 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Correct!

Isn't that awesomely hilarious? :)
At April 24, 2008, buttler wrote:
Hey, so were the Wright Brothers! And Kim Deal, and Jonathan Winters, and half the cast of The ...
At April 24, 2008, dhole wrote:
Rats. I was sure the haiku would give me my first right guess ever.

Thanks for the point, though.
At September 14, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:
Englehart wins because it had Mantis.

Snark Free Corner for 4/14

Brian Cronin — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:23:40 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Which Moore is appreciated more?

Two of Alan Moore's most popular works are Watchmen and V for Vendetta - but which one is better?

Both works have iconic characters, to the point where I don't think either one has an edge there.

V for Vendetta is a completely original work, while Watchmen is based on established characters, but I think we've established by now that a work being an analogue of a prior work does not necessarily mean that the analogue work is any less of a work.

V probably has the stronger ending of the two works.

Watchmen has more notable characters, as the cast is larger.

It's a real close call, which is why I leave it to you all.

What do you folks think?

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who would win in a hot dog eating contest - the Hulk or the Blob?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a cover (other than Birds of Prey) featuring Oracle on the cover (in the flesh, not the Oracle symbol).

Here is an example (which you can't use! And you can't use the other cover of Suicide Squad she was on)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This creator worked with Will Eisner.
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2. This creator was in the US Marine Corps.
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3. This creator worked for Marvel during the 1970s.
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4. This creator worked for Crossgen.
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5. This creator briefly worked for DC Comics recently.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

38 Comments

At April 15, 2008, Bernard the Poet wrote:
Which is better, V or Watchmen? My first reaction was that I didnâ€™t want to play this game â€“ it ...
At April 15, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
V for Vendetta.

I've long loved BOTH of these works, but as great as WATCHMEN is, V has always been my ...
At April 15, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
WHO IS IT?

Mike Ploog?
(It's the DC question that is throwing doubt my way, otherwise, all things ...
At April 15, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Who Is It? Mike Ploog on 1, confirmed by 3-5
At April 15, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
Oops. Forgot to tell WHICH clue "gave it away".

# 1. The Will Eisner connection.

Then each one reinforced my belief (until ...
At April 15, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: Batman #511 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=55630&zoom=4

And for Sanctum: The recent DC work was on a couple of issues of ...
At April 15, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
OH?
That's AWESOME.

(Ploog on the SPIRIT? Talk about coming full-circle.)

I'm going to have to go pick those up (AND the Paul ...
At April 15, 2008, DanCJ wrote:
Watchmen for me is far better than V for Vendetta - and I think Watchmen has a much stronger ending. ...
At April 15, 2008, Danar wrote:
Cover Theme Game : Each features a character who "died" during the Battle for Bloodhaven. Spellbinder, Technocrat and Major ...
At April 15, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
Watchmen was cool, brilliant and redefined the agenda of comics. It's rightfully considered the zenith of the medium.

V For Vendetta ...
At April 15, 2008, Viking Bastard wrote:
I'm going to go with V for Vendetta as well, even though I like Watchmen more, because Watchmen requires that ...
At April 15, 2008, Colossus 2000 wrote:
Hulk wins over Blob. Just because Blob is a big boy doesn't mean he can eat quicker, or eat more.... ...
At April 15, 2008, Allan Lappin wrote:
Cover theme - Sunglasses! 8-)

As far as Alan Moore... I enjoyed _Watchmen_ more, but thought _V for Vendetta_ was the ...
At April 15, 2008, felgekarp wrote:
I kind of got bored of V for Vendetta about half way through and have yet to finish it off, ...
At April 15, 2008, Eric Grant wrote:
V For Vendetta, based on influence on my life (read it when I was about 17).
At April 15, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
I found Watchmen more engrossing, and reread it every few years. Dave Gibbons' art is more appealing to me (although ...
At April 15, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Hulk smash puny hot dogs (and Annoying Fat Man).
At April 15, 2008, Matt Lazorwitz wrote:
Cover Theme Game: All three covers feature someone who has sold/has had their soul sold to the devil: Spellbinder ...
At April 15, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Haven't the fans already spoken on Watchmen/V? Watchmen has had a lot more attention paid to it and clearly ...
At April 15, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Only read Watchmen and watched the filn based on V, so can't decided between the two comic books. Therefor, for ...
At April 15, 2008, Tom Russell wrote:
Actually, I'm one of those few people who doesn't "get" V for Vendetta. I thought the premise and the ...
At April 15, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
I think that Watchmen is a more complete work in the comic medium, even though I think Moore's storytelling was ...
At April 15, 2008, Pitr wrote:
Cover game, JLA v2 #37: http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/jla/37-1.jpg
At April 15, 2008, Kirayoshi wrote:
I'd give Watchmen over the edge over V for Vendetta, due to the book's structure; Alan Moore created a number ...
At April 15, 2008, Stefan wrote:
I'll vote V For Vendetta over Watchmen any day, although, y'know, they're still two of the best 10 graphic novels ...
At April 15, 2008, Billy F wrote:
Who is it? Mike Ploog. Got it on # 3, was completely sure by #5.
At April 15, 2008, Evan Waters wrote:
I'd say WATCHMEN holds together better. V FOR VENDETTA, you can tell was a serialized work with a huge whopping ...
At April 15, 2008, The Mad Monkey wrote:
Cover Theme Game...

Could it be as simple as a character on all the covers is wearing some form of sunglasses?
At April 15, 2008, The Mad Monkey wrote:
Oops...I didn't notice Allan Lappin beat me to it.
Silly me...
At April 15, 2008, winterteeth wrote:
Cover challenge: Does Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear count?

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=57930&zoom=4

It has Barbara AND Batgirl on it.
At April 15, 2008, sononsj wrote:
I enjoyed both but I'm going to have to say V for Vendetta. The art's more fluid and cinematic, and ...
At April 15, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
Can I vote for MIRACLEMAN? I'm another one who didn't really get V. I read it once when ...
At April 15, 2008, Punch wrote:
From Hell Is better than them both, but if I had to choose I'd say V For Vendetta by a ...
At April 15, 2008, Lothor wrote:
Which Hulk and which Blob? If we're talking the iconic versions of each I'd say Blob (even though I'm ...
At April 16, 2008, Ranald wrote:
Watchmen is far better in my view; the characters have far more depth, and is better paced; Vendetta loses momentum ...
At April 16, 2008, Carl wrote:
Hulk vs. The Blob? I say neither. The Kingpin would trounce both of them. He actually got ...
At April 24, 2008, buttler wrote:
OK, this isn't much a theme next to the whole selling-your-soul thing, but all three covers have people who have ...
At July 7, 2008, Firestorm wrote:
The three covers theme: each cover has a character that died during Infinite Crisis:

Batman cover: Spellbinder
Outsiders cover: Technocrat
Justice League Elite ...

Late Snark Free Corner for 4/7

Brian Cronin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:52:05 +0000

I'll admit, with all the preparation for the Top Runs countdown (while also writing a bit for the Comic Book Alphabet), I totally forgot about Snark Free Corner yesterday! Sorry! So here you go, your latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Who was the best artist during Doug Moench's run on Master of Kung Fu?

There were four main artists during Doug Moench's run on Master of Kung Fu: Paul Gulacy, Jim Craig, Mike Zeck and Gene Day.

All of them had their strengths and weaknesses, but who was the best artist for the book?

Gulacy's run is the most famous, while Craig is the least famous.

Gulacy has probably the coolest faces, while Zeck was the best action depicter of the four (in my humble opinion, of course).

Day was the most detailed of the four, and I think the best at creating a mood.

I dunno, it's a really close call between the four.

What say you all?

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who is the smarter Hank - Pym or McCoy?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a Spider-Man cover where his costume is in some tattered shape (only if the body of the costume is in tatters, not if the only part of the costume that is torn is the mask - as that seems to happen a little too frequently, so only if something OTHER than just the mask is torn).

Like this cover (which you can't use)...

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character was created by Gerry Conway.
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2. This character is a Marvel character.
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3. An Avenger made his or her first appearance in this character's comic book.
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4. A SEPARATE Avenger made his or her first appearance under a new name in a comic starring this character (also, to boot, this Avenger was on the same team with the Avenger in clue #3!!)
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5. This character's secret identity is one of those pun names, like USAgent's two secret identities (Johnny Walker and Jack Daniels, respectively - by the by, do you think the Johnny Walker name was intentional? Jack Daniels clearly was, but I dunno about Johnny Walker - it MIGHT have been a coincidence).

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner Sorry for the delay!!

Hope you had fun!

31 Comments

At April 8, 2008, Craig B. wrote:
Who is it - Luke Cage?
At April 8, 2008, Craig B. wrote:
Or the Punisher - Frank Castle?
At April 8, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
Late?!?
YOU should be taken out behind the barn and shot, drawn and quartered, horse-whipped, beaten to the inch of your ...
At April 8, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover theme game: Gamora, Brother Voodoo and Beetle all debuted in Strange Tales.
At April 8, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Who Is It? Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night, on number 3
At April 8, 2008, buttler wrote:
I'll have to give it up to Gene Day as best of a good lot of Shang-Chi artists. His ...
At April 8, 2008, Rob M wrote:
For a shredded costume, here's (the adjectiveless) Spider-Man #5 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=83572&zoom=4.

By the way, in Who Is It, the Avenger referenced in ...
At April 8, 2008, Cat Skyfire wrote:
Late? Gasp. I feel...snarky.

:)
At April 8, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover game: Spectacular Spider-Man #47:
http://www.samruby.com/SpectacularA/Large/SpectacularSpider-Man047.jpg
At April 8, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
Thanks for the follow-up, Rob M. I knew Tigra, but didn't know Moon Knight. That would have bugged me not ...
At April 8, 2008, Andrew wrote:
Does the "Top Runs" countdown also mean Judging Books by their Covers will also be delayed?

It's the segment I ...
At April 8, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
You're killing me here, Andrew! :)

I will do my absolute best to get June's Judging Comics for Marvel and DC ...
At April 9, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Oh, and yes, the Strange Tales one is correct, and the Who Is It is, indeed, Werewolf By Night.
At April 9, 2008, Eric wrote:
I think that Hank Pym is smarter. He invented Pym particles, he invented the AntMan helmet, he invented Ultron (ok ...
At April 9, 2008, Graham Vingoe wrote:
Hands down Gene Day is my favourite artist for the MOKF run. As you say his ability to evoke a ...
At April 9, 2008, Patrick wrote:
The Cover Game

http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/images/spiderman/098_alt.jpg
At April 9, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
Pym is a better scientist, but Beast is smarter.

He takes time to learn things like ethics and philosophy, and I ...
At April 9, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Gotta go with Pym, and I'm an X-Men fanboy. I mean, come on, Beast drank his experimental formula to prevent ...
At April 9, 2008, David M wrote:
On the Pym vs McCoy debate:

Has there ever been a definitive ranking of the "smartest people" in the Marvel U.? ...
At April 9, 2008, David Mayer wrote:
For the Spidey cover game, here's one of the red/gold costume (Civil War #5):

http://www.dynamicforces.com/images/civilwar5.jpg

Has anyone found one yet of the ...
At April 9, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Cover game: Spider-Man Reign #1
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/bestselling-comics-2007/582-1.jpg

--------

Pym is more successful and expert in his field. On one hand he invented the Pym ...
At April 9, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
I'd vote for Mike Zeck as the best artist. I like it when things are just a little but ...
At April 9, 2008, BDaly wrote:
I agree with the comments so far about Pym eing a better scientist but McCoy having a broader knowledge.

David, I ...
At April 9, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
[quote]In reaction to Pyb getting called more than McCoy, thereâ€™s a simple explanation. The X-Men characters generally arenâ€™t allowed to ...
At April 9, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Don't worry, Tomer, I haven't forgotten.Thone Who Sit In Darkness seem to have forgotten, though. The only time (it ...
At April 9, 2008, Mister Midnight wrote:
That Master of Kung Fu question is tough......Gene Day. Man I hope Mike Zeck doesn't know where I live
At April 9, 2008, Rob M wrote:
On MOKF, I'd have to lean to Gulacy, which I would have thought would be the consensus choice, but so ...
At April 9, 2008, Dalarsco wrote:
Pym might have more pure scientific acumen, but when it comes to all around intelligence it has to be McCoy.
The ...
At April 9, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
I voted the Moench/Gulacy run of MOKF #4 on my list. What Gulacy did better than the others was capture ...
At April 10, 2008, Patrick wrote:
For David Mayer

I did find an issue of Spider-Man wearing the Black costume with a rip in it. It's ...
At April 10, 2008, Scott Rowland wrote:
Hank Pym is definitely more accomplished as a scientist. McCoy never really followed through on his education, and is ...

Snark Free Corner for 3/31

Brian Cronin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:30:45 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Green Arrow - Superhero or Mike Grell version?

The Mike Grell version of Green Arrow was notable in that it took Oliver Queen basically out of the standard superhero format, and made him more of an urban vigilante.

The kind of guy who would shoot an arrow through the arm of a gun-toting crook, but wouldn't hop aboard a teleporter to shoot handcuff arrows at Kanjar Ro.

Which version do you like better?

Pros of Grell:

A guy whose only power is shooting arrows does not always fit in with the Justice League.
The Urban Vigilante route allowed for more realistic stories.

Pros of Superhero Green Arrow:

Grell's stories aren't even all that out of place with modern "superhero" comics, so there doesn't even need to be a change to tell some of Grell's stories.
Yes, shooting arrows is not much, but it is part of the suspension of disbelief that goes with superhero comics - you just have to presume that it makes sense for a guy shooting arrows to be around.

What do you folks think?

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who is more acrobatic - Catwoman or Tim Drake?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a Justice League comic cover (either Justice League of America, Justice League America or Justice League) that only features J'onn J'onnz on the cover.

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

I'd say good luck, but this is the easiest cover game I've had in months, so I dunno...;)...

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character was created by Gerry Conway.
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2. This character is a DC character.
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3. This character has been a member of the Justice League.
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4. This character started his or her own business.
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5. The character has a cat

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

36 Comments

At April 1, 2008, Paul C wrote:
Cover theme game-
They all feature DC characters interacting with characters/properties who came to DC through other companies?
At April 1, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Correct-a-mundo!
At April 1, 2008, Mister Midnight wrote:
I really liked Grell's version of Green Arrow....very gritty and seemed to fit the character more. More realistic ...for a ...
At April 1, 2008, Matthew wrote:
Ha, I was going to say the covers all feature a character who has turned evil during a crossover for ...
At April 1, 2008, Rick Jones, really wrote:
Who is it? I'm guessing it's Power Girl.
At April 1, 2008, Johnny P wrote:
Power Girl

Clue #4
At April 1, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
I was guessing Firestorm up through #4, then #5 made me realize you meant Power Girl.
At April 1, 2008, tom fitzpatrick wrote:
Mike Grell's the definitive Green Arrow of all time.
No doubt.

I was going to guess Firestorm for who is it, but ...
At April 1, 2008, Tom wrote:
Yeah, Grell's Green Arrow is te one for me.

And he was on that title forever, wasn't he? 80-some ...
At April 1, 2008, comb & razor wrote:
cover game:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=50325&zoom=4
At April 1, 2008, cesarvp wrote:
cover game

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=61121
At April 1, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
Grell made me a fan of Green Arrow, so I'll take his work over anyone else who's written the character. ...
At April 1, 2008, comb & razor wrote:
bad link, cesarvp
At April 1, 2008, The Mutt wrote:
Green Arrow was a cypher until he turned hippie, and that characterization works best playing off of a group. I ...
At April 1, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: JL Task Force #8 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=54359&zoom=4
At April 1, 2008, Allan Lappin wrote:
Even though I was a fan of the Silver Age GA, I never took him seriously. OTOH, I could see ...
At April 1, 2008, Simon wrote:
Cover Game:

JLA Annual #1:

http://tinyurl.com/3d43v9
At April 1, 2008, Anthony Strand wrote:
Who is it? - Power Girl, as others have said. Took me until #5. I initially thought "It can't be ...
At April 1, 2008, mightygodking wrote:
I think the ideal way to go with GA is to go with a mix of Grell-style and big-guns style. ...
At April 1, 2008, Kane wrote:
Cover theme game: a character on each of those covers has changed shape and has been a big blob at ...
At April 1, 2008, Stephen wrote:
To me, while the Grell version is nice (and elements of that have stuck around), you need to have GA ...
At April 1, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover game: What to choose, what to choose . . .

Let's say JLA#248:
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/justice-league-of-america/248-1.jpg
At April 1, 2008, Transmetro1980 wrote:
Tim is smart enough to sneak up on Catwoman but not the acrobatic match for her or Grayson.

The realistic nitty ...
At April 1, 2008, Craig wrote:
Cover game: JLA 104
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=208045&zoom=4
At April 1, 2008, buttler wrote:
Heck, even Wonder Woman kinda-sorta came to DC from another company.

She started off as an All-American Publications character while ...
At April 1, 2008, Richard wrote:
Justice League America #88. Technically it's J'onn, when he had temporarily assumed another identity:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=55016&zoom=4

-r-
At April 1, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
The JLA Oliver is fun and all, but I much prefer the urban vigilante of Grell's run. That was my ...
At April 1, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
The Green Arrow question is a hard one. I like Grell's Green Arrow a lot, but I prefer Ollie as ...
At April 1, 2008, slaz wrote:
Either approach to Green Arrow can work in the hands of a good writer. Grell wins because his Green Arrow ...
At April 1, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
On Green Arrow: Tough call.

Pros of Grell: Grell actually has knowledge of archery, which hardly any of the people who ...
At April 1, 2008, Ben Herman wrote:
Cover game: JLA Annual #1... fantastic hard-boiled noir-inspired cover by Gary Gianni featuring J'onn

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=59702&zoom=4
At April 1, 2008, Andrew-TLA wrote:
Justice League of America #256
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=42015&zoom=4
At April 2, 2008, DanCJ wrote:
Power Girl with clue 5.

Personally I think the whole gritty idea fits Green Arrow much better, but I didn't enjoy ...
At April 3, 2008, dhole wrote:
Cover game: JLA #13
At April 5, 2008, Dean wrote:
I'd have to go with the Grell version of Green Arrow.

Somehow, being over-40, having a social consciousness and being an ...
At April 5, 2008, Shane wrote:
I've always had a soft spot for Green Arrow, he's always come accross as more real than many other non ...

Snark Free Corner for 3/24

Brian Cronin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:21:44 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Better Garth Ennis work - Preacher or Punisher MAX?

Garth Ennis is drawing to a close on his Punisher MAX run, and he'll have roughly the same amount of issues of Punisher MAX as he did of Preacher, so I think it is fair to compare the two now.

Do note that I mean Punisher MAX, which is a lot different than the Punisher series Ennis did for Marvel Knights, which was split up into the original Welcome Back, Frank maxi-series, which was a brilliant comedic work, and the 36 issue or so Punisher Marvel Knights ongoing series, which was a much less brilliant comedic work - more a case of just stretching a joke insanely thin.

However, Punisher MAX is as tightly plotted as Preacher, probably more so, as the 60 issue or so run is completely tied together throughout the run, as plots from the first story arc ended up having an effect even now.

Preacher is the funnier of the two series.

Punisher has, like I said, a tighter plot, so reads more cohesive.

Preacher has better character interactions, and probably had better characters.

Punisher's characters, though, while perhaps not as good as the Preacher characters, interact on a more believable and relatable level.

(Do note that I am not counting the art, as that's unfair, as Dillon destroys the MAX artists, who ARE quite good, just not nearly as good as Dillon)

Punisher is the more mature work (it'd be kinda depressing if Ennis WASN't more mature now), but lacks the same heart Preacher had.

I dunno, what do you folks think?

And if you haven't read Punisher MAX, seriously, give the first trade a chance. You don't need to know anything about the character - just pick up the first trade.

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who would win in a foot race - Kyle Rayner or John Stewart?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features Diamondback that ISN'T a Captain America comic!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character is currently deceased.
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2. This character has had not one, but TWO of his offspring take up his name (or variations to the same effect).
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3. This character showed up in a flashback in a popular title awhile back, revealing something notable he did in the past.
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4. This character was a mutant.
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5. The character was a member of the Hellfire Club.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

37 Comments

At March 25, 2008, Jax wrote:
Kyle and John in a foot race surely that is a No contest, I mean wasnt John a marine?
At March 25, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Yeah, but he's also a good bit older than Kyle, right?
At March 25, 2008, Jax wrote:
Kyle and John in a foot race, No contest surely? And this is a majore Kyle Rayner fan talking here!!

Kyle ...
At March 25, 2008, Jax wrote:
Whooops something weird happened there, can I delete that??
At March 25, 2008, Ru wrote:
Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), clue number 2.
At March 25, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover Theme: Mr. Bones, Brom Bones (the Headless Horseman, at least in the original Washington Irving story), and Bonecrusher.

You ...
At March 25, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
I'd say Preacher is a better book since Steve Dillon drew all of the 66 issue run (except for most ...
At March 25, 2008, Michael wrote:
Have they retrofitted the Marine thing onto John Stewart from the cartoon? Because last I remembered, the comics one was ...
At March 25, 2008, Chris wrote:
This is too obvious to be it, but for the cover theme, all of them have a character wearing a ...
At March 25, 2008, Greg Burgas wrote:
Why do you hate HITMAN, Brian? That's better than Preacher!
At March 25, 2008, BDaly wrote:
Tough call on Preacher and Punisher, as both are special to me. Have to reread Preacher (or both) before I ...
At March 25, 2008, Matt D wrote:
I think they did retrofit the marine sharpshooter thing, which makes him a whole lot less interesting to me.
At March 25, 2008, acespot wrote:
mastermind, clue 2
i don't know about the theme, but uncanny 252 was the first comic i ever bought. i ...
At March 25, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Preacher. Punisher just seemed so...repetitive after awhile. Not bad, but essentially the same thing over and over again.

As for ...
At March 25, 2008, Anthony Strand wrote:
I thought "Who is it?" was Ted Knight after #2, of course. I have no idea who it actually is, ...
At March 25, 2008, Annoyed Grunt wrote:
While both Punisher and Preacher both made it in to my top 5 for the voting on my favorite run ...
At March 25, 2008, Gavin wrote:
I've only read parts of Preacher, and what I read I didn't really care for, so I've got to go ...
At March 25, 2008, buttler wrote:
Hmm, I think the "them bones" thing is almost right: Mr. Bones, Bonebreaker.

The second cover has the Horseman ...
At March 25, 2008, Eric P wrote:
[blockquote]Iâ€™d say Preacher is a better book since Steve Dillon drew all of the 66 issue run (except for most ...
At March 25, 2008, Lorin wrote:
Preacher beats Punisher, Hitman beats both. Hitman #60 is one of the best final issues ever.
At March 25, 2008, Filrouge wrote:
I would say that Preacher is better based on the character of Cassidy and the end of the serie which ...
At March 25, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:
Goin' with Punisher.

Like you said, the writing in Preacher is SO sloppy SO much of the time. If Ennis ...
At March 25, 2008, buttler wrote:
Wow, I thought Diamondback had managed to squeeze onto the Avengers cover at some point, but it looks like I ...
At March 25, 2008, ageless wrote:
I agree with buttler that I'm certain I have seen Diamondback on an Avengers book. Since I can't find ...
At March 25, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
I'd pick Preacher by quite a bit over Punisher. Punisher has been good, but it feels more like a series ...
At March 25, 2008, Conor E wrote:
Eric P:

Preacher #1-66 was 100% Dillon. McCrea might have done a spin-off, I can't recall.
At March 25, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Preacher. It's Ennis' best book ever and probably even the best series of the 90's. Puniser MAX I dropped after ...
At March 25, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
McCrea's only art chores on Preacher was inking Dillon's pencils on the Tall In The Saddle one-shot. Dillon penciled the ...
At March 25, 2008, John Cage wrote:
Didn't get the Who Is It? until the last clue -- up until then I thought it was Kraven. I ...
At March 25, 2008, Will wrote:
I still rate Hitman as the best thing Ennis has ever done, mostly for the supporting cast, but I'd put ...
At March 25, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Glad to see a little spotlight on Diamondback, one of my favorite Marvel characters. I'd like to see her used ...
At March 25, 2008, pietard wrote:
Diamondback was one of my favorites too. I am surprised how few cover appearances she has made outside of Captain ...
At March 25, 2008, will_butler wrote:
Hitman, definitely. Preacher is a close second, but Hitman had so much heart.

Will
At March 25, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:
I'll have to say Punisher MAX - it was when reading that and War Stories that I decided Ennis had ...
At March 25, 2008, Dave wrote:
As FGJ said, it's nearly impossible to truly compare the two, for what really boils down to one simple difference: ...
At March 26, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
John Stewart would win the foot race, no question. Marine > Freelance Illustrator.

I thought the mystery character was the ...
At April 1, 2008, buttler wrote:
Hmm, because of the echoing silence from Brian about the Cover Theme, I'm going to take another angle with it, ...

Snark Free Corner for Saint Patrick's Day!

Brian Cronin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:51:29 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Special Saint Patrick's Day edition!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE/CHALLENGE

I'm combining the two features this week, as the latter comes out of the former.

First, the debate...the Marvel character, Shamrock, is she just ruined as a character?

Is there such a thing as a character who is just not salvageable? And if there is such a thing as an salvageable character, would Shamrock qualify?

As you may or may not know, Shamrock was one of a number of international heroes introduced in the Contest of Champions, and like most of the other ones, she was a fairly stereotypical character - her name and her "good luck" powers.

But while she may not be a good character, is there something there that can be salvaged? Can a character like Shamrock ever be taken seriously? Do note that the last time we saw her, she had retired and become a famous hair stylist.

That, therefore, is your challenge - come up with an interesting pitch for Shamrock that involves taking her seriously as a character.

NOTE: This challenge is only for those who believe she COULD be salvaged as a character - if you do not think she can be, you don't have to come up with a pitch (as that'd be kinda contradictory, no?).

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Simply enough, find me a comic cover that features Shamrock on the cover!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This comic creator was born in Ireland.
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2. This comic creator has worked for DC Comics.
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3. This creator has worked with Garth Ennis at DC Comics.
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4. This creator is currently working outside of comics.
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5. This creator did an arc on Legends of the Dark Knight with Ennis.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

And I hope you had a good Saint Patrick's Day!!

46 Comments

At March 18, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Who is it? Will Simpson, clue #5.
At March 18, 2008, Alan wrote:
The biggest problem with token nationality characters like Shamrock is the country-specific names - it would be like every American ...
At March 18, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Cover theme game: Patrick.
Scrapper - Patrick MacGuire
S.T.R.I.P.E./Stripesy - Patrick "Pat" Dugan
Plastic Man - Patrick "Eel" O'Brian
At March 18, 2008, joffe wrote:
My Shamrock pitch:

According to her wikipedia entry, her "good luck powers" come from being the vessel for displaced spirits and ...
At March 18, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
I can't remember, but didn't Daredevil fight a villain named Gaelic around issues 220-230 (vol. 1)?

Guess I'm getting old. ...
At March 18, 2008, thekamisama wrote:
Shamrock?
Give her to Garth!
He would fix her right up.
At March 18, 2008, GarBut wrote:
May be interesting to put Shamrock in a luck v luck situation (v Longshot), or luck v chaos/chance (v Scarlet ...
At March 18, 2008, Sijo wrote:
Yes, ANY character can be salvaged. If Conan the Barbarian parodied as an Aardvark could be turned into the longest-running, ...
At March 18, 2008, Matt D wrote:
I thought Shamrock was used pretty well in Guardians of the Galaxy, actually
At March 18, 2008, Danar wrote:
I think she could easily be salvaged. There's not terribly much back story to work around, so it shouldn't ...
At March 18, 2008, Chuck wrote:
I have to agree with Matt, I also enjoyed her in Guardians of the Galaxy. Though I have to ...
At March 18, 2008, Matt D wrote:
And uh.. hey, there's always the potential of an Ennis IRA take right?

achem.
At March 18, 2008, Rebis wrote:
Maybe Shamrock should go on a date with DC's Jack O'Lantern! (Who, despite the corny name, was one of ...
At March 18, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
So is there any makor difference between Shamrock & Longshot? The only difference I remember right now is that ...
At March 18, 2008, Mr. Chris wrote:
You could sexy up that costume a little bit, for starters! Give the fanboys what they want!
At March 18, 2008, Bombie wrote:
Shamrock is salvageable - it's not as bad as the heroes I got to identify with as a child. I'm ...
At March 18, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: You didn't say that floating heads don't count, so here's Alpha Flight #109 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=51241&zoom=4
At March 18, 2008, S Shapiro wrote:
Molly is an Irish-American hip hop (or whatever the kids are calling it these days)artist. Her schtick is something like ...
At March 18, 2008, sterg wrote:
There's a tiny little Shamrock floating in space over Death's skull on the cover of Contest of Champions #3

http://www.cbgxtra.com/Portals/1/CoC3.jpg
At March 18, 2008, Tom Russell wrote:
Shamrock joins the IRA. How's _that_ for a kick-ass story engine? :-)
At March 18, 2008, Ion wrote:
Shamrock, Domino, and Longshot go on a trip to Vegas. That miniseries would sell millions of copies.
At March 18, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
Cover Challenge:
Each cover features a character who, at least some version of, has been in the Seven Soldiers ...
At March 18, 2008, Tom Russell wrote:
Didn't mean to post that just yet-- I wanted to add that it seems a very good way to deal ...
At March 18, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
Oh Stargirl and STRIPE were also in the JL Unlimited episode where the JLU version of the Seven Soldiers take ...
At March 18, 2008, Richard J. Marcej wrote:
Give Shamrock a side kick, The Shillalah Kid!
At March 18, 2008, Michael wrote:
For the cover challenge, Guardians of the Galaxy Annual 3.

As for Shamrock, I dunno if the existing version can be ...
At March 18, 2008, Carl wrote:
I'm not sure salvage is the right word. Since there isn't much there to begin with besides powers, a ...
At March 18, 2008, Glen Newman wrote:
To all the guys saying Shamrock should join the IRA , stop. The IRA haven't been active in that that ...
At March 18, 2008, Jesse Letourneau wrote:
To "fix" Shamrock all you have to do is kill her parents. All good heroes have dead parents.
At March 18, 2008, yo go re wrote:
You could sexy up that costume a little bit, for starters! Give the fanboys what they want!
Make the shamrock on ...
At March 18, 2008, Da Fug wrote:
You might want to fix question #3 even though everybody obviously knows what you mean. I have nothing else ...
At March 18, 2008, Tom Russell wrote:
Glenn,

I meant no offense, though you're quite correct re: current state of the IRA. Perhaps that kind of story ...
At March 18, 2008, Craig wrote:
Police! Plastic Man started in Police Comics; the Guardian was a policeman; and wasn't Stripe also a police officer ...
At March 18, 2008, Glen Newman wrote:
Tom,

Don't worry about it. Your idea could be used as a new origin for Shamrock and then lead to a ...
At March 18, 2008, joffe wrote:
More ideas for the adventures of the All New, All Different Shamrock:

-Teaming up with Zombie William Butler Yeats to defeat ...
At March 18, 2008, Thok wrote:
I'm disappointed nobody's suggested a Shamrock versus the Serpent Society story yet. If we're doing blatant Irish references, that ...
At March 18, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
You might want to fix question #3 even though everybody obviously knows what you mean. I have nothing else to ...
At March 18, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Iâ€™m disappointed nobodyâ€™s suggested a Shamrock versus the Serpent Society story yet. If weâ€™re doing blatant Irish references, that seems ...
At March 18, 2008, KMFPL wrote:
Wait, is it an Irish theme? Guardian, Stripesy, and Plas?
At March 18, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
All three comics feature the sons of a Golden Age hero?

The modern day Newsboy Legion were the sons of the ...
At March 18, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Oh, sorry, I forgot to confirm that the cover theme was the Patrick one.
At March 19, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Yeah! I win!
At March 19, 2008, Sanagi wrote:
Invasion of evil space leprechauns. They disguise themselves as humans and manipulate the world's economy. Only Shamrock can tell who ...
At March 20, 2008, Stephen wrote:
>It was going to be a GI Joe cover, a Captain America cover, and then it all just fell apart ...
At March 23, 2008, fourth worlder wrote:
Rewrite the back story (if there even is one) to include a friction-filled relationship between Shamrock and her oh-so-successful brother, ...
At July 7, 2008, Firestorm wrote:
Yo Go Re's idea for Shamrock is a good one. The same idea applied to Major Disaster after he made ...

Snark Free Corner for 3/10

Brian Cronin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:55:44 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Better current Flash - Wally West or a resurrected Barry Allen?

Pros of Wally - He has been the Flash now for almost two decades, and is the Flash who is now known to the general public, via his appearances on the Justice League cartoon.

He is a connective force to the most of the DC Universe, as he is close friends with the older Justice League members while remaining close friends with his peers, heroes like Nightwing and Donna Troy.

He also is one of the rare superheroes to be happily married, with kids. That gives him a unique voice in the DC Universe.

Cons of Wally - He is happily married, with kids. As a result, any comic starring Wally is basically a team book. That might not fly for a solo hero.

His kids might not be the most popular characters in the whole world.

Pros of Barry - He was the first Flash.

Besides his wife, he has no real connections, so he is set up well for a solo book.

His career as a forensic scientist is really hip nowadays, post-CSI.

The success of Green Lantern shows that the original Silver Age character can be the star again.

Cons of Barry - He has been dead for over 20 years.

While not unpopular, his comic was not particularly popular when he was last the Flash (as opposed to Hal Jordan, who had a high selling comic in the 80s/early 90s).

Well - who do you think would be the best Flash for the DC Universe now?

And remember, snark free corner here!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Which of the current roster of the New Avengers would you most want babysitting your child? Wolverine? Luke Cage? Iron Fist? Spider-Man? Echo? Hawkeye?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features Aunt May but NO Spider-Man on the cover!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has gone by more than one codename.
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2. This character has been part of teams, but has also been solo.
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3. This character is one of the rare characters to work his/her actual name into his/her codename.
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4. This character first appeared when he/she tried to sell secrets to the Commies!! Luckily, a member of the Fantastic Four stopped him/her.
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5. This character was a member of the Sinister Six during Civil War, along with Dr. Octopus, Grim Reaper and three other villains.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

44 Comments

At March 10, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Well, I've grown up with Wally West as my Flash, and his ties to the various corners of the DCU, ...
At March 11, 2008, StoneGold wrote:
Trapster, aka Paste Pot Pete, with #4. Although the Trapster as a hero... wasn't that like half an issue? And ...
At March 11, 2008, yo go re wrote:
Totally Wally - it's very revealing that the best Barry Allen stories have all been told posthumously...
At March 11, 2008, Russell H wrote:
Barry Allen was the first Flash?

Does Jay Garrick know about this?
At March 11, 2008, Thok wrote:
For the cover challenge: Flint Marko, Darkhawk and Spiderman all grew up in Queens.
At March 11, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
The best Flash? Impulse!!!

ha ha, just kidding, ha ha.
At March 11, 2008, Fisk wrote:
Cover game:
PP-Spider-man v2 #50. Aunt May and Peter on the couch but no Spidey.
At March 11, 2008, Matt D wrote:
Wally's a better Flash but I'll take Barry over Hal anyday. In 2008, a really boring straight laced character is ...
At March 11, 2008, Colonel Will wrote:
"Cons of Wally - He is happily married, with kids"

Y'know, he could probably make a deal with Neron and start ...
At March 11, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Cover Challange: All three feature Ditko creations? Sandman & Spidey are a lock, but I seem to remember Ditko ...
At March 11, 2008, Chuck wrote:
Silver Sable, Darkhawk, and Spider-Man all have had their fathers killed by a villian.
At March 11, 2008, Rebis wrote:
I agree with Russell H., Brian: You meant to write, "The first Flash in the sleek red body suit."* ...
At March 11, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
I think that Barry Allen works incredibly well as a flash-back Flash. The guy that everyone talks about, fondly, and ...
At March 11, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Wally. The fact that he's married w/kids is a plus in my book, since that makes him more unique than ...
At March 11, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:
I think Barry's a better character. The legacy thing always bothered me - It never seemed like writers ...
At March 11, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:
I think I'm tired of all the Flashes. Barry = terrible bore. Jay = of his time. ...
At March 11, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
Leave Wally as the Flash, Barry had his shot, and his death was almost more notable than his life. ...
At March 11, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
Sorry- I suppose that could be considered snark, or maybe anti-snark. I'm not sure.
At March 11, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:
No. No we can not.
At March 11, 2008, Dan wrote:
Ya know, it's funny - the family dynamic is the reason I ultimately dropped the new Flash series, and I ...
At March 11, 2008, Carl wrote:
I got the Trapster on clue 3. Paste Pot Pete came to mind as soon as it mentioned using ...
At March 11, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Who is it? Trapster with #5.
-------

I would let Dr. Strange to watch my kids. A little spell and they'll do ...
At March 11, 2008, BrianC wrote:
I have to say Wally over Barry. Wally has been Flash since I can remember now, and I like his ...
At March 11, 2008, mightygodking wrote:
Wally. The family thing is a brilliant hook - it essentially turns the title into a DC Comics equivalent of ...
At March 11, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
I'm going to have to stick with Wally for the Flash. Nothing wrong with Barry, but I just like the ...
At March 11, 2008, MarkAndrew wrote:
Oh. And Spider-man for babysitter.
At March 11, 2008, Loren wrote:
Cover Game:

Do the "Trouble" covers count?

Incidentally, it appears that Aunt May didn't appear on a cover of Ultimate Spider-Man AT ...
At March 11, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Trapster, aka Paste Pot Pete, with #4. Although the Trapster as a heroâ€¦ wasnâ€™t that like half an issue? And ...
At March 11, 2008, Scavenger wrote:
Lil' Silvie was a backup-type thing..like the Mini Marvels in some of Marvel's books today..she wasn't in the Marvel Universe ...
At March 11, 2008, Kirayoshi wrote:
My choice for babysitter? Kitty Pryde. She's actually got some experience under her belt(albeit reluctantly).

Y'know, Colonel Will, there ...
At March 11, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
For the cover challenge: Flint Marko, Darkhawk and Spiderman all grew up in Queens. More precisely, they were all BORN ...
At March 11, 2008, Kane wrote:
Watch my kid? Well, if I had a kid, I'd choose Echo. Why? Well, look at the ...
At March 11, 2008, Rob Rogers wrote:
I'm betting someone above me has gotten the cover challenge correct (some of those sound pretty convincing, particularly the Queens ...
At March 11, 2008, Craig wrote:
The X-Men note from last week is still up... but personally, I think it should stay permanently as Exhibit 1 ...
At March 11, 2008, Glen Newman wrote:
One of the very first comics I bought myself was the Dan Jurgens Flash v. Superman race issue so I'm ...
At March 11, 2008, red-Ricky wrote:
I've been enjoying my Barry Allen Flash courtesy of my New Frontier DVD and Flash: The Complete Series DVD (which ...
At March 11, 2008, David wrote:
I love Wally West but I have to say the kids are starting to wear me out. I miss ...
At March 11, 2008, Lucion wrote:
Favorite Flash is the one featured in Flash: Time Flies graphic novel. I think it was Wally West. ...
At March 11, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:
Wally West as Flash.

Unlike Nightwing, who still hasn't escaped Batman's shadow, Wally did become his own Flash.
So he's got the ...
At March 11, 2008, lauren wrote:
I really liked the Barry Allen Flash when I was growing up. I remember how pissed off I was ...
At March 11, 2008, Dan (other Dan) wrote:
"Pros of Wally - He has been the Flash now for almost two decades, and is the Flash who is ...
At March 11, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
I think Spider-Man or Hawkeye would be good babysitters, because they could relate to the kids on their own level.

And ...
At March 14, 2008, dean wrote:
I would say that Luke Cage would be the best babysitter in the current New Avengers. He's a family ...
At March 21, 2008, Dean wrote:
Wally West is by far the best Flash.

Barry was a perfectly good character and the science angle was always fun. ...

Snark Free Corner for 3/3

Brian Cronin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:32:08 +0000

Welcome to the latest (belated) installment of your breath of snark free air!

All X-MEN EDITION!!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Cyclops and Emma Frost - Good idea or bad idea?

Since the conclusion of Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, a good deal of the situations he set up are no longer in play - but one of the more striking examples that IS still in play is the relationship between Cyclops and Emma Frost, and in fact, later writers have decided to play this relationship up even MORE than Morrison did.

So the question is, do you think this pairing is a good idea?

On the one hand, Emma has certainly opened up different sides to Scott Summers' personality that had been left untapped in the past.

On the other hand, Emma has tried to kill him in the past, and has done some pretty messed up stuff to the X-Men over the years.

On the one hand, Jean Grey gave this relationship her telepathic blessing, by pushing Scott to Emma after Jean's death, when Scott was probably going to let Emma go, as he was so torn over his wife's death.

On the other hand, Jean DID just die - so that's a bit icky.

That's your topic!

Pick your sides, people!!!

And remember, snark free corner here!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

NOTE: Dying and coming back is a skill possessed by every X-Men character, so it is not a theme!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

What's the best look for Beast? Not furry? Blue ape? Blue cat?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features Banshee and Gambit...

X-Men #200 does not count!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has been dead/is currently dead (not telling which one - ah the life of the X-Men, where "this character has been dead" does not limit things at all - that is not snark, by the by!)
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2. This character was stronger than a normal human being (and not stronger in the sense that this character worked out or anything like that - it was enhanced strength)
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3. This character, at his/her death, looked nothing like he/she did at his/her birth.
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4. This character worked at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
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5. The character was a nurse.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

37 Comments

At March 4, 2008, Twilight wrote:
Re: SNARK FREE DEBATE
It's not something I would have chosen to do but it's actually led to some pretty good ...
At March 4, 2008, J to the AAP wrote:
I have no idea if she's currently dead or alive but clue #3 made me think of Betsy Braddock.
At March 4, 2008, Gokitalo wrote:
I'll second the love for Beast's cat form. I know some artists had trouble drawing it at first, but I ...
At March 4, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Who is it: Sharon Friedlander, #3 suspected, #4 clinched it and #5 confirmed it wasn't Tom Corsi
At March 4, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Oh, and as a huge Cyclops fan who grew up sanctifying the Scott and Jean relationship, I love the Scott/Emma ...
At March 4, 2008, Josef F. wrote:
Cat beast is Fab.
Especially when he goes slightly crazy, like when he's chasing Glob down a motorway, or when ...
At March 4, 2008, Matt D wrote:
From a consistancy standpoint, it IS sort of weird that Scott's with the person who empowered Mastermind to basically muck ...
At March 4, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
I dislike Scott Summers. He treated his exes like dirt. Colleen Wing gave him a key to her appartment, and ...
At March 4, 2008, Cambert wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, blue ape Beast should come back. I'm slightly bias as I ...
At March 4, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
I think Emma has turned out to be a good thing for Scott. I wasn't fond of the idea at ...
At March 4, 2008, Cambert wrote:
I'm sorry and I apologize.

I misread the question. It's 1:30AM and I can't sleep, so thinking not entirely straight. That ...
At March 4, 2008, Greg Burgas wrote:
This is actually the first character I guessed. Man, I'm sad. I miss Sharon and Tom Corsi. ...
At March 4, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
I think the issues with Emma's villainous past apply more broadly to her presence in the X-Men, in general, and ...
At March 4, 2008, Ray Cornwall wrote:
I *love* the Scott/Emma dynamic. That being said, I won't scream bloody murder if/when Scott and Jean get back together ...
At March 4, 2008, Duncan wrote:
For the Cover Theme, all of the covers feature someone who has been both a member of the X-Men and ...
At March 4, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
I'll give credit to the "foreign artists" one, even though I think simply "foreign artists" is too broad of a ...
At March 4, 2008, Brian Mac wrote:
I can't stand Emma. There, I said it. I know that bad guys reform and join the team ...
At March 4, 2008, PhantomJedi wrote:
COVER THEME: Is it HongKong?
At March 4, 2008, Philip Trostler wrote:
Havok, Cannonball, and Emma Frost all have or had siblings on the X-Teams, Cyclops, Husk, Adrienne Frost.
At March 4, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
It's China, but Hong Kong is close enough (and at least one of the three IS set in Hong Kong)!!
At March 4, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
I dunno - Adrienne Frost wasn't really ever on a team, was she?

She was just headmistress for a few issues.

Although, ...
At March 4, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
Scott and Emma are a far more interesting couple than Scott and Jean ever were.
At March 4, 2008, Michael wrote:
Dan beat me to it. I would only add that the factor of difference is several orders of magnitude.
At March 4, 2008, frog wrote:
I like Cat Beast. The form is regal yet still emphasizes his dual nature of intellectual trapped by his ...
At March 4, 2008, John Seavey wrote:
I've never been a fan of putting Emma in the X-Men, period. I always thought her reformation seemed forced and ...
At March 4, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
I very surprised that I've enjoyed Scott & Emma as a couple in Whedon's run. Never had too much ...
At March 4, 2008, yo go re wrote:
I grew up with "ape" Beast, too, but while the change to the cat form was a shock, at first, ...
At March 4, 2008, Sanagi wrote:
Scott/Emma got me interested in them as characters for the first time.
At March 4, 2008, Michael wrote:
"Sheâ€™s a selfish, horrible person. Thatâ€™s how sheâ€™s written, even now. I donâ€™t see why a person like that would ...
At March 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
I'll take the Avengers-era look for Beast over kittycat Beast any day, but then I was never a huge fan ...
At March 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
I for one welcome Emma to the X-Men and hope she survives the experience.
At March 5, 2008, Chris Griswold wrote:
I miss lion Beast.
At March 5, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
Ape-Beast was boring and ugly. Get over it.
At March 6, 2008, comixkid2099 wrote:
question about the who is it game. When someone dies as an adult, don't they look different when they were ...
At March 7, 2008, TimGunn wrote:
I like human beast (with the big feet).

I think Scott and Emma is great. Scott and Jean ...
At March 13, 2008, Ann Nichols wrote:
Beast was still human looking when I was growing up. I remember when he was turned into blue ape ...
At May 5, 2008, need information on insurance for a vacant property wrote:
need information on insurance for a vacant property...
levied furnishing Pittston ...

Snark Free Corner for 2/25

Brian Cronin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:31:09 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Batman and Zatanna - like it or dislike it?

Paul Dini recently introduced the concept that Batman and Zatanna grew up together, and as children, were very close.

This seemed to be the beginning of Zatanna as a potential love interest for Batman, and it is something that Michael Green recently brought into the pages of Superman/Batman, as well, as a magical object that forced Batman to confront that which he desires (his parents alive, etc.), Zatanna was in the vision.

On the positive side, Zatanna is a cool character who should get more attention. Plus, with the whole Identity Crisis thing happening, Zatanna and Bruce have this simmering conflict over what she did to him that any relationship between the two would always have. Not to mention that Dini's idea that the daughter of a rich and famous magician probably WOULD have a lot in common with the son of rich and famous parents.

On the negative side, it would bring a constant magical side to Batman's stories, which might not be a great idea. In addition, should Batman not date non-superpowered people instead? Do Zatanna and Bruce really match well?

That's the position! Pick your sides, people!!!

COVER THEME GAME

As always, here is the game. I show three covers (although, this week, I'll be showing FOUR!). They all have something in common, whether it be a character, a trait all three/four characters share, locale, creator, SOMEthing. And it isn't something obvious like "They all have prices!" "They all have logos!" "They all feature a man!" etc.

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Can Captain Marvel come up with a problem that he is not wise enough to solve?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features Captain America using any offensive weapon other than his shield...

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character is currently deceased.
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2. This character had a superpowered sibling.
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3. This character was previously thought to have been killed, but this more recent time, this character's death was pretty darn blatant.
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4. This character was a member of the Mutant Underground Support Engine.
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5. The character was a member of X-Force.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

50 Comments

At February 26, 2008, Philip Trostler wrote:
Cover Theme -
Victor Mancha, Albert Rothstein, Victor Von Doom, and Bruce Wayne all have dead parents; I was going ...
At February 26, 2008, Danar wrote:
Who is it? is Bedlam. Didn't get it until #5 (with Wikipedia help).
At February 26, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
If all of them only just had dead mothers, I could see that as a theme, but dead parents, I ...
At February 26, 2008, DanCJ wrote:
Is it something to do with changing names?

Oracle used to be Batgirl
Atom Smasher used to be ... erm .. something ...
At February 26, 2008, Matthew E wrote:
Can Captain Marvel come up with a problem that he is not wise enough to solve?

No.

Because coming up with problems ...
At February 26, 2008, Jordan D. White wrote:
All those covers feature children of classic characters?
At February 26, 2008, Angelle wrote:
Sounds like Paul Dini is just trying to incorporate animated series continuity into comic continuity. I remember there being ...
At February 26, 2008, Mecha-Shiva wrote:
Nope, that is straight from the animated series, Angelle.
At February 26, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Cover game:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=2853&zoom=4

All-Winner's squad #8. Cap is using a bomb.
At February 26, 2008, Rob M wrote:
And another from All-Winners, this time #14 http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=4134&zoom=4
At February 26, 2008, stickler wrote:
Cover game:

Avengers vol. 3 #2

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=68290

Yeoman America (and almost all the other Morgan LeFay Avengers) wielding swords!
At February 26, 2008, Bully wrote:
Captain America and the Falcon #16 clearly shows Cap using an incredibly awesome weapon always at his disposal which strikes ...
At February 26, 2008, Dave wrote:
Yeah, I don't buy a Batman/Zatanna relationship at all. The magic side really wouldn't match the straight crime stories ...
At February 26, 2008, Custard Mite wrote:
COVER THEME GAME: Is it dummy's (as in 'The Ventriliquist) - The Batman one was from a Scarface story and ...
At February 26, 2008, Danar wrote:
Cover Theme : All of the characters have villainous relatives.
Victor Mancha was created by his "father", Ultron. Albert ...
At February 26, 2008, Michael wrote:
Yeah, Bruce and Zee having a history worked fine enough in the cartoon, so I don't have a problem with ...
At February 26, 2008, Greg Manuel wrote:
I wouldn't have a problem with Bruce and Zatanna having some sort of relationship. The moment she started appearing in ...
At February 26, 2008, Mr. Chris wrote:
Cover game:

Captain America #317

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=41416&zoom=4
At February 26, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
I have to agree with Angelle, it really does seem like Dini is trying to import DCAU backstory into the ...
At February 26, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Cover theme game: Victor/Victoria.
Victor Mancha
Victor Von Doom
Vicki Vale

I'm still trying to figure out the JSA #30 cover (guess it's that ...
At February 26, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
Just found it's Roulette and her real name is Veronica Sinclair.

So the theme is names starting with V.
At February 26, 2008, Thok wrote:
Can Captain Marvel come up with a problem that he is not wise enough to solve?

How to tactfully inform Stargirl ...
At February 26, 2008, Adam Jones wrote:
I'm all for the Bats/Zats combo, but the thing with Dini doing it is that it's very much a conflict. ...
At February 26, 2008, JC wrote:
I think Zatana is much more than a mary sure for Dini given who he's marred to, though I think ...
At February 26, 2008, buttler wrote:
For the cover game, here's All Select Comics #1, very much along the lines of your example:
http://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/schomburg_alex/schomburg_select43.jpg
At February 26, 2008, Misia wrote:
Brian, I didn't get the impression that Bruce and Zatanna's fathers were close friends -- it's said that they knew ...
At February 26, 2008, Misia wrote:
Forgot to add: Where does Dini use her "constantly"? There was one phone call in one issue of Detective Comics, ...
At February 26, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:
I like Zatanna as Bruce's friend from his pre-Batman days, but not as a romantic interest. I like to see ...
At February 26, 2008, Nick wrote:
For the "Who is it" I'll admit it took me until #5, but is it Feral?
At February 26, 2008, Dave wrote:
Also, after Identity Crisis and the repercussions of it with Brother I, I really don't see a romantic relationship between ...
At February 26, 2008, Fran wrote:
The JSA cover seems to have Black Adam as the victor of the battle, having thus all the covers a ...
At February 26, 2008, Misia wrote:
If the gender were reversed, we'd have...a male character who erased 10 minutes of a woman's memory, to make her ...
At February 26, 2008, Billy F wrote:
I think I'm wrong, but is the Who is it Caliban?
At February 26, 2008, yo go re wrote:
Are people reading too much into Bruce/Zatana by calling it a romance? She's a friend from his childhood (as pointed ...
At February 26, 2008, Tomer S wrote:
I think that Danar at comment #2 already aswered the Who Is It? - Bedlam. I also found it with ...
At February 26, 2008, stephen cade wrote:
I've never liked magic characters very much, and Zatanna is one of the weaker ones--stop her by stopping her from ...
At February 26, 2008, Dan (other Dan) wrote:
"Can Captain Marvel come up with a problem that he is not wise enough to solve?"

That problem itself is unsolvable. ...
At February 26, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Cover theme game: Victor/Victoria.
Victor Mancha
Victor Von Doom
Vicki Vale

Iâ€™m still trying to figure out the JSA #30 cover (guess itâ€™s that ...
At February 26, 2008, Craig wrote:
I'm never good at Who Is It... but my guess is Cannonball. I haven't been reading X-Men, so I'm not ...
At February 26, 2008, buttler wrote:
Intertwining Batman and Zatanna is a terrible idea. They ought to be no closer than, say, Hawkman and Red ...
At February 26, 2008, MastaP wrote:
I don't know about you, but I'd totally read a Hawkman / Red Tornado romance book.
At February 26, 2008, mrjayberry wrote:
My "who is it guess" was warpath, but then I searched for this M.U.S.E and the correct answer was ...
At February 26, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
I've got no real problem with Zatanna and Bruce being an item, as long as it was handled as charmingly ...
At February 26, 2008, Sleestak wrote:
Why, why, why do ALL comic book characters have to be intimately connected from before birth into adulthood?

Can't they just ...
At February 26, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
Why would Zatanna be attracted to Batman?
At February 26, 2008, StoneGold wrote:
Cap #25. Him chucking a grenade while on skis.

http://captain-america.us/images/wallpaper/capcomics/cap25.jpg
At February 26, 2008, Chris Griswold wrote:
Captain America with a gun:

http://comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=396013&zoom=4
At February 27, 2008, J to the AAP wrote:
Why would Zatanna be attracted to Batman? He's the goddamn Batman!
At February 27, 2008, Sanagi wrote:
I think Zatanna/Batman is great concept(plus they just look awesome together) although I agree that they shouldn't be paired up ...
At May 18, 2008, j smith wrote:
I think apart from Selina,(DC has her with child now)Zatanna has more potential for an interesting dynamic with Batman.I ...

Snark Free Corner for 2/18

Brian Cronin — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:30:19 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

SNARK FREE DEBATE

Fictional presidents versus real-life presidents - is either preferable?

Like most issues, it is generally one of those "different strokes for different people" things, in that it works well one way, but it also works well the other way.

Personally, though, I think fictionalized presidents allow for a greater freedom of storytelling, as you can do more with a fictional character as opposed to a real life character, not to mention how the use of a real life President dates the comic book in the future (as awesome as Mark Waid's use of Bill Clinton was in his Captain America run, it definitely does date the book a bit).

That said, Marvel has always striven for realism in their comics, so I guess it makes sense for them to use the real life president. DC is interesting, in that they usually use fictionalized presidents, but have gone the real life route a number of times, most notably with John F. Kennedy.

More recently, DC had Reagan be the President during the late 80s, at least in projects Keith Giffen was involved with (perhaps Giffen just liked to be realistic). It worked okay, I suppose. Who IS the current DC President, by the way?

As noted in an Urban Legends post awhile back, Marvel was going to let Cap be elected President, but decided against it before it happened.

What do you folks think is better? Using a fictional President or using the real President?

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Come up with a reasonable explanation for why Lex Luthor would chose Pete Ross as his running mate (do note that Ross' political background at the time was as a replacement Senator who served for about a month before getting caught up in a blackmail scheme, after which, Ross resigned).

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features a United States President on it...

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character was a member of a team.
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2. This character is currently dead.
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3. There is another living character with the same name as this character.
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4. This character was born in the state of New Troy.
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5. The character was President of the United States.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

58 Comments

At February 19, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
Cover challenge: They all feature characters that are Irish?
At February 19, 2008, jazzbo wrote:
Sorry, the previous post was for the cover theme.

As for the cover game, does the Lincoln Memorial come to ...
At February 19, 2008, Michael wrote:
It took me until number 4 to realize that you're talking about the Squadron Supreme version of Kyle "Nighthawk" Richmond...
At February 19, 2008, Kane wrote:
Someone on each of those covers is a legacy character. Blue Beetle, Mirror Master (and Boomerang, I guess) and ...
At February 19, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Remember, that Mirror Master is just Boomerang using the disguise to secretly pull off jobs while working for the Squad, ...
At February 19, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
Snark Free Challenge: Lex Luthor chose Pete Ross as his running mate because that was the idea the writer had. ...
At February 19, 2008, Anonymous wrote:
SNARK FREE Corner G.B.F. Clearly you can't understand that so take a hike douche.
At February 19, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
"Different strokes for different people"?
At February 19, 2008, Anonymous wrote:
"...and Captain Britain are all characters who have taken up the mantle of a previous character by the same name"

Really?? ...
At February 19, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
Perhaps, 'Anonymous', my message was a post-modern take on the whole concept of 'Snark-Free'. As a writer, I pride myself ...
At February 19, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
Booyah
At February 19, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Really?? There was a Captain Britain before Brian Braddock? Who was that?There was a whole Captain Britain Corps that preceded ...
At February 19, 2008, Brian Mac wrote:
I prefer the Marvel style of using the real President. Yes, it dates the book, but it's a nice touch ...
At February 19, 2008, mrjayberry wrote:
For the cover challenge does Savage Dragon 119 count?
At February 19, 2008, Danar wrote:
For the cover theme game, all had powers based upon their hands? Catalyst used chemicals out of his hands, ...
At February 19, 2008, J to the AAP wrote:
I was gonna mention Savage Dragon 119 too but I got beaten to the punch I see.

Ah well... Savage Dragon ...
At February 19, 2008, John Chidley-Hill wrote:
I much prefer Marvel's realist approach...

That said, for the cover challenge...

Any issue of Prez. ;)
At February 19, 2008, Rob M wrote:
For the cover challenge, here's an obscure one:

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=238916&zoom=4

For those who don't know, Treasure Chest was a weekly? biweekly? ...
At February 19, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Real vs. Fictional Presidents:
If they're going to use the President, I'd rather they not show his face. Why? ...
At February 19, 2008, Gokitalo wrote:
More recently, DC had Reagan be the President during the late 80s, at least in projects Keith Giffen was involved ...
At February 19, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
Brian Mac: "Why just Johnson? Because he was the only person Rick Jones thought honorable enough to trust. Try pulling ...
At February 19, 2008, buttler wrote:
I'd be remiss if I didn't dig this one up for the cover game:
http://www.hellblazer.com/media/ReagansRaiders.01.jpg
At February 19, 2008, sterg wrote:
For the cover theme game:
All three covers feature someone who uses an object to produce a concussion blast.

Blue Beetle has ...
At February 19, 2008, Thok wrote:
The idea that Reagan was the President in the late 80's isn't a recent one for DC. President Reagan ...
At February 19, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover theme: Given the presidential theme of today's SFC, is it that all of the covers feature a character ...
At February 19, 2008, M Bloom wrote:
Cover game: Action Comics #309

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=18207&zoom=4

Now you may not get this at first, but if you've read the issue you would ...
At February 19, 2008, buttler wrote:
Wow, I really hope Rob's right about the Cover Theme, because that's all kinds of awesome.
At February 19, 2008, Mark Black wrote:
Remember when Steve Rogers, as the Captain, fought Ronald Reagan who was transforming into a snake?

[img]http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/captain-america/344-19.jpg[/img]
At February 19, 2008, Dale Houston wrote:
Wasn't it implied in either Millenium or one of the many related crossovers that Nancy Reagan was a Manhunter?

Reagan was ...
At February 19, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
Nancy Reagan was a 'manhunter' alright.

Just not in the way you're thinking. Ohhh yeeeah.
At February 19, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
Cover Theme- Captains?- Captain Boomerang, Captain Britain, and Catalyst was a member of the Captains of Industry.
At February 19, 2008, Craig wrote:
Hey, can we get this Grandma's Beef Curtains guy banned already? His comments are incredibly obnoxious and inappropriate for ...
At February 19, 2008, Omega Alpha wrote:
I think using real-life presidents is stupid. The book DOES NOT become more realistic because the name of the guy ...
At February 19, 2008, Teebore wrote:
Put me down in the "fictional presidents are better: column, mainly because, as it's been said, it helps preserve the ...
At February 19, 2008, DanLarkin wrote:
The criticism that use of real presidents "dates" the work kind of rests on the assumption that all superhero stories ...
At February 19, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
Hey, can we get this Grandmaâ€™s Beef Curtains guy banned already? His comments are incredibly obnoxious and inappropriate for this ...
At February 19, 2008, Craig wrote:
Apodaca - cute, I get it. I'm whining. But really, (he says, in his most reasonable, non-whiny voice), ...
At February 19, 2008, Jason wrote:
Would Action Philosophers #2 count?
At February 19, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
Yeah, but those other Captain Britains didn't come before Brian. The corps are all simultaneous differing iterations of the ...
At February 19, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
RE: 35.DanLarkin

You get no arguement from me on your points. Fixing the story into a specific era isn't necessarily ...
At February 19, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Cover theme: Given the presidential theme of todayâ€™s SFC, is it that all of the covers feature a character who ...
At February 19, 2008, Bret wrote:
Pete Ross was picked....

Beacause he was Superman's childhood pal and a minor sheild against super-smear campaigns?
At February 19, 2008, John Cage wrote:
The closest thing to an explanation I can remember seeing was a flashback in a Superman Secret Files issue (maybe ...
At February 19, 2008, Jeremy Tobin wrote:
Isn't picking Pete Ross as a running mate something Luthor would do only because his ego wouldn't let him beleive ...
At February 19, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
donâ€™t you think the Snark-Free Corner can be actually free of snarky, offensive, insulting comments

I think that's fair, and I ...
At February 19, 2008, Capper wrote:
Ronald Reagan WAS the President in the late 1980's. He was President from January 20, 1981, through January 20, ...
At February 19, 2008, Eric wrote:
I think that the DC president is named Horne. I tried looking him up on Wikipiedia, but he didn't have ...
At February 19, 2008, John Trumbull wrote:
On the real vs. fake President question, I generally prefer real. When I'm reading superhero comics, I like to ...
At February 19, 2008, joshschr wrote:
Craig, ignore Apodicka. He's 22. He'll pull his head out of his ass one of these days...

I like the ...
At February 19, 2008, JC wrote:
Pete Ross was picked because Lex pulled a Dan Quayle. He wanted a good looking cipher who would not ...
At February 19, 2008, Chris Griswold wrote:
VP Pete Ross = Superpunch.

Remember those?
At February 20, 2008, Lothor wrote:
#46 Capper saidRonald Reagan WAS the President in the late 1980â€™s. He was President from January 20, 1981, through January ...
At February 20, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
I'm not sure what it is I've done to offend you, Craig. I have studiously avoided the use of harsh ...
At February 20, 2008, Craig wrote:
All right, guys. Let's take it down a notch. Apodaca, what got me upset was the crudity of ...
At February 20, 2008, Apodaca wrote:
I'm getting called immature by someone who changes people's names into grade-school insults?

The irony on this guy!
At February 20, 2008, lauren wrote:
GBC - I have to say I also found the cigar comment offensive. Perhaps that kind of comment can ...
At February 21, 2008, Grandma's Beef Curtains wrote:
*SOBS* I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!! I'm never posting on this blog again! *Leaves in tears*
At February 21, 2008, R wrote:
lame

Snark Free Corner for 2/11

Brian Cronin — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:58:57 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Steve Gerber commemorative edition.

Enjoy!

GREAT THINGS ABOUT COMICS

I was going to write some lovely things here about how awesome Steve Gerber was as a comic creator, but then I recalled that Greg Hatcher did a piece on the blog about Gerber that even Steve Gerber himself was touched by, so I figure it makes more sense to link you to Greg's words.

Here is Greg on Steve, "Trapped In A Friday He Never Made!"

For myself, I will just add that Gerber's legacy, to me, was as a writer who always sought out the weirdness of the universe, but only as an expression of human nature itself, and the strange complexities that make up humanity, so that a comic about a talking duck could be one of the most human stories ever told in comics.

Steve Gerber will be missed.

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

What is Steve Gerber's greatest comic creation?

GERBER COVER GALLERY

Here are some covers of classic Gerber comic runs, to show you how versatile the man was, and how much of an impact he had on comics....

STEVE GERBER TRIBUTE

A nice thing about the comic blogosphere is that Steve Gerber really seemed to get his due when the blogosphere came about. Before then, it seemed like Gerber was short changed a bit, in the credit department.

Perhaps the most significant tribute to Gerber came from plok's multi-blogger tribute to Steve Gerber, "Seven Soldiers of Steve."

Here are links to each of the pieces...

* I. Manifesto...More Or Less

* II. The Final Disconnect

* III. Location, Location, Location

* IV. YJ's Progress

* V. Epilogue Part One

* VI. Epilogue: The Sequels

* VII. Matt Is Not Coming Back

* VIII. Two Earth-Clotted Hands

* IX. The Astronauts' Tale

* X. Oneiric Orphans And Overmen

* XI. Goodbye To All That

* XII. Recognition

* XIII. Something Like Democracy

* XIV. Kill This Duck

* XV. Unconclusion

* XVI. The Supercontext

A great tribute to a great writer.

That's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

RIP, Steve Gerber.

23 Comments

At February 12, 2008, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:
Gerber's greatest creation?

I'd say Howard the Duck.

If not, then, Void Indigo, and Nevada.

I do so hope Marvel feels like a ...
At February 12, 2008, plok wrote:
The best of those SSoS links is undoubtedly VIII. "Two Earth-Clotted Hands", by Jim Roeg. I think all my ...
At February 12, 2008, TheSeaKing wrote:
Cover Theme Game-

All these issues were written by Steve Gerber. It's true, but is that too obvious?
At February 12, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Yeah, Jim really did an amazing job on his piece. But the rest of the pieces were quite good, too!!
At February 12, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Itâ€™s true, but is that too obvious? For a Gerber commemorative edition, yeah, it is a bit too obvious. ;) ...
At February 12, 2008, TheSeaKing wrote:
I retract my statement anyway on the basis that Defenders 65 seems to have been written by David Kraft. Whoops.
At February 12, 2008, Cambert wrote:
Probably too late but for the cover challenge are they all characters Steve Gerber created?
Foolkiller, Red Guardian, and the replacement ...
At February 12, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover theme: Dr. Fate, Red Guardian, and Foolkiller are all at least the third character to use those names, ...
At February 12, 2008, Cambert wrote:
OH! It just clicked! They are all created by Steve Gerber but they are all different versions of a previous ...
At February 12, 2008, Chris Griswold wrote:
Those Phantom Zone comics were so so good. Certainly much better than you might expect, but they were great. Peopl ...
At February 12, 2008, plok wrote:
Well, thanks!

Hmph, I was going for "fin on helmet"...
At February 12, 2008, Sallyp wrote:
When you mention Steve Gerber, the first thing I think of, is of course, Howard the Duck. I was ...
At February 12, 2008, Graham Vingoe wrote:
you have to go with Howard as Steve Gerber's greatest creation but frankly, almost everything the man wrote was pure ...
At February 12, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
I just got done reading the original Howard the Duck. Honestly, I don't understand why anyone liked it then. ...
At February 12, 2008, Mark S wrote:
Absolute favourite Gerber creation?

A line from Howard:

"I'm not negative. I'm ANGRY!"
At February 12, 2008, buttler wrote:
Steve Gerber wrote the Phantom Zone mini? Wow, that explains a lot. It made a huge impression when ...
At February 12, 2008, Dale Rawlings wrote:
I absolutely loved his Phantom Zone mini series. it was the first Superman story that truly had an impact on ...
At February 12, 2008, Heimdall wrote:
Those Phantom Zone comics were so so good. Certainly much better than you might expect, but they were great. Peopl ...
At February 12, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
His greatest creation was probably Howard, since that's the one most fondly remembered, and no other writers can seem to ...
At February 12, 2008, SanctumSanctorumComix wrote:
My favorite Gerber creation? (not to be confused with BEST Gerber creation):

DAWG (from Man-Thing [1st series; # 9 & 10])

OK, ...
At February 12, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Cover theme: Dr. Fate, Red Guardian, and Foolkiller are all at least the third character to use those names, and ...
At February 12, 2008, Ed Ward wrote:
I love everything that I've read by the man, but that gave me a great deal of perspective as to ...
At February 12, 2008, lauren wrote:
I think Hard Time was vastly underrated. I hope DC will collect all the issues into Trades or a ...

Snark Free Corner for 2/4

Brian Cronin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:47:47 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

THIS ARTIST IS GOOD

Thrill to the coolness that is Colleen Coover!!!

I think that it is only fair for Ms. Coover to be forced to reduce her coolness output by at least 25%.

It just isn't right for this much awesomeness to reside within one artist.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!

For more examples of Coover's greatness, check out her website here.

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who would win in a fight - the Punisher or Power Pack?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a comic cover that features a character with a normal head having his or her head enlarged to ridiculous proportions, such as the covers featured in my Top Five Large Head Covers (and you can't use any of them!)!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character was once a popular entertainer.
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2. This character is a member of a superhero team.
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3. This character can fly.
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4. This character has sonic powers.
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5. The character was a member of a superhero team from an alternate Earth.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

45 Comments

At February 4, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:
Cover theme - they were all created by creators who no longer work in the industry.
At February 4, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover Theme Game: Moon Knight, Ghoul and Golden Archer were all cab drivers.
At February 4, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:
Cover theme - they were all created by creators who no longer work in the industry.

I meant worked on (written/drawn), ...
At February 4, 2008, GarBut wrote:
COVER THEME:

A shot in the half-light, here. At best.

I remember you being called out earlier this week (on "Judging ...
At February 5, 2008, GarBut wrote:
Oh, yeah -- OR, they're cab drivers.

Like I read Malibu. C'mon! :)
At February 5, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Punisher or Power Pack? Depends. If it's Ennis' Punisher, then it would end in his favor- and not be pretty. ...
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
For "who is it?" I'm gonna say Lady Lark on clue 4, but I only thought of her because she's ...
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
I think we all knew if anyone was going to get in on the big-head action, it would be Jimmy ...
At February 5, 2008, Pitr wrote:
Man, Barry Allen's skull cannot catch a break:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/mengblom/heads/17flash.jpg?t=1202200628
At February 5, 2008, chris wrote:
I gotta say it - Wanda's accent/dialogue in Coover's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS page is freaking awesome.
At February 5, 2008, Captain Spunkybuns wrote:
You see that Flash cover up there? The one where he has a big head? I live with a guy ...
At February 5, 2008, Zach Adams wrote:
I too got Lady Lark on #4. (After #1 my first guess was the Golden Age Vigilante.)
At February 5, 2008, Bully wrote:
Man, I heart Colleen Coover's work something awesome. I met her last year at SDCC, and she's one of the ...
At February 5, 2008, Adam Jones wrote:
Ditto on all the Coover love. She's awesome.

I'm articulate and eloquent.
At February 5, 2008, Greg Geren wrote:
Who Is It?: Lady Lark on #3, when I ruled out Dazzler.

COVER CHALLENGE: http://comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=18576&zoom=4
At February 5, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: How about Evolvo Lad? http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=18576&zoom=4

It's a toss-up whether he counts as "a character with a normal ...
At February 5, 2008, Matt Bird wrote:
I didn't know Lady Lark could fly.
At February 5, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Greg beat me to it! So instead, here's a more recent version of Evolvo. He's on the right, ...
At February 5, 2008, David M wrote:
Does this count as a giant head entry?
http://www.zonanegativa.com/2007/5910.jpg

It sure seemed that way to me when I first saw that ...
At February 5, 2008, David M wrote:
Okay, here's a more serious entry for the giant head cover game: JLA #7 http://comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=16486&zoom=4

Gotta love Green Arrow in that ...
At February 5, 2008, Matthew Lazorwitz wrote:
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=51959&zoom=4

Wally West this time. Seems like gigantic head growth is part of being a Flash...
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
Perhaps I should have said "Skylark," which Lady Lark started calling herself after she inherited Blue Eagle's wings.
At February 5, 2008, Bret wrote:
Power Pack. I mean, Katie can force Frank to give up all dignity by herself, as shown in their crossover. ...
At February 5, 2008, J. Kevin Carrier wrote:
I guess it's unlikely, but I would love to see a collection of all of Coover's "X-Men First Class" back-up ...
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
Yeah, well, so was John Wilkes Booth,
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
Just an embarrassed guy with a gun, I mean.
At February 5, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
You know, I thought "Here comes Brian with the hyperbole"...but no, you're right. Colleen Coover is awesometastically good.

This drawing (off ...
At February 5, 2008, Graeme Burk wrote:
Oh darnit, I wish I could figure out the coding to include pictures in comments. Anyway, go here:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1231/1376439300_b9a46082ea.jpg

Again. Wow.
At February 5, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Yeah, I would have definitely included

but I saw she mentioned it was a gift for her husband, so I felt ...
At February 5, 2008, Thenodrin wrote:
Cover Challenge:
All three covers feature a hero who continued heroics using the same MO after death. Ghoul is obvious. Moon ...
At February 5, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Oh yeah, sorry - the cab driver one is the correct one!
At February 5, 2008, buttler wrote:
Woo hoo! Glad I took a hack at it!
At February 5, 2008, Teebore wrote:
I thought of Songbird too.

She was also, I believe, part of an all female wrestling team back in ...
At February 5, 2008, Colossus 2000 wrote:
Power Pack with the win, purely because there is no way the Punisher would shoot a bunch of kids.
At February 5, 2008, Rob Rogers wrote:
COVER CHALLENGE: The cover for Marvel Adventures Avengers #9: http://bp3.blogger.com/_n5xC4ByBQAU/Rbg3r5ce42I/AAAAAAAAAoI/UwCSi05DUjU/s1600-h/av+cvr.jpg
At February 5, 2008, Bret wrote:
Hey, I'll give the theme game a go.

They're all DC knockoffs.

Ghoul kinda looks like Swampy, Lady Lark is Black Canary, ...
At February 6, 2008, ZZZ wrote:
Actually Dazzler fits every criteria of the "Who is it?" although you have to fugde a tiny bit on #5. ...
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Kahn,backdrop Leroy actuating pinning madder ...
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whole life insurance scandal...
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Snark Free Corner for 1/28

Brian Cronin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:13:14 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of your breath of snark free air!

Enjoy!

ALL KINDS OF PILLS TO GIVE US ALL KINDS OF THRILLS

This feature is where we examine the first cover appearance of various comic book characters.

This week, it is the Spider-Man supporting cast!!

Flash Thompson is the first one to grace the cover...

Next comes that cigar-chompin', Spidey-hatin' J. Jonah Jameson...

Interestingly enough, Mary Jane is the first of Spider-Man's loves to make a cover appearance...

Then, later that year, in one fell swoop, the rest of the supporting cast fell, with one single Annual cover!!

Aunt May, Gwen, Harry, Robbie, Captain Stacy - all in one cover!!

And as my pal Michael notes, humorously enough, the cover doesn't feature Spider-Man's parents, and that was what that Annual was ABOUT!

COVER THEME GAME

A cool point to the first person to figure it out!

Good luck!

SNARK FREE CHALLENGE

Who is the best covert operative in the DC Universe?

THE COVER GAME

This week's game is as follows...

Find me a Hulk comic cover that features only Bruce Banner and not the Hulk on it!

Here is an example (which you can't use!)....

Remember, only one cover per commenter!

Good luck!

WHO IS IT?

Remember, tell me who it is and what number clue gave it away!

1. This character has had a split personality.
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2. This character has fought Wonder Woman.
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3. This character is an alien.
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4. This character has tried to take over the world.
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5. The character has made robot duplicates of himself.

Who is it?

Well, that's it for this installment of Snark Free Corner.

Hope you had fun!

27 Comments

At January 29, 2008, Sean Whitmore wrote:
The "who is it" is Superman!

Though it did take me all 5 clues.
At January 29, 2008, Johnny Bacardi wrote:
Sure, Pete's parents are on that cover- they're the silhouettes at the center of that spiral. Since they hadn't been ...
At January 29, 2008, T wrote:
I find it interesting that when people see an emaciated Spider-Man, it gets praised as being Ditkoish, when Steve Ditko's ...
At January 29, 2008, Rob Schamberger wrote:
I dig the motion lines coming off of MJ's rack.
At January 29, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover game: Incredible Hulk #319 -- the wedding issue http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=41421&zoom=4
At January 29, 2008, John Seavey wrote:
The best covert operative in the DC Universe? Dark Mystery.

Never heard of him or seen him in any issues anywhere? ...
At January 29, 2008, Rabdab wrote:
Best undercover DC operative? Max Lord. Sadly.
At January 29, 2008, avengers63 wrote:
Best undercover DC operative: Some guiy nobody's ever heard of or has ever made a comic appearance - which is ...
At January 29, 2008, Stephane Savoie wrote:
Hmmm Cover theme game: the primary characters in all these book have had their powers substantially changed in some kind ...
At January 29, 2008, Kane wrote:
Best covert operative in DCU? That's kind of a big bag. I'm going to throw some big ideas around:

Booster ...
At January 29, 2008, Kane wrote:
Best covert operative in DCU? That's kind of a big bag. I'm going to throw some big ideas around:

Booster ...
At January 29, 2008, Aaron wrote:
I guessed Superman after #3.
At January 29, 2008, Allan Lappin wrote:
Best covert agent? Unknown Soldier? Chameleon Boy? King Faraday? Nemesis? Mme. Marie? Invisible Kid?
At January 29, 2008, DanCJ wrote:
The best covert operative in the DCU has to be Boston Brand (aka Deadman). The guy's invisible, intangible and ...
At January 29, 2008, sterg wrote:
Cover theme game: Characters who can move their minds into different bodies/clones?

Miles Warren has been cloned, killed, and come back ...
At January 29, 2008, Rob M wrote:
Cover theme: Miles Warren (Jackal); Warren Traveler; and -um- -er- . . .

Thor's hat looks like Warren ...
At January 29, 2008, buttler wrote:
Cover Game want puny Banner? Have Incredible Hulk v. 2 #27: http://www.hulklibrary.com/hulk/comics/comic-show.asp?Id=tih3&Issue=27
At January 29, 2008, Scott MacIver wrote:
Marvel Two-in-One annual #7 is one of the greatest single comics ever made.

-

Best covert operative...Terra from the Wolfman/Perez era Titans. ...
At January 29, 2008, buttler wrote:
Yeah, I flirted with the Warren thing too, but had the same problem with the crowd scene.

Something that's true but ...
At January 29, 2008, Rob Rogers wrote:
I don't have a clue with the cover game. I'm torn on the covert operative game. My vote would be ...
At January 29, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Terribly sorry, folks, I accidentally uploaded the wrong photo. I meant the Weird War Tales to be #2, not the ...
At January 29, 2008, Lothor wrote:
Hulk 437: http://www.hulklibrary.com/hulk/comics/comic-show.asp?Id=tih2&Issue=437
Doesn't even have the Hulk in the upper left!
At January 29, 2008, Rob M wrote:
So it is Warren -- Warren Griffith, the werewolf in Creature Commandos.
At January 29, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:
Correct, Rob!

I would have given you credit even if someone else had gotten it, but it is easier that you ...
At January 29, 2008, Andrew Collins wrote:
Everybody else already stole my joke about the best operative being the best one you've never seen, so instead I'll ...
At January 29, 2008, buttler wrote:
Yeah, I'd go for Unknown Soldier, too.

(I'd still like to see Nemesis trying to save the Human Target from the ...
At January 29, 2008, Dan (other Dan) wrote:
I think I got snagged by the spam blocker, but my post was good! Here it is without the ...