A strong female lead, Terry Dodson on art, a writer willing to try new things, you'd think that would be enough to sell a comic, huh?

What comic do I speak of? The mercifully defunct DC series, Harley Quinn.

It started out promising: Harley, fresh from emancipating herself from her boyfriend, The Joker, puts together her own group, The Quintets (So far, so good.) liberates her "babies" (Her two hyenas) and then proceeds to find her own way in The DC Universe. Sounds good, yes?

Throw in Big Barda acting as an agent of Oracle, a slumber party featuring Harley's gal-pal, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and a drunken Jewelee of Punch & Jewelee fame and our asses should have fallen off from laughing so hard. Not so.

What comics got was a calculating, deceitful woman who truly, truly had no need for her "Mr. J." or much less anyone else for that matter, as she proceeded to kill of the henchmen, one-by-one, who'd gotten close to her.

That's when it dawned on me why I didn't care for this Harley.

Series writer Karl Kesel hardened her heart and had her become her man. He turned her into The Joker.

Gone was the Harley of The Batman: The Animated Series, the one who delighted in the sheer randomness of her and The Joker's crimes. The Harley of the B:TAS adored her man and we, the watchers, absolutely loved her & hated her for it. We, as sane folk, could never forgive her for constantly going back to a man who hated her but I think we all secretly marveled at how hard this character could love. Absolutely. Unconditionally. She was willing to give her man all the things, he in his crazy heart wouldn't willingly give her. Harley Quinn was the embodiment of unconditional (mad) love. Harley had hope. Despite myself and knowing how wrong it is, I loved that about her.

By hardening her heart within the comics page, that which made her unique was taken away and that just may be the saddest part of Harley's all-too-brief comic book life.

Monday afternoon, I found myself, once again, in the company of friends playing a game of Heroclix. Woozy from Monday's revelation of Brad's Justice League of America line-up, I decided to field a team comprised of a rookie Black Lightning, a veteran Vixen, a veteran Red Tornado, an experienced Hal Jordan, an experienced Black Canary, a veteran Hawkgirl and a veteran Arsenal.

This team comes out to a perfect 400 points.

Scip fielded a team comprised of Flash villains that somehow included a veteran Blockbuster (Don't ask. It's Scip, for Jeebus' sake.) and A Guy Named Glen played a team in search of Prozac (Obsidian, Atom-Smasher, Batman, Dr. Mid-Nite & Raven).

Scip quaked and hemmed and hawed at the assembled might of The Justice League and proceeded to hide in a corner as Hal Jordan took out Scip's monkey (Gorilla Grodd) without moving one single square.

That's when things got weird. A Guy Named Glen's team was full of healers. This dark, dark team started to help one another, heal one another. It was oddly beautiful. Before I knew what had happened, Black Lightning was dead. (A cliche if I ever saw one.)

Next AGNG's team swarmed upon The JLofA's womenfolk. Next to fall was Black Canary and then Vixen. Hal tried to help but he hurt his hair or as you may call it "rolling double ones." Then, Scip and AMNG teamed up on Hal (Make your own joke.) and proceeded to kill him, slowly. Hawkgirl quickly retreated and was soon overtaken by Captain Boomerang. AMNG's "Gloom Patrol" rapidly collected the remnants of Scip's folly.

The League was left with one man standing: The Red Tornado!

I forfeited as even The Red Tornado couldn't single-handedly stand against the assembled might of untouched an Doc Mid-Nite, Raven & Obsidian and a fully healed Batman.

So, how does this game of Heroclix bode well for Brad Meltzer's Justice League of America?

I don't know.

It was just a game of Heroclix, after all.

The Hecules Unbound at the end of Wonder Woman #2 had a short-lived twelve issue series featuring beautiful interiors by future comics legends Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Walt Simonson with inks by EC Comics legend Wally Wood.

Hercules of Unbound fame existed in a post-apocalyptic world occupied by the likes of OMAC, Kamandi and The Atomic Knights. With OMAC appearing in his own comic and The Atomic Knights coming across The Command-D Bunker are we witnessing the re-weaving of Bronze Age threads or does Wonder Woman writer Alan Heinberg just think 1975's Hercules Unbound just kicked ass?

Also, your intrepid Devon wrote a review of Wonder Woman #2 over at CHUD: Thor's Comic Column. If you somehow could not make up your mind about your feelings on Wonder Woman #2, feel free to let my review act as your opinion.

It happened and we didn't know it. Somewhere, somehow, Dick Grayson became almost irrelevant.

I've been thinking about this so please bear with me.

Recently, DC Comics' Dan Didio made an announcement that Dick Grayson (Nightwing) was to die within Infinite Crisis' pages. The internet clutched its' collective heart and like a pod of Fred Sandfords tried its best to die of proverbial shock. Did DC really want to kill Nightwing for shock value alone or was it something more?

I think Didio realized something we've all known but just ccouldn't admit to ourselves.

The DC Universe, as it stands, really doesn't need Dick Grayson anymore.

It's taken 17 years but Tim Drake, the current Robin (Yes, Tim's been around for SEVENTEEN YEARS!), has eclipsed Dick Grayson in every way, shape and form. Quietly, under the guidance of writer Chuck Dixon, Tim Drake became his own man while simultaneously becoming the ideal partner for Batman. We saw Tim as resourceful, clever. Within the pages of Young Justice and Teen Titans, we saw Tim got to see Tim as a natural born leader. All aspects Dick Grayson once possessed but the writers of The Titans & The Outsiders chose to ignore in the name of "plot development."

Dick Grayson died just that much more, off-panel, during Identity Crisis. During the comics event of 2004, Tim Drake had to helplessly listen to his father die. All Tim could do was collapse, weeping into the waiting arms of Batman... and that sealed the deal right there.

How was Dick ever going to "top" Tim's story.

Tim Drake, through his tragedy, became a character anyone who had suffered any kind of loss could identify with. Through not giving up on himself or those around him despite the crushing deaths, within two years of each other, of his dad, his girlfriend and his best friend, Superboy, Tim Drake became the ultimate Robin.

His reward for walking through hell? Batman immediately did what he could not do for Dick. Batman adopted Robin, giving us what we'd been missing for too long: a Robin who wasn't afraid to smile again. We got a Robin who lives in Wayne Manor, ready to trade quips with Alfred at a moment's notice, a Robin who wants to stand side-by-side with Batman on a Gotham City rooftop. We got a Robin who wants to be a part of a family again.

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is alone, by himself, in Marvel's New York, being antgsty. That is not Dick Grayson.

Somewhere, along the line Tim Drake became "Dick Grayson" and fulfilled the promise Dick Grayson's writers chose to abandon upon his graduation to Nightwing.

The DCU wants a Dick Grayson but needs a Robin. The public-at-large really doesn't know or care who occupies the costume. They just want to be secure in knowing that there's a Batman & Robin out there for them to rediscover. Unfortunately, somewhere, caught between Batman & Robin is Nightwing. Didio realizes Dick Grayson's dilemma. Hopefully, Marv Wolfman, the upcoming writer of Nightwing and the man who created Tim Drake and Nightwing realizes this and will bring Dick Grayson back to the Batman mythos.

I really, really hope so but I'm not holding out any hope. It's kind of like reading a Nightwing comic all over again.

I like this team. I do. What do I like about it?

One? It has The Big Three of Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman. You can't have a Justice League of America without them. You can have one without The Martian Manhunter though.

Two? Knowing Brad Meltzer who is in love with all things 70's DC, with the inclusion of Black Lightning (Black Vulcan), he gets just that much closer to The Super Friends roster he always wanted to see.

Three? With the inclusion of Hawkgirl & Vixen, we get just that much closer to a Justice League Unlimited roster.

Four? A sixty-forty split of men to women. There should be no reason for anyone to find fault with that.

Five? Yeah, there are two people who look like me on the team. Yeah, I'm talking about Black Lightning... and Red Tornado. Bald guys.

When last we saw Hawkman and Daniel, Hawkman tried to flatten his grandson with a mace.

Hawkman: (Swinging mace) Sweet Jes...

Daniel: I'm actually behind you now, grandfather.

Hawkman: (Snarling) Trust me, that's not a good place to be, boy.

Daniel: I have no idea what you mean. Sooo... what are we to do today? Shall we dream of a candy store?

Hawkman: No. I was thinking we could stay here and look through The JSA Archives and look up the exploits of Wesley Dodds. I'd think you'd like that. (Smiling)

Daniel: Hmmm.... not my thing, really.

Hawkman: (Snarling) What do you want to do then, boy?

Daniel: I... don't... know.

Hawkman: Look. Daniel? I just don't think this is going to work out. We're just too different. You're young. Why don't you go and do the things that young folks do. Just go and be happy. I have to go into Metropolis and look into the authenticity of a old brooch Green Lantern wants for his wife...

Daniel: YOU'RE GOING ANTIQUING?!? I LOVE ANTIQUING! Why, once I worked with The Justice League and I retrived this artifact. A memory, actually...

Hawkman: YOU worked with The Justice League?


Hawkman: Heh. Daniel, how would you like to accompany me to Metropolis? You can tell your grandfather a story.

Hawkman: (Scratching his chest hair with his mace) : Hmm? Oh, hello, Ted. I'm waiting.

Wildcat: (Still munching on that sweet-ass oatmeal raisin cookie) : For...?

Hawkman: *sigh* The grandchild.

Wildcat: Wha...? Say again?

Hawkman: The grandchild, Ted. I'm waiting for my grandchild.

Wildcat (shrugs shoulders)

Hawkman: I recently found out I have a grandson, Ted. His name is Daniel, he was born the Lord of Dreams.

Wildcat: You mean that sick looking kid I saw Jakeem trying to... he's yours?

Hawkman: That would be him. The pale, pale boy. His mother, Lyta, wants me to spend some... "quality time" with the boy. I don't know what she expects from me. For God's sake! Look at me, I'm Hawkman, damn it and he just so... not.


Daniel: Hello, grandfather. I think I just dreamt a little Black child out of existence.

Wildcat: *sigh* I'm going to go see if The Red Bee's around. Good luck with that, Carter.

Daniel: It's good to see you grandfather. (Daniel leans in to kiss Hawkman on the cheek.)

Hawkman: (Swinging mace) Sweet Jes...

Never, ever have I seen the final page of a comic's final issue pay off so well.

If the last page is what I think it is, then it's like a kiss on the forehead to everyone who read all 25 issues of Manhunter.

Trust me, very soon you all will be clamoring for more Manhunter.

Buy this week's MANHUNTER!!!!

# posted by Devon Sanders @ 11:42 AM 1 comments