DCnU 52

Ok. So recently DC declared that in September they will begin a revamp of their entire line. This revamp is intended to modernize and contemporize many superheroes as well as clear up continuity for a new age of readers. This tactic sound familiar? It should. They did it successfully 25 years ago with the infamous Crisis on Infinite Earths and are doing it again with their recent event Flashpoint. Oddly enough both involve the Flash saving reality...Interesting. ANYWAYS, DC also stated that they will kick off this revamp with 52 new #1 issues, many of which are renumberings of some of their current titles (though many fans question the logic of renumbering Action Comics and Detective Comics, which have never been renumbered in their 70+ year runs). I decided to give my opinions on these new books.

Feel free to check out the synopses right here and come back for my opinions on the individual titles.

Justice League- Ok. New Justice League book written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee? Fuck yes. Original Line-up, sans Martian Manhunter? Fuck yes. Cyborg? Meh, but I can live with it. I will say that this is a worthy flagship title for DC. I am REALLY stoked for this book and hope the threats within reflect well on the promise the creative team and line up gives.

Justice League International- Fans of the 80's League are already going to be all over this book. Me? I am a BIG fan of the JLI and fell even more in love with them after Justice League: Generation Lost this past year. I think this will be one of the big hits for DC, allowing many minor characters to florish again. I just hope DC remembers that this was as much of a light hearted character piece as it was about the cosmic stuff.

Aquaman- Long overdue. I was uber excited to hear about a new Aquaman series was coming out, and even more excited that Geoff Johns, who interpreted the king of the seas masterfully in Brightest Day, will be writing this book. Aquaman is one of the most underrated heroes in the world and I think this will really help with that image.

Wonder Woman- Brian Azarello, writer of 100 Bullets, The Joker, and Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, is on this book. Can he do it? I have faith that he can. After a lack luster run by J. Michael Strazynski I am REALLY looking forward to this. Wonder Woman is one of the big three and needs some god damn respect.

The Flash- Aside from a change in the writing staff I don't see much changing for this title. In fact, I think the main reason to pick up this comic is to get a more direct interpretation on the fallout of Flashpoint. I know I will be picking it up because I love the Flash though.

Captain Atom- Really? Really? WHY DID IT TAKE YOU THIS LONG TO MAKE THIS SERIES!? Captain Atom is one of the most powerful, interesting, and tragic heroes on DC's roster. While J.T. Krul has been hit and miss with me of late he is still a competent enough writer for me to say this title is in good hands.

The Fury of Firestorm- Gail Simmone? I'm fucking there. I also love the fact that they are using both Jason Roush and Ronnie Raymond for this series, helping with the duality theme of Firestorm while providing the fans with both Firestorms. Excellent. Definite buy.

Green Arrow- Hrm...Ok. I am in. J.T. Krul was doing well enough on this title and I enjoy GA enough to be up for this. I say pick this up if you are a Green Arrow fan. It should be interesting.

The Savage Hawkman- Tony Daniel is a decent writer and artist, and I am such a big Hawkman fan that I am willing to give this one a shot. I don't like the new armor or setting and am cautious about Hawkman when it comes to reboots. Last time he was rebooted he became so fucked up in continuity that he became radioactive for creators and was not even allowed to be touched.

Mr. Terrific- The only JSA member that has been revealed to be sticking around after the reboot. I'm not really impressed by this title. I am cool with Mr. Terrific and DC needed a strong black hero with a title of his own, but I am just not wowed by this title.

DC Universe Presents- Now this is something I am definitely going to check out. This feels like the old school showcase books of the Silver Age. It will allow the old and new readers to get a good feel for the different characters of the DC Universe. This is like a sampler story series. Very good idea. They needed this a long time ago. Pick this up if you pick up anything.

Action Comics- Rebooting a series just after it hit the milestone 900th issue? For shame. For shame. Still people that know me will already know my feelings on this title as soon as they see the writer. Grant. Morrison. Fuck yes. All-Star Superman is one of my favorite Superman stories and I know this shit will be amazing!

Superman- George Perez? You know, I have to admit, I am not familiar with the man's writing. Art? Hell yes. He is one of the best comic book artists around. The level of detail he puts into the medium is astounding. Writing? Unsure. Still, I am going to give it a chance because the man has not let me down yet with his work, so let's see what happens.

Superboy- Not really interested in this title. The character is a good one, but this title doesn't really interest me.

Supergirl- This title FEELS like they are going to drama up Supergirl with how they are selling it. I'll read it because I do like Kara Zor'el a lot, but I am hesitant on the angle they are going with.

Batman- Are you kidding? I have to get this. It's Batman. Besides, I hear Scott Snyder is a great writer, though I can't recall anything of his I have read recently.

Detective Comics- Hrm...I think I will check this out, but I don't know what they are doing with this aside from rehashing Batman: Year Two.

Batman: The Dark Knight- Don't care. David Finch is a good artist, but I simply don't care about this series.

Batman and Robin- Yes. I LOVE Damian Wayne as Robin and I have been waiting for this team up of father and son for a while. Besides, this title confirms that the recent Batman continuity will remain intact. *breathes a sigh of relief.*

Batgirl- Gail Simmone writing about Barbara Gordon? Of course. Wait...Babs? She's not in the chair? Well shit...I hope they explain that... They are? Good. A lot of people are going to be pissed by this though...They are? Huh. Well then...I think this is one of the MUST buys of the DCnU titles just to see how they explain the bitch is walking again, since her paralysis is still in canon according to DC.

Batwoman- I have been waiting over a year for this book. Oh my god I am all over this like flies on shit. J.H. Williams did such an amazing job with the Detective Comic Batwoman story that I can't NOT read this. She is not only one of the most prominent lesbian heroes, but also one of my favorite bat family members. Basically? BUY THIS BOOK!

Nightwing- Ok...Why the fuck is Grayson not Batman anymore? I was fine with multiple Batmen. It was a legacy concept. I loved it...They are explaining it in canon in the comic? Ok, DC, I'll let you explain, but if you don't like it I'll...I'll...blog about it. YEAH! Take that!....No one gives a damn about that. Anyways, I am going to give this series a shot still.

Catwoman- Uh oh. Winnick. Shit. This guy is one of the most inconsistent quality writers out there. Sometimes he writes AMAZING stories. Sometimes he writes TERRIBLE stories. It is like flipping a coin and hoping that it lands on "good stories." I am going to give this a shot because his last two titles have been really good (Justice League: Generation Lost and Powergirl). Why not go with the man when he is on a streak? I'll check it out.

Bird of Prey- I am sad for this book not being written by Gail Simmone anymore. I also don't know who the staff is or care too much for the line up. It has Black Canary on the team with Poison Ivy and Katana as well as....Someone I can't figure out who the fuck they are? Eh. Not really wowed here. I love BC and PI, but I am just not wowed. I may skip this.

Red Hood and the Outlaws- Eh. Don't know the writing staff, but the concept is interesting and I DO like Starfire. It isn't a "wow"er but I am interested in the idea, as well as the fact that Roy Harper has both of his arms again, it seems. I'll keep my eye on it. I may check it out.

Green Lantern- Nothing is changing in this book. Nothing. No new staff. No continuity changes. Nothing. If you are a Green Lantern fan (which those of you who know me know I FUCKING ADORE the Green Lantern) then you are the safest DC fanbase right now. Just chill back and keep on trucking with this book. I am all for it.

Green Lantern Corps- Nothing new here besides the main stars now being Guy Gardner and John Stewart. Still picking it up. Still stoked. OH! and Peter Tomasi is back on the book. Fucking awesome.

Green Lantern: New Guardians- New book about the 7 corps unified as a New Guardians of the Universe, staring Kyle Rayner? Sold.

Red Lanterns- RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGEEEEEEE!!!! I am all for this shit! I am going to read each issue with a fucking energy drink in hand while blaring heavy metal! FUCKING ROCK THIS BOOK!

Justice League Dark- Deadman, Madame Xanadu, Zatana, Shade the Changing Man, and...JOHN CONSTANTINE!? Ok. Sold. John may not traditionally be a team character, but the fact that he is back in the DCU and that this is a magic based superhero team with mostly characters who have had Vertigo series at some point I think this will be one of the better series released. Go. Buy it. Do it.

Swamp Thing- A traditionally Vertigo character written by a writer that is traditionally a Vertigo writer? Yeah. I am on this book like a fly on shit.

Animal Man- I am not familiar with the staff on this book, but I am such a huge Animal Man fan that I am onboard no matter what. (Arn't you tired of me saying that?)

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.- Don't care about it. Still haven't read Seven Soldiers, though it is on my list, and just haven't fallen for this character in his other appearances. I'll pass on this book.

I, Vampire- Fuck. No. I know why they are making this book. It failed in the 80's when this vampire craze exploded last time and they are trying it again with the Twilight tweeners. Not doing it. No. Fuck it.

Resurrection Man- I will admit, though I have never READ a series with him as the star yet I have been interested in the concept of the character. A guy dies and comes back to life with a new power? Very interesting. I will check it out just out of curiosity.

Demon Knights- Despite my love of the work of Paul Cornell and the character Etrigan the Demon I am just not interested in this series. I don't know, I just don't feel like reading any DC Medieval series right now. I might change my mind in the coming months and pick it up, but I am apathetic right now. I mean, what can they do? Who can they draw from for characters? Brian Kent the Silent Knight? Morgan le Fay? Mordred? That is a very limited based of characters to work with. They need to be pretty creative to make it work for me.

Stormwatch- So THIS is where the Martian Manhunter was hiding. That tricky bastard. Wait...Why is he with a Wildstorm Comics team? Why not with the Justice League...Wait...Wildstorm Team? So THIS is where those guys went? I know that branch of DC went belly up, but I am surprised that they are appearing here. Ok. Now I am excited.

Voodoo- AAAAAAAND that excitement for Wildstorm is gone. Who the fuck is Voodoo? No clue. (Seriously. Me not having a clue who someone is a big thing. I know who everyone from Crazy Quilt to Zebra Man is.) The synopsis is not inspiring me to buy this either. Sounds generic. Don't care. Gen-13 would have been a better choice.

Grifter- The most popular member of the Wild C.A.T.S. in the DCU? Yawn. Sorry, but when it comes to Grifter I have a severe case of "don't give a shit" syndrome. Mr. Majestic? Sure. I am all for that. The Spartan? Bring it on. Hell, I would have been all over it if it was the Void, but Grifter? Eh. I understand why people like him, but I just am meh about it.

Deathstroke- Oh god. That costume? Holy shit. Fucking terrible. The story doesn't interest me according to the synopsis and the costume is a BIG turn off for me. I love Deathstroke as a villain, but I am just not onboard for this.

Suicide Squad- So wait, you are telling me that you made a Suicide Squad book staring Deadshot, King Shark, and Harley Quinn and you DIDN'T give the reigns to Gail Simmone or allowed Secret Six to stick around? I mean even SHE was surprised in one of her tweets. Still...The Suicide Squad has always been one of the best concepts in DC and I am really looking forward to this series, especially with this line-up of characters...plus Harley looks fucking hot...ter than usual.

O.M.A.C.- Ok, I may check this out for the Jack Kirby style art alone. Other than that? Eh, I am not a big Dan Didio fan for writing, though I am a fan of Kieth Giffen. It will be a mixed bag of fun for me. I'll look into it.

Blackhawks- So let me get this straight, you turned one of the coolest team of WWII comic book heroes/ soldiers into a new age G.I. Joe. The nerd side of me (which is the majority of me) is hating and loving this idea at the same time. On one hand it destroys the legacy. On the other. G.I. Joe! Ugh. I am confused here. So confused.

Men of War- Eh, maybe. I think the era for WWII era comic stories may have passed...Wait...This is about modern Warfare...Fuuuuuuuck. I have to check it out for a few issues now, just to see how they handle this concept.

All-Star Western- So this is what they are doing with Jonah Hex? OH! His creative crew is sticking around too? Right on. Right on. Hrmmm. Ok, this title should really expand the DC Western Universe. I may check this out. Who doesn't love a good spaghetti western? No one, that's who.

Teen Titans- Hrm. While I love the team and the art style is interest I don't know the writing team well and I don't care for some of the redesigns (Jesery Shore Superboy? Really? I mean I covered Superboy earlier, but the cover didn't show off his costume as much as this one does.) I'll check it out still, though. The cast of characters is varied enough for me to enjoy it.

Static Shock- Ok. I loved the TV series a lot when I was younger and haven't had a chance to read any of the comics. What with Dwayne McDuffie dying this past year I think I should check it out.

Hawk and Dove- Oh cool a new Hawk and Dove series. I always like the conce....What? Rob Liefeld is doing art? MOTHER FUCKER! NO! NO! This is NOT conducive to good sales! This is AGAINST the entire purpose of the revamp! How does that man still get work!? Fuck this title. UGH!

Blue Beetle- Oh hey, Blue Beetle has a title again....wait....What did I say? Blue Beetle has a title again!? HOLY SHIT! YES! YES! I am on this shit like no one's business! No doubt. No doubt.

Legion of Superheroes- Don't care. While I am cool with Paul Levitz I am just not really impressed with their synopsis for the new series. Just eh. They didn't make me care.

Legion Lost- THIS is the reason why I don't care about the above. Waaaah Waaah. We are lost in time. Waaaah Waaah. The guys in the future can't deal with it. Seriously, this is just a whole sack of "I don't care."

And that is my opinion on each of the 52 new titles. I would have liked to see a new Doom Patrol title and to see Secret Six keep going, but oh well. This shit happens and I do like what DC has going on right now for these titles. While I am still a little depressed by the revamp I am simultaneously excited. Let's see where this goes, shall we?

Yes, I am open.

Since I haven't posted here in a while I figured I would grace you with a little excerpt from my many misadventures at my job. You see, I have worked at a grocery store for the past 6 years of my life...Hold on...Gotta ride out the crippling depression that overwhelms me when I mention that... Ok, I'm good. Anyways, I have worked that store (which I shall refer to as Purgatorio) and have never understood the slack jawed confusion of the customers as they search for an open register.

Let me explain what I mean. When customers are walking through a store they look for one of three things, but never more than one at a time (as multi-tasking is not one of the capabilities of your average shopper): 1) A light above the register; 2) A person at the register; 3) A close sign at the register. Now, while numbers 1 and 2 are good indicators of whether a register is open it confounds me when a customer goes up to a register with no light on and no checker and begins to unload their order onto the belt simply because there is no close sign there. That is like drinking a glass of gasoline. Just because the fucking gas pump doesn't SAY you shouldn't do it doesn't mean it is the smart thing to do. Still, I don't fault these people too much. Rather, I fault the OTHER people.

Often times I will find myself in this situation:

Me: (standing at my register with my light on, having just finished a customer. I see a slack jawed old woman walk up and look around with a cart full of groceries) Hello?

Woman: (She looks around in a confused panic, as if she forgot where she was sometime between coming into this store and coming to the resgister. She may have also taken a shit and is worried about how to hide the stench. Too late. Smelled it. She looks at the light that is blaring in her face and then looks at me in my uniform.) Ummm are you open?

Me: (I raise an eyebrow and look up to my light and consider this question for the moment. I pause and try to see if I have suddenly become invisible. That would be fucking awesome. I'd be like Patrick Swayze's character from that one movie, you know, Roadhouse...wait...I snap back to reality and look at her. She is giving me a blank stare. Good lord. The hamster in her head must have had its heart explode. Complete Tabula Rasa. I slow my speech down to make sure they understand what is going on. No one could be so stupid as to not realize when a checker who is standing at his register with the light is open.) Yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss Maaaaaaaaa'aaaaaaaam

Woman: (Wiping away the dribbling of drool from her snarling maul, her moustache gating her leathery skin.) Oh. I didn't know. That sign was misleading.

Me: (I look down at the register and see the fold down barrier that pushes the items towards the scanner. I look up to her and blink once. Twice. Thrice. Good lord.) Ma'am....There....there are no words on that. That isn't a sign. There is no way that could be misleading. You are an incredibly stupid persona and I hope you burn in that small portion of hell reserved for those too stupid to comprehend pain.

Woman: Why thank you! You are so kind.

Me: Please die.

Then I check them out and cry a little at the funeral service for the part of my soul that just died. Often times customers won't even get to my register before they ask that question, meeting me at a register I am cleaning. A forgivable mistake....kinda.

What is worse than this? The customers that come to the store and ask when we close. You see, I have worked more closing shifts than anyone at Purgatorio and the first thing I hear from many customers is this: "How late are you guys open?" Why is this stupid? Because the fucking store times are right on the door. Why is this an issue? Because every business in the United States of America has their business hours posted on the door. I have never gone to a business without the hours on the door. It is a simple issue of stopping at the door, reading the sign, and moving on.

What do they do? They lumber in, creating earthquakes that could crack pangea with their fat steps, push through the door, and ask the moment they see a living person "How later are you open?"

I know people hate to read, but this extent is a literal demonstration of illiteracy. Fucking insanity.

But that is a little bit of my life in Purgatorio. I may post more exerpts from my adventures and experiences soon. For now, good day.

Three is a Super Powered Number

Back in the ancient times of VHS cassette tapes, before I had even come close to hitting a double-digit age, I learned my lessons from School House Rock. I don’t think there is a person in America that hasn’t seen at least one episode of School House Rock, each person having his or her own favorite songs. While most people enjoyed “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill” my personal favorite was “Three is a Magic Number.” Not only did I learn about the multiples of three and that there was, in fact, a man and a woman that had a little baby, making three in the family, but also that three was an important number.

In literature we often think in threes, looking at the beginning, middle, and end of a story as well as various symbolic metaphors. In The Great Gatsby for instance, we see three representations of love in the trinity of Nick, Jay, and Tom. Nick is the representation of familial love, always loyal and anchoring a person to reality; Jay is the representation of romantic love, passionate and overwhelming; and Tom is a representation of lost love, fleeting and corrupted. The three even act as a trinity of status with Nick being the everyman, Jay being “new money,” and Tom being “old money.

This concept of trinities is not a new one, as many religious readers will attest to. The Holy Trinity of the Bible and the spread of Christian culture, through one manner or another, have ingrained itself deep in society. While the concept of trinities and the importance of three has been a big influence on culture in various ways the most prominent that comes to my mind is comic books.

When talk about trinities in relation to comic books the first thing that would come to mind for many readers is DC’s Big Three. Everyone knows their names, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, but why are they so important that they are considered a trinity? Why do they have such weight in our society? In 2002 and 2008 DC produced two different series that played off this idea of the DC trinity, with the latter series probably being the best at flat out stating the metaphorical symbolism inherent in the three. As if channeling the old Superman radio show we see symbolism of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” with Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman representing each individual aspect respectively.

Wonder Woman encompasses the idea of truth through her character’s overt sincerity and level headedness that has made her the mother figure of the DC universe. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, was so enthralled with the ideal of truth, in fact, that he wrote a physical representation of truth into her armaments with the Lasso of Truth. The unbreakable golden lasso that compels people to speak only the truth created a powerful physical symbol that associated Wonder Woman with the idea. Wonder Woman’s core foundation is so bound to the spirit of that her creator is even credited as being one of the inventors of the lie detector.

With Batman we see a broader range express in his representation of justice. While many people know his tragic origin they do not associate it with justice so much as vengeance. That is incorrect. While Batman does lash out against the criminal world for the death of his parents he never enacts vengeance on anyone. He never strikes out in an eye for an eye fashion. Batman is not the Punisher and prefers to uphold the idea of what is right even in the face of evil. It is why he doesn’t kill the Joker; despite the lives the mad clown has taken. Batman doesn’t kill because he believes in justice and that it will do right by the world. If Justice says the Joker should be executed then so be it, but Batman is simply the tool to bring crime and evil to the blind goddess of Justice because he knows he can do what no one else can. His ideals go so far beyond vengeance that every time Batman has confronted Joe Chill, the killer of his parents, he has held to his oath to never kill, deciding to bring the man to justice instead.

Even broader than the concept of Justice, of course, is the idea of the American Way and how Superman represents it. While many people assume he represents the American Way because of his salt of the Earth, “aw shucks” personality that he gained from being raised on a farm in a small Kansas town, that is not completely true. Superman does represent the American Way because of that, but also because of his ability to rise up above that while still remaining grounded to it. He represents the idea because he is an industrious man in the big city from a simple background. Most importantly, however, is that Superman is inspired and strives toward the future. Literally and Figuratively. When he was younger Superman was a member of the 30^th century superhero team The Legion of Superheroes. They inspired him much like he, as an adult, would inspire them. They taught him the ideology of being a hero. Coincidentally he learned this mostly from the Legion Trinity of Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad who represent the ideals of youth. Saturn Girl was the hopeful aspirations of youth who acted as the moral spirit of the team. Cosmic Boy was the inner drive to for self-reliance and personal responsibility of maturing youth who acted as the heart of the team; and Lightning Lad was the reckless and energetic spirit of youth who acted as the spirit of the team. Each affected Superman deeply and made him the American Spirit he became.

From a celestial standpoint each character in DC’s Big Three have a patron symbol. Superman, who is powered by the sun, is also a representative of it. Batman, who is hides in the night, is a representative for the moon. Wonder Woman, who was molded from clay, then becomes the representative of Earth within this trinity. Theme wise Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman represent science, humanity, and magic at the same time. Even sociologically they differ with Batman being of capitalistic wealth, Superman being the humble workingman of Middle America, and Wonder Woman being royalty. To consider them psychologically even works in a trinity with each character balancing the others, each checking and counter checking, personality wise, the other two in the trinity. If Superman is too good natured and humble then Batman and Wonder Woman will push him to be firmer towards an opponent. If Batman is too harsh and wrathful then Superman and Wonder Woman will act as his conscience. If Wonder Woman is too sanctimonious then the others bring her back to reality.

While those three seem deified when thought of in that regard, acting almost like a pantheon in their own right (which Grant Morrison, myself, and many others like to think of superheroes anyway) they are not the only ones in comics to take on the role of trinity. In fact there are several trinities in comic books beyond those three characters that get less attention and often share members. For instance, as if to counter DC’s Big Three, Marvel has their own Avengers Big Three.

The Avenges Big Three consists of Captain America, Ironman, and Thor (though Marvel often supplements this trilogy to be any combination of Super Soldier, God, and Armored character, much unlike DC’s attempt to emulate their big three with the “sidekick” counter parts of each hero). Many characters from different stand points point out a simplistic image of this trinity as being “The Knight, the Soldier, and the God,” when it is something far more. Each of these characters acts as a metaphor for time itself with Thor being our past, Captain America being our present, and Iron Man being our future. Each character fulfills the “science, magic, man” metaphor again with Ironman as science, Thor as magic, and Captain America as man. The three even display different styles of honor as it has evolved through history, but it is about around this point where we realize that this trinity isn’t quite as strong as their DC counterpart. While they do check each other psychologically their personalities aren’t so dynamically different that or paralleling to require them to push and pull for a balanced group mentality. The fact that Marvel tries to switch out the members with other analogous characters is proof that they don’t necessarily have to play off each other.

Another failing of the Avengers Big Three is the lack of feminine figures within it. While other trinities I am going to explain don’t necessarily have to have a character of the opposing sex it does take away from the power that the trinity has as a symbol. The need for a female and two males or a male and two females is to create that counter point of femininity or masculinity in opposition to overwhelming masculinity. Besides, without a woman in the mix people might think the Avengers are a big sausage fest.

The Avengers Big Three is often treated as the only trinity in Marvel, which is not true at all. The Avengers Big Three are simply the ones to get the most face time and are thusly pushed to the side. Other trinities in Marvel include the trinity of Spiderman, Daredevil, and Moon Knight, each representing different philosophies of vigilantism, sanity, and spirituality. DC, on the other hand, isn’t as hard pressed to hide its other trinities and often tries to have fun with them more.

What I often consider the second most dynamic trinity of DC is the Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary team. The team up and subsequent friendship of Green Lantern and Green Arrow was created in the early 70s, tracking Green Lantern’s girlfriend Black Canary into the story through relation. The series was a collection of highly acclaimed socially charged tales as they traveled across America. Any comic fan would tell you why the series worked, which is actually what lays the foundation of this trinity. Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, is a space cop. Hal was the square jawed and conservative individual who thought in black and white in those days. Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, was a vigilante and an outspoken liberal. Ollie was very aggressive and looked at the world as a series of grays, fighting for what he thought was wrong. Their philosophies were so unabashedly different that they clashed and grew closer at friends. Between them was Black Canary who acted as the median between the two. While those two clashed she was the voice of reason. Symbolically the three represented politics as a whole while being balanced in power and psychology. Black Canary, while having powers, fought with martial arts as her main offense. Green Arrow was a normal man who made himself what he was in a similar manner to Batman. Green Lantern was the one with the power of a god, but the mind of a man and it helped ground him. This, while not being as mythic as other trinities, was a trinity that represented the nature of political strife and personified various political views.

The power of three is so great that even the comic book industry is broken into three major competing companies: Marvel, DC, and Image comics. While there are other companies these three have consistently been the running juggernauts of the industry, and for good reason as each holds a different philosophy that maintains them as a trinity. For Marvel we have the super hero story as they try to relate it to reality, grounding their stories for relatability and the fantasy of “what if?” With DC they try to separate themselves from reality and turn the super hero stories into a mythos of their own, bringing them above humanity as epic stories. Image takes a third route by using self-contained series to create a personal interaction between the reader and the narrative (though the narrative was not very good in the 90s.) Each balances the other out and allows the reader to satiate different tastes in their reading material. I am a DC fan, personally, because of that legacy mythos. Marvel holds down the top spot in sales because many readers enjoy that relatable world. Image has various titles that hit or miss because of their desire to create a “dialogue” between the reader and the author’s creator owned work. They each bring something different to the table and represent different styles of literature as a whole.

In the history of sequential art trinities have kept forming to act as a three pronged (four pronged if you want to take into account the Jungian Lexicon and the idea of quaternities creating a wholeness) representation of reality. There are trinities I didn’t mention like Green Lantern, Flash, and Green Arrow; Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey; Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, and Maxwell Lord; Fire, Ice, and Guy Gardener; and many more just to name a few of the various trinities one could find. Each trinity has a power in and of its self that helps inspire people in their love for sequential art or in stories as a whole. Trinities are a consistent theme that, while its roots are biblical in nature, has taken a life of its own in society. School House Rock was right, three is a magic number; the trick is seeing what makes it magic.

From the Depths of the Pop Culture Sea Arises he.

Welcome everyone to my new blog: Poprock Cthulu. Unlike my previous and failed blogs I will actually try to actively post my various thoughts onto here. Now you may have some questions about this site, so let me answer them as best I can.

1) What is the purpose of this blog?

My purpose here is to write my philosophical ponderings on the nature of pop culture as I battle for its continued preservation. I will attempt to publish an essay on my thoughts on pop culture as often as possible and also include some video productions some time in the near future.

2) Why choose the name Poprock Cthulu?

Basically, I was inspired by a good friend and colleague of mine, Cody Walker, who created a similar site "Popgun Chaos" which you can find here: Popgun Chaos!

Using similar naming structure to his site I created my blog. It is more a homage to a good friend of mine so I can help express the importance of pop culture.

3) What will you cover?

Everything. If it is dorky I will probably write about it at some point. I have a few essays already in mind. I may also sometimes put up a few of my personal short stories for you guys to enjoy. So, this may also act as a venue for my other, non pop culture writings, at some point. We shall see.

4) Is this site made just because of this popgun site?

No. Cody inspired me to make the site in this fashion, yes, but I am actually making this site because of the support I have of two of the most important people in my life. My brohams, Lucky and Amy. Ever since they have come into my life I have become a whole new person and think of them like family. I would not be the man I am today without them. This site is dedicated to them as much as it is about my nerdy self indulgences.

Also, please check out Lucky's own blog here: http://egregiousevents.blogspot.com/

It is a look inside the head of one of the most unique and wonderful people I will ever have the pleasure of knowing. Oopy Doopy mo fo.

Well here is to a great start to my new blog: Poprock Cthulu!