Comics I bought This Week December 28, 2006

Four of my regular comics were in this week. All of them are recomended.

Usagi Yojimbo 99

Savage Dragon 131

Age of Bronze 24

Love and Rockets 18

I also picked up Atlas issue 3, a D&Q comic by Dylan Horrocks. It's the first issue I've seen of it and I liked his previous work "Hicksville" from a few years ago.

Last weeks Ramayan 3392 A.D. 4 was okay. It had some mysticism going on and big wars, lost worlds and such but didn't really grab me. The editorial page was all about movie deals and that made me think that the comic wasn't really the point. That left me less interested in buying any more Virgin comics.

Delphine 1 by Richard Sala was good. A guy goes to a really strange town to try to hook up with a girl he likes. That's all you need to know. I'll pick up the other parts when they come out but the $7.95 price point is a little daunting. It's only a 30 page comic but it is oversized and a nice package altogether. Recomended.

Week Four of my reviews of recent DC Comics.

The Authority Volume 4 Number 1 - Right off I'm going to say I'm not a fan of Grant Morrison's writing. I don't think he is untalented. I just think his stories go nowhere. He never seems to have a point or ending in mind. That being said he is the master of the first issue. He can hit you with intriguing ideas and situations but by issue three or four he runs out of steam and the story peters out. This is an interesting first issue. I have no idea what it has to do with the Authority but it's interesting. The artwork is done with lots of Photoshop blurs, strangely cropped panels, obscured faces and averted eyes. It very effectively makes the comic very unsettling. There is a secret agent type guy whose marriage is collapsing, submarine, a mystery mission, and no sign of the Authority. They're never even mentioned. I liked it. Much like I like most Grant Morrison first issues. But now I have nothing to look forward to but the inevitable decline. Check it out at your own risk.

Tales of the Unexpected 1-3 - The Spectre is the lead story and it is written by David Lapham. I'm a big fan of his Stray Bullets work but what I have read of his DC stuff (Batman) hasn't impressed me. It's a reworking of the Spectre concept whereby a dead detective, Crispus Allen (who is annoyingly always referred to by his first and last names ten times an issue), ghosts around and waits for someone to confess to murder and then the Spectre is unleashed to kill the murderer. It reminds me a little of Law and Order because Crispus spends most of his time following suspected murderers around and hunting for clues. Though the writing is solid the artist's ability to tell a story falls short. He's a good illustrator but tells the story awkwardly and with little drama or flair.

The backup story is Dr. Thirteen and it might be better than the lead. The art is nice and the writing good. The writing is by Brian Azzarello and it's the first time I've liked his writing. I've read 100 Bullets and Loveless and liked neither. Maybe it's because he's not doing genre "dialect' writing or maybe it's because this story is a lot of fun but it's worth a look. Check it out.

The Boys 3-4 - I picked up the first issue of this when it came out but never bought another. It's not bad. It just makes no sense. All the super heroes are really SOBs so The Boys are a bunch of black op government types who plan to take down all the SOB super heroes. Of course The Boys are SOBs too. And what is the first thing that The Boys have to to to take on the super heroes? Give themselves super powers! Wha? This book makes no sense. Plus no action (besides lots of SOB sex). Check it out at your own risk.

The Other Side 1-3 - A war comic from Vertigo. Its twist is that we see the war from the point of view of a soldier from each side. It's pretty well done. The art is good and the artist is a good storyteller. Everything is clear and concise so you can get into the story. The writing is also crisp and snappy. It's really an anti-war book because it is filled with the atrocities and horrors of war as people die in droves around our two main characters. As much as a traditional war story glorifies war this one horrifies it. The only problem I have with the book is stylistic. I'm sick of first person narration. For the last twenty years comics have given us a non-stop run of first person narration. Enough already. Try another technique. This complaint isn't limited to this specific series but I'm just bringing it up now. Also there is this weird thing with the American kid seeing dead people and having inanimate objects talk to him. I think it is just an indication of stress but I have no idea where that strange little idea is going. It seems unnecessary. Check it out.

Ninja Scroll 2-3 - I'm not sure exactly what is going on in these two issues. Some kind of Japanese mystical ninja mumbo jumbo. It's mostly action with fight scene after fight scene in a Japanese style. I didn't do much for me as I found it pretty middle of the road. Check it out only if Japanese style comics are your thing.

Outsiders 41-43 - Solid super team action. I don't know who half the team is and am not sure what their powers even are but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this book. That says that it's well crafted right there. Nightwing and the gang are jetting around the world trying to stop Dr. Sivana from taking it over. An enjoyable super hero tale. And no first person narration! Wa-Hoo! Check it out.

Inky Goodness

Sometime about seven years ago I started doing most of my preliminary drawings, my "idea generating" drawings, in ink rather that in pencil. Prelim drawings are the sketches that aren't meant to be seen by people. The stage where making the drawing pretty and presentable shouldn't be a priority. But priorities can get mixed up.

One of the problems with being a young artist, as I was in the decade or so before I switched to ink, is that you want everything to be presentable. As a young artist there is a lot to learn and a lot of insecurity. So you try to make everything as great as you possibly can. You judge yourself and expect to be judged on every stage of your artwork. This leads to spending an inordinate amount of time on getting a hand just right in a prelim drawing when you should be spending the time getting the entirety of the idea right. The hand's time will come later so you shouldn't be sweating it now. The hand could change entirely by the time the idea is completed so there is the potential for a lot of time to be wasted. And I sure wasted a lot of time like that. As did plenty of others. What can I say? It's a tough stage.

Drawing the preliminary sketches in ink and not pencil means that I can't erase. This is a good thing. It means I can't noodle away at some small aspect of the drawing and then erase and draw it over and over again. Instead I work at the general idea of the drawing, the big gestures and meanings, saving the craftsmanship for later. This way I can also work on getting as many ideas down on paper as possible. Where I used to get hung up on one thing I can now work on twelve things and choose the one I want to make into a finished piece later. Freedom from the eraser is liberating.

I'm also a tool guy. I have a ton of different pencils and pens plus plenty of specialty tools that I use for only certain occasions. I've used different basic pencils, pens and brushes over the years but generally find ones that suit me and stick with them for a while. I am always on the lookout for new black markers to try out and use for my prelim drawings. In that spirit I just purchased one of those new Sharpie retractible click pens. It's like a ball point pen. When you click the button on the end and the point retracts. Like most markers I try I didn't like this one too much. It stinks (literally) like all Sharpies and I never liked working in marker fumes. I'll take a water based ink any day. Since the tip was close to the thick end (where the tip retracted into) I had a hard time seeing and maneuvering the business end of the pen. The barrel is a little to thick and clumsy for me. Nope, a swing and a miss.

I still haven't found anything to match my favorite preliminary drawing marker: the Pentel Sign pen. It's an unpresumptuous little thing that I never would have suspected would become my favorite. I remember them being all over the place in the 1970's when there were fewer marker types to be found. And none of these archival, pigmented ink, ten different tiny size, semi-professional markers we have today. It was just a mass market black marker for whoever needed a writing size marker.

I like it's smooth consistent line. It has a fairly hard tip but not one of those that is like a rock. The tip wears down over time and gets a little harder and wider but it stays consistent. When it starts running out of ink I even refill the little sponge in the back of the pen with india ink. It just keeps going. That's how I've worn down so many tips on them. They go for a while.

The Pentel Sign Pen is remarkably hard to find these days. It used to be everywhere but not anymore. I get mine at MisterArt.com and at just over a buck a pen it is a bargain. So if you are looking for a drawing marker to try, something with around a medium point (it's not nearly as thin as all those .05 or so Pigma markers nor as thick as a basic Sharpie), track down the humble Pentel Sign Pen. It's done me good.

Comics I bought: December 21, 2006

Only one of my regulars was at the comic shop this week but I picked up two new comics to try.

The Lone Ranger 3. (I've enjoyed the first two issues).

Ramayan 3392 A.D. 4 (My first Virgin comic. Yes, the company that runs an airline is now making comics).

Delphine 1 (13th book in the Ignatz Series from Fantagraphics. Whatever that means. Also the first book by Richard Sala I ever bought ).

And now I'll continue with the reviews of some recent DC Comics a buddy sent me:

The All New Atom 5- The new Atom works with a team of scientists at a college. This book really didn't do much for me. I found the script and art pretty middle of the road. The plot is quite bizarre though. It's based on, of all things, "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss. There is a tiny civilization living on a dog's back that wants to attack the Atom and his town for some wacky religious reason. If you're into crazy-ass plots check it out.

Rokkin 5 (of 6) I bought Rokkin 1 months ago and didn't like it enough to buy another issue. Not enough happened in it if I remember correctly. Rokkin 5 has plenty happening in it but it is hard to follow. The artist is talented but isn't a very good storyteller and the no line weight art style combined with coloring that tends to grey things out makes it hard to see what's going on. The script is almost non-existent with little snippets of dialogue as the plot races along. Definitely some talent on this book but as a whole it's not quite there. Check it out at your own risk.

Loveless 11-12 - I have no idea what was going on in these two issues. It's a western, a genre I generally enjoy, but these are the last two parts of an incomprehensible story. Most of it takes place in a town but some of it takes place in the Civil War. I don't know if the war parts are flashbacks or not. The only clue is a character says something like, "don't I know you from back in the war". I don't even get how the two stories are connected. It doesn't help the the artist draws nearly everyone to look alike and they all have on nondescript brown clothes and hats. And the western dialect writing doesn't ring true to me at all. Stay away from this mess.

Top 10 Favorite Rock 'n Roll Songs

Yeah, I decided to make a list. For no reason other than "because it entered my mind". I've never really been a list guy but what the hell people love lists. So I thought it would be fun. I'm just a people pleaser.

First thing I have to say is that Rock 'n Roll is dead. Well, maybe not dead but it hasn't been the dominant form of pop music in quite a while. Rock 'n Roll was replaced nearly completely sometime in the Eighties by something called "Rock". They're cousins and not mutually exclusive. Some bands move effortlessly between both types of music. The way I differentiate them is that Rock 'n Roll makes you want to get up and dance and Rock makes you want to get up and punch something as you dance. If you are waving your fist in the air as a show of defiance then you are listening to Rock music. Rock 'n Roll is pure fun. Rock music is a little more serious and even angry. The Beatles are Rock 'n Roll and Led Zeppelin is Rock.

I don't really have a lot of Rock 'n Roll music in my collection. Maybe because, as I define it, there hasn't been much of it around in decades. My tastes tend to be eclectic anyway so that doesn't leave room for one genre to dominate. Plus, being born in the 60's, I was raised on Rock more than Rock 'n Roll. I don't even have any Beatles in my collection and I used them as an example of a Rock 'n Roll band just a moment ago. Shows you what I know. So here we go in no particular order (hey it's hard enough just coming up with a list).

Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' - With Lil' Stevie Winwood on lead vocals this song roars from beginning to end. I have no idea who Spencer Davis is but I give him credit for putting together a song that make me want to jump up and dance. If you can remain seated during this one than you should seek therapy immediately.

The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman - "She blew my nose and then she blew my mind". Sing it Mick. This is my favorite Stones song and the one that I think is the most fun. And this is a band known for fun so you gotta give it up to them. When I hear this one start I give a whoop!

Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry - I don't think I have to explain this one. This is the song that defines Rock 'n Roll. If you don't have a copy of it go and get one now.

Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - I don't know that much about Elton John but this has to be the least autobiographical song he sings. I don't think that Elton ever used to go out and get pissed with his mates and then start fights. But he sure can sing one hell of a song about it. Oh, and fighting in Rock 'n Roll songs is never serious. It's just part of life.

The Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coop - I was tempted to put Sloop John B in here since it is my favorite Beach Boys' song but it is a little too whiney. On the other hand Little Deuce Coop is about being at the top of your game. It was one of the songs I danced to as a child listening to my Aunt's old 45s. It's a song about cars, hanging out with your buddies, and scoring with chicks. What's more fun than that? I want to listen to it right now.

The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated - How can you not sing along with this one? At least the words you can understand. Yep, they make wanting to be sedated fun and fashionable.

The Grateful Dead - Uncle John's Band - I'm no Dead Head but this song rules. It'll make you do the Grateful Dead bop rather than any frantic dancing but not all Rock 'n Roll dancing has to be the same. You might be able to sit for this one but not sit still.

AC DC - You Shook Me All Night Long - What kind of crazy person doesn't get psyched when they hear this one start up? The hands start clapping then the fingers start pointing and a good time is had by all. More rhymes per minute than a rap song.

Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls - Yes, it's an ode to "Big Fat Fatty" and Freddy Mercury makes me believe he means it. Irony would ruin this song and Queen never lets it creep in as they just have fun. This song is all about just having fun. When the first note hits you know it's time to raise your hands in the air and dance around like a madman.

Dion and the Belmonts - The Wanderer - The epitome of the guy song. The Wanderer goes around romancing women and then forgeting their names. Oh, and he can fight well too. Put that to a beat you can dance to and you have all the ingredients of a classic.

Ones that almost made the list. All of them were kept of because of a little bit of seriousness in the lyrics.

The Pogues - The Body of an American - Some Irish rock about a funeral. I just heard it used in HBO's "The Wire" as the sound track to an Irish American cop's funeral. I first heard this song when the Pogues performed in on SNL back in '90 and I couldn't understand a word Shane McGowan was saying except for the chorus of "Free born man of the USA". It'll get you dancing and singing along with the chorus.

Tom Petty - American Girl - An easy one to sing along with. This song cranks it up a notch beyond the Grateful Dead Bop. Rock out.

Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London - Any song that I get to howl along with as I dance is going to be a favorite. No doubt.

Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds - Some might not consider this period of Elvis's career to be very Rock 'n Roll but he kills on this song. Find any of the various live versions and he really has some fun with it. You know this song is an excuse for him. As he's singing about the girl in the song not trusting him when "an old friend I know drops by to say hello" you know Elvis is banging every girl in the room. Anyone one else would sing this song seriously. Not Elvis. Tongue in cheek baby!

The Clash - Clampdown - This song will get you moving. It will even get your fist in the air but you won't be sure if it's in defiance. That's because no one can understand the lyrics without a lyric sheet. Once you read them you'll want to be in defiance of some racist factory in England or some such.

Comics I bought: December 14, 2006

I hit the comic shop again this week and got three of my regulars and one other that might turn into a regular.

The Escapists 6 (of 6)

Fear Agent 9

Ex Machina 25

Storm Watch Post Human Division 2

I also picked up the magazine Alter Ego 63. I've never read an issue of it but this one is an Alex Toth tribute issue so I just had to get it.

And now I'll continue with the reviews of some recent DC Comics a buddy sent me. I only got to read a few of them this week and here they are:

Batman and the Mad Monk 3-4 (of six?)- A pleasant surprise. I've liked Matt Wagner's stuff since way back when I bought Mage in the 80s' so I usually give a look at his latest work. But last year's "Batman and the Monster Man" from Wagner left me cold and I didn't make it past the first issue. I'm no Batman fan due to the large number of really bad Batman comics out there but this isn't one of them. In this story Batman is a person and a detective; not an "inhuman force of vengeance" or some such nonsense as he often is portrayed in other stories. He actually has a scary opponent too. Check it out.

Aquaman Sword of Atlantis 45- This Aquaman story suffers from what every Aquaman story suffers from. There is absolutely no reason for it to take place underwater. That being said the art is nice and the script okay (Busiek and Guice) but the plot leaves a bit to be desired. It's the end of a big story but I had no problem following it That's the good part. The bad part is that the plot involved a military battle and I seriously question the tactics involved in said battle. Not everybody is as picky as me about such things so check it out if underwater super-heroes are your thing.

Rickety Criketey

I get a lot of spam e-mail as do most people these days. It's a fact of internet life and I try not to let it annoy me too much. Spam filters these days can take care of almost all of it but I still give a quick glance at my spam section before I delete it just in case the filters made a mistake. It's pretty easy to tell the spam at a glance because it's from no one I know.

Most spam is just people trying to sell you stuff but there are plenty of grifters and thieves out there who want to steal your money. Everybody wants to get money out of their country and if I could just lend them a hand we could both make millions. The hand they always need is bank account numbers. Yeah, they're not gonna steal from ya. Trust 'em.

The spam that I hate the most isn't somebody trying to steal from me. It's the fake "the mail you sent was rejected" e-mail. It's disguised to look like the automated response your ISP would send you if you typed an address wrong. If you open the e-mail it's really an ad for one thing or another. Who would not be annoyed by this? Who would not resent being tricked into opening an ad? Who came up with this idea? I get a ton of them so it must be working on someone. But on who? The mysteries of marketing.

Spam is easy to spot when they try to make it look like it is coming from me. I have a web site with my name in it so I get spam all the time disguised to look like it's coming from jaredosborn.com. Why would they do this? I know I'm not sending myself e-mail so it has to be spam. I just don't understand the mind of a spammer. I guess they are just as bored as a lot of people at their jobs.

As long as I'm bitching about stuff, who can watch TV anymore with commercials right in the middle of the show? Animations pop up and advertise the next show right as a dramatic moment is happening in the show I'm watching right now. TV used to be our friend. Now it wants to make enemies of us.

Football has gotten rotten with commercials in the last few years. When the network came out of commercial and back to live action and it was in the middle of a play that used to be a screw up. Now it's business as usual. They have so much ad time crammed into a game that they routinely cut it as close as they can to the start of a play. And don't even get me started on Monday Night Football on ESPN where they now have an actor sit in for twenty minutes while they ignore the game. A few weeks ago while the Giants were playing the Cowboys we got twenty minutes of Emmitt Smith talking about "Dancing With the Stars". That was torture.

I watched Talladega Nights last week. It was okay but the product placement was painful. I don't hate advertising but I like the choice of not watching it. They tried to work it into the humor but not with no real success. The film makers took no chances on bad mouthing or showing a product in a bad light. If a joke needed to be made about a lame product they made that product up. This undermined the humor and left a bad taste in my mouth.

At least I can stop complaining about the NY Giants. After four weeks of losing they finally won a game today. That may only stop me for a week because they are playing badly but a win is a win.

There you go; a week of me moaning. They can't all be winners. If the world would bend to my will I could stop all this bitchin'. I really should be Dr. Doom. He makes the world bend to his will.

Comics I bought December 7, 2006

I'm just back from the comic shop for the week and I picked up four of my regular books. Winners all:

The Walking Dead 33

Strangers in Paradise 86 (only 4 left)

American Splendor 4

Jonah Hex 14

A buddy of mine just sent me a box of recent DC comics. I haven't read many DC comics over the last few years so this is a change of pace for me. I'm going to write a short review as I read them. Here are this weeks.

Omega Men 1 & 2 (of six)- A first issue shouldn't be this confusing. I had no idea what was going on. The second issue helped a little bit and near as I can figure out The Omega Men have been fighting some religious empire way out in space. Meanwhile the religious empire has gotten the secular law authorities after the Omega Men. The lawmen and the JLA end up fighting the Omega Men on Earth. Yeah, a classic super-hero "misunderstanding" fight. Just what we need another of. Read at your own risk.

Albion 6 (of six)- I bought the first issue of this many moons ago and had no idea what was going on in it. Now I've read the sixth issue and I am still confused. It seems that the story is about a bunch of super-villians breaking out of an asylum. The storytelling is so bad that I can't tell who anyone is or what their motivations are. There may be 100 characters in this or there maybe 10. I just don't know because the storytelling is so jumbled. Stay away

Action Comics 843- Busiek, Nicieza, and Woods are obviously a cut above the pack because this is the last part of a three part story and it was clear and well told. Supes and a bunch of guys have been capture by some giant alien but now their busting out. I wasn't really that interested in the story and I'm tired of the "no line weight" art style that's dominated comics for the last few years but this is a well crafted comic. Check it out if super-heroes are your thing.

Claw The Unconquered 5-6 (of 6)- Claw is a Conan rip off leftover from the 1970's. The difference is that Claw has a gimmick; he has the hand of a demon that gives him magical powers. Claw never shuts up about that dumb hand either. Otherwise he looks and acts nearly the same as Conan. These two issues wrap up this revival mini series of his and they're not bad. There is the usual sword and sorcery mumbo jumbo about demons being let loose to take over the world but the story telling and art are solid. I had no trouble jumping on board for the last two issues and following things. Check it out if sword and sorcery is your thing.

American Virgin 4, 7-8- If you like to be hit over the head with irony than this book is for you. It's a "high concept" book about a Christian guy who has taken a pledge of virginity and is hunting around the world for the killer of his girlfriend. He wants to kill said killer by the way. If you don't immediately see the contradiction in a person taking "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (even though he seems to not know the definition of adultery which isn't the same as premarital sex) so seriously but being fuzzy on "Thou shalt not kill" don't worry. The writer will remind you of it at least once an issue. Each comic is filled with the lead and couple of supporting characters walking around the world's sleazy places and being ironic. That art and script are okay but the plot is dreadful. Any character can get preachy at any moment. Read at your own risk.

Flash 4-5- The very definition of mediocre comics. The plot, script, and art are all fair to middling. Nothing to recommend.

Hellblazer 225-226- Talk about not knowing what is going on in a story.This is it. Not because the storytelling is bad but the writer is obviously writing for the trade. These are parts two and three and some key stuff happened in part one which they don't bother to mention again. Our characters are in some unnamed city where everyone has committed suicide because of something called "the empathy engine". If our hero doesn't stop it the "virus" will spread everywhere and everyone on Earth will commit suicide. Is the empathy engine a virus? I'm just confused. The characters shuffle around for two issues not really doing or resolving much. I gave up on Constantine years ago because of excessive moping on his part and it seems I've missed nothing. Check it out only if feeling sorry for yourself is your thing.

Deadman 3- Ahhh... the curse of modern comics strikes again. I have no idea what is going on in this issue. It seems to be ripping off the movie "The Butterfly Effect" (and countless others) as the lead character is leaping back in time to try and change things. Who, what, when, where, and why are barely touched upon. The most laugh out loud confusing moment was when, after being chased and shot at by a bunch of guys (whoever they were), our two main characters stop at a dinner where the woman goes into the restroom, takes out a home pregnancy test (!), and the goes and tells Deadman (I think that's who the lead guy is) she is pregnant. Talk about out of nowhere! Stay away from this mess.

Rocket Fish!

I love the medium of comics. Just like other people love film, TV, music, photography, or whatever. And just like those other means of expression there are sometimes moments so absurd that they are highly entertaining. Some people are so entertained by bad movies that they call friends over to watch them and laugh all the way through. These bad movies and bad comics are not made on purpose. They're just made because humans are flawed and have to make decisions while tired, hungry, and underpaid. Sometimes the best one can do is not very good. But the job has to be done. This leads us to giggles.

My latest ha-ha's came as I was reading a reprint collection of some old comics. Specifically: Essential Super-Villain Team-Up Volume 1. This is large collection of stories from the 1970's starring Dr.Doom. It was a different type of series from your usual super-hero comic because it starred super-villains rather than the heroes. Each month Dr. Doom would feud with some other villain as each tried to take over the world. Sometimes Doom would try to make an ally out of one of the other villains but there would always be a betrayal. Sometimes there were two or three betrayals a month! This was no "anti-hero" clap trap; these guys were villains! There is some good stuff in the volume especially Astonishing Tales 1-4 which were drawn by Wally Wood. But this was the 1970's so there is plenty of bad stuff in this volume too.

I came across this gem in Super-Villain Team-Up 1. The rocket fish. You see, Dr. Doom was trying to convince Submariner to be his ally. Or was it the other way around? Every issue they switched of on convincing or betraying each other so it is hard to keep track. Anyway, Subby flew off to his ocean home swearing to not be allied with Doom but Doom wanted to keep track of him anyway. So what does Dr. Doom do? He sends out his flying underwater spy the rocket fish.

What intrigues me the most about the rocket fish if the fact that when it gets over water the rocket drops off and it looks like a normal fish. Since Doom is a master of robotics I have to ask why he didn't build little rockets right into the fish. Was it beyond his genius? Are these the limits of the bad doctor's intelect? Maybe he thought Subby's eagle eyes would be able to spot little built in rockets and give his spy away. Yet Doom didn't worry that Submariner would notice a rocket fish flying after him. And rockets aren't quiet.

What made Dr. Doom create his rocket fish as a two stage rocket fish? I would have created a rocket fish that didn't have to jettison it's rocket. For a device that was at the ready to track the Submariner back to his ocean home it really wasn't that well thought out. I think Doom dropped the ball on this one. I think he could have come up with a much more elegant solution to his spying problem. Yes, when I run into moments this absurd as I read comics these are the goofy things that run through my head.

I thought I was done with the rocket fish after it appeared on page six of SVTU 1 and not again in the issue. It was obviously just a silly throw away plot devise so Doom could know where Subby went. Then I read SVTU 2. This is the sweet creamy icing on the cake because the rocket fish had one last plot point left in him. Let the madness continue.

The plot point the rocket fish now had to illuminate depended on the mechanical fish looking as artificial as possible! No more "looks just like a fish" rocket fish.

A bunch of underseas bad guys captured Subby and dragged him onto an island that is acting as their headquarters. As they do this Tiger Shark notices a metal floating fish. Yes, now not only does the rocket fish look robotic but it is actually floating on the surface of the water like a real dead fish. Tiger Shark picks it up and looks at it giving Dr. Doom a good idea that he has to go rescue Submariner now. The rocket fish has fulfilled it's role as a plot device and goes to its watery grave; crushed in Tiger Shark's hand. So what that it is a completely different rocket fish than we saw last issue. Maybe it swam so fast that its skin fell off! Maybe a shark bit it! Ahhh.. it doesn't matter.

Those are mere details. Unimportant details in the grand scheme of bad storytelling. Until next time, keep giggling.