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By
The Reverend
June 16, 2004 - 11:37
There's a great verbal exchange in the comic book series,
Superman/Batman, that sums up succinctly why I don't support the L.A. Lakers' Kobe Bryant as he fights rape accusations. In the comic book's current storyline, Superman and Batman are sorting out whether a mysterious alien visitor is who she says is, Kara Zor-El, the only remaining survivor from Krypton other than Superman himself. Superman is all too eager to welcome Kara (potentially an all-new Supergirl) as he's felt isolated all his life as Earth's only Kryptonian. But Batman is not so impressed. When Kara asks the Dark Knight why he won't give her the benefit of the doubt, he curtly replies that it's because she so desperately wants him to believe her. That's what I think when I see Kobe Bryant do post-game press conferences with his little daughter in tow. I don't doubt that he loves her, but right now she's leverage in his battle to sway public opinion. To me, needlessly including a toddler in a professional basketball press conference is the move of a desperate man. Kind of ironic, then, that during the Lakers' championship run Kobe was often labeled the Batman to Shaquille O'Neal's Superman. I don't think that heroic comparison has come up since Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault. I hope it doesn't if the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
Comic book readers may not read a more gut-wrenching tale than the first chapter that unfolds in DC's instant classic miniseries
Identity Crisis. The story is written by mainstream novelist Brad Meltzer who cut his teeth with bestselling novels like
The Millionaires and
The Zero Game. In case you ever wondered why superheroes have historically adopted secret identities, the first chapter will explain why the hard way.
Identity Crisis is beautifully accessible to those who don't necessarily share my encyclopedic background in comics, especially DC's output in the 1970s and '80s. It's also effective in attracting newer readers in light of the media blitz that's accompanied this book in the last couple of weeks. SPIN magazine surprised me recently with a full-page article in anticipation of the book, and newspapers all over the country have run pieces on it, including
USA Today. A lot of the news and speculation has centered around the idea that
Identity Crisis is essentially a murder mystery, and, sadly, we get just that beginning with issue #1. The unfortunate victim is not one that the uninitiated will immediately identify with, but Meltzer, assisted with extraordinary art by Rags Morales and Michael Bair (recently of
Hawkman) gives enough back story prior to the murder that one cannot help but empathize with the heroes and supporting characters who are devastated by the tragedy. The book has gotten off to a spectacular start, and all previews indicate that we have not seen anything yet. READ THIS BOOK!!!
Anyone know how it's okay to celebrate the third marriage J.Lo is reportedly on now (to Latino pop star Marc Anthony) while homosexual marriage somehow disrupts the sanctity of a holy union? What the hell is so sanctimonious about Miss Lopez' addiction matrimony? Anyone who views a wedding as a blessed and sacred event should be just a little insulted on how J. Lo mocks marriage as she jumps from one union to another with the same ease as signing off on Louis Vuitton and L'Oreal endorsements.
That Sprite mascot, the hip hop-flavored "Thirst," is cute and all, but I thought he was way funnier ten years ago when he was a Penny Hardaway (then of the Orlando Magic) puppet voiced by Chris Rock. Remember L'il Penny? Show 'em my motto!!!
I've never watched a horse race with genuine excitement as I did last weekend with the running of the Belmont Stakes. I thought I missed the 2-minute event and actually stumbled on it just in time flipping through channels. But I was not about to miss out on possible history in the making as Smarty Jones was so close to being the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Smarty Jones was so close, and I noticed this in real time and I picked it up in the replays, but in the home stretch, the announcer made mention that Jones was ahead by a furlong, and like he was on cue, Birdstone surged ahead and you knew Jones didn't have the reserves to keep up. It was crazy and thrilling, and to think a Triple Crown was missed by less than the length of a horse. Though it says something about the frenzy that was whipped up (no pun intended) prior to the Belmont Stakes that the winning team for Birdstone found themselves apologizing to the media after pulling off a fantastic upset. Kind of a shame that things got to where they felt compelled to do that. All horses are there to win, people, or else it wouldn't be a Triple Crown race.
All indications I've seen in Chicago tell me that DC has a hit on their hands with these new action figures based on the Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee bestselling run on
Batman, the 12-part story "Hush" from last year. I happened to buy a couple of them, myself -- Batman and Poison Ivy -- and sculptor Tim Bruckner did a phenomenal job replicating the original art designs of Jim Lee. What came out this month is the first five of a ten-figure series, with the Joker, Huntress and Hush rounding out the first set. Expect more A-list characters this fall with Wave 2 featuring Nightwing (the former Robin, Dick Grayson), Joker's girlfriend Harley Quinn, Catwoman, the Riddler, and "Hush" guest star Superman. To the dismay of some action figure collectors, the "Hush" series is not deserving of the "action figure" label, and, let's face it, these aren't made for kids. They're more like plastic statues sold for fifteen to twenty dollars a pop. Personally, I can live with that.
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