RatCreature's Journal

I've read Superman #204 (written by Brian Azzarello, pencils by Jim Lee, inks by Scott Williams), and I liked it. Okay, it is a bit of trick to start telling your story starting at the end to hook readers so that they wonder what brought the characters there, and Azzarello does it both on the level of this issue, with not revealing for quite some time what the monumental event Superman and the priest were both referring to was (I know I'm kind of vague, but I don't want to spoil), and for the cliffhanger, because we still don't know what Superman did exactly, and I guess the tension will be kept up for a bit in that fashion. But the trick with the narrative structure totally worked. I'm thoroughly hooked.

The art is very much eye candy, the way Superman is often backlit with lots of shadows gives him a great look, and Lee has the iconic poses down pat. Gorgeous.

So naturally I couldn't resist and have icons for your enjoyment, the usual rules apply, comment if you claim one, say if you're willing to share, otherwise the icon belongs to the first person to claim it, and of course you can modify them in any way you want:

( twenty Superman icons from #204 )

As usual, comment if you claim one (or a reasonable number of them), unless someone says they're willing to share the icon belongs to the first person who claims it (so check the previous comments), and of course you can modify them any way you want.

( 14 icons with Tim as Robin )

After this inspiring post in scans_daily I just couldn't resist and made a few icons from the "The Rainbow Batman" story, published in Detective Comics #241 from 1957. He's "a rainbow of dazzling action," and who could resist that? Feel free to modify them in any way you want, but please comment if you take one.

( some Rainbow Batman icons )

I made some Flash icons. The icons from issue #195, #198, #199 and #200 have artwork from Scott Kolins (pencils) and Doug Hazelwood (inks), the ones from issue #205 have artwork from Alberto Dose (pencils and inks). You can see in the filename which issue the icon from. As usual, please comment if you claim an icon, and of course you can modify them any way you want.

( 30 icons from those Flash issues )

In order to pimp my favorite superhero, here are twenty NIghtwing icons, made from art from the Nightwing issues #44-#50. Please comment if you take one, of course you can customize them any way you want.

( Nightwing icons )

Icons with Batman, Catwoman, Nightwing, Arsenal, Tempest, the JLA, Krypto... You can see which comic the original image was taken from by moving your mouse over them. Please don't direct link. Comment here before you use icons for your LJ or elsewhere, so that it's clear which ones are claimed. Of course you can customize them any way you want.

( pretty! )

I've made some icons from the Elseworld comic Superman: Red Son (written by Mark Millar, pencils by Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett, inks by Andrew Robinson and Walden Wong). I've wanted to for some time now, because I just get a kick out of seeing Superman with a hammer and sickle symbol instead of his customary S. BTW, the comic, a three part prestige format Elseworld that I think is also available as a paperback (or will be soon) is quite good. At least I enjoyed reading it. But then I have a thing for AU stories.

As usual, comment if you'd like one, feel free to customize them yourself if you want, or ask me to add text, and I'll do my best. Credit would be nice, but if you usually don't do GIP posts, or list icon creators with your icons that's fine too.

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( a few more behind the lj-cut )

After the Neal Adams & Denny O'Neil run on Green Lantern / Green Arrow caught my interest in that Superheroes Unmasked documentary, like I posted a while ago, y'all knew of course how it would end. Once I covet a comic (and can find and afford it, or at least find it and beg others for money to afford it *g*) it's only a matter of time until it finds its way into my greedy little hands. That I have more than twice as much shelf space filled with comics than with books without even counting the ten or so boxes filled with US comic books is ample proof of that.

Anyway, I got the seven reprint issues from 1983 at a very fair price on ebay, and the package with them arrived yesterday. I have read some of the stories, but not yet all, because I think they're best read in smaller doses. They're not bad or anything, but wow, they are preachy, like, really, really preachy. I don't mind fiction about issues as such, though my preference is for a somewhat subtler approach, and I definitely can appreciate those GL/GA comics in their historical context. Still, there's only so much of being all about the ISSUES that I can stand at one time, even with Neal Adam art to distract me.

Still it is fun to read about GL and GA doing this road trip to discover themselves and the true America or whatever. And please, someone tell me that there is GL/GA slash set during this? I don't mean necessarily a romantic relationship between the two, but I mean they are in the 70s and on a hippie self-discovery road trip, they seem to develop a real friendship despite their different outlooks, and at least GL questions pretty much everything he previously believed to be true without questioning, so it's not a huge step to assume he might question his sexual orientation as well (and hey, it would fit with the ISSUES *g*). So I can definitely see some "experimentation" going on between the two. And there are some scenes that are at least open to a slash interpretation, like for example in the issue that was Green Lantern #78 originally, I think, when GL tells GA he should forget about Black Canary, who was brainwashed by the cult leader, only they don't know that yet, but GA suspects something, yet GL tells him "Chum, it's tough... but you've got to swallow it -- she just doesn't dig you -- " Okay, so GA then hits GL, but hey, surely you can reinterpret the aggressive response...

( I also made a few Green Lantern and Green Arrow icons from these issues, if you want one, just comment, I'll customize them with text on request, too... )