h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I very nearly tiptoed away from this site without saying anything, but as there haven't been any posted replies for over three weeks, that seemed a little thoughtless. So, nice idea, well written -- doesn't leave much to say other than keep up the good work, and keep reading the four-colour literature. I would say that my favourite superhero these days is The Savage Dragon. Not really on account of his origin, which would be hard to emulate: be found in a newly-cratered field with no memories, green skin, and a big fin on top of your head.

Cheers, Emlock!

If only it was still four-colour literature, then it wouldn't be so damned expensive every month, between $4-5 each! Even 2000AD costs more than $6, - I can remember when they were just 45 cents!

But enough reminiscing and age-showing, my current fave is JLA - Grant Morrison has done a great job on it. It'll be a shame when he leaves. I'm also a huge fan of Batman Animated. There is just so much that is right with that show - darkness, styling, fluid motion, intelligent stories and above all, bang-on characterization.

Haven't read much SD, but Larsen's work on Amazing Spiderman got me hooked during his stint.

Hmm, some brief research tells me that those are New Zealand dollars you are talking about; I don't know if a NZ$ has the same value to you as a US$ has to a New Yorker, rates of exchange don't usually make much sense, but $5 for a regular Image comic certainly doesn't encourage completism. A shame indeed that Grant Morrison is about to leave the JLA - I usually enjoy Mark Waid's work, such as his mega "run" on Flash, but it just won't be the same. And with this sudden internet 'n' computers bug I have succumbed to, I really ought to be cutting back. Batman: The Gotham Adventures captures the tv show excellently, which means that it is much more like my idea of the Caped Crusader than the in-continuity titles. By just buying the one title there, I save a small fortune... but when Dell remember to put the cost of this machine onto my credit card, I may well need to save a slightly larger one. Cheers!

Yeah, good idea about Gotham Adventures. It really bugs me that DC's "twin towers" have like 4 different titles each and you have to buy all of them to follow the story. Which is a shame because "No-Man's Land" is looking really good (I'm betting Luthor's behind a good deal of it).

Well, I've really only been following "NML" from news reports and the invaluable Diamond Previews ($2.95, but so thick and heavy that I shudder to think what a NZ store has to charge for it), but it seems to be all over now, with the titles going their separate ways. I was only reading the Catwoman title, which was exceedingly peripheral to the action; I will be giving it up in a month or so as Jim Balent is leaving, and a dreaded "new direction" is promised. But yes, just stay with Gotham Adventures and one doesn't have to worry about the mega-crossovers...

Just cos the conversations taking a gotham twist ...

Is Batman an officially sanctioned officer of the law (in some incarnations?)

JLA and Green Lanterns sometimes seem to be official and in a strange sort of way so are the Suicide Squad

I agree Comics are too expensive now for the sort of regular addiction I used to love - I rember when 2000AD cost 5p (not sure what that was in cents at the time)

In most incarnations I believe Batman is not officially sanctioned. It is largely through the good graces of Commissioner Gordon who conversely reckons the quality of his work. Other groups in the world of law & order don't look so favourably on his "interference". A number of District Attorneys have disapproved of Batman, including one particular ex-DA by the name of Harvey Dent. When Sarah Essen became Commissioner, Batman was persona non grata, and the Bat-signal put in cold storage. The FBI doesn't like Batman at all. On the other hand, he and especially Robin works quite well with Gotham County Sheriff's Dept, and the CIA would probably sign him up in a heartbeat. (They are used to dealing with "unorthodox people", after all)

Green Lantern's situation would be similar to Superman's. They are basically "good citizens" reacting to crises when they arise and saving people from danger, or apprehending and detaining perpetrators till the nice policemen turn up. Batman is a very different fish: he actively investigates crime and pursues criminals by himself - something which is the purdue of the police.

The JLA like their Marvel counterparts the Avengers have a charter setting out their function and operational parameters. The Avengers have (in the past) had their charter recognised by the United Nations which gives them and official and internationally legal standing. I don't really know enough about previous incarnations of the Justice League, but I don't think the current JLA has this kind of recognition. However I can recall two things of note on the subject: 1) Superman has stated to the American President that the JLA does not confine its efforts to borders, ie their perspective is global, not national; and 2) the JLA currently has a sovereign head of state in its membership, which in any real world setting would make you wonder about their claims to neutrality.

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with Suicide Squad so I can't comment... for legal reasons, you understand.

Hmmm - a lot to think about. JD is about the only example of an actual law officer I can think of then and even he's a bit of a loose cannon

Hong Kong Phooie(not sure of spelling) worked at a police station - but isn't exactly your classic superhero

Having said what I did, I just remembered that in the 60s tv series Batman and Robin were duly deputised law enforcers, so there you go.

Dredd is an interesting case. I've said this in other threads but I'll say it again in this one because, dammit, I'm right!

The bulk of Dredd's stories and I think the best of them, have not been the ones where Dredd is the central character. Dredd is a constant, and a conduit/ a vehicle for the stories. One of my favourites involves the testing of a Judge cadet who from the safety of the Justice Academy, controls the actions of a senior judge out on the beat. In this case, it just happens to be Dredd. The murder of some juvenile gang members leads the cadet to believe an eldster gang is responsible. When they catch the old folks, the cadet discovers his mother is among the guilty parties. The cadet is asked if he wants to continue - he does. He questions his mother. She refuses. He tells her he's going to start counting, adding an additional year to the sentence as he goes. He continues to count until his mother gives in and gives him names of accomplices. After the test, the Judge Tutor asks Dredd - "So, what do you think?"

"Pass, with distinction. Any cadet that can send his own mother away for 18 years has the makings of a damn fine judge."

Classic stuff.

And the movie botched it by making Dredd just another action hero. Actually, the Dredd ripoff Robocop was closer to Dredd, except JD doesn't show nearly as much emotion. If I had had my way, the Dredd movie would've been a series of short stories all linked together by the common device of Joe Dredd, and there would possibly be the elements of a big finale brewing as the film goes along, some sort of invasion perhaps, mutants, aliens, East-Meg judges, etc.

Cant help agreeing with you, but a well done JD story has a balance
The Judge Cal sequence is still classic stuff, corny in places but reads well many years on.

The movie was a bit of a mess - a traditional film is too long for a JD story (JD is a short story guy not a novel) and the 'woooah' character just annoyed me!

The 200AD style 8 frame snaps are often both the best and the worst, depends how well the spirit is captured.