Earth-2 0

Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Earth-2 0, originally released September 5, 2012. Earth-2 0 is part of the line-wide Zero Month.

Peter: The Second Wave was an interesting move on DC’s part: start handful of series half way through the publishing year. So, many of them launched right in to full-blown stories. The Zero Issues have allowed them some breathing room. Specifically the Earth-2 Zero Issue has allowed James Robinson to flesh out some history before the chaotic and destructive #1 and introduce a new character rooted in the history of Earth-2, and his fate is still uncertain.

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Superman Annual 1

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Superman Annual 1, originally released August 29th, 2012.

Patrick: DC Comics has a Superman problem. Supes is the quintessential American comic book superhero. Batman, Wolverine and the Hulk have all proven to be more bankable than ol’ Kal-El, but there’s no escaping the simple mythology and iconography of Superman. Remember when they killed Superman? Of course you do — everyone knew about it — it was a news item. When your grandmother knows the name ‘Clark Kent,’ it’s clear that the character — for whatever reason — has immeasurable appeal. But when you try to pick up a comic and read about the adventures of the last son of Krypton, you are never rewarded with that same simplicity. In fact, Superman has his feet in both the superhero-nonsense AND the outer-space-nonsense aspects of the DC Universe. At this point, I’m starting to fancy myself a bit of a comic book nerd and I am still off-put by the sheer volume of aliens, heroes, villains and history (both secret and otherwise).

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Justice League 12

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Justice League 12, originally released August 29th, 2012.

Shelby: “Is this the end of the tried-and-true Justice League?”

This is the question the world is facing at the end of Justice League 12, and the end of the Villain’s Journey arc. I was really struck by this line, because my question is “What tried-and-true Justice League?” My biggest complaint with the Justice League since the reboot is the lack of cohesion to the team. The team starts out rough, and five years later still can’t work together. We’ve discussed over and over how they are such a bad team, and now at the end of the arc, Geoff John’s point seems to be… they are a bad team. Maybe my question should be, “What was the point of reading this in the first place?”

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The Vault – Spoils of Patrick’s Birthday

The Retcon Punchers spend an awful lot of time looking for ways to celebrate our nerdy obsessions. This means a lot of time sunk into scouring Etsy, Deviant Art, Think Geek or whatever. Sometimes we see things so great we just have to share them… and then clutch them fiercely to our collective chest. Throw it in The Vault.

Website: N/A

Who Would Love This: Me. Also, you.

Price: 30 years of refusing to grow up.

I’m breaking the format a little bit today. I turned thirty-goddamned-years old last Friday. At the risk of alienating anyone over that age: that is old. But that doesn’t mean that two of the best women in my life can’t buy me presents with Batman on them. Continue reading

The Vault – Superhero Union Suit Pajamas

The Retcon Punchers spend an awful lot of time looking for ways to celebrate our nerdy obsessions. This means a lot of time sunk into scouring Etsy, Deviant Art, Think Geek or whatever. Sometimes we see things so great we just have to share them… and then clutch them fiercely to our collective chest. Throw it in The Vault.

Website: Thinkgeek

Who Would Love This: Retcon Punch

Price: $39.99 a piece

Remember the Green Lantern snuggy? Remember how crazy excited we were about the idea of a Retcon Punch slumber party? This is the obvious next step in adult-sized, comic-book-themed slumber party attire. I honestly don’t know why I have ever worn anything else to bed at night. It’s always such a hassle when I’m awaken by some emergency, and have to take the time to change into my superhero costume. This way, I’m ALWAYS PREPARED; these pajamas are the Boy Scouts of superhero sleepwear.

The Vault – Haly’s Circus Print

The Retcon Punchers spend an awful lot of time looking for ways to celebrate our nerdy obsessions. This means a lot of time sunk into scouring Etsy, Deviant Art, Think Geek or whatever. Sometimes we see things so great we just have to share them… and then clutch them fiercely to our collective chest. Throw it in The Vault.

Website: DC Collectibles

Who Would Love This: Fans of vintage posters and signage, lovers of secret nerd art, trapeze aficionados

Price: $19.95-$34.95

I have obviously browsed the DC Comics official store on occasion, and while I’ve always found things I like I have never been blown away by an item that I feel I need to have. They have recently expanded their line of high-quality prints, however, and these change everything. Once again, I have found the kinds of posters that, from afar, don’t look like anything other than faux-vintage hipster wall art. Look again and you’ll see it’s actually faux-vintage hipster nerdy wall art, and I eat that shit up. I think the Flying Graysons poster here might be the best, and would look great with the Beware Crime Alley propaganda poster, but the Kandor, Themyscira, and Coast City travel posters would look pretty sharp together, too.

Cram Session: Swamp Thing 1-11

It can be hard to keep up with all the comics you love. But it’s damn near impossible to keep up with all the comics you’re interested in.

Retcon Punch got you covered.

Alec Holland is just about the most reluctant hero of the New 52. Dude didn’t even cape-up until the end of issue 7. But it’s been a great ride, and now all human and plant life hangs in the balance. Catch up here and prepare for the Rot World crossover with Animal Man.

Cram Session: Night of the Owls

It can be hard to keep up with all the comics you love. But it’s damn near impossible to keep up with all the comics you’re interested in.

Retcon Punch got you covered.

This is one we’ve wanted to put together for a long time. If you only read one or two of these series and you want to get the skinny on what else happened – we’ve got the video for you. Here’s the whole Night of the Owls presented chronologically.

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Justice League 11

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Justice League 11, originally released July 18th 2012.

Shelby: Losing a loved one is beyond difficult. It can be the most trying, emotional, painful experience we’ll ever know. Whether it’s a sudden death or a prolonged illness, the grief of loss is a heavy burden to bear. It’s one thing to forever carry the memory of a loved one with you, but something else entirely to carry that burden of grief, never letting go, never moving on. Justice League features a villain literally doing just that; Graves constantly carries with him the souls of his family, and his grief will not abate until he exacts his revenge. You would think with such a heavy and universally relatable idea, this issue would garner something stronger than “meh.”
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Justice League 10

Today, Patrick and (guest writer) Zach Kastner are discussing Justice League 10, originally released June 27th, 2012.

Patrick: Sometimes when I’m working on a project under deadline, I find myself pissing away precious minutes wasting time. Usually on the internet – that damn internet! And sometimes that time wastery yields something interesting: I get ideas for unrelated projects or I catch up with an old friend or I learn something. So it’s hard to classify that time as “wasted,” but it certainly makes it harder to cram in all the work it takes to finish that project in time. Naturally, the project suffers as a result. That’s kind of how a feel about Justice League 10.

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