She is a Silver Age creation. They were much worse ones.

She is a character who depends on whom writes her. Paul Dini, for instance, considers her a personal favorite and he has done several amusing and interesting stories with her.

It's silly -- but I could see where it could be useful, but what happens if you mispronounce the backward words? -- Of course her real superpower must be to always pronounce things backwards properly.

Oh my God. That's the dumbest schtick ever. Did they run out of schticks?

Zatanna's made the point that the speaking backwards is really just a way of focusing to make the magic work.

She's also one of the better characters from that era, and about the only character to cross regularly between the D.C. and Vertigo books (she's both a former JLAer and used to date John Constantine.)

Also, I'm wondering why I white fonted that. Not really a spoiler.

Wasn't Constantine born in the regular DC line? Does he count as a crossover?

I don't think my opinion of a new issue, even a one-word summary, should be un-whitefonted when you're citing it the day it comes out, PC. And my feeling about the speech that other people found moving was that it was a speech. A long speech. What makes comics special as a medium is that it can combine words and images for effect. There are so many things they could have done with what Dick is feeling, and they use a speech? Meh.

Also, the flashbacks to the *previous day* are fine as far as they go, but there doesn't seem to be a strong narrative reason for making them flashbacks, other than getting to start the story mid-fight. I tend to think that if Dick were remembering things at this point in the story, it wouldn't be things that happened the previous day, it would be things that have happened in the nearly 20 years he's tried to live by the Batman's code.

But, not much really happened in this issue, so, whatever, I'll wait for the next one.

I think my favorite part of Identity Crisis #1 was the two-page spread at the funeral. Geek central. I will continue picking this up, though I don't imagine I'll spring for the bound volume when it comes out.

I don't think my opinion of a new issue, even a one-word summary, should be un-whitefonted when you're citing it the day it comes out, PC.

Rectified.

About Tarantula, do you think that they're going to kill her off? It would be one more loss -- just when you think Nightwing's hit bottom. I thought of this re-reading the place where Copperhead bites her and she makes some comment about how he just happens to have snake venom antidote. I would guess that her lack of preparedness might do her in.

I found NW #94 a good post-93 lull. Dick is so very still for most of this, which really struck me. I'm so-so on the art--92 was worse, and Amych is right about the colorist. Given this summer's big crossover event, there's not much they can really do right now in terms of involved storylines. I'd have liked to see an artist I'm fonder of doing the pencils, because this was a very visual issue, and the artist wasn't quite up to snuff.

Amych! I read Legends. And yes, you're right, I needed to. Also, need scans. Because Icons Ahoy!

Re: Identity Crisis #1 I was unexpectedly gutted by it. I like the writer, so I thought for a Big! Event! Book! it would be okay, but it had me near tears. Mind, I'm hormonal and wept at the Spidey trailer, and spent about an hour and a half reading Young Justice and crying two nights ago, but still.

Re: Green Arrow #39 Mia. Killed. Someone. I am pausing to allow this to sink in.

Yeah, Identity Crisis rocked pretty hard. I was not completely surprised about Sue's death--I'd heard rumors, and there was speculation abounding as to who dies, but really, the death's not the big part of the story. What I DON'T know is what the JLA's secret is. That, I'm curious about.