I have to go back for Legends of the Dark Knight! Oh well.

My pulls were: Identity Crisis
Teen Titans
Nightwing
Gotham Central
Green Arrow
X Force #1 -- with Shatterstar! I've never actually READ anything with him in it, but I've read quite a bit of Rictor/Shatterstar fic.

And I looked at Alpha Flight....which I've actually been looking at for a few months now and I see that this is issue is the end of a story arc. I think I want it, but I don't know.

God, I hate Liefeld. Hatehatehate.

Okay, better now.

I got War Games to date, plus my regular pull and the second Ultimates TPB.

Does Slade pop up near Batman often? I know there's a cap on how many exquisitely trained assasins there can be, and every Cain or Slade makes me wonder who's the best mirror for Bats.

I gave in to my innermost fanboy and ponied up the cash for the JLA/Avengers hardcover special edition.

It is extemely sweet in the larger format, and comes with an extra volume containing Perez's original penciles of the aborted 1983 attempt (21 pages) and complete annotation of the entire mini-series. It's like having a Marvel/DC history book. t /drool

As for Identity Crisis, this issue should silence the critics, right? I wonder if DC let Meltzer off Jimmy Olson?

Oh, I think timewise that IC is set just a bit ahead of "War Games" at this point.

More later as I digest the implications of "hearing what they want to hear".

Legends of the Dark Knight seemed to me to be mostly exposition, but for a story as sprawling as this one is, I think it is necessary exposition.

Nightwing was gut-wrenching, wasn't it? Dick trying to play things cool ("give me something to hit"), while Taratula goes out and brags about capping Blockbuster. The shit is so going to hit the fan.

I may have to move JSA up on my reading pile, but Teen Titans is next, followed by Powers.

Who needs sleep?

As for Identity Crisis, this issue should silence the critics, right? I wonder if DC let Meltzer off Jimmy Olson?

No. Notice that while Meltzer might have speculated about Jimmy being in danger, it's actually Jean Loring that gets the 2-page graphic victimization sequence. At this point I'm surprised she wasn't in a flimsy negligee and holding a dead rabbit for the proceedings .

Matt, I was speculating on future victims, perhaps to balance out the gender inequity of the killings. I'm trying to come up with known associates of superheroes as targets. The two offed so far were known because the hero's secret identity had been revealed, but maybe the M. O. will change to civilian friends of the heroes, thus placing Jimmy Olson square in the cross-hairs, so to speak.

What other DC characters have had their secret identities revealed to the world?

in Identity Crisis, when Dr. Light suddenly remembers the lobotomy, he sees Batman holding him down. Am I crazy for thinking that's significant?

Staying out of the gender politics quagmire while I sort out my own reactions.

Can't wait for lunch. Going to the comic shop. Have a shopping list. This is not good.

I noticed that switch, -t, and it confused me.

As for IC#3 and people in peril: how many men (I don't for a second believe Jimmy's in jeopardy unless his is the big civilian death) are in vulnerable positions, and how many women?

IC thoughts :

I got confused at first when it switched to what looked like a headline. And then there were characters and back story I wasn't familiar with. Some of the mind wipe stuff made sense....protecting people's identites and such.

When Jimmy Olsen was talking about possible future victims I got my hopes up. When I saw .... what's her name (so blanking) I thought "aw christ!" Because here we go again with a woman being a victim. But I'm hoping there's someway she can get free. I wasn't even that bothered by Sue being the first victim. Except I thought the pregnancy thing was over the top.

Why can't a guy...son, brother, father, be in jeapordy.

I'm thinking of not getting Green Arrow anymore. I like Ollie, but I really can't stand the artwork and it's driving me nuts. And maybe Gotham Central, which I like because it's rather Homicide like but I can't keep the characters straight and keep having to go back and read back issues. Normally I don't mind reading back issues, but I keep having to do that every time a new issue comes out and I don't have to do that with the others.