I know the idea is to make a "fresh, new, HAPPENIN'!" portrayal of characters with the Ultimate line, but I wish that for the iconic characters they'd at least try to use the core personality and essence of the character to build around rather than having no resemblance to their Universe 616 counterparts beyond the super powers they share.

My Reed Richards is an even-tempered, benevolent, and fundamentally gentle man whose primary concerns are his family and using his genius for the betterment of mankind. Not an adrenaline junkie snotty teenager devoid of common sense and responsibility. That's why him going stone cold and cowing Dr. Octopus with nothing more than words back when Sue was losing their baby was so powerful—when the company's equivalent to Ward Cleaver suddenly acted that way it was a lot more chilling than the same behavior would be from the latest machine gun-wielding vigilante du jour .

I'm only following Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spiderman currently (well, and Ultimate Nightmare for it's run) and I think for the most part they've remained pretty true to the original characters. Spidey, in particular, really doesn't seem that much different, aside from being back in highschool. UXM has made some interesting twists on some of the characters, but they're still recognizable as their normal-verse counterparts. (The only character that seems really, really, different to me is Dazzler. But since she's a modern rocker instead of a disco-diva, it's understandable and since I didn't care for the original character, it doesn't bother me.)

I agree with Kalshane -- I'd say the biggest change is Storm, really, but they're still running her story in an interesting parallel. Dazzler is a straight update -- she's now Avril Lavigne, with more 'tude, I guess. We're lucky. She could have been Hilary Duff.

Maybe that's why UXM bugs be, but I like USM-- I liked Spidey anyway, and the X-men have never really been my thing.

Anybody else watch Teen Titans this week? Overall, I didn't care for it. There were some good laughs, but they were overshadowed for me by the gross-out bits and the Starfire and Silkie relationship story to was just annoying.

Kalshane, I did (I'm loyal to the 'toon Teen Titans), and I wasn't crazy about the ep, either. Though I did crack up at the Sesame Street "Barkley" shoutout, and the things that Killer Moth said during that exchange.

Carter Hall is Hawkman?

Because I read that and went to a Tamlinn place. (Now thinking I misspelled that. Is it Tamlin? -- You know the one, with the Fairy Queen and Janet and hanging on and the shapeshifting.)

Just picked up last week's comics today -- delayed by 'flu. Saw the Bunny Suit!Anya action figure. It was adorable! And comes with a bunny!

Also, I enjoyed Astounishing. Does the next arc start next month?

The best thing about 'tec 800 was the Oracle stuff at the very end. Did Bats push Catwoman off that building?

Is there new Powers this week? Also, the Batgirl has the beginning of the Robin x-over, right?

Sumi, as Bruce and Selina have been having the occasional fuckfest since at least Hush (which usually goes something like this: lean in for kissing, Bruce breaks away and makes lame excuses, Selina either says something bitter or slaps him. Later, rinse, repeat with occasional actual snogging and shagging if the plot arc demands it, at which point, watch Plei try to figure out where Selina's clothing went, why the blanket's there, and why the hell they did it on the couch when they're both ubertall, watch Jilli roll her eyes at Plei) I read it as "Bruce gives into the embrace, then gives her a 'Maybe later' before swooping off to Fight Crime." with a side of "I really am not thrilled with this art."

Hee.

Because I read that and went to a Tamlinn place. (Now thinking I misspelled that. Is it Tamlin? -- You know the one, with the Fairy Queen and Janet and hanging on and the shapeshifting.)

Tam Lin. Heh, I had the same jolt from the other side when I first heard Fairport's "Tam Lin." I think the character got his name from the song. Not directly - they just pinched it.