Heh. I'm not going to crucify you or anything. I just got to the point where I couldn't read a single page of Robin without shrieking and flinging the issue across the room, so I'm forcing myself not to touch the new issues in the stores for fear I will start screaming obscenities, for my emotional attachment to the Tim is strong like whoa.

You don't have to tell *me* about the Tim-love! That's why I stopped reading Robin, too -- Willingham clearly has NO idea who in the hell the character really is. It was with great surprise that I found myself liking the current issue.

Yeah? I saw his name on one of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis or Whatever titles, and I kind of stared at it dully for a moment before saying, "Oh HELL no."

Should have specified "of the Bat books."

He's doing one of the Countdown books. I've heard okay things about it, but not enough to get me past my dislike of the fellow. (It's the Countdown book I'm NOT pulling. Well, that and the RannThang.)

I picked up the first Day of Vengeance book and it was... all right, I guess. Nothing besides the bit with the Phantom Stranger really bothered me, but I didn't think it was particularly good either.

Not exactly comic books, but the new BOONDOCKS anthology is out. May have been for a while, but I just saw it.

I haven't had a chance to find a new comic shop since I moved. So, does anyone know if Blue Beetle is really, truly dead? Or if there's been any good Booster angst over the death?

Jumping around:

• Quite enjoyed "Day of Vengeance," actually. Good to see something come of Jean Loring, and I have mad love for Detective Chimp. Also liked the "transformed" Phantom Stranger, if only because it's the sort of thing the Spectre used to do all the time. Like the new look for Blue Devil, too.

• And as to Anne's question, it certainly appears Ted Kord is really, really dead, but the Scarab is floating around out there, so either he'll come back as a super-powered Beetle, like the original, or there will be a new one. Also, Booster and Wonder Woman are currently searching for Ted, and Batman's just figured out Ted's dead, so I imagine we'll see some Booster ennui soon enough.

Astounishing question: Whose fist is that by Wolverine's head when he's taken down? A blue, gloved, fist. Apart from a Firefly ref (and okay, even or especially then) it doesn't make sense. I went back and looked at the Danger Rommie's fist, and it's clearly metal and articulated. I think I missed more than that, though, because I don't see how everyone's equally dead. Dude. Wolverine.

ita the danger room seemed to have to ability to morph it's shape. There was another panel where it was doing a Stretch Armstrong reach with one arm. Also I suspect none of them are dead like a dead thing, though Kitty and Peter look pretty thoroughly kebabed.

It occurs to me that Xavier is able to make psychic contact with the danger room, and had a hand in designing and programming it. I'm not entirely convinced that anything we saw happening in that fight was going on outside its mind .

I can see morphing for functionality, but what would the point be of that change?