Category Archives: Comic Book Noise

Comic Book Noise 292: Justice League of America 1 & 2

Host Derek Coward talks about Justice League of America issues 1 and 2, the history of Amanda Waller, Stargirl and comic book female body types, Geoff Johns and how he tailors his storytelling to the artist on a book, Hawkman, Hawkwoman and resurrection, Katana, Vibe, why comic books read the way they do as opposed to thirty years ago, MSB, The Tyroc Syndrome, and how the Justice League and Justice League of America members match up.

Justice League of America #1

Justice League of America #1

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The Reason Why I Dropped Uncanny X-Men All Those Years Ago

For years I have mentioned that I was a huge Uncanny X-men fan/collector until they pissed me off with two issues that teased something that wouldn’t happen. I thought they both had “The Final Fate of An X-Man” on the title, but only one did.

Uncanny X-men 247 and 248

Uncanny X-men 247 and 248

Any way, I was pissed with issue 247 because it was so obviously written for her to come back one day and 248 felt such a bait and switch that I didn’t come back for issue 249. It felt like they were playing me for a fool (Not everyone just me in particular) and I was done. The never-ending subplots of Chris Claremont’s X-storytelling didn’t help either. Going forward I may have picked up an issue or two, but I didn’t get them regularly/add them to my pull list until Uncanny X-men 500, and that only lasted a couple of months before I got laid off and had to stop collecting altogether.

When I started collecting again, I stayed away from the X-Men because that whole corner of the Marvel universe just seems confusing and angry. It wasn’t until Marvel NOW! started up with All-New X-men and Uncanny X-Men that I have decided to bring them back to my list. Since modern day covers no longer tell you what to expect inside the books, I don’t think I will get turned away due to shenanigans like in the old days.

Have you ever been so turned off by the cover shenanigans of a comic series that it caused you to drop it? Let me know.

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Buck Wild!

Why Buck Wild? Why not?

Buck Wild makes his first appearance in Icon 13.

Buck Wild makes his first appearance in Icon 13.

From Icon’s Wikipedia Entry:

Rufus T. Wild/”Buck Wild, Mercenary Man” – First appeared in Icon #13 “It’s Always Christmas” (May 1994); Buck Wild possessed “belief defyin’ strength” and “tungsten hard skin”, but spoke as if he came from a blaxploitation film. He was a hero to the local folks, but he also took money for his work. It was revealed in his first appearance that when he received his powers in 1972, his brain had been frozen, which explains his outdated speaking patterns. Wild was clearly a parody of Marvel’s Luke Cage, complete with afro, gold headband and yellow shirt unbuttoned to the navel. In his next appearance, he is recruited to take Icon’s place—costume included—when Icon returned to his home planet. Rocket (Darnice) used her Inertia Belt to carry him, making him appear to fly. Buck’s time as Icon II was short-lived, as he gave his life in order to stop Oblivion, a mass murdering alien foe of Icon. In an issue devoted to his funeral, it is revealed in a series of eulogies from his enemies (although it is unclear how trustworthy these eulogies are) that he had taken several other costumed identities, all of them parodies of other famous black superheroes. According to these eulogies, Buck once used an experimental growth serum which turned him into the gigantic “Buck Goliath” (a pastiche of Black Goliath). While working with a Captain America-type known as Patriot, he called himself “Jim Crow” and wore a winged costume allowing him to fly (as with Falcon). As “Buck Lightning” (Black Lightning), Buck wore a wrist apparatus that generated lightning bolts. At the funeral, Kingfish (a take on Kingpin) used the legendary Ruby Begonia gemstone to bring him back to life, now able to generate green smoke, the sound of drums tolling doom, and a ghost-like double which could possess others and make them do his bidding (Brother Voodoo). Darnice, however, tells him that his time on earth is over, at which Buck removes the Begonia stone and allows himself to die. Icon recounts that Buck serves as an example to all of us of how we can be heroes wherever we are.

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