Flashback Friday: May 7th.

It's Friday night, which means it's time for a new installment of Flashback Friday, which is where I take a look at a bunch of older comics and try to sum them up in as few words as possible(and anybody who's read my work knows that's no easy task for me!). Last week's post seemed to be relatively well received, so hopefully this one will be even better, although I wouldn't count on that, seeing as that I am REALLY sunburned(sunburnt?)and tired, two factors that don't normally lend themselves to a good blog post! I'm actually considering throwing a few new comics into a post similar to this, mainly so I can just get them up and posted as quickly as possible, since my new comics pile is slowly beginning to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa! But that's an issue for a later time, let's get to the pseudo-reviews!

Lobo #1(Nov. 1990): This was a four issue mini-series that I decided to pick up not because of Lobo(who I'm indifferent towards), but because of the fact that Vril Dox played a large role in it. As for this issue, Dox sends Lobo to retrieve the last surviving Czarnian, who just so happens to be Lobo's forth grade teacher. The teacher is terribly annoying, but since Lobo had promised Dox that he would return her to LEGION headquarters alive, Lobo has no choice but to grin and bear it. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

Lobo #2(Dec. 1990): Lobo is still trying to transport his old teacher back to Dox and LEGION HQ, but she manages to ditch him to head to the ballet. While searching for the old woman, Lobo runs afoul intergalactic truckers, police officers, and a bunch of concerned grandmothers. This was a surprisingly funny/enjoyable comic. Score: 9 out of 10.

Lobo #3(Jan. 1991): For some reason this issue takes a really bad detour from the main storyline and Lobo(and his annoying teacher)wind up getting captured by some weirdos who force them to compete in a life or death spelling bee challenge... Seriously! Yeah, it was bad... Score: 4 out of 10.

Lobo #4(Feb. 1991): After escaping from the dread spelling bee world, Lobo decides to head to a vacation planet with his old teacher and have some fun before turning the old bat over to Vril Dox at LEGION HQ. After last issue, this mini kind of fell apart for me. Score: 5 out of 10.

Batman #440(Nov. 1989): This is the first part of the five part, “A Lonely Place of Dying” x-over with the New Titans series. Batman has been extremely reckless since the death of Jason Todd, and has been running around Gotham like a bull in a china shop with little regard for his safety. Seeing Batman's erratic behavior, Two-Face decides to do in the Caped Crusader. Besides that, a very young Tim Drake(in his first appearance as a teenager)tries to find Dick Grayson. Score: 8 out of 10.

New Titans #60(Nov. 1989): This is the second part of the x-over with the Batman series. Needing some time away from the Titans, Dick Grayson heads back to Haly's Circus, where he gets involved in all kinds of shenanigans. Tim Drake finds him there and reveals that he knows Dick's secret identity(as well as Batman's), and that he feels that Dick needs to go back to being Robin since Bats is still hurting over Jason Todd's death. Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.

Batman #441(Dec. 1989): Dick brings little Timmy Drake back to Wayne Manor, where Tim gives his name for the first time, as well as meets Alfred. Tim explains to Dick and Alfred how he figured out who Nightwing and Batman were(some footage he saw on TV from when Dick was still Robin), and why he thinks Batman needs a Robin to stay sane. While that's happening, Batman and Two-Face are each trying to come up with a way to trap the other one. As an interesting side note, while Tim and Dick are talking at the Manor, Dick refers to Tim as “Jeff”, which I guess was a possible early name for Tim. Score: 8 out of 10.

New Titans #61(Dec. 1989): Dick has enough of Tim's constant whining and pestering and tells him he'll never be Robin again, which makes poor little Timmy cry. What a bully Dick is! Bats reluctantly calls Nightwing to help him find Two-Face, and the two get caught in one of Two-Face's death traps. Score: 6 out of 10.

Batman #442(Jan. 1990): While hanging out in the Batcave, Tim and Alfred realize that something is wrong because Dick was trying to send some info to the Bat-computers, but was cut off in the middle. Tim decides to dress as Robin(for the very first time)and Alfred reluctantly drives him out to the last recorded location of Bats and Nightwing. Tim tries to fight Two-Face but fairs poorly and winds up getting saved by Alfred. Two-Face runs away and Tim frees Bats and Dick from Two-Face's death trap. The three then find and capture Two-Face and after some thought Bats decides he'll allow Tim to train to become the new Robin. Score: 8 out of 10.

The Ray Annual #1(1995): Ray's computer creation, Death Masque, causes a plane to crash in Philadelphia, and although Ray was able to save an overwhelming majority of the people in the plane, a few wound up dying. Ray takes the deaths really hard(since Death Masque WAS his creation)and gets drunk, but Superman shows up and talks some sense into Ray(after an obligatory fight between the two of course!) Score: 8 out of 10.

The Ray #13(June 1995): Ray is still acting depressed over the plane crash while Death Masque manages to create a small little country with a puppet government that he controls. Ray finds out and decides he has to take drastic actions against Death Masque. Score: 7 out of 10.

The Ray #14(July 1995): Ray decides to ask for help from Vandal Savage in dealing with Death Masque. Needless to say, Ray's Justice League Task Force teammates are not too happy about Ray's decision. Savage also gives Ray a spot in his computer company, all while promising Ray that he'd help him destroy Masque. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #15(August 1995): Ray heads over to his father's house(after learning that Death Masque had killed and was impersonating his father), and runs into his mother, who still doesn't know that Ray is her son(she thought he died during childbirth). In the meantime, Vandal Savage and Death Masque have a conference where Masque voices his displeasure about Savage getting involved in Ray's life. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #16(Sept. 1995): Ray(in his civilian identity)get shot in a random shooting(that's Philly for ya!)and winds up being saved by Vandal Savage, who seems to know more about Ray's powers then even Ray does. Death Masque reveals(to himself I guess)that he wants his creator(Ray)to either join forces with him or die, which is why he's been constantly harassing Ray. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #17(Oct. 1995): Ray's previously unknown brother Joshua gets loose, and accidentally kills some people he mistakes for monsters(he's only a little kid). Ray tries to trap his father/Death Masque, but fails, and Vandal Savage sends Atomic Skull to attack Masque's country, but the attack is halted by Ray and his father. Score: 7 out of 10.

The Ray #18(Nov. 1995): This is a part of the Underworld Unleashed storyline. Neron(in the guise of a hot woman)tries to seduce Ray into handing over his soul, but Vandal Savage puts an end to that and takes Neron aside, offering him the soul of Atomic Skull instead. After some pretty funny bartering, Neron agrees to leave Ray alone. While that's going on, Joshua is still flying aimlessly around trying to find his father. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #19(Dec. 1995): Ray decides that since Vandal hadn't helped him destroy Death Masque yet, he'd go to Neron and see what kind of offer Neron would make. Of course Ray was still under the impression that Neron was just some attractive woman, not the living embodiment of evil. Since Neron couldn't trick Ray into handing over his soul(due to the agreement he made with Savage)he comes clean with him and explains that he would make it so that Death Masque never existed, all in exchange for Ray's soul. Ray ALMOST goes through with the deal, but in the end, common sense prevails. While that is happening, Joshua finds his father(who is actually Death Masque), but gets beaten up by the evil robot since its programing never told it Joshua existed. Score: 6 out of 10.

The Ray #20(Jan. 1996): This issue crossed over with events that were happening in the JL Task Force comic, and as such, I was pretty lost for most of the main storyline. After getting beaten up by his father/Death Masque last issue, Joshua is taken in by helpful hippies, who want to reunite him with his old man... Umm, OK I guess... Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.

Detective Comics #541(August 1984): The Penguin steals some government secrets and heads to Antarctica to sell them to the Soviets. Naturally it's up to Batman to stop Penguin's actions... Ultimately we learn that Penguin wasn't going to really sell the secrets to the Soviets, just trick them into thinking he was... It's Cold War mania at its worst! Score: 4 out of 10.

Detective Comics #542(September 1984): Since Bruce is running around Antarctica tracking the Penguin, the Department of Child Welfare decides to take Jason Todd away from him. After Bruce gets back from Antarctica, he finds out Jason was removed from his care and cries a bit before calling in a battalion of lawyers to get Jason back. Even though Jason was taken away, he still winds up doing the Robin thing, where he teams up with a very sad Batman. Score: 5 out of 10.

Flashback Friday Night: April 30th.

Well, this is it, the debut of my newest blog feature, Flashback Friday Night! Or at least that's what I'm currently calling this post... I'm not really fond of Flashback Friday Night, but it's better then the name I was originally going to go with, which was Back Issue Bonanza... So if this post works out the way I hope it will, I'll have three weekly features, which means that after a year and a half, this blog is finally getting some sort of direction to it! Huzzah!!!

So what is Flashback Friday Night, besides a blatant rip-off of my old, "Best of the Rest" post? It's pretty much just me listing which back issues I've read during the past week, saying a few lines about them and them hoping that somebody will either be interested in learning more about one of the back issues I listed, or better yet, that somebody who had actually read one of those back issues would want to discuss it further... Consider tonight the beta test for Flashback Friday Night, because I figure I'll have a lot of kinks to work out before I get this post exactly the way I'd like it to be. Since this is the beta version, feel free to toss out helpful suggestions as to how I can improve this post so it can get better and better every week.

OK, I think I'm just about ready to begin here. I'm going to try to keep the books in alphabetical order, but that might not happen... Let's get this show on the road!

Batman: Devils Asylum #1(1995): This comic was a part of the Underworld Unleashed x-over from back in 1995. Basically some c-list criminal in Arkham makes a deal with Neron that he'll get Neron the soul of Batman in exchange for becoming the ruler of the world. The c-list villain winds up poisoning the entire Asylum and tells Bats that if he kills ONE criminal in Arkham, he'll provide the cure, if not, all of the criminals will die from the poison. In the end, Bats outsmarts the villain and tricks him into drinking the poison, which ultimately leads to the dumb criminal giving Bats the antidote in order to save his own life. Score: 6 out of 10.

Flash Plus #1(1997)): Flash(that would be Wally West)and his good friend Nightwing(the current Batman)go on a roadtrip to New Orleans and wind up in the midst of some convoluted story involving crazy old men, a mansion with staircases that lead to nothing and aliens... This was definitely a weird one... Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Green Arrow #136(Sept. 1998): This comic actually crosses over with the old Green Lantern series as Connor Hawke(who was Green Arrow at the time)teams up with a time-lost Hal Jordan to take on the terrorists that were responsible for the death of Connor's father, the original Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. Huh, 12 years later, Hal and Ollie have major roles in the DCU while Connor is a fringe character at best... That's life I guess. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Green Lantern #104(Sept. 1998): This is the second and final part of the Hal/Connor crossover. The heroes get captured by the terrorists, escape and defeat them. What, you didn't think the bad guys were going to win, did you? Seriously though, I enjoyed this story for the most part. Seeing Hal from the past and Connor team-up was definitely a novel idea. Score: 8 out of 10.

Green Arrow #137(Oct. 1998): This was the final issue of Connor's run as Green Arrow, as the series would eventually get rebooted with Ollie returning from the dead to take back the GA name. The Connor story itself was kind of crappy, and dealt with him beating up a robot to reclaim his monastery or something, but the ending with Parallax Hal bringing Ollie back was kind of cool. Of course Ollie wouldn't officially come back for a little while, because Kevin Smith couldn't find the time to write Ollie's return until 2001... Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.

Robin 3000 #1(Nov. 1992): Woooo baby, can you say train wreck! This comic was set in the year 3000 and followed the story of the Robin of that year trying to avenge his uncle(I think)Bruce Wayne XX... Apparently, the members of the Wayne family REALLY liked the name Bruce! Imagine a family reunion where EVERYBODY is named Bruce! Anyway, future Robin battles aliens and conspiracies and his hand falls off... I think that was about the highlight for me, so that's really saying something! Score: 4 out of 10.

Robin 3000 #2(Dec. 1992): This comic actually started off way better then the prior one, but the ending was just horrendous! Let me rephrase that, the baffling lack of an ending was incredibly frustrating... This comic kind of ends right in the middle of a mission... Imagine watching a crappy movie for an hour and a half, and just as the movie starts to show some promise, it just sort of ends... Ugh! Score: 4 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #6(Nov. 1994): This comic deals with Ray getting to team-up with the woman of his dreams, Black Canary, who he had been writing to after a prior team-up they had together. Dinah doesn't want to lead Ray on, but ends up giving him a call when she runs into a situation she thinks he's suited for. They wind up getting sucked into the a stargate to a far off planet in order to rescue a little girl, which was all pretty weird actually... Score: 7 out of 10.

The Ray #7(Dec. 1994): Ray and Black Canary wind up fighting through the aliens and rescuing the little girl, who they send back to Earth via a strange stargate. The stargate collapses after the little girl crosses through, and to make matters worse, the planet Ray and BC were on begins to explode. D'oh! Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #8(Jan 1995): Ray flies aimlessly through space with Dinah in an air bubble behind him, trying to figure out how to return to Earth. Ultimately Ray finds an outer space bar, which naturally leads to a confrontation with Lobo. Ray and Lobo fight for a while, and eventually the barkeep manages to calm the two down and in the end Lobo gives Ray and Dinah directions back to Earth. Score: 8 out of 10.

The Ray #9(Feb. 1995): Ray and Dinah wind up making their way back to Earth in spite of Lobo's instructions, but Ray somehow manages to screw up and flies backwards through time, returning to 1941 Earth... Whoops! Once he realizes his mistake, he decides to search out his father, the original Ray, and ask for his assistance(without letting on that he was the original Ray's son). The two Rays meet up, and after a major misunderstanding Ray's father ditches him, leaving Ray stuck in the past(while Dinah waits impatiently on a rooftop in 1940's Seattle). Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #10(March 1995): Still stuck in the past, Ray tries to prevent his father from altering world history by attacking the Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor. Ray's father doesn't want to hear it and he ends up sinking the Japanese fleet. After failing with his father, Ray heads back to Dinah, who tells Ray that maybe Ray's father was supposed to sink that fleet. Feeling a little bit better about his repeated screw-ups, Ray takes Dinah and decides to try to head back into space in order to attempt to return to their proper time. Score: 8 out of 10.

The Ray #11(April 1995): After trying(and failing repeatedly)to return to the present, Ray winds up trapped a few years in the future, where with an assist from his future self, he is given directions to his proper timeline. Ray and Dinah FINALLY get back to 1995, and against her better judgment, Dinah winds up sleeping with Ray, which leads to Dinah laying depressed in her bed and Ray doing a light-speed dance across the world afterwards... HA! Ray's father also battles against Ray's enemy, Death Masque, who happens to be a renegade computer program Ray created. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

The Ray #12(May 1995): Ray is still flying high after scoring with Black Canary last issue, and winds up defeating some low-level super-villain, further inflating his ego. Black Canary, not wanting to get involved with someone as young as Ray, breaks-up with him over the phone(OUCH!), and Death Masque begins to build an army. This was most definitely a set-up issue, but a damn good set-up issue. Score: 7 out of 10.

Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear #1(1995): This issue obviously takes place during the Underworld Unleashed storyline(it's right in the title!)and deals with Neron trying to tempt Oracle into selling her soul for the ability to walk again. The Oracle/Neron stuff was really pretty good, but unfortunately half of this issue also included profiles for the various villains who had sold their souls to Neron for power. I really wish they would have dedicated more of this book to Neron and Oracle though... Score: 8 out of 10.

Valor #4: The only reason I brought this comic was because LEGION appeared in it. Valor and Lobo fight for most of the issue, and Vril Dox is his regular self(a pompous jackass), so I actually wound up enjoying this comic way more then I thought I would. Vril Dox rules! Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

And there you have it. The debut Flashback Friday Night post is finally finished up... Now let's see if I remember to do this again next week!