Let's have a party. I think we'll have a party now.

[thehefner]

About only two people will get the icon reference, but that's fine, I suppose.

Break a leg, everyone at Comedy of Errors tonight! You put on a damn fine show last year, now put your former selves to shame! Shame them like dogs they were! WOO!



So I decided it was about high time I started to add more Marvel Comics to my collection. I've always been a Johnny DC, but I love Marvel so much too and I want to spread the love. So I'm picking up Kurt Busiek and George Perez's AVENGERS ASSEMBLED! Volumes 1 and 2.





But DC is my first love, and I'm finally getting something that my collection has sorely, sorely needed from Day 1.







Yes. BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, one of the greatest works of television animation ever made, Volumes 1-3. I'm not getting Volume 4, mainly consisting of the toons that were made when the show went to The WB and their animation budget was slashed to ribbons. Yeah, I fucking hated those episodes for the most part (the new designs of the Penguin and the Scarecrow were basically the only redeeming factors). Volumes 1-3 is where the money is, baby. Brilliant episodes like, "I Am The Night," which may well be the single, most perfect summation of who and why Batman is, at least in this animated series. Then there's stuff like "Christmas with the Joker," pretty self-explanatory there, and my favorite, "Almost Got 'Im!" with Killer Croc's classic monologue. "I THREW A ROCK AT 'IM!"

But the crown jewel of today? The one thing I got today that tops even all those?





Justice League of America/The Avengers. JLA slash motherfuckin' Avengers. By Kurt Busiek and George Perez.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I just came. Thank you, good night, everybody!

Comments

[wendywoowho.livejournal.com]

Is it just me, or is George Perez always going to be at least a LITTLE bit DC?

Happy Birthday, sir.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Hey, Ameth... Amyth... Ammeth... Gemworld icon! Haven't seen that comic for a long time!

See, if I hadn't read Perez' Avengers, I'd totally agree with you. Crisis on Infinite Earts and all. But now? Now I just think he's the man who can effortlessly walk from one universe to the other. Have you read JLA/AVENGERS? Oh my god *drool*

And thank you!

[wendywoowho.livejournal.com]

Nope, haven't read JLA/Avengers. LALALALALALACan'tHearYou!!!

I heart Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. I'm such a loser geek.

(I also heart 'Mazing Man... don't get me started)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard anyone talk about 'Mazing Man for many a year. Wow.

What? Don't you want to hear me talk about the amazing awesomeness of JLA/AVENGERS and the fucking expensive hardcover collection I just got?

[sharrainchains.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Thankee!

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday good sir :)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

You too!

... Wait, no, I mean, THANKEE, m'lady!

Joy!

[torberg.livejournal.com]

The big picture has Thunderstrike! And he's in a place where he's clearly visible *and* identifiable!

(For those who don't know, he's in the upper left with the brown leather jacket. Yes, he looks like a Thor wanna-be. The character was inspired by Thor. Actually, the character *was* Thor for a while when Thor was banished by Odin for killing Loki. Thor came back but left Earth for a while. Odin granted Eric Masterson an enchanted mallet with similar powers as Thor "Because Earth needs heros too." (As the inscription on the mallet reads. And yes, I own the issues of Thor that make up that story arc if one is interested in reading.))

Yay!

Re: Joy!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yep! I do believe Perez managed to capture every single Avenger and Justice Leaguer ever, reserves included.

Re: Joy!

[torberg.livejournal.com]

Heh...upon further review of the drawing, it seems Eric Masterson is on there twice; he's in the upper left as Thunderstrike but is also in the upper right from his stint as Thor. (Thor himself being roughly vertically centered near the left side.)

Re: Joy!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't be surprised. I think I see at least three incarnations of Hank Pym, two Wally Wests, and two Diana Princes. Perez, you glorious madman.

Re: Joy!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Really? I see a Walyl, a barry, and a Walter.

Re: Joy!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Isn't BadAzzBlackSuitFuture!Flash Wally? Or your "Walter"? Same thing, innit?

Re: Joy!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

How did I miss Jay??

Actually, badassinacblacksuitfromthefuture!Flash is John Fox.

Walter West is a different character than Wally - he's from a parallel dimension where Linda died some time ago, and he's very... depressed. He also has blue eyes.

Yes, Waid invoked hypertime to explain colorist errors.

Re: Joy!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

No, I know Fox, I mean the dark red "black" suit Flash with the silver lightning bolt, is that "Walter"? That's the one I meant for the other Wally.

Re: Joy!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Yes?

Re: Joy!

[jayel4192.livejournal.com]

You're seeing it correctly. It has to do with the story.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

And again, Happy Birthday :-)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

And again, you're delightful and wonderful. Thankee!

And...

[torberg.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday. Am I correct in believing that you're going to be at CoE tomorrow or did I misinterpret something you said elsewhere?

Re: And...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I won't be able to make it to either. I hope they shall forgive me (I did see it last year!)

[lialife.livejournal.com]

happy birthday Cats, may it be a lovely day of comics, horror films and cute but crazy women.

- luv mommy

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Thankee! Ah luvs ya, Queen Mommy!

[yancentric.livejournal.com]

Wait, Sandman was an Avenger?

Also, I got Ultimate Avengers DVD. It was deec.. Though there's a special feature that has interviews Busiek the effiminate heterosexual, so you might be interested in it for that alone...

Also: Happy Birthday!!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sandman was for a period, although maybe just as a reserve member, I can't recall. I wasn't reading Avengers then. It was back during his "I think I'll try to be a good guy but I still ain't changing my clothes!" era.

"Deec"? Is that like decent? And Busiek is effeminate? Heheh, oh Kurt.

And thankee!

[yancentric.livejournal.com]

re: "deec". yeah, sorry. a friend of mine started saying that semi-ironically a few years back and we decided that when typed, "dec" didn't convey the sound or the apathetic enthusiasm properly, so we just use 'deec'. It's gotten to the point where we don't even use it ironically anymore, but I often forget that it's in no way mainstream..

I'm pretty sure Busiek was the incredibly effeminate one. He reminded me of Dana Carvey's "Lyle the Effeminate Heterosexual" character from SNL, since I'd all but written him off as flaming when he dropped the "..my wife.." bomb. It was a cool mini-documentary, since I've always been more of an X-fan than an Avengers fan, so I'd never experienced how much Avengers writers/artists cared about their characters. I also never knew how Scottish Mark Millar was...

The DVD's definitely worth watching if you haven't yet, but it's not as good as the Ultimates comic. And it doesn't warrant its PG-13 rating at all. Though I was happy to see that when planes explode, there isn't an immediate parachute flying out a la GI Joe..

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! *sends you monkeys*

[disc-sophist.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, Mister N-crying! Nice booty.

p.s. The American Astronaut dutifully Flix'd. I didn't mean to, but I read some reviews and it followed me home.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Coolies, I'd be interested to hear what you think!

[reazik.livejournal.com]

I get your icon! (for once) :)

[reazik.livejournal.com]

Oh, and happy, happy, HAPPY birthday!!!! :) Can you come to the cast party Saturday evening after the show?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Maybe, but probably not. Saturday I'll be going back to Washington College to see a performance of Death of a Salesman with Ma, so it really depends on how late we get back.

[little-dinosaur.livejournal.com]

That's a lot of archery.
Happy birthday!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

For some reason, I like how in that whole overshot clusterfuck of god-like powerhouses, it's the archers who particularly catch your attention.

Thankee!

[deliapuppeh.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! *hugs*

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Thankee! *hugs back!*

[gnort.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday man, congrats on the lode...I still want to know what the creeper's doing in the justice league

[feedthewarpcore.livejournal.com]

*runs into the room, starts to jump up and down, waving balloons and noise makers, singing loudly* HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HEFFY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. Hope the day was filled with fun.