Well one thing is for sure...it isn't set on Earth 20.

And I doubt if anyone but Grant Morrison knows whats happening. The Batman/Doc Savage one shot from last December was...eh...ok but not very dramatic in its graphics, sorry about that Nolo you've done better. But it did accomplish what it set out to do...pique an interest and set the stage for the mini series.

So is this "Pulp Universe" one of the 52?? There were always plans for a Pulp Universe . So far I kind of like it and I hope they stay within the parameters of 52 and don't jump into the odd.

What I like most about the 52 concept is that you can give some of these really great writers and artists a lot of room to create and play with their ideas. There seems to be a bit of tweeking going on with the characters involved...that could be good or it could turn off a lot of people...I wonder if Batman will kill anyone in this Universe?????

If you have not yet jumped on the band wagon with this series you need to get those gears greased and oiled and slip slide into Cosmic with an itchy billfold. You don't want to miss this piece of history in the making.

Now I know you didn't really think that Bruce Wayne was gone for good and that Darkseid ant the forces of evil would actually win the war between the "Light and Dark" side of the force...the force...hee hee hee...I like that...ahem...anyway...Grant Morrison has done a great job of creating a "final end" to Bruce Waynes existence with the hint of his still being alive. And he is alive...but when? and where?

Morrisons interview with USA TODAY back in December of 2009 gave us the insight to what was going to happen to Bruce and when it was to happen.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2009-12-09-morrison-bruce-wayne-st_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Read the interview here.

This first issue of a six issue mini series will be the starting point for Batman through the proverbial looking glass of time. Prehistoric Batman, Pirate Batman etc...etc..

This isn't another re-birth of a super hero because he never died, but rather an adventure through time in the hopes that he will gain his memory and eventually be able to return to the present. But his return may signal the death of everyone if he makes it back to the 21st century on his own.

This first issue covers the Prehistoric (Caveman) Batman where Bruce has no knowledge of his Batman past or who he is. But the Bat persona has taken its cowl when Bruce dons the "hooded creature feature and rallies the troops against the bad bones only to find that his time spent among the feuding tribes is not to be long for his stay among them and their time.

According to Morrison - ""Return" is a, "fairly intricate time-travel story in which the world's greatest hero, the optimum man, is up against the supreme challenge to his ingenuity and skill. How does Batman get out of the ultimate trap? It has a mystery and an apocalyptic countdown going on, there are some major twists and reveals, and it sets up big changes to the Batman universe status quo."

When this is all over will Bruce return as Batman? Will Robin keep the cape? Will the Batman persona remain the same?

stay tuned, same cosmic time, same cosmic channel.

*This post is from Kwil786. I accidentally deleted it. Sorry*

After 10 days in the wilds of Wyoming I have finally decided to make the move to the still somewhat Wild Wild West. Before June is out I will have taken up permanent residence in the Land of Deer, Antelope, Buffalo and The Rodeo shows.
Although Casper Wyoming has it's Malls, FYE's, Walgreens, Wal-Marts,Sams Club, Micky D's, and a plethora of other well known stores...including sporting goods stores, it doesn't have a comic book shop the closest being about 135 miles away...not good...so possibly one of the businesses I'll venture into will be just that; a decent comic shop with all the extras.
So in order to gather what I missed for the last two Wednesdays, I had to hit a comic shop in Chicago. Graham Crackers, located on Madison Street in downtown Chicago, reminded so much of Cosmic I felt right at home.

Forum posts to follow soon.

If you travel to the Mid West see it by rail. It took about 42 hours to travel by train from NY to Denver...no Wyoming stops...yet, but it was worth the time, the scenery and the old America in the ancient seeming towns you pass through in Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado are really worth the time involved that it takes to get to Denver. From there Wyoming is a hop skip and a jump. Rent a car, take a bus or fly from Denver to one of the small airports in Wyoming.

But always bring your comics or DS, the nights are dark, foreboding, and quiet on the train and a good comic or DS game helps pass the time.

Hey...has anyone gotten past Chapter 4, The Cleaver in DEMENTIUM ????

Well it's day 5 of my Wyoming adventure....the closest comic book shop is 135 miles away...CRAP!

Well according to Image this breaking issue signals the return of the 1992 Shadowhawk character we were exposed to by Valentino. Over the last 15 years we have seen several Shadowhawks and have come to either love or hate the characters who donned the gear...and for that matter either loved or hated the gear !!!

Well now is the chance for all of you young'uns who were wrapped up in your GI Joes, He Man, and Barbie dolls to jump on the best of the rest format from 1992!!!!

Written by Dan Wickline with art by Tone Rodriguez. Also an exclusive(back up) 2nd story written by Steve Niles (of 30 Days of Night fame) with art by ShadowHawk's creator, Jim Valentino.

Also, the artwork to the variant cover for ShadowHawk #1 is by none other than Erik Larsen(Savage Dragon)

Get on the meat wagon....er...I mean band wagon and don't let this issue...hell!!!...don't let the series pass you by this time around!!!!

For all you crazy monster guys and gals out there in boogieland, the 251st issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland is ready for pre-sale order.

Wet your fangs and wring those long and sinewous hands of yours and get ready for the release...but be wary...there's more than one 251st issue to be had here.

1. Primary Cover: Richard Corben – This will be available in all outlets that place orders through Diamond Comic Distributors — comics shops, book stores, etc..

2. Incentive Cover: William Stout – This will be available at comics shops serviced by Diamond as an incentive cover, in a ratio of one copy to every 10 Primary Covers ordered.

3. FM Online Exclusive Cover: Basil Gogos - This cover is available only through the FM Online Store. It will not be sold through Diamond.

And last but not least...you're going to have to hit Ebay for this one:

4. Famous Monsters Convention Cover – This will be sold only at the FM Con in Indianapolis - July 9-11th 2010.

So good luck ghouls and ghoulettes...

Top 10 Ultimate FCBD Fans of 2010

10) "Why can't you guys get better FREE comics?"

9) Lost Guy with the LOST Tv Show T Shirt - "Where are the free comics? Do you know where they are?" (this guy is standing right in front of them...)

8) "Could you pack up those free comics a little faster??? I still have 5 more stores to hit you know."

7) Buffet Guy - (One guy comes in snatching free comics like it was a free buffet at an anorexic convention.) "What??? There's a limit on what we can take??? I didn't see any signs posted."
(Mind you there were signs in the store, advertised on the website, and on the flyers. Just looking at colorful pictures and not reading these days must be a good thing.)

6) "So I can pick ANY 8 free comics from this ENTIRE store???" (this guy was eyeing a $400 book on the wall)

5) "Are these comics made with kosher ink? I tend to lick my fingers when I read."

4) "Oh! I didn't know these NEW books off this weeks comics rack weren't free!"

3) "Do you have that Ultimate Spiderman FCBD comic from 2006?"

2) "Is this FCBD music? Cause it sucks."

1) People who don't know how to count past 7... "come on mang...you sure its only 8 free comics? You sure? You sure? Your sure its not 18 or something more?"
(this from a guy who rips opens all of the bagged porno comics once he gets into the store)

0) "I just got pregnant last night. Can I grab some free comics for my baby as well?"
(Note: this girl was 16 years old...)

Thanks to Cosmic for another awesome Free Comic Book Day! I got there late, but still managed to get the free books I wanted...PLUS Mark was having another of his awesome sales...30% off! So cool!
I hope FCBD was a huge hit for Cosmic Comics this year!!!

If you have not yet purchased this comic then you better get a move on, Ultimate Avengers 1 is history and this is sure to be the next to go into comic history with a Bang!

I don't see the connection with U.A. 1 however, so if this turns out to be a mini series of six issues or less I just don't think that the story will play out so well...but then again...

S.H.I.E.L.D. now has their version of Captain America and Frank Castle has a new uniform...DANG IT!! it's Spandex!!!!

I hate the spandex!! especially on The Punisher!! What's wrong with leather??? Spandex just doesn't do him justice, especially with his attitude. Yea Yea Yea I know SM #129 the spandex did look cool...but this is the 21st century dang it!!! Get down and dirty doesn't call for spandex!!!

Spandex...good lord!! Well anyway Castle now has his 007 license, his super suit that will enhance his abilities and the eye of the Black Widow. Yea come on you know she admires the guy...and now that he's in his spandex again they might just kick butt as they did in the 1992 one shot TBP.

And last but probably not least...Castle will be teamed with....WhoTF!!!!!...Banner's mentor???....They can't mean Professor Crawford so it has to be........

....Luke Cage...hey he can lift 25 tons, his skin is as hard as titanium steel, bullets have no effect on him....hmmmm yea I guess you could say he is the first Hulk...in a way.

Well hopefully this won't be a short run, it just wouldn't do justice to the theme.

Will Eisner (RIP) was a close family friend having known both of my parents back in the true Golden Age of Graphics when my mother worked as a graphic artist doing sketches for some of the big retail chains of the era. I have quite a few original works by Mr. Eisner, all the Quality Comics, Fiction House, Warren and Kitchen Sink publications, a ton of the Spirit comic inserts from the Star Ledger, Detroit News, Chicago Sun and others and the Kitchen Sink trading cards...yea I really like the character.

So for me it is a real subdued thrill to see such an iconic character literally grow up with each era that passes, and with each, not completely shed the slapstick, melodramatics and occasional lesson to be learned theme, but still be able to incorporate the whole into a new generation that theoretically demands a bit more of the darker side to battling foes of the people.

First Wave promises to be an exciting series of collected Golden Age characters intermingling and coming to the rescue to do battle with a new menace with a possible God complex and no good intentions worth a damn. But what will make this cross over series a collectors item in the future, one which will not be relegated to just spandex heroes and their fans, will be the collective effort of more than one type of hero icon and their history. The Non Super Power Super Hero.

This Spirit series is more hardened, more driven with drama than many of the previous volumes of the name sake that have been seen since the 1940's.

Justin Norman AKA Moritat does a fantastic job with the art work holding true to the Spirits' persona and linking well with the characters that are to soon make this issue a real collectors item. He has studied Eisner well...kudos to that!

Mark Schults and his writings are well known. His strength in story lines is both dramatic and powerful giving the character a life outside of the lines and colors of the artists highly expressive form.

Together as a team, Schultz and Justin do this comic the well deserved justice it is due.

The second feature of this comic issue - The Spirit Black & White with the talents of two other greats, Denny O'Neil and Bill Sienkiewicz compound the collective power of this issue with a short story done dramatically in both dialogue and graphics.

Not only is this issue a great read, but it will also become a collectors item in short time. If you have not yet picked it up, get your arse in motion and do so before they disappear into comic history.