Once again, I have to disagree…

with Jim’s assessment that Chris Kent isn’t long for this world.  In their discussion of Action Comics 879, Jim mentioned—and Sean somewhat agreed—that they believed that Chris wouldn’t live very much longer because of the legend of Flamebird and Nightwing; that is, that one always sacrifices themselves for the other.

But I will refer you all back to the last pages of Action Comics Annual #12.  In those pages, the history of Flamebird and Nightwing, and their self-sacrificing tendencies, are revealed.  However, Greg Rucka made it a point to say that while other incarnations of these two have gone down that path, that the history for this incarnation has yet to be written.  Sure, it could all be a ruse, a red herring, if you will, but writers love to leave clues in their work.  They love to allude to future events in such a manner that readers forget about small and seemingly inconsequential words that are thrown in so that they resemble an afterthought.  To me, the fact that Rucka said that their path has yet to be written says that we shouldn’t immediately assume that one of them is going to die.  Sure, that might be exactly what happens, but I don’t think we should look at these characters as being around for the short term.

I do think we should consider that Chris Kent has some hard days ahead of him.  This rapid aging thing that he’s experiencing is painful and seems to happen very randomly.  Funny, but I also think that a decision made at the end of Supergirl #43 could be vital in helping determine what exactly is wrong with Chris. 

As a side note, I should mention that during the Superman panel at San Diego Comic Con this last weekend, a fan asked Greg Rucka if Nightwing and Flamebird would “hook up.”  Rucka responded by saying something to the effect of, “It’s Nightwing and Flamebird.  It’s not an issue of if, but when.”

Blackest Night

I have to say that one of the titles I’ve resisted picking up, for one reason or another, is Green Lantern.  I have, however, been second-guessing myself in the last couple months.  Even though I don’t read it, I have been making every attempt to keep up on what’s happening.  And it’s been slowly gaining my interest.  Then, I read Blackest Night #1. 

Wow.  Just…wow.  This whole “War of Light” thing is very intriguing, and it’s totally convinced me that I need to get caught up with the Green Lantern universe.  So, as my budget allows, I’ll be picking up trades and getting caught up, as well as starting to read Green Lantern on a regular basis.

And I have to say, I honestly felt very bad for Sean when I read the last pages of the first issue of Blackest Night.  Let’s hope that the whole reincarnation bit will work in their favor in the very near future.  The thought of Black Lantern Hawkman terrorizing the Atom doesn’t make my stomach sit very well.

Smallville News from Comic Con

Anyone who’s read this column on a regular basis knows how deep my love for Smallville goes.  I was really rewarded this weekend when Tom Welling finally attended one.  I wasn’t there, of course, but I was able to follow the panel on Newsarama, where it was announced that he is now a co-executive producer for the show.

But what was the biggest news of the panel, even when a pseudo-Superman suit made an appearance on the Season 9 preview trailer?  Geoff Johns is coming back to write another episode, people!!!  We don’t know what episode number it is yet, but we do know that it will be called “Society” and feature the Justice Society of America.  Let the speculation regarding which characters will show up begin.  Personally, I think Jay Garrick and Alan Scott are right up there as being givens.  The only potential problem with Alan Scott is that pesky movie about the other Green Lantern being announced, especially since it now has a star in Ryan Reynolds.

So tell me, people.  What other characters would you like to see in that “Society” episode?

My Comic Souvenir from Italy

I went to Italy specifically looking for one thing: a comic book that was Italian and written in the language.  Very early on, I found a Spirit trade in German (we were in Switzerland at the time), but I wanted to hold out for something that was unavailable in the United States.

In the Rome Airport (Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport) I found what I was looking for in what appears to be a graphic novel.  It’s in Italian, I’ve never heard of it before, and it’s somewhat disturbing in what I can gather from the artwork alone.  Chances are I will never fully understand what is going on in this book, but at least I have what I was looking for, even if I found it in the very last place we went before coming home.

Don’t Forget!!  Send me your picks for Image of the Week.  If you have a single image that stands out to you in this past week of comics, you can e-mail me at gutterlife@gmail.com or post a comment on the forums. 

Thanks for reading.