Pull List - Week of September 27, 2006

DC Comics

52 #21
Action Comics #843
Blue Beetle #7
Justice League Of America #2
Secret Six #4
Supergirl #10
Teen Titans #39
Trials Of Shazam #2
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #3
Superman: Up Up And Away (TPB)
JSA: Mixed Signals (TPB)

IDW

CSI: Dying In The Gutters #2

I'm Back!

Just got in the evening. God, that was a long drive.

On the road again...

Currently I Am In: Des Moines, Iowa

Currently in a Best Western just outside of Des Moines.  Got off to a late start yesterday due to some last minute hitches, and didn't get nearly as far as I'd hoped.  I'm hoping to be across most of Nebraska by day's end, but am not certain I'll be able to achieve that.  Crossing my fingers.

Pull List - Week of September 20

(Or at least, what my pull list would have been if I didn't have to go play at being a trucker for a week.)

52 #20
Birds of Prey #98
Checkmate #6
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #4
Shadowpact #5
Supergirl #10 (alright, alright, krystal_method and you others. You've convinced me to put it back on my pull list!)

NOTE: This week officially marks that Robin has been dropped from my pull list. Haven't really been enjoying that title, so its now time to move on.

Going on the road again.

Looks like I've been roped into helping my mother-in-law move her stuff to her new home... in Oregon. Which means I'm going to be on the road for most of the next week. Which in turn means, I probably am going to be scarce for a time. Maybe I'll try to post some things while I'm on the road (but seeing as I still haven't posted the rest of my log from the last trip I took, perhaps not). Anyway, wish me luck, and see everyone when I get back!

2003-UB313 gets a name.

Dwarf Planet UB313 - the recently discovered distant object, whose discovery touched off the debate which ultimately stripped Pluto of its status as a full-fledged Planet - has now been officially named. The IAU Nomenclature committee yesterday announced the name Eris has been assigned to the object. The single known moon was also given a name, Dysnomia. The assignment of the name Eris is actually rather fitting, since in ancient Greek mythology Eris was the Goddess of discord and strife (according to Homer, it was Eris who set in motion the quarrel that eventually led to the Trojan War). This means that, along with last week's assignment of an asteroid number to the object by the Minor Planet Center, the objects official designation is now 136199 Eris.

Details:
Largest Known Dwarf Planet Gets a Name

Oh, how the mightly have fallen...

Fresh on the heels of its demotion from the ranks of recognized planets, the Minor Planet Center - the internationally recognized organization that maintains catalogues of all known sub-planet objects in our solar system - has issued an asteroid number for Pluto. Its official designation is now 134340 Pluto. Asteroid numbers (but NOT names - that's handled by a seperate organization) were also assigned to 2003 UB313 (136199), 2003 EL61 (136108), and 2005 FY9 (136472).

Details:
Minor Planet Electronic Circular #2006-R19

Pull List - Week of September 13, 2006

On September 13th, the seventh anniversary of the moon being blown out of orbit, I will be picking up:

52 #19
Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #29 (like this title, but the current sales numbers make me nervous about its future)
Green Arrow #66
Martian Manhunter #2
Doom Patrol, Vol. IV: Musclebound (TPB) (More Morrison Doom Patrol!)

A rather slow week for me.

Doom Patrol watch

Not so good news to report for Doom Patrol fans.  Dan Didio at this weekend's Baltimore ComicCon confirms that there are no plans for a Doom Patrol mini-series anytime in the future.

Gar remains in limbo.

Blah.

Secret Six #4 Delayed

Just a general note: According to DC's website, Secret Six #4 has now been delayed to September 27 - the same release day as Teen Titans #39, Teen Titans Go! #35, and the Titans-heavy 52 #21.  A very, very heavy day of Teen Titans-related releases.

So unless something surprising comes up in the next few weeks, no BBRCBW until the end of the month.

The Beast Boy and Raven Comic Book Watch - Week of September 6, 2006

Hello there! Welcome to a special "Blink and You'll Miss It!" edition of the BBRCBW!

It seems Beast Boy has been making a bunch of cameo appearances lately, ones I didn't even realize were out there. Special thanks to ladydiane10001, retro_takeout, and saturn girl for spotting these cameos and making me aware of them! So just to bring us up to date on things....

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #2
Written by Danny Bilson & Paul Demeo; pencils by Ken Lashley; inks by Walden Wong and Jay Leisten.

1) Bart Allen does some reminiscing about his life. Briefly, he touches upon his days as a Teen Titan. Gar appears in the back ground during the flashback.



Jusice #7
Written by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross; art by Doug Braithwaite and Alex Ross

1) Martian Manhunter and Zatanna ask Nigel Caulder of the Doom Patrol to examine Aquaman. While they are discussing Aquaman's condition, Gar makes a few guest appearances. Here he can be seen in the lower right corner of one panel as a wolf, and in the upper right corner of another as a bird.


NOTE: This is almost certainly a very young, pre-Teen Titans Garfield.

2) Gar as a cat surprises Zatanna.



Outsiders #39 & #40
Written by Judd Winick; pencils by Matthew Clark and Ron Randall; inks by Art Thibert.

This is the one that actually surprised me and was quite unexpected. In previous issues, The Outsiders were investigating the source of cloned versions of various superheroes. The source turns out to be Mallah and The Brain, who have evidently been collecting DNA samples from meta-humans for years.

1) And the very first sample they collected? Beast Boy's.


2) Unfortunately for them (but fortunately for us), the clones Mallah and The Brain are making are of an inferior quality and disintergrate after a month or so. Also, their powers don't quite work the same way that their original did. Still, Mallah and The Brain do manage to put together what appears to be a pseudo-clone of Beast Boy.


3) Gar shows up on a monitor screen of superheros whom Mallah and The Brain have collected DNA samples of.


Since this story is still ongoing, there's a possibility we could see more of Beast Boy's almost-clone in coming issues.

*****

Well, that's it for now. Next issue of the BBRCBW will be next week, with the release of Secret Six #4. See you then!

Pull List -- Week of September 6th

DC Comics
52 #18
Nightwing #124 (Bruce Jones last issue.)
OMAC #3
Outsiders #40
Batman: Face the Face (TPB)
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (TPB)

Beast Boy & Raven Comic Book Watch - Week of August 30, 2006

Yeah, I know. I'm late by a few days. Sorry, but I've had family and work matters to contend with. But we now have some news, probably more good than bad, to report. So, here we go.

Teen Titans #38
Story by Geoff Johns; Cover by Tony Daniel; pencils by Carlos Ferriera; inks by Art Thibert and Drew Geraci.

Cyborg finds an enigmatic message from Raven on one of the surveillance videos left for him, and decides that its time for the Titans to go out and find her.

1) Raven explains why she left the Titans. Big news, Gar doesn't know the reason why she broke up with him.


Notice the really look of regret on Raven.

2) Eventually, the Titans track her down to an apartment in Beijing. They don't find her there, but they do find she has been trying to figure out who the traitor is. There is a splash page with polaroid shots of all the Titans from the One Year, and Beast Boy (Gar) is among them.


3) Final page of the issue. Raven is seen running away from some heavily armed individuals. She's carrying a book of some kind. But what book is it?


Guess we'll have to wait until next issue to find out more.

**********
Next release of interest to us will be Secret Six #4, which is scheduled to be released on September 13th (Moon Blown-Out-Of-Orbit Day). This is the Secret Six crossover with the Doom Patrol, the last page of which I showed on the previous BBRCBW. This will almost certainly be Gar's last appearance in "current" DCU continuity for 2006.

Next issue of Teen Titans is currently scheduled for release on September 27. Yeah, I don't believe it either. But that's what DC's website currently states. On the same day, 52 #21 is also scheduled for release; this is going to be a heavily Teen Titans-centric issue, and will probably be our only chance to see any shippyness for the remainder of the year. It may also be our last glimpse of Gar until 2007, although there's still the possibility of additional appearances in 52.

No news on the release date for the first issue of Raven, but 2007 is starting to look very probable. A source has informed me that a new Doom Patrol series is unlikely in the extreme until at least summer 2007, probably much later. So, in all likelihood, no regular place for Garfield Logan for at least a year. :(

**********
Well, that's it for the time being. Until next time, please remember. SUPPORT BB/RAE!! BUY THE TEEN TITANS COMIC BOOK!!

Pull List - Week of August 30th

DC Comics
52 #17
Action Comics #842 (Teen Titans crossover)
Justice #7 (Love Alex Ross)
Teen Titans #38 (DUH!!)
Trials of Shazam #1 (Captain Marvel was the first superhero I ever read)
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #2 (OK so far.  I'm curious to see where they go with this team)

IDW
CSI Dying in the Gutters #1 (Curious to see what they do to Rich Johnston)

Pull List - Week of August 23

A sure sign I am getting caught up with everything... I'm back to posting my pull list for the week.

52 #16
Birds of Prey #97
Blue Beetle #6
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #3
Justice League of America #1
Wonder Woman #2

The Beast Boy & Raven Comic Book Watch - 8/21/06

Just a quick BBRCBW entry to bring us up to date. Yeah, I'm still swamped with stuff. But here are a couple more from recent issues that I've found.

52 #8 ("History of the DC Universe, pt. 7")
Story by Dan Jurgens, Inks by Andy Lanning

Neither Gar nor Raven have appeared at all in 52 since the first week, but they do seem to be periodically popping up in the back-up feature.

1) In Part 7 of History of the DC Universe, the pre-OYL team of Titans are mentioned with an appropriate illustration.



Secret Six #3
Story by Gail Simone, Pencils by Brad Walker, Inks by Jimmy Palmiotti

1) As a lead-in to the crossover next issue, the last page of Secret Six #3 has the team of anti-heroes encounter the Doom Patrol. Gar is there in the form of a goose.



Note Mento way in the background.

*****

I don't think there are any more images I've missed from the past few months, but I could be wrong. I'm still about a mnnth and a half behind on my comics, though. But if I find anything else of interest, you can be sure I'll post it here.

A few release notes: As most everyone knows, Teen Titans #38 was pushed back to the end of August. Its current release date is August 30, next week. There should be at least a few images in there to post. Gar and the Doom Patrol will be encountering the Secret Six in Secret Six #4, which should come out in mid-September. At the end of September will be the release of 52 #21, which will definetely have one of the Gar-led Titans teams in it; that may be the only glimpse we'll ever get of Gar and Raven on the same team during the One Year (BLAH!). As for way on the horizon, the release of Raven #1 seems to have been pushed back, possibly until early 2007. No idea why, although perhaps DC wants to make certain the mini series is substantially written before committing to a release date (according to Marv Wolfman's blog, the script for #1 was handed in about a month ago and #2 was still being written). As for where Gar will actually end up... no news. Sadly, its looking like he'll be in limbo for quite some time to come.

Trip Reports Delayed

Work has really piled up this last week and a half, and I've got some family obligations today and tomorrow.  Thus, I probably won't be getting to the rest of my trip report this weekend.  Hopefully next.

For the Garfield Logan fans out there, I do have one entry to add to the BBRCBW: Gar appears on the last page of Secret Six #3.  If I have the time on Sunday I'll post the image.  Its not much, but I suppose its something.

*sigh*

I hate real life.  Want to win the lottery.  Want to not have Real Life crap to deal with.

UB313... Planet!

The International Astronomical Union will be issueing a formal definition of the term "Planet" next week... and that definition will mean UB313 (which has not been formally named yet) will recieve an official designation as a "Planet".

From the wire services, here's the formal definition:

"A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid-body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet."

In other words, if the object is large enough that its own gravity forces it into a ball, and is in orbit around a star but not another planet, then it is considered a planet. This leaves aside any definition of planet based on an arbitrary ruling of size or mass. It also opens the door for many more objects to become (re)classified as "planets", instead of "small solar system objects" (as asteroids, or "minor planets", will now be called). Indeed, the definition above not only lets UB313 into the Planet Club, but also main-belt asteroid Ceres. And pending better observations of such objects as Sedna, Quaoar, and other outer-solar system (Kuiper Belt) objects, the number of worlds (re)classified as Planets might go up even more.

But wait, it gets even stranger. In a footnote to the planetary definition, we find this:

"For two or more objects comprising a multiple-object system, the primary object is designated a planet if it independently satisfies the conditions above. A secondary object satisfying these conditions is also designated a planet if the system barycenter [center of mass] resides outside the primary. Secondary objects not satisfying these criteria are 'satellites."

This means that if the center of mass of a planet-satellite system resides outside of the primary object, then both objects are considered a "double planet", and each member of the duo are considered planets. In our solar system, there is only one planetary system that fits that definition: Pluto-Charon. So while Pluto has been considered a planet since its discovery, its satellite Charon is about to get the same definition because Charon is sufficiently massive and orbits far enough away that the center of mass lies in space between the two worlds rather than below Pluto's surface (in contrast, the center of mass for our own Earth-Moon system lies just below the surface of the Earth). Effectively, they will collectively be considered a "double planet".

The above definitions are not formal yet; they have to be voted on by the IAU body. But that vote is set for next week. If the definition passes, then our solar system will have 12 objects officially classified as Planet, with probably more yet to come.

For anyone who is interested, here's a quick summary:

What's A Planet? (Sky and Telescope)

EDIT: Here's what Micheal E. Brown (one of UB313's co-discoverers) has to say about the proposed IAU definition:

IAU Proposal

According to him, the IAU definition would mean there are currently 53 planets in our solar system with more yet to come. He refers to it as the "Leave No Ice Ball Behind!" definition.

Well, this is going to get heated.

Doctor Wbo Second Season on SciFi!

It has now been confirmed that the new Doctor Who, season 2 will start running on the SciFi Channel this fall.  "The Christmas Invasion" will make its US debut on September 29, with "New Earth" in the week following.  SciFi Channel was apparently very satisfied with the ratings on the first season (even though they initially rejected the show!), and are looking forward to continuing that run with the second.  If all goes well, maybe we'll even get next year's season soon after it broadcasts in the UK next spring.

Trip Report, Day Six

(Friday, July 21, 2006)

Currently I Am In: East Glacier, Montana

I didn’t take any pictures today. I probably should have, but the occasion just never came.

We got up early and left Chinook. Today for the first time in several days, we had a specific destination in mind that we MUST have gotten to by the end of the day. Namely, Glacier Lodge in East Glacier, Montana. Three night reservation in an historic, old style hotel. Once there, no more extensive driving until its time to go home. Although considering its me we’re talking about, chances are I’ll be doing s fair amount of driving exploring the area.

Anyway, the drive from Chinook to East Glacier was mostly uneventful. This area is known as the Montana Hi Line region, named because it runs along the Burlington Northern railway line (the northern most of the railways linking the east coast with the west), which generally parallels US 2 across most of Northern Montana. This is high plains country, almost entirely treeless, with surprisingly few hills or rocky areas. Primarily agricultural, with wheat being the main cash crop. It is not uncommon to find areas where all you can see, right up to the horizon, is a flat sea of waving wheat. A few fair sized towns were driven through: Havre, Shelby, and Cut Bank being the primary ones. It was only until we got west of Cut Bank did we see any real hint of the Rockies.

Passed through the town of Browning. Very, very depressing place. Browning is on the Blackfoot Reservation and serves as the tribal headquarters. Unfortunately, the town looks poorer than anything I saw along the way. Dirty, dilapidated, very, very depressed. It’s a pity, because the town is almost at the base of Rockies and is along the main route to Glacier National Park main entrance. The town should be a tourist mecca, much like Cody, Wyoming is on the way to Yellowstone. But it isn’t. It’s a rundown hovel with high unemployment and low expectations. And the few businesses that seem interested in trying to turn that around... have a very difficult time of it because the rest of the town just doesn’t seem to care. There are people that seem to want to improve things - while exploring, I found a development of newly made, well-kept up suburban-style housing - but until that downtown district gets rebuilt and revitalized, I don’t see anyone wanting to stop and spend any time in the town. Seriously, this is one town where I think building a bypass around it and having the businesses start afresh outside of town might not be a bad idea.

Arrived in East Glacier and checked in at the Glacier Lodge. Nice, big, interior main lodge. Rooms are OK, though; a little more rustic than I would have liked, but for a few days its absolutely fine.