Batman Incorporates the Outsiders (again)

Check out some Batman and the Outsiders news at The (new) Comics Professor!

Superman discovers the need for moral judgment

Another recent post at the new Comics Professor blog, titled "Superman discovers the need for moral judgment," looks at the moral dilemma Big Blue faces while "grounded" in Superman #707.

(And please update your bookmarks and blogrolls to follow the blog at its new location - you can also follow me on Twitter, where I tweet all my new blog posts from the Comics Professor as well as Economics and Ethics.)

Should superheroes take political positions?

For some reason, Google is having a hard time finding some of my recent posts to the new Comics Professor blog (now at http://www.comicsprofessor.com/). So from time to time, I will highlight new blog posts here.

For instance, please see "Should superheroes take political positions?", which was inspired by Vaneta Rogers' recent article at Newsarama discussing social commentary in comic books, including Denny O'Neil, Greg Rucka, and Judd Winick. In it, I discuss my own views on politics in comics, including where it's appropriate to mention superheroes' political orientation, and the two cases in which is definitely is not.

The Comics Professor moving (updated)

The Comics Professor is moving to Typepad (http://economicsandethics.typepad.com/comicsprof/), and I hope to update it much more often afterwards. As you may know, my academic blog, Economics and Ethics, is on Typepad, and I'm constantly on that, so it makes sense from a practical point of view to port The Comics Professor over there too. (I've had no problem with Blogger.com, honestly.)

The first post at the new site: the call for abstracts for Superman and Philosophy!

Iron Man and Philosophy podcast

My new friend Chad Wells just posted a podcast of the phone interview we did several weeks back at his site, A Welcome Invasion of Privacy. In it, we discuss the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series, how Iron Man compares the topics of my previous books (Batman and Watchmen), and various issues in the book, movie, and current comic storylines. Chad did a fantastic job--be sure to check it out!

Iron Man 2: Tony Stark's womanizing and character

I have a comics-related post at my Psychology Today blog dealing wth Tony Stark's womanizing ways (which are much more prominent in the films than in the comics) and what it says about his character and his decision-making asa superhero. Check it out here, and then check out Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality for more philosophical discussion inspired by the Armored Avengers.

Well, I didn't see that coming (Spoilers for JL: Cry for Justice #7)

SPOILER WARNING for Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 below...

Ready?

Last chance...

OK, here goes.

I think everyone had a feeling that Ollie would kill Prometheus at the end. But I didn't predict the death of Lian, Roy Harper's daughter with the assassin/villain Cheshire.

While I am very sad to see her go--I thought she really humanized Roy, as well as providing a much needed comic foil in so many books--I am just as glad that DC chose not to show her dead body, instead displaying Ollie, from behind, holding her in his arms, with just her leg visible with some blood on her pants. It was a very tasteful way to show the death of a true innocent, and I personally thank DC for their discretion. (At the same time, I had no problem with the Sentry's ripping Ares in half in Siege - I agree with Bendis' reasoning that they needed to show how horrific this act was.)

I wonder if this tragedy is going to being Donna and Roy closer, now that they both have lost children. I didn't like their pairing before (during the first run of Titans), but now there seems more motivation to it.