Wednesday Comics

[johnnystorm]

So now that it's over & done, was it worth it? I think so, I really enjoyed the ride and I'd buy it again. And I'm not certain what format the collected edition will be in (tabloid-size has been mentioned by DC), but I think it won't be right anyway, that is it probably worked best in the weekly newspaper format and won't be as good if read in one long sitting as oposed to once a week like it was planned.

My opinions in wrap-up:

BATMAN- pretty art, weak story, the final panels WAY to melodramatic. Would have preferred a super-villain romp with a Silver-Age Joker or Penguin story.

KAMANDI- it doesn't get better than this, was worth the entire price for that single page.

SUPERMAN- see the Batman entry but substitute a Golden-Age Superman vs. Prankster - or an adaption of a Fleischer cartoon?

DEADMAN- nice story, nice art, solid.

GREEN LANTERN- a bit meandering, but also solid throughout.

SUPERGIRL- again, Amanda Conner is just such a good cartoonist, this is top shelf fun.

METAMORPHO- disappointing because it played too cutesy for me with the wink & a nod stuff from Gaimen, but still nice to see Rex in action again, ditto Element Girl. (As an aside to this not related to the comic, I noticed the DC B&B toyline mini-figures out and he is not called Metamorpho on the package, but Rex Mason, Element Man.Anybody know why?)

TEEN TITANS- who cares? It was a poorly done, and I'm not even certain just who or why they were fighting.

ADAM STRANGE- Again, this was a great read, I'd like to see more.

WONDER WOMAN. Two words: Train Wreck.

METAL MEN- Good stuff, really good stuff. DC give us more of THIS. No need to find a "new direction". And get Garcia-Lopez a series, please? How about Superboy or Aquaman or ANYTHING!

SGT. ROCK- Pretty to look at, not much story though when it was all said & done.

FLASH- A lot of people thought this was great, I thought it was a bit confusing, but the art was nice. Not a Grodd fan, I think he's overused. Maybe next time a good ol' fashioned Trickster caper.

DEMON-CATWOMAN- ok, nothing great, nice oddball teaming though.

HAWKMAN- Weird, it was weird. Mostly a non-flying Hawkman who needed Aquaman to bail him out. Way to showcase the guy DC! Maybe next time Aquaman can have an adventure in New Mexico and Hawkman can show up to save him with a Giant Condor.

All in all though, I hope DC does this again. Next time though, a western & a kid or funny animal strip is needed. Sugar & Spike, Fox & Crow...Johnny Thunder or Trigger Twins...the Silver Age Batman..a silver age Wonder Woman...
I don't see that big-names are really necessary for the entire book, so how about a boxing story ala' Joe Palooka starring Wildcat? Or an aviation type Terry & the Pirates story starring Hop Harrigan. A Slam Bradley detective strip would fit nicely, or a romance strip (with Nick Cardy art!)

Get your heroes fighting the classic arch-villains in all the strips.

[thunderbolt]

There is supposed to be a sequel to this in the works. Here's to hoping guys like Timm, Cooke, and a few others that would work well in this format will do some work. Keep the strips that worked, Hawkman, Adam Strange, Kamandi, Flash and GL. Add a few missing characters like Aquaman, (not sure if DC could do this) The Spirit, Wonder Woman(the first strip didn't count), OMAC, Blue Beetle, or the Creeper.

[The Toyroom]

(As an aside to this not related to the comic, I noticed the DC B&B toyline mini-figures out and he is not called Metamorpho on the package, but Rex Mason, Element Man.Anybody know why?)

I'm not sure....obviously some copyright issue for the toy market....he was called the same thing when he was the Collect & Connect figure in one of the earlier DC Universe Classics waves.

[The Toyroom]

They had two extra strips (they may have been just one-shot pages) ready just in case someone else blew a deadline along the way: Plastic Man and The Creeper. There's talk of possibly including them in the collected edition.

[The Toyroom]

I'm not sure....obviously some copyright issue for the toy market....he was called the same thing when he was the Collect & Connect figure in one of the earlier DC Universe Classics waves.

I think I may have figured it out....there was a series of figures in the 60s called Colorforms Outer Space Men. Apparently there was a character proposed for a 2nd wave called...METAMORPHO. It may well still be an active license. I think someone is/has revived the concept.

[johnnystorm]

No, that doesn't seem right. Especially since he was called Metamorpho on the Justice League Unlimited packaging just awhile back.

[thunderbolt]

Something must have come up with the toy name after the JLU figure.

[The Toyroom]

No, that doesn't seem right. Especially since he was called Metamorpho on the Justice League Unlimited packaging just awhile back.

Here's your answer....I was on the mark I guess :

If you've read our new Metamorpho review, then you know he's not actually Metamorpho at all: he's "Rex Mason, the Element Man." Yes, despite the fact that his belt has an M on it. This is because the name "Metamorpho" is trademarked for use on action figures by another company. The question is, who?

According to the Colorforms Outerspace Men Headquarters, Metamorpho was planned for the canceled second series of figures. Mel Birnkrant was the art director for the line, and a trademark and copyright search reveals two active titles in his name, for both action figures and - get this - comicbooks.

Now, DC is currently publishing a Metamorpho comic, and DC Direct made a Metamorpho in 2003. Even Mattel had a Metamorpho figure (with that name) in their JLU line. How is that possible? Apparently DC did think about opposing the application, but nothing came of it. Since the Colorforms figure is from the '60s, it seems likely to me that Mattel didn't do its homework with the JLU figure, nearly got sued and corrected it for the DCUC figure. You know, like Birnkrant made a stink after that one came out, and told them not to do it again. After all, you can keep a trademark forever, regardless of whether you're using it - as long as you pay.

[The Toyroom]

Sadly, the DC Metamorpho was created in 1965.....the Colorforms Alien Metamorpho was a PROPOSED figure that never got made for a line in 1968. But the line's creator, that Mel Birnkrant guy, has been reviving the concept with possible new figures as well as a comic book series. Doh DC!