Arkham Asylum Villains

Very soon -- but not soon enough -- the next set of DC Heroclix, Arkham Asylum will be out.

The set is full of gems, but I want to highlight a few of my favorite villain in the set.

BLACK MANTA

Yes, he is riding a shark with a frickin' laser beam on its head. Because that is how evil he is. There was a Black Manta in the very first set of DC Heroclix. But they were still getting the bugs out of the system, and he quickly gained a reputation as, point for point, the most useless piece in the game. Well, no one on the beach will be kicking sand is this one's face. The figure represents his eyebeams with the penetrating Psychic Blast and Energy Explosion, and his underwater prowess with Superstrength, Toughness. And his "Pirate" power lets him Perplex up his stats or those of another aquatic figure.

Like Black Manta, the Riddler appeared in the first DC Heroclix set and was of questionable utility. That won't be said of the new one, who is a masterpiece of capturing what a Batman villain does without making him a powerhouse. He has Stealth and Leap/Climb, which are pretty key when fighting the Batfamily. Mastermind and Exploit Weakness made him a threat at close range, and at a distance he's got some "riddle-related" powers. One givex him Outwit and Perplex at the same time; it's a special version of Perplex that allows him to lower an opponent's battle stat by 2. Those ultra-high-defense figures, like Jay Garrick, might be in for an unpleasant surprise when the Riddle catches them off guard with some puzzle, and they let down their defenses. And "Riddle Me This" is a special version of Incapacitate as a free action (with the possibility of double-incapping an opponent). The Riddler can seriously mess up your opponent's team, as long as you have other character to do the actual punching for him; which is exactly as it should be.

The villainous Riddler is 90 points. But there's also an LE version, Edward Nigma, which for 60 points represents the reformed Riddler, the private detective. It has the usual Riddlerish powers (Outwit, Incapacitate, Perplex, Leap/Climb, Mastermind).
The Penguin is another villain whose remake was badly needed, as his original version was useless. This time, they figured out that his crime umbrellas are an excuse to give him nearly any power, including Energy Explosion, a special joint power for Smoke Cloud and Blades/Claws/Fangs, and Defend. That Defend is going to make him popular on Batman Enemy teams, where he can lurk behind others and keep their defense values high. His criminal acumen is represented by Mastermind (passing damage on to adjacent allies), Willpower (the ability to more twice in a row without penalty), and Outwit (the ability to cancel someone else's power from a distance).

Like the Riddler, Two-Face has two versions: the regular criminal genius version and a Limited Edition "reformed" version. The regular version has some expected powers, like Stealth, Mastermind, and Perplex. Flurry (the ability to attact an adjacent character twice) is a nice touch, but even nice is a special power that represents his coin toss, giving him either Incapacitate or Psychic Blast (either of which makes him useful against the big boys). The "reformed" version is similar, with both Flurry and Mastermind. But it is more of a personal combatant, with Combat Reflexes, Exploit Weakness, and a special power that grants Outwit and Willpower. The best touch is giving him the Batman ALLY ability. This "permanent stealth" will force most foes to come face to face with him, where his Combat Reflexes and Exploit Weakness will be to his advantage.

As welcome as all these figures are, they are capped by the creation of a new generic Thug with the Batman Enemy Ability (sharing Attack Values among adjacent Batman Enemies). These guys will be perfect to put in front of a supercriminal to share his Attack and absorbs his Damage (courtesy of the Mastermind Batvillains often have). That figure's dial hasn't been made public yet, but the generic has an LE version that has been revealed: The Henchmen. He's only got five clicks, but he's packed with a grab-bag of abilities that make him a great utility player. He's got a special ability that makes him a wildcard for team abilities and keywords for all the major villainous groups, which makes him the ideal sidekick for most any villain.

The End of an Era Underwater

"I'm not the real Aquaman. Not even close. The real one gave up his life for me, and it's my job now to make that right."
From Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis No. 27.


Thus ends Tad Williams' run on Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, and today I applaud his work.

He was given a Sisyphean task of making Aquaman work without Aquaman. A less conscientious writer would have swung off completely on his own tangent (like Busiek did), or ignored any inconveniences of the previous runs.

But Wiliams didn't; he embraced them and used them for his plot. He solved the mystery of Sub Diego, using both traditional Aquaman villains and a Very Special Guest Villain (and he did that while not only dodging the curve ball thrown by 52, the raising of Sub Diego, but using it to his advantage). He explained where AJ came from and what happened to the real Aquaman (something his predecessor couldn't be bothered to do in a timely fashion). He even worked in bizarre elements like Veitch's Lady of the Lake, Windward Home, and King Shark.

He introduced new elements and characters to the Aquamythos, such as Topo, the Clownfish, the Hatch system, and the villains of the Deep Church. He reintroduced Mera, Tempest, Black Manta, the Human Flying Fish, Koryak, Aquagirl, and Cal Durham, making them all part of a much larger story.

You might not adore every single thing he did, but you can't deny his herculean accomplishment in tying it all together! Under Williams' direction, the sea seemed both larger than ever before and more intimately connected, an enormous stage set for decades worth of stories.

And did it move! Aquaman went, overnight, from being one of DC's slowest stories, to one of its best bangs for the buck. There was more going on in one page of Williams' Aquaman than in an entire issue of of Veitch's or Busiek's. I usually had to rest after reading it (in a good way).

Impressively, Williams didn't give in to dissing either Old or New Aquaman. On the one hand, he made it quite clear: this guy ain't Aquaman. On the other hand, Williams also made him more impressive than ever.

By letting go of pushing AJ as a replacement for Arthur, he allowed us to see that, quite on his own, AJ was not too shabby. Busiek's Sword of Atlantis splashed about in search of himself; Williams' AJ saved the world. When the real Aquaman returns (something Williams clearly wanted to do, but was blocked from by DC), his new writer would be wise to take a similar approach!

At the end, he made his point: this guy wasn't Aquaman. But he was going to man up and try to bring him back, and just maybe deserve his legacy in the process of trying. Before Williams started, all I wanted was for the real Aquaman to come back and AJ to go away. Now I want the real Aquaman to come and AJ to stay as his Junior Counterpart (because, face it, "Tempest" doesn't cut it).

Thank you, Tad Williams.

"The Jungle" and other heroclix maps you can buy!

As you may have guessed from reading this blog, Heroclix is a big thing at the Big Monkey Comics stores. In addition to teaching the game and providing a forum for tournies and games, we try to do other fun stuff, like making special pogs, facilitating group orders on custom pogs, and designing special maps for our customers to play on.

Now, you too can share in some of the joy of being a Big Monkey Monkey customer who plays Heroclix, all in the comfort of your own home. Big Monkey Comics is proud to announce that our new line of custom Heroclix maps is now available through Xion Games!

The first three are water or "underwater" maps for all my fellow fans of Aquaman, and I think I've mentioned them on here before. Someday I hope to gather Will Pfeiffer, Kurt Busiek, Tad Williams and me around such a map, enjoying an all-aqua-game, watching the real Aquaman kayo Black Manta, who's just clobbered the Sword of Atlantis. And Ramona Fradon would be there, just sort of having tea and smiling at the little boys playing "Aquaman".

But the next two maps are ones you haven't seen and they are regular land-based maps.


Mercy Reef
Get out your "aquatic" clix! This all-underwater map has a coral reef separating opposing forces, and special rules for navigating its terrain. Take the plunge and visit Mercy Reef!

Sea Levels
For battles at and under the sea, you need "Sea Levels", which represents one segment of the sea at four different depths (The Surface, the Diving Zone, Deep Water, and Sea Bottom), each with its own special rules for movement and terrain. Take your aquatic gameplay to a new level!

Sunburn Beach
Want a nice open map on which aquatic forces can invade the land (or vice versa)? Pit landlubbers against ocean-dwellers at Sunburn Beach!

The Old Cemetery
A graveyard is a spooky place for a battle ... and a tricky one! Special headstone and tomb terrain make for lots of strategy. Will your figures survive "hide and seek" or wind up remaining in ... the Old Cemetery?!

The Jungle
"The Jungle" is a dangerous place, and now your Heroclix games can take place there! With lots of undergrowth (hindering terrain) and trees (blocking terrain), plus the river and the pond (water terrain), the Jungle is a challenge to get around in, let alone fight the enemy. Oh, look out for the crocodiles, gorillas, tigers, boas, vipers that occupy Danger Terrain. And did we mention the quicksand...?


Did I say "regular"? Well, that's a lie, of course. Each of them has special terrain, designed to enliven and give a bit more variety to your Heroclix gameplay. The Old Cemetery has "headstone terrain"; you can occupy it like hindering terrain, but from outside it blocks line of sight. That way, your figures can creep around hiding behind headstones! But the elevated terrain on the tops of tombs serves as special vantage points for attacking (or being attacked!). There's more than you might expect going on in an Old Cemetery.

Our latest map, the Jungle, has "Danger Terrain" which 'attacks' anyone who lands on it and "Elastic Terrain", such as the quicksand that requires breakaway. Beware the boa constrictor because it's BOTH! In the Silver Age, big monkeys came from the jungle; nowadays, "The Jungle" comes from Big Monkey.

Just think how many characters need to be on this map! Adventurer Rex "Metamorpho" Mason. Archeologists Adam Strange, Carter Hall, and Kent Nelson the first. Ray "Sword of the Atom" Palmer. Animal Man, Vixen, Cat-Man, & Bronze Tiger! Changeling & Cheetah! Copperhead and Eclipso! Gorilla Grodd, M'sieur Mallah, and the Ultrahumanite! Killer Croc and Kobra! Green Arrow and Sargent Rock! Poison Ivy and Solomon Grundy! Heck, the whole Suicide Squad, since they seemed to spend lots of time in the jungle... .

Oh, for those who buy the Jungle map, I've made a few special pogs for it. Of course!

You can't see it easily, but Bomba has the Aquatic ability, so he can wade through the river for you. Both he and Congo Bill are legal by the way, because their stats are identical to existing tokens (Bomba is based on Mera, and Congo Bill, with extreme irony, is based on Ken Hale). I'll make some more tokens for jungle characters, if anyone wants them and comes up with good ideas for ones to use.

The little capuchin monkeys below are special tokens you can add to the game. Nobody owns them, they're just sort of 'moving terrain'.

There are three trees on the map that have monkeys pictured on them. A capuchin token is placed adjacent to each of those trees, serving as blocking terrain. You can choose to move one of the capuchins as one of your actions during your turn (although they cannot be "pushed").

Like any token, the capuchins tie up regular figures, so you can use a monkey to run up and base an opposing figure, which must either breakaway or kayo the monkey (but that's bad luck). Of course, they have leap/climb, so your opponent can make them run back at you! Pesky little monkeys!

Keep Your Head in the Game

My original plan for today was to post my next "Least Likely to Change" installment, but something happened today to change that.

Today, I received in the mail my latest shipment of customized Heroclix.

Dale, whom you will recognize as frequent commenter "Totaltoyz", made me a nice group of clix that Wizkids hasn't gotten around to making you and probably never will.

I got Argus. I think he's an underused part of the Flash Family, as in both the comics and Heroclix, that team could use somebody who has a schtick that isn't dependent on superspeed. He's on an Azrael dial. After all, what else can you do with an Azrael?

I got the Rainbow Raider (surfing the spectrum with stolen painting in arm), because, well, it's funny. Besides putting him on an Experienced Halo amuses me. I enjoy dissing characters I don't like by stealing their dials for demeaning customs. Especially Halo.

I adore the Busiek-style Prankster (armed with Kryptonite Custard Pie). He's on a very capable 107 point Joker dial, so he'll be a very worthy addition to the new Superman enemies coming out in the Justice League set.

I also got Mr. & Mrs. Menace, the Sportsmaster and the Golden Age Huntress. I love those two. We'll see how well they do against Rookie Alan Scott and Rookie Wildcat!

I got Dr. Impossible (because I helped name him), hilarious prehawkified Northwind (because he's just so fabulously faggy), and, of course, the Awesome Threesome of Torpedo-Man, Magnet-o, and Claw (because they are, ipso facto, awesome).

Oh, and just to give Aquaman a spot of extra trouble, I had "Devil Ray" from JLU made to act as an evil sidekick for Black Manta.

I even got a set of four G.O.O.N.s (surely you remember the Grand Order of Occidental Nighthawks?). Each wears a black derby and a turtleneck that says G.O.O.N. on it. They carry such deadly weapons as brass knuckles (nice touch, Dale!), pistols, a black round bomb that says "BOMB" on it, and an umbrella. Caped Crusader beware!

Ordinarily I would thank Dale for his amazing work (really, the pictures don't do these things justice) by email, but this time I am moved to do so publicly in a post. You should check out his Ebay page and order some custom clix of your own!

Dale also told me he was going to include a special gift to me for free, in appreciation for my support of his work. He tried to prepare me by saying that I should really by sitting down when I opened the box, or at least have someone at hand to assist me to the couch.

Naturally, I privately pooh-poohed this warning; you know how artists are about their work. My mistake. I did, in fact, stagger to couch with this surprise figure in hand, gasping for breath. I don't have a camera good enough to take a photo of it, but perhaps Dale will provide us with some.

It's 23 points. It has Charge and Leap/Climb. It has four clicks of life. Well... not life, really.

the Rolling Head of Pantha.

The "Superman Prime" Revenge Squad (6 figures at 697 points)

ID	Name	Points
J085	Martian Manhunter	177
le027	Veteran -Power Girl	120
U081	Veteran Black Adam	150
le066	Veteran Superboy	127
jl101	Rolling Head of Pantha	23
cd217	Krypto	100

JLA set; My guesses

Now that we've got that pesky Avengers set out of the way, we can all concentrate fully on Wizkids forthcoming "Justice League" expansion set for DC Heroclix!

Based on what I know, what follows are my guesses as to what will be in the set. Naturally, I'm sure I'll be spectacularly wrong (I mean, Bronze Tiger would simply never occur to me), but that doesn't stop me from having fun guessing.

1. Bronze Tiger
2. Robin (in his new costume)
3. Connor Hawke (Green Arrow II)
4. Aquafake, Bored of Atlantis
5. Deadman
6. Classic Flash (Barry Allen)
7. Guy Gardner
8. Batman ("Aparo" version)
9. Zatanna (Headmistress of Hotath costume)
10. Lobo
11. Superman
    
12. Tharok (for the Fatal Five)
13. Captain Boomerang (for the Suicide Squad)
14. Brainiac 5 (for the Legion)
15. Dream Girl (for the Legion)
16. Power Ring (for the Crime Syndicate)
17. Batwoman (for the Batman Family)
18. the Penguin (for the Batman Enemies)
19. Brainiac, Silver Age (for the Superman Enemies)
20. Black Manta (Injustice League)
    
21. Crimson Fox
22. Prof. Ivo
23. Amazo
24. T.O.Morro
25. Tomorrow Woman
    
26. Dr. Destiny
27. Kanjar Ro
    
28. Classic Aquaman
29. Classic Green Arrow
30. Classic Green Lantern Hal Jordan
31. Jay Garrick
32. Mento or Niles Caulder
33. Captain Marvel Jr
34. Black Condor
35. Uncle Sam
    
36. Vibe
37. Gypsy
38. Per Degaton
39. Toyman
40. Granny Goodness
41. Classic Trickster
42. Pied Piper
43. Star Sapphire
44. Dr. Polaris
45. Dr. Light 2
    
46. Lightray
47. Bloodwynd
    
48. Firehawk
49. Wonder Woman 1,000,000
50. Golden Eagle
51. Rag Doll
52. Silver Banshee
53. Batman & Robin
54. Amazing Man
55. Gang of thugs
56. Nightwing
57. Grace Choi
58. Huntress
    
59. ?????
60. ???????!
    

Special figures confirmed Tournament LE: Starro Starro Controlled Flash
Starro Controlled Green Arrow
Starro Controlled Green Lantern
Starro Controlled Aquaman

Confirmed Mail-away Figure: The Phantom Stranger (as previously discussed)

1. Bronze Tiger
2. Robin (in his new costume)
3. Connor Hawke (Green Arrow II)
4. Aquafake, Bored of Atlantis
5. Deadman
6. Classic Flash (Barry Allen)
7. Guy Gardner
8. Batman ("Aparo" version)
9. Zatanna (Headmistress of Hotath costume)
10. Lobo
11. Superman

1-11. These aren't guesses at all. We know for a fact that these characters will be in the set, because we have either seen the sculpts in advertisements, seen the characters on the box art, or been specifically told by Wizkids they are in the set. You'll notice there's lots of JLA love in these eleven!

I've seen the Zatanna sculpt, by the way, and, unfortunately, its ass is not on fire. Which is a pity, because it would have been a good use of translucent plastic.

12. Tharok (for the Fatal Five)
13. Captain Boomerang (for the Suicide Squad)
14. Brainiac 5 (for the Legion)
15. Dream Girl (for the Legion)
16. Power Ring (for the Crime Syndicate)

12-16. These characters are near shoe-ins, because they fill in or complete existing theme teams. Tharok is the last of the Fatal Five, and with the new Legion starter out, is a lock. Classic Captain Boomerang is a little shakier, but he's the essential piece missing from the Suicide Squad and is needed for a Classic Central City Rogues team (which is important, since there's finally a Barry Allen Flash in this set).

The Legion will surely gets its usual two members per set. Dream Girl is a good bet because (1) she looks cool (2) she's a female figure (3) she'd bring Probability Control to Legion teams. Besidesm she pairs perfectly with Brainiac 5, who, like her, would be hard to hit (due to his force shield belt) and has 'distance powers' (e.g., Outwit and Perplex). A B5 figure came out in a previous set, but he's not quite up to snuff with the new Legionnaires. His Q rating is darned high; you can have a Legion without Quislet or Quantum Kid, but not without Brainiac 5; expect a remake. And, for those of you about to type

"But surely Starboy or the other Legionnaires from the Lightning Saga will be in the set instead!",

save it; the lead time on making Heroclix sets is too long to have yet been influenced by the Lightning Saga.

Power Ring, like Tharok, is the last member of his evil team (the Crime Syndicate) so he's a shoe-in, too.

17. Batwoman (for the Batman Family)
18. the Penguin (for the Batman Enemies)
19. Brainiac, Silver Age (for the Superman Enemies)
20. Black Manta (Injustice League)

17-20. These characters are additions to an existing Team Ability (most of the main Team Abilities get at least one new character per set, and with 60 characters now in each set rather than 48, it's more likely than ever to be a goal). The guesses here are a lot dicier than than 1-16.

Batwoman's got several things in her favorite: (1) Batman Team Ability, which is always popular. For pity's sake, they made Spoiler. (2) Wizkids always needs female figures to help balance the set. (3) She was riding quite high about the time this set would have been planned.

We might a more obscure Batvillian like Killer Moth or Firefly, but my money's still on the Penguin. The Penguin's been made before, but he was notoriously unusable even at the time he was released. Factors in his favor; very high Q rating; previous sculpt was wrong (white suit); previous dial was unusable; Wizkids new dial designers have a much better handle on how to represent characters like the Penguin; and the Penguin (who has actually fought the JLA and the SuperFriends) makes much more sense in a JLA set then Killer Moth or Firefly. [Yes, Dale; I know that Killer Moth appeared in JLA #35....]

Similar logic applies to Brainiac. The Superman Enemies always need help. Besides, we've had Brainiac13 and the Terminator-Brainiac foisted on us in two previous sets; we deserve the Silver Age Brainiac everyone will recognize.

Black Manta? Well, yes, there are other Aquafoes to make, but here the "Penguin Logic" applies again. All the factors in Penguin's favor (except sculpt; the original Manta sculpt is fine) augur well for Manta as well. Besides, he could add to the figure with the Injustice League ability (look for an alternate Team Ability for IL figures, too; it's current definition is so unwieldy I don't think I've ever seen it used in play).

21. Crimson Fox
22. Prof. Ivo
23. Amazo
24. T.O. Morrow
25. Tomorrow Woman
26. Dr. Destiny
27. Kanjar Ro

21- 27. Well, it is a JLA themed set, after all! Wizkids has said, "all eras and versions of the Justice League" will be represented and nothing says "JLE" like ze Crimson Fox. I'm anxious to see how perfume is represented on her dial.

Prof. Ivo might not be that big on offense, but, since he's an invulnerable mad scientist, he could be a really annoying support piece. Imagine him with Imperviousness and Outwit down the dial!

Wizkids would be fools to pass on the opportunity to remake Ivo's creation, Amazo, for the JLA set, now that they have "special powers" at their disposal. Count on him, with some crazy power for copying the powers of other figures within his sight and range.

The original T.O. Morrow figure is still a lot of bang for the buck, but a new version with Probability Control is in order. And while I personally think "Tomorrow Woman" is embarrassingly ludicrous, she was popular in the way that All Things Morrison seem to be. Besides, she would bring telekinesis and pulse wave to the JLA table.

Dr. Destiny looks cool and is a quintessential JLA villain. And wicked, if he's got some special version of Mind Control that lets him control powerful figures without taking damage. Likewise Kanjar Ro. Okay, fine, Kanjar Ro doesn't look cool. In fact, he looks like a chinless stoolie you'd slap around at bar on Rimbor. But give him a big Gamma Gong with triple incapacitate and he's a serious problem.

28. Classic Aquaman
29. Classic Green Arrow
30. Classic Green Lantern Hal Jordan

28 - 30. This is reverse logic. First, you've got to know that Wizkids is making Starro-ed controlled versions of four characters as giveaways at its "Win a Giant Starro clix" contests. Those are Silver Age versions of Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and the Flash, all with little Starro-fish on their faces. I've seen these, and they are darned pretty. By simply making versions without the Starro-fish on the faces, they get four other figures easily. We know that there will be a Silver Age Flash in the set already, so that makes it even more likely that we'll get Silver Age Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, too.

31. Jay Garrick
32. Mento
33. Captain Marvel Jr
34. Black Condor
35. Uncle Sam

31 - 35. This is more team filling. Jay Garrick was in the first set, but will get a remake for several reasons. (1) He still costs around $30 on Ebay, so a lot of people don't have him. (2) We need a version with the JSA Team Ability. (3) We need a version with some defensive powers.

The Doom Patrol needs a new member, probably Mento, because while he's less important than the Chief, he's easier to represent and is more visual. The Marvel Family is missing only Junior, and the groovy new Black Condor will add to the Freedom Fighters (plus, he's a babe). So would Uncle Sam, whom I think they may make as a giant figure, to take advantage of the new booster boxes that allow them to easily mix figures of different sizes.

36. Vibe
37. Gypsy

36 & 37. Like it or not (okay ... not; no one likes it), the Justice League Detroit is one of the versions of the League. The JLD had three members unique to that version: Gypsy, Steel, and the irrepressible Vibe. Gypsy still has legs (though perhaps not shoes) having been seen repeatedly since the JLD days, even as an operative in Birds of Prey; besides, she's got the Distaff Factor in her favor. Steel? No, I think he'll wait until "Citizen Steel" makes his appearance; there's already a Heroclix figure named Steel, thank you very much. As for Vibe, well, I think we'll see him because he's more closely associated with JLD than any other character. Plus, with some Quake and some BREAKDANCING AGILITY (Deflection or Combat Reflexes), he'd be a nice dial to have on the team. Any team, really. Or, you could just put his sculpt on your nightstand and stare at it every night as you nod off to sleep.

38. Per Degaton
39. Toyman
40. Granny Goodness
41. Classic Trickster
42. Pied Piper
43. Star Sapphire
44. Dr. Polaris

38 - 44. I hate having to pit hero teams against one another just because there aren't enough decent villains! We need those guys. Per Degaton isn't a JLA villain per se, but he's a high profile JSA villain and that's close enough. Besides a dial full of Probability Control would make him a great background figure on any villain team.

Toyman is the missing member of the Legion of Doom. Nuff said.

The Fourth World is (apparently) a necessary evil, so it's time for ridiculous Granny Goodness (or one of the Female Furies such as Lashina). What on earth would be on her dial I cannot imagine, unless they give her a Special Power like BUTT-UGLINESS: Granny Goodness may use a power action to automatically incapacitate any opposing figure the first time she comes within its line of sight.

The Trickster and the Pied Piper are safe bets for Flash Rogues because neither has been made yet (and, no, the "Kid Trickster" doesn't count, particularly since a stiff wind will take him out of the game). The Trickster could be the first flying DC villain to start with Perplex on his dial, and that could be very helpful to the Rogues (who need all the help they can get). And a mind-controlling Pied Piper tp use against any speedster under 100 points (which includes all of the Flash Family) would be useful.

We've got hordes of Green Lanterns and no villains for them to fight; bring on Star Sapphire, in as skimpy and as internet-enraging a costume as possible. Likewise for Dr. Polaris (although, not even I want to see Dr. Polaris in a skimpy costume. Well, not as a Heroclix figure, anyway...).

45. Dr. Light 2
46. Lightray
47. Bloodwynd
48. Firehawk
49. Wonder Woman 1,000,000
50. Golden Eagle

45 - 50. More JLA theme. Dr. Light 2 is definitely in the aforementioned category of necessary evils and she represents the beloved JLI era. Lightray helps fill out the New Gods roster, and was (at some point I'm glad to have missed) a JLA member. Bloodwynd pretty much existed only as a JLA member. Plus he's one of their few mystics and even fewer black members. Besides... he looks fantastic. Who cares what his dial says?

Firehawk? Why, yes, she was in the JLA; the one formed during 52! Besides, she's one of the few even remotely recognizable members of the Firestorm cast and has the Distaff Factor. We know there's going to be a member of the DC 1,000,000 version of the League (whatever it was called... Justice Legion A?). Wonder Woman One Million is the best candidate, other than Starman, from that group. But I'll think she'll get it because she easily dialable, looks cools, bolsters the Wonder Woman box of Heroclix, and has the Distaff Factor.

Golden Eagle was too a member of JLA (okay... mostly honorary). Besides, the Hawkman Family could use someone other than the Man and the Girl. And he plays nicely into the following Teen Titans set. Alright, fine! I just like Golden Eagle.

51. Rag Doll
52. Silver Banshee
53. Batman & Robin
54. Amazing Man
55. Gang of thugs
56. Nightwing
57. Grace Choi
58. Huntress

51 - 58. There's a lot going on here in this little grab-bag. Rag Doll works as a JSA villain, an Injustice League piece, and continues the expansion of the popular Secret Six. Silver Banshee? Well, the Superman Enemies really need a boost and a female foe wouldn't hurt either. Besides, has there every been a more fabulously designed "Nightmare of a Drag Queen" look than Silver Banshee? She should appear regularly in heavy metal videos and episodes of Queer Eye.

Batman & Robin. Yeah. Together. On one dial. The New Dial Mechanism of the Year is the "duo dial", as used for Cap & Bucky in the Avengers set. It's not exactly what I would use it for, but after the Avengers set, it seems pretty clear that if you ain't got an ampersand between your names, it ain't for you. So, unless they're planning on surprising us with Mr. Scarlet & Pinky or Dan the Dynamite & TNT, it'll be Batman & Robin.

Amazing Man. No, I'm not sure how I feel about Amazing Retcon Man, either. But he was a Justice League member, works with JSA teams, and adds to the list of black characters in clix. Not quite sure what they'd do with his dial, but I guess if they did the Absorbing Man they can do Amazing Man. As long as there's one click of "Amazingly Brittle Man"; that still amuses me.

Gang of Thugs. No, I don't really think we'll get this, but we should anyway, and they should have the new Duo Dial mechanism. That would make the perfect foils for Batman&Robin, plus the Batvillains (particularly the Mastermind ones) desperately need them. Besides, with them, we get to say "GET THEM, YOU FOOLS!" while playing. Really, what's the point of playing villains if you don't get to say, "GET THEM, YOU FOOLS!"?

Nightwing, of course, would add to the Outsiders team, the Batman Family, and still count as JLA (thanks to the horror that was "Obsidian Age"). Besides, a lot of people would like him to be remade. I've never had any problems with him as is, but he is kind of front-loaded and a new dial would do him better justice. Huntress likewise. As for Grace Choi, well, there's always got to be one character I can't believe they wasted plastic on, and that would be she.

As for the last two figures, well...

who do you think they will or should be?

BIG MONKEY PODCAST IS UP!

THE FIRST BIG MONKEY COMICS PODCAST is now available on line!

Thank you for your suggested "Do's and Don't's"; they were very helpful and we did our best to follow them. I hope you enjoy the show, because we certainly had fun doing it. Please be merciful with your feedback (it is our first attempt at such a thing and we hope to improve).

Once Ben figures out how to set up "the RSS feed", it will also available on what my grandchildren call "the I-Tunes" so you can listen to it on something called "the I-Pod". If you know how to do that, please go tell him.

The podcast features some bloggers you just may have heard of before:

• Ben Hatton of Those Wednesdays as "The Voice of Moderation";
• Devon Sanders of Seven Hells as "The Voice of Black Manta"
• Scipio Garling of the Absorbascon as "The Voice of Aquaman"
• Jonnie Brooks of Jon Hex Lives as "The Voice of Experience" and
• Jon Carey of Facedown in the Gutters as "The Voice of Johnnie Walker".

Our topics are the current writing on JLA, Marvel's 50 State Initiative, and Decompression in Modern Comics Writing. Any topics you'd like to see us discuss on future podcasts? Just write Ben and let him know.

This podcast was easy for us to arrange because conversations like this go on all the time at Big Monkey (and I mean ALL the time). Please join us at Big Monkey, where the Conversation About Comics is non-stop fun!

To Inmate #374002

Dear Lex,

Hey, I got your letter; the robot carrier pigeon you constructed out of spare parts from the warden's old VHS player arrived yesterday.

Wouldn't miss your birthday party for the world; count me in! As for my suggestions, well, you asked for it, here goes...

Kryptonite disco ball

I think that'll make it easier for all of us to relax, don't you?

The fireworks rocket with your head on the top?
Definitely! I mean, it was a big hit at the Legion of Doom Reunion!

Your "pizza storm" idea does sound cool;
just make sure Pengy brings enough umbrellas for everyone.

I'm up for the Living Hot Dogs from Planet Bollparc (remember how much fun they were during the pantie raid on Beta Omega Pi, LOL?)...

but I have a suggestion on the condiments!
Red kryptonite ketchup. Heh. Heh heh.

K-balloons, if you've still got some.
Tom Morrow says he can make an android to blow them up for you.

Devil's food cake? Yes. But NO ICE CREAM! Remember what happened last time...Besides, ice cream isn't really, you know, evil.

Oh, and, I know it's none of my business, but...
I wouldn't invite that reporter lady from your carpool, even though she is a babe.


Let me know if you need me to bring beer,dude!

B. Manta

A Message to My Finny Friends