Panel Discussion: Scans From Runaways, Thunderbolts, Teen Titans and More

Product Placement Alert - RunawaysMarvel has been working the Wii into their books for a while now, but this is a great example of product placement that fits naturally into the world of the story and serves a purpose. Seeing the younger Runaways playing Wii Fit Snowboarding hammers home once again that these are just kids, despite being super-strong, from the past, and whatever else. Also it's really cute that Molly managed to find a pink cat-ear hat for her avatar.

Perfectly Symmetrical Violence Never Solved Anything - Street Fighter II: Turbo
Alternate title: Fearful Symmetry.



Most Tear-Jerking Reunion - Teen Titans
Okay so the art here has the characters looking a little gross and sickly, but they ARE in hell. Eddie's family has presumably been condemned to hell ever since he made his ill-advised deal with the devil over a year ago, and Eddie is such a sweet, dumb kid, the consequences of his mistake really broke my heart. But here, we see that his Aunt seems to be doing okay, and Eddie gets a chance to react like a real kid, instead of a stoic superhero. Of course this may be some sort of demon trick; this being DC no one can ever have a truly happy moment with family, but that aside, this was a satisfying payoff to a story set up ages ago.

Spookiest Display of Emotion - Wonder Woman

Damn, Donna! Whatever Wondie did, I'm sure it doesn't merit turning into a black hole of eyes and teeth.

Movie Moment - Thunderbolts
GET OFF MY PLANE!

Scrappiest Team - Teen Titans
Wow, the Teen Titans have really fallen on hard times. One n00b, one depowered n00b, and the only vet is Wonder Girl. WONDER GIRL. Hey, they're not the JLA, but at least they're keeping a positive attitude. I wish the book would actually follow the exploits of these three for a while...I'm guessing it would involve a lot of hanging out at food courts. And why not? I would read that. I would. Unfortunately two less interesting characters join a few pages later, depriving us of the Beetle-Devil-Cassie team-up we've been waiting for. I'm blaming Dan DiDio.

Worst Acting - Justice Society of America
Yikes. I know it can be hard to act without eyebrows but...that is less a expression of nostalgia and warmth than it is a death's head rictus. If someone looked at me like that I would walk away from them.

Burn of the Week - Runaways
Three hits on YouTube! Now that's a burn.

Panel Discussion: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Panels of the Week - 6/25/07

SPOILER WARNING: Panels may contain plot points!

SUPERDICKERY* WATCH: Teen Titans #49

Showing up at the last conceivable moment to help the Titans, and then not helping very much at all, Supes smiles beatifically as he announces he's solved a complex war-time ethics problem involving interned terrorism suspects by leaving a battalion of soldiers with no weapons or communications in the middle of a war zone. "I wonder how that happened?"
*Superdickery is of course intellectual property of Superdickery.com, we at Geekanerd are just trying to stay vigilant!

More Panel Discussion after the jump!



SCARIEST DEPICTION OF BRUCE WAYNE: Blue Beetle, #17
Seeing Bruce showing his Bat-Side is always a little scary, but in the panel to the left he looks downright villainous! The T-Rex has got nothing on B-Wayne when it comes to imposing chompers. Small quibble - why is he dressed as Bruce in the Bat Cave? Oh right, the story necessitates it. Cool.

BANANA RADOMIZER AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN WTF: Countdown #40
Finding Dr. T.O Morrow on a cruiseship, cocktail in hand is by no means call for WTF (although I might question the wisdom behind an undisguised supervillian attending a magic show starring Zatanna). My problem is with the fact that Mary Marvel doesn't recognize him, when Morrow played a huge part in the Marvel family saga of 52. I know she was out of commission for a while, but has she done ANY research as to what happened during the past year? And shouldn't she be able to recognize a major figure in the mad scientist community just on general principal? Oh well. Good thing she didn't actually try any funny stuff with the Doc, lest he whip out the ol' Garage Door Opener of Extreme Head Trauma.

MOST SEVERE BEATDOWN: Ares Vs Ultron's Iron Many Army, Mighty Avengers #4
Fsham! When heroes fight robots, the good guys are given a rare chance to terminate their foes as violently and creatively as they please. Definite style points to Ares for his "go with the moment" technique, and also to Wonder Man in the background, who goes with the less imaginative but still effective "punch-the-bad-guy-so-hard-his-head-flies-off" maneuver.

BEST ACTOR: Jimmy Olsen, All-Star Batman and Robin #4
Jimmy's reaction to the vampy Vicki Vale is priceless. He covers all the steps one must employ when dealing with a naked woman you hardly know:

1. Politely avert your eyes
2. Turn away when she starts to remove her clothes, bite your lip to keep calm
3. Be a gentleman and stare at the wall stoically
   
4. Half-close your eyes and look her way to get a peek (you can see Jimmy feels bad about this one)
5. If Step 4 reveals her to be turned the other way, go ahead and open your eyes wide to really soak up the view
6. Snap your head back to the wall if she looks like she's about to spot you or if you catch a glimpse of something that blows your mind (looks like Jimmy experienced the latter).

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