Posted on the Deadline Hollywood site on Thursday May 17 -

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/the-cw-eyes-the-selection-two-comedies-for-midseason/

“CW president Mark Pedowitz…. also noted that its series adaptation of Deadman is not dead”

Here’s more links -

http://www.sneakpeek.ca/2012/05/cw-reviving-dcs-deadman.html

http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2012/05/deadman-tv-series-still-happening.html

PS - Once again I’m taking forever to get back reviewing the current crop of Deadman comics. My problem is while i enjoyed the ‘Brighest Day’ series (and the “Flashpoint’ mini with an alt-reality Boston Brand was fun too) I feel the New 52 Deadman has been a bit of a downer.

I really liked the first few issues of DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS but the final 2 issues were disappointing. JLA DARK has left me uncaringly cold, and the less said about DMs time spent being mangled by Liefeild in HAWK & DOVE the better.
Over all the New 52 Deadman is so much promise, so little pay off……

“The future’s uncertain and the end is always near”

In the Alan Davis’s Elseworlds series JLA THE NAIL #3 (Nov 98) we get 3 Deadman pages -

Then in the Sequel JLA ANOTHER NAIL #2 (2004) we get 3 pages of Boston Brand action -

And then there’s just one ‘lil panel in ANOTHER NAIL #3 (2004)

In DAY OF VENGEANCE #1 (June 05) we spy Deadman hanging out in the Oblivion Bar

Lucky us, we also get one panel of Deadman crouching behind The Phantom Stranger in DAY OF VENGEANCE SPECIAL #1 (Mar 06)

In INFINITE CRISIS #6 (May 06) we get two tiny panels of the DM, first we spy his floating over Stonehenge……

…..then we see him holding hands, getting all touchy-freely -

This next one doesn’t really count, but for sake of completeness lets include it. In JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 (Vol #2, Oct 06) Red Tornado is talking to someone he thinks is Deadman -

This “Deadman” is helping Red Tornado change from a robot into a real man -

Annnddddd………. It winds up this DM is actually Felix Faust in disguise!

Since some bad stuff happens to him, in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3 (Vol #2, Dec 06) we see the Red Tornado going to Boston Brands grave looking for answers, and The Phantom Stranger fills him in on the deception -

Hey, here’s Deadman hanging out in the Oblivion Bar again, this time courtesy of TEEN TITANS #42 (Vol 3, Feb 07)

In INFINITE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1 (Dec 07) a number of inmates at Arkham Asylum are breaking out, but the Joker gets them to pause and wait for the guard change, claiming it will be easier to escape then. To pass the time the escapees-to-be tell scarey stories. In the final panel we discover Deadman has possessed the Joker the whole time and by stalling the bad guys he allowed the riot squad to arrive, there by saving the day.

In TRINITY #31 (Dec 08) i think there’s some other reality going on here, with yet another variation of the mystical JLA thrown out there -

Then in TRINITY #39 (Feb 09) Deadman is a background character in a big old all out fight, here’s a panel with him charging into battle -

From the same issue, we see him tussling with the Gentleman Ghost -

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #22 (Feb 09) is a sequel to ‘Kingdom Come’ and there’s a Where’s Waldo moment with a boney Deadman hanging out at a funeral in one panel -

And finally for this cameo post here’s our buddy being involved in a bar fight in the Oblivion Bar in SUPERMAN / BATMAN #56 (Apr 09)

Finally I’m playing around with the scanner, adding more of the multitude of Deadman cameos I’ve found. I’m sure I’ve missed some, so lets continue with this on going project -

I reviewed it HERE -
http://deadmanissuebyissue.tumblr.com/post/6976709630/superman-family-183-may-june-77

And here’s the actual panels from SUPERMAN FAMILY #183 (June 77)

in DC COMICS PRESENTS #38 (Oct 81) George Perez drew a gathering of Superman & all of his co-stars, including Deadman -

Here’s a close up -

In SWAMP THING #55 (Dec 86) everyone thinks Swamp Thing is dead and our buddy Boston shows up and creeps out Swampys mourning girlfriend, and gets an innocent by-stander in trouble to boot -

In SECRET ORIGINS #27 (June 88) we get a one panel COIE flashback during Zatanna’s tale with nice art work by Tom Artis & P. Craig Russel -

in GREEN LANTERN #81 (Dec 96) Hal Jordan has died so of course DM has to pop up at his funeral (drawn Kelley Jones style) and hang with the Batman -

In THE KINGDOM #1 (Feb 99) Mark Waid (w/ artist Ariel Olivetti) follows up the Kingdom Come series. A boney Deadman is on 5 pages, welcoming dead Supermen to the afterlife.
Here’s 3 of them……..

In a story I haven’t fully read (so I don’t understand) printed in JUSTICE LEAGUES : JUSTICE LEAGUE OF ATLANTIS #1 (Mar 01) as a precursor to Justice League Dark we see Deadman as part of the Justice League of Apostles -

In the 4 issue mini series ‘JLA Black Baptism’ all of the magical folk are in trouble, and in BLACK BAPTISM #1 (May 01) we see Deadman stuck in a tube -

And then in BLACK BAPTISM #4 (Aug 01) we see our freed hero looking pretty nonchalant since he was trapped the whole time and was unable to do anything positive - yay cameos!

In DR. FATE #1 (Oct 03) it’s almost not worth sharing this one - can see Deadman behind Dr. Fates big old stupid head?
My OCD is making me include it…..

And finally for this post, here’s 3 pages of alternative universe Deadman fighting (and losing) against a twisted Bats & Supes from SUPERMAN / BATMAN #15 (Feb 05). The actual full story is pretty cool, but since this is the only bit with Deadman I ain’t gonna write out the full plot.
But it would be worth yer time to look up the full story!

Should I be counting these cameos as Batman meetings? I dunno - you tell me!

Coming up soon - cameos 2005-2010, Brightest Day, Flashpoint & New 52 reviews - really!

Hey look - there’s another Deadman toy!

To anyone who reads this blog - sorry for the absence. I had planned on doing up a big old entry on the history of Nanda Parbat and the continuity errors that popped up when Nanda Parbat was used in non-Deadman comics, but when the whole new DC 52 thing reset the DC universe and most continuity got thrown out the window I kinda lost interest in doing it.

But I have continued to read the current batch of comics with Deadman appearances, from the good (DC Universe Presents) the bad (Hawk & Dove) and the gonna-wait-and-see (Justice League Dark). So I do plan on doing some catch up blogging soon. And I plan on reviewing Brightest Day, which I’ve read and enjoyed twice so far, so I’m looking forward to a 3rd reading w/ reviews. 

I’m just waiting for me to get into a scanning mood and do up another big post on Deadman Cameos from 2001 - to current date, plus a few from the 70’s/80’s that I missed the first time.

And from then on, who knows what the future holds?

Brian Foss

PS - I know a little bit about what the future holds - I plan on doing an Essential Master Of King Fu blog similar to this one! Whoop whoop!

W - Geoff Johns
A - Ivan Reis
I - Oclair Albert / Joe Prado
C - Ivan Reis

Lets keep this brief. Tons of other folks have written about the Blackest Night series better than I can, and to be honest, when I started this blog I didn’t really plan on making into the modern era. If I really get in depth and review this that means I have to keep on reviewing modern Deadman comics, and he’s in a lot of comics these days! So yeah, lets just mark this important issue with the comic itself.

Long and short of - Deadman (and other dead heroes) gets ‘shot’ with a white lantern ring and lives again!




But he doesn’t like it -


This leads to the BRIGHTEST DAY 24 issue series where good old Boston Brand plays a big part………………..

Deadman Walking

A - Ardian Syaf
I - Vicente Cifuentes
C - Ardian Syaf

One of the neat things they did during the Blackest Night event was put out some one-shots of canceled series numbered after the last issue of their normal series. So the last regular Phantom Stranger issue was #41 and thanks to  Blackest Night we get a PS #42.

We start off this issue with the Stranger fighting a black lantern infected Spectre. The battle happens in Boston Brands graveyard, and as the Spectre flys off looking for a plot the Phantom Stranger and a blue demon guy go hunting for Deadman - why not? They find him at Nanda Parbat, flying into black lantrern zombies, taking brief control of them just to rip them up and shred their bodies. DM & PS confusingly fart around with each other before DM brings the black lantern Deadman body into Nanda Parbat, which allows him to purge the body of the black lantern cooties. At the end of the comic since Peter Tomasi seems to think Deadman can read minds (hint - he can’t!), DM has some info he gathered from possessing his zombies corpse that he needs to take to Hal Jordan.
Or something.
Fly off to Blackest Night #8, my sweet Deadman, fly!

There’s also I-pod jokes and promises of ice cream.

Have I said I like Ardian Syaf’s artwork? It is nice to look at, but no real personality.

What is it with modern comics where all the artists are generally very clean and professional looking? When I was a kid we’d get weird art from people like Don Perlin, Ron Wilson, Frank Springer, Sal Buscema and Herb Trimpe. I didn’t always like those guys, but you could tell their style a mile away. Todays comic art all look the same to me - very pretty, sure. But generic and cookie cutter.
This “when i was young” moment was brought to you by Andy Rooney.

So yeah, they made an action figure out of the Black lantern Deadman - scary stuff!

After the Batman mini Deadman also makes a few cameos…..

In GREEN LANTERN #49 (Feb 10) Deadman shows up in one panel to save short stuff The Atom and Auqamans lady Mera from a black lantern meanie -

This lead to one page in BLACKEST NIGHT #6 (Feb 10)

Then no more Deadman until the Phantom Stranger one shot & Blackest Night #8.

Where did he go? What exactly does this stuff mean?

Don’t ask me……

  Who Burns Who
  Part 3

W - Peter Tomasi

A - Ardian Syaf
I - Vicente Cifuentes
C -Alex Sinclair

Crashed in a graveyard that somehow also has a giant circus tent erected overhead (plus a movie set looking kitchen mock up!?!?), things get really DUMB. Robin has to save the Commish and Babs, while Deadman goes and wrangles up The Demon. Batman Grayson and Red Robin buddy up with their zombie family until - surprise! - them zombies get hungry for some beatin’ hearts. Chumps!

Deadman shows up with The Demon and Bats jr.’s big idea to save the day is to use Mr Freezes freeze gun and freeze the living until the dead wander off, then with Deadmans help they busta outta their giant ice cubes, no worse for wear.
Yeah, right……

Once again they show Deadman being able to get inside possessed heads, plus it’s shown to be a 2 way street. If DM could do that in his original series he coulda figured out who his killer was with no effort at all. When lazy writers give Deadman this power it shows a total lack of understanding of what makes this character work, so stop it!

So yeah, i like the first issue - nice build up! Then the 2nd is nail biting action - cool. But then issue #3 = a D-U-M-B disappointment.

A - Ardian Syaf
I - Vicente Cifuentes

C - Bill Sienkiewicz

Them walking dead lanterns are ripping and a killing all over Gotham city, and the police station is overrun, putting Commissioner Gordon and his crippled daughter Barbara in danger. With dead and post-heart-ripped cop corpses laying all about Deadman takes over Barbara “Batgirl/Oracle” Gordan and gets her and the commish’ to safety. Batman (Grayson) and Robin (Damian) bring out flamethrowers for a zombie char broil, and yet another Robin (Red Robin this time) shows up flying some kinda black blister jet. Then dead family members show up, freaking everyone out, so there’s a crash and we’re on the the next issue.

This comic is pretty much all action, and except for the continued error of having Deadman read minds, over all this is enjoyable.

And just because I’m sweet on ya, here’s a little links action for ya -

http://comics.ign.com/articles/102/1022298p1.html
http://www.mania.com/batman-blackest-night-2-review_article_117590.html
http://atthehallofjustice.blogspot.com/2009/09/blackest-night-batman-2.html

Who Burns Who

Part 1

W - Peter Tomasi

A - Ardian Syaf

There’s one big major continuity error - Deadman is able to read the minds of those he takes over here, and of course Deadman normally does not have that power. 

At one point Deadman takes over the new Robin, Bruce Waynes kid Damian. In this issue DM is able to read minds, and its sad he doesn’t take the chance to remark on the fact that Damians grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul, is the son of Deadmans arch villian, the Sensei. So yep, the current Robin, Damian Wayne, is the great grandson of The Sensei.

Anyhoo, while a decent read this comic is more build up than anything else. So we just get bat-talk information sharing, more zombies coming alive, and the bat signal is shining so we’re off to issue #2.

Batman Count - No Bruce Wayne means no real Batman, so I ain’t counting this one.

Here’s a nice page from this issue -