loonyblog.

War games.

The following is a discussion about Batman #633. the final chapter in Act Three of "War Games." As such, it is loaded with spoilers. Do not continue reading unless you already have read this issue! (Or just don't care).

Still here? Good. Let's continue.

When it comes to those Big, Huge Crossover Events that comics go through every year or so, I tend to roll my eyes. I decided long ago that when it came to these, I would have one cardinal rule: unless the story in question was absolutely, unquestionably awesome, and I couldn't stand to miss a single issue, I would not buy a book I wouldn't have already purchased that month. Generally, this rule works reasonably well. I get the gist of the storyline, and I'm not forced to read books that center around characters I just don't like (in this case, Catwoman and Batgirl). It doesn't always work, mind you. Whoever was in charge of the overblown and never-ending Superman saga "Our Worlds at War" needs to be shot. That sprawling, bloated epic leapt across so many books that I only wound up reading every fifth or sixth chapter. And in the process, missed most of the major events. Of course, I cared so little about the storyline (even though there were some cool long-term effects on DC continuity), that I just couldn't wait for it to end.

In any event, this year's Batman event, "War Games" has actually been pretty good, and I've been able to read it pretty well while skipping those books I don't care about. It grew directly out of the Spoiler-as-Robin storyline, and I really liked where it was going.

That is, until the end of Batman #633, when they killed off Spoiler once and for all.

Thus ends the saga of the most underutilized character in the DC universe since the original Sandman. Of course, that character eventually got a cool Vertigo series (after a similarly titled, but largely unrelated series of its own), but this one never got to shine. Sigh. I always figured some day they'd do a Spoiler series, even if it turned out to be just a limited one.

Oh well. For the record, I will never doubt Augie's predictions ever again. Even when I seriously hope they're not true. With Spoiler gone, I return to pining away for a new Power Pack series. Seriously, you just know Power Pack Unlimited would rock. Either that or a Devil Dinosaur revival.

Posted by jason at October 30, 2004 03:19 PM | TrackBack | Read more: Comics