Phew.  After one hell of a hiatus, I have finally returned.  I will be making more blog posts in the future, but for now anyway, it's good to be back.
 
HAHAHAH!

OK then, I'm tired of doing rants so I thought I'd go back to working on What If...? Tales for DC.  For those that read my first blog post, you know how this works.  If not, I'll explain again:  These are What If...? tales for DC Comics (NOT the same as Elseworlds, just thought I'd make that clear) where I show what could have happened in the DCU had things gone differently.  So, without further adieu, let's get started. 
 
What If starring the Question...agent of Checkmate? 
For those who are unfamiliar, Checkmate is a crooked government organization in the DCU.  Two of their more well-known members are Maxwell Lord (You know, the guy who got killed by Wonder Woman on live TV) and Amanda Waller (Who's role on the the old JLU show you may be more familiar with)  Well, given their dirty dealings and shady activities, a conspiracy theorist like the Question would be against them right?  I would certainly think so.  Well, here, things are a little different.    Checkmate gets a hold of Vic Sage and try to convince him that they're not the bad guys.  They're just doing the necessary things that the superheroes never seem to have time to do, and they could certainly use someone like Vic Sage as an asset.  If he joins, he will have all the resources he requires and will be able to take down the criminals and the corrupt officials so much more easily then as a street-level vigilante.  Feeling that Checkmate makes a convincing argument and not sure how else he's going to get himself out of his current predicament, Question makes the right decision.  Checkmate makes good on their promise and Vic Sage now has unlimited resources with which to bust down on the criminal world the way he's always wanted.  He remains suspicious of Checkmate however, and as such pretends to remain gruff and distrustful, but deep down, he really dose feel a lot less cynical now, feeling that he might just be in a war he can win after all.  But then one day, Question finally manages to take down a top-tier drug runner that he's been chasing for a few days now.  Checkmate reveals that he is connected, and will walk.  Sure enough, the man dose go free.  Question, suspecting a protection racket, dose a little digging and finds to his horror that Checkmate is connected to numerous criminal operations.  He finds that while Checkmate dose deal with a lot of criminals, superhuman and otherwise, they're really just as bad as anyone they help put away.  To make things worse, Question also finds that Checkmate now owns him unconditionally.  He also, however, is able to get quite a bit of evidence, that if made public, would end Checkmate for good.  But now the real question is: How is he going to get himself out of this one?  Is it game over for Vic Sage?  Or will he escape again?

 
What if starring the Justice League, Absolute Power 
OK, this one has a bit of a story to it, though those who read Identity Crisis probably already know what this is about.  During the story, Dr. Light raped the Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny.  The Justice League felt that he had gone too far and planned to erase his memory of the event.  Things didn't quite go as planned, however, and Dr. Light was lobotomized.  Not quite what the JLA intended to do but they weren't exactly sorry that they did.  Batman, however, felt the league was abusing their power and opposed them.  They proceeded to lobotomize him too.  Now if they're going to be so full of themselves that they think they're justified to lobotomize one of their founders, why not feel justified to lobotomize actual supervillains?  Well, here, that's the school of thought, and the more self-righteous JLA start lobotomizing EVERY supervillain they fight.  From D-Listers like Toyman and Mad Hatter to guys like Metallo, Icicle, and even Joker.  Now, the League's sudden ends-justify-the-means views start to make the government a little nervous.  Enter Lex Luthor, who, ever since the JLA's adopoted their more vicious approach to things, has been having a field day, saying that what he's been saying all of these years about the JLA being trouble has finally been proven as fact.  And now, with the President's blessing, Luthor forms a team of "reformed" villains to oppose the JLA.  The league thinks Luthor's pulling another fast one, and take him and his group down hard.  All of the villains, including Luthor are Lobotomized.  That's right.  The JLA lobotomizes Lex Luthor.  They also threaten the President against pulling a stunt like that again.  Finally, Washington feels that they have no choice but to shut the JLA down.  They contact Checkmate (who I mentioned in the last story) and the organization immediately sets about waging war against the league (Kind of like the Cadmus arc in JLU only here the League actually are acting a little bit like bad guys)  Checkmate attempts to take down the League using a mix of stealth, sabotage, and deception.  Dose it work? 
 
Long story short, it dosen't.  And for the JLA, that's the final straw.  They atack Washington, yep, you heard that right, they attack Washington and more-or-less take over the government, a la the Justice Lords, only here we actually see them crush those that oppose them, which includes the remnants of Checkmate and what few villains are left.  Flash forward about a year or two later, and things are looking a lot like they did in the Justice League episode "A Better World."  Not every hero agrees with this though.  Namely Green Arrow.  They were supposed to be the heroes, but now they're nothing but tyrants.  Ollie expresses his views but the only heroes that agree with him are Flash, Wonder Woman, and Firestorm (of course, those are the most powerful guys, so it works)  The rest of the league feel Ollie's turning traitor and attack.  The four leaguers have no choice but to flee.  It's about then when they're picked up by Batman.  Ever since he recovered from his lobotomy, Batman's been looking for a way to take down the JLA, but it hasn't exactly been easy.  But the the arrival of these four leaguers might just give him the edge he needs.  You see, Batman's been forming his own team, and now, Ollie and friends are a part of it.   
 
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Outsiders Unlimited." 

What if starring Batman, last of the Green Lanterns!
When Hal Jordan became possessed by Parallax and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, Ganthet was the sole survivor, and only one Green Lantern ring remained.  That ring would go on to find Kyle Rayner, and he would become the last of the Green Lanterns to oppose Parallax.  But that ring could have easily gone to someone else right?  Now before you all say that the idea of Batman becoming a Green Lantern is gimmicky, allow me to explain my reasons.  For one, Batman has an incredible will, indomitable, is probably the word I would use.  He's gone through some of the worst physical, psychological, and emotional torture I've ever seen, but he never stops going.  Two, Bats never liked Hal Jordan.  He never liked his attitude, he never liked the way he did things, and he never trusted him with the kind of power that he wielded.  And now, Bats's suspicions about Hal have proven to be true.  Perhaps the only reason Batman never tried to stop Hal was because maybe he figured that Hal would be able to stay in check.  Well now, that's come back to bite him in the ass.  And now here, Bats has the power that he felt Hal didn't deserve.  He has the means with which to stop Jordan.  And as far as he's concerned, he is going to use it.  And no one is going to stop him.  Not Robin, not the Justice League, not even Ganthet if he tries.  Batman WILL take Hal Jordan down.
 
What if starring the Teen Titans, a couples special.   

OK, this here is 3 tales in one, so let's get started!

 
What if Dick Grayson DID marry Starfire? 
Dick Grayson and Starfire were going to get married, but the wedding was spoiled by Trigon when he possessed his daughter Raven and attacked the Titans.  Here, he isn't a factor, and Dick and Kori can get together.  Of course, even though they're together now, that dosen't mean they're going to stop being Titans.  And for a while, all goes well, until after a few years, Dick and Kori really do consider settling down, and with new Titans like Tim Drake and Connor Kent coming in, they see no reason to stick around, especially when Kori becomes preganant. They settle down and Dick Grayson may finally know happiness away from the life his mentor forged for him. 
And then there's the daughter...perhaps she will become a hero one day?
 
What if Dick Grayson fell for Raven instead? 
Dick Grayson was cheating on Starfire with Raven for a little while, but What If Dick chose to be with Raven right from the get-go?  I would think that would help her low self-esteem personally, though I'm also curious as to what would happen to Kori when she has no one to love? And of course, there's always Trigon to consider....

What if Bart Allen and Rose Wilson did get together?

No, I don't mean married.  What I mean is this: Bart Allen was attracted to Rose Wilson (Ravager) for a time, but the relationship never got far.  Eventually, Bart moved on.  But what if he actually had the guts to pursue his affections?  Well, ar first, Rose brushes him off, but secretly enjoys being loved.  As Bart's about to throw in the towel, Rose admits that she loves him too, and all is good.  At first.  Keep in mind, Ravager is Deathstroke's daughter.  How will daddy-dearest react when he learns that his daughter is seeing the resident teen speedster?  Let's just say that he shot a Kid Flash in the knee-caps before, and he'll gladly do it again. 
 
What if starring Kyle Rayner...Rise! 
For those that don't know, Kyle Rayner was dead for about 2 minutes in Blackest Night before being ressurected by Soranik Natu and one of the Star Sapphires.  As they were trying to resurrect him, black rings were trying to turn him into a Black Lantern.  Now What if Soranik and friends were a little too slow on the resurrection and one of the black rings was able to make Kyle a Black Lantern?  Well, upon becoming a Black Lantern, Kyle immediately kills Soranik Natu, making her a Black Lantern as well (Oh Irony!)  before the two rally the other Black Lanterns to cause trouble.  Soon, Isamot Kol is made a Black Lantern as well.  Seeing this, Vath Sarn goes nuts and starts gunning down Black Lanterns like a madman.  Oh wait.  Wasn't that already what he was doing?  It's also worth mentioning that in regular continuity, the Lanterns thought that they should let Guy remain a Red Lantern due to his unparalleled talent for killing Black Lanterns.  In regular continuity, Kyle refused to allow that.  Here, as he's a Black Lantern, there's no one who wants to stop Guy's rampage, and sure enough, Black Lanterns pile up by the dozen.  It's not long before Black Lantern Kyle orders all remaining Black Lanterns to focus all of their efforts on Guy Gardener.  Can they stop him?  I doubt it.  And what of the other Lanterns?  I kind of doubt that they're just going to stand around gawking.  Well, one things for sure, things are going to get bloody.

 

It has come to my attention that the shows that Marvel was coming up with in the 90s are pretty popular and a lot of people really seem to love them.  Well, I'm about to explain why one of the most well-known ones, Spider-Man the Animated Series is one of or the worst cartoons I have ever seen.  I know some of you may just love these 90s shows, so if you think I'm full of it, you can stop reading, OR, you can hear what I have to say.  Note that this is going to probably sound like a rant, so if you don't like rants, then you may want to stop reading. 
 
For those that remain, allow me to tell you why this show sucked.... 
  
Now I've seen several episodes of this show, and I myself am a true-blue Spider-Man fan.  But this....this was bad.  Why?  Here's a list of reasons: 
  
1. Bad Voice acting, and even worse dialogue. 
2. Bad forced angst.
3. No Gwen Stacy, except as the girlfriend to an alternate Spider-Man.  They also didn't really accurately portray her persoanlity either.
4. The fact that they did the Hobgoblin before the Green Goblin.  (Now, I like Hobgoblin, but you don't put him before Green Goblin, it just dosen't make any sense)
5. The fact that we got Hydro-Man, but not Sandman. Sandman isn't my favorite Spider-Man villain, but he's a major one and it makes sense for him to be on the show.  And he never appeared.  Instead, we got guys like the Spot, Morbius, and the aforementioned Hyrdo-Man.  Big f---ing deal.
6. Laser-Guns.  That's right.  Laser-Guns.  I understand if they don't want any blood and gore in the show, but come on, Laser-Guns in modern times?  And for EVERYONE?  Just saying.  They should have had guns with bullets but just not have anyone get hit by them.  I mean, Spider-Man's not considered one of the most agile guys around for nothing, folks.   

7. Electro being the Red Skull's son, and Chameleon being his step-brother.  I'm sorry, but everyone has to admit that was stupid.
8. A very crappy interpretation of Osborn being struck by his own glider.  In the show, all being struck by his own glider dose is knock him into a dimensional portal.  Lame. 
9. Norman Osborn and Doctor Octopus, largely considered to be Spider-Man's two greatest enemies, here, are just whiney minions of the Kingpin.  The Kingpin himself was WAY overused.  He was pretty much the main villain of the show, which really, really sucked.  I don't like Kingpin.  I think he is way overrated and overused.  To make him the main villain on the show, and just have Spider-Man's two top foes as his puppets is just bogus and is a pathetic attempt to make Kingpin seem cool.  It's also worth mentioning that he had a righthand goon who looked like a Two-Face rip-off.  He really sucked.
10. Tombstone's origin in the show was a rip-off of the Joker's most widely accepted origin.  Of course, to be fair, I don't like Tombstone in general, but the Spectacular Spider-Man show made him cool.
11. Mary Jane being devoid of much of a personality, and being rather dull because of it.  I seem to remember not caring that she had apparently returned from the dead, or that Peter wanted to marry her.
12. Super Soldier Black Cat, which included her getting white hair by "powering up".  Now tell me you don't think that's silly.   
13. Venom had big lips.  I don't think I really need to go into details on that one.  Just that if you thought Topher Grace was a bad Venom, you ain't seen nothing yet.  
14. The fact that the Sinister Six was called the INSIDIOUS SIX.  Because they thought "Sinister" was to quote Wikipedia "Too menacing a word for children."  I'm sorry, but that is flat-out nonsense.  I can't possibly fathom what the hell those Fox Censors were thinking.   
15. A clone of Mary Jane with Hydro-Man's powers?  Are we even being serious here?  And the only reason they did that was because here, for some idioitic reason, they liked the idea of Hydro-Man being obsessed with Mary Jane.  Ridiculous much?  
16. The Series finale (which was never finished because the show was thank G-d, finally cancelled.) The first half of said series finale was a pathetic adaption of Secret Wars, and the second half being a team of Spider-Men taking on Spider-Carnage, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, and....Kingpin AGAIN!!!  Admittingly, the idea of a team of Spider-Men working together sounds cool, but just get Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions when it comes out.  I can assure you it's a much cooler version of the episodes.
17. The fact that their was WAY TOO MANY ROMANCES!  Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance, but here, EVERYONE had a love interest.  Scorpion! Mysterio! Blade!  Prowler! The Spot!  Yep, the Spot had a love interest, can you believe that?  A Z-List Spider-Man villain and they go out of their way to give him a love interest.  That's just silly. And they also made really, really random couples.  If you thought Hawkgirl and John Stewart on JLU was weird, you haven't seen anything yet.  Besides the Hydro-Man Mary Jane one I mentioned earlier, they had Blade having a thing for a detective who worked with Spider-Man a lot, AND they had a Morbius-Felicia Hardy-Deborah Whitman love triangle.  That's so silly I don't even know where to start.  Morbius was way too prominent in the show by the way.  While he's definintely better then the Spot that's not exactly high praise.  He's still a lame villain in my opinion.  To me, he's just an excuse to have a vampire.  And to give him a romance with Black Cat is just plain 
stupid.
 18. And finally, on top of everything else, the complete and total lack of convincing action.  You want to know why Batman the Animated Series and all of the other DC shows made by those guys worked?  Because they knew that with shows about superheroes, people will get punched, kicked, and just plain roughed up.  The aforementioned usage of Laser Guns, the fact that glass could not be broken (I'm not kidding with that one) and the fact that I can't recall a single time when anyone got punched or kicked fails this show.  Come on Marvel.  You too Fox.  And I know why they did it too.  Because they didn't want the show to be too violent for the little kids.  I feel I must mention that EVERY LITTLE KID I know (except maybe my cousins) love their violence.  Some just can't get enough of it.  I bet that if I showed an episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series to these little kids I know, most of them will probably think it's crap, or at the least, needs more action.  I almost guarantee it.
 
I think I've just proved why the show was horrible, having just given 18 reasons why.  Now, don't get me wrong, I acknowledge that this was a different time (the 90s) but that was also (for me) the time when comics were really starting to get good (well, some of them anyway) and you would think that after Batman the Animated Series, followed by both Superman the Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, Marvel would see what DC was doing right and step up their game.  Nope.  Instead, the same problems present in Spider-Man the animated Series, and the shows that came before it, would go on to be present in the other Marvel shows of that era, and even into more recent shows like Wolverine and the X-Men.  I'm sorry, but that's just pathetic.   
 
Now, just to prove that I'm not the only one who hated this show, I found a list on another website that gives many of the exact same problems I've listed. 

http://fans.marvel.com/go/thread/view/108222/23291506/Spectacular_Spider-Man    
If you look at this link you will find a list that looks an awful lot like mine.  That's because I agree with every point this guy made.  And it was only after reading it did I realize how right he was and made this rant. 
 
So yeah, in my mind, to say the 90s Spider-Man show was horrible, is a GROSS understatement.  It is a complete disgrace to every single character that ever appeared on that show.  And I have absolutely no regrets in saying that.

Where to begin?  Well, to start, this is my first-ever blog post.  With that out of the way, I think I'll show off a few What If...? ideas for DC that I've had.  I've been a diehard What If...? fan (the classic ones anyway) for a long time.  So why not see a few for DC?  Well, that's exactly what I'm doing here.  These are ideas for What If...? tales for DC Comics.  They're all divergents of New Earth, and I show what could have happened had things gone differently.  Now I prefer to keep these open-ended, because A: I'm often incapable of coming up with a good ending for them and B: Why not let other people decide how they end? So, with everything else out of the way, here goes: 
 
What if Batman never joined the Justice League?     
When the Justice League of America was first formed, Batman was one of it's founders.  But this was Batman in his early years.  He was less of a family man then and more of a lone wolf.  So what if he couldn't get over this loner attitude?  What if he just couldn't bring himself to trust others enough to work with them?  So, Batman dosen't join.  But the other founders still put together the Justice League.  And of course, with guys like Superman and Martian Manhunter there, victory comes easily enough.  At first.  But what about all of those times in regular continuity when Batman was the only reason the JLA won in the end?  How would the League prevail here without Batman's scientific asset, strategy, and cunning?  Will they be able to defeat certain foes without the master strategist there to provide a plan that will work?  And suppose the JLA still win, would it be harder?  Would the Justice League even be able to stay together as a team?  Admittingly, I'm thinking worse case scenario.  Of course, who's to say that's the case?  Maybe the JLA will get by just fine without Bats and he can dedicate all of his time to protecting Gotham City.  But, given how DC's always made Batman the one who saves the day more times then Superman it seems, I doubt that things would go that smoothly... 

What If Hal Jordan was not possessed by Parallax? 
It was recently revealed in Green Lantern: Rebirth that before he completely possessed him, Parallax had been trying to take over Hal Jordan for quite some time.  Parallax's hold on Hal was apparently the reason he went gray so early.  But he never gave it much thought.  Here though, upon seeing those gray temples, Hal suspects something is amiss before Coast City is destroyed and Parallax takes control of him, and he intends to do something about it.  He first goes to the Justice League, and using a mix of the league's scientific equipment, Zatanna's magic, and J'onn's telepathy, they are able to figure out what's wrong with him.  Hal goes to the Guardians next, and they're able to cut off Parallax's hold on him.  Now, the guy who woke Parallax up in the first place was Sinestro, so with his plot foiled, he takes the initiative, and bonds with Parallax himself.  Now with the power of the fear entity backing him up, Sinestro easily escapes from the central power battery and makes sure to destroy it as well, leaving the GLC powerless.  Of course, the Guardians can still pose a threat, so Sinestro/Parallax flees rather then stand and fight, but vows to return and kill them all, and, to show he means what he says, makes sure to slaughter several helpless Green Lanterns on his way out.  As the GLC set about rebuilding the power battery, Sinestro/Parallax forms the Sinestro Corps more early then he dose in regular continuity.  It's not long after the GLC have finished rebuilding the central power battery (and realizing that their rings now work on yellow) when Sinestro's Corp show up to raise hell.  War erupts as it did in regular continuity but far earlier here.  Also, here there is no Kyle Rayner.  No Sodom Yat.  Who will be Ion to oppose Parallax and lead the Green Lantern Corps?  Hal dosen't want it.  Guy dosen't deserve it.  John's not ready for it.  Who will it be?  Let's just say those poozers in the Sinestro Corps won't know what hit them.  
 
What if Jason Todd stayed on the Teen Titans? 
Jason Todd was on the Teen Titans for a brief period of time.  I'll admit, I'm not saavy on the details, but Jason WAS on the team for a while, before dying and coming back a psychopath and all.  So, what if after the initial adventure, Jason liked the respect he got on the team so much that he decided to stay? (Or perhaps it has more to do with Donna...) Bruce is a little disappointed to be fighting solo again, but figures this might be good for Jason, since he seems to do better fighting alongside a team of fellow teen heroes then he dose taking orders from him, and that they might be able to keep his rebellious attitude and obnoxious nature under control.  And it is good for Jason.  For starters, he's never killed by the Joker here, which means that Bruce never gets thrown into a pit of despair and therefore Tim never has any reason to become the new Robin.  Gotham City never knows the hand of the Red Hood.  As for Jason, he really dose do well as a hero with his fellow Titans there to support him every step of the way.  As time passes, Jason becomes a lot less whiny and obnoxious and a lot more effective, but he dose remain a little bit overconfident and full of himself.  And of course, as the years go by, Jason knows that he can't be a boy wonder anymore, but he can still be Robin.  Just a different kind of Robin (anyone who's read Kingdom Come or knows what Tim Drake's currently doing should know what I'm referring to)  So all seems better in the long run.  But there are trade-offs.  For starters, Wondergirl (Cassie) and Impulse/Kid Flash (Bart Allen) can't stand Jason's attitude and never join the Teen Titans as a result.  Superboy dose join but he dosen't like Jason much either.  If you thought that Superman and Batman didn't get along you ain't seen nothing yet.  The two can barely stand each-other and are soon just as much at each-other's throats as they are at their enemies.  And as time progesses, Jason begins to realize that his friendship with Donna Troy is becoming far more then just a friendship.  She was, after all, part of the reason he stayed on the team in the first place here.  But she seems ever-reluctant to pursue those feelings, which starts to really get to him.  And needless to say, Jason's feelings for Donna put him into conflict with Kyle Rayner, and that's not even the least of it.  For the day Donna Troy dies here just like she did in regular continuity is the day the shit hits the fan.
 

What If Bane killed Batman? 
It's a well-known tale, Bane breaking Batman's back.  But suppose things went differently?  What if Bane got a little carried away in the beating he gave Batman?  What if Bats just didn't have the strength to take the beating?  Or perhaps, in his moment of triumph, Bane decided, "you know what?  Screw it.  I'm not going to break you.  I'm going to KILL you."  Regardless, Batman's dead, and you know that will bring problems.  Gotham City is soon firmly in Bane's pocket, and with Bruce dead instead of just in traction, there's no one to contact Jean-Paul Valley.  Tim's good, he's got skills.  But he can't do it alone.  He needs help.  He needs a Batman.  Gotham needs a Batman.  But who will it be?  Tim knows exactly who it will be.  Who it has to be.  At first, Dick flatly refuses.  But Tim begs, and pleads, and practically gets down on his knees, and finally, Dick caves in.  So now, Dick Grayson, in a fusion of his modern Nightwing look and the Batman Beyond costume (Try to picture that as best you can) hits the streets of Gotham, fighting alongside Robin, Huntress, what's left of the GCPD, and even Anarky in his fight to get Gotham City back from Bane.  Of course, in the end, it will all come down to Dick Grayson and Bane.  Will he be able to succeed where Bruce Wayne failed?  And if he can beat Bane, will his mentor's death possibly tempt him to go too far?  And if he IS tempted to go too far, will he give in?  Will Tim be able to stop him if he tries?  And as for Bruce Wayne, when news of his death reaches a certain dark lair, Ras al Ghul prepares a Lazarus pit... 
 
What if Kal-El's shuttle landed in Themiscyra? 
It was all chance really.  Baby Kal-El's shuttle landing in Kansas and into the arms of a couple that taught him how to be a perfect man.  And throughout DC's long history, there have been Elseworlds tales of his shuttle landing in Communist Russia, Gotham City, and even Apokolips, of all places.  So now, the shuttle lands in a different alternate location.  An island inhabited by a proud, sexist, and rather hypocritical band of female warriors.  Upon discovering the shuttle, the amazons debate on what to do with the infant within.  Many want to send him to Man's World, but others question if that's a good idea, pointing out that men could easily abuse whatever talents this boy may posses.  No, it may just be better to keep him here.  At least that's what Hippolyta decides when she decides to raise Kal-El herself, much to many amazon's disgust.   
But what of the other players?  When Kal-El is raised alongside Diana, will a romantic relationship between the two develop like it dose in so many alternate realities or will they see themselves more as brother and sister?  Artemis hates seeing a man wearing the amazon's colors, especially a man who gorws up to be stronger then her, or any other amazon for that matter.  But how far will her hatred go?  And of course, when Kal-El and Diana come to Man's world as ambassadors, Lex Luthor hates the idea of a couple of demi-gods striding in to force themselves on the mortals.  But will he take them on alone, or will he perhaps be tempted to seek the aid of a certain ancient war-mongerer from Greek mythology who's never really liked the amazons much...