He's Here, He's There, He's Everywhere!

Etrigan, taunting DC readers

Is Etrigan the Demon the new Lobo?  Anybody remember back in the 90s when Lobo was turning up EVERYWHERE in DC comics?   Did anybody really like him?  Or was it a just a marketing push, thinking that if we were exposed to him enough, he'd eventually wear us down, and we'd begin to want to see more of him?  You know, kinda like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan.  

It seems that DC's new Lobo is Etrigan the Demon.  He seems to be popping up in all of the DC comic books I read, and his rhyming speech is as annoying as reading Zatanna's backward spells.  Are there people out there that go ga-ga for Etrigan appearances?  And, if so, are they aware of this ailment from which they suffer?  

Tiny Titans Etrigan

Even the Tiny Titans aren't safe!

Enough with Etrigan, I say!  Let's put him in Hell and leave him there! 

Tiny Titans...Awww, Yeah!

Confession:  I love Tiny Titans.  And I'm not talking about Mexican midget wrestling. 

Tiny Titans is a DC Comic featuring toddler versions of your favorite Teen Titans, mostly from the wildly popular and well-written 1980s New Teen Titans series.  Think Muppet Babies.  Or A Pup Named Scooby Doo.  Or even the Flintstone Kids.  The stories for Tiny Titans are set in a kid-friendly, elementary school environment.  They're simple, silly, cute, and usually contain some sort of moral from which kids can learn.  They're also fun for adults.  Although I have a hard time justifying the $2.99 price tag for a comic I can read in one-third the time of a regular comic, sometimes I just can't resist.  My justification is that this Titans book is better written (thanks to Art Balthazar and Franco Aureliani) than the current Teen Titans comic, written by the awful Felicia Henderson.

I just read the first issue of the three-issue mini-series Tiny Titans/Little Archie, featuring toddler versions of the Archie Comics characters paired up with the Tiny Titans.  Again, cute.  Robin's and Archie's clothes get mixed up at the drycleaners.  Archie's mom and Alfred, the butler, pick up the wrong clothing and bring it to the kids.  Since they both have an "r" on their shirt ("r" for Robin and "r" for Riverdale, Archie's hometown), the adults believe they have picked up the right clothing.  Archie freaks when he starts to put on the clothes and sees Robin's green underwear and booties.  The identity mix-up continues with their respective friends.  Fun and lighthearted.

Tiny Titans is a great way to introduce your youngest kids to the DC Comics characters.  The stories are wholesome, non-violent, and moral-teaching.  They're also great entertainment for adults.