Baseball Journal May 2025 Part 3

Part 2

5-18-25

Both teams were swinging away early in the count in today’s Rangers and Astros game.    It was like they had an early tee time.    Balls and strikes calls were inconsistent enough to where you might as well swing.    For a moment in the third, it seemed like both teams were about to rush the field at the ump.    The Rangers broke through in the fourth for three runs to start the scoring.   

By the end of the top of the fifth, announcer Eric Nadel pointedly mentioned that the Astros had no hits.    Jack Leiter was in unknown territory in the seventh, his longest ever outing, but still with a low pitch count.    With two outs and a full count, Yainer Diaz broke up the no-no with a home run.    Leiter came out in the eighth after giving up back-to-back hits.    The Arlington crowd gave him a big cheer.    The next reliever threw one pitch and had to come out of the game with an arm problem.    The next replacement gave up a three-run homer to give the Astros the lead and a 4-3 win.    Disappointing to say the least.   

5-19-25

One game on tap for me tonight, but it was a good one.    The Royals were playing the Giants and it was 0-0 going into the eighth.    Royals’ pitcher, Kris Bubic, was riding a no-hitter into the sixth.    The Giants’ broadcasters were not talking about it.    The MLB.TV site had flagged it, which was how I found out about it.    There was a grounder to second that the fielder slipped trying to get that was initially ruled an error, but I knew they’d change it and that happened.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants had runners on second and third with one out.    A line drive caught at third doubled off the runner there to suddenly end the inning.    In the top of the eighth, after a double by Jonathan India, Vinnie Pasquantino slapped a two-run homer to right.    That’s not a cheap home run, folks.    In the bottom, Jung Hoo Lee thrilled his legion of fans in the stands by driving in a run.    Also in the inning, Royal catcher and captain, Salvador Perez, was scolded by the home plate ump for wiping the plate.    You’d think he’d know better.    The Royals added one in the ninth and went on to win, 3-1.    And I got to watch Laura Britt on the Giants’ postgame, which was a bonus.   

5-21-25

Yesterday, the Chihuahuas were up by 4 in the eighth before the Rainiers erupted for 7 runs and won the game.    They played a day game to today that I only listened to bits and pieces of while the Aggies’ conference tournament game was on.    The Chihuahuas won 7-6 in a back-and-forth game.    They’d had the lead, lost it, came back late, and had to hold on in the ninth.    Of more serious concern, the Chihuahuas’ closer, Reese Knehr, came in in the ninth, made one pitch, and then walked straight off the mound.    As judging to what happened yesterday, the pups can hardly afford to lose a good reliever.

5-22-25

I heard the end of the Aggies getting eliminated from the C-USA tournament just in time to hear the Rangers play the Yankees.    It was a cold and rainy day in New York and nobody was hitting.    The final was 1-0 Yankees.    A rookie hit his first home run to the short porch in right for the win.    The Rangers wasted a great pitching performance from Nathan Evoldi.    Even hiring a new batting coach hasn’t helped Texas.    What a disappointing morning.

At least things went better in the evening. I watched the Nationals beat the Braves in ten innings, 8-7. It was a good close game with some back-and-forth scoring. The Nat’s third baseman made an error in the ninth that led to the Braves tying the score. On the next play, a go-ahead run for the Braves was thrown out at the plate.

“Why am I rooting for the Nat’s?” I asked myself. There was graphic shown in the broadcast that explained it to me. It showed the results of that massive trade a couple of years ago between the Padres and the Nationals. The Padres basically rented Juan Soto for a season. In turn, the Nationals raided their cupboard of all of the Padres’ best prospects, included a guy who got called up today. He got his first hit in front of his family there, and they were thrilled. Anyway, most of those prospects were former Chihuahuas. On that note, the pups won, 6-2, tonight over the Rainiers. They had a thrilling five-run inning that sent ten batters to the plate.

5-29-25

Today’s MLB.TV Free Game was brutal. The Blue Jays beat the A’s, 12-0, which included an eight-run second. The A’s actually played pretty well when the season started, but the wheels have completely come off, especially with their pitching.

The Chihuahuas beat the Rivercats, 8-5. Mike Brousseau hit a grand slam after three walks loaded the bases. In the other dugout, former Aggie, Daniel Johnson, left the bases loaded in his first at bat, but came back in the third with a three-run homer.

5-30-25

I had to skip over tonight’s Chihuahuas game as the MLB.TV Free Game was audio-only between the Diamondbacks and the Nationals. I wanted to listen because retired play-by-play guy, Greg Schulte, was back filling in. It was a little awkward given that the Dbacks had named the booth after him. I was really busy with month end processing, but what I heard was a good back-and-forth game though it didn’t go Arizona’s way in a 9-7 loss. Greg seemed so disappointed, if not bitter. He’s still a diehard fan.

Meanwhile on the scoreboard, the Rangers finally figured out which end of the bat to hold and had an 11-1 over the Cardinals. Sorry, Aunt Judy. (She was unhappy.)

5-31-25

And the actual Rangers showed up the next day in a 2-0 loss to Cardinals. I had some kind of trouble with my portable radio while at dad’s apartment and only got to listen to the final two innings when I went back home. Maybe that was just as well.

I was over my dad’s watching a Softball College World Series game between Oklahoma and Texas. It was a very tight game, but Texas got their first win over Oklahoma in CWS game, 4-2. Maybe they’ll meet again in the finals for a rematch. The game did feature two pretty starters for the teams, so it was an easy watch. The Texas starter had lost her beloved grandma this morning and still got the complete game win. Bless her heart.

Okay, the big news: I got a shout out on Chihuahuas baseball tonight. I’d sent broadcaster Tim Hagerty a couple of e-mails about former Aggie, Daniel Johnson, last night. Tim mentioned me by name and what I’d sent about Daniel. What a thrill!

DJ was also thrilled. He hit a home run tonight for the Rivercats. That’s the third game in a row he’s homered. (I missed him doing it last night.) The Chihuahuas’ first batter of the game homered and that held up until the fifth, when they brought in some relievers and got hammered, 8-1. It was Dino Night in Sacramento. I don’t know what that means other than some music from Jurassic Park.

Baseball Journal May 2025 Part 2

Part 1 

5-11-25

What a night of baseball!    I don’t have this exactly in chronological order, but I got to see a bunch games tonight.    It started with the Chihuahuas in Las Vegas playing the Aviators.    The pups went down 8-0 in the first inning with 6 of those runs being unearned, as they occurred after a two-out error.    By the eighth, it was 17-2, and the Chihuahuas brought in a position player to pitch.    The player gave up a three-run homer on his first pitch.    It was that kind of night.    That was a 20-2 loss.

I switched over to the Padres and the Angels, which was going on at the same time, but kept getting distracted by a slew of extra innings games.    First, I tuned into the Red Sox at the Tigers.    A surprise two-run homer in the eleventh by the Red Sox put them up. Even more surprising, Javier Baez came up in the bottom with two on and blasted a three-run walkoff.    10-9 Tigers win.    Baez is finally having some rejuvenation in his career.   

Another then another extra innings game came on: White Sox at Reds.    The Sox scored four in the tenth including a three-run homer to win, 5-1.    Back in San Diego, the Padres were down 4-2 in the eighth.    An RBI single and a wild pitch brought in the tying run.    In the ninth, Fernando Tatis Jr. walked it off with a two-run homer.    He stood there for a moment to admire the shot and soak in the adulation from the full-house crowd.    6-4 Padres.

A third extra innings game popped up.    (Thank goodness for the free runner at second rule.)    The Yankees were at the Mariners in a 1-1 tie in the tenth.    The M’s would win it, 2-1, in the eleventh.    The Mariners’ announcer called it a win over the “Evil Empire.”    Meanwhile, another game with another evil empire also went final.    The lowly homeless A’s beat the Dodgers in LA, 11-1!    Justice is served.   

One consistent topic in these games with the commentators was Pete Rose.    The Commissioner ruled today that players who had received a lifetime ban would be lifted from that status if they were deceased.    This allows for Rose to finally be voted into the Hall of Fame.    I have mixed feelings about this, but I’m in the minority.    I think most fans will be overjoyed with his election and certainly his playing accomplishments merit it.

5-14-25

Yu Darvish made a sudden rehab start for the Chihuahuas tonight against the Aviators.    It was a surprise to me, otherwise would have tuned in and listened on time.    Darvish gave up a two-run homer in the first, but otherwise went four good innings and finished strong.   

It seemed like Las Vegas had an opposing batter walk-up song promotion going, but I wasn’t sure.    I kept hearing music for Chihuahuas batters.    One clever song I heard was for a looking strikeout when they played U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.    It was a 6-4 loss for the pups, but they did make a ninth inning comeback.    Announcer Tim Hagerty talked about a left-handed catcher late in the game, but I missed the details.    I don’t think such a unicorn was in today’s game, but somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the MLB.TV free game was the Marlins versus the Cubs.    The Marlins won to sweep the Cubs, but both teams were fighting the elements.    There was a fog/mist/smoke over the stadium for the game that kept getting worse as the game went on.    By the ninth, I could hardly believe they were still playing.    A popup in the outfield nearly hit the fielder after he got under it.   

5-16-25

Last week, I got that free day off from a gas leak at work.    Today was the day I finally caught up from that day.    I guess I paid for that.    I don’t know how I got any work done because it was a FREE Weekend on MLB.TV!    And it was Rivalry Weekend as well!    Yay!    You bet I took full advantage of this.    I started off with the Indians at the Reds.    The Reds were up 5-0 when I started watching, but ended up squeaking out a, 5-4, win.

During the Reds game, the marquee matchup of the night started, Mets at Yankees.    It was a friendly “Welcome home!” from the Bronx crowd to Juan Soto, who had left the Yankees to play for the Mets this season.    They gave him a loud “cheer” every time he came to plate.    The Bleacher Creatures in the outfield would give him a “standing ovation” when he’d take his position there.    If you can imagine an entire section of fans turning their backs to the field, that was it.    I wasn’t entirely pleased either with Yankee free agent acquisition.  Paul Goldschmidt is currently batting .346 with a .901 OPS.    Why didn’t you bat like that with Cardinals!    (Answer: Because he wasn’t behind .400+ hitting Aaron Judge there.)    Yankees win, 6-2.

By this point, there were several games going.    The Tigers were at the Blue Jays.    I saw Javier Baez make a diving catch in the outfield then double off a runner at first.    He just started playing in the outfield this season and I was impressed . . . until missed on a line drive in the ninth.    But, Tigers win, 5-4.   

The Braves were at the Red Sox.    The Sox were wearing their new Green Monster green-colored City Connect jerseys.    They were very sharp.    It was 2-1 Braves in the top of the ninth, where Sox pitching walked in two runs to give the Braves a 4-2 win.

By this point, I had at least four games going.    MLB.TV had caught on and wasn’t letting me open up any more games.    The only reason I got this many was because I had the games going in four different browsers.   

The hands-down heartbreaker of the night was the Nationals at the Orioles.    Mackenzie Gore started for the Nats.    He had 9 strikeouts, but gave up 10 hits, but for only 2 runs.    He came out in the fourth inning having thrown over 100 pitches.    The O’s had hit 26 foul balls off him.    But did they win?    No.    The Orioles lost, 4-3.    They left 15 runners on base and led 14 to 5 in hits.    This loss would have ramifications (see tomorrow’s entry).   

Elsewhere, the Pirates were at the Phillies and were tied at 0 into the fifth.    I got to see Bryce Harper get his 1,000-th RBI on soft single.    The Phillies ended up running away with the game.    The A’s at the Giants was more like the A’s versus Wilmer Flores.    He had a grand slam home run and a 3-run homer for a 7-RBI career night.    Giants win, 9-1.    The last game to finish for the night was the Angels beating the Dodgers on the road, 6-2.    Take that Evil Empire West!

I did sort of neglect the Chihuahuas during all this.    The pups took an early big lead in their game against the Aviators.    I tuned in late to hear them finish a 12-4 win.    Las Vegas actually made a bit of a comeback while I was listening.    Amusingly, whenever LV won a pitch challenge, the PA played Styx’s Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.  

      

5-17-25

“Are they going to be doing this for the next 15 years?”    ESPN Radio was playing the Mets at the Yankees this morning.    One of the announcers asked that question having heard the Bronx’s jeering reception towards Juan Soto for the last two days.    Unlike yesterday’s blowout, this one was tight and low-scoring.    There were very tense bases-loaded situations for both teams late.    Finally, the Mets took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.    The final batter was Aaron Judge himself.    He struck out on a high fastball to end the game.

I started listening to that game at home.    I took a portable radio to my dad’s apartment and kept listening to the game, while we watched a couple of TV episodes (Almost Paradise and Nikita).    On dad’s TV, I saw a sports ticker that reported that the Orioles had fired their manager after yesterday’s game and a disappointing season altogether.    Boy, was that a bad loss yesterday.     

We visited his neighbor, Lamae, to walk her dogs and I took the radio with me.    When we returned, she heard the game I was listening to and brought the game up on her TV, so I got to watch the end of the game.    She kind of wanted us to stick around while she was waiting for someone, so we looked in on a couple of other games.

The Rays were at the Marlins facing Sandy Alcantra.    He didn’t have his good stuff and got clobbered in his final inning.    At least the Marlins looked good in their new Miami Vice-inspired City Connect uni’s.    We briefly found and then lost the White Sox at the Cubs.    (There were some issues with the remote.)    At that game, they were filming an episode of Reacher.    The big guy and his recurring comrade were sitting in the bleachers in the outfield with a cameraman next to them doing a scene.    This was kind of fascinating.    (Was there a guy with a mitt sitting in front of them, just in case?)  

The person Lamae was waiting for arrived and I went ahead and left.    (Otherwise, I would have been there watching games all night and been a terrible guest.)    Though I’d had Raising Canes earlier, I went over to the Mall looking for a new Archie digest (found it and something else, I’ll review these later) and picked up Chicken Teriyaki noodles for dinner.   

I was back home in time for the Astros at the Rangers on the radio.    The game started with Matt Hicks praising tonight’s umps.    The home plate ump had called the third perfect umpire game ever, since they started tracking that.    (He called all of the balls and strikes correctly.)    Another ump on the field had called the second perfect game.    Wow!    Of course by the third inning, everyone was complaining about the strike zone.    Regardless, the Rangers’ bats woke up today and they won, 5-1.

Later, the Chihuahuas were playing the Aviators in Las Vegas . . . in the rain?    It was brief, but sent fans scurrying for cover.    Regardless, it was a 6-4 for the pups.   

Part 3

Baseball Journal May 2025 Part 1

5-1-25

The morning began with a Chihuahuas double header with the Comets.    The day game was scheduled, but a rain out in Oklahoma City a couple of days ago was the cause of the twin bill.    The Comets won Game 1 via a walk off inside-the-park home run, 4-3.    They play in a big ballpark there and once the ball got to the wall, the race was on.    Tim Hagerty’s call was ecstatic, even if it was against the Chihuahuas.    There were a bunch of kids there.    Glad got to see a whole game, which doesn’t usually happen with a school game, and they got a heck of a finish.

Last week, dad ran into a Diamondbacks game being broadcast on a local station.    They advertised that they’d be showing games, but there haven’t been any since then.    I tuned in this morning for a scheduled day game (I printed up schedules for me and dad), but still no dice.

Game 1 finished just as the Rangers and A’s came on another radio station.    It was also a kids day at Globe Life Field, but they call it, “Weather Day.”    A local weatherman will give a presentation to the kids about the weather.    I think most Midwest teams do this.    The Rangers pitched well, but couldn’t hit and lost, 3-0, and the series, 3-1.    Game 2 with the Chihuahuas and Comets, after the kids had left, was a 12-5 OKC blowout.   

When I came into work, I got a Free Game extra inning with the INDIANS beating the Twins, 4-3.    Jose Ramirez got a hit to tie it, stole a base, and scored on swallow single.    The Free Game of the Day was the Blue Jays versus the Red Sox.    In the eighth and trailing, Vlad Guerrero Jr.  hit a three-run homer for the win, 4-2.    Could I have watched and listened to more baseball today?    Sure, but I’ll be content with what I got.

5-3-25

Here was a unique way to end a game.    The Chihuahuas were up, 4-2, on the OKC Comets in the ninth with two outs and two strikes on the batter, Dalton Rushing.    Rushing asked for time, but the home plate umpire didn’t grant it.    When Rushing argued, he was instead given a penalty strike for delaying the game.    This ended the game and started a lengthy argument.

5-4-25

More umpire hi-jinks in the final game between the Chihuahuas and the OKC Comets.    (I think their new name is just okay.    I’m not sure why they’re named that.)    The pups won, 3-2, but lost their manager, Pete Zamora.    He was ejected in the ninth after arguing a pick-off play that would have ended the game was instead ruled safe.    The batter ended up hitting a come-backer to pitcher, Reese Knehr, who dropped the ball, but the batter didn’t or wasn’t able to run it out.    Knehr got the out for the happy Chihuahua victory, except that the umps and the team suddenly started going after each other and people had to be escorted from the field.    We’re not sure what that was all about.   

5-6-25

It was a breathless 9-7 Chihuahuas home victory over Round Rock tonight.    The Express led initially, but the pups took the lead, but then had to do so two more times in first six innings as the Express kept coming back.    Eguy Rosario finally homered in the game for the Chihuahuas’ team record for home runs over Cody Decker.    I think they were tied since the beginning of the season. Cody was reportedly okay with losing the record.  

In further excitement, there were three extra innings games on MLB.TV that I got to peek in on.    The most interesting was the Giants versus the Cubs.    After a scoreless tenth, the Giants scored 9 in the eleventh to win, 14-5.    It was full house at Wrigley, but the crowd cleared out during that inning.

5-7-25

A rare triple-header today.    I started off listening to the Chihuahuas soundly beating Round Rock in the morning.    This game included an inside-the-park home run for the pups.    I then got a phone call from work that a gas leak had evacuated the building.    My boss called later and told me not to come in.    I had a free day off.   

I took the opportunity to listen to the Rangers and Red Sox.    It was a good game with a disappointing result of the Rangers losing.    The radio station stayed at full power for the length of the game, which I didn’t expect.    I had to wait for the sun to completely go down to find the Rockies playing the Tigers.    It was tied when I got there and stayed that way until the tenth, when the Tigers broke through for the win.    I had some divided loyalties on this one.   

Alright, swell day.    Let’s hear it for incompetent city workers.    They’d broken one of our communications lines last week during street repairs.    The gas leak was also part of this repair job.    Hopefully, they finish up soon, before they blow the building.

5-9-25

Can you believe 10 scoreless innings in an MLB game?    That happened between the Red Sox and the Royals tonight.    With the game going to extras, I got watch the bonus coverage on MLB.TV.    The Red Sox scored in the top of the eleventh, but Vinnie Pasquantino drove in the tying run in the bottom.    Right after he did so, there was a Sasquatch sighting in the crowd.    Vinnie’s nickname is “Pasquatch.” Some guy in a hairy suit was there walking on the concourse on camera like the famous footage from the 70’s.  The Royals won it in the twelfth on a walk off single, 2-1.    It was a full house there in Kansas City and seemed like a playoff game.

There were more dramatics in El Paso as Luis Campusano tied it in the eighth against Round Rock with a homer, and Oscar Gonzalez won it, 4-3, in the ninth with an RBI single.

5-10-25

After coming home from a 19-2 Aggie blowout loss, I didn’t suspect that that wouldn’t be the biggest margin of victory I’d experience today.    It was actually a day of blowouts.    When I turned on the radio, I heard the Rangers’ postgame show.    They won, 10-3, over the Tigers.    I have mixed feelings about this, as I’m a fan of both teams.    Jacob DeGrom pitched well in the victory.

Next, I listened to the Chihuahuas open up a can of whup-ass on Round Rock, 14-8.    It wasn’t even that close.    During the game, Tim Hagerty had a guest doing play-by-play.    At one point, Tim interrupted him with a gasp, as he relayed the outrageous mid-game score from the Rockies and Padres game, 16-0.   

When the sun went down and I could get KOA out of Denver, I flipped over and caught the final out.  The  Padres won 21-0.    Somehow, “won” seems like an insufficient term to describe the outcome.    This was the eighth loss in a row for the Rockies.    Last season’s historically bad White Sox team may be eclipsed this year.    It’s like Rockies’ management is trying to reenact the movie, Major League, but the players apparently aren’t motivated to spite their owners and win anyway. 

Part 2

Comics Review: DC Comics Presents Superman

 

What a cover! How could I resist? This is a magazine, but it’s all comic book inside. It’s been produced in support of the new James Gunn’s Superman movie this summer. The three issues inside were cited as inspirational material for the movie, though not the story of the movie. Superman for All Seasons has already inspired Smallville. Lex Luther: Man of Steel seems to trod familiar ground with Lex being jealous and suspicious of Superman for his motivation to go after him (rather than blaming him for being bald in an unfortunate incident as a kid with Superboy).

All-Star Superman is the only one of these series I’ve read all the way through. (Admittedly, I read it on an . . . ahem . . . archive site.) Maybe with the new movie referencing it, they’ll do a new reprint trade (and sell it for $50 thus causing me to pass it over).

The opening page is the famous page from the series: Superman’s origin in one page, four panels, and eight words. Awesome and iconic. I’ll be shocked if some form of this doesn’t show up at the beginning of the new Superman movie. (Somebody make a poster of this, please.)

The premise is suitably epic: Superman saves a solar probe that was sabotaged by Lex Luther. The intense exposure to the sun has terminally poisoned Superman. Having only limited time, he sets about to make the most of it, while Luther prepares to finish him off.

First up, he finally shares his secret with Lois Lane in the epilogue.

The intro unfortunately assures us that this story was not the basis for the new movie. Grant Morrison’s story is pretty wild and meant to provide something of an ending for the Superman myth. The sci-fi segments with Quintum (the chap in the colorful jacket) and his super-scientific base on the moon are a trip. I don’t know how well some variation of this story would have worked for a movie, but it’d be interesting. Frank Quitely’s artwork has a Moebius-like sci-fi quality to it, but much more friendly somehow. It’s like one iconic still image after another. This story was meant to be for the ages.

Superman for All Seasons I haven’t read all of, so I can’t comment on the whole series. However, I have seen Smallville, which took some inspiration from this series. Writer Jeph Loeb was a producer and a writer on the TV show. In this issue, Clark has an almost Spider-Man-like moment as a tornado hits Smallville and he feels guilty. Clark thinks he could have done more to stop it. The end of Season 1 of Smallville, the town gets hit by a tornado as well, but it’s not as life changing for Clark.

Really, this issue at least focuses more on Pa Kent and his concerns about his adopted son’s future. Clark is a good kid and doesn’t know what he should do with his powers. The tornado puts him on a mission and Clark is convinced that he needs to leave Smallville to put his powers to good use. This is pretty much the whole story.

This line has been used in two different Superman TV shows

I like Tim Sale’s background artwork for this, but I’m not sure his character work is the best fit. I’ve definitely seen better character art in his Spider-Man: Blue (which was also written by Loeb). His hyper-muscular, yet baby-faced/baby-fat version of Clark doesn’t quite ring with me. It doesn’t quite give him room to grow into an adult version from an adolescent. The characters are emotive, but not appealing.

Lex Luther: Man of Steel attempts to establish Luther’s motivations in hating Superman. He’s xenophobic, not believing that Superman is just here to help. And he’s jealous, Lex should be the most celebrated man of his time, but has been completely upstaged. In this excerpt, Luther is ruthless, but also seems quite charming and down-to-earth in certain circumstances. Whatever kindness and magnanimity Luther displays probably has a selfish ulterior motive. In Shakespearian terms, he is “but a plain-dealing villain.” If only he was what he pretended to be, Lex would be hailed as a hero.

There have been several alternate takes in other stories where someone like Lex is right and someone like Superman is a threat to humanity. Thankfully, none of them have ever come close to supplanting the original premise. There’s even an actual Superman story where the Guardians of the Universe (the little blue guys in Green Lantern, not the Galaxy Guardians with Chris Pratt) were concerned about Superman interfering with humanity’s development and implanted a hypnotic message in his mind to put limits on his involvement.

The harsh artwork in this story is a jarring change from the previous two stories, but fits a story about Lex. There’s not really a story in this, though it does set up a premise for the rest of the series. It’s another Luther plot to destroy Superman. I’m not saying it’s bad, though. It’s well done for what it is.

Stories like this try to explore Luther’s psychology, but let’s be honest: he’s a one-dimensional character. He just wants to destroy Superman. It doesn’t matter if Lex is a reclusive scientist, or wearing green and purple power armor, or he’s a wealthy industrialist, or he’s President, or he’s a tech billionaire. As long as Superman’s destruction is his main obsession, does it really matter why he wants to do it or even what form he takes? I suppose this makes him some sort of Greek mythology hero with a fatal flaw. I think this is why Smallville’s Lex was such a great character. It shows him, at least in the beginning, without this flaw.

Overall, this magazine is sort of sucker bait. It’s just a promo for the movie and a sampler to sell comic book trades. At least they picked the best stories. If you haven’t already read or own the material, it’s certainly intriguing enough to buy and consider additional purchases. I’m happy with it to put it as a display for the cover.