The Pretentious Fool

'Til Death Do Us Part

2011-08-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

DEATH BY RUBE GOLDBERG!

Final Destination: A class of high school students is going on a trip to Paris. The plane takes off, and everyone dies. The End. Or not...turns out it was all a dream. Until it starts to happen. Cue airplane freakout, a handful of people getting kicked off, and the plane exploding as predicted. Now death wants to get the people that escaped. What follows is a series of convoluted deaths, an FBI investigation, and the inevitable twist ending. Like I said, the deaths are sometimes a bit convoluted, but they are all fun to watch. There are so many things happening during the death scene, it is almost a game to see what the eventual demise will be. There is also an interesting plot development where if you manage to avoid your death, you are skipped over for the next person on the list.

Final Destination 2: A group of friends are going on a trip when a horrific pileup on the freeway kills them all. Except it is all a premonition again. A bunch of people who were meant to die end up living, and are now marked for death. This time, they are dying in reverse order to when they should have died in the accident. Once again, we have convoluted and insane deaths happening. Some fun gore on a couple too (loved the window pane best of all). This time, the way to stop death is to have new life that was not meant to be. A pregnant woman who should have died in the crash much give birth for all to live. The only movie to have a returning survivor in it, this is a pretty good sequel that takes the ideas of the original and twists them.

Final Destination 3: High school seniors at an amusement park die on a roller coaster, except they don't. Death stalks them all, killing them in order. This time around, however, there are clues as to how they will die. Each had a picture taken that gave cryptic hints as to what their eventual fate would be. Now we have the3 fun game of not only trying to remember who dies when, but also trying to figure out what the picture will mean in the end. The deaths are not quite as "rube goldberg" as the other movies, but are equally fun due to to addition of having a clue about the impending doom.

The Final Destination: The usual beginning. Horrible accident at a racetrack that is just a premonition. More deaths of a crazy and convoluted variety. Honestly, this one was sort of forgettable. I had to look up the movie online to remember what the major deaths were. While I liked the death in the pool, and the escalator death was a nice image from the trailer, the majority of this was sort of uneventful in my mind. I do like how the end was a nice twist on the usual tropes of the movies. I think this movie more than likely was relying on the 3D gags to work, but I saw it in 2D on DVD, so I missed those. All the better for me, I think, as I hate 3D that relies on gags.

Final Destination 5: A return to the basics. A bunch of people are going on a business retreat (though they all look far too young to be executives) when a bridge collapses. Thanks to the inevitable premonition, they survive. One difference here is that the premonition doesn't give nearly the same amount of prep time as normal. Not that it matters, since everyone who tries to gets away and we know they will all be dying anyhow. We get more of the convoluted deaths, some of which are incredibly fun. We also find out that, in this case, death will let you live if you take the life of another. Basically, you kill a person when you are marked to die and you get their years. This makes for an odd turn later in the movie, but I can forgive that small issue. The final ending is also quite fun, tying the movie in with the rest of the series nicely.

Overall, I love this series. Decent plot development. Fun gore gags. Interesting game of guessing just how each death will happen, as well as trying to remember what order they should occur in. Good use of premonitions and hints of future events. All in all, a great franchise that I would be ok with seeing more added to. My only real complaint is the last two movies have been done in 3D. I am not a big fan of the 3D craze, and find some of the techniques used to be pandering rather than necessary. I hope that this fad will die down before another of these comes out. Otherwise, loving this series.

A Hunger Satisfied

2011-08-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

I don't remember how I heard about these movies. I just know I found a bundle for them at Walmart and bought them off of some half remembered memory of the name.

Feast: What we have here is a goofy movie with an interesting premise. A bar of random people, each given a silly nickname and bio as they are introduced, is attacked by a group of monsters. Said monsters seem to be motivated by two things: eating and procreating. Base emotions but a workable motivation. What follows the initial attack is a series of the usual arguments, gross out effects, and the eventual survival of a small handful of protagonists. Overall, a decently fun movie. I did appreciate the fact that they play with assumptions with actors and roles in the movie. To say more on that would spoil the fun.

Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds: Taking place the day after the first movie, we have the beasts taking on a nearby small town. The survivors of the last movie are back (minus the two bigger actors, who I assume were to expensive to rehire). Along for the ride are a set of new characters to watch and hate. Really, not a lot of likable characters in this one at all. We get more of the stupid nickname/bio stuff, more monster vomit melting people, and more monster cum shots. This time around, there is more of a lowbrow humor than the last, as well as less of the horror element. Part of that is due to actually seeing the creatures better this time around. The movie has a sort of anticlimactic ending, where it all leads up to something that doesn't happen. Still fun, but less than the last entry.

Feast 3: The Happy Finish: Once again, set immediately after the last movie. once again full of bios, vomit melt, and monster semen. Survivors of the last movie, with the requisite surprising return, try to escape town. This time there is the indication that the monsters can be controlled. Kind of an interesting plot element. This movie is also the worst of the bunch. Nearly no horror, almost all camp. I mean, we have an action star who loses his arms and is told to walk it off. Let me reiterate...he loses his arms, survives this, and is told to stop complaining about little things like that. Blech. One thing I had a love/hate relationship with was the ending. It was funny, and random. It also felt like the writers had no idea what to do with the thing, so they tossed some random element in and called it good.

A movie series that started out strong, and lost steam as the movies went along. It could almost have been a Troma series, if the production values and humor had been worse. I like how the movie started with a decent motivation for the monsters (revenge plus primal nature). I like how the first movie feels like a good monster siege with some interesting twists. I do not like how the following movies proceeded to lose that edge in favor of fart and sex jokes. I do not like how the initial revenge motivation just sort of drops off in favor of stereotyped characters and stupid jokes. I sort of like the ending of the last one, in that it makes me laugh when I think of it. But, I also dislike it for making me laugh when I want to be thoughtful or intrigued after a horror movie. overall, i can't say these are worth picking up. Maybe netflix or something if you are bored.

Lost and Found

2011-07-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

Vampires. i have loved vampires in all their forms since at least 3rd grade. Probably further back, but that is when I remember becoming obsessed with them. Enough so, I managed to get myself into trouble by writing about vampires at inappropriate times. So, of course, when I heard about the Lost Boys, I knew I had to see it.

The Lost Boys: This is one of my all time favorite movies. So much so, I doubt I can be objective in reviewing it. It has the two Coreys in it, who were my favorite actors (always have loved Feldman more, though). It has vampires. It has music that really works for me in a sick 80's kind of way. It is so ridiculous in places that I should completely hate it, but I can't help but love it more for the faults. I have nothing rally to say other than this is a great movie and a classic example of what a vampire should be.

The Lost Boys: The Tribe: 20 years is too long to wait for a sequel. It is also, apparently, to long for anyone to be able to keep said sequel interesting. Instead of a follow up to the original, we get some sort of strange surfer vampire thing taking place in the same small town at the original. Feldman is back, doing the same character (though the voice is now just stupid). We get Keifer Sutherland's half-brother playing a role, so there is more of a connection to the original. Really, all this movie has going for it is that Autumn Reeser is pretty hot. Otherwise, not that great.

The Lost Boys: The Thirst: Thankfully, the last sequel (so far). this takes place, I am assuming, before the last one. Hard to tell. It seems to imply an earlier time, but also could easily be a later one. I dunno. We get raving vampires this time, with some blood-as-ecstasy drug stuff. In this movie, however, we are treated to some fun vampire-hunting equipment, a bit of back story as to why the Frog Brothers no longer hunt, and a loose attempt to open the franchise up for further expansion in non-vamp ways. I did like the sort of twist on the real villain, and the attempt to add new supernatural creatures was a decent idea (even if poorly executed). I liked this better than the last sequel, but think the idea is now dead.

Not a lot to say in summary. Great original, weaker sequels. If they had made the original sequel plan of The Lost Girls, it may have been better. If they had not waited 2 decades to do another movie, they may have been better. If they had not gone direct to video, they may have been better. As it is, the sequels tarnish the awesome of the original and that makes me sad.

Head of the Class

2011-07-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

My introduction to a Troma movie series. I have seen Troma movies before, but never an entire franchise. Kind of sorry I did it now.

Class of Nuke 'Em High: The first movie in the series shows a school that is close to a nuclear reactor, and those prone to outbreaks of bad shit happening. Due to a leak in the reactor, the school is irradiated. Due to a cover-up, nobody figures it out. Even when the chess club become crazy punk bikers or a nerd melts in class. The hero and his girl end up getting sick as well, which causes a mutant child and a case of extreme 'roid rage. The movie has a bit of humor to it, but is mostly plaid straight for the violence and nasty gore/goo. Forgettable enough, I don't remember the ending.

Class of Nuke 'Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown: Now we get stupid. While the first was mostly a straight up horror kind of thing, this is pure camp. We have bad puns, bad plot, and bad acting. The old high school is now a college. Nuclear and genetic experiments are still going on. We get some sort of attempt at a plot with the introduction of subhumanoids, which are pretty much people with mouths where their navels should be who also have a habit of melting down into fuzzballs with mouths. Yeah, dumb.

Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid: The sequel to the last, which follows up with more of the same. If anything, this is even more stupid. Now the hero from the first plays both his original character and that character's 10 year old son (who has grown up to a 20-something man in those 10 years). The "kid" falls in love with his wet nurse, who is a dumb blonde that leaks water from her mouth as a joke on the wet nurse thing. The movie is peppered with ridiculous sound effects, more bad jokes, and even less of a plot. I actually hate myself for watching this one at all.

Overall, the original isn't bad. Not a great movie, but worth watching if you have nothing better to do. Beyond that, I cannot recommend highly enough that you avoid the sequels unless you like low-brow trashy movies. Which, if you are watching Troma, you probably do.

Awesome!

2011-07-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Awesome!

A Tale of Two Lists (Part Two)

2010-05-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

So, in the first part of this post, I mentioned my goal of watching the 100 best movies. Both lists.

Well, once I finish that, I am going to work my way through the worst movies. This will be harder to do for a couple reasons. First of all, the worst movies will not be easy to watch for the simple fact that they are so bad. I may end up going crazy trying to watch these, or may get so bored or disgusted I turn the movies off. Hopefully I can power through that.

The other reason it will not be easy is that it is not easy to find lists of the worst movies ever made. The American Film Institute certainly doesn't have reason to compile such a list. I did look at IMDB, but their list changes constantly, and is full of foreign movies I cannot access. So, I turned to Wikipedia. By combining the list of Golden Raspberry Winners and the list of the worst films ever, I managed to compile a list of 60 movies that are generally considered the worst. Of these, I have seen two already, with a handful of the nominees (which are not part of my list at this time).

Along with this, sort of as a fun little diversion between the two herculean tasks, I am adding in a list of the 23 Strangest Movies that I stumbled upon a while back. Seems like it would be a fun thing to do. I have already seen a few of these as well, though will need to rewatch some of them since it has been a while.

Big picture, by the end of this experience, I will have seen the 123 best, 23 strangest, and 60 worst movies of all time. A total of 206 movies, comprising the opposite ends of the spectrum. At that point, I think I can officially call myself a movie buff.

A Tale of Two Lists (Part One)

2010-05-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

So, a couple years back, I started myself on a quest. A simple thing, really. I vowed to watch the 100 best movies of all time. This seemed like a noble thing, as I am a movie lover. It seemed easy enough, and I knew of a list to go off of. The problem is, there were two versions of the list. The American Film Institute compiled one list in 1998, but then did an anniversary update to the list in 2007. Looking at both of these lists, it was painfully clear that there were some amazing movie on both. So, I did what any self respecting movie lover would do. I combined the lists and set forth.

Here I am, two years later and not much further on my journey. I have 51 movies left to watch. Not to impressive, until you realize that between the two lists, there are 123 movies total on there. That means I actually only have about 41% of the movies left to watch. Not to shabby, overall.

Anyhow, I have recently tried to renew my drive toward this goal by watching movies more often. For the month of May, I am trying to watch a movie every day. Not all will be from the list, in fact many will not. But, if I happen to have access to a list movie, I will be watching it. Just for fun, I am linking to the two lists.

How many have you seen?

New Nightmare

2010-05-08T02:06:00.000-07:00

So, I saw the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. I have added to the original reviews to include the new addition. Also have a review of the Boogeyman franchise in the works.

Eye Spy

2009-07-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Time for another horror franchise review. Yay! This time, I went a little further than normal, to check out the Hong Kong horror series The Eye. We have 3 movies, plus an American remake.

The Eye: So, first in the series. In this, we have a woman who was blinded at age two (never are told how it happens, not that it matters). She has eye surgery to replace her corneas with those of a donor, allowing her to see again. This, unfortunately, allows her to see the spirits of the dead. It also lets her see the shadows that guide dead souls on to whatever final resting place they happen to have. At first, she is freaked out, but eventually is able to come to terms with it by finding out where her new eyes came from. The idea itself is nothing new. There are a lot of horror movies and stories with the premise of replacement limbs carrying on the lives of their original owner. What made this so good is that there was a lot of creepy to it, and a good reason for the eyes doing what they do. Very little gore or violence until the end of the movie. Just some healthy unsettling imagery at times. The movie is so wonderfully shot, with amazing close ups to show how the woman is seeing things for the first time. Really, quite enjoyable. Except for how it all ends, which was a little unsatisfying. Also, I had a slight gripe about not resolving the little boy with his report card thing (which you will have to watch the movie to understand). Could have used some better closure on that.

The Eye 2: Holy crap, I almost vomited within the first 15 minutes of this thing. Not from excessive gore or anything like that. From watching the main character get her stomach pumped. The sounds she made were nauseating. So, that aside, what have we got here? Woman who has just had a bad break up with her boyfriend. She tries to commit suicide. Obviously she only nearly succeeds and lives. Now she can see dead people. She gets freaked out a few times, finds out what is going on with the one woman's ghost that keeps following her, and the movie is resolved. Throughout this, there is the pregnancy of the woman to deal with as well. Pretty much nothing scary with this. A few shocks with dead people, yeah. But not really horror. There's also some strange Buddhist teachings to tie it all together. There is actually no connection between this movie and the first, other than the seeing dead people angle and the same directors. Fun, but not what I was looking for.

The Eye 3 (aka The Eye 10 or The Eye Infinity): So, we get some monks who are meditating or praying around a woman who seems to be possessed. She floats, licks them all at range, and then the movie shows the actual characters. Bunch of friends who decide to use this book to see ghosts. There are 10 ways, two of which are the plots to the other movies in the series. The rest get used throughout the movie. A couple make sense, a couple are too complex to work for me, and a couple are too silly. Mostly, the movie is ok. Some decent visuals and all that. Not really scary. More funny, in fact. Proof of this: Ghost Possessed Dance Battle. Want more proof? When out of breath (which scares ghost) just fart, that will knock a ghost out. The ending was ok, though.

The Eye (American Remake): What we have here is an 85-90% remake. Many of the scenes are lifted pretty straight from the original. The difference here is that they lack all subtlety and emotion. Where the original will hint at things being wrong, this version will throw it in your face with fire and jump cuts. Hell, they give away a couple of the surprises early on with the way they shoot a couple scenes, and the way the beginning shows part of the climax. Speaking of climaxes, the big scene that was so shocking and held most of the gore and violence of the original was completely rewritten. In fact, it is changed to have the exact opposite effect on the story and the viewer. I saw what was happening almost immediately this time, and was yelling "bullshit" at the tv the entire time (and for a good 5 minutes after the movie ended). Where the Ring or Funny Games were good remakes, this was kind of meh.

So, overall, these movies fail to really work for me. The original was good. Lots of fun. Then you get the not-so-scary sequel, the funny-not-scary three-quel, and the poorly done remake. So, overall, meh. Not bad movies, just nothing as classic or good at other franchises.

2099

2009-06-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

So, I recently got my hands on of the final 2099 comics missing from my collection (not counting the new Timestorm stuff or the Spider-man 2099 appearances in Exiles). So, I am thinking of rereading the entire series and doing reviews of them. Maybe a comic a day. That would give me about 274 issues covering the core 2099 comics plus the Marvel Knights 2099 stuff. Adding in the loosely related comics would bump that up a little more. Off the top of my head, I think there were a couple 4 issues minis plus an issue of X-Force that are in there. If I manage to get funds together to buy the Timestorm stuff and the missing Exiles issues I have, I could probably stretch this out to a year or so.

Question is, do I want to limit my reading to one a day?

Also, if I was to do this, do I think I could stay on top of it?

Finally, do i read the comics in the order they came out, or do I read entire series in one go (i.e. do I read all of Spider-Man, then all of Ravage, etc...or do I read an issue or two of Spider-Man, then an issue of Ravage, and then alternate between the issues as appropriate). The thing with this is that I kind of want to read entire story arcs all at once, but i know there was the crossover part way into the runs that would require me to read an issue of each to properly understand. But, I don't know if I want to do the work to organize the comics in publication order.

I will be sitting on this for a while until I can decide how I want to do it. So, keep an eye on the blog to see what happens.

Batman Theme Song

2009-06-09T17:03:00.001-07:00

Quickie

2009-06-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Runaways v3 #10 is possibly the best issue of the series, in any volume. Considering how good the original series was, that is saying a lot.

I Dedicate This Post to Chris Sims

2009-05-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

Couple Relatively Quick Reviews

2009-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

Wolverine: Better than X3. Not good. Right after the movie, I said it was a disappointment but that I liked it. The more I think on it, the less I like it. Shoehorning in Cyclops was a bad idea. Changing Emma was a bad idea. Not using Deadpool well after the opening bits, also bad idea. The end fight was lame. I really wanted to like this, and was willing to accept some alterations for a movie. i was not willing to accept the changes they actually did. Did enjoy the flashbacks in the opening credits. I really did like how they did Blob, and loved the new Sabretooth. I will watch a sequel, because I am gullible like that. I really want to see how Sabretooth manages to change from the guy we saw here to the guy we saw in X-Men.

Star Trek: So, not really a huge Trek fan. I am a geek enough to like it, and know a bit more than I should. But, never really got into the shows. I liked Data. I liked Odo. I watched Voyager until 7 of 9 showed up, then got bored. Been meaning to go back to watch DS9, since i hear it is good after the first season. Should try to catch some Next Generation as well, since it is actually not bad. So, yeah, going in to this I was pretty much not expecting much. That said, i loved this. I found out I knew a lot more than I thought. Not enough to really notice stuff that may have been changed, but enough to get a lot of random references. If this is what Trek would have been when I tried to watch it, I would have been a Trekkie long ago. I hope there are a lot of movies to follow in this new continuity. It looks like it could be a very successful series. Actually made me want a new Trek show, but not sure how it would work out properly.

The Greatness of DC

2009-04-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

So, I am fully willing to admit to being a Marvel guy. Not so much I will not read me some DC stuff. I just like the Marvel Universe better. Can't explain why, since i like a lot of the DC characters better. If asked to name favorite superheroes, most of my picks would be DC. But, if asked to list my favorite comic books they would skew to Marvel. It's not even the creators that do it either. I follow some names, but still read titles I like even if the name I was following has left it. No idea why.

Anyhow, the big thing DC is doing to get my money is this Wednesday Comics thing. A fantastic idea. Weekly comic strips of DC characters, as done by big name creators. I am interested anyhow, just by that alone. Then you get into more details.

BATMAN, WEDNESDAY COMICS’ weekly cover feature, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso

I never read 100 Bullets, but hear how awesome it is. Enough that I am very intrigued by the team responsible for that doing a Batman story. Sounds like a gritty batman, which is rarely a bad thing in my eyes.

ADAM STRANGE, by writer/artist Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100)

Paul Pope is one of those guys who I didn't really appreciate when I first saw his work. His art frequently turns me off. But, he is so damned talented that it is hard not to want more. Adam Strange does nothing for me. But, Pope's crazy sci fi leanings would fit well with the character.

METAMORPHO, written by New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman with art by Eisner Award-winner Michael Allred (Madman)

Ok. What the hell DC. Did you read my mind? I will buy anything Neil Gaiman works on. Anything at all. I have a nice collection of comics and novels and movies that he was responsible for. I have a list of cds and books and comics and movies he has works on that i need to get. So, yeah, you had me sold already. Then you add in Mike Allred, who is another guy I will buy anything from, and you have me drooling. Finally, toss in Metamorpho, a character i don't really read but have an immediate fascination and love for based on concept alone. Well, I think you have just earned my money. Big time.

THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN, written by Walter Simonson (Thor, MANHUNTER) with art by famed DC cover artist Brian Stelfreeze

Walt Simonson, he of the pen that made Thor truly divine, writing about The Demon. Sold. Catwoman is just icing on that awesome cake.

DEADMAN, written by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck, art by Dave Bullock

Don't know who these dudes are, and don't really care about Deadman. Meh.

KAMANDI, written by Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS) with art by Ryan Sook (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL)

Arg. I like Gibbons for his art, but he writing has been solid as well. I will buy a book based on the fact it has a Ryan Sook cover, regardless of interiors. So, yeah, I got to have this. Plus, I love Kamandi's concept. Have been unable to get my hands on anything Kamandi to read, but the Wikipedia article and various descriptions on blogs has be totally there. Hello DC, shall I just give you my bank account now?

SUPERMAN, written by John Arcudi (The Mask) with art by Lee Bermejo (JOKER)

Arcudi has done some stuff i have liked. Bermejo has also done stuff I liked. I know because I know the names. What they did, I have no clue. So, they are good enough for me to know the names, but not for me to know why. Superman is a character I like less and less as I get older. I like the idea he represents, but not the character himself. Still willing to try this one.

WONDER WOMAN, written and illustrated by Ben Caldwell (Dare Detectives)

Means nothing to me.

GREEN LANTERN, written by Kurt Busiek (TRINITY, ASTRO CITY) with art by Joe Quiñones (TEEN TITANS GO!)

Astor City is pure comics gold. Possibly so good as to be comics platinum. Teen Titans Go! was a series I liked, but rarely for the art. Green Lantern is a character I only care about because of the spectrum of corps being used currently. So, this is about 50% cool to me. With a decent chance of going up based on how it works in reality.

TEEN TITANS, written by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway

Got nothing here. All depends on the team used, and how angsty it is. I want a cool team, but not really the current one. Titans that are ex sidekicks or legacy supers I like. Low angst I like. We will see.

SUPERGIRL, written by Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) with art by Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL)

Oh hell yeah!

HAWKMAN, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, Special Forces)

Another hell yeah, for Kyle Baker. He does such crazy fun I cannot pass him up.

SGT. ROCK, written by Adam Kubert (SUPERMAN: LAST SON), ilustrated by legendary comics artist Joe Kubert

Um. What? Kubert and Kubert? Father and son? Working on the comic that really made dad's career? YES, yes. A thousand times yes!

THE FLASH, written by Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE) and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl

Yeah. Karl Kerschl is a name I care about because of his Teen Titans: Year One work. Fun comic with great art. So, him on the Flash I may be cool with.

METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDio with art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)

I love Metal Men. I car little for the team on this. Balances out to no opinion.

Issue #1 on sale July 8; Issue #2 on sale July 15; Issue #3 on sale July 22; Issue #4 on sale July 29 • 1-4 of 12 • 7” x 10”, 16 pg, FC, $3.99 US

16 pages? For $3.99? Damn you DC. I can't afford a $4 weekly series, even if it is only 12 issues. Especially if it is only 16 pages. I don't care how big those pages are, or how they may be folded to appear as or function as more. I have to call this one a loss, because this price inflation is out of hand.

A shame too, since I really really wanted to get this.

A first for me (Part 2)

2009-04-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

After a little delay, here's the Marvel Solicits that I am interested in. Any possibly a few I am not.

DARK X-MEN: THE BEGINNING #1 & 2 (of 3)
Written by PAUL CORNELL, JAMES ASMUS & OTHERS
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS & OTHERS
Covers by JAE LEE
60s DECADE VARIANT by TBA
UTOPIA TIE-IN

I'll give it a shot, since I have this thing for dark or evil versions of people. Sort of how i hate the idea of the Dark Reign stuff, since i can't imagine anyone being dumb enough to believe Norman Osborn is the guy we want with limitless power...regardless of his saving the world or not. But, I like his version of the Illuminati, since it really is a pretty decent reflection of the original. So, a Dark X-men seems kind of fun. Probably won't be though, since that have Humberto Ramos on it, and I cannot stand his art. That's enough to kill even the best stories for me. He's part of why i gave up on Runaways.

Anyhow, this may be cool for who they are having on the "team." Emma Frost is fun, even though not a great character. Mimic I like a lot Cloak and Dagger need more time in the spotlight, since they were great back in the day and need to be use more often. Daken should never have been imagined. Weapon X...I got nothing for. Dark Beast is awesome, underused, and should make for a fun story.

DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #1
Written by VICTOR GISCHLER
Penciled by BONG DAZO
Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM
Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
"HEAD TRIP," Part 1 of 6

I wasn't goign to get this, since I like Deadpool but not enough to actually read his comics. However, the image of Deadpool and Zombie Deadpool Head running around the Savege Land and fighting Hydra...well, damn, how can I pass that up?

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: ULTIMATE UNIVERSE
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS

I will buy. I will read. I will see if there seems to be any reason to continue on Ultimate titles after Jeph Loeb ruined the entire line single handedly. How one man can destroy what I saw as possibly the greatest costumed hero comic line in years, when he wasn't even writing all of the titles in it, baffles me. It was bad enough when he took over on Ultimates 3, and destroyed all that was cool about it. But, then he had to do that fucking Ultimatum shot and now the entire line has been bent over a table and raped with a sandpaper condom. I hate Jeph Loeb so much for that. I really want to read what Millar and Bendis are planning on doing to hopefully rescue this stuff. Also interested to see what new Ultimate title may be coming along. May not like the current direction, but I still like old Ultimate stuff enough to want to give the new a shot.

ULTIMATUM: FANTASTIC FOUR REQUIEM #1
Written by JOE POKASKI
Penciled by ROBERT ATKINS
Cover by PASQUAL FERRY

ULTIMATUM: SPIDER-MAN REQUIEM #2 (of 2)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, STUART IMMONEN & MORE!
Cover by STUART IMMONEN

ULTIMATUM: X-MEN REQUIEM #1
Written by ARON E. COLEITE
Penciled by BEN OLIVER
Cover by MARK BROOKS

Will be getting these to see how the first volumes end, and to see if any potential continuations will be worth reading. Also, I need more nerd rage.

WOLVERINE NOIR #4 (of 4)
Written by STUART MOORE
Pencils and Cover by C.P. SMITH
Variant Cover by DENNIS CALERO

I loved the Fairy Tales stuff marvel did over the last year or two. I love noir. I love the idea of doing alternate realities or alternate takes on existing properties. So, I will have to be reading all of this. Which means going back to find the existing issue(s) since I have not bought new comics in a while.

X-FACTOR #46
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by VALENTINE
DE LANDRO
Cover by DAVID YARDIN

I continue to read because I like Peter David's writing. However, I miss the original concept of a psuedo-noir detective agency. Too many event comics and crossovers have diluted the awesome, and destroyed the team to the point where the book isn't as fun as it used to be. But, Layla's back and she was a big part of the awesome...so we have to keep reading.

A first for me

2009-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm actually looking at solicits. I never pay attention. I pretty much have the comics i like, and that's what I read. If something big is coming along, I may pick it up. Otherwise, I get most of my info on what to read based off of other blogs or interesting covers. However, I happened upon some July solicits today so I will talk about what sounds interesting.

BLACKEST NIGHT #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert

This is a no brainer for me. I was totally sucked in with the Sinestro Corps stuff because I love balance and duality. When they showed the hints at other lanterns, I was totally sucked in. I have been unable to pick up the GL comics since then, but plan on going back and reading all of the stuff I have missed about the new lantern corps. But, really, it is all about the dead coming back and tearing shit up. So, yeah. I am there.

GREEN LANTERN #43
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari

Oooo, man. I think I should pick this up too. An origin for Black Hand to explain how he is connected to this whole thing is a must have as well. Plus, the cover has me excited. Probably a lie, but still...

GREEN LANTERN #44
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari

Ooo, J'onn back from the dead. We knew it was coming, but holy shit is that a great way to start off.

BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #1-3
Written by Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Rags Morales, Chris Sprouse, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke and others
Covers by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter
Variant covers by Gary Frank, Francis Manapul and Doug Mahnke

Um, yeah. Must have this as well. I need all of the Lantern stuff i can get with regard to alternate corps.

WEDNESDAY COMICS #1-4

Holy hell. It is like DC read my mind. They have a direct feed into my brain as to what is cool. I need another post just to talk about how this makes me feel.

BATMAN #688
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Mark Bagley & Art Thibert
Cover by Tony Daniel & Sandu Florea

I would consider this, if only for the Bagley art. Plus, Winick I hear writes a good Batman. I know he is capable of good comics. I have seen them. I just don't think he has managed to put one out in a long time.

DETECTIVE COMICS #855
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by JH Williams III; co-feature art by Cully Hamner
Cover by JH Williams III

First of all, look at the team on this book. Really, look. That is a set of names you do not pass up. Also, Batwoman finally in a series where she should have been all along. Much as I loved what Paul Dini did to Detective with his "done in ones," I can survive without that if it means seeing Batwoman and the Question in their own comics.

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #2
Written by Paul Dini
Art and cover by Guillem March

Um. Yes please?

BOOSTER GOLD #22
Written by Keith Giffen; co-feature written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund; co-feature art by Mike Norton
Cover by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund

Booster Gold. Blue Beetle. Deathstroke. With Giffen writing and Jurgens art. Sold.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #1
Written by James Robinson
Art and covers Mauro Cascioli

Geeze, about freaking time this thing came out. Shame it's only a miniseries instead of the originally promised ongoing. I'm intrigued by this hodge-podge of a team. Though, to be honest, the blurb for this one is lacking in anything i would care about. Likely wait for the trade on this. Or wait for someone else to tell me I need it.

SECRET SIX #11
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Daniel LuVisi

It's Secret Six. The best thing to come out of Infinite Crisis. So, yeah, I'm reading this.

THE SPIRIT #31
Written by Mike Ploog
Art by Mike Ploog & Dan Green
Cover by Nick Cardy

You see the name Mike Ploog? Guy worked with Eisner himself. Gut has amazingly fun artwork. Plus, this comic has been mostly good regardless of the team (though nobody has bean Darwyn Cooke's run yet). I not only plan on reading this, I long for it. I needs it. The precious.

TINY TITANS #18
Written by Art Baltazar and Franco
Art and cover by Art Baltazar

Aw yeah Titans!

NORTH 40 #1
Written by Aaron Williams
Art and cover by Fiona Staples

How badass is this:
Somewhere in Midwestern America was a place called Conover County. When the old book was opened, and the runes therein used in haste and ignorance, a place of farms, simple folk, and small-town dreams became a den of monsters and nightmare. NORTH 40 is the story of those who survived and came to confront an even greater evil on the horizon – one that wouldn't just consume their flesh, but their souls as well. Heroes arise with power to bring against the dark: Wyatt, an unwilling protector of his former tormentors; Amanda, an apprentice to forgotten arts; and Sheriff Morgan, whose bonds with Conover County go back farther than even he can remember. See where it started, and watch where it's all going in NORTH 40 #1.

GREEK STREET #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Davide Gianfelice
Cover by Kako

Modern reimagining of Greek Tragedies. I think I can justify an issue or two of this before making a judgment.

FABLES #86
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Jim Fern & Craig T. Hamilton
Cover by Joao Ruas

Never miss an issue. This series has managed to be awesome from issue one, and has somehow managed to stay good when the major overarching plot has been resolved. Somehow a series about fables in New York because they lost their homelands has managed to work after they have managed to defeat the conqueror responsible.

JACK OF FABLES #36
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Tony Akins
Cover by Brian Bolland

Another awesome series I have not missed an issue of. As long as Jack writed the cover message and previews of the next issues, and as long as Babe has his page of thoughts, i will keep reading.

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #15
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Luca Rossi & David Hahn
Cover by Esao Andrews

The way I see this, it is the new Sandman. So, I have to keep reading. It helps that the series is actually good.

So, that's the DC and DC Imprint books. Next up Marvel. When I am not feeling as lazy. Also, sometime soon, the Wednesday Comic post.

More Masters.

2009-04-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

So, second season of Masters of Horror. What do we have to say about it? Spoilers are likely to abound.

The Damned Thing: Directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). So, we have a boy who is too smart for his own good watch his family die. Pretty gore filled deaths too. Actually, this episode has a decent amount of gore in it. Quite fun, that. Anyhow, flash forward to the present day whee the boy is now sheriff. Small town starts having some crazy stuff happen. people killing themselves or others. Then the mystery is solved and everyone dies. Personally, this would have worked better as a full movie. The one hour to develop backstory, have the crisis, and resolve it all just wasn't working well. Not enough character development to really make you care about the deaths too much. Also, there is no real explanation of why the thing that is causing this is doing so with regard to the timeframe. What I mean is that the times between incidences in the grand picture are not consistent, and the birthday synergy doesn't make sense without more information. Also, finally, the thing was more scary before you see it. Just saying invisible is sometimes better than visible.

Family: Directed by John Landis (American Werewolf in London). So, we start with gospel music and a bath of acid. Not to shabby for setting the mood. Seeing George Wendt as this kind of character is fun, and a little disturbing. I like hos the skeletons are sometimes alive. Adds a lot to the show. I spent most of this movie expecting the new couple to be serial killers too. They just felt a little off. It is strange how John Landis has done two of these episodes, and both have a twisted humor to them. Anyhow, good episode with a really fun ending.

The V Word: Directed by Ernest Dickerson (Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight). First of all, when I hear the phrase "the v word" I think of vagina. The word they want you to think of is vampire. Not very similar concepts, really. That aside, this is a fun little piece. We get some nice camera shots, and a good build of tension for the first half. After that, though, the whole thing loses a lot. The vampire sight thing was stupid. If vampires really saw like that, they would be virtually unable to function. It also lost all horror elements once everyone was dead. Then it shifts to emo vampire shit. Blah. I liked it ok since the first half was very well done, just a disappointment for the rest.

Sounds Like: Directed by Brad Anderson (Session 9). Wow, this is horror in a way that I usually don't think about. Not horror in that there is graphic violence or gore, though there is a bit of that. Not in that there is shocking imagery, though there it some of that as well. Not in the way that you have scenes meant to build tension and then make you jump. This is horror in a more existential way. The horror of losing someone you love, and not being able to cope. Of having the guilt you feel overwhelm you. If letting the guilt of something you cannot control consume you to the point of ruining all other aspects of your life. There is a deeper horror contained in this tale than you would normally see. When I look at who the director is, and what his major horror credit is, this does not surprise me at all.

Pro-Life: Directed by John Carpenter (Halloween). A movie with a message...I think. Girl is raped by a demon. Wants abortion. Ultra-conservative dad says no. God tells him to protect the child. Maybe. The whole thing is pretty predictable. People die, baby is born, dad realizes mistake. There are a couple scenes that are a shock, like how the dad decides to deal with an abortion doctor. Oh, and the exploding vagina. Who knew a vadge could spray like that. Also, who knew it would burn and blind like that. Pretty fun movie, but nothing stunning.

Pelts: Directed by Dario Argento (Suspiria). Leave it to Argento to bring the tits and the gore. We've got a fur trader in love with a stripper. To win her affections, he offers her the opportunity to model a fur coat in a fashion show. Problem being, the coat is made of magical raccoon skins. Which are cursed. Lots of people die. The deaths were interesting, and mostly well handled. There were some practical effects, with a dude cutting his own chest and a guy skinning himself among them. There were also some crappy cg deaths, like the woman who sews her face shut. I could have done without the obvious cg. Some is ok, but when it is easy to pick out to the point of distraction then you have a problem. I like how there are a number of strip club scenes, so a lot of nudity. I am easy to please there. Boobs make me happy. I am ok with this fact. Beyond that, I can't help but wonder how a woman feels when they are asked to do 90% of an acting role topless. I know I would feel a little strange to have my junk hanging out for most of a movie.

The Screwfly Solution: Directed by Joe Dante (The Howling). You got scifi in my horror. No, you got horror in my scifi. Actually, this was a pretty sweet episode. Begins with a description of scientists messing with the hormones of flies to mess up their mating habits, thus exterminating them. Then we get some info on dudes killing women when they become aroused. Starts as a southern US thing, and spreads north. Guys doing it claim it is God's will. There is also mention of a handful of people having seen angels, and that they are not what you would expect them to look like. Some stupid moves, like the woman not telling her daughter the full truth. Or the daughter being a stupid teenager. After women are killed, the little boys soon follow. Other than the scifi bit, this is a pretty creepy and fun movie. What The Happening could have been. This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Valerie on the Stairs: Directed by Mick Garris (The Stand). Proof that Clive Barker inspires great movies (since it was based on a short story of his). What a great idea. A Halfway house or unpublished authors. Free room and board as long as you are working on getting published, but have not managed to succeed yet. I would love to live in a situation like that. Except for all the smoking and the haunting and the killing. So, maybe not so much wiht the living in that situation. A fairly simple idea, not terribly unique for overall plot. But, well done anyhow. A very enjoyable episode, with a lot of fun to it. Until the crappy cg effect at the end. I know they could have found the buget to do more with that than they did. Even a practical effect could have been done for a bit of it I bet. Would have been better than what we got. I mena, come on people. At least sync up the live acting with the cg better. That was just pathetic. The makeup effects were awesome though, and especially the one leading into the crappy cg. Probably why the cg looked so bad.

Right to Die: Directed by Rob Schmidt (Wrong Turn). See, that's what I am talking about. Some awesome practicals in this one. Yeah, there's a it of cg. But, at least that all makes sense for what they are doing and isn't too intrusive. Basic idea in this one is there is a husband who cheated on his wife. She's mad, but he wants to reconcile. They get into an accident, where he escapes mostly unharmed but she is burned to a toasty mess. She is probably going to die, without a donor. He decides to pull the plug. When she dies, which happens a couple times, her spirit haunts him and does bad things. The other woman comes into this a little bit too, as well as an attorney who is helping with the do not resuscitate order. The toasty body makeup is good, as is a later scene involving a skin donor. There are some fun secrets as the show goes along, where you learn a bit more about what really happened and why. Very fun episode.

We All Scream for Ice Cream: Directed by Tom Holland (Child's Play). Note to self: Do not piss of your kids if they have cursed ice cream. Something about clowns makes for a great horror movie. Add in the ice cream man, who can be moderately creepy as well, and you have a pretty good foundation for a scary plot. The general plot of this is nothing new. Kids pull a stupid prank to be needlessly cruel. It goes wrong, and somebody dies. Now the kids are adults and the dead target of their prank is back to get revenge. The specifics are where this differs. In particular is how the death is dealt out to the victims. Some really fun visuals on this. I like how they ice cream used is how the end result looks. Icky, nasty, fun. Also, you see how to make hillbilly soup. Sort of.

The Black Cat: Directed by Stuart Gordon (The Re-Animator). A rare departure, going with a Poe story instead of Lovecraft. Still uses his best star, Jeffrey Combs. I must admit, Combs is a much better actor than I would have initially given him credit for. Even knowing he was in the episode, and who he was plying, I didn't recognize him at all. Was very cool to have that happen, as I rarely encounter acting of that caliber. Story of this is pretty much the plot of the Poe story of the same name, but superimposed over Poe's actual life. Not a lot of horror to it. First truly creepy bit isn't until about 40 minutes into this 58 minute episode. However, the effectiveness of Poe's madness and his )sometimes creepy) love of his wife/cousin is pretty well handled. I spent the whole show wondering who was the character to hate. Is it Poe, or Pluto? I am still not sure.

The Washingtonians: Directed by Peter Medak (The Changeling). AWESOME! The premise of this episode is so amazing, I am surprised this is the first place i have heard it. George Washington was a cannibal. Since his time, there has been a long line of people dedicated to keeping his cannibalism a secret, as well as continuing the practice. A guy finds written proof of the lost historical fact and his family suffers for it. Some pretty messed up images, and a really fucked up alternate history. It all kind of makes sense and works out through the limited historical knowledge I have. Then there is the historian with the federal forces. How awesome is that. This is what history should be like, man. Only down side was that horribly ending. The real horror is who they replace Washington with on the $1 bill. *shudder*

Dream Cruise: Directed by Norio Tsuruta (Ring 0: Birthday). First of all, this is based on a story by Koji Suzuki. For those of you who don't know the name, he's the guy who wrote the stories that the Ring and Dark Water series were based on. Having read the first two Ring novels, I can tell you the guy has some creepy ideas. So, does the episode deliver? Yeah, it really does. The story and events of this episode are fairly straightforward, but it still manages some good creepy bits. Hell, within the first 5 minutes it give 2 good jumps, one of which was completely unexpected for me. Basic plot is a lawyer in Japan is having an affair with his client's wife. Client finds out, and plans to kill them. Bad stuff happens with ghosts and a stranded boat. Along with this is the plot of the layer's youth, when he let his brother drown. The two stories sort of tie together, with some flashbacks to explain the new ghost. All of it is twisted into one coherent story. This works much better than a lot of j-horror for the simple fact that the story is very basic and non-confusing. The really amazing bit is that it still feels like Asian horror, and not an American movie. Probably one of the better episodes of the season.

Now I just have to go back to catch the old episodes of Fear Itself. That's the official unofficial third season of the show after Showtime dumped it and NBC picked it up, only to dump it again. After those reviews, i will go back and compare each offering from specific directors with each other to see what they tell me about each other. Unless I forget to do it.

Timewhat?

2009-04-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, I picked up that Timestorm 2009-2099 thing. It's interesting.

So far, the characters they have been using are all preexisting ones. I like that. No reason to create a new character, when the originals work. Though, some have been redone a bit. Kron Stone, for example, seems less of a sociopath and more of a Flash Thompson (teenager era). I am pretty cool with the alterations they have made on that front.

The new looks so far have been limited, and pretty cool. I like that Jake Gallows isn't some rogue cop in a costume, but a regular cop on a special mission. All cops dressed in that armor is an odd look, but not bad. Cerebra is still a crappy redo in the way she looks. I really hate that one.

So, what about thematic changes? It looks like instead of the dystopia they had in the originals, it is more of an information overload in this one. This works pretty well, since it is a bit more thematic for current audiences. I think the old stuff would probably have worked ok too, but I can see the change for what it is. It seems to be working so far.

This has so far not impressed overly, but hasn't disappointed either. I will be buying the next issue, which looks like a Ghost Rider intro. So, we will see if they can keep this 2099 fanboy happy. If it keeps up at this rate, or gets better, then i would buy a new 2099 ongoing if one happens. I hope that it does, actually. I want more 2099.

A Ghost in Four Parts

2009-04-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Phantasm: Wow, that girl playing Mike sure is pretty. Wait, what do you mean that's a boy? Damned 70's hair. Also, if the kid's 13, why the hell is he driving his brother's car and drinking a beer? Some people have no idea of proper child raising. All jokes aside, this is a pretty trippy movie. Dude has sex with a girl in graveyard, and she kills him. Then the rest of the movie is a series of dreams and crazy shit. Zombie dwarves. Portals to another world. A Tall Man with yellow blood. Flying spheres of death. Those are by far the best, and most iconic, pieces of this franchise. I mean, come on, silver balls the size of a tennis ball that fly through the air, extend blades, and drill into your head. Who doesn't want one of those? I loved the scene with the sphere killing a guy. All blood that blood shooting out of the hole, then the dude dead on the floor in a puddle of his own urine. Amazing. Nice ending, too, where the whole thing is a dream. Or is it...Oh yeah, almost forgot how cool it was seeing all that marble. Just tons and tons of marble. If you have seen the movie, you will know what i mean. If not, why are you not watching it already?

Phantasm II: This movie is MIA. Not available on DVD that I can tell. Apparently available on VHS, but who the hell sells that anymore. The Wikipedia article tells the plot. Thankfully, someone put it on YouTube. I feel bad for watching it there, instead of paying to buy or rent a copy. But, if it isn't possible to see it the proper way, I suppose I am willing to go through other methods. I blame the movie studios for not giving me the option of doing it right. Anyhow, the installment picks up where the last one left off. Except, once again, it isn't what it seems to be. None of it has happened yet, while it is also years later. Or something. The timeline and what is real and what isn't for these movies is somewhat screwy. On purpose, which I think is a great touch. There's some awesome homemade weapons too. 4-barrel sawed-off shotgun, homemade flamethrower. Awesome stuff. Lots of dead, or "murdered" small towns. Oh, hey, this takes place in Oregon. Somehow, i thought it was Midwest or New England. Cool to learn. I kind of wonder how that yellow blood tasted. Grandpa Zombie just wanted some love, I think. Lots of marble again. I think every town or city needs a building that is 90% marble. It just looks classy. Introduction of some new bad guys, dudes in work coveralls and gasmasks called Gravers. At this point (50 minutes in) I am wondering why the Tall Man wants the girl so much. I see a reason for Mike and Reggie, but not the girl yet. Near-death by rosary. Nice. Oh, now they have explained why the Tall Man wants the girl. Stupid psychics. Reggie is so bad at the hero thing, but I love him for it. Gold Sphere is even cooler than the normal ones, which is saying a lot considering how awesome the originals are. Getting drilled in the pit then chainsawed in the groin has got to suck. Just as I was thinking that these movies are pretty cool for how low gore they are, somebody has to have his eyeballs pop. I was expecting Alchemy's secret to have been revealed earlier. Like during sex. That would fuck up your day. Another ending that is possibly a dream and possibly not. One last thought, I am positive I have seen some of these scenes before. There are a handful of them that are really familiar, but the movie itself I know is new to me. Strange.

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead The is one that I know exists on DVD, but have been unable to find. So, once again YouTube to the rescue. Not the perfect solution, but workable for now. I swear that this is the only series I will do this with. As far as I can tell, all of the other movies I care to review are available on Netflix anyhow. I like how the recap at the beginning uses material from both of the first two movies, but in a way to tell a slightly different story than they actually told. As before, this one starts right where the last one left off. Well played how they reuse the scenes from the end of the last one to start this one, but with the original Mike. Though, the death of Elizabeth was random and stupid. I do wonder why the Tall Man wants Mike so bad though. Obviously, it wasn't what he was told last time. Apparently the balls have brains and eyes. Who knew. Jodi's back. Kind of. Interesting development there. Holy crap, this kid is hardcore. He will fuck your day up, and in a clever way too. Oh look, my least favorite character in a movie. I hated Rocky the first time I saw this movie, and I hate her still. Reggie's dream is funny, and totally expected from him. Tall Man's severed anything is something you do not want to mess with. Zombie Looters...or is that Looter Zombies? So, the Tall Man makes the spheres and dwarves out of the same source. Interesting. I am liking how the mythology is expanding a bit with this. Still have no real idea what is overall going on. Apparently, Jodi being fried one time to many turned his ball into a badass black one, instead of the silver and gold we have seen before. Nice, shiny black ball. Mike has a secret...maybe. Rocky finally leaves, but Reggie is a dumbass who has to keep poking around. The standard ending, but this time with less resolved than before. I need to see the next movie soon to see what the hell is going on.

Phantasm IV: Oblivion Starting at usual with a montage of scenes from previous movies to recap. This time it seems mostly ro hold true to the story of the last movie. Also taking place immediately after the event of the last one, but altered a bit. No sign of Timmy, so I guess he really did die at the end of the last one. We have this great flashback to scenes taking place during the first movie, but not actually from it. Unused footage getting used finally. A good idea. Also, return of the creepy fortuneteller. Been a while, hah. Deomn cop is why you never want to be pulled over. Ever. Placing the dwarves and Gravers in the desert reminds me of jawas and tusken raiders too much. Civil War flashback. We get an attempt at an origin for the Tall Man. I have a weakness for movies like this that tell the history of the characters. One of my favorite Hellraisers is the 4th one, for the origin story. I'll have to try and review those sometime. I like how this Phantasm has a lot of old scenes that were left unused from the original movie. Some of those old scenes are quite awesome. Really, this is a pretty fun addition to the series. I just wish they could get together whatever they need to get another one of these out. I want some closure, to see if they can actually stop the Tall Man for good.

So, overall, an interesting series. I wonder how much of this all was planned ahead of time. There are some indications that they may have known the overarching plot from the beginning. But, the way each movie contradicts the last in slight ways seems to show there was little forethought. Unless that was on purpose, in which case it was fairly well handled. The thought that nothing is what it seems, the reality is malleable, is a pretty deep one. If that's the actual plan for the series, then damn do they show it well. There are some great ideas and images in these movies. I can totally understand why these are so popular.

A Masterfully Done Show

2009-04-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the wonders of Netflix (in particular, the "Watch Instantly" feature), I have managed to see the entire first season of Masters of Horror finally. Herein lie my thoughts on each episode.

Please note that I watched the first 5 of these about 8 months before I saw the rest. So, early episodes are a little less clear in my mind. Just in case the reviews are not so good on those.

Also, for those who are interested, I have added a review of the latest Friday the 13th movie to the original post (found here. In short, I liked it, but needed more blood.

Incident On and Off a Mountain Road: This one was directed by Don Coscarelli, who is known best for his Phantasm movies (which are the subject of my next horror movie series of reviews). The movie is basically about a woman who is driving down a road on night, and the horrible events following. Throughout there are some flashbacks to parts of her life, where we learn about the crazy man she ended up marrying. These serve to explain her awesome survival instincts and skills. Overall, a fun movie to watch, since you see a woman who has some kick ass skills to fight back against the freak who is hunting her. The episode sets a nice tone and feel for the rest of the season. Horror movies of various forms, with a twist of some sort at the end. The twist in this one was not a huge shock, but was still good.

H. P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House: Directed by Stuart Gordon, a man known for his HP Lovecraft movies. This takes place in a house where a physics student is staying while researching his thesis. His work research on intersecting planes, and how they may open portals to other dimensions, turns out to be more real than he would have thought. There is also this creepy rat with a human face in there. Mostly, an interesting story and some decent visuals. Having never read the original story this is "based on" (quotes used since most Stuart Gordon movies are not really based on as much as inspired by the stories), I can't tell you how accurate it is. Still, not bad.

Dance of the Dead: Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame directed this one. Post apocalyptic setting where some chemical warfare has caused a lot of people to burn to death, coming back as zombies. There is this city called Muskeet which is apparently some haven for immoral people or something. Kind of a weak spot there. Anyhow, the idea is that this innocent girl in a small town is working in a diner. Her mom is super protective, becasue her sister and father are dead. Some bad guys come into town and take blood from people, for reasons later explained. They go to the diner, convince the girl to come with, and go to the city to watch zombies dance. Crazy, I know. The end was cool, since you find out the truth of what happened to the sister and why the mom's so protective. There's also a bit more explanation of a flashback from the beginning of the episode. Robert Englund is not a good actor.

Jenifer: This was directed by Dario Argento, one of the masters of Italian horror (Suspiria is one of his greater works). This movie is basically about a cop who saves a woman from being killed. Then falls in love with her. Then tries to kill her. There's a bit more to it than that, but this is the very brief plot synopsis. The woman in question is beautiful, until you look at her face. The face in question is pretty effed up. I can't really describe it, but lets just say that I wouldn't have had sex with her. The movie is a good look at obsession, as well as the lesson that no good deed goes unpunished. Pretty fun.

Chocolate: Directed by Mick Garris, who is the man behind the show in general and apparently has done a number of Stephen King adaptations. The episode is about a guy who keeps seeing, smelling, feeling, and tasting things from the point of view of another person. He then becomes obsessed with finding her, and starting a relationship. Which goes poorly, as she ends up trying to kill him. The entire thing was pretty interesting, and a little creepy if you think about what it must have felt like to be him. At one point, he says he knows what it feels like to die. That's some hardcore stuff there.

Homecoming: Joe Dante of Gremlins and The Howling fame directs. A right wing talking head makes a statement saying he wishes the dead soldiers cold come back long enough to tell everyone how proud they were to serve their country in the war. Then, exactly that happens. Except, they are not so happy about the dying in a war thing. Very funny episode, with zombies doing non-zombie things (like voting). Well done political commentary, with a twist. This episode angered me for how close to reality it was, while entertaining me for how close to reality it should be.

Deer Woman: Directed by John Landis (mostly comedies, but did American Werewolf in London as well as the Thriller music video). A trucker is trampled to death in the cab of his truck. So much that at first the police aren't even sure that the body was a human being. The detective who chooses to follow up is a loser relegated to the animal attacks stuff. He continues to investigate, and piss off his coworkers. The killer is a hot chick. Really really hot. Interesting legend they have in this one. No idea if it is a real legend or not, but I enjoyed the strangeness of it all.

Cigarette Burns: Directed by John Carpenter, of Halloween and The Thing. As a fan of this man's work, this was the episode I most wanted to see. Also, having read a plot synopsis, this was one right up my alley. I was disappointed, not because it was bad but because it was too short to properly do this idea justice. If you have seen In the Mouth of Madness (another of Carpenter''s movies) you pretty much know this story. In this varation, there is a man who is known for gettign hard to find movies for collectors. He is hired by a guy to get a copy of "La Fin Absolue du Monde," a movie that was screened once. The reason it was only screened the one time is because after the showing the entire audience went mad and killed each other.The only print was supposedly destroyed, but the collector claims otherwise. The man sent to find the movie starts digging around, traveling to Paris and some other places. Long story short, he finds the movie and starts going crazy int he process. In the end, everyone gets what the want. Also, there is an angel in this one. An angel with his wings cut off. It was pretty fucked up. I wish this was longer, because I love this idea so much and wanted more of it. I also wish that "La Fin Absolue du Monde" was a real movie. I kind of want to see it, consequences be damned.

Fair Haired Child: Directed by William Malone (who did the remake of House on Haunted Hill and FeardotCom). Not much to say here. Girl who is an outcast at school for reasons that are never really explained is kidnapped. She wakes up in a hospital, her mom cares not. Then she is tossed in a basement and tormented by a demon. The reason for the demon is ok, and the twist at the end is kind of fun. Really, though, this was a fairly forgettable episode. Sad, since the majority of this series has been good. Demon wasn't even all that interesting or creepy to look at.

Sick Girl: Directed by Lucky McKee (who did a movie called May, which I never heard of but have added to my netflix). Basically, with this one you have a scientist who studies insects, and has a few as pets, who falls in love with another woman. There is some big, angry, aggressive bug involved that impregnates others by biting them or something. Really, nothing too deep or impressive. You get awkward science lady, cute artist chick, pervy scientist dude, uptight landlady bitch. Lesbian sex scenes, though very tame. One of the stars was an actress who seems to work primarily with this director, which would explain a lot since she wasn't very good. The other main actress was Misty Mundae (now going my her real name Erin Brown). She's adorable when she is actually acting well. Unfortunately, they don't let her stay adorable and shy, instead making her overact as a bitch instead. Wow, is she bad in those scenes. I was a fan of hers from her crappy sexpolitation horror movies. So, it was a treat seeing her try to do something a bit more legitimate. Even if it was a failure.

Pick Me Up: Fairuza Balk is hot. Just want to get that out there early. Michael Moriarty is normally a better actor than this. Those out of the way, I liked the premise of this a lot. Bus of tourists breaks down in the middle of nowhere. One walks off on her own. Half of the remainder stay with the bus, half take a ride with a trucker who happens by. All of them die. The trucker is a serial killer called Wheeler. He kills people who hitchhike. There is another killer called Walker. He hitchhikes and kills people who pick him up. The two meet, and fight over Fairuza Balk's character. Then there is the twist, which I won't give away. Just leave it with, I wasn't expecting that particular twist. Well played, guys.

Haeckel's Tale: John McNaughton directs this. He is known for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. This story was apparently based on a Clive Barker short story. We have some guy who goes to a witch to get his dead lover returned to life. Then a flashback to a pseudo-Frankenstein story that turns into zombie porn. Then back to the original story for the twist ending. Not too bad. There were some bits that seemed to have no real bearing on the rest of the story, but it was a fun episode. Not really horror or scary all that much. Also, Elise is really attractive, even with her...issues.

Imprint: Directed by Takashi Miike, who did Audition and Ichi the Killer. This episode itself is famous for being to shocking for Showtime. Which, really, says a lot about how graphic this movie was. If a premium movie network won't air it, you know you have found the line and crossed it. Then you probably pissed on it and laughed. So, right, plot...review...stuff. This is about an American who is looking for the prostitute he fell in love with in Japan. He arrives on an island of whores, but she isn't there. He takes one of the prostitutes for the night, who happens to be pretty strange (half her face is deformed and she is a bit crazy). This woman tells him the story of what happened to the woman he loved, as well as her history. But she lies. So she tells it again, and another time. The stories she tells are pretty fucked up. Abortions and hangings and needles in places that should not have needles. I cringed, which is saying a lot since i only ever cringe at guys getting hit in the nuts. There were no nut shots in this, so yeah. To be honest, I am not 100% sure I know what happened in this one. At least there was some crazy gore, though, right? Right?

Bruce vs. Tony

2009-03-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

Timestorm

2009-03-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I just read about this.

I have to say, the title had my interest. The description of the ideas, not so much.

2099 was my gateway comic. Before this, I was mildly interested in comics. Not enough to read or buy. Just enough to look and go "ooo, neat." I grew up watching Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. I watched the other Hulk series with Lou Ferrigno. I watched reruns of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman. I saw the X-Men cartoon on FOX. I watched a number of bad superhero movies (Live action Cap with the Italian Red Skull, Roger Corman Fantastic Four). Hell, I even watched some episodes of The Flash live series when it was on. So, I liked comic characters. Just never enough to but the comics.

2099 changed that. Partially due to the X-Men cartoon, and partially due to how cool Spider-Man 2099 looked, I started to read X-Men 2099. A team book where the team never really comes together. Where a character is killed early on, and never brought back. Even then, I knew that character death meant nothing if you were not Bucky, Jason Todd, or Uncle Ben (we see how those worked out now, haha). That comic blew my mind. It was so good.

Anyhow, years later I remembered how much I loved that series and went on a crusade to find the rest of the 2099 run. I am still a few issues short. Not for long, as I plan on ordering them from a comic shop online very soon (my local shop can't find them for me). The rest of the series were pretty decent. A few rough starts, a lot of rough endings, some painfully 90's art. But, really, a great setting.

Hell, I liked this setting and the characters enough that i have tracked down the other comics they have appeared in, even when those comics were not very good. I kept up with Exiles far longer than i should have, because it had Miguel in it.

So, I hear this new series will be a reimagining of the setting, like the New Universal was for the New Universe. I'm not sure what I feel about this. Yeah, there are things that just don't necessarily work. But, I don't think any of that is in the characters. The characters remain solid, and work well today.

Looking at the concept sketches, I have some thoughts:

* Punisher looks pretty awesome, actually. Enough so that I don't hate the changes to his look. Hopefully, they will keep his character close enough to the original.

* Cerebra looks ridiculous. Shakti was fine in her initial look. This new one is just lame. Hair that looks like brain? Ugh. No, just no.

* Human Torch. Hmmm. Not sure what i feel here. Looks cool. Like what I read about them making a new version, as opposed to the stupid variation they did in the original 2099 stuff. This is a change I think may work. Again, if done well.

* Spider-Man looks pretty much the same. Younger under the mask, but the look of the costume has not changed. The article implies that the costume may be all that has not changed. I hope this isn't completely true.

* Ghost Rider. Well, I will admit to not having read this in the original 2099 form yet. I ma missing an issue, so I have not wanted to read the rest yet. This one looks pretty cool though, and the concept if the 2099 version I know of was sort of silly.

So, I guess I will see what happens with this. I hope it is good,and faithful enough to the original source to make me happy. I also hope that, if it is something i like, it is good enough to get more 2099 comics out to read.

Watchmen: The Movie

2009-03-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

So, I went to see Watchmen last Friday. I have held off on the review to give me a few days to think on the movie before giving my thoughts. I wanted to have some time between me and the movie to make sure i was being objective, since i have a habit of snap judgments.

Just to warn you, there are spoilers ahead. If you have not read the comic or seen the movie, do not read on.

First of all, I am quite pleased with this. Zach Snyder managed to make a decent, and mostly faithful, adaptation of the comic. I say mostly because many have pointed out his lack of understanding the deeper meaning and purpose of the story. Which, really, I don't see. I must have missed the deeper meaning myself. So, you know, I have no issue with that.

The opeing was pretty good. You get a condensed history of the Minutemen and events leading up to the current story. A bunch of new stuff added in here, but all things that work for expanding the story. Silk Spectre as a pinup on the side of a bomber plane was a nice touch. As was the Comedian assassinating Kennedy. Which may have been in the original story. I don't remember it there, but the idea seems so natural that I am sure there is some reference to it somewhere in the book. Need to read again.

Anyhow, the beginning fight was suitably interesting without spoiling anything. Loved seeing Rorschach "without his face" all over the place. Just like the comic. It was nice to see that, as a fan. Hints at the future story revelations, without being totally overt.

There was also a nice touch that I noticed a couple times where they did the pull away shot. The Comedian's button and the statue at the funeral in specific. In the comics, the cover was the start of that shot, with the first few panels in the comic being the same shot from further away before the action actually begins. Nice to see that here.

Few tings I didn't like. The violence was amped up. Dan and Laurie fighting the thugs in the alley was a bit much to me. Braking bones puncturing the skin broke my focus. Rorschach and the child molester was another scene that was a bit too much. I was hoping for the scene as it was in the comic, not flat out murder. Makes the scene better with him not blatantly killing the man.

The sex being a bit more overt was also not a big plus. It was ok for the movie I guess, but seemed a little too much. Like softcore porn. Not a major flaw, but a flaw anyhow.

Ooo, the dream sequence being in the movie, kind of unexpected but fun anyhow.

Some of the plots being eliminated were also a frustration. Specifically, Hollis was such a side character in the movie that I don't get his inclusion at all. Without his being killed after the prison riots, I see no reason to have included him to begin with.

I noticed they took out all of the smoking (other than the Comedian lighting a cigar off of his flamethrower). So, make the sex and violence more graphic, but lose the smoking? No sense at all. Especially since the comic even go so far as to tell you it isn't unhealthy like it used to be. So, they had to make Laurie seem like an idiot for playing with the flamethrower on Archie, instead of just naive. Bah.

So, biggest complaint. The ending. Didn't like it. I knew the giant space squids were not going to be in. I was ok with that. The squid would look stupid on the screen anyhow. So, no major complaint there. I just didn't like them choosing the changes they did. Make Dr. Manhattan look like the villain? Um...not really my idea of a decent plot. Even worse, soon after, the world seems to have forgotten they blame him for the destruction. It was like a scene after the new announcements that there is a reference to him being awesome again. I don't get it.

Overall, I am happy and satisfied with this. I think the Black Freighter and Under the Mask DVD stuff will be fun, and I await the director's cut to see how much was lost to edits.

In the end, I think I will see it again and definitely be buying. But, the source was better. As usual.

MK vs. DC

2008-12-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I love the Joker's first Fatality. Totally what I would expect from him. I am a little disappointed that Wonder Woman doesn't get a Fatality of snapping someone's neck. One Fatality and one Heroic Brutality for her would still be in character. Do like how the heroes don't kill while all of the villains and MK characters do. Nice way to keep the heroes heroic.

Scream Queens

2008-11-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

So, despite my lack of cable television, my abundance of internet has allowed me to watch episodes of VH1's Scream Queens reality television series. I am currently watching the fourth episode and have to say...I want to see this fake movie.

The contestants had to audition for parts in a fake movie, and then shoot the trailer for it after receiving their parts. Let me tell you, this movie looks like one of those Bruce Campbell kinds of things. So campy and bad, its good. Reform School girls fighting zombies based on the teachings of their warden. Looks funny as hell.

See for yourself.

I particularly like the warden reviewing the record scene.

Lazer Ghosts 2: Return to Laser Cove

2008-11-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

This one's for you, Chris Sims

One Month of Comics (Part Three)

2008-09-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the final bit of my old comics. Now, to get enough money to buy more before another month or two goes by.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #39: Wow, this is great stuff. A 'Nuff Said kind of thing. No dialogue at all, just images to tell the story. It's perfect. Much better than many other attempts I have seen. You start with humor, move on to action, and move back to humor. Also, the Mini Marvels page at the end was hilarious. Great play on words with that, and a really funny final panel.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #42: In this issue, we meet Puma. As with any comic, especially a Spider-man comic, there is a misunderstanding which leads to a fight. Added to the mix is Black Cat, doing her thing. A pretty straightforward issue. Nothing special.

Marvel Adventures Hulk #14: Same plot of any other issue of this series. Banner wants a cure of his Hulk problem. This time the idea is to siphon off the gamma radiation to an alternate dimension. There is a run in with the janitor at the lab, who happens to have the name of the Leader's original identity. Then they Hulk, Rick, and Monkey are tossed into another dimension, where they fight Psycho-Man. As usual, Rick manages to find the solution while channeling the Hulk toward a constructive goal.

Marvel Adventures Avengers #27: A two story issue. Story #1 has the Avengers at the fair. Thanks to a mishap, everyone is shrunk down to ant size (except Ant-Man). A whole bunch of stuff happens, mostly involving a pig in the run. It is all quite fun and cute. Hulk especially is awesome. Very silly and child-like, trying to get a hug from the pig. Great stuff. The other story has Iron Man and Captain America. It takes place at the same time as the first story, but in New York. Alien invasion thwarted by size. Cell phone spam scam run by The Enforcers. Great final panel. Plus, Iron Man and Captain America being friends and having a good time.

Marvel Adventures Superheroes #2: Ok, wow, this issue was just insane. This series appears to be much more unusual and funny than the standard Marvel Adventures stuff. All of the all-ages books have a degree of humor to them, but this is just...um...wow. Hulk is totally the star of the series so far. I love his love of animals. Great stuff.

New Universal: Conqueror: I did not like this. The other one-shot telling the history of this universe was great. This one, not so much. It seems less than historic. It is also confusing as hell, and the art isn't doing much for me. A weak offering.

Runaways #1: So, finally, Joss is gone. Maybe that means this thing will be on time. The new team of Terry Moore (who I have been meaning to read) and Humberto Ramos (whose art I cannot stand). So, this wasn't too bad of a start. New place to live. New addition to the team. New challenges (job and angry possible relatives). The art is still horrible. Anyhow, the story was decent enough of a beginning that I will come back for more. Hopefully the art doesn't drive me away.

Eternals #3: Well, the art is nice, even though I have no idea what the hell is going on. This is almost as hard to follow for me as the miniseries that lead into it. I get the overall story, but the individual pieces sometimes pass me by. Will probably give it another issue or two before dropping it. It is good, just not really sure what to think of it though.

Squadron Supreme #2: Wow, if this isn't crap. Not the story itself, or the idea. Just, you know, doing it in the Squadron Supreme universe. I liked Supreme Power, and Squadron Supreme (enough so, I went out and got the trades of teh original stuff...which was better). I did not like what the Ultimate Power thing did for either universe (a post I mean to make and never got around to...maybe I may do it soon-ish...or not...). This story takes the remnants of the Ultimate Power debacle, and turns the Squadron Supreme universe into yet another Ultimate-style thing. I will say, the additions are handled well at least. I just chafe at them being in this series, instead of somewhere else. Bring back Hyperion and the rest, now!

X-Factor: Layla Miller: Wow, I have been waiting to see this since the Messiah Complex stuff, and was not disappointed at all. Layla is still doing her thing, which is as awesome now as it has always been. Or, at least, since Peter David got a hold of her. It was neat seeing her talk about how she knew what was coming, and didn't like it but did it anyhow. Showed her to be a much stronger character than i would have thought. Knowing you would be stuck int he future, branded with a tattoo, and degraded...but doing it anyhow...that is true courage. A lot of people seemed to dislike the Ruby Summers character, but I thought she was cool. I never had a huge connection to the Jean/Scott thing other then where it played a role in the love triangle with Logan. So, no problem there. I also don't see it as Marvel thinking all women are replaceable. I think of it more like Peter David had a fun idea, using the current relationship, and ran with it. Anyhow, I like the knowledge that Layla is going to get back to the past somehow, and I hope it is soon.

The Immortal Iron Fist #18: More back story on the killer of the Iron Fists. This dude is hardcore, and pretty nasty too. Hes got a mole inside Danny's company, who I am assuming is probably the new guy. I say this because he is new, and he was interrupting Danny during the Iron Fist Study Time. Next issue, Danny is gonna get to try and be a hero by saving the kids, so he can blame himself for them being attacked in the first place. Yay angst!

Captain America #41: Wow, I just noticed the issue number and realized how long this title has gone on without the title character. Well, to be fair, Bucky is a pretty badass replacement...but still, no Steve. Crazy. Sharon lost the baby, which is very sad. Sin is not a very good daughter, or assassin for her dad. Bucky is the man. Zola is creepy. Faustus acts like a douche. Red Skull is going insane, in a not as good way. It is all coming to a head next issue. Still one of the better comics out there today.

Thunderbolts #123: Well, I still hate the team but at least they are less dickish than when Ellis was writing them. It is slightly more believable they would have government sanction the way they seem now, as opposed to before. The Skrull element added in to the book has so far been interesting. Not much else to say, other than I really want Songbird in charge and Moonstone gone.

X-Factor #34: Meh. Glad to see Darwin, one of my favorite of the recent mutants, join the book. The Skrull fighting and She-Hulk fighting wasn't as much fun. I want more like the book used to be. More detective, noir, strangeness. less superhero misunderstandings leading to fights that never should have happened. More like the Layla Miller book was, and less like this, please.

Nova #16: Disguising themselves as children. Cute, cat-like children. That's low, even for a Skrull. Super Skrull was pretty cool, and completely doing as I would have expected all the way through. Next issue will be fun, I think. Also, i hope Worldmind isn't permanently gone. That's too much angst, even for Nova.

Guardians of the Galaxy #4: Rocket Raccoon hates Kosmo. Which, really, sort of makes sense. The introduction of Secret Invasion to this title was one I would not have expected, but it is working as a story so far. I wonder who the Skrull will turn out to be, since there is bound to be one. I hope it isn't anyone cool. Which means, one of the council members since all of the team are awesome. Well, Groot could go away and I would be fine. That's it though. I wonder what Drax is up to, especially if he isn't a Skrull. I also can't wait to find out what is going on with the Vance Astro bits, and the future Guardians. Wonder if Vance will stick around long enough to meet his younger self. Again. Wonder if anyone remembers they are the same dude (both in the comic and in the marvel writing/editing teams).

The Mighty Avengers #17: Wow, first weak issue since the Secret Invasion stuff started popping up in here. A bunch of Skrull Pym talking about how the plan will fail, followed by a fight, followed by a new Skrull Pym. Not sure what to make of the last page, either. Overall, better than the title was before the invasion but not as good as it has been since the invasion. Middling out.

The New Avengers #44: At the beginning, I thought this issue would be sort of lame. A rehash of the Illuminati stuff. Then, it did the twist and i was hooked. So interesting to see how the Skrulls got the plan in the first place. Beautiful, almost Shakespearean really. Wonder if we will find out what how it works. On the one hand, I kind of want a pseudo-science explanation. On the other hand, i know that anything that is come up with will sound silly. Tough call. Good issue, though.

Avengers: The Initiative #16: I was less than impressed with this issue. Couple fun bits, but nothing as outstanding as I would expect from this title. Invasion has improved Mighty Avengers, and is killing the Initiative.

Secret Invasion #5: The opening scene from Thunderbolts, with mostly identical dialogue. Nice touch to whoever chose to do that. Agent Brand on the Skrull ship with Reed was good. Agent Hill on the carrier with the Skrulls was funny as hell, and well played. Savage Land was a whole lot of nothing, until Reed showed up. So-so issue. Really wondering how this whoe series will end.

Ultimate Iron Man 2 #5: Thank god this is over. This series was crap. The first Ultimate Iron Man was at least moderately interesting. It had cool concepts and it was neat to see the birth of Tony Stark. That mini had a good story to explain how and why Tony is like he is in the ultimate universe. Thsis series was stupid all the way through. I hate the blown off limbs beign regrown thing. Obediah Stane acted borderline retarded half the time, for no real reason. The end villain was a nice twist, but her speech was so horrible I lost all interest. I hope Orson Scott Card never touches a comic project ever again. Especially Ultimate, as I would have to have to not buy an Ultimate title.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #57: Is it over? I think it is, since there is no "To Be Continued" or anything. However, the story seems far from wrapped up on this arc. Reed and Sue are back together, which is nice. Namor is even bigger of a dick than the non-ultimate version (which is saying something). The lesbian stuff wasn't even really all that well done, too over the top for me. The concept of the villain was neat, but hard to accept. Really, it is not a good thing when a comic book as effed up as the Fantastic Four (Ultimate or not) reads as implausible in its own setting. Next issue will hopefully be better. I want more Ultimate versions of old bad guys. Do Molecule Man or something.

Ultimate Spider-Man #125: I am glad the video game story is being officially fit in to the regular continuity. It was a fun story, and now it is there for those of us who suck at games and got stuck part way through. Plus, Venom stuff is always kind of fun.

Ultimate X-Men #97: Wow, this was a nice ending to a good story arc. I wasn't expecting much from this either, since it was a TV guy doing it. TV guys doing comics rarely works out well, unless they are JMS or Joss Whedon. Even then, sometimes it doesn't work. This, however, was great. Tied in with the great reveal of Logan's origin in Ultimate Origin. Nice twist on Moira. Nice wrap up, and a great ending to lead in to Ultimatum. I fear for this title, though. With the things that have been happening in it and Ultimate Origin, it is looking ot me like the X-Men may not be lasting much longer. I hope I am right.

Mini Marvels

2008-09-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

So, I hear there is finally a Mini Marvels trade. I have been saying for months that there needs to be a Mini Marvels ongoing series. Similar to how Tiny Titans is. Now, there is a trade. This isn't exactly what I was asking for, but it is close enough to make me happy.

Except, I have no money. So I can't buy it. Which means that I can't put my money where my mouth is. I hope this thing has been selling well enough that Marvel will do more, and maybe the ongoing this idea deserves.

I will have to save up and buy this thing asap.

One Month of Comics (Part Two)

2008-09-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

So, on to the DC comics. Lots of stuff here.

Tiny Titans #7: As usual with this series, perfection. Always kind of cute, with some sill stories and goofy dialogue. Aw Yeah Titans! That's how you clean a room, and avoid getting in trouble for being gone for 5 days without asking permission. I can't wait to share these comics with my kids (once I have some, that it).

Teen Titans Year One #6: Bah, nothing great here at all. Robin has angst dreams. The villain from before comes back. Titans become a team. Batman can't express emotions. This was the weak link in this miniseries. A shame, since it has been universally great to this point. This, with Tiny Titans, was the only Teen Titans comic I was still getting. Now I am down to one Titan related story. Sad.

Trinity #11-14: So, we have Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman becoming more like each other. At first a bad thing, but seeing Superman take down Owlman, Superwoman, and Ultraman all at once is amazing. Hardcore, a little brutal, and effective. Not much else has really happened with the main story. I am a little concerned for Green Lantern. Hope that ends up better than it is looking like it will. The backup stories are ok. the tarot-themed crimes are at an end, with everything pointing to Riddler. Which, you know, makes sense with the eventual hinting at a reveal. I was sort of thinking that was who it was. Not the version it seems to be, but at least I was close with the Riddler thing. Also some fights, in a graveyard. Bad guys have their pieces of the Trinity's trinity. So, now what? I do wonder how this story will be able to last a year without dragging on too long. I am starting to wonder if I still want to buy it. I keep it up, for the Bagley art. Otherwise, I could wait and read the trade at a Barnes and Noble in a year.

Tangent: Superman's Reign #6: I wish Dan Jurgens was drawing this as well as writing it. I'm not liking the art in this much at all. This issue was kind of neat, finding out about how Superman got to where he is at. Plus, Batman meets Batman, and the Tangent Outsiders are born. Next issue should be awesome. Superman vs. Superman. The back-up story is kind of interesting for a reminder as to what all the Tangent Universe is all about, a good thing since the original Tangent stuff was something like 10 years ago.

The Spirit #20: Spirit is roped into helping a children's field trip at an aquarium. Then he solves a murder dealing with dolphins. Nothing super special, but nothing disappointing either. Solid comic, as usual.

Batman Detective Comics #848: Man, I love that this comic is numbered in the 800's. How sweet is that. Anyhow, this was an interesting addition the the story. Hush and Catwoman fight, then she reveals his face, which we do not get to see, but it shocks her. We get Batman punching a kid...Venomed up, but still a kid. Then there is the flashback, showing more if Hush's past, including the allusion that he was the friend who was engaged to the new Ventriloquist. Finally, the big final page, which is shocking and completely implausible. Looking forward to more.

Simon Dark #11: This one was funny. I seem to remember the series not being this funny to begin with, but has had a definite humor aspect to it over the last few issues. An interesting issue, for the origin of Simon, and his choice at the end. Can't wait for the next issue.

Booster Gold #11: See, this is why I think Dan Jurgens should be drawing his Tangent comic. This is lovely stuff. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about this one, since it is the first with the lack of Johns on the writing. But, you know, this was still really good. I liked the batman and team vs. Killer Moth at the beginning, then the impostor Moth later on. The Change to the timestream was quite fun, where they were able to save a Gotham without Batman, but managed to make it worse with Killer Moth actually not being a joke of a villain. Alfred is also quite kick ass, but we already knew that.

A Return to Horror

2008-09-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, back when I started this often neglected blog up, I posted a set of reviews of the entire Friday the 13th series. I have taken my time in doing so, but I am now going to review the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series. This will allow me to finish the original review series as well. With Freddy vs. Jason as the cap to this series, I will be done with both franchises and can move on to another one.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The original, and what an amazing movie it is. The script is a little weak with the dialogue, and the acting is pretty bad. but, this was made in '84, so you really can't expect much. I mean, really, 80's horror was not known for being brilliant in those areas. Where it excels, though, is in the plot. The idea behind the movie is inspired. Child killer, caught and acquitted of the crime, is killed by a group of parents. He then comes back in the dreams of the kids to get his revenge. The effects are pretty cool, from watching cuts magically appear on a girl's body to the quicksand stairs and the geyser of blood. Oh god, the fucking wall! Even better were the amazingly surreal dream sequences. They are subtle and unnerving at once. Nothing too over the top. Just little things like a sheep randomly being in a hallway, or a tree in the halls of school that is only there for one shot. The dreams are cleverly done so that you think it is reality, then it twists and you see that it is not real. I imagine that when this movie came out, it was also a great twist on the genre, since they keep making you expect the killer to come out of nowhere early one, before you know its a dream killer. Make-up is also a great touch, with Nancy slowly looking more and more worn out, and a streak of gray showing up in her hair (which nobody points out, making it that much better for the subtlety). Love it, and can see why it became such a huge thing.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge: So, a year after the original, a movie taking place 5 years later occurs. The basic idea is, some new family movies in to the house where Nancy lived. Freddy possesses the son of this new family, hoping to use his body to be reborn. Somewhat of a flimsy premise. For one thing, why does Freddy pick this guy, and not the dad or sister? There is no real reason for this one particular kid to be picked. But, that aside, it's not to bad of a movie. The visuals are still cool, especially the transformation scene. I also kind of liked the showers bit, for the transformation there as well. Didn't like the S&M club and night at the gym bits, though, because they sort of made no real sense. I have a hard time believing a high school kid just randomly walking around at night, and finding an S&M club to wander into, only to have his PE teacher walk up to him and make him run laps at school in the middle of the night. I am also confused as to whether Jesse is supposed to be the weird outcast or the popular guy. It seems to go both ways on that. The surreal aspects were less dream-like and more just-plain-strange. The redesign of Freddy to have his glove actually be one of his hands was nice, though. I also liked the reoccurring theme of heat and fire, which is a good mirror to both how Freddy died as well as the boiler room he traditionally did his killing in. All in all, not a bad sequel.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors: The kid in the wheelchair plays D&D. D&D people! That's so awesome...except for the whole making him incredibly nerdy thing. Still, for when the movie was made, not too bad. We also have our first actual nudity (I don't really count the bath scene in the original, it was too quick). For the cliche of naked girls, drug use, and lots of sex that slasher type movies have, I have not seen nearly as much as I would have expected from the two franchise I have watched this much of. Anyhow, this was a fun movie. Nancy comes back, with her gray streak on the wrong side. The deaths in this were much more creative. Everyone dies or is attacked in a way that ties in with their personality. The puppet making kid, turned into a marionette with his veins as the strings. The mute kid tied up with tongues. The wannabe actress killed with a TV. The ex-junkie killed with hypodermic needles. The kid in a wheelchair is attacked by a spiked and bladed wheelchair. It was interesting to learn a bit more of Freddy's background. Not that the story was too terribly plausible, but it was a very 80's horror thing. The bastard child of 100 maniacs. I like the sound of that. I will call myself that from now on. Finally, it is an end to the Nancy stuff )for now, I know of the final nightmare connection). At least, I hope it is. I would be very annoyed to have Nancy show up again after dying. Freddy coming back, I can accept. Anyone else, not so much.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master: New Kristen , but the same Joey and Kincaid. Note sure why they got a new actress, cute as she may be. Hopefully there was a good reason for it, like scheduling or pay conflicts. I'm not a fan of changing cast for no reason. Also, I want a dog that can piss fire. Kincaid's death wasn't done well at all. He dies in the dream, with no visual cue in the waking world. This after they show that dreams and reality connect with the bloody dog bite earlier. Not good at all. Joey's death by waterbed was better. Still the dirty perv he was before. Beautiful stuff, there. I think we have all had the hot girl in the waterbed dream.So, Kristen ends up dying really early on as well. My first thought was, why even tie in with the remaining cast of the last movie if you are just going ot kill them right away. Then the movie tells me, by implying that Freddy can't kill more people if he doesn't have a link to the new kids. Since Kristen pulled Alice into the dream on accident, Alice is the link. This worked pretty well, actually. Nice tortured protagonist, who had a very good reason for gettin rid of Freddy beyond the normal survival thing. It was also interesting that Alice was somehow able to collect teh power of all the friends she got killed, thus enabling her to fight Freddy inthe end. The effects in this were less impressive than previous movies in teh series. Other than the roach transformation, and Freddy's sould attacking him in the end, the movie was rather tame in the graphics department. It is sad when movie 4 in a franchise has less impressive visuals than movei 1 did. I liked the return of deaths fitting the personality of the character as well. The first two movies didn't have that, but the last one and this one did. I also notice that Freddy's snark factor has increased a lot over the last couple movies. Where the first one he just taunted in a general manner, and the second was mroe of taunting Jesse but not so much taunting the victims. Three had a bit more snark, and this one was pretty much total snark from teh man. He is alsoless prone to getting his ass kicked in the process of fighting the kids. Interesting. I may have some final thoughts on this after i finish the series.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child: #1, yay Alice is back as the same actress! She's blond now, which is odd. I liked her as a redhead better. Nice to see the ties to the Krueger backstory from movie 3 being used for a plot in this movie. Somehow Freddy is able to be reborn by Alice dreaming of his original conception and birth...or something. It is a little unclear how it happens, but somehow he is back. So is his mom. Freddy seems to have gained in power again, prompting dream effects for Alice while she is awake. Oh, nevermind. They explain it as her baby's dreams. Freaky. One thing that surprises me is that nobody seems to know the story of Freddy, since every movie has to have the protagonist retell the story and nobody believes the dream killings are real. You would think after this many deaths due to the same thing, somebody would actually remember and believe. More ironic deaths, this time more tied to location than personality. The snark from Freddy is also higher than it was last time. Haha, I loved the comic geek with the blood phobia. Especially when he is pulled into the comic of the events of the movie. All technicolor clothes, while everything else is black & white (including Freddy). Another one of those so-so effects movies. Some bits were better than others, but they are more campy than the older movies. I prefer the semi-realism, as opposed to this camp stuff. The comic book death was still kind of fun, even if it was not my tastes for a death. I do somewhat wonder why Alice seems to have lost her dream powers. Like Kristen in the last movie, Alice has lost all of what made her able to defeat Freddy to begin with. Sort of lame. I do like how they do Freddy being "born" from Alice. Cool prosthetics there. As with the eventual defeat. Sort of mirrors the ending of the last movie, while still being original.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare: The "last" Freddy movie. Right. Hah. Oh my god, this was the most ridiculous movie yet. Fun visuals, if nothing else. But, damn is this over the top with the camp and the snark. So much that I can't help but dislike it as a whole. Well, at least the first half. After the kids are done dying, and Freddy has left Springwood and the backstory come into play. I liked finding out about Freddy as a father, and the reasons for his killing (even if they do a nature vs. nurture thing that I don't really play into). I nice way to tie things into each other. Like actually having the house mean something, instead of just showing up for no real reason. I mean, the house was Nancy's, so why was it always such an icon of Freddy? Well, now we know. Though, it does make you wonder why Nancy's mom chose to live there, if it was the old Krueger house. Whatever. Anyhow, I dig the last part of it, where you get to see the beginning and ending of Freddy. The DVD I have offers the ending in both 2-D and 3-D. I tried teh 3-D, but the glasses gave me a headache and were not very good. It was all just sort of crappy and two toned. So, i went back and watched it in 2-D. This is much more entertaining. Like watching Friday the 13th 3-D without the actual 3-D. You can see where it was supposed to pop out of the screen and freak you out, but you can also see that it was just sort of there to mess with the technology. No reason in the plot for there to be a spiked club coming out at you, or a flying molotov cocktail or anything. Pandering, and cheesy. So, you know, perfect. This makes a decent end to the franchise. Oh, wait, it isn't the end though. They had to go and make one more. Plus a crossover. With a TV series somewhere in there as well. *sigh* Moving on.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare: Now this is a Freddy movie. Semi-stupid plot. A movie about a new Freddy movie, which is actually Wes Craven summoning a primal evil. Eh...I guess it could work...Wait, it actually did work. Quite well. Freddy in this is much more menacing, and scary as hell to look at. Previous movies in the series have had Freddy a mildly creepy looking guy, but in this he is full on menacing. The glove is no longer a glove, but some sort of bony bladed hand. His face is much more demonic, while still being skeletal. It is hard to describe properly. The package works, though. Gone is the snark, leaving pure evil. Freddy closer to how he was in the first couple movies, and less like later incarnations. The return of Nancy and her Father, or the actors playing them, was a nice touch. Wasn't as keen on the hell where the final confrontation takes place, but I can accept it anyhow. I also liked the references to the original. Bland is killed in plain sight, thrown along walls and the ceiling, and nobody sees Freddy doing it. They only see her reaction. Quicksand stairs also show up later in the movie. This is probably the second best movie in the series, with the original topping them all. A great way to end a franchise, once and for all. Oh...right...one more to go.

Freddy vs. Jason: The big ending to both franchise finally gets a review. It was interesting, at least. The basic idea is that Freddy is currently powerless, thanks to the parents of Springwood making sure nobody remembers him. So, he tricks Jason into going there to kill people, hoping it will make the residents fear him again, thereby giving him his power back. Except, Jason continues to kill after his purpose is complete, and Freddy gets a little pissed off. So, they start to fight each other. While killing kids. As you do. The movie managed to throw in tropes from both franchise. You get promiscuous teens with drugs and drinking. you get surreal dream effects with a tiny bit of snark. And there's boobs, you know, it's all good. The deaths were not terribly inspired. Sort of a let down, when you realize how great the deaths have been in previous movies for both series. The crazy kid has the best scene of death stuff, but it ended very silly. The Freddy on Jason in dreams was fun. As was the Jason on Freddy in the real world. The "weakness" was sort of doofy as well. Freddy seems to have an affinity for fire, not a fear of it. Jason sure as heck never showed a fear of water in the past. He should have, but never did. So, yeah. Pandering, but kind of fun anyhow. Nothing great or meaningful, but decent popcorn flick. Oh, yeah. Never use obvious cg in a slasher movie. It totally ruined the parts it was obvious in. Old school, man. Prosthetics, animatronics, and buckets of stage blood are where it is at.

So, reactions. As with the Friday the 13th movies, these movies were sort of a couple different series linked together. You have movie 1&3 that sort of make a linked whole. That gives the story of Freddy vs. Nancy, ending in the death of Nancy and the final defeat of Freddy. You also have 3-5 as a sort of linked whole. With those you have a sort of in media res thing, with kids dreaming of Freddy and being put in an institution. Nancy shows up, to explain there is a link with her childhood, but dies in the process of trying to stop the nightmare. Kristen and Alice become the main protagonists in these, in a sort of Master/Apprentice thing. Kristen has the power to fight Freddy off, but it is her teaching Alice that ends in his final defeat. Movies 1-5 (again, minus #2) kind of work as an overarching plot as well. There you have the entire Freddy vs. Nancy thing, with Nancy being the master to Kristen's apprentice, who then teaches what she knows to Alice to eventually defeat the monster once and for all. Freddy's dead really only fits the series to show more of his back story, which really wasn't needed as it just complicates things too much in the big picture. Freddy's Revenge was a really nifty idea, but it doesn't fit into the overall story of the rest of the movies at all. it was kind of a sequel for sequel's sake thing. Great stuff, but nothing that adds to the overall plot of the movies. New Nightmare doesn't really fit any of teh series. It is more of a really cool idea to cash in one more time. As was Freddy vs. Jason.

I did notice a few reoccurring plot elements. There's the obvious dreams, and killing kids and all that. Also the creepy girls playing jump rope in slow motion while doing the rhyme. I did see a theme of uncaring, alcoholic parents as well. Parents who seem to possibly care, but are more self interested than loving parents. The theme of heat and fire started to show up in the second movie, and continued on. I imagine this is meant to tie in to the boiler room he did his killings in, as well as the death by fire Freddy suffered. Was one of the things in part 2 that I actually enjoyed the most. The bad dreams being blames on the heat, when it was more likely the dreams causing the heat to begin with.

So, there's my thoughts on this franchise. I am thinking I may make this an irregular theme. Hellraiser has a number of movies, as does Halloween. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is also a classic with a few movies under its belt. I'm sure i can find others. So, we will see how much I am inspired to review those, when I get around to watching them. Any suggestions?

I do still have the 100 best movies to finish watching. Little under half way there (revised the list, which threw off my original count).

UPDATED 5/8/10
Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): So, here we have a new and improved rendition of a horror classic. I mean, it has to be improved right? With a higher budget, prettier cast, and new technology it has to be...right? They wouldn't make a new version of a movie so well loved and remembered, unless they were improving it....right? Well, kind of sort of, but not really. I will admit that I liked how slick this movie was, and the new cast is all fun. Not the best acting at times, but no worse than any other horror so nothing to complain about. They sure are a hell of a lot prettier than the original (with Johnny Depp being the exception, because that is one pretty man, haha). Some of the improved effects are ok, but most of the time they use cg in place of practical effects, and it suffers for them. The famous Freddy in the Wall scene is better in the original, than the obvious effects used i this one. There are some nice scenes homaging the original. Sleeping at school, Freddy in the Wall, Car Lighter, Gina/Kris's Death. Even a sort of (I assume) homage to the geyser of blood...in reverse. But, none of it really improved on the originals, and in many cases was worse. The additional flashbacks were a nice touch, telling the story of Freddy much better than the entire original franchise. I also liked the attempt to tie the characters together in a much more believable way. I will say this, though. The new Freddy is the best Freddy. With a look closer to a real burn victim, creepier motivation, and much less humorous take I enjoyed this version a lot. Even when he was being funny, it had a darker edge to it which really worked for me. I hear this is meant to be the start of a new franchise. I don;t know how I feel about that, but will give a sequel a fair chance.

One Month of Comics (Part One)

2008-09-08T17:28:00.001-07:00

No excuses. Just comics. Let's get started.

Stormwatch PHD #13: First of all, I was glad this series had originally ended. I had been on the verge of removing it from my pull list anyhow. So, I was surprised to find this in my box. Didn't even know the series was coming back. I have not followed what has happened with Wildstorm stuff recently. So, I have no idea what they are referring to with this issue. In fact, I am completely lost. From reading this, I gather the supers caused the end of the world. Except the supers who didn't. And now there are people in space saving people on earth, but not all of them. And some of these people are supers. Who are good. Or something. Bah, this isn't even close to what the original series was doing, so why even use the same name? Why not just make a new series and go from there? Dropped, for real this time.

Madman Atomic Comics #10: What can I say about this? I have no effing idea what is going on, but I am enjoying every minute of it. Allred still succeeds in impressing me with his art and storytelling every time. I am also a hug fan of the first page recap showing the entire previous issue in thumbnail size. I had forgotten how brilliant the last issue was for the layout alone. The man is a genius.

The Walking Dead #51: Holy fuck, that was one of the creepier issues. Ever since the prison attack, this has been really a different comic. Which is exactly what was promised. I didn't know how this thing would go after such a major change, but wow. This one was great. A slice of life after the recent turmoil. I do have to admit, i was wondering why the person was calling this house. I figured it may have been their old home or a friends house or something. The real answer was even better. Poor Rick, and poor Carl. I think Carl is going to have to really grow up a lot, and fast.

Fables #75: I must admit, I was not expecting this at all. I was shocked back when they first revealed who the Adversary really was. I was even more shocked when the war was announced. Now, it's over, and successfully. I never in a million years would have expected that to happen. I mean, without the Adversary to keep the fables out of the Homelands, what is there left to the series? I am intrigued as to how this will continue on now.

Jack of the Fables #25: As usual, Babe is the real star of this book. I am very interested i how this series has progressed. From a simple "retirement village" for fables to a story dealing with beings more powerful than fables. Literals are quite possibly one of the most nifty ideas I have seen in a comic in ages.

House of Mystery #5: So far, this has been the modern successor to the Sandman series. Lots of creepy, and literary, and strange, and awesome all thrown together. This issue continued that trend. The first story arc is done with, but it leaves many unanswered questions. QUestions that had better be resolved at some point, because I am tired of too many questions and no answers (I mean, I do watch Lost). The midpoint story in this issue was the second best to date (best is still the girl who married the fly, amazing). This one had the most boring narration one could imagine, talking about almost being late to work. What sells it, though, is that everything that is left out of the story is pure excitement. Giant spiders, elder gods, dragons, vampire cats, homeless zombies. The narrator leaves these out, as they are just a part of his everydya world. But, they are the best part of the story. Perfection.

Fallen Angel #29: Bought but not read. Need to reread this series since the last issue I read was #15, and I don't remember much of anything about it.

Red Star: Sword of Lies #3: Another bought but not read, mainly because there is such a delay between issues I can't keep track of what is going on. I just know it is a great series with amazing art. Will read some day when I can get a hold of the rest of the Red Star books.

It's Almost...

2008-07-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

Sims-ian.

Or maybe Campbell-ian.

Bitch Slap. So offensively awesome I must see it. On DVD, since there is no way I am paying to see that in a theater.

A Confession

2008-07-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

As a guy, who is also quite geeky, I have a horrible confession to make.

I am painfully addicted to So You Think You Can Dance. I mean, really addicted. To the point where I had an opportunity to see Dark Knight at the Imax last night, and almost didn't go because it meant missing the last 30 minutes of the show. I did end up going, and it was worth it. But, it was a tough choice.

So, why do I like this show so much?

I have no idea. I'm not a dancer, in the slightest. So much a non-dancer that I have turned down girls who wanted to dance with me. Which, really, no so much something I should be doing. I don't even really do the dancing around in your apartment listening to music. I just don't dance.

Likewise, I am not much for the music. I listen to music sometimes. Just not a really big thing for me. I mean, hell, I have an ipod that is only maybe 1/3 full, and I keep forgetting to take it with me when I go anywhere. I don't think I have actively listened to music in months, possibly since last year. I like music videos, and will Youtube those like crazy. But, it's not usually for the music as much as the video.

So, why this obsession with a show about dancing? Who knows.

Gotta go, results for this week's elimination are about to come on.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-23T01:31:00.000-07:00

So, as any self respecting comic geek has done by now, I have seen The Dark Knight. I have loved the Dark Knight. I want one more (and probably only one more) movie to go with this. I say round out the trilogy with a Riddler/Catwoman movie. Maybe another Scarecrow appearance. While I think this movie ends in a way where they could possibly leave it as is, I think they almost need another movie the redeem Batman.

As everyone else has been saying, Heath Ledger is amazing. Enough so that I actually forgot he was in the movie. His Joker was so real, and so engaging, that I forgot who was playing him.

Two Face was also a great addition to this. The movie really was Harvey Dent/Two Face's story. Batman and Joker were there, making big appearances and whatnot, but the movie wasn't about them. They were there to help Harvey's story to happen. This is how it should have been.

I don't even know what I can say that hasn't already been said. Except, Watchmen.

That Watchmen trailer has me sold. Still do not like the costumes too much, but I can accept them. The big things for me are they got Dr. Manhattan right. They got Rorschach's mask right. The scenes look awesome. I must reread the trade now, and drool over the eventual awesome this movie will be.

I Return...But For How Long?

2008-07-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Nearly a month since the last post. No excuses. I have been lazy. But, here's a new post. Hopefully I will have more soon.

Joker's Asylum: Penguin- Ok, so I read the first issue of this series and liked it. Actually, with the Joker issue, I first disliked it, then by the end I loved it. This one started out much better, had a great middle, and a somewhat sad end. I actually felt bad for the Penguin in this one. I do love how he got mad at the chef in the restaurant, and instead of killing the man he just made the guy so miserable that the guy offed himself. That's a true villain there.

Trinity #6- I am liking this series so far. Not a lot of anything happening, yet I think it will lead somewhere good. I love Busiek as a writer and love Bagley as an artist. I'm going to keep reading for a bit longer. Backup stories are a little meh.

Booster Gold 1,000,000- What a great issue, and a great run for this team. This was such a fun concept for the entire series, with a Zero Hour tie in earlier and this issue here. Booster gets the boost he needs to his self image when Batman confronts him with photos from his run-in with the Joker (Killing Joke era). I love the idea of Booster having a guy in the future who looks at him as a sort of icon to emulate. Peter Platinum. Great stuff. Also, the big reveal at the end was so fantastic, i can't even describe how happy it made me.

Batman Detective Comics #846- Meh. Hush was a fun story, and a villain I don't hate. This, though, is nothing fantastic yet. I dunno how this will play out. I have hope since it is a Paul Dini story, and I like him.

Marvel Adventures: Hulk #13- This series is so fun. Peter David knows how to tell a good story, and is a master of Hulk stories. This is just goofy fun. Living Pharaoh/Monolith. Who ever expected to see that character ever again?

Captain America: White #0- Nice preview of what should be a good series. I wasn't going to but this, but my comic shop had it in my box. Good thing about the place I shop, they do that. You have one series on your pull list, they will place other related stuff in there assuming you may like it. So, even though I wasn't planning on getting it, I bought it...and loved it. Will likely get the rest.

Eternals #2- As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't like the mini that lead into this. However, I do like this so far. I love Acuna's art. I find that it is really suiting this comic a lot. This is looking to be a decent series.

Nova #15- Oh man, this is not good for poor Nova. His actions on the planet, trying to stop Harrow and save that last people on the planet means he may have lost the Worldmind. This is very possibly a bad bad thing. Next issue, Secret Invasion. Looking forward to seeing how this works.

Guardians of the Galaxy #3- Wow, more ties to the original Guardians team with an appearance by Starhawk, who kicks Vance Astro's ass. This, of course, causes problems for the new team who are already suffering from issues of their own. There are currently at least 3 ongoing plotlines I have been able to see so far. We have the mystery with the Church. We have the Mystery of the future Guardians. We have the threat of the Fissures. Got to say, I am loving this so far.

Captain Britain and MI13 #3- The only Secret Invasion tie-in that I really care about buying. Not counting my regular monthlies that happen to be part of the event. This one, while it isn't great, has me interested enough to keep reading. I love Pete Wisdom, for no reason I can explain. I love the concept of Captain Britain. I am really loving Faziza, and want to see more of her. So, I dunno why, but I keep wanting to read.

Secret Invasion #4- Half way through, and I am still quite liking this. Nick Fury coming back, and kicking ass as only Nick Fury can is awesome. His new Howling Commandos are pretty cool, and I want to see more of them (even a separate mini or ongoing). This issue was the weakest of he bunch so far, with a decent end but nothing as drastic as before. I still do not think Stark is a Skrull. Just doesn't work for me. I do wonder what will happen next and how it will all end.

Ultimate Origin #2- Ok, wow. This is a fun series. The last issue was better, but this one wasn't bad at all. Introduction of Wendell Vaughn to the Ultimate universe. Wonder if he will become Quasar at some point, or just using the name. Introduction of Project: Pegasus. Introduction of Dum-Dum Dugan. Origin of Steve Rogers/Captain America. The origin takes the whole issue, which was a slight disappointment, as we have already seen it. So...you know...more coolness next time. Still good, though.

Also, this week I finally dropped Teen Titans and Titans. Never cared about Titans anyhow, that was added since i had Teen Titans. I am keeping the Teen Titans: Year One and Tiny Titans comics on my list, though.

It is a miracle from heaven

2008-06-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'm posting again so soon. But, you know, I have good reason to.

I just watched The Middleman on the ABC website.

Everyone should watch this show. It's one of the most stupidly campy shows I have seen in ages, and awesome on so many levels I can't even find words to describe how awesome it is.

Really, watch this show.

The Happening and The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

So, I went to a couple movies today. Saw one that was awesome and one that was a let down.

First up was The Happening. Now, I will admit that I have a general love/hate of M. Night Shyamalan's movies. What I mean is that, other than the Sixth Sense, they have all been mild disappointments to me. I have enjoyed them all, but have never really felt they lived up to the standard set by the first. I know he can do better. With this movie, he just got lazy. For a movie titled The Happening, nothing actually happens. I mean, nothing. This movie is literally just a bunch of people running away from something that nobody understands, and then it ends. The "twist" of the cause of this event is given away before the movie is even half way over. Even more stupid, nothing is learned by anyone. Life goes on and the same shit happens again. I also had some serious issues with the dialog and acting being stilted and weak. Some of what was said and done happened so randomly it was like they wanted to get a specific idea in, had no idea how, so just kind of tossed it in without trying. My sister and her boyfriend told me that the best parts of the movie are shown in the trailer, and this is completely true. I never do this, but I almost walked out of this one. I was that unhappy with it.

The Incredible Hulk, on the other hand, was amazing. Or Incredible. I have to admit, I was a little wary with this one. On the one hand, Marvel has done a great job with most of its movies in the last few years. I even liked the last Hulk movie. On the other hand, it looked like it was going to be another origin movie. I feel the biggest problem with the last Hulk was that there was too much origin, not enough smash. I figured, don't reboot with this one. Sequel, not reset. You know?

Well, I was wrong. They tackle the origin during the opening credits. Then, move on to a bit of exposition to show the details of what Banner has been up to since. Then lots of fun smash. This was a great mix of HULK SMASH and talk. I loved the introduction of Emil Burbank, though would have liked him a bit more...human maybe? Regardless, it was a great origin for Abomination. During the ads for the movie, I was not a fan of the look, but watching it in action, it actually worked well for me.

Best part, though, was the little bits tossed in. Purple pants jokes. Stan Lee. Lou Ferrigno. Doc Samson. Hulk using a car as makeshift boxing gloves. HULK SMASH. The introduction of the Leader. SHIELD. Super Soldier Formula (and in action no less...wow). Tony Stark. Also saw Nick Fury's name on a report in the credits. Even better, while there was no explicit reference to the last movie in this one, there was no direct information to deny its existence either.

Should be fun to see a sequel.

Been a While...

2008-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

I know I promised to get back here and start reviewing my comics from way back...but I never did it. Frankly, it isn't really worth doing now, as most of those comics are too old to be worth reviewing now, while still too new to review based on nostalgia. So, I give you a link instead.

Year One is a very cute and funny webcomic in the same vein as Tiny Titans or Mini-Marvels. For those who are comic fans, this is a must read. Just give it a chance if you read from the beginning, as the early strips are a little rough. Trust me, they get better. A lot better.

It's Coming...

2008-04-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

So, I am terribly behind on reviews. I have made 3 trips to the comic shop since the last comic reviews I have written. This gives me 66 comics to review (65 read,one not so much read). I also still have the Sinestro Corps War stuff to go back and read, now that I have found access to the issue I was missing. Also have the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul and Messiah Complex stuff. So, what I am saying is...lots of crap to read.

I think, to keep my sanity and prevent boredom from all that writing, I will do spot reviews of the issues from my 65 read that stood out enough to warrant a response. Hopefully this weekend.

My First Comics

2008-04-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

This article about the first comics of many current comic creators is an interesting read. There have been a few other people on my Livejournal friends list who have posted their own comic firsts. So, now it is time for mine.

The first comics I distinctly remember reading are all kind of a jumble. I remember a handful of comics from my childhood. Having read them all so long ago, i had to do a quick search to find the exact issues.

Going by the timeline, then, my first Marvel comic was Fantastic Four #272. Which, really, is kind of cool. First partial appearance of Reed's Dad. Who turned out to be all kinds of different characters (Kang, Immortus, Rama-Tut, etc.).

The comic I always though of as my first was Uncanny X-Men #208. I remember it blowing my mind. Nimrod, Hellfire Club, Rachel Summers being attacked by Wolverine, Rogue stealing Colossus' powers (which, I now hear is considered impossible). This was heavy stuff for a 7-year old.

Also at the same time as that was Web Of Spider-Man #17. This also blew my mind. I mean, Spider-man may have died to a guy in a spiked suit who can shoot freaking lava out of his hands. That's pretty hardcore, there.

Turns out, though, that the other Spider-Man issue I remember reading early on was actually predating that one. Web of Spider-Man #15 is one I remember reading, but remember nothing about.

My first DC comic was apparently Action Comics #533. Though, I remember Detective Comics #527 somewhat better. Funny to think that a guy who doesn't read Superman and is more of a Marvel guy to begin with got his start at the ripe old age of 3 on a Superman story. Actually, that makes sense. I was too young to actually read the earliest comics I had, so the ones I remember best are the ones I was able to read myself, and therefore those are the ones I was more drawn to at an older age.

The sad thing is that my first comic to get me to actually start collecting and reading was this one. A decade after my actual first comics, I was hooked by that.

Checking In

2008-04-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to say that I do plan on returning with some reviews soon. Just a bit busy with work and school. I do currently have 2 large bags of comics. One bag is read, one is yet to be read. Also a large stack of trades I should review as well as a less large but still impressive stack of trades that need reading.

Brief

2008-03-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

Pretty much just a filler post here, to get something new on here while I try to read my recent comics purchases.

I thought I would talk about my ritual of comic reading/buying. Every time I go to get my comics, whether it has only been a week or it has been three months, I always do the same general pattern of behavior.

First, upon entering the comic shop, I place my bag at the side of the counter. This is a hold out from when they were more strict on the no backpack policy. They have not mentioned that I needed to do it for a few years, and I don't think I have ever seen anyone else drop off their bag. I still do, though. Just seems to be best not to invite suspicion.

Next, I wander through the trades. Starting with the new trade table right inside the door, moving through the Marvel section (starting with Ultimate stuff, then X-Men, then alphabetical from there), the DC, the Neil Gaiman/Garth Ennis/Grant Morrison/Warren Ellis sections, then finally reaching the "Whatever is cool this week" and everything else trades. Frequently I will either pick a couple (as many as 4 on a trip) or mentally make notes for which ones I should track down later. Some of these mental notes turn into which comics I choose to try to read online to see if I enjoy enough to buy later.

Next, I make my way to the actual singles. There is a full all of shelves for these, with six rows of comics.I start at the front upper shelf (nearest the counter) and scan down to the end, then back again on the next shelf down, until i have scanned every title on the racks that particular visit. If something catches my eye, i will grab it. I also try to keep track of which issue si see that I should be getting in my pull list, as well as the ones I remember enjoying that I may not have added to the list yet. This is sometimes difficult, as my comic shop is good at pulling comics that tie in with something I read to add to my list, on the off chance I will want it. But, sometimes they only do that for a single issue of a new series so I have to remember to grab later issues or keep them in mind in case they issue may or may not have been pulled a second time. I have also had a couple visits where the comics from last week were late to this location but were on time at the second shop I visit (more of a game store with a small selection of comics). So, have to remember which one s I bought last week at the other store.

After this process, which usually takes around 20-45 minutes, I head back to the trades I looked at but did not grab yet. I agonize over which ones I want this time, if any. Many times recently this has been me wanting one, and choosing to wait. Some rare visits this also leads me to the back issue boxes. That only happens if I remembered my lengthy list of comics I need to fill out collections. That happens once every 2 to 3 months (more often if there was a recent miniseries I missed something from).

Finally, I go up to the counter, get my comics from my box, and buy the large pile. This runs me anywhere from $20 to $120 depending on the week and delay between visits. Because I am weak willed when it comes to dropping comics.

After this, i walk the half mile to the other comics/game store where i pick up any issues that I missed at the last store, due to forgetting or lack of stock. I also tend to pick up some sort of roleplaying game or card game at this time.

Then, off to the mall nearby to sort.

My sorting process involves me taking the huge stack of comics and dividing it into three piles. I have Marvel, DC, and Anything Else. Starting with the Anything Else pile, further dividing by specific publisher. Then I divide that stack further by which issues I am most interested in, placing the least interesting issues on top (still sorted by publisher). This takes a while, as some of the comics I like the most are from different publishers. I also try to place any series that is new to me toward the top.

Next, I sort the DC comics. I place the all ages books first on this pile, then any limited series, and then the regular ongoing. Sometimes I will slip a limited series in with the ongoings if it is particularly good. All of these are sorted by worth as above, then placed with the Anything Else comics.

Finally, I get to the Marvel comics. Again, all ages books first, then limited series (within the standard Marvel Universe), then regular ongoing series, then Ultimate line books, and finally MAX books. Occasionally, I will place an event comics at the end of the queue if it is really good (Annihilation: Conquest had that for 4 issues). Once more, they are all sorted by personal merit within their sub-groupings and placed with the rest.

What I end up with is a pile of comics starting with my least anticipated or most unsure of non-Marvel/non-DC comics on top, with progressively more interesting books sorted by publisher and sub-grouping further down until I get to the "best" Marvel book as the last comic I read.

After all of this, I grab some food, possibly watch a movie, and head home to read everything. As I read it, i review it. So, the order you see the reviews is the order in which I lace the comics on the pile. In this way, you can see the value I place on each series by where it is in the order of things on this page.

You can also see how terribly OCD I seem to be when it comes to my comics buying and reading. This pattern of behavior has been ongoing for about 5 years now with the only changes being the amount I spend and the layout of the stores themselves.

Something New

2008-03-11T02:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, no comics for a little while (again). I am starting up college again, and had to spend what free money I had to pay tuition. Goodbye tax return.

Anyhow, I have just started a project which I have had stewing in my brain since December of 2005. A little comic project.

That's right humble (non-)readers, I am attempting to write a comic book series of my own. partially because I had the idea, which works best as a comic (or animated series). Partially because, dammit, I want to write a comic book. So, I startted to rough something out tonight. Nothing too fancy or great yet. Just a bit of establishing text and an openign scene.

It is slow going for me, as I am completely unfamiliar with the script format. I am much more of a short story or poetry guy, so attempting to write in a way that is comfortable while still managing to end up as a comic script is proving difficult. I have hope, though. Having read the Eisner books, the McCloud books, and Peter Davids book on comics (as well as browsing a small handfull of actual comic scripts and looking into a couple more books on the subject that are more for writers than artists) I feel that I have enough of a basic foundation to start working.

I would like this to eventually become more than just a fun diversion. Once i have something more solid down of paper (or computer as the case may be) I will probably start shopping around for an artist so this thing can be submitted somewhere for publishing. If needs be, I will just self publish somehow. That, however, is not anywhere near happening just yet. Right now, I experiment and practice.

Timely

2008-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here we are, last weeks entry into my longbox.

Crossing Midnight #15: That was an odd twist in there. I liked the three levels of protection, with the wall of truth being a form of protection. The origin of the strange abilities the twins carry was unexpected, and awesome. I know there are only going to be about three more issues, and I am sad to see the series go. At the same time, it will be good to have some actual closure on the story.

Fables #70: The Farm is given a great deal, with very little in the way of a negative to it. I loved how they are all worried about going home and losing television and ipods. I'm sorry to see Blue lose his shot with Rose Red. I have been in his position one time too many, so I know the feeling. His response is the one I have wanted to have, but never managed to muster. Next issue, war were declared.

Jack of the Fables #20: Somehow, Jack managed to win in this one. He got the gold. He got Babe. He got the trifecta. He also got a kick to the junk, but we can all agree he deserved that. As usual, superb comics reading here.

Teen Titans Go! #52: Totally cool. Introduction of four "new" heroes, with a great explanation as to where they came from and why they seem so derivative of better characters. Plus, the reveal being yet another mainstream DCU character who deserves more attention.

Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood #5: The end of this series, and it is a pretty predictable one. Not to say that's bad, it is just very obvious this is where it was leading. The real shock was not where it led, it was that it ended in the death of the "bad guy." Frequently, these sorts of stories end with submission, not death. Quite good.

Shadowpact #22: So glad this story is over with. Sort of sad to see a character go (especially one that wasn't Zauriel), but if that's what I need to take to end this arc I will take it. Next issue's cover shows Blur Devil. hopefully he rejoins the team. I want more of the feel of the series from the start back.

Teen Titans #56: Poor Kid Devil. He makes a bad deal to be like his hero, is nearing the end of his contract, has seen what he becomes when that happens, and is losing everyone to Blue Beetle. Then there's the party. Really not the best situation to be in. Then, to top all of that, just as he thinks he may have made a friend, the guy turns on him and he gets his ass beat.

Marvel Adventures: Iron Man #10: How sad is it that the first thing I did when i got this issue was flip to the back to see the Mini Marvels. Which was disappointing, as I had already read that one. The issue itself was decent, with some Spider-Woman and some Chameleon. Decent story, with a sudden ending.

Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #33: Poor Ben Grimm. Trying to tell a story and having Human Torch heckle him. Then the kids put him so far down their list of who is the strongest. All he wants is a bit of respect. Lucky for him, Abomination proves to be a decent enough foe to bump him up. Just not quite enough, though. Hehe.

House of M Avengers #5: Everyone gets what they deserve. Nothing more need be said. Well...except that Black Cat changing her clothes in front of everybody sort of stood out to me as a bit unnecessary. Pandering at its worst.

Young Avengers Presents: Hulking: Wow, this one was very touching. Eddie meets his father, for the first time. Captain Marvel, to his credit, takes it rather well. He does run at first, but comes back and they have a nice talk. Then end got me a little choked up.

Thunderbolts: International Incident: Kind of crap. Only good bit was Arnim Zola.

Captain America #35: Yeah, the shit has hit the fan. Tony Stark is in trouble for the rogue SHIELD agents. Red Skull has gained a very strong grip on America. Bucky as Cap is still badass. Sharon Carter is totally not doing well, and it is looking worse and worse.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #51: The Ultimate Shit is hitting the Ultimate fan here. The cube is taken by Thanos, and that's never good. Beyond that, nothing more need be said.

Ultimate Spider-Man #119: Liz freaks out about her being aflame and flies off. Iceman and Spider-Man try to catch her and calm her down. She switches abruptly from fear and confusion to joy over her freedom. Then Magneto shows up.

Like a Ton of Bricks

2008-02-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Since I actually have this weeks comics this week, I figure I should read and review the rest of my backlog to get caught up.

Justice League Unlimited #42: This was a sad story. Queen seemed to be trying to get her life together, but everyone else was against her. Wonder Woman made a bit of effort to help, but it couldn't outweigh Green Lantern's dickery or the Royal Flush Gang's tenacity. The ending was at least somewhat upbeat.

Tiny Titans #1: Perfection in a small package. I love everything about this comic. The cute artwork. The references to the regular DCU. The short format of the stories. I think this is by far the best thing I have read in an all-ages comic in forever. If Marvel would repackage their Mini Marvels stuff in this sort of format (as they are pretty much the same thing, just one page at a time), I would buy that as well. And all would be right with the world.

Infinity Inc. #6: As it was in my box, and I didn't want to be a dick about them pulling it and then not buying it, I bought this issue. The last one i get. The cover of this was misleading. the "guest star" eluded to, being Batman, shows up on one page to basically talk with Superman about a crime and then neither is heard from again. It's not even a direct relation to the main characters, just a random crime that ties in with the story. Vaguely interesting lead in to a new arc, but not enough to get me to come back.

The Flash #237: A good issue, but also dropped from my list. I drop this not due to lack of quality, as with the Infinity Inc debacle, but because I just don't feel like spending money on it. Not totally sure why, as it is quite a good book. This issue was fun with Wally and the Kids having some good lines. *shrug*

Batman Detective Comics #841: What a clever idea, and with a great twist as well. The interior artwork was sort of iffy to me, but the cover was made of awesome. I loved how it took Batman a while to solve the case because it was so out of character for Hatter to be acting the way he was. Glad to have this one back from the crossover (which I have not yet read, but own the issues for).

Booster Gold #0: Fun concept. Fun comic. The "Zero Hour" issue of the series, showing the origin of Booster. I liked that he had the chance to change his life for the better, and chose to take the harder road to make sure Ted remained alive. I also love the crazy logic of time travel in this one. Almost makes sense, almost hurts your head. Good end, also.

The Spirit #13 & 14: The Holiday Special was ok. Three stories, each one ok. The first story dealt with criminals in disguise and a tiger tamer. It wasn't to bad, and had a good ending. The second, about a family treasure was also ok with a fun ending. The best, though, was the final story that was virtually word free. That one was a great use of images to tell the story, and something I think Eisner would be proud of. The other issue was the first one with the new team. A fun story, with an interesting mystery involved. Good writing, and lovely artwork. Mike Ploog is one of my favorite artists out there, and it is nice to see him working on his mentor's character.

Teen Titans Year One #2: Another good issue. Less funny than the first one, but still quite a decent story so far. I like the reasoning behind the team getting together, and the way the characters interact. Plus, Aqualad is one of the best loser heroes ever.

Simon Dark #5: I still have no idea what the hell is going on in this series, but I love it. It was very sad about kitty, and the way Simon didn't quite understand that he was special with the not dying by losing your head thing. The best part was wishboning the villain, and the following panel of laughter. It seems like we may be getting a bit more explanation coming up soon-ish. I hope so. Enough to not be quite as lost, without giving it all away just yet.

marvel Adventures: Hulk #8: The Defenders. Surfer is a pansy. Strange is an ineffectual leader. Namor is a dick. Hulk kicks ass. Rick and Monkey are Rick and Monkey. The Nameless One's dialogue with itself was finny at first, then tiresome. At least there was Mini Marvels.

Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #32: A very fun story about Ben Grimm and time travel. Old West meets sci-fi. Nothing more needs be said.

Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #36: A so-so story about Harry Osborne trying to live up to his dad's expectations. Redeemed by the redemption of Harry himself.

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #21: Crimson Dynamo and Black Widow are both after Iron Man, for different reasons. Not a bad story, and well written as well. The artwork is beautiful. The comic manages to show a sexy Black Widow without being so sexy as to endanger the all ages rating. A hard balance to find. I love Spider-Man whining about the training and how Giant Girl and Hulk were allowed to opt out.

House of M Avengers #3 & 4: Punisher selling out humanity and then redeeming himself. Luke Cage being Luke Cage. Thunderbird being an absolute dick. Kingpin being Kingpin. Black Cat being Black Cat (and dying for it). All leading up to a final confrontation, which leads into the long past House of M. S'ok.

X-Force #1: I dunno. I love the art, most of the time. I love the characters. The story seems decent. I hate the concept, though. I like it when X-Men don't kill, and don't like Cyclops having a black-ops wetwork kind of team. Will probably keep reading, though. It was a fun read.

Runaways #29: Not a bad read. If it was actually coming out on time, I would likely enjoy it more. Thankfully Whedon's run is ending after one more issue. He has done a total of one story arc, and it has taken him forever to do so. Very disappointing. I dislike that he can get away with it, because he's Joss Whedon. I dislike that enough that I can't even remember enough of the issue to review properly. Hopefully the next team will keep an actual schedule (or the book is cancelled until Vaughn decides to return).

The Mighty Avengers #8 & 9: The exact opposite of Whedon, here's Mark Bagley helping to catch this title up after Cho slowed it down. He saves what Bendis is ruining with his stupid thought balloons. We finally see how the symbiote plague was ended, and where it came from. We also get a confrontation with Doom, which is always nice. In fact, we get the most kick ass splash pages of fighting since Nextwave #11. That's not something that is easy to accomplish. Loved the last few pages, with the retro feel.

New Avengers #38 & Annual #2: We see the Hood breach Dr. Strange's defenses and take the Avengers on at their home. Big fight ensues. Strange saves them, but not in a way he is happy with. He leaves the team, and they lose their base of operations. Also, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones look like they are losing their marriage. Which is crappy, especially in the wake of Spider-man's One More Day debacle. I want one solid marriage with characters I like to remain intact.

The Man Called Nova #1: The first Nova annual. An interesting look at his past and future, which may or may not be true. Also, Kvch, homeworld of the Phalanx. Next issue of this will (finally) be what I have been waiting for.

The Order #8: Getting close to eh end, and we have a stellar issue. Good action, good exposition, good background info. This will be one helluva series when it is all over with.

Avengers: The Initiative #9: This is why you don't mess with clones. Or alien tech. And never both together. Taskmaster is pretty cool in this one, both in his using the training to expand his own base of skills and his knowledge of when to bow out of a fight. Gauntlet coma-walking to get more alien tech for a big showdown. This is still one of the best series on the shelves today.

X-Factor #28: A slightly confusing issue, as I missed the whole Messiah Complex crossover (missing one issue in the middle, so can't read it yet). I know enough of what is going on to not be totally lost. Sad to see Rhane go, but it will likely make for a good story for the rest of the team to deal with her leaving. Tattoo Maddrox is pretty hardcore. Strong Guy is still one of my favorite underused characters in the X-Books.

Captain America #34: We have a new Cap. Finally. He's also pretty good. I loved how they managed to highlight the similarities and differences between Caps in a single fight. I also actually felt bad for Tony Stark by the end of this one. Not an easy task anymore.

The Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death: A nice bit of back story for the late Iron Fist. I really want more stories about him and his Confederates of the Curious. This was a nice slice of that, showing the many encounters they had with John Aman. A nice villain/hero thing that turned into mutual respect and eventually a sort of friendship. Goo lead in to the next issue of the Iron Fist series.

Annihilation: Conquest #4: Adam Warlock may be an actual warlock now? Ronan the Accuser has a Phalanx-proof army of robots? Star Lord is fucked, as usual? High Evolutionary may have joined the bad guys? Talk about a suspenseful issue. I need more, now.

Terror Inc. #5: Meh. I read it all. It's over. Funny line at the end. Otherwise, meh.

Ultimate Human #2: More interesting than the last issue. We get some action. We get a cured Hulk. We get more insight into why Hulk is the way he is, and how powerful he just might be. Then the shit hits the fan. Actually looking forward the the next one.

Ultimates 3 #3: Wow, mid scene SPLASH PAGE FIGHT, with no real lead in or resolution. It just sort of happens. I don't know if I should blame Loeb's writing, Madureira's layouts, or the editor for not making it get fixed. Then, for no reason, the story changes focus. At least it is going to be over soon.

Ultimate Iron Man 2 #3: Made of awesome. We get some nice mental chess between three different characters, plus a "How's he gonna get out of this one" ending. With one issue left, I am almost sad it's gone by so fast. I wonder if there will be an Ultimate Iron Man 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man #118: Peter almost has an aneurysm at school. Hilarity ensues. I like Kong a lot in these last few issues. I also like that Liz Allen's hate of mutants is really blossoming into something interesting. Not the Firestar I was expecting.

Ultimate X-Men #90 & 91: Ultimate Apocalypse. Taking what was an interesting story arc with Sinister, and expanding it to show he's not actually as crazy as he seemed. In top of that, the way it has all pretty much been building to this moment over Kirkman's run is beautiful. Apocalypse himself is much scarier than his 616 counterpart already. Even if he looks a little stupid before cyborging out. Best part was seeing how Wolverine got to the physical state he was in when he was Cable. Didn't expect to see that so soon, or ever. I wish I had the rest of this arc to read right now. I don't feel that way often, especially with this series.

Epic Fail

2008-02-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

So much for my "semi-daily" posts, huh? I just never have anything to say, I guess. I do have more comics to review, at least. A lot, actually. Lack of funds meant a large pile of comics waiting when I finally had the money. Here's the appetizer.

Ghosting 5#: So, I finished this series off. I wasn't terribly impressed. Too much story left to be resolved in a single issue. It felt rushed. Which means I guess I am done reading Platinum books...or am I? The previews of upcoming books caught my eye (as it always does). That section is how I ended up finding this series as well as Consumed. This time, it looks like Big Badz and Gunplay may be good. So, depending on my whims at the time I see them, I may read.

The Darkness #2: I am of mixed feelings on this new Darkness series. On the one hand, the art's not too bad. Pretty standard for a Top Cow book, really. The changes to Jackie's powers and the new uses he is finding, also not bad (even pretty damned cool at times). The Darkness as a drug/ruling a South American country thing...not so much in what I want to read. I'll keep reading for now, because the story is just unique enough to have my attention.

Locke & Key #1: I am so glad I found this. What a fun idea for a comic. A horribly violent and tragic start, with a few strange tweaks along the way, and a cliffhanger ending that got my attention. Some of the dialogue among the characters seemed a bit off a couple times, but mostly this was made of awesome. Another plus is that this is the first IDW comic I have ever purchased as singles, rather than the trade.

Fables #69: What a great ending to a great storyline. While I still am not a fan of the focus on the war and all, I have to admit loving the way Flycatcher was able to go from janitor to king, and take the Adversary down a notch. The interplay between him and Red Riding Hood is also very endearing. This was an ending I was not completely expecting, and quite enjoyed.

Jack of the Fables #19: As always, loving Fables leads to worshiping Jack. The "map" of Americana is great, and very well thought out. A clever idea filled with clever-er ideas. I just can't wait to see how Jack ends up finding, and losing, the treasure he seeks.

Crossing Midnight #15: Gah, this one really messed with me. Losing and eye to your sister has got to be one of the worse things than can happen to you. The way this thing twists and turns, it is a little sad to think it is not going to be continuing for years to come. On the flip side, it is best it ends when it ends, and not get dragged on forever just because.

Madman #6: I have no idea what is going on in this series, and yet, I don't really care. Mike Allred's art can get me to buy just about anything. Oh, and I loved the back cover gag. That was awesome.

The Walkign Dead #46: The obvious happens, made even more so by the cover. It is a mildly shocking and very tragic death, but one that makes sense. If Kirkman handles the aftermath right, once the rest of this storyline dies down a bit, it could prove to be a major emotional turning point for some characters. The "twist" ending was also one I saw coming a mile away. Still fun, though.

Umbrella Academy #6: So, this one comes to its end. An interesting, if somewhat unsatisfying, end. Not to say this wasn't good. It just wasn't as good as the rest of the series. Which, I suppose, is to be expected of a series as stunningly amazing as this has been. I do find it interesting that by the end half of the cast is not really available for further action. Out of the 7 kids (and one monkey), 2 are dead, 1 is powerless, 1 is out of commission for a long time (possibly forever) and pretty much powerless now, and the other 4 are pretty much still fine. I do want to see more of this team, and will likely love this new comic legacy much like I do Hellboy. I just am unsure how they will continue on, withiout restorting to flashback stories.

Kill Me Now

2008-02-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

So, this is turning out to be a rather not-fun time for me. Had a graveyard shift over the weekend, scanning the store I work in for inventory. 12.5 hours of scanning t-shirts and shoes was not very fun. On top of that, I caught a cold that hit just as my shift was starting. I am starting to recover, but still not feeling 100%. Finally, I have no extra money for comics for a couple more weeks. So, nothing new for a while. Sad day.

Anyhow, here's the stuff from my last comic run.

Ghosting #4: Meh. It has been too long between issues for me to keep caring much. The art in this one is not too great, but the mystery of who the ghost really is has me interested. Will buy the last issue, just because. I am less likely to get anything by Platinum Studios anymore, though. They just don't quite have anything interesting to offer int he big picture. Unless they do a new Weapon series.

Faker #6: This should have ended 2 issues ago. Finding out the reason nobody remembered Nick was all I cared for. The rest was just sort of uninteresting. The series had a better ending with #4 than it did in this issue. A shame, as Mike Carey and Jock both do good stuff, normally.

The Umbrella Academy #5: On the one hand, I can't wait to see how this ends. On the other hand, i don't want it to end. This is one of the best things to come out of comics in a long time. I am a little disappointed there was no actual indication of who those armored dudes were in the diner, but the fact that 00.05 was able to wipe them out without any real problem was pretty cool. Over the course of this issue, he managed to change from mildly streange to outright creepy. Must have more.

Countdown to Mystery #5: First time I have not liked the Doctor Fate story at all. This was just him getting over his stupidity with the drinking and reading a stupid comic. Only good part was the last panel, where the legacy aspect comes into play. The Eclipso section, on the other hand, was pretty awesome. I love the attempt to use the Eclipso power to do good, in a non-superhero way. It's something you don't ever see in comics, but totally makes sense. Good enough to get the next one.

Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood #4: As with the rest of this one, a good issue. Not a lot to say. Cops being killed by a cop. The reveal that this is all being orchestrated by Flay to indoctrinate Renee into the church. Which was something hinted at previously. The next issue should be fun.

Teen Titans Go! #51: Pretty much noth8ng happens, and yet this is one of the best issues yet. As has been mentioned elsewhere, this was a good redesign of the Geo-Force costume. It was also fun to see the origin of Terra. Quite a good issue.

The Spirit #12: Awesome. Some back story on Denny Colt, plus some good noir action. I will be sad to see Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone go, but the new team should be just as good. I am a huge Mike Ploog fan, and knowing he worked with Eisner back in the day give me hope this will remain good, if not improve. Anyhow, this issue was a fitting farewell to the original team.

Shadowpact #21: This issue was pretty fun, actually. Other than Blue Devil being absent, it looks like the team is getting back together. It wasn't mindblowing or anything, but enough to give the series a reprieve from the chopping block. Plus, Detective Chimp surfing the internet for love on a furry site was classic.

The Flash #236: A smart end to an ok story. A nice twist, tying the back-up stories with the main arc. I wasn't expecting that, but did enjoy it. Not enough to really continue this series. It's not bad, I just don't really care about this Flash as much as Bart. May give it another shot, may not. Depends on if I remember to take it off my list before the next issue. Hah.

Teen Titans #55: In the aftermath of the future Titan's return, the team is pretty messed up. Kid Devil and Ravager's seeming romance is over as she has moved on to an interest in Blue Beetle. Kid Devil is not taking that so well, which looks like it will lead directly to the future version of him we just saw. Miss Martian looks like she had started to go crazy, with her future self imprisoned inside her mind. Robin and Wonder Girl break up, and it isn't pretty. Wonder Girl sends Supergirl away, and this is also not pretty. All the while, some new villain is watching and preparing to take them down. This is a great issue for following up on the last story as well as leading directly into the next one.

Booster Gold #6: Made of awesome. Solid time. A pulse to liquefy solid time. 4 Blue Beetles at once. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle II together again, and joking while they fight their enemies. What works best is that the timeline hasn't changed. At all still happened like everyone remembers. The only difference, now we have the Blue and Gold back in action. One of the more satisfying returns of a dead character.

Marvel Adventures Iron Man #9: Tony comes to terms with his father, while saving the life of a young boy. Decent issue. What I like is that the last couple of these have had covers that initially seemed to be just random pin-ups of Iron Man, which were cool enough. Then, after reading the story, you see that they actually tie in really well. Much better random cover = actual contents than many comics pull off.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #35: Hahaha, that was funny. Venom trying to get Spider-man with the ploy of being a sidekick. Well executed and a good read. Plus, White Rabbit. Nobody ever uses White Rabbit.

Marvel Adventures Avengers #20: Another solid one. Hank Pym disappears. Giant Girl goes to figure out what happened to him. Spider-Man tags along. It turns out to be a bit of deliberate miscommunication, ending with the introduction of Atlas (though he isn't named as such in this). A decent story, with some fun Pym/Van Dyne romance involved.

Young Avengers Presents: Patriot: Very nice. We see the intelligent, truly patriotic high school kid speaking his mind, and his "patriotic" classmates missing the point and being idiots. Then the smart kid does what we have all wanted to do, and gets himself in trouble. Which is all a roundabout way of introducing him to Bucky. The end result is Patriot and Bucky having a talk about Cap and what true heroism means. Very touching and a good reintroduction to the character.

The Order #7: A lot of talk between Namor and Henry. Mostly just Namor being a dick, and then being shown up. Nothing fantastic. The next issue should be better.

Immortal Iron Fist #12: A bit more backstory on the troubles within K'un-Lun. Impending revolution over a fascist leader. We also see the Prince of Orphans do his thing, which makes the short round in last issue better by way of foreshadowing. Outside, in the real world, Hydra is about to blow some shit up. This is why this series is ongoing instead of the limited run it was originally meant to be.

Ultimates 3 #2: I dunno. Hawkeye like this isn't really feeling correct. Captain America seems a bit off as well. What's with the telling someone off for saying "crap" but letting a "bitch" go from his teammate. The Quicksilver siding with Magneto bit sort of works. I'm also wondering why there was a need for the "Two Seconds Ago" caption for the last page. Either there's something i missed, or Jeph Loeb thinks we are too dumb as readers to understand Wolverine just arrived at the scene. Will continue to buy, since I will buy anything Ultimate. But that's the only reason why.

Ultimate Iron Man II #2: A great issue. Other than Tony being able to regrow limbs like that, I am liking this look at his youth much better than the first series. This is all working out to be a great story.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #50: All of that lead in finally begins to pay off. The Cosmic Cube activates, basically taking out a section of Manhattan and prompting the return of Thanos and the Seed 19 team. Fan and Shit are about to have a confrontation. Will be fun to read.

Marvel Overload

2008-01-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, I read lots of comics. My Marvel pile from a few weeks back is 20 comics deep. 20 comics for a couple weeks of backlog is a lot.

Marvel Adventures: Hulk #7: Silver Surfer vs. Terrax. Bruce banner wants to help, but can't get Rick Jones to hit him to provoke a Hulk-out. Monkey saves the day. One of the funniest things I have seen in comics since Babe the Blue Ox in Jack of the Fables. Great issue.

Marvel Adventures: Iron Man #8: Tony Stark is attacked by Jolt, who I thought was a regular old hero in normal Marvel continuity. She made a decent villain for him in this one. The Amish/"The Village" town was frustrating, and a little stupid. Steam-tech Iron Man was cool, though.

Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #31: Made of awesome. Shopping trip gone wrong, with Sue and Johnny saving the day. Loved the hero worshiping security guys, and Reed commenting on how he is usually seen as the smart one. Best part was anything related to the Thing in this issue.

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #19: So-so story with one of my favorite villains. Super-Adaptoid is such a fun idea, and this was a great variation on the theme. I like that they didn't try to shoe-horn every character in. They used who they needed to, and left the rest out of it. Once again, proof that the all-ages comics can often be better than the regular stuff.

The Mighty Avengers #6 & #7: Beautiful work by Cho, as usual. Thought bubbles are still annoying. Shame this was delayed so much, since it interfered with the follow-up. We already know what happens with the symbiote plague. We already know about Spider-Woman leaving the other Avengers team for this one. All-in-all, would have been much better if it all would have been on time. Also, what was up with the art in #7. Bagley's stuff is usually great, but it was off in this. I am assuming it had something to do with poor inking, as it still looked mostly like his usual quality. Just a bit off, somehow.

Thunderbolts #118: This was not too bad. In general, I have not really been liking this series much. I like the initial premise of the Thunderbolts, but not the revamp making them more of a Suicide Squad. This issue, however, was fun. Just enough interesting plot advancement to make me want to see the next issue.

The Order #6: I love the background bits we get on the members of the team. Fun to see some insight into why they are the way they are. I felt bad for the mutant lizard things. I know I shouldn't, but I do. The Namor plotline that was randomly introduced here seems out of place to me. Hopefully, now that the news of the series' cancellation is out, there will be enough time and space to wrap it all up in a non-annoying way.

Nova #10: A bit of a let-down, but still good. I was really looking forward to seeing the Phalanx homeworld. This diversion was good for the character development between Nova and Gamora. Sort of explains how they got to where they are in terms of each other. It was a good issue to have, but not what I was looking forward to reading. Next issue, though. I hope...

Avengers: The Initiative #8: Ant-Man vs. Stature vs. Yellowjacket. What a great idea, and well played. I am surprised nobody has done this before. The original Ant-Man, the daughter of the last An-Man, and the guy trying to become the new Ant-Man. When you see it all laid out like that, the story is obvious. Taskmaster as the trainer for the new recruits is pretty sweet too, and just sort of makes sense. The MVP clone thing is really turning ugly, and I like to see that play out. Also, Geldoff. Wonder how Bendis feels seeing his creation making its way into regular Marvel continuity.

Captain America #33: Like we all didn't see that coming. Winter Soldier is hardcore, even with only one arm. The more I think on it, the more i realize that they new costume, while not popular (and reasonably so), makes sense for who is wearing it. Not much to say about this one, as the next issue is the one to watch.

Immortal Iron Fist #11: Davos is pretty badass, isn't he? The fight didn't last long at all, which is kind of a shame. I wanted to see more of that. But, still, using your chi to replace a severed hand is pretty sweet. Enough so that I can forgive the fight ending that fast. I also loved the whole "Hydra Guy. Hydra Guy. Old Woman. Hydra Guy." panel. Cracked me up.

Annihilation; Conquest #3: The shit is really hitting the fan here. Adam Warlock is going to be so much more awesome than he used to be, and it is nice to see Him come back. High Evolutionary's return is nice too, though don't know how much that is worth what with teh whole explosion of his ship thing. Starlord's team is still pretty fun, and the ending of this issue was a nice non-cliffhanger. So glad I am reading this as it happens, instead of in trade format. Much better episodic, I think.

Terror Inc. #4: By far one of the most disgusting comics I have ever read. Which is why I love it. Nothing else need be said.

Foolkiller #3: I would read this as an ongoing. I don't read the Punisher. That in and of itself should say something.

Ultimate Power #9: This deserves a post for itself. Some time that is not now.

Ultimate X-Men #89: A one-shot issue before the Apocalypse stuff happens. Introduction of the Shadow King. Handled pretty well. Really only important for the fact that it lets Storm split from Wolverine and get back to Beast.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #49: This was fun. I like how the Ultimate Red Ghost was not who I was expecting. I also like how her powers were much more strange, and interesting, than the 616 version. I think this will be a fun recurring villain, if they ever decide to bring her back.

Ultimate Spider-Man #117: Father vs. Son in the ultimate Goblin beatdown. Peter handled himself pretty well in this one, and it served as a pretty good end for the Green Goblin. The end was very touching. I think this story was handled well. Can't wait for the next arc. I loved that show.

Ultimate Human #1: Ugh. A 4-issue minseries made just to tie in with the upcoming movies. I am never a fan of that happening. From a marketing standpoint, I get it. I still don't like it. I also don't see why it had to be an Ultimate title. Mainstream America doesn't care about the ultimate stuff, and won't know to look for it. If this was going to happen, it should have been 616 Marvel to suffer. I will admit, the introduction of Ultimate Leader was kind of cool to see, even if it was also the introduction of Ellis's pet mutant Pete Wisdom as well. Still gonna buy the rest of this, since I will buy anything Ultimate. I am a sheep.

I Can't Believe I Read It All

2008-01-29T01:11:00.000-08:00

So, here's more of my really late reviews. All that is left is the huge stack of Marvel titles (somewhere around 20 I think). After I get these out of the way, I can read the purchases I made Sunday.

Countdown the Mystery #4: The Eclipso stuff doesn't do much for me. The Doctor Fate bits are fun, though. Also loving the art on the Doctor Fate stuff.

Countdown to Adventure #5: I know why I started reading this. I don't know why I still do. I loved 52 and figured anything the reminded me of it would be good. The stars of this series are the three that were lost in space for that series. This ties in with what they did and what happened to them, but not enough for me to care. Just a lot of blah for me. No longer buying, I think.

The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Son: I love alternate reality tales. I like Jason Todd. I loved Red Son. This, wasn't too bad. It was better than some of the other issues in this, but not as good as others. I do like how it loosely tied in with the actual events of the originating story. Fun read.

Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood #5: This has been one of the better 52 aftermath series. Though, really, to be fair this isn't really even 52 aftermath anymore. That one ended so long ago that the current weekly is almost done. I will let that pass, as this is a great story. I really love how each issue deals with a specific teaching of the Crime Bible, and ties in well. The greed aspect was all over this one.

Teen Titans Lost Annual: So good, it will get a separate post. When I get around to doing one.

Teen Titans Year One #1: Beautiful art + Funny script = Awesome comic. 'Nuff Said.

Suicide Squad #5: General Eiling is pretty badass, what with the plotting behind Waller's back. Not that it will do any good, because you just know she is totally planning for him to betray the team. I mean, really. It's Amanda Waller. She plans ahead better than goddamned batman.

Shadowpact #20: I'm a little undewhelmed by this issue. What started as a great miniseries turned into a good series, and is now losing my interest. I want more Blue Devil. I want more Detective Chimp. I want more of the team working together, instead of spread out over too many storylines. Bring the team back together, and bring on more Doctor Gotham!

Infinity Inc. #5: Um...yeah...I'm done. This is another one that I am just intrigued enough to read, but not enough to buy. I did like Kid Empty, though.

The Flash #235: Hmm. I am sort of at a loss here. On the one hand, I have enjoyed this story and the return of Wally West and all of that. On the other hand, I was only reading any Flash comic because of Bart. I have only kept on this long because I never remember to drop stuff. I already bought the next issue in this one, so I will read it and review later. If I like it, and the next issue sounds interesting enough, i will keep this one going. Otherwise...

Teen Titans #54: I loved the original Titans of Tomorrow story. It was what got be to buy and read this series to begin with. THis follow up was less than inspiring, but still fun. The only thing about this story that is not so good is that it seems no matter what the Titans do now, they appear to be destined to become assholes.

Simon Dark #4: I don't even know where to begin with the cool in this series. Steve Niles is working magic to make me care about this character, who hardly even shows up. Mix in the creepy factor of that villain who seems to have a connection to Simon and the mystery over who Simon really is, and you have one of my new favorites. Oh yeah, and the art is beautiful.

Future Imperfect

2008-01-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

So, I just heard about Mark Millar's upcoming run on Wolverine.

At first, I liked it. Mad Max meets the Marvel Universe. Could be fun.

Then I read more of his ideas on it.

...

This pretty much sums up my feelings on that.

As usual...

2008-01-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

I'm really late on these. Just haven't had the desire to read my comics for a while. Back to it, though. Here's the issues from my last comic run that actually have been read today.

Dark Sector Zero: While I can admire the fact that Seinkiewicz is a good artist, and has a very unique style that is refreshing in comics, I just am not a huge fan. In some comics and stories, it may work. This one, not so much. I also have to say that this is the second free comic I have seen used to promote a game, and the second to pretty much suck. The idea behind the game is awesome (gleaned from reading the interview at the end). The story they chose to tell in this comic to sell people on the game, not in the least bit exciting or interesting. A shame.

Crawl Space: Xxxombies #2: Pretty good follow-up to the first issue. The pornstar who did the zombie becomes one. The 'roid enhanced guy who punched through a zombie's head likewise becomes one. Nobody seems to know what is going on, which I kind of like as a change of pace. Jenny's dad is totally badass. I do think that his demeanor, and the fact that she ran away to become a pornstar likely means he is less than a good guy. I would not be all that surprised to see him being the final antagonist in this story.

Umbrella Academy #4: As always, a great read. A lot of arguing between the siblings. 005 explains his thought process a bit, and apparently has managed to catch teh eye of some tough looking dudes. I am guessing a temporal cop sort of thing. Vanya's power finally manifests, years too late to prevent some seruious issues. Next couple of these will rock.

The Exterminators #25: The story of how AJ managed to come back from the dead. A mildly interesting story, but it pointed out something I had not realized. While I like reading this series, I don't really like it enough to spend money on it. It just isn't quite as clever as it used to be, or doesn't feel that way to me anymore. Between the last issue with teh cruise ship catering to the most depraved of desires, and this one showing King Tut trying to sodomise AJ's dead soul-body...it just feels more crude than interesting. I suppose this means either reading at the comic shop, borrowing from a firend (if I have any that read this), or downloading a torrent. Bah.

Crossing Midnight #14: The current story arc is very interesting. One lie turning everyon against the only person who knows the truth. I will be interested to see how this one ends, and how the series will continue on after the current arc.

Jack of Fables #18: MORE BABE! I love the Babe the Bull interludes. This one was particularly clever, and funny. The Americana story is continuing the tradition of fantastic storuys in this series. I am very intrigued by the whole plot. Jack does his thing, not realizing that the bigger story keeps moving on, and involving him. A nice sort or irony. He wants to be the center of it all, and he is without realizing it. To think, i used to consider this series secondary to the original Fables.

Teen Titans Go! #50: THis particular issue wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. It was a decent idea. Showing the growth of a villain that mirrors the growth of Robin. What makes it good, though, is that Robin's growth is very subtle. There's also the new opportunity for new characters, now. Would have liked a bit less continuity to this. I feel like i am missing something.

Justice League Unlimited #41: I liked that the Joker is feeling jealous over losing Batman's attention. I like how he and Harley are able to stall the four Leaguers who are around to stop them. I like Zatana, especially her "nrocpop." Somehow, though, I do not like this story.

So, that's all I read today. More as I read more.

I never would have thought it....

2008-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Which Power Ring would come to you?

You have the ability to instill great love in others.Welcome to the Star Sapphire Corps. Your mission will be explained in detail following your teleportation to sector 1416 and training by the head of our corps, the Zamarons.
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Inhumans

2008-01-02T01:14:00.000-08:00

So, first post of the new year. Not a lot to day. Caught up on my backlog of comics reading. May end up reviewing what I read later. Currently working my way through the Inhumans trade. It is the collection of the Marvel Knights mini. Read the first two issues. So far, it's not bad.

An Ending And A Beginning

2007-12-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so, here's the thing...I have been really bad about reviewing my comics on here. Or really posting much of anything. I plan on changing that. Soon.

There are many reasons for the silence.

I haven't had the time to post. Which isn't totally true. I have had the time, I have just chosen to use it to do other things. Playing cards with my roommate. Watching movies or television. Reading books. Bumming around online.

I haven't had the energy to post. This is closer to true. Work has been hard on me, especially over the last month. Working at a retail store, this time of year is a nightmare. Add to that a general lethargy and poor sleep habits and you can see where I am coming from.

I haven't had the money to buy my comics. Also only partially true. The last couple months have been really bad for me on the monetary front. Which is sad, as I am making more money than I was before that. It is just all going to other things. Like food. Like rent. Like gifts. I have been managing to get my comcis, just not always on time. More like every couple weeks or so.

I haven't been reading my comics. Also only partially true. I have not read anything for a few weeks. Been buying, but never getting around to reading. I have a total of five bags of comics from visits made since the last review on here. Three of those bags have been read. Two have not. This is going to be fixed at some point. No idea when.

So...what do I do about this?

I reevaluate and rethink what I want to do here, and how.

I think that with the new year, i will make an attempt to come back at this. Reviews will return, and hopefully continue. I think I will alter the way I do them, though. Insrtead of waiting until I get all of my comics for the week read, I will try to review in small batches. Semi-daily. Anything read that day is reviewed. The block post works for other sites, but not here. I buy and read too much to have that work.

Also, I think I will expand to the trades I pick up. A new segment called "Buy the Book." Silly, I know. In addition to the large numbers of singles I get, I also buy a lot of trades. I also own a lot of trades I would like to read again. So, I will review what I read. Some trades, like the recent stuff or some of the lighter reads, will be one review for the whole thing. Some, like rereads of Sandman or Preacher, will be more issue-by-issue reviews.

I am also considering a daily feature of reading old back issues from my collection of the things that got my into comics, or back into comics. That will depend on how I do with keeping up with everythign else.

Finally, I think I will expand my scope to cover movies and television as well. As with my comics, i tend to get my television late. Record the show to watch later works just as well as buy the comics a week after they come out. Movies I am a little better on. I do have a hefty Netflix queue though. So, movies and television will get some reviews as well.

I may also add in some general purpose posts about whatever comes up. Heroclix is an obsession, as are PS2 games (again with the being behind). Whatever catches my fancy at the time.

Pretty much all I do not plan on talking about here are my own writing, roleplaying games, and myself. If you want those, visit my Livejournal.

So, now the big question. When does this all take place? How about the start of 2008? New year, new start. Cliche, but it works.

Coming Soon

2007-11-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

Been lazy recently. Will be doing a couple weeks worth of reviews of comics, plus my views on the 30 Days of Night movie. Tomorrow, i swear.

That Time Again

2007-10-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here's last weeks comics, reviewed in my usual stream-of-consciousness style.

Fables 66: Good to see Ambrose wasn't as naive as everyone thought. He knew ahead of time that Bluebeard and Shere Khan were up to no good. It was also fun to see the two of them get what they deserved. I am wondering if this spell Ambrose speaks of will be powerful enough to stop the Adversary's army. This is a big risk he is taking. All of this is also making me wonder when the comic became such a big story. I remember the early issues being equally good, but not having nearly the scope of the cuirrent stuff. Not complaining, I just wonder what hapopened to the smaller scale stuff.

The Umbrella Academy 2: Damn, but this is still a great read. i totally like where this has been, where it is going, and the possibilities it all holds. I do want to see more of the back story on these cahracters, and a bit of their solo adventures. All, of cousre, in later installments as they do not apply directly to this awesome that is this story arc.

Simon Dark 1: This was actually out a week earlier than I got it. I just had to hold off on it for a week due to lack of funds. Totally awesome and worth the wait. I am very interested in seeing more. Not sure what else can be said, as this was the usual first issue introducing everything important.

The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society: Absolutely nothing about the Challengers in this, really. It was all just a background for the Jokester (this reality's Joker). A fun read, and I would totally support a Crime Society ongoing if it remained this interesting...but not at all what the issue advertises with the "Search for Ray Palmer" title. Next issue willbe ffun with teh vampire Batman thing going on.

Shadowpact 18: Not much to say here. The Nightshade Dimension stuff was weak, but may have been improved with more coverage. Protoge is awesomely badass, being both an evil and self-centered bastard and a renegade son at the same time. The rest of the issue was nothing great. We need more Blue Devil and his tasks, pronto.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 29: Another iffy issue from the weeks haul. The Fantastic Four fight the Hulk. It all turns out to be a set up to get more government grant money for research. In the end, the Hulk's identity is revealed and all is resolved in an unbelievable way. I would prefer a bit mroe continuity beweeen series in the Marvel Adventures line. Would be nice to have the standard Marvel Universe, the Ultimate universe, and the Marvel Adventures universe. Along with the other random realities (like Squadron Supreme).

Marvel Adventures Avengers 17: The first time I have been disappointed in an issue of this sereis. Each part of it felt contrived and out of character compared to how they are usually written. The Vision was cool, but the origin wasn't. Much more hard to take coming from this title, which so far has nbeen one of the better comics on the stands.

Penance Relentless 2: I am beginning to think that Paul Jenkins is a hack. I have not liked much of his writing since he did the original Sentry miniseries. Not sure if I will get the next issue of this. Probably, because it is loosly tied in to the Thunderbolts, and I am a sucker for that still.

THe Mighty Avengers 5: An issue I felt was almost good. If the next issue of this is at least as good as this one, I will continue to read it. The thought bubbles were less intrusive this time, and also less abundant. I still hope Bendis forgets this little experiment in bringing them back and either drops them, or uses them in the more classic way.

Captain America 31: So. Damned. Good. All the brianwashing attempts were fun to read, and a little disorintning. Seeing Captain America atalk and act that way, even knowing it was all fake, was really strange. Decent cliffhanger ending, though you can almost be certain that Bucky didn't shoot Sharon. As usual, cannot wait for more.

Ultimate Fantastic Four 47: Ultimate Red Ghost. Awesomeness! Reed being a dick, and then getting over it was kind of interesting. I was pretty much right in my thoughts about his obsession with the cosmic cube. Hope that will be followed up on in the next story arc, but not this one. I want more Soviet Super Bears.

Ultimate X-Men 87: Another issue that wasnt bad at all. The revelation of the whole thing was great, and I have to admit to liking this version of Stryfe better than the normal one. Best part, however, was the very last panel. I must know more on this. Hopefully next issue will reveal it to the reader, of not the rest of the team.

Terror Inc. 3: More violence. More gore. More humor. More surprises. Best cliffhanger ever. 'Nuff Said.

Superman/Doomsday

2007-10-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

OK, so I recently saw this movie. Here's what I thought.

First of all, let me be clear that I have never read the comics this was inspired by. I have read the Funeral for a Friend aftermath stuff, but never actually had the opportunity to read the actual death or the follow up stuff with the replacements and the rebirth. This, of course, has an influence on what I felt about the movie.

I kind of liked it. I also kind of didn't like it.

The story itself was pretty fun. I know there were some pretty severe changes, and some similarities. The way I see it, the first half of the story was pretty good. The fight with Doomsday was sweet. The death and funeral bits had me tearing up. I didn't really like how the Superman/Lois Lane romance was handled. It seemed a little too risque for a Superman story in my opinion. Superman sort of sounded like a pervert at times there.

After the death, the movie suffered a bit. Toyman was lame. The return of Superman was lame. The complete lack of an actual Superman until the very end was lame. They should have opted for some additional time and used the replacements from the comics. I would have loved some Steel, Superboy, Last Son of Krypton, and Cyborg Superman action. Hell, even one or two of them would have been batter than what we got.

Frankly, the Luthor clone Superman didn't work anyhow. An exact clone, with the Luthor programmed memories, that suddenly turns from a regular Superman into a "Justice lord" style Superman didn't work in the time they had. It felt sudden, and contrived. Just an excuse to have Supes fight himself, really.

I also didn't like the complete and unexpected change in Jimmy Olsen. I have a hard time imagining the death of Superman making him suddenly become a materialistic, sleazy tabloid photographer/paparazzi wannabe. More like the exact opposite, I would think.

I also had issues with the animation style and the voice actors. While the actors did a decent job, I really wasn't feeling it. I kept thinking how the character sounded wrong. I wanted the JLU versions. The animation was the same. It was just close enough to what I am used to with the DC Animated Universe that it felt familiar, while just different enough to kind of make me feel something was off. Superman looked old. Luthor looked too thin. Lois looked sleazy. Toyman looked like a pedophile. I want my regular animated universe versions back.

Now, the good side to the whole thing is that this weekend, when I get my comics, I am totally going to pick up the trades of the Death and Rebirth of Superman, as well as attempt to dig out my Funeral for a Friend issues to see what I was missing out on.

Also, the DVD extras included a brief preview of what the New Frontier movie will be like, and that totally has me psyched. It also had a documentary on the creation of the Death of Superman story from the comics. That was the best part of the whole DVD. The how and why of the story planning, the stuff I never would have noticed (the use of the number of panels on a page to show the severity and scope of the battle). I would almost buy this movie just to have that documentary.

I guess, all in all, the movie was fun and entertaining. It just wasn't quite u[p to the level of the usual DC animation stuff.

Marvel Two-in-One

2007-10-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

So, the last couple weeks have been hellish at work. Among other things, I managed to put in a 23 hour day. That's 23 consecutive hours. So, yeah.

Anyhow, I did manage to pick up my comics despite the fatigue. Here's what I thought.

The Weapon 4: Good ending to a good series. I like how our hero managed to use his supposed weakness (the time limit on his writ things) as a strength. I also like how he didn't mind killing him some bad guys. The "surprise" betrayal wasn't really a shock or anything, other than I was not expecting the duplicate to be identical. I look forward to the next mini, or an ongoing.

Zero Killer 2: As with the first issue, I am totally into this world. Not only is this series a good read, but it is fully fleshed out in the background. The extras at the end, something I always like but occasionally skip over, have been awesome to read. More information, in character, for the story. Awesome.

Stormwatch: Post Human Division 12: By the way this ended, I assume the series is ending as well. I don't remember hearing about that anywhere. Guess that's ok. I liked the series, but not enough to feel any real loss if it goes away. Have to admit, though, the way the team worked together to take out the villains in this was awe inspiring. Made me feel like i could totally take a super on.

Faker 4: So, I was right in my assumption last issue. Great to know I got that before the actual reveal. Usually I don't catch on that soon. I do wonder how this is going to go on for 2 more issues, as the selling point was the mystery they already revealed. I hope this remains good, and doesn't loose the crazy-cool it had going so far.

Jack of Fables 15: HAHAHA! Jack is such a dick, and I love him for it. Quite a fun origin for Jack and John and all that. Jack is too clever for his own good (let along anyone else's). The further revelation of the origin of Kevin, Revise, and Gary is totally getting me intrigued. Finally, Babe totally needs his own miniseries...except his bits wouldn't actually be able to carry a full comic let alone many issues.

The Exterminators 22: Nothing needs to be said here. This series maintains the odd storylines and crazy pace. Beyond that, wow.

Justice League Unlimited 38: Aw, Giganta loves Flash. Flash, being a guy like myself, totally doesn't get it. Once he finds out, it is too late. Best bit was the "Rosenbaum and Associates" billboard. The picture on the billboard looks like Michael Rosenbaum playing Lex Luthor in Smallville, and Rosenbaum voiced Flash on JLU. Nice touch.

Metal Men 3: I don't get it, but will keep reading. I think.

Infinity Inc. 2: I wish they would have gotten to the missing Natasha thing in this issue. More Kid Empty was nice, though. Will keep reading for now, because I am curious.

Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman: I enjoyed some of this. Never knew the full origin of this character, so seeing it recapped was cool. But, the rest of this was lame. So far, these side stories are 0 for 2.

Green Lantern Corps 16/Green Lantern 24: Oh my god, but these have been so awesome. On the one hand, I don't want this event to end because I am enjoying it so much. On the other hand, I do want it to end so I can save a bit of money by not buying these anymore. I know that when it ends, it will likely end well. I just am sad at the thought of no more war.

Suicide Squad 2: This one wasn't quite as much fun as the last issue, but it sounds like it will pick up again next issue. Still pretty dang good.

Batman Detective Comics 837: The triumphant return of Paul Dini. And what a return it was. Having the Riddler use Harley and replacement Catwoman do an investigation was incredibly fun. Seeing how Riddler was trying to play Bruce Wayne, who was really playing Riddler was beyond compare. This is why I read this series.

Marvel Adventures Hulk 4: This first issue I really didn't enjoy. In fact, I don't even remember much about this issue at all. I remember Radioactive Man and Multiple Man being in. For one thing, it is too early in the series to be bringing them back in my opinion. Also, I don';t really see Multiplae Man siding against the Hulk after the issue he was in. Bah.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 32: This, on the other hand, was awesome. Hydro-Man showed a combination of great planning, and absolute stupidity. Which, actually, kind of worked. The splash page of Spidey saving JJJ was a great homage, though I suppose using that particular image is sort of cliched anymore. The trap set to capture Hydro-Man was so perfect it is beyond perfect.

Runaways 28: It has been so long since an issue of this has come out, I forgot I read it. I actually had it in my pull box, and had to double check to make sure it was there when I saw an issue on the shelf because I couldn't remember if I had it on my pull list or not. Granted,. the issue was decent. But, not really worth the wait. I love Joss Whedon, but hate how his comics are never on time. I am almost tempted to drop this out of protest. We will see how the next issue or two do before i choose.

The New Avengers 35: Ugh. Nothing I can say here about the disappointment with this that has not already been said elsewhere. Boo on the cover not having a thing to do with the contents.

Nova 7: Interesting. I like how the writers have found a way to save Richard Rider from the Phalanx infection, without a complete cop-out. I wonder if there will be a final cure by the end of the Annihilation: Conquest event. I am assuming so.

The Order 3: Zobos. Dude, freaking zobos. How fucking cool is that. This comic is totally all about tossing out the crazy shit left and right. The character portraits we get interspersed with the story are interesting too. The story about the dead ex-member should be good.

X-Factor 24: Another issue I can't even find words to describe. Consistently amazing.

Super-Villain Team-Up MODOK's 11 4: Another one I only vaguely remember from when I read it. Fighting the new Mandarin. Puma sort of getting his powers back. Rocket Racer betrays the team. Nobody realizes the Chameleon isn't who he seems (which, really, they should have noticed by now). Next issue it all wraps up.

28+1

2007-10-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

So, as it is late and I must get to work early in the morning, I will try to be quick.

Demon's Mercy 1: Free preview. Crappy. Will not be buying this one any time soon.

Consumed 3: Still funny. Loving the roomies even more. Looking forward to the end, while wishing it could go on. Don't know how an ongoing would work, though.

Ghosting 2: Creepy. Confusing at the bit where there is the replay of the conversation from the graveyard inside the burned out frat house. Quite fun.

Stormwatch Post Human Division 10: Accidentally bought this, as it was in my box and I didn't pay close attention to the cover to realize I had it already. Oh well.

Madman 4: Awesome as always. Go Mike Allred.

The Umbrella Academy 1: Awesome origin story with a fun cliffhanger. If this can keep up the crazy/cool factor, it will be like another Hellboy.

Crossing Midnight 11: Yikes. Bad news. Good story.

Teen Titans Go! 47: Robin's origin was ok, with a good ending. Starfire/Raven bit was funny and awesome.

The Spirit 10: Great parody of modern "news" reporters. Loved all the parodies, and the ending was a blast.

Black Adam: The Dark Age 2: The beginning was cool, with fun visuals. The Felix Faust bit was kinda neat, and a great source for Black Adam's powers. Overall, though, it was sort of "meh."

Countdown to Mystery 1: I liked the whole thing, except the potential change to Eclipso's origin.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 2: Total shit. Not buying any more issues of this one. A shame, as I was looking forward to it the most save for the Bible of Crime.

Countdown to Adventure 2: Nice twist. Scary to think of what is coming. The JLAxis needed more story, less "Forerunner is cool and Monarch is a douchebag."

Shadowpact 17: Made of awesome. About time this comic started getting back to how cool it initially was. I think it needs more Blue Devil, and keep the level of Zauriel to 0 if possible.

Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Parallax 1: Disappointing. The rest better be as cool as the main event.

The Flash 232: The West Children are so awesome while being so cute. Almost glad that Wally's back now, even though I still miss Bart.

Teen Titans 51: A return to the arc that brought me to this comic to begin with. I love it all over again. Future Titans are assholes. Wanna see Future Ravager, though.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 28: "Pizzower Coshizzmic?" Really? Just...no.

Marvel Adventures Avengers 16: Hawkeye was awesome. Villains were fun. Too bad they gave away the whole point of it early. Still good. Best Marvel Adventures series, by far.

Penance: Relentless 1: Nipple Piercings. Nothing more need be said, save I will likely buy another issue just to see what is going on with the numbers.

Avengers: The Initiative 6: Really hating the New Warriors hate going on here. The attacker was a scary surprise. Really really scary.

The Immortal Iron Fist 9: Still more awesome that anything short of Bruce Lee fighting a Ninja-Pirate-Monkey. For reals.

The Immortal Iron Fist Annual 1: Annuals should not be continuations of the main story. Especially if the first page recap spoils the current issue of the main series.

Captain America 30: Sharon is a scary lady. Captain Bucky is on his way. You just know it is going to happen.

Terror Inc 2: Icky, but fun (but icky).

Ultimate Fantastic Four 46: Hah, awesome. Thing's brain is in storage, and he still kicks bad guy ass. Psycho Man was much cooler here than in the real Marvel Universe. Next arc is called "Ghosts." Having not been paying attention to previews, I hope it means Red Ghost. I want me some Ultimate Super-Apes.

Ultimate Spider-Man 114: Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Par for the Spider-Course.

Annihilation: Conquest Quasar 3: Super Adaptoid is still one of the coolest villains. Moondragon is a dragon, bringing up images of creepy love scenes with Quasar. Shit hits the fan.

Annihilation: Conquest Starlord 3: More shit hitting many fans. The Groot/Rocket Raccoon interactions are the best.

So, that be all this week. Hopefully will have my next batch up closer to the actual purchase date this time. Either Thursday or Sunday, depending on outside forces.

Renaissance

2007-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

So, a while back I had heard about this strange animated French movie called Renaissance. I was recently able to pick up a copy from Netflix.

It blew me away.

A combination of motion capture and CG animation, this movie at times made me think of Sin City. Except, it is nothing like that movie.

The story is about a cop looking for a kidnapped scientist. The missing woman works for a corporation named Avalon, which virtually runs Paris of 2054 (the setting of the movie). The movie has a very noir feel to it, aided by the unique animation style. As the entire movie was filmed with motion capture techniques and real actors, then animated over, it has a very organic and realistic feel. At the same time, the animation was completely black and white (not even using grayscale shades), making it almost surreal in look. To be honest, this took a little adjusting to get used to. Once I was into it, though, there was very little that took me out of the film.

I really much suggest this film to anyone who likes unique films or a good old fashioned noir thriller.

I would say more about this, but I have comics to read and review.

Heavy load

2007-09-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, here they are, the most recent reviews I have got to offer.

Stormwatch post Human Division 11: After the destruction of the bar last issue, the team is pretty messed up. Concussions, rebar through legs, and one alien-hybrid killing machine makes for a bad day. Lucky for the team, the monstrosity is in love with one of the other team members, and saves the day. There is a bit of intrigue with the teams families being threatened, until the actual treat is made more clear. Bye bye police station.

The Walking Dead 42: Wow, what an issue. Carol dies in the horrible way you expect from a suicidal-turned-zombie. The seeming tension with Herschel and Andrea over her friendship with Tyreese is resolved before it is even begun. More plans to defend against the nearby town, using a guard tower manned by Andrea and a layer of zombies outside the gates. Then the shit hits the fan when the nearby townsfolk invade. In tanks.

The Un-Men 2: I have no idea what the hell is going on here, but I like it.

Fables 65: The journey of Flycatcher seems to be at an end when he reaches his homelands. Bluebeard and Shere Khan are up to no good, still. We learn that the entire conflict is really more of a game of chess played out between the Adversary and Frau Totenkinder. Conflict on many fronts looms.

Jack of the Fables 14: The beginning of the true origin of Jack. Maybe. More stuff dealing with Kevin, who appears to be more powerful and less human than we were initially led to believe. I was also expecting him to be more Fable aligned than Golden Boughs. Babe steals the show with his rich fantasy life again. Enough so that I read his one page before reading the comic itself, again as I read the issue, and a third time just because it was that good.

Booster Gold 2:Rip Hunter finds trouble. Supernova causes trouble. Booster Gold is the reason Guy Gardener was not Green Lantern and also the reason Sinestro came up with the Sinestro Corps. Great way to play with continuity.

Green Lantern 23: More Sinestro Corps. Hal's ring runs out of juice, so he steals a bunch of Qwardian ones to use in the interim. Ion is freed, and Parallax seems to break Guy's neck (though he is better soon after). The Sinestro Corps attacks Earth and the Guardians lift the lethal force restriction.

Countdown to Adventure 1: Dude, Starfire is hot. Buddy Baker is not very bright, missing his son's obvious crush on her, and his wife's obvious discomfort with her. Adam Strange gets pink slipped, and replaced with a fucking psychopath. This will not end well. The history of the Forerunners is actually kind of cool. Definitely something I like there. Looking forward to another issue, if only for the Nazi Justice League bit.

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer 1: This was utter crap. A shame, too, since it involves a character I sort of like now (Jason Todd) and the Wildstorm universe. *sigh* What a waste.

Suicide Squad 1: As with all things comics and cool, I missed out on this back in the day. All I know of the team I learned from one of the greatest minds in comics blogdom. That said, I think this will make me hunt down old issues of the original series so I can get acquainted with the cool. Must read it all.

Marvel Adventures Hulk 3: Hulk is captured by Hulkbusters. Rick Jones saves him, and Radioactive Man as well. They hang out, with Radioactive Man siphoning gamma radiation from Bruce to keep hum human. Then the shit hits the fan and Rick has to coerce the Hulk into staying mad (like that's all that hard). In the end, we are back to the status quo. All in all, a fun read.

X-Man Emperor Vulcan 1: We catch up with the team that stayed behind in Shi'ar space. They try to make a surprise attack on Vulcan and the rest of the Shi'ar Empire, but are summarily defeated. Then some new alien race appears that seem the hate the Shi'ar more than anyone else does. Interesting, and fun to see some of these character playing off each other.

The New Avengers 34: After a night alone, the team all come back together and let Doctor Strange cast a spell revealing their true natures. Luke Cage is pretty much himself, though more retro in look. Jessica Jones wants to be a superhero again. Iron Fist is his legacy. Spider-Man wishes to be himself, before the bit. Echo wants to be Daredevil. Hawkeye/Ronin wishes to be Captain America. Doctor Strange wishes to be a surgeon again. Wolverine, late tot he party, is apparently a samurai. Not a Skrull in the bunch. The team decide to say screw the danger and alert the other Avengers team of the danger. Instead, they see a lot of symbiotes running amok int he city. Also, Wolverine's junk is shot off.

X-Factor 23: We learn how crazy Quicksilver has become, which is a little scary really. Layla Miller is confused, which is more scary. Monet and Siryn get the kids they were after, which appears to be a set up. Finally, Josef Huber is a badass mofo.

Nova 6: Stuff happens. Nothing that really impressed of disgusted me enough to write about. Plus, I am getting tired of writing and want my dinner. HAH!

Ultimate Power 7: After who knows how long of a delay, we finally get another issue of this one. I still want to know where Doom came from, since I thought he was on Zombie Earth. Spider-man thinks Doom is responsible for the mess. Emil Burbank admits to Reed that he is responsible for the mess. Hulk is about to be brought into play. The original Squadron Supreme makes an appearance, just to make this more of a mess.

Ultimate X-Men 86: Stryfe seems to be up to something, but what is it? Psyloke is Bishop's future wife? Pyro is a spy, but already uncovered as such? Best part is Wolverine and Storm taking down the Sentinels.

Ultimate Spider-Man 113: All that needs to be said is that Norman Osborne is one crafty bastard...and not nearly as crazy as we thought.

With that out of the way, I invite you back Thursday(ish) when I will give you last weeks and this weeks comics. Together, for the first time.

Catch Up Reviews, Part 3: The Marvelous

2007-09-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

Now for the final installment.

Marvel Adventures Iron Man 4: Well, this book is getting better, isn't it? Spymaster taking over Iron Man's suit as an excuse for Justin Hammer to take over Stark International. A rather robust plot, and handled well in this issue. This is a story that other comics would have had take at least 3 issues.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 27: I'm a sucker for a story involving the Inhumans. This one was no exception. Human Torch meeting the family of a mysterious girl he meets, who turns out to be Crystal of the Inhumans. Between the Fantastic Four pretending to be more normal, and the Inhumans acting suspicious, this is bound to turn into a standard classic marvel meeting of two teams. That being a good old fashioned brawl. Of course things are all worked out in the end, but while the fighting is going on it is crazy.

Marvel Adventures Avengers 15: Starting with a fight against sentient trees and ending with a feast in Valhalla. What more could you want from a comic? How about a smiting song? Hells yeah. We all need more smiting songs.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 31: Spider-Man is jealous of the Human Torch. Human Torch visits Spider-Man's school. Chaos ensures when Pyro takes control of Human Torch. Situation(s) resolved. Standard stuff, with a few great Pater David lines in there for added measure.

The Order 2: Britney Spears/Paris Hilton hybrid character turned superhero is the focus of this issue. The team fights a bunch of Soviet super-soldiers who failed to notice the Cold War is over. We learn that the former team were fired for drinking not because they drank so much as that the alcohol counteracted their powers. Nice touch there. But, really, the best part of this issue can be summed up as such: "Oh my God, y'all! I'm fightin' a bear! Seriously, y'all, I'm punchin' a bear in the face! What the hay is going on?"

Thunderbolts 116: God but I hate this team of assholes. I miss the old team I never read about. Last issue I was sure was the beginning of a new era of bringing back the old team. It still might have been, but not yet. Instead we get threatening to feed people to Venom and Penance kicking someones ass after stabbing himself with a pen. The introduction of Mindwave was cool. The "Who wants to be Captain America" reality show was tasteless, and completely something I would expect to see on television. Ick.

The Immortal Iron Fist 8: Fuck yeah! This comic just gets better and better. The story of how Wendell Rand came to K'un-Lun. A bit of backstory on the Seven Cities of Heaven and how they come together for this tournament. A nice build to what promises to be a spine shattering story of martial arts. Best thing yet, the match-ups are all listed at the end, so we know what to expect for the first rounds.

Avengers: The Initiative 5: What is up with every comic needing to bring together a team of black ops hardasses to be all dark and hardass-y?While I love the way things are shaping up for Trauma, I don't like how some of this comic is going. The whole using the New Warriors as a pejorative annoys me still. Having Henry Peter Gyrich in charge of this stuff is also not the best of choices. But, the recruits are rather enjoyable to follow around. The MVP mystery is bound to return once the World War Hulk stuff calms down (I hope). Mutant Zero is intriguing me greatly. So, overall I guess I still like this one.

Ultimate Fantastic Four 45: As with much of Mike Carey's writing with this series, strange but good. Next issue will be better, as this was mostly just wondering how the Fantastic Four could have forgotten themselves.

Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch: Been so lng since I read this one, I don't remember much. Hot witches. Young Wanda. Crazy Egyptian wizards. More framing story. Sister Grimm is the one I look forward to the most. Next issue.

Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's Eleven 3: The team finall makes their attempt at stealing the hypernova. Everythign goes well at first, with each team member doing exactly what they need to do. Then things start to go wrong. living Laser almost forgets his humanity. The Spot abandons the team, stranfding them inside the Infinicide. Puma has his totem repossessed. The Spot is double-crossed. Then the whole thing explodes on them.

Annihilation: Conquest Starlord 2: Dirty Dozen in space makes thier way toward the eventual goal of this mission. Along the way Captain Universe and Deathcry have some issues. Then she dies. Groot looks like he's probably a goner as well. As long as we don't lose anyone else (except maybe Bug), we will not have any problems with this so far.

Annihilation: Conquest & Wraith 3: The story reaches the breakign poitn when Wraith decides to fight back, finally. Ronan allows the Phallanx to take him over finally. Next issue this mini ends, and I suspect we will see a big fight between Ronan and Wraith.

So, anyhow, that it for the catching up. Chack back in a few days for last week's comics.

Catch Up Reviews, Part 2: The Dread Competitor

2007-09-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

In which we examine the comics offerings of one half of the "Big Two."

Teen Titans Go! 46: Another issue with some continuity tying it with others. Also ties with the actual show, which I don't see as often in these. As usual, the chibi bits along the margins are freaking adorable. My only real complaint is that Madame Rouge was a very lousy spy in this, making lots of obvious slip ups (like the knowing what pizza was and such). She is supposed to be experienced at this, and among the best. She would not be likely to make such simple mistakes. On the other hand, Blackfire was great in her denial of any knowledge. Still a good read.

Justice League Unlimited 37: I loved the beginning, with the Spectre trashing a prison. Turing Superman into glass was awesome. Turning Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter into candles was even better. As was pointed out on another blog, a particularly ironic and painful punishment for those two. This middle bit got a bit confusing. Not in the "I have no idea what is happening" way, but in the "I have no idea why this is happening" way. Then end was quite good, though.

The Spirit 9: Holy wow. For a series that is pretty much a lot of "done in one" stories, this one was quite good for setting up future developments. El Morte is totally badass, and his origin is quite awesome as well. The more I read this series, the more I want to go back and find the original stories to get more acquainted with the character as a whole.

Green Lantern Corps 15:Damn, this art is fantastic. This Sinestro Corps use of Ranx (who I had to look up online, as I have never read an actual Green Lantern story, not counting some Alan Moore stuff, before this crossover) to fuck Mogo up is pretty sweet...and nasty. I am loving this stuff.

Infinity Inc. 1: Natasha's dream is freaky. Not unexpected, given what she went thorough in 52. That Dale kid is both sad and scary at the same time. I am loving him already, if he remains/becomes a villain. I am also really intrigued by Gerome's duplicate and Natasha's...whatever the hell happened.

Metal Men 2: This jumping back and forth is really making it hard for me to follow this comic. Not that I mind too much. I am still loving ever page. The science lesson was totally fun, and from what I understand a very original Metal men thing. The last page with the Death metal men was funny on many levels, and total cool.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 1: This suffered from a bit of a poor layout. There were things happening that were not immediately apparent to me until explained later. Like that whole Hunger thing. I didn't get that the soldiers and guards were trying to eat each other. I just saw Batman and Superman kicking their asses for some reason. Only after the fight did I understand, and only from the dialogue. Still and interesting enough idea that I will continue reading.

Teen Titans 50: The flashbacks to memories of Kid Flash/Impulse were all quite fun. Great insight into a great character. I am wondering if the writers will either cover the story about why Ravager acts like such a slut, or will maybe stop. She's a good enough character without having to try to get with every guy in the book. The part with Wally's letter to Barry about becoming a real hero was heartwarming. The Blue Beetle crossover was fun, except I liked it better in the actual Blue Beetle comics. Robin seems like an asshole in this version of it, while in the other comic he was more of a helpful potential mentor. Finally, the return of the future Titans is a dream come true for me. That was the arc that got me into this series to begin with. Plus, the fact that the two adult Titans to show themselves at them end are the two dead Titans is just...evil.

Batman Detective Comics 836: Only one thing to say here. Scarecrow is my new favorite Batman villain. Damn.

And with that, we are done with this section of reviews. Come back later for the final installment.

Catch Up Reviews, Part I: The Others

2007-09-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

In which we review the non Marvel/DC titles from weeks past.

The Weapon 3: Pretty much just one huge fight. Nice use of a volcanic steam vent to defeat the bad guy. During the flashback story bit, i almost felt like the Lin Kuei were not so bad after all. Then they acted like douchebags again. Looking forward to the last issue, while at the same time not wanting this to end. I would read this as an ongoing, if it managed to keep up the cool pace.

The Walking Dead 40 & 41: A baby is born. A leg is lost. More preparations for the inevitable showdown between the prison crew and the nearby town of survivors. Carol proves just how fuckign nuts she is, while the new doctor's great idea sort of backfires. As usual, greeat stuff.

Crossing Midnight 10: This issue totally squicks me out. The date girl thing is creepy in and of itself, and more so for the end page talking about how it is a real phnomena. It is nice to see the return of the mortal half of our twins (I can never remember their names). A bit of the spirit realm to continue on that half of the story, but a focus on more mundane things. Excpet for the crazy cool killings and stuff.

The Exterminators 21: What nees to be said? Totally fucked up in a cool way. Next issue will be scary crazy.

Faker 3: After this issue, I feel like I may be starting to understand a bit of what is going on. Which means I am likely all wrong, but whatever. Still a fun read and I can't wait for more.

So ends part one of our epic trilogy. Come back later for the rest.

The Less-Than-Glorious Return

2007-09-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

Coming soon...reviews of the last few weeks. A saga in three parts.

Coming next...the Fool sleeps.

10 Character Meme

2007-09-11T01:43:00.000-07:00

You can blame Kalinara for this one. She tagged everybody.

First, select your ten fictional characters (from any medium) by whichever method you like best. Then answer the questions below.

Since this is a comics blog, I am going to alter this slightly and only pick comic characters. That will make this more...intertesting, I think. You know what, we are going to go one step further. As I love Marvel's original 2099 comics, we are going all 2099.

1) Spider-Man 2099
2) Metalhead (X-Men 2099)
3) Punisher 2099
4) Meanstreak (X-Men 2099)
5) Cerebra (X-Men 2099)
6) Bloodhawk (X-Men 2099)
7) Fearmaster (Punisher 2099 villain)
8) Junkpile (X-Men 2099 villain)
9) Skullfire (X-Men 2099)
10) Mutagen (Spider-Man 2099 villain)

1. Divide the list up by even and odd. Which group of five would make a better Five Man Band (like a Power Rangers team)? Who would you slot in each position: Leader, Lancer (second-in-command), Big Guy, Smart Guy, The Chick? If you think the team would be improved by swapping one character between the even and odd groups, which ones would you switch?

Team Odd: Spider-Man 2099, Punisher 2099, Cerebra, Fearmaster, Skullfire
Team Even: Metalhead, Meanstreak, Bloodhawk, Junkpile, Mutagen

Of the two teams, I think Team Odd would function better. Team Even is more of a brute squad. Lots of heavy hitters without any real leadership.

Leaders: Cerebra/Junkpile
Lancers: Punisher/Metalhead
Big Guys: Skullfire/Bloodhawk
Smart Guys: Spider-Man/Meanstreak
Chicks (by default): Fearmaster/Mutagen

I suppose I could switch up the roles to put Punisher in lead so my only female can be the chick, which would put Skullfire as lancer and Fearmaster as the big guy. Which almost works. If I was to swap out Fearmaster for Mutagen, that alternate layout would look as such...

Leader: Punisher
Lancer: Skullfire
Big Guy: Mutagen
Smart Guy: Spider-Man
Chick: Cerebra

Which, really, makes for quite a decent team.

2. Gender-swap 2, 8 & 10. Which character would have the most change in their story arc? Which the least? Would any of these characters have to have a complete personality change to be believable as the opposite sex?

Gender Swapping: Metalhead, Junkpile, Mutagen

I see Mutagen being the most likely to have this happen. What with the instant evolution to cope with threats, it is plausible for this to happen anyhow.

Metalhead would also work well as a woman. He was a fairly nurtiring character, and his mutant ability to take on the properties of metals he touched coupled with his musical carreer would not require any real alterations to the character. Othewr than a slight wardrobe change to make him/her more age appropriate.

So, that leaves Junkpile as the most difficult to change. I suppose his aggressive nature would require a little bit of a tweak to tone down so that (s)he is not viewed as a raging bitch instead of just an asshole. Really, though, even this character's story arc would not require much change. I could see a sort of love interest in Xian with a hatread/jealousy angle with Cerebra though.

3. Compare the matchups of 1 & 8 and 5 & 9. (Ignore canon sexual preferences for the moment.) Which couple would be more compatible? Which couple would be more plausible to people from either principal's home culture?

Spider-Man 2099 loves Junkpile?
Cerebra loves Skullfire?

There is no consideration here. Cerebra/Skullfire would be quite workable. Both mutants. Male/female preferenced maintained (despite instructions to the contrary). Plus, Skullfire like the stronger women. Granted, he was more into physical strength and dangerous fun, but Cerebra has a bit of a wild side to her that needs letting out. I also think she would be good for him to calm his own impulses down a bit.

4. Your team is 3, 4 & 9. The mission consists of a social challenge, a mental challenge and a physical challenge. Which team member do you assign to each challenge?

The Team: Punisher 2099, Meanstreak, Skullfire

Punisher has to do the physical challenge, because it is all he would be capable of doing. He's not really a thinker or a social expert. Meanstreak, bieng a scientist by nature, would hav to handle the mental challenge. So, Skullfire is left to deal with the social challenge. As long as this takes place before he went all crazy after the Theater of Pain, he coudl handle that just fine.

5. 7 becomes 1's boss for a week in some plausible fashion. How's their working relationship?

Spider-Man 2099 working for Fearmaster.

Oddly enough, in general terms, this actually is canon. Fearmaster is a head of an Alchemax subsidiary and Spider-Man works for them. I see the working relationship being strained. Miguel (Spider-Man) is a bit of a trouble employee, not really liking the way Alchemax does things, as well as moonlighting as a thorn in the corporation's side. Fearmaster is a sadistic bastard who likes to use his alien hand to mess people up. Not the healthiest of workign relationships.

6. 2 finds him/her/itself inserted into 6's continuity. As far as anyone other than 2 or 6 is concerned, they've always been there. What role would 2 be presumed to have had in 6's story, and could they fit in without going wonky?

Metalhead and Bloodhawk for this one.

No need to answer. They are from the same continuity already. Hell, they are technically teammates.

7. 3 and 5 get three wishes. The catch is that they have to agree on all three wishes before they get the benefits of any of them. What three wishes would they make?

Punisher 2099 and Cerebra share some wishes.

The way I see it, they would end up only able to agree on one thing. They want a stop to crime. They have no actual common ground on methods, but that much they would agree on. Probably would go something like this.

Wish One: See each other's perspectives.
Wish Two: End to crime/corruption
Wish Three: Held for further use.

8. 1 and 2 are brainwashed by a one-time artifact that works even on people immune to mind control to attack and kill 4. They keep their normal personality, skills and competence level, except any Code vs. Killing has been turned off. Can 4 survive? How?

Spider-Man 2099 and Metalhead try to kill Meanstreak.

Meanstreak has a chance, but only if he can figure out what is happening before the others get him. He's fast enough to evade any capture, but Spider-Man is probably just as smart (if not smarter) than Henri (Meanstreak). With Eddie (Metalhead) in there, the whole betrayal of friendship is an issue. I think in the big picture, Meanstreak will evade them for a while but end up dead.

9. 6, 7, 9 & 10 must help an orphanage full of small and depressed children have a merry Christmas. Who does what, knowing that at the very least the kids will be expecting a visit from Santa?

Bloodhawk, Fearmaster, Skullfire, and Mutagen do Christmas.

Fearmaster, in an uncharacteristic fit of altruism, would be able to make the presents. And good ones at that. Solid gold or diamond toys. Healing the sick kids. Other cool stuff like that.

Bloodhawk woudl likely be the one to deliver the presents, and maybe take the kids flying. He would have some difficluty just because of his appearance, though.

Skullfire totally gets to light the tree. Maybe entertain the kids a bit.

Mutagen would have to take the santa role. Again, with his evolutionary powers I imagine he could find a way to do the Santa thing. Fearmaster may even be able to help with that alien magic hand of his.

10. 3 and 8 are challenged to circumnavigate the Earth in eighty days or less, using only forms of transportation invented before 1900. Can they do it, or will they be fatally distracted by sidequests or their own personality conflicts?

Punisher 2099 and Junkpile do an old school road trip.

They have no chance. They would be too distracted with fighting. Either each other or just about anyone they meet along the way. It is funny how the two S.H.I.E.L.D. 2099 guys end up together like that, though. Probably Doom's doing.

The End

Anyone who reads this and cares to be tagged, go for it.

Blarg

2007-08-30T01:17:00.000-07:00

So, i have my comics from last week. i have read them. I want to review them as normal. Too tired right now. In the process of moving, so low on time/energy/money. Once I have a chance to pick up my comics for the next week or two, i will do a mass post of reviews. Sorry to the readers (likely imaginary) out there.

Yay, a Light Week

2007-08-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

With an impending move, and an insane difficulty with pruning my pull list (the last time I pruned it was when I dropped the entire list due to unemployment...otherwise, i have never dropped an item off my list yet), I was worried I may not be able to keep up. Thankfully, it was a slow week for both my pulls and my impulse buys.

The Flash 231: This was a holdover from when I was buying the last Flash series. Too lazy to remove from my list, and I figure giving Wally a shot wasn't really a bad idea anyhow. I am so glad I did that. This was a really fun issue, with lovely artwork. I find that Daniel Acuna is one of those artists I didn't really get at first, but totally dig now. Plus, the story is intriguing. Those kids are awesome and funny at the same time.

Booster Gold 1: Booster Gold. One of those character is knew nothing about until Justice League Unlimited. One I cared nothing for until 52. I think I am probably one of many who didn't really care until then. Now...I am a Booster booster. This issue was all kinds of cool. From the fight with the Royal Flush gang to the Justice League making fun of Booster. All sorts of fun asides that were Booster basically saying what we all really wanted to say ourselves (Geo Force...hahaha). I love how is ancestor just hangs out at home all day, playing video games while wearing the Supernova costume. That's totally what my life would be if I had the opportunity. It was also quite interesting that Booster actually stepped up to the plate to become the hero he always wanted people to think he was, knowing that he will still always be thought the loser. I am totally into this already.

Shadowpact 16: First of all, awesome cover. Loves me the Zatanna. Also, love the dynamic going on with the whole team. Detective Chimp making like a fool to keep the endangered kids calm. Nightshade saving thousands by pushing her powers to the limit. Blue Devil's attorney seeming to do the impossible, until the infernal loophole shows up. Enchantress finding the source of Doctor Gotham's powers, and taking him down a few notches. Looking forward to more of this story, especially the thirteen tasks Blue Devil must perform. Not that I trust that mean priest. He's a jerk, and seemed shifty to me.

Marvel Adventures Hulk 2: Dude. Hulk + Multiple Man = Badass. 'Nuff Said. Well, except to add that this was so well written, I thought it was Peter David doing it. High praise, in my book.

Super Villain Team-Up MODOK's 11 2: I love these guys. This really does remind me of Ocean's ##, with more in-fighting. That whole Chameleon not being himself thing was cool, and a great double cross. Wonder who else will be on the team, though.

Captain America 29: As has been pointed out elsewhere, this comic is like a kick to the head. Winter Soldier is in some deep trouble, but not anything he can't handle. I mean, dude, it's the Winter freaking Soldier he can handle his shit just fine. Also looks like the Red Skull/Lukin thing is about to come out big time.

Terror Inc. 1: An impulse buy, but totally worth it. I have heard of the original Terror Inc stuff, and so had to go for this revamp/rehash/whatever. Nice origin piece with some fun violence to go with it. Like ripping a dude's head off, ripping your own head off, and replacing your head with the other one. That's pretty freaking hardcore. Should be a fun mini all around.

Annihilation: COnquest Quasar 2: Don't fuck with Phyla-Vell. Don't fuck with Phyla-Vell's woman. Especially if her woman is Moondragon. Even if you are Super-Adaptoid, you are gonna get punked.

Ultimate Spider-Man 112: Immonen's art is close enough to Bagley's that it isn't terribly jarring to have the new artist. Which is good. There is enough difference that you can tell it is someone new, but not so much that you are taken away from the story. Norman Osborn is scary. I love the romance that looks to be building between Kong and Kitty. I had to do that parent thing in Junior High, and remember how tough it was as a regular kid. Can't imagine how bad it will be for a couple of supers to try to handle.

R.I.P. Mike Wieringo

2007-08-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

So, as I am sure anyone who reads anything comics related online has heard, Mike Wieringo died recently of a heart attack.

Being a guy who pays more attention to the words on the page rather than the art, I didn't know at first who he was or why it was such a major loss. I recognized the name, which means he must have been pretty damned talented as I rarely ever even notice artists unless they also write. Or are Alex Ross level talents. After a brief look online, though, i found out why i should care and where I know this man from. He has done some of the most amazingly beautiful, cartoon-like work I have ever seen.

I just finished reading one of his last books, that being Spider-Man and Fantastic Four as well as a number of issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Even more important, in my eyes, is his part in creating a character that ended up being one of my favorites in the DC Universe.

Bart Allen.

I am saddened that I will never have the chance to meet him. I want to thank him for his work in keeping comics fun.

The Amazing Johnny-V

2007-08-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am here today to pull the greatest trick any blogger has ever done. I will look into the future to see what my reviews of this weeks comics are going to be when I write them next week. I know, it's amazing!

Consumed 2: I know last time I reviewed this comic, I was less than impressed. I said I would give it one more try, then give up. Well, I am glad I did. This issue was so much more fun than the last. Still not nearly as much demony destruction than I was expecting, but the humor makes up for it so much. The goth roommate showing the exact vise she will use on his balls if he hurts Casey. His attempt to cover up her demonic speech at dinner. Hell, even the way he handles being puked on at a restaurant. All pure comedic gold. I am totally down with more of this one.

Ghosting 1: I have to admit, I pick up a lot of Platinum Studios books by chance. None are on my pull list, but I always walk the shelves looking for whatever jumps out at me. This would make three series that I have randomly picked up on a whim so far from this publisher. This series makes two that have been awesome from the start. I am all about frat hazing turned horror. Plus, that whole trick with the "eyeballs" was beyond cool. I want to pull that on someone sometime.

Stormwatch Post Human Division 10: I don't remember why I added this to my pull list back when I actually took the time to recreate it. I had been reading the comics and all, but wasn't really interested in them enough to buy any issues. But, for some reason, I just automatically added the series to my list. And there it has stayed. This issue shows me that it isn't going to be dropped any time soon. I love the creative and silly names for the retired heroes.

The Un-Men 1: What. The. Fuck? Now I kind of want to read the old Swamp Thing issues to find out more about the background of the Un-men. Just strange enough to keep me reading.

Jack of the Fables 13: HAHAHAHA! I love this. "I'm so hot, I should be continued on the next girl." That, my friends, is a great line. Writing perfection. I would date a girl who said that and meant it. Not because she is that hot, but because she is smart enough to come up with something that clever. Babe the (miniature) Blue Ox having his pirate fantasy is another piece of pure gold. Not that I should be surprised. This series has been nothing but funny and fun and full of perfect. I should eat Mr. Bill Willingham's brains to take his power.

Fables 64: The wolf cubs are adorable. 'Nuff said!

Black Adam: The Dark Age 1: Another spur of the moment purchase. Only bought it for the 52 tie-in. Loved 52, so willing to get anything related for now. To be honest, only real tie-ins from this I am looking forward to are the Crime Bible, Booster Gold, and Horsemen things. Everything else is just sort of there to be considered. This issue is what I would expect from the first part of a mini. A lot of lead in with no real meat yet.

Green Lantern 22: What time is it? It's Parallax time, baby! Parallax (the second) vs. Hal Jordan. What a fight. Then the other Lanterns show up (Green and Yellow) and the fight gets even more epic. What I really love here is that the Lanterns don't really like, or even trust Hal. They are there to save him and Ion regardless. Also, what the hell is up with Kyle's mouth on page 14? That's not right man. I have also never seen taunting during a battle used this effectively. I do wonder, however, how the Lanterns are going to be able to defeat the Sinestro Corps without being able to resort to lethal force. The yellow rings seem not to have this limitation. Not really a fair fight. plus, Cyborg-Superman, Superboy Prime, and Anti-Monitor. That's just nasty is what it is.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 30: All Ages Spider-Man. Peter David. A thanksgiving issue a few months early. As per usual, a decent message is made with a fun story in between. There is even the right level of spider-angst in this to pass muster with me.

The Dark Tower Gunslinger's Guidebook: Knowing my love of all things Peter David, is there any question? Knowing my love of all things Dark Tower, is there any question? Knowing my love of the powerhouse duo of Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, is there any question? Knowing my love of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (and similar style books), is there any question? If you had any doubt I would love this book, you have forgotten the face of your father.

The New Avengers 33: I dunno. I don't like this not trusting each other thing they have going on here. Also a little iffy on Dr. Strange and Iron Fist being on the team, but I can handle that. Spider-Woman better not turn out to be evil or a Skrull, since she's the main reason I am reading this comic. I do want to know what the hell is happening with all the sub-plots stretching all the way back to the beginning of this series. I do have to admit, the Hood stuff is going to be interesting. I also liked the art for the flashback, even if Cap was a royal asshole in it.

X-Factor 22: Peter David, you sly devil you. Endangered Species Act. Beautiful. The whole Wolfsbane/Rictor thing is also quite nice. This series does suffer from a lack of Strong Guy. He needs to be seen more. I think half Madrox, half Guido would be ok. Maybe one third each, and a third everyone else. Oh, except you need some Layla in there. I guess she should be like half the comic, and just share the spotlight with whoever else is around or something. But, I digress. Damn, that ending makes me want more. Really, that's all I have left to say.

Nova 5: First things first, I can't wait until this series has a chance to actually stand on its own. So far it has all be tying in with the latest event. Will be interesting to see it as a regular ongoing. Though, after this issue and the tail end of the last issue, I wonder how they will manage to make that happen. Nearly killing, and then infecting, Nova off do not make for an easy time for the title character. Do they? Also, two to many jokes about how tight the Nova uniform is. I get it, the uniform is showing off her ass. No need to keep reminding me.

Annihilation: Conquest Wraith 2: I have been wondering how the editors of the various Annihilation: Conquest minis have reconciled the fact that Ronan is leading the Kree underground in one series and working as a Phalanx jailer in another. Still no real answer. Unless the Wraith series is supposed to be taking place later in the timeline, which makes me wonder why it was released first. Arg, continuity gaffes annoy me. I rarely notice them, so if I am finding one it must be pretty bad. At least in this issue, they sort of give themselves an out with the control not being final or anything until it is willingly accepted. Also give the writers of Nova an out. Good idea, there. The origin of Wraith is totally badass. A protoplasmic, soul-eating, symbiote that gives immortality. Pain to reproduce memories. Creepy cool. I wish I came up with this.

Ultimate X-Men 85: Still not trusting Bishop. Still wanting to know who the hell this Stryfe is, since we know it isn't the Ultimate version of Cable (or even a young Cable/clone Cable thing). Want to know why the Fenris twins are back at all, let alone using Sentinels to attack mutants. Also, wonder what the heck is going on with Dazzler being more powerful than she seems. Oh, and the Hank not being dead thing too. Lots of questions. Waiting for answers.

A Week Late, A Week Early

2007-08-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

That's right, faithful readers (are there any of you out there anyhow...), we have my comics on time for once. Sort of. A day late buying, and another day late because I was too into Harry Potter to read my comics yet. But, it was a slow week so this should go fast.

The Red Star Sword of Lies 2: Wow, I am totally lost. It has been so long since I read the other Red Star books that I totally don't remember what is going on right now. All I know is the story is good overall and the art is lovely.

Zero Killer 1: I love this book already. Post-Apocalypse New York. Gangs living in the ruins of the city's towers. This issue had a good set up of the world, both in the actual story and in the two pages at the end with some military training and news pieces. I love book with those extras to flesh out the world. More interesting to know the whole world, and sometimes you just can't do that within the actual story. I'm coming back for more soon.

Unholy Union 1: Yet another Marvel/Top Cow crossover. Usually these suck. Did this one too? Pretty much. Jackie Estacado (The Darkness) on trial for something. Matt Murdock (Daredevil) is his attorney, who gets him acquitted. At celebratory dinner, Sara Pezzini (Witchblade) runs into him. Then Ghost Rider and the Hulk show up. Already this is a stretch and we are only on page 11. I can understand the Darkness/Ghost Rider connection. That makes sense. I can almost forgive the Daredevil bit too. But, the Hulk at the bar really lost me for some reason. Then we also get some Dr. Strange and Cyberforce cameos. To top it all off, there is no real plot. The entire thing is pretty much "Nice dinner, veiled threats, real threats, big fight, anti-climax, buy more comics, the end." More crappy lead in for the First Born event, which actually looks interesting enough without the extra shit they are tossing out for it. No reason to drag Marvel through the muck in the process.

Faker 1&2: Read issue 1 when it came out, but never actually bought it. The story almost didn't hook me at first. Seemed like a standard college drama with nasty people. Then there was the whole ending bit where I was drawn in. Took me a month to decide I liked it enough to buy it. So, here we are. How's issue 2? Pretty much the same as the first. Nasty people and college drama. Then a big freaking twist at the end that makes me want to read more. I love this stuff.

The Exterminators 20: The shit hits the fan. Mayan Hissers, which are apparently big fucking roaches responsible for the fall of the Mayans, have made it to America. And they are hopped up on pesticide that acts like steroids for bugs and crack for humans. While this is happening, we have drug dealers pushing this very same pesticide via ice cream trucks. Also, the corporations responsible for this drug is bringing in workers from some island they own, who have an ancient prophecy about fighting the end of the world. This prophecy happens to tie in directly to a box one of the exterminators tasked with fighting the giant roaches has found. This same exterminator's ex happens to run the corporation responsible for the pesticide drug stuff. With a plot like that, how can I not love this series.

Justice League Unlimited 36: Dude, it's got the Question in it. Of course it's good. I have to admit to loving the Question as he appears in this series and the animated television show. Never read any comics other than 52 with him in them, so no idea how this version compares to the original. Frankly, unless the original is anything like this version, i don't think i care. Conspiracy nut who is actually right is such a fun idea.

Metal Men 1: Ok, first I want to say what I was expecting or hoping for. I wanted some sort of wacky, odd, and fun comic about these strange elemental robots. I got that in part. The Metal men were as fun and full of quips as I wanted, but this wasn't as fun-loving as I wanted. Not to say that it was bad. It was very much not so. The intro and ending hooked me into wanting to see what else is coming along. I am liking this so far.

Batman Detective Comics 835: No Dini? Sad. Still good? Nope...it's great. holy crap, the Scarecrow is more scary without his ticks than with them. I got shills reading this one. Any dude who can cause a number of suicides just by simple conversation, and can get the Batman that agitated is a master. This is one of the best portrayals of Scarecrow I have ever seen. Which, I guess isn't saying much since I haven't read a lot of Batman comics, really. Brrr, that's one crazy psycho.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born 7: As with previous issues, no need to read to know it is amazing. Read it anyway. I have to. it's natural law that I must do this. To defy the urge to read would mean space-time as we know it would collapse. it's as good as I thought and expected. This is another series that has awesome extras in the back of the book. Short stories detailing more of the history of the setting. Which, really, is quite awesome because the more I learn about the setting, the more i want to learn about it. I cannot wait for Feb '08 for the next Dark Tower comic series..

The New Avengers: Illuminati 4: The Marvel Boy issue. I'm not really sure how I feel about Marvel Boy being canon in the Marvel Universe. That miniseries was so Morrison that it really should almost be considered an alternate reality story. Granted, after the Civil War Young Avengers/Runaways crapfest, we already knew it wasn't so. Doesn't mean I can't dream. Anyhow, this issue is the worst yet. The whole banter at the beginning about their woman problems was pretty lame, and struck me the wrong way somehow. The Marvel Boy stuff was stupid, and completely ignored that Noh-Varr was a Kree from an alternate dimension, so would not have any connection to Mar-Vell. Bah. At least this series ends next month.

The Marvel Tarot: An interestingly confusing supplement to the Mystic Arcana books. Going to have to go back and read this more carefully later. As it is, not really able to review it. It's interesting at least.

A Little Stale, But Still Good

2007-08-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Last week's comics are go!

Consumed 1: Ok, I was expecting more from this. Love triangle, demonic possession, played for laughs. Sounded awesome. Except, this issue wasn't. It had some bits that were made of cool. Goth roommate was made of cool. Lecherous priest brother was made of cool. But, really, not enough demon summoning yet. My usual 3 issues of trial time will not apply to this one. One more issue. If this doesn't pick up by then, no more series for me.

The Walking Dead 39: Here's the excitement I was waiting for. We have gun play, zombie attacks, a birth, and all kinds of trouble. I am totally waiting with anticipation for the next issue.

Crossing Midnight 9: What a fun issue. The reprisal for last issue's altercation comes in the form of a rather nasty test. It all ends well, but man was that a cruel thing to do to our lovely leading lady.Just bring in all kinds of past memories, that are lost but on the edge of her mind. Ouch. Loving it.

Teen Titans Go! 45: Two for one issue. Beast boy telling his origin story, in his own way. Quite funny too. All of the grandstanding and elaboration, mixing truth with fiction. The know-it-all kid totally wins at life, too. Cyborg's origin is touching, and the love interest referring to what I assume is a previous issue is more of that lovely continuity. This comic is still a great one.

Green Lantern Corps 14: More Sinestro Corps stuff. We get Green Man atoning for past sins that are not really all his fault, and finding forgiveness. We get Mogo and an appearance by Sinestro's version of the same. Best of all, we have Sinestro fighting Soranik Natu and defeating her in a fantastically ingenious way. That, my friends, is evil genius at work.

Teen Titans 49: Meh. Amazons Attack tie-in, with no really great bits. Hate those army dudes for being stereotypical army dudes. Superman was kind of cool. Next issue should improve greatly, I hope.

Marvel Adventures Hulk 1: I bought this, just because my pull list includes all Marvel Adventures books. I was not expecting to like it. The Hulk is just not really my thing. Character's a cool idea and all, just don't really care enough to...well, care. But, man was this a fun retelling of his origin. I am totally looking forward to more of this series. Which is great, because the Iron Man series in this line has not impressed much yet.

Marvel Adventures Iron Man 3: Speak of the devil. Plantman as a villain was fun, just to see this lame character brought out for not real reason. But, the issue was all but forgettable really. Considering dropping this title.

Marvel Adventures Giant-Size Avengers: Avengers. Agents of Atlas. Kang. Really, that is all you need to make for a fun comic right there. The alternate reality, and time travel were super-awesome fun. I am loving this series more and more. By far the best of the Marvel Adventures all-ages line, I think. On top of all that, this issue also had the reprinted first appearances of Venus and Namora. The Venus story was so-so, but Namora was everything Golden Age comics were meant to be. You just can't go wrong.

X-Men 200: As I have not been reading this series, and don't really care to, I didn't really get much out of the issue. The Endangered Species bit was kind of fun. Would have been more so if I had not already read Part 3 first. Really, only bought this for the amazingly awesome cover.

The Mighty Avengers 4: I. Fucking. Hate. Thought. Bubbles. At least, the way Bendis does them in this series I do. I will give until the end of this story arc before I finish judging this series, but so far I am only partially liking it. Ultron's return, and new form are fun. The use of Stark's Extremis powers to totally fuck with the world is fun. Ares using the bottom half of an Iron Man suit as a gun is FUCKING AWESOME! TO THE MAX! But, the though bubbles are killing this thing for me.

The Immortal Iron Fist 7: A nice filler issue, which was sort of expected what with the initial story having been meant for a mini-series. This also happened to be just as much fun to read as the first arc was. More history about previous bearers of the power are great to read. I would love it if they did this between every story arc. As the introductory blurb says, there have been 66 men and women to wield the iron fist. That's a lot of history to tell. Enough that they could do an entire series with just those stories. I am sure a few fillers here and there would not be bad at all.

Annihilation: Conquest Starlord 1: The Space Dirty (half)Dozen. A fun concept. Written by Keith Giffen. A great idea. The characters they picked. Somewhat of a confusion there. I get some of the reasons for imprisonment. I wish they would have explained how and why the Celestial Madonna (aka Mantis) was imprisoned. I am looking forward to reading more. Rocket Raccoon is badass.

Ultimate Fantastic Four 44: Creepy Silver Surfer is a member of a creepy space hippy cult. Actually, no, not hippys. Jonestoewn stuff. I can just see it. This was a strange issue, but I think it will only get more strange with the whole leaving earth for the King's version of Heaven." Should be interesting.

For the ladies

2007-07-29T00:49:00.001-07:00

greenlantern
Originally uploaded by lorddarkryder

Found this on the rss feed from Warren Ellis' blog. I thought Ragnell and Kalinara would enjoy it.

Kneel Before Zod

2007-07-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so, I just watched Superman II for the first time ever. I just want to know why it took me so long to finally see it. This movie is amazing.

True, it does suffer from the usual faults of a movie from the 70's/80's with the sometimes crappy acting and goofy dialogue. Hell, a lot of the plot is rather goofy anyhow. But, man do the effects stand up to the test of time. Even in today's world of CG everything, I was impressed with some of the effects. The lunar scene in particular really had me excited.

I also loved the attention to detail, like when Superman reflects Zod's heat vision back at him. The sign behind Zod not only became scorched, but left a general outline of his body on it. That's something I wasn't expecting, especially after the goofy fight under the street (one of many moments I was laughing at the film and not with it).

My only real issue is the crazy assed powers. Telekinesis? Teleportation? Holographic doubles? Amnesia kiss? Cling wrap "S" logo? Where the hell did those come from, and what were the filmmakers smoking when they came up with those?

Also, how the hell did Clark get repowered after "permanently" losing his powers for Lois?

Anyhow, complaints aside, I really loved this movie. I see now why Superman I and II are considered great, and were canon for Superman Returns, but III and IV were sort of forgotten. Well, except the red kryptonite in Superman III. That was kind of fun.

Comics of the Week

2007-07-20T02:35:00.000-07:00

Got my comics Thursday. What day s it now? Started to review as I read. Here we go...

The Weapon 2: I dunno. On the one hand, this had some very cinematic fighting in it. On the other, there wasn't much of the fight. At least, not enough to make me feel this was kick ass. Still a decent read.

The Darkness Level 5: The end of the retelling of the origin of the Darkness. Makes me want to play the game when it is finally released. Nothing new or exciting here. Just some fun mafia killing and demons. Actually, that is pretty exciting when I say it out loud. Rock!

Lenore 13: Oh my god, I always forget how fucking crazy funny this comic is. With only one new issue a year on average, it is easy to forget. I wish this was at least a bimonthly comic so I could get my fix more regularly. Then again, working at that pace may tire Mr. Dirge out, and then we would be left with sub par work. I hate conundrums like that.

Green Lantern 18, 19, 20: Nothing to say here, other than to note I finally picked up the back issues of this with the Sinestro Corps stuff in it.All those back-up stories were fun, and the main story was interesting enough to get me thinking.

All Flash 1: A sort of wrap up to the last series and reintroduction to the return of the original series. Didn't like the various art styles in the book. I like my comics to have one artist per story, than you kindly. Also, not much of anything interesting in this other than the fate of Inertia. I will likely continue to buy the Flash comics for a little while longer. I just with Bart wasn't dead. He was my favorite Flash related character.

The Spirit 8: I have said it before and I will say it again. I love comics that are "done in one" and still maintain a bit of continuity. This issue does that, with the return of an old friend and an old foe. Some of the amnesia stuff with Satin was a little stupid (not knowing the word for "eyes" or "mask"? C'mon already). I did, however, like the way it ended. Stupid of a solution as it was, it somehow worked for me. Plus, the Spirit getting hit by two ladies was funny.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 26: All-ages Galactus? Hell's yeah. Even better, this issue managed to retell the Galactus story in fewer issues than Lee/Kirby did, without the Watcher, and without the Ultimate Nullifier. Reed's idea to defeat Galactus was awesome, and the story ended up with the same result. Brilliant.

Mystic Arcana: Black Knight: The origin of the Black Knight. This was a nice bit of Arthurian legend with some Marvel craziness thrown in. I quite enjoyed the story. Not really a huge fan of the Ian McNee story stuff from this one, but have to admit liking his arrogance and determination. Looking forward to the next two issues in this series. Scarlet Witch next. Woohoo.

Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's Eleven 1: Ocean's Eleven meets lame super villains. Decent start, but I reserve judgement for later on in the series.

The Order 1: I dunno. I was really not impressed with this one. Somehow, when I read the initial idea behind this, I expected it to have existing characters on the team. People like Wonder Man and Dazzler, you know. Existing heroes who were also celebrities. Not this team of nobodies who are given limited duration powers. The idea of a cycling team is cool, like Exiles should have done more. Also a bit disappointed in how Pepper Potts was portrayed. Kind of skanky to be hitting on a dude this soon after being widowed.

Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures: Meh.

The Initiative 4: MVP? Back from the dead? A clone maybe? I dunno what is happening there, other than MVP may be back. Which kicks ass, as I liked the character a lot. Also, Trauma on a "black ops" Initiative team. An explanation for why the nano power inhibitors didn't work on the Hulk. This comic is getting better and better. I just wish they would stop using the term "New Warrior" as if it were an insult. That's just crap.

Annihilation: COnquest Quasar 1: Phyla-Vell's mom is a bitch. Super-Adaptoid is awesomeness incarnate. Liking this mini so far.

Captain America 28: The plot thickens, and I can't wait to see what happens. All of this build to something huge, and it feels like that something is just around the corner. Dunno how much of this was planned from the start, but I am willing to give Brubaker a lot of credit for it regardless. If it was planned out from the beginning, that kicks ass. If it was a fairly recent idea, he has done a great job of making it seem like a long distance plan. Either way, Captain America rocks. Even if Cap is dead.

Ultimate Spider-Man 111: Talking heads. Lots of talking heads. Not really the best issue to have Bagley go out on. A shame he is leaving too. I can get why, but it will still be sad to see him go. Still, love this series.

Almost Nearly On Time

2007-07-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I was actually going to post mostly on time for once. I had a large part of my pull list on time. Not all of my pull list, as I was a little early and had no patience to wait. I was going to review what I had and finish up with the rest this week with this weeks comics. Instead, i am doing last weeks tonight and this weeks sometime later (hopefully tomorrow). Oh, and just to be completely out of whack, I also have a comic I read previously and finally decided to buy in the mix as well. Now, on with the reviews. Probably shorter than normal, as it is sleepy time.

The Tick Comic Com Extravaganza: Holy hell, but I love the Tick. This was like every comic/sci-fi/gaming convention I have ever been to. With more fighting. Fun stuff.

Fables 63: Planning for the war. Redemption for Flycatcher. The return (somewhat) of Bluebeard. Mayor Charming is turning out to be quite effective in this role, which is a total shock. I was expecting a massive failure, instead of this actual good leader. What a nice surprise.

Stormwatch PHD 9: Lots of talking, little action. Disappointing resolution. This issue was ok, I guess.

Madman 3: Now, this is what I am talking about. I love me some Mike Allred writing. I love me some Mike Allred art even more. He's the reason I bought X-Statix back in the day. Anyhow, this shit is trippy. Existential and whacked out in a acid trip gone oh-so-right sort of way. I also love how each issue recaps the last by showing the entire previous issue on a single page in thumbnail. What a great idea. This issue is even more cool for the mass of comic homages Allred tosses in. Stunning.

Shadowpact 15: Um, I don't even remember what all happened in this one. Blue Devil talking with his family in Hell and some Doctor Gotham stuff. Apparently, not very great since I forget the whole thing beyond that.

Green Lantern 21: I bought this solely because it is Sinestro Corps stuff. That is how cool this idea is. It has me buying some comic I wouldn't normally care about to read the whole story. Still need to go back and get all of the back issues for Tales of the Sinestro Corps. This was a decent second chapter of the story arc. More set up before the meat of the story.

Annihilation: Conquest Prologue: I read this when it came out, but didn't initially buy it. After thinking on how much I liked this, and how much I was beating myself up over missing the first Annihilation event (since remedied with the 3 hardcovers), I decided I might as well get this. I love the Phalanx, and saw that one coming as soon as the Space Knights acted strange. Can't wait for the rest of this event.

Annihilation: Conquest Wraith 1: I am so confused, yet so intrigued by this. Haven't actually read the Annihilation stuff I have yet, so don't know how much that will clear things up. As I never really got into the big space stuff from Marvel until...well...now, I have little idea what I need to read to know what the hell is happening.

Nova 4: Fun stuff. Pretty art. Great ending. Not much more to say.

The New Avengers 32: What the hell was this crap? An entire issue of playing "Who's a Skrull" on a plane, followed by a crash. No cool action. Nothing that makes this issue mean anything to me. Still hate the art. In fact, the art is so bad in this, I spent half the issue mistaking Ronin for Iron Fist. Hopefully this will get interesting again soon.

X-Factor 21: Another comic that was pretty much just a slow build. Unlike the New Avengers, though, this was actually a good read. Peter David is a master of snappy dialogue and fun characterization. On top of all that, he ties in with plot threads that have been around for a while, and makes them remain interesting and viable throughout that time.

Ultimatre X-Men 84: Bishop does some more team building. We get the return of the Fenris twins (why?). Some badass Sentinel stuff. Ultimate Stryfe. The return of Psylocke. Still not completely trusting Bishop. Though, i have to admit, training Dazzler to improve her abilities is kind of nifty.

That Unlucky Day

2007-07-13T02:11:00.001-07:00

So, i have recently managed to find the time to watch the entire Friday the 13th movie series. Well, to be fair, I have seen the first 9 movies plus the edited for cable version of Jason X. I have Freddy vs. Jason queued up, but will not be watching that until I get through the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series (which I have all of and have seen the first two). Here are my thoughts on these movies.

Friday the 13th: The original slasher film. It's old, and looks old. But, it is still pretty damned good. Sets the stage for a decent story, and has some of the coolest deaths I have ever seen in a film. Even after watching how they did the arrow through the neck thing, I am still in awe of it. Plays with you at the end with a couple really great twists. Plus, Kevin Bacon.

Friday the 13th Part 2: This one takes place about five years later. It builds on the original nicely. They take the last remaining plots threads of the original and tie them up within the first few minutes of this movie. More interesting deaths and some great effects. I like the inclusion of some psychology and the dude in the wheelchair (though I felt bad he didn't get some before he died). A very worthy sequel.

Friday the 13th Part 3-D: Just to be fair, I will note that this was supposed to be shown in 3-D, but that was not able to be transferred to DVD properly. There are the obvious 3-D gags of the stick/snake/eyeball/etc coming directly at the screen. By the standards of 1982 I am sure it was amazing. By today's standards, where 3-D isn't really all that cool anymore, it was just silly. The plot of this movie takes place the day after Part 2. More campers, more gruesome death. The first appearance of the hockey mask, which is really quite interesting. There is a lame attempt to connect the heroine with Jason, but the movie would have been fine without that. Still a good flick.

Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter: Again, the day after the last one. This puts Jason's spree up to 3 days and two near-deaths. Dude just doesn't give up. Here we have some great strangeness. Twins. Marty McFly. That dude from The Last American Virgin. Corey Feldman as a creepy geeky kid. Vintage porn. Boobs and death. Loved the corkscrew bit. Loved the ending, where it is happy and creepy and gory and ominous all at once. Would have been a great end to a great series of movies.

Friday the 13th Part V - A New Beginning: Opens up with a nice creepy scene of Corey Feldman being stalked by Jason. Then he wakes up older and as a different actor. Lots of crazy people. Death by garden shears. Annoying fat kid gets what we all think he deserves. Girl doing "The Robot" before dying. Annoying black stereotypes getting killed. Nice ending that doesn't detract from the death of Jason. Ending is telegraphed a bit, but they do try to fake you out a bit. Also a nice post-ending ending. They should have stopped here.

Friday the 13th Part VI - Jason Lives: Oh. My. God. This one was so bad it's not even good in a bad way. Really unbelievable compared to the earlier movies. Too much comedy, not enough stabby-stabby. Granted, the comedy is quite funny. Would have worked as a Scream movie, but not as a Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood: This is one of the two movies in the series that I think may actually have been a decent movie if they had gone on their own, instead of tying in with Jason. We get the flashback of a girl accidentally killing her dad with her psychic powers. We get the asshole doctor trying to cash in on her power. We get the mom who doesn't know what the hell is going on. Next door are the partying kids all good slasher movies need. The slashing is good. The psychic is good. the story is about as good as an 80's slasher flick gets. The Jason makeup is idiotic, but I get where the director was going with it.

Friday the 13th Part VIII - Jason Takes Manhattan: More like Jason Takes a Cruise Ship. I saw an interview with the director where he mentions the budget limitations that caused the increase of boat scenes and decrease of New York scenes. A shame, since the original locations might have made for a fun movie. Another lame attempt at tying the protagonist in with Jason. Unneeded and unwanted. Couple of the deaths are cool. Too much humor again, though not as bad as Part 6. The toxic waste tot he face was a cool effect. What the hell was up with the ending, though? That was just dumb, mildly confusing, and DUMB!

Jason Goes to Hell - The Final Friday: Talk about a misleading title. I remember hearing about this when it first came out. Between the title and the poster, I was expecting Jason to die early on and spend a movie slashing his way through hordes of demons or something. Instead, we get the FBI blowing him up, some dude eating his heart, and a bunch of bullshit about prophecies and forgotten siblings. This one does have one of my favorite deaths since the first movie's arrow through the neck. This one was the tent pole through the chest followed by a bisecting. This movie may have been better without the Jason ties. I would have enjoyed a movie like this more if it didn't have anything to do with Friday the 13th. The ending was a nice segue for Freddy vs. Jason. Except, that movie wasn't made until many years and another sequel later.

Jason X: So, let me see if I get this one...Camp Crystal Lake is now a military facility. They have Jason captured. Some government asshole screws it all up. Jason is frozen. Much much later, an interplanetary field trip takes a bunch of stupid teenagers to Earth where they thaw Jason out. He kills a few. He gets stronger through nanobots. He kills some more. He is stopped. What I want to know is who the hell thought this sounded like a good idea? Because, you know, it really isn't. Even with the missing gore and nudity, i can't imagine this being much better. This is the movie that put the bullet in the brain of a suffering Jason franchise.

One side note that I have been thinking about. It is interesting how the entire series can be rolled together into a handful of smaller series. If you take parts 1-4, you get the entire story of Jason Voorhees. Parts 4-6 are the story of Jason and his nemesis Tommy Jarvis. Parts 6-8 all tie in well with the chaining in the lake bits. After that, they sort of stop even trying to tie them together beyond Jason, Crystal Lake, and the hockey mask. Personally, I feel that the first 4 or 5 movies made a perfect story arc for Jason and Tommy. Ending the series with them would have been ideal. Everything else was just pandering for more money.

Update 3/23/09
Friday the 13th (2009): So, I saw the remake/new addition. My thoughts are that it was pretty damned cool. Opening flashback gives you everything you need to know from movie #1 in one scene (the finale from the original, redone). Then you get some pretty sweet stuff going on with a new batch of idiots smoking pot and having sex, then dying horribly. All pre-credit. After this is a standard Friday plot. Brother of one of the pre-credit girls is looking for missing sister. Bunch of other teenagers go up to a cabin on the lake to be stupid teenagers. Jason comes along, tearing shit up. Nothing special with the plot. The additions are where Jason is much cooler than before. You have a Jason who runs. A Jason who is smarter than before. A Jason with a series of tunnels beneath the camp and a lot of surrounding wilderness, which he uses to get around his targets in a surprisingly effective way. Jason is so much better than he has ever been before. Sadly, the rest of the movie is a little lacking. You get some nudity, a staple. But, the gore is so missing that it was a little sad. Especially since there is some supergore teased at with a woodchipper (among other things) that is never fully realized. You get hints of what is to come, and those hints are just lies. A nice reimagining of the franchise, and one that was needed after the last few movies. But, still not as good as the originals.

Quick Movie Reviews

2007-07-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Transformers: I had low expectations for this. I was surprised that it was actually quite good. About as much plot as you expect from a Michael Bay movie, but it is Transformers so you shouldn't expect a huge amount of plot anyhow. The robots look awesome. Some of the action was a bit too shaky to follow. Still, all in all a good movie. I was even ok with the Bumblebee change, since they threw in some fun references to the original.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Not a my favorite book in the series. In fact, this was the book i felt was the weakest of the 6 that are already out. The movie took that and made a quite enjoyable story. They managed to pull all of the good bits, left out the stuff I didn't remember anyhow, and wrapped it all up into a nice little package. They even managed to make Dolores Umbridge even more of a villain than before. I hate her, but loved the movie.

Cannibal Holocaust: This is the first movie I have received from my brand new Netflix membership. As an aside, I have already almost maxed out my movie queue after one visit to the site. I guess I really like my movies. Anyhow, this has been a sort of holy grail for me. The most vile movie I have ever heard of, and impossible to find. Banned in numerous countries. After watching it, I can see why. It is repugnant. Real animal killing on camera. Bad acting. Horrible behavior by the characters. The most realistic gore I have ever seen. I am in awe of what this movie accomplished with its limited budget, but will be happy to send this back and never think of it again.

Bridge to Terabithia: Damn. This movie is not at all like it was advertised. I was expecting some sort of fun and fluffy fantasy story. Maybe with the two normal kids having to go save the magical land. Typical stuff. Instead, it's a very nice coming of age story about two kids who are able to find friendship despite their eccentricities. Which, honestly, makes it a better movie than it would have been otherwise. Very glad I saw it, even if it did hit too close to home on a few occasions. Also, dammit if I can't stop crying after watching it.

Last (few) Week's Comics

2007-06-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a few weeks worth of comics. In addition to the list here, I also picked up some issues of Fallen Angel and the latest Dark Tower comic. Haven't read them yet, and likely won't for a while. These are series I enjoy enough that I don't want to rush through them. Plus, Fallen Angel is a series I got so far behind on, I think I will just go back and read from the beginning anyhow.

The Weapon 1: As one other blogger has mentioned, this is an awesome comic. Green lantern meets Iron Fist/Shang Chi. I totally wish I had thought of this one myself. Will likely buy the rest of this miniseries. Hell, would likely buy an ongoing of this for a while as well.

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special: How can you go wrong with the Tick? Big, blue, nigh-invulnerable, and dumb as a box of rocks. Even better, this book has 38 pages of some of the best short Tick homages I have ever seen. All kinds of fun stories, told in a page or two. All very much in the flavor of the Tick (from one of his many various incarnations). Plus, a bit of history on New England Comics and how the Tick came to be. I made sure to get the Suyadam zombie cover as well. Awesome!

The Walking Dead 38: Just a note to say that this is what got me to start reading Kirkman's work. It is this series that has convinced me to try anything else he does (even if he is mistaken in his belief that Liefeld and Kirby are equals). All that said, this was a relatively slow issue. A bit of character development and some good news for the survivors. Also a pretty decent ending that will definitely make me want to read the next issue right away.

Jack of Fables 12: Dear god I love to hate Jack Horner. He embodies every character I ever played in an RPG during my junior high/high school years. Even some of the more recent characters are painfully close. In this issue he actually does a few things that make him less of a self-absorbed asshole. Surprising. Also, who the hell is this Kevin guy in New York and why does he keep popping up?

The Exterminators 19: I really wish I had been reading this series from the beginning. I have managed to find most of the back issues, so have a general idea what is going on. But, I have missed a few of the more recent issues. The long term stuff I am getting just fine, but all of the recent developments are totally losing me. Still, intelligent roaches keeping drug dealers alive to feed on living flesh does make for a fun read.

Crossing Midnight 8: Reading this comic makes me want to do a comic of my own. The series is just so rich in detail and setting that every issue really just drags me further into it. I love how the siblings each have their own separate story. I am horrible in that I can't remember the names of any of the characters. But, it doesn't matter. Even without knowing the character's names, i can still tell who they are referring to by context. Which, really, is a sign of a much better story than many comics. Hell, even some novels I get characters with similar names confused. Crappy memory.

Flash the Fastest Man Alive 13: So, last issue of a series I wanted to like. I didn't dislike it, but it never really get me hooked enough to start buying it until recently. As in, this is the only issue I actually bought as it came out. Bad timing there. This issue made me sad, because I am a big Bart Allen fan from when he first became Kid Flash. Never cared for Impulse, but the character growth shown in Teen Titans was great stuff. In this series, he was a whiny little loser and I hated him. But, I still didn't want him to die. Sad panda.

The Spirit 7: *gasp* A non-Darwyn Cooke issue. How horrible. Yet, it was a lot of fun to read. Three stories for the price of one. The first was mediocre. The last was likewise less than satisfying. But, that middle story was pure gold. A ton of fun to read, great art, and just all around well done.

Shadowpact 14: The longer this series lasts, the less I enjoy it. I blame a lack of Ragman and Detective Chimp. Somehow, those are the characters I liked best in this series. I like the idea behind the Blue Devil thing, but not the execution of it. Also, what the hell is with the press-ganging of Zauriel? How do you think forcing anyone to help you, let alone and ex-angel is going to do you any good? Especially when said ex-angel is the reason you are a member short? I am thinking maybe this team would have been better off as guest stars and the occasional mini. Like Secret Six. That team is sweet.

Justice League Unlimited 35: The good was that this had Natasha Irons in it, and I always like to see random characters that are not immediately recognizable to the general public. The bad is that the was pretty much a heavy handed morality tale about being yourself and having patience to wait for your dreams. Or something like that. It would probably have been better if there was more explanation of how the problem was solved, rather than just saying "I know how to do it" and then having the solution just sort of happen. Even a crappy attempt would have been better than none at all. That's just lazy storytelling.

Teen Titans Go! 44: Having not been a long-term reader of this series, I am not sure if this is new or not. Actual continuity. Not like tying into the show or tying into the main DC Universe continuity. I mean, taking a dangling plot thread from a previous issue and using it to fuel a story in the current one. Regardless, I like it. This was handled well. They tell the story, with a quick one panel recap of how things happened if you didn't read the old issue. Only way it could have been better is if they would have actually told you the issue number of the original story.

Teen Titans 48: Damned crossovers. While I love them, i hate them too. I'm not buying Amazon's Attack, though I am attempting to keep up on reading it a bit. Not reading all the tie-ins, unless I already happen to be reading the comic. Still, with my only occasionally reading an issue here and there, when my main comic pulls tie in with the current big event comic, I get kind of lost. I don't want to have to read every DC title just to know what is going on in Teen Titans. I don't mind the comic tying in, if the story doesn't require me to know what is going on in the other comics of the event. This issue was just a big pile of "Piss the Fool off."

Batman Detective Comics 834: Great ending to a great story. I love how, even the "done in one or two" stories have connections later on. Like with the Teen Titans Go! issue, this has references to earlier issues without needing to have read them (with the exception of the first part of this particular story last month). Plus, a Joker story is almost always worth reading. Also..."Best. Gag. Ever." Zatanna is hardcore. I definitely do not want to get on her bad side. Yeesh.

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special: Reviewing this one as I read through it. Professor Zoom is my favorite villain, I think. He's a bad guy with good intentions. Sort of. Batman as a Sinestro Corps member would have kicked ass, but also sucked. "My god, it's full of Yellow Power Rings." I am tempted to go back and pick up every issue of Green Lantern that has a Sinestro Corps backup story now. I like this dark mirror of the Corps thing. Ooh, a double page spread, done vertically. You don't see those much anymore. Shame it was wasted on a lame image. Kyle as Parallax...no big surprise. Even without having read spoilers, I was expecting this one. Dunno who the big guy at the end is, but Superboy-Prime is a creepy mofo. Oh, wait, is that the Anti-Monitor? Damn, that's hardcore.

Marvel Adventures Iron Man 2: Meh. Mandarin is cool, but this series hasn't done anything to impress me much yet. Give it a few more issues, then may drop it.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 29: Great cover. The Grey Gargoyle is one of those villains you just have to love. What a crappy power to have, and yet so completely cool. I liked how this story played out. All of the angst of a good Spidey story, without overdoing it. Plus, a villain showing some remorse was nice. Grey Gargoyle is a thief, not a killer, and he shows that well.

Marvel Adventures Avengers 14: God, how I love the banter in this book. Doesn't matter who is writing it, there is always good banter going on. That's the thing that really sells me on it month after month. On top of that, the stories are just so freaking fun to read. I mean, "Here how to smash...like Hulk," a trebuchet full of fertilizer, Wolverine leading the team in an attack...hell, I could find cool on every page of this thing and still probably miss some of it. There's just that much cool to be had.

Captain America 27: Somehow, Brubaker manages to keep this comic going strong even after the death of the title character. Not that I should be surprised This is the man who not only did the unthinkable and brought Bucky back, but also managed to do it in a way that was so damned cool it blew my mind.Not much to say. Good fights. Good story progression. Nothing new here, as this series has been like this since issue 1.

X-Men: Endangered Species: I can just see it now. Marvel editors sitting around a table wondering how to make the X-Men even more emo than they already were. This book is the answer. Hopefully the actual Endangered Species event will actually come up with a solution to this, and bring back the mutants. I don't want the thousands and thousands of mutants everywhere that was before House of M, but a few new ones here and there with the lack of an impending doom would be nice.

Silent War 6: The end of a series I only read because it was about the Inhumans. What did I think? I think there will be a follow-up series coming in a few months time to wrap this up and return things to the status quo. Or, there damned well better be. I don't want the Inhumans to be fucked over like this for too long.

The New Avengers: Illuminati 3: Ok, so we have the Illuminati. Which I like. We have the Beyonder. Which I like. We have crazy shit happening. Which I like. So, guess how I feel about this comic. Right you are.

Ultimate Spider-Man 110: An end to the Ultimate Knights story arc. We have the betrayal of Iron Fist come out, with a good enough explanation where you don't find him to be a total douche. You have Moon Knight/Ronin kicking his own ass (again) and being a real hero. You have Daredevil almost crossing to the dark side. You have the kid of the group (Spider-Man, of course) being the voice of reason. You have the Kingpin doing his usual thing, and almost getting away. You have the Kingpin actually go down for all the bad crap he pulls, and all thanks to someone doing what no sane hero would do. And Peter still gets the short end of the stick. Will be sad to see Bagley leave the book next issue, but don't think it will stop me from reading anyhow.

Thunderbolts 115: I miss the old team. Where they were villains but not really. While I love Warren Ellis's writing, I can't stand this team of psychopaths. Do have to admit, it was fun to see Songbird pull that stunt. Even more fun to see Bullseye get his ass kicked by a nobody hero. Hope this issue signals a change back to the less violently evil team.

Runaways 27: What has happened to one of my favorite teams of teen heroes? The beginning of this arc was kind of fun and not too bad, but this is just not at all interesting to me. I am intrigued to know more about these "Wonders" that have been mentioned. But, really, other than the very last page, I could care less about this issue. A shame.

The Immortal Iron Fist 6: This was a rocking good time. All sorts of martial arts badass and classic Heroes for Hire cool. Luke Cage with his "Sweet #%&%$ Christmas" and Misty Knight with her acting all Sam Jackson from Pulp Fiction. I am really looking forward the the tournament that is coming up. Also want more flashbacks to previous Iron Fists. Awesome...to the Max!

X-Factor 20: Just what the hell is Layla Miller anyhow? She's one of the scariest kids I have ever seen. What with her "knowing stuff" and crazy way of controlling the situation she was badass enough. Now there's the whole not a mutant, but something else entirely thing as well. Every month I eagerly await this title above most others. I have yet to be disappointed with an issue. Hell, I even read the first page recap in this one just because Pater David manages to toss in some funny shit there.

Ultimate Vision 4: We have Vision vs. Galactus. Vision vs. MODOK. Vision and MODOK vs. Galactus. Plus a cameo by the Falcon at the end. No too shabby, really. I am really intrigued as to how this will end.

Ultimate Fantastic Four 43: So, as usual, Reed manages to get himself in over his head. This time, though, he is called on it. A lot. Probably a good thing, though it did get a little tedious having every other piece of dialogue aimed at him be something negative. Also, Silver Surfer is kind of scary in that overly nice way. Like, you want to like him, you think he probably likes you, but you know he's still going to murder you in your sleep anyhow. I do wonder who this master of his is, since I am assuming it isn't Gah Lak Tus. At least, I hope it isn't. We need some more variety here.

Ultimate X-Men 83: The Morloks are just stupid here. First they attack the ex-X-Men, then they get all mad at them for fighting in the first place. You can't throw a punch at someone and then act all shocked and dismayed when they fight back. Dumbasses. Also, what the hell is up with Bishop? I know he supposedly has future knowledge and all that, but he himself has admitted that what he knows as history has already changed. I don't trust him and his dislike of Angel.

Ultimate Power 6: My first thought reading this was that I missed an issue. No way have there been five issues already. But, I haven't missed anything so far. As far as I can tell either I am mistaken and have read more than I realized, or the last couple issues have had nothing at all happen. Whatever. Emil Burbank is still an asshole. Nick Fury is still and asshole. Doom is still and asshole. I just want to know where the hell they got Doom from. Wasn't he in the zombie world? Still interested enough to want to see this resolve. Even with the Greg land artwork, which annoys me.

A Couple Weeks Late, Part the Second

2007-06-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so here are the Marvel reviews for the last couple weeks.

Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man 28: I loves me some all-ages books. Marvel does them very well, too. DC's are good fun and all, but they seem more kiddie oriented. Marvel's Marvel Adventures line seems more along the lines of stories that a kid could enjoy, but will also be equally appealing to an adult who wants the heroes without all the violence and angst. Well, except this particular issue was full of angst...and still managed to be a fun romp. Wow.

Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four 25: You know what I love better than all-ages, old school fun? Alternate realities. Can you guess what I thought about this combination of the two? Hell's yeah! I think by far the best part was the world of song and dance numbers during battles. I belly laughed.

Nova 3: An ok fight. Family drama. A poignant meeting between old friends. Somehow I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but can't think of why now. Maybe I just want to be all harsh and critical like the rest of the bloggosphere.

Avengers: The Initiative 3: Last issue's cliffhanger had me expecting Scarlet Witch for some reason. Totally forgot about Mirage. Well, actually, didn't realize Mirage's powers were fear based. i was looking at the whole "uncontrollable mutation" thing and not the fear-based thing. Ah well, good plot thread anyhow. I am really liking where this series has gone and where it is going. Glad it's going to be an ongoing instead of a limited series. I hope they do some sort of rotating cast like early issues of Exiles or something. I don't want to watch these same kids training and becoming a team. I want to see a variety of trainees and maybe a bit of the graduates every once in a while. I could see this being a good series to test new characters before spinning them off into the mainstream Marvel Universe. Also, I am still mad they killed MVP. I liked that character the best so far.

The New Avengers 31: I don't care what anyone else says, I love Bendis. I like his banter. I like his dialogue. I like his stories. I love his inclusion of Echo and the reintroduction of Hawkeye/Ronin. Not terribly keen on ht art currently, even though I occasionally dig Leinil Yu's stuff, it's just not doing it for me right now. Also a little less than enthused by the current line-up of the team. But, I have likes this series enough to give it a go anyhow.Plus, more ninjas than is sane in any comic. Score!

Silent War 5: Crap art. Crap story. Only reading this because I love the Inhumans.

Mystic Arcana: Magik: Not on my usual pull list, but an impulse buy to see the state of Marvel magic. Tow stories in one. Double-plus good. One story about the defeat of a dark sorcerer, the other about the quest to repower him. Interesting, and a decent read. Will definitely read the rest of this series. Even better, two of the remaining issues feature characters I like.

Ultimate Fantastic Four 42: Silver Surfer. Sort of. Not much to say, as this issue was pretty much just a warm-up for the real story. Ben Grimm's mom kicks ass, though. Also, I can't get enough of this art. All pretty and sci-fi and crazy and good.

Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born 5: First off, I am biased on this one. I love the Dark Tower books by Stephen King (pretty much all of his I liked other than a couple short stories). Also, Peter David is one of the deities in my comics pantheon. So, you know I am going to love this regardless. Plus, holy hell is this art amazing on so many levels I can't even find words sufficient to describe it. Basically, I have not even read this one, and I am giving it a perfect review. The dial on this one goes up to 11 baby.

Quiz Now...

2007-06-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

Week Late Marvel later.

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from.
And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi.
Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics...
Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

A (couple) Week(s) Late, and a Dollar Short

2007-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here's my thoughts on the last few week's offerings from DC (and a few others).

Teen Titans Go! 43: This issue was amusing, but not quite as funny as usual. I must admit to liking the all-ages comics quite a bit. The premise, not being anything new or unique, was still handled pretty well while keeping the general spirit of the book intact. I liked best of all how they managed to tie the comic into the show continuity without requiring actual knowledge of the show. Fun stuff.

Justice League Unlimited 34: This was a fairly disappointing offering, from a book that has never done so for me before. There were a lot of events in the plot that just didn't really work for me. Why was this team used? Why was the Atom there? How come Superman had no idea? What was with the Green Lantern "Disco-ball of Kryptonite"? Why didn't Myxzpltk just leave the Zone at the end? What the hell was up with the party? Really, not a good offering at all.

Batman Detective Comics 833: Now this, this is an awesome comic. Beautiful cover, beautiful interior, beautiful story. I absolutely love how this series is able to do stories that only take an issue or two to complete, and still have better story arcs that most any book on the stands today. This is what comics should be. In this issue, we have some cool character bits with a fun magic subplot. The end is a nice reveal/cliffhanger that makes me want to read next months issue now.

Teen Titans 47: I swear, I don't know why I still read this comic. The art has been iffy, the story has been crap since "One Year Later" (though the Doom Patrol arc was decent, i suppose). The best characters in the series are gone, and replaced with characters I care nothing for. Why do I read this again?

Crossing Midnight 7: This is a freaking awesome series. I love the mythology at play here, and the stories just keep improving the longer the series goes (not that 7 issues is really all that long). I really can't get enough of this series. So good, I actually have no idea what to say about it.

The Exterminators 18: Crazy-assed bugs and crazy-assed plots. How can you go wrong with that? An interesting story mixed in with minor plot advancement and some backstory on one of the better characters in the series. I liked the double-cross bits. Hoping the next issue comes back to the main plot, though, as that's what keeps me reading this series.

Jack of Fables 11: Huh? What happened to part 1? Even missing the beginning half of this story, it was a fun read and relatively easy to pick up on what happened previously. Well, at least for the really important parts. Gotta love a character like Jack. The rascal who is full of himself, manages to screw up everything he touches, but still comes out on top in the end. Even better is that he never learns his lesson, so you can watch him screw up his life over and over again. I also loved how the Snow Queen was completely oblivious to the way the world really works.

Fables 62: Fantastic character growth for Flycatcher over the last few issues, turning a fun incidental character into someone I actually care about. Great backstory on the Forsworn Knight that transitions into the current story, while also somewhat mirroring the story of Flycatcher himself. The Fabletown/Adversary stuff keeps getting better and better as well. I am really liking Prince Charming as mayor. What initially seemed like a scheme for power that would ultimately fail has ended up showing the character having true strength and guile. He's turning out to be a fantastic mayor, and making the story even that much better.

Stormwatch Post Human Division 8: Nice issue here. Bit of "down time" that allows for some fun character beats. Having never read anything Stormwatch prior to this series, I can't really comment on how it all plays out beyond the fun of watching it for the first time here. Good issue, with a good ending to lead into issue 9.

Salvador 1: Lovely, but I don't get it. Not much else to say here. Will buy the next few issues anyhow.

Darkness Level 4: Fun romp through hell (how often can you say you have heard that one). Having only come to the Darkness from the second series, and having missed a couple of these video game tie-ins, can't really say much on how this works for the bigger picture. But, hell of a lot of fun to read. Plus, can't get enough of that creepy demon stuff.

Greetings

2007-06-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, for my first post, a bit of an explanation and introduction.

Hi. I'm a big time comic fan, and have been for a while. Even before I was actively reading comics, I was a fan. I'm also a huge geek. I love science fiction and fantasy literature, games of all sorts (card, roleplaying, video, board, etc). I am addicted to movie, in a way that's not even funny. If I can find something that c0mbines my interests, I gobble it up like oxygen.

But, enough about me. I have been reading a number of comic blogs for about a year now, and finally felt that it was time for me to throw my hat into the ring. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. I figure, with the sheer number of books I buy each week, there's got to be something worth talking about. Right?

Problem is, I don't actually get my comics on time. I used to only pick them up once a month, but decided that I will work on getting them weekly for now to facilitate this blog. However, due to my work schedule and general lack of transportation, I am forced to buy comics on Tuesdays. You can see how this might prove difficult.

My solution: Review them late. A week after everyone else does their reviews, I will sound off with my feelings. I also plan on going back and rereading a lot of my collection of trades and back issues. I'll likely talk about them as well, as I do it. Then there's the general opinionated rantings that all good bloggers are known for. That should be enough to keep me covered for topics (I hope).

So, welcome, hope you enjoy your stay, and please don't spill soda on the carpet. We just got it put in, after all.