Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Quickies 6/23/10
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3I'll admit that I was not a huge fan of the first issue of this series. It left me with too many questions for an introductory issue. I felt like issue 2 is where things finally started to move, pieces were coming together. Now we're at issue three, and I must say that I am now a fan of this miniseries. Things are starting to get good.
I don't blame Grant Morrison, the writer of this yarn, for me taking a little bit to get on board. It's not his fault. It's my fault for somehow expecting things would be different with this story, as opposed to others he has written. He takes a while to get going, and you're left with a lot of questions in the first couple of issues. I should know this, I've been reading Joe the Barbarian, I should know this!! Me being annoyed with Grant Morrison is like being annoyed with Jerry Bruckheimer for making a movie with a lot of explosions. It just doesn't make sense at this point.
The idea of Bruce Wayne being lost through time is a pretty cool concept. It's even more interesting to suggest that Bruce Wayne has literally built the physical and social foundation of Gotham City throughout history. It's a wild idea, but so far it's coming together well. You may want to wait until it's finished before you read it. Most Grant Morrison stories read better in graphic novel form. If you want to read it monthly, then who am I to stop you. I'm sure you'll enjoy this fun romp through time no matter what now.
Superman #700This book left me dissapointed. I've had high hopes for this issue in particular, ever since I heard J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) was taking over as the writer. The guy wrote several of my favorite Spider-Man stories, I'll give him a chance on anything. His idea of having Superman walking across America in an effort to re-connect with humanity intrigued me. Sadly, this issue is broken into three different stories with three different writers. The JMS portion is merely a prolouge to what I thought this whole issue was going to be about.
The other two stories are okay, not great. The first story, by James Robinson and Bernard Chang, showed Superman getting back together with Lois after being on Krypton for a while. It's sweet, but its page layout makes it feel choppy and confusing. Also, Superman prefers Italian food over Chinese. Just so you know.
The second story is entertaining, but it's not really a Superman story. It is actually about Robin (Dick Grayson) and how he tries to go on an adventure by himself, only to have Superman intervene at the end. It's not bad, but this didn't seem like the place for this type of story. Also, it's about Robin and not Superman.
If you're looking for a good Superman comic book that has multiple stories from different writers, then check out the Superman 80 page giant from a few months back. That was a great book that accomplished what is trying to be done in Superman #700.
If you're excited about the JMS walking across the country story like I am, then wait until issue 701. You aren't really missing anything if you skip this one.
Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal #4I can't take this series anymore! Arsenal's life has become so depressing that I am contemplating suicide just reading about it.
DC is really hoping to grab you with shock value with the Green Arrow books as of late. For me, it's not working. The Arsenal books, in particular, have been uncomfortable to read. I think this issue goes over the line a bit, having the ghost of his recently deceased daughter telling him that he sucks and he needs to kill for revenge. Seriously? As if getting back on heroine wasn't bad enough? I don't know!
I never had any personal attachment to this character, and I certainly haven't developed any over the course of this story. If you enjoy feeling like you want to drown yourself in the toilet, then read this book.
Sea Bear and Grizzly SharkCan you imagine if this was real????! Holy crap, life would be terrible!!
This book is hilarious. Stop whatever you are doing and go buy it right now. Adam Cogswell and I read it together. We laughed and laughed and laughed.
I'm dead serious about this. I'm making a note, that this is going on my top ten books of 2010 list at the end of the year. Loved it!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Quickies 6/17/09
I'm doing reviews two days in a row? It's true! Grab a soda and a hot dog, so we can get down to business! Soda and hot dogs = business time! Deal with it!
Incredible Hulk #610
You may remember that a few weeks ago I mentioned how stupid I thought the reveal of the Red Hulk was. Truth be told, I felt the whole World War Hulks (and Hulked out Heroes) was pretty stupid. I couldn't even enjoy how silly it was. That's pretty rare for me. How rare? Well Smokey and the Bandit is one of my favorite movies of all time, if that means anything to you.
This issue surprised me though. The resolution of this big sloppy mess of a Hulk story turned out to be its most satisfying part. That may be because this is the first part of this story that didn't spend half of its pages telling the same story that another issue already had. There is some awesome action, great dialogue between characters, and a return of the green Hulk that makes sense. This is the kind of writing from Greg Pak that I normally expect. The art from Paul Pelletier is solid as well. He handles all of the characters in this issue well, and there are a lot.
The last bit of dialogue from Skaar sums up how I felt about this issue perfectly, "finally."
R.E.B.E.L.S. #17
This is another book that takes DC's C-list characters and turns out a lot of good stories. Maybe the editors are less slack with books that don't feature household names, I don't know. It does work though. With Guardians of the Galaxy on hiatus, this book has become my space team book of choice.
In this issue Vril Dox, son of Brainiac, is out negotiating with alien races about entering into his L.E.G.I.O.N. peace keeping program. Think of it as the Green Lantern Corps, except without the rings. On the planet Rann, a planet Vril Dox moved into a different galaxy, the Tamarans are attacking. Current members of the L.E.G.I.O.N. are attempting to combat this new found threat while also dealing with a couple of rookie Green Lanterns. The situation on planet Rann is pretty bananas guys!
This issue has a lot going on, but you don't ever get lost while reading it. It was organized well, by writer Tony Bedard. Sergio Arino's art is decent in this book, but it's nothing that's going to blow your minds. He tells the story well visually, and there is nothing wrong with that. Changing the coloring or the inks in this book would probably make it look better. I'm not sure which one to change though.
This is a fun book. It's worth a try, if you're into space themed stories. If you're not, this may be a hard sell.
Simpsons Comics #167
Homer attempts to rig a sack race in his favor at a Family Day celebration in Springfield. To his defense, he got the idea after drinking a few glasses of Moe's "cream soda". Homer ends up foiling Snake's attempted robbery, of the ticket booth for the fair, by running into him while drunkenly hopping around in his sack. For some reason, both of them end up in court. Rigging a sack race in Springfield is a serious crime I guess. Anyways, the judge sentences Snake to live with The Simpson family, mainly due to Homer acting like a fool in court. Hijinks and tomfoolery ensue from this point on.
I'm not going to go into great detail here, it's a Simpsons comic. It's a funny story and it looks the cartoon. That's all you need in my book! Kudos to writer Mike W. Barr and artist Phil Ortiz!
There is also a great short story at the end. It features the comic book guy re-enacting many famous deaths from various movies, tv shows, and comic books. The Gwen Stacy one is my personal favorite.
Dark Wolverine #87
Daken is a little down in the dumps in this issue. He recently had his wrist claws cut out of him by Wolverine, and he found out he's just been a pawn in a game to get Wolverine to take Romulus's place. If Daken were to update his twitter with an emoticon, it would be " :( ".
This issue finds him Rome, Italy. He wanders around pondering the nature of power while berating thieves and con men. It's not a very exciting issue by any means. It does give you a clear picture of where Daken's head is at though. His struggle for a place in the world has been one of his most interesting characteristics to me. He's a very conflicted character, that typically does very bad things when pushed. Overall, it's interesting look into the inner workings of Daken.
The art in this book is nice. Mierco Pierfederici provides all of the art chores in this issue. His work captures Dakens mood well. His coloring is rich and full of emotion, it accentuates the dialouge. His claws for Daken look rushed though.
Overall, this book is decent. I think it's beautiful, but could see how some people would be turned off due to its lack of action. If you want more hacking and slashing from your Dark Wolverine title, then next issue will be sure to satisfy. In the meantime, just let Daken be a little bummed guys.
Incredible Hulk #610You may remember that a few weeks ago I mentioned how stupid I thought the reveal of the Red Hulk was. Truth be told, I felt the whole World War Hulks (and Hulked out Heroes) was pretty stupid. I couldn't even enjoy how silly it was. That's pretty rare for me. How rare? Well Smokey and the Bandit is one of my favorite movies of all time, if that means anything to you.
This issue surprised me though. The resolution of this big sloppy mess of a Hulk story turned out to be its most satisfying part. That may be because this is the first part of this story that didn't spend half of its pages telling the same story that another issue already had. There is some awesome action, great dialogue between characters, and a return of the green Hulk that makes sense. This is the kind of writing from Greg Pak that I normally expect. The art from Paul Pelletier is solid as well. He handles all of the characters in this issue well, and there are a lot.
The last bit of dialogue from Skaar sums up how I felt about this issue perfectly, "finally."
R.E.B.E.L.S. #17This is another book that takes DC's C-list characters and turns out a lot of good stories. Maybe the editors are less slack with books that don't feature household names, I don't know. It does work though. With Guardians of the Galaxy on hiatus, this book has become my space team book of choice.
In this issue Vril Dox, son of Brainiac, is out negotiating with alien races about entering into his L.E.G.I.O.N. peace keeping program. Think of it as the Green Lantern Corps, except without the rings. On the planet Rann, a planet Vril Dox moved into a different galaxy, the Tamarans are attacking. Current members of the L.E.G.I.O.N. are attempting to combat this new found threat while also dealing with a couple of rookie Green Lanterns. The situation on planet Rann is pretty bananas guys!
This issue has a lot going on, but you don't ever get lost while reading it. It was organized well, by writer Tony Bedard. Sergio Arino's art is decent in this book, but it's nothing that's going to blow your minds. He tells the story well visually, and there is nothing wrong with that. Changing the coloring or the inks in this book would probably make it look better. I'm not sure which one to change though.
This is a fun book. It's worth a try, if you're into space themed stories. If you're not, this may be a hard sell.
Simpsons Comics #167Homer attempts to rig a sack race in his favor at a Family Day celebration in Springfield. To his defense, he got the idea after drinking a few glasses of Moe's "cream soda". Homer ends up foiling Snake's attempted robbery, of the ticket booth for the fair, by running into him while drunkenly hopping around in his sack. For some reason, both of them end up in court. Rigging a sack race in Springfield is a serious crime I guess. Anyways, the judge sentences Snake to live with The Simpson family, mainly due to Homer acting like a fool in court. Hijinks and tomfoolery ensue from this point on.
I'm not going to go into great detail here, it's a Simpsons comic. It's a funny story and it looks the cartoon. That's all you need in my book! Kudos to writer Mike W. Barr and artist Phil Ortiz!
There is also a great short story at the end. It features the comic book guy re-enacting many famous deaths from various movies, tv shows, and comic books. The Gwen Stacy one is my personal favorite.
Dark Wolverine #87Daken is a little down in the dumps in this issue. He recently had his wrist claws cut out of him by Wolverine, and he found out he's just been a pawn in a game to get Wolverine to take Romulus's place. If Daken were to update his twitter with an emoticon, it would be " :( ".
This issue finds him Rome, Italy. He wanders around pondering the nature of power while berating thieves and con men. It's not a very exciting issue by any means. It does give you a clear picture of where Daken's head is at though. His struggle for a place in the world has been one of his most interesting characteristics to me. He's a very conflicted character, that typically does very bad things when pushed. Overall, it's interesting look into the inner workings of Daken.
The art in this book is nice. Mierco Pierfederici provides all of the art chores in this issue. His work captures Dakens mood well. His coloring is rich and full of emotion, it accentuates the dialouge. His claws for Daken look rushed though.
Overall, this book is decent. I think it's beautiful, but could see how some people would be turned off due to its lack of action. If you want more hacking and slashing from your Dark Wolverine title, then next issue will be sure to satisfy. In the meantime, just let Daken be a little bummed guys.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Quickies! 6/16/10
New Avengers #1Luke Cage and the rest of the gang are done hiding underground and are moving into Avengers Mansion! That's right, they've finally got their piece of the pie!
The celebration is short lived though, as nefarious forces from another dimension are after the Eye of Agamoto. The New Avengers get involved, naturally, and this book really hits the ground running.
Stuart Immonen's art is fantastic. He's one of my favorite artists out there today. I'm sure that after you see this issue, you will be in agreement. The story itself is great too. Bendis (the writer) keeps this book moving at a brisk pace, with witty dialogue and an awesome magic battle. Overall, this book is the total package, I can't recommend it enough.
It also reveals that Wolverine's mutant power is multi-tasking. Who knew?
Atlas #2The mystery of 3-D's man dreams, that involved the Agents of Atlas, continues to develop in this issue. After sneaking into the Atlas foundation's secret city, located below San Francisco, 3-D man is filled in on who are the members of Atlas and what their plans are. They agree to help 3-D man with his dreams, and he helps the Agent of Atlas beat up monsters in Iceland. Cooperation is just the best sometimes, you know?
The art in this book is solid. My only complaint is that the colors seemed washed out all the time. It seems like they're using a color scheme that would work great for flashbacks, not necessarily in the present though. The story is a lot of fun, it like a 1950's sci-fi flick set in modern times. I can't get enough of it. The dialogue between characters is great as well. Gorilla Man stands out the most, as I enjoy his wisecracks a great deal.
If you've been hesitant about jumping on this book, don't be. It's a lot of fun, and full of everything that makes comic books what they are.
Darkwing Duck #1I'll let you guys in a little secret about me. I always hoped to make it big in the comic book world someday. If I did, I wanted to work on a Darkwing Duck comic book. That's the honest to God truth guys. In the meantime though, I'll gladly settle with reading this comic.
Drake Mallard isn't being Darkwing anymore? Robots patrol the city? Megavolt works in the same cubicle as Drake does? Holy crap, what is going on?! It's kind of like The Dark Knight Returns meets Darkwing Duck, but I'm into that idea. Oh, I actually just looked inside the cover and saw it was called "The Duck Knight Returns", hah, I'm very perceptive.
The writer, Ian Brill, has got the feel of the original television show down. Darkwing rambles on too long in his intros, Gosalyn is out of control, and the villains are goofy. All the pieces are there. The art, by James Silvani, is just like the television show as well. Everything about this should please fans of this Disney Afternoon favorite.
You should buy it for yourself, or at least a child you know. They'd love it too!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Marvel Vs. DC Revisited Part 4
Finally! The last part of this series of articles!
For those of you just joining this, I've been taking a look back at the 1996 miniseries DC Vs. Marvel. This was a story that pitted each companies most popular characters against each other, some of them for the first time. They had the fans vote to decide the winners, so it was basically a popularity contest. I thought it would be fun to do something like that again, now that over ten years have passed. Every superhero mentioned in these match-ups is the version that appears in their respected comics right now. I hope that clears up some of the confusion that some people have had. I know some people have not agreed with my choices thus far, but for every person that disagrees with me their is one that agrees. Fanboy tempers are flaring, and there are only two match-ups left!
For those of you just joining this, I've been taking a look back at the 1996 miniseries DC Vs. Marvel. This was a story that pitted each companies most popular characters against each other, some of them for the first time. They had the fans vote to decide the winners, so it was basically a popularity contest. I thought it would be fun to do something like that again, now that over ten years have passed. Every superhero mentioned in these match-ups is the version that appears in their respected comics right now. I hope that clears up some of the confusion that some people have had. I know some people have not agreed with my choices thus far, but for every person that disagrees with me their is one that agrees. Fanboy tempers are flaring, and there are only two match-ups left!
Spider-Man Vs. Superboy
Well it looks like Marvel wins this time around. I've got sales numbers to back up my picks if you don't believe me!
The Sentry Vs. Superboy Prime
Superboy has all of Superman's powers, in addition to tactile telekinesis. Spider-Man has the proportional strength and speed of a spider, in addition to his danger alerting spider-sense. We all know that if this was based upon powers and abilities that Superboy could just throw Spidey into space. This is based upon who the fans would vote for. Because of that, I'm going with Spider-Man on this one.
Spider-man is way more popular than Superboy. Spider-Man is the everyman of comic books. People can relate to him, he's the ultimate underdog. It makes sense that the comic community, and beyond, would vote for Spidey in this match-up. I'm not saying nobody cares about Superboy either, I really like this character. In fact, he's my favorite version of Superboy to date. He just is not as popular as Spidey though. I say the web head takes this one in some type of weird fashion like he did in '96...he threw him into an electrical box and knocked him out in the '96 story... (Marvel 7 DC 4)
Red Hulk Vs. Superman
Spider-man is way more popular than Superboy. Spider-Man is the everyman of comic books. People can relate to him, he's the ultimate underdog. It makes sense that the comic community, and beyond, would vote for Spidey in this match-up. I'm not saying nobody cares about Superboy either, I really like this character. In fact, he's my favorite version of Superboy to date. He just is not as popular as Spidey though. I say the web head takes this one in some type of weird fashion like he did in '96...he threw him into an electrical box and knocked him out in the '96 story... (Marvel 7 DC 4)
Red Hulk Vs. SupermanThis one is all about power! In the '96 series, the Green Hulk and Superman beat the hell out of each other in the Grand Canyon. Now the main Hulk is the Red Hulk, who is a little bit stronger and meaner than the original. Can Superman beat this new addition to the Marvel Universe? I'm going with yes.
Saying Superman is an icon is an understatement. He stands head and shoulders above the rest of the comic book community in terms of recognition. DC has also overpowered this character to the point where him losing anything is laughable. The Red Hulk is not nearly as popular. In fact, most fans just wish he would go away. I'm sure even Hulk fans would vote for Superman, just so they could see the Red Hulk get slapped around for a while. I know I would!
Superman takes this one easily. The only time I could imagine that the voting would be close on this is if it was the Planet Hulk version of The Hulk fighting Superman. That would be so awesome! Make it happen comic creators! Superman wins, yay. (Marvel 7 DC 5)
Saying Superman is an icon is an understatement. He stands head and shoulders above the rest of the comic book community in terms of recognition. DC has also overpowered this character to the point where him losing anything is laughable. The Red Hulk is not nearly as popular. In fact, most fans just wish he would go away. I'm sure even Hulk fans would vote for Superman, just so they could see the Red Hulk get slapped around for a while. I know I would!
Superman takes this one easily. The only time I could imagine that the voting would be close on this is if it was the Planet Hulk version of The Hulk fighting Superman. That would be so awesome! Make it happen comic creators! Superman wins, yay. (Marvel 7 DC 5)
Well it looks like Marvel wins this time around. I've got sales numbers to back up my picks if you don't believe me!
The Sentry Vs. Superboy PrimeNow I thought of one last fight that I thought would be fun. The difference with this one is that you, the readers, get to decide the winner! The battle is between each universes own super powered crazy person. That's right! It's The Sentry versus Superboy Prime! You decide internet!
I hope you guys enjoyed these series of articles. I really enjoyed taking a look back, and really ruffling some feathers for some of you. I'll make sure to do things like this again in the future.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Marvel Vs. DC Revisited Part 3
My memorial weekend blogging vacation is over. Let's get back to talking about Marvel people fighting DC people. That's always a good time. When we last left off Marvel was up 3 to 2 in this contest of champions that revisits a mid 90's crossover event.
Wonder Woman Vs. Storm
I thought about changing this one to Wonder Woman Vs. Ms. Marvel, as I feel those two would match up better. However, unlike the Silver Surfer, Storm is quite active in the Marvel U as of late. Making a substitution for this fight just didn't make sense.
In my opinion, I don't see any reason why Wonder Woman wouldn't kick the stuffing out of Storm. Anyone who could beat up Batman and Superman, should be able to beat someone that can control the weather. Not that Storm is a slouch in a fight, but Wonder Woman is a serious bad ass. That's just my opinion though. My opinion means nothing in comparison to the thousands of fan votes that would go into this.
What it comes down to is that Storm is a mainstay in the X-Men. That "X" on her uniform makes her untouchable in the eyes of fans. I going to say that Storm takes this one, probably in a really lame way, like in the original story. Storm kept hitting her with lightning until she was unconscious...I hated it. (Marvel 4 DC 2)
Deadpool Vs. Deathstroke
In my opinion, I don't see any reason why Wonder Woman wouldn't kick the stuffing out of Storm. Anyone who could beat up Batman and Superman, should be able to beat someone that can control the weather. Not that Storm is a slouch in a fight, but Wonder Woman is a serious bad ass. That's just my opinion though. My opinion means nothing in comparison to the thousands of fan votes that would go into this.
What it comes down to is that Storm is a mainstay in the X-Men. That "X" on her uniform makes her untouchable in the eyes of fans. I going to say that Storm takes this one, probably in a really lame way, like in the original story. Storm kept hitting her with lightning until she was unconscious...I hated it. (Marvel 4 DC 2)
Deadpool Vs. DeathstrokeThere was a match-up between Robin and Jubilee in the original crossover...but that was stupid then, and it's stupid now. Deadpool Vs. Deathstroke is way more fun and bloody!
I can only imagine this fight going down with Deathstroke beating the hell out of Deadpool for a
long time. Only to have Deadpool just keep getting back up. All the while delivering one liners to piss Deathstroke off more and more, as the fight goes on. This is comic book gold here guys. This particular issue of this miniseries would print money! In fact, if DC and Marvel don't do this fight, I will sue them for denying the world of something awesome. This would be right after I sue Mattel for not making hoverboards yet.
Who would win if this was put to a fan vote? Deadpool would, duh! Deathstroke is awesome, but the kids love Deadpool to iddle biddle pieces. This would be an amazing, and no doubt hilarious, fight though. (Marvel 5 DC 2)
Aquaman Vs. Namor
I can only imagine this fight going down with Deathstroke beating the hell out of Deadpool for a
long time. Only to have Deadpool just keep getting back up. All the while delivering one liners to piss Deathstroke off more and more, as the fight goes on. This is comic book gold here guys. This particular issue of this miniseries would print money! In fact, if DC and Marvel don't do this fight, I will sue them for denying the world of something awesome. This would be right after I sue Mattel for not making hoverboards yet.Who would win if this was put to a fan vote? Deadpool would, duh! Deathstroke is awesome, but the kids love Deadpool to iddle biddle pieces. This would be an amazing, and no doubt hilarious, fight though. (Marvel 5 DC 2)
Aquaman Vs. NamorIt's an undersea battle that's bigger in scope than the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico!....what? It's not too soon for that is it? I don't know, I don't get out of the house anymore.
Aquaman just came back from the dead and can now summon zombie sea creatures. That is pretty metal. Namor is currently a member of the X-Men, and he's still a jerk like he was in the 90's.
I view this one going down the same way as their original battle in '96 did. Aquaman gets the fan votes that lead him to victory over Namor. Keep in mind that is despite the fact Namor is on the X-Men. Unlike Storm, he's not really seen as an X-Man by the fans. Instead of Aquaman finishing off Namor with commanding a whale to jump on him (yeah that really happened), he'll just summon a zombie giant squid to choke Namor out. That would be awesome! (Marvel 5 DC 4)
Wolverine Vs. Lobo
Aquaman just came back from the dead and can now summon zombie sea creatures. That is pretty metal. Namor is currently a member of the X-Men, and he's still a jerk like he was in the 90's.
I view this one going down the same way as their original battle in '96 did. Aquaman gets the fan votes that lead him to victory over Namor. Keep in mind that is despite the fact Namor is on the X-Men. Unlike Storm, he's not really seen as an X-Man by the fans. Instead of Aquaman finishing off Namor with commanding a whale to jump on him (yeah that really happened), he'll just summon a zombie giant squid to choke Namor out. That would be awesome! (Marvel 5 DC 4)
Wolverine Vs. LoboIt doesn't matter who you put against Wolverine, he wins. You can put anyone from the Justice League up against him, and fans will vote for Wolverine. Wolverine is the one thing that we, as a race of creatures, can agree upon when it comes ass kickings. Lobo just happens to be the poor schlub that has to go up against him. This would be the comic book equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters Vs. The Washington Generals. The Generals are never going to win, and neither is Lobo. Wolverine wins, end of story. (Marvel 6 DC 4)
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