COAST CITY ACTION BLOG

The Thumbernaut!

2011-12-22T10:50:00.001-08:00

Nothing can stop the THUMBERNAUT!

-Chad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

TMNT Coupon

2011-12-21T09:13:00.001-08:00

Holy crap! Not only do I get to play Turtles In Time, but I get a coupon for fruit snacks too? Siiiiiick!

$0.25 was a big deal back in 1992.

-Chad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Video game manuals!

2011-12-14T15:10:00.001-08:00

We have a bunch of old game manuals. Some of them will include things like this.

He later shaved his beard and changed his name to Daryl Hall.

-Chad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Coast City Comicon: Wet Paint Project

2011-11-13T09:26:00.001-08:00

This is Chris Dingwell's painting that he did as apart of the Wet Paint Project at Coast City Comicon. A lot of very talented artists completing works of art, right in front of you. It's awesome and we were really glad to have these guys.

Coast City Comicon Photos!

2011-11-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Mike Lavoie took some photos (like the one above) of the cosplayers on Saturday. Check out that gallery here.

Also, Emma Frost (pictured next to Coast City's own Scott, as Aquaman) offered up her gallery for viewing. You can check it out here.

We'll post more photos as people offer them up to us.

NERD RAVE Photos

2011-11-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Samuel Cousins took some pretty awesome photos of the Nerd Rave. You can check out the rest of his gallery here.

Poor poor Tristan

2011-11-01T14:05:00.001-07:00

This is what you people have done to Tristan.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Simpsons Figures!

2011-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

We bought a ton of Simpsons figures today! Check them out!

Woah!!! Star Wars stuff!!!

2011-10-23T11:22:00.001-07:00

We just got in one of the best Star Wars collections we've ever had! Blue Snaggletooth, Luke in Stormtrooper disguise, Amanaman, and tons of other great figures in great shape! If you are looking for something, we probably have it.

-Posted by elves in a hollow tree.

Chad's NYCC Photos

2011-10-17T14:19:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my photos from NYCC. I didn't take that many. I was busy playing the new Zelda and Mario Kart 7. BOOM!

-Chad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tiny Batmen...

2011-09-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

This is amazing. Sometimes MEZCO knocks it out of the park.

-Posted by elves in a hollow tree.

2011-09-26T19:12:00.001-07:00

These young ladies came to the shop all dressed up the other night.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Coast City Comicon

2011-09-26T14:59:00.001-07:00

SWEET CHRISTMAS!!! We have flyers for the Con finally!!! Come and street team the hell out of them!!! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!

-Posted by elves in a hollow tree. (Tristan)

I hate the diaper

2011-08-16T15:37:00.001-07:00

I hate the American flag diaper he's wearing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

You Should Be Reading The Iron Age

2011-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Guys, I'm not here to tell you how to live your lives or anything like that, but I want you to read The Iron Age.

The basic premise is that a forgotten foe of Iron Man's builds a time machine, brings back the Dark Phoenix, and then she destroys the world. Luckily for us, Iron Man manages to escape using the same time machine. He now must assemble the time machine before it's even built, while encountering his friends in the past. Also, let's not forget that Tony was a bit of a drunken scumbag in the past, and this usually makes things a lot more difficult for modern Tony.

The story is written well, the art is great, and it's really a lot of fun to travel down memory lane. I just hate to see this quality mini-series, that doesn't have a million tie-ins, get swept under the rug by Flashpoint or Fear Itself.

If you like Iron Man and good time traveling action, then read this book.

Oh and they make fun of the nose on the Iron Man suit for half of the second issue. Brilliant!

Design Fail

2011-07-08T17:32:00.001-07:00

Talk about a design fail. What kid would have thought "Middle Aged Man With Slick-Backed Hair" would be a fun game. It's actually a basketball game, if you can believe it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This was just donated

2011-07-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

This was just donated by a customer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Big Scary Reboot

2011-06-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hola folks! I know it's been a while since I've written anything here, but things have been very busy in the store as of late. We've been working very hard at making Coast City/ The Fun Box the best store in the universe, and I feel like we're getting pretty close! The store is better than ever before. You should come in and revel in its coolness!

Speaking of changes, I wanted to talk to you guys about DC's big reboot. At the end of Flashpoint, something so crazy will happen that the entire history of the DCU will be changing. Dc has started calling it the DCnu, see what they did there? Such clever monkeys working at DC. Due to the change in history, status quos, etc., they will be having 52 #1 issues in one month premiering new titles and and older titles with new looks and such. Naturally, the comic book world is an uproar.

I am here to urge everyone to remain calm. Take deep breaths and to stop posting angry diatribes about something you haven't even read yet on forums. This is not the first time that the DCU has been rebooted, and I'm sure it won't be the last. You will get through this. You may even love it.

Let's focus on some of the positives here.

1. Grant Morrison is writing Superman again

2. Swamp Thing is back!

3. Scott Snyder is still writing Batman!

4. The JLA has a cool roster again!

5. Stormwatch is back!

6. It gives someone with no prior knowledge of the DCU a chance to jump on.

These are all good things, guys. There are a lot of different titles coming out that should offer quite a bit of variety for you, the reader. I'm really encouraging everyone to give each title a chance here. It looks like DC has put a lot of thought and effort into this in order to make good books for you. The least we can do is give them the benefit of the doubt.

Do some of the covers look like hell? I would say yes, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to character design and artist. What I think is terrible may look incredible to someone else. Remember that when you're looking at all of the new titles coming out. This is about broadening the audience for the DCU. The more the merrier.

Please put away the pitch forks and torches, and let's wait until these issues come out. If they're all terrible, then we can march down to DC's offices and burn it to the ground. I'm not joking about that either. I will BURN IT DOWN, but only after the comics come out.

Prime

2011-05-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

New shirt is available for purchase in the shop! Stop in and get yours today.

I finally read Swamp Thing

2011-05-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

If you read Brightest Day to its conclusion, then you know that Swamp Thing has returned as the protector of the Earth. If you were a fan of the critically acclaimed Alan Moore run from the 80's, you probably happily freaked out over this. If you were me, you were scratching your head and wondering what all the fuss was bout. I mean, he's a freakin' plant guy. What's the big deal?

It was suggested to me that I should read the Alan Moore series, so that I could properly grasp the magnitude of his return. It's something that I have always wanted to read, mainly due to people talking about the series whenever the subject of "good" comics had come up. What better time to jump into the swamp than now, right?

Now before I talk about the first trade, let me fill you in on what I knew about Swamp Thing prior to this.

1. He had a live action TV show that would air on FOX after Saturday morning cartoons.
2. His toy line had a swamp boat for him to cruise around in.
3. He was a thing from the Swamp.

Reading this book for the first time now will never be like what it would be like back in the 80's. In that sense, it will not be the same book to me that everyone else raves about. However, given my laughable amount of knowledge when it comes to this character, I'm pretty close to where I would need to be to have that original experience.

I'll put it bluntly, the book was fantastic. I stayed up late into night to finish the first trade in one sitting. I understood now why the character was so interesting. He wasn't just a plant guy, he was a plant that thought he was a man! That's a wild concept and I am very much into it. The art didn't even seem dated to me, unlike when I read Sandman for the first time. The layouts were beautiful and dreamy. It was an awesome book, which explains the years of praise it has received.

It reminded me a lot of when I watched Rocky for the first time. I had always been told it was a classic film, but had never been able to watch it before. I had an idea about what it was about, heard people talk about it, but had never experienced it. Once I saw Rocky lose by decision to Apollo Creed, I understood what all the fuss was about. I had the same feeling when I saw Swamp Thing uproot himself to save a small town from the Floronic Man. I experienced it, and now I love and understand it.

Testing Atari Games

2011-05-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

New video games, whether they are old or new, is always a time of great rejoicing here. It's also a time of great cleaning and testing. We can't just let these games go out on the shelves without verifying they work or cleaning the copious amounts of dirt and grime off of them. We have to hold them, feed them, clean them, teach them the ways of the world, and then let them run free on the shelves when they're ready. I assure you, it's a very emotional process.

It's not all sunshine and candy though. It's not all unicorns and kittens wearing funny hats, no sir! Sometimes, testing a game can drive you to the brink of insanity. It can be like starring into the subconscious of Gary Busey, full of wild animals singing Motley Crue songs while gnawing at piles of rotten meat. It's a real test of a man's worth, that's for sure.

Superman, for the Atari 2600, really stood out as a game that can break the will of a civilization. It's seizure inducing characters and level screens made my eyes hurt. Its lack of instruction and intuitiveness left me foaming at the mouth. It made no sense. It sounds like a Daft Punk B-Side and looks like a child's first foray into the world of computer animation. When looking for an example, it was no surprise to me that the video showcasing this game had the word "unplayable" in it. Here, take a look.

The word "unplayable" implies that there is a way to play the game. Whereas I feel that there is no way to play it. There can't be, it's just a mess of shapes and sounds. A world of noise and color that you navigate this helpless sprite through. It's damnation. This is not a game in the classic sense. This is an insanity simulator.

While I do enjoy cleaning and testing the majority of games that come into our shop, it sometimes causes me mental harm. In this case, Superman for the Atari 2600 has scarred me for the rest of my life. There will come a day when I am old and withered, sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, with a vacant look in my eye. If you look closely, you'll see scenes from this game running their hellish course in my eye, in my soul.

For the sake of you having confidence in purchasing used video games here, it was worth it. Goodnight everyone.

Free Comic Book Day!!

2011-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from this years Free Comic Book Day. The photos were taken by the talented David Zwickerhill, of Zwickerhill Photography. zwickerhillphotography.com

This Week In The Life Of Comics 5/6/11

2011-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

When I start thinking about how my week went, I start doing the face rubbing thing. That says to me that I don't want to write about it.

Instead, let's talk about the facebook group I've made. I was watching an episode of the new Doctor Who series, and there's an episode where David Tennant ends up lighting the Olympic Torch for the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London. How cool would it be if he really ended up doing that? It would be super cool! If you think like I do, then please join my facebook group here. I want to make this a reality.

On to the comics...

Fear Itself #2

The second chapter in Marvel's mega-event has arrived! We didn't have to wait an entire month for the second issue to come out, so that's pretty rad, but we won't be so lucky with the third issue. That does ship in one months time.

The majority of The Worthy end up being chosen in this issue, and there's little surprise as to who they are. Due to advanced solicitations and promo posters, you pretty much knew who was getting evil hammers. The two that you didn't are such C-list villains, that's it's kind of difficult to care about them getting an upgrade.

The story is still cool, and by the end of this issue we finally start to see action. It's pretty clear that we were given two issues that set the stage of the event in order to get people interested. So far, I'm hooked and waiting for more. Mission accomplished, I would say.

The art continues to impress me, though a couple of The Worthy's costumes left me wanting a little more. It's the fashionista within me, it demands so much. Overall though, the book is gorgeous. Just like the previous issue.

Next issue is supposed to be the issue that blows everyone's minds, according to Matt Fraction's twitter. If you're getting bored, at least wait until you finish the third issue before you pass judgement. This is shaping up to be a pretty monstrous story, and so far I'm really enjoying the ride. Even if it's taking a little bit to set the story up.

Moon Knight #1

Moon Knight is in L.A. and selling his life story for fame and fortune! Things seem to be going pretty well at a gala event, until Cap, Spidey, and Wolverine show up to speak to him. They tell him that since he's in LA, he needs to clean up the city. There's a new kingpin of crime in the LA area, so he should have plenty of work trying to get rid of him.

Keep in mind that Moon Knight is still a lunatic. He's still a crazy nutter, with tactical combat experience, running around playing super hero with multiple personalities and voices in his head. Just in case you were worried that Bendis made him sane or something, he didn't. He's the same crazy guy. CRAZY!

Moon Knight ends up doing some detective work, which leads to a run in with Mr. Hyde (NOTE: Could have sworn he was in The Raft as of the last issue of Thunderbolts, but what do I know.). He ends up foiling his scheme and recovers something that is definitely troubling and problematic for the future.

The last page has a surprise twist, which did catch me off guard. It doesn't really seem like that big of a change for the character to me, but I can see where there are opportunities for major swerves further down the line. It has potential to be mind blowing, but this first issue did not melt my brains. It caused them to lightly simmer.

Overall, it's a great Moon Knight comic. If you're a fan of Moon Knight, then you need to be reading this. If you're not, then this will probably be the series that changes your mind. Stop in and check it out. He's crazy!

Alright, that's all for me this week. See you guys at Free Comic Book Day tomorrow!

Boston Comic Con Day 2

2011-05-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Anyone that has been to a few conventions knows that the last day of the con has a different feeling about it. It's a little calmer, there's a feeling of winding down that's in the air. That's not to say that the last day isn't special at all, but it's not as electric as the previous day(s).

Tim Sale continued to be assaulted by hordes of fans. He took more breaks on this day than the previous though. I'm assuming this was for his mental health, as he was drawing nonstop.

I saw Brutus the Barber Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine there too. Brutus is a massive, jacked dude. Given his age and how jacked he is, he's probably hitting steroids pretty hard, but don't quote me on that. "The Hammer" looked like hell. He looked like he had been on the ass end of an ass-whuppin' for sure.

I had one customer tell me that he had been drunk on absinthe since seven in the morning and that Gerald and I appeared as cheetahs in his eyes. I told him that it was real and that I run up and down Mass Ave. (as a cheetah) hunting gazelles. We both laughed, what fun we had this day.

They had a costume parade/contest which was pretty neat. Some of the costumes were pretty impressive. I especially enjoyed an exchange between a guy pretending to be John Stewart (Green Lantern, not the Daily Show) and a guy playing Jason of Friday the 13th fame. They had a stare-down with each other and then the Green Lantern gave Jason the cutthroat hand gesture (like The Undertaker before he gives the Tombstone Piledriver). Jason then raised his axe in the air, and pointed at it. It was very WWE, but I thought it was hilarious. Dear DC, please write Green Lantern Vs. Jason.

We continued to sell funny books throughout the day, until it was time to close. We were then involved in a massive clustercuss as we attempted to bring all of our stock down to the loading dock. It was like that final scene in the 2012 when the mass of people are trying to get on that ship. It was ugly.

That was it for me guys. We had a lot of fun at the con and were able to meet a lot of cool people. If you've never been to a comic book convention like Boston or New York, then I highly recommend going. It's a great opportunity to geek out and meet a lot of cool people in the process.

Boston Comic Con Day 1

2011-05-01T06:48:00.001-07:00

Boston Comic Con is huge this year! There's a bunch of new vendors and tons of artists. It's almost NYCC, it's just missing the room full of new video games. Who knows, maybe in a few years, they'll have them.

We ended up setting up shop next to Tim Sale this year. I'd like to say that we struck up a conversation that resulted in a life long friendship, but we didn't. This guy has been insanely busy this year. With all of the sketches he did yesterday, he probably could have drawn an entire comic book. I imagine that he probably spent the evening icing his drawing hand. He's a hard working man. He even drew on a girls leg!

There was lots of cool costumes at the show, some pictured above. I wish I had taken more photos, but I was busy selling funny books!

I bought a sketch from Stan Sakai yesterday as well. This was a big deal for me as I've been a big Usagi Yojimbo fan for a long time.

Gerald missed his opportunity to get a drawing from Ryan Ottley. His drawing schedule filled up in the first 20 minutes! Gerald's been a wreck since then. He's adorned himself in goth makeup and is listening to Cradle of Filth. He's full of despair.

We met our only fan too! Michael Lynn Wherley stopped by our booth to bask in our glory. Michael is a really cool guy. He likes our videos for some reason, and we love him for it.

Afterwards, we were invited out to a retailers dinner by Larry's Comics. It was a lot of fun to meet everyone from the area and to know that not every comic shop hates us. That's a relief.

After that, I curled up in my hotel bed, babbling nonsense words to myself. It was a long, fun day full of awesome people and comics.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This week in the life of comics 4/28/11

2011-04-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to propose an idea to you all. What if the Infinity Gauntlet had to be worn on your head instead? Well wonder no more, BEHOLD!

I'm probably in the minority about this, but I feel like this is the direction they should have gone in.

Anyways, let's talk about comics.

Action Comics #900

I understand some people took exception to me booing Action Comics #900 in our Tuesday night video. If you're unfamiliar with this video, then I recommend you become a fan of our facebook page. We film a video every Tuesday night where we showcase comics that are available for purchase the next day. I routinely make an ass of myself on a weekly basis, it's good times.

I digress, I ended up booing Action Comics #900 because I was bummed Superman was coming back into the regular story line. It's not the most professional thing to do as a manager of a comic shop (I mean, I am in the business of selling books), but it is my honest reaction as a fan of the series. I really enjoyed how the book become Luthor only and was sad to see that go. I've always approached this job as a fan first, and a salesman second. I could tell you everything is wonderful and fantastic in order to get you to buy things (which I did at a soul crushing phone job in the past), but that's just not how I do things.

To the point! I really enjoyed this issue. Paul Cornell is a great writer and he writes Superman better than most writers have in a while. He tied up the story arc well and even managed to touch upon all the guest appearances that have occurred throughout this series. It was full of action and a very intense situation which really touched at the core of Superman and Lex's relationship. The Doomsday bits were pretty crazy as well. It was a lot of fun, albeit bittersweet for me. I'll be giving #901 a chance when it comes out. Hopefully Cornell's Superman will keep me as interested as his Lex Luthor has for months.

Secret Avengers #12.1

I'll be the first to admit that I was a little nervous when I heard Nick Spencer was taking over writing duties for Ed Brubaker. I am a huge fan of Brubaker's writing and I was a little underwhelmed by Iron Man 2.0 (written by Spencer), so I wasn't sure how this was going to work out. With that being said, I thought this book was awesome.

Has Nick Spencer been waiting forever to write Steve Rogers? After reading this issue, I'm thinking so. In fact, the rest of the cast is written well too. I really feel like he's bringing his A-game to this book. It reminds me of how well Rick Remender is doing on X-Force. This seems like a project of love, not work.

Scot Eaton delivers the goods on pencils as well. The book maintains its gritty, action packed look. I especially enjoyed his take on Valkyries outfit. It's been needing an update for a while now.

If you were worried about this book changing hands, please don't. Nick Spencer is keeping up the awesome pace of this book.

Other Stuff

Venom #2 felt like it was a "part 2" of a story that never had a part 1. It still really liked it, but it felt out of place. SPOILER WARNING. I am heavily intrigued by the last page though. I interpreted is as the symbiote is learning from Flash Thompson, and may even enjoy its new role. Seeing the symbiote grow as a character is intriguing to me, and I hope that continues.

I feel like I've read three preludes to Flashpoint in the pages of The Flash at this point, but this issue was still good. FF continues to be amazing and full of Doom. Spider-Man was a lot of silly fun. Captain America really delivered this and Brightest Day blew the damn doors off the place. It was a good damn week.

Mutant Manimals with Guns

2011-04-24T19:30:00.001-07:00

My word, how awesome was the 90's?!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This week in the life of comics 4/22/11

2011-04-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Since today is Earth Day, I wanted to let everyone know that two homeless men planted seeds in front of our store today. They wanted to make this city a more beautiful place and thought that planting flower seeds was the best way to do it. They then drunkenly stumbled down the street, satisfied with their labor. Given that they didn't water the seeds, or plant them more than an inch deep, I'd say their chances of survival are slim. However, at least they tried. At the end of the day, I guess that's all we can ask for. Happy Earth day everyone.

It was an interesting week for comics, but there were two books that stead above the rest for me. They were Super Dinosaur #1 and Avengers #12

Avengers #12

The Hood is mere inches away from finding the last of the infinity gems. If he manages this, the universe as we know it will cease to exist. Luckily, The Avengers have put together a pretty crafty plan in order to get them back, but will they succeed?!

Well duh, of course they succeed. I don't think anyone needs a spoiler warning for that. The final battle between The Hood and The Avengers was satisfying and full of action. I liked the page where they made the distinction about why The Hood is such a horrible human being. So many villains are likable nowadays, that it's good to have some that are just plain evil. The conclusion to the battle was a good twist and the last page provided a good "no way!" moment. I was really into the conclusion.

The art on this book has been a matter of contention at the shop for a while. I'll always love John Romita Jr. for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, but that only carries him so far in my eyes. You can see where shortcuts were taken, especially during the scene where they fight between different realities. I know he can do amazing work, but this isn't it. It's not terrible, but it could have been better, especially given the material. That's all I'm saying.

Super Dinosaur #1

I feel like some of you guys still don't know this, but Super Dinosaur is an all ages book. That means kids can pick it up and not have to worry about anyone being bludgeoned or raped to death. It's a sad thing to admit, but there really aren't a lot of books out there that I can say that about. Which is why this is now my top book to recommend to kids and adults.

The premise is simple, boy finds dinosaur in middle of the earth, dinosaur gets armor upgrades, boy and dinosaur battle bad guys on Earth. There's obviously more to it than that, but that's the short version of it.

When reading this issue, I couldn't help but feel like I was watching Ninja Turtles as a kid again. The heroes are cool looking, the bad guys are ugly, and it's a lot fun to watch them throw down with each other.It's written from a child's perspective, and that helps amp up the "OMG this is awesome" factor. It reminds you why you thought dinosaurs and jet planes were cool as a kid. If I was ten years old, I'd probably be freaking out a lot more about this book.

The art on this book is fantastic. The dinosaurs look great, and the action scenes are actually quite a sight to look at it. The human characters are full of expression and detail as well. It has a great look overall. If these characters don't get made into toys, then I don't know what to think. The designs scream "awesome toys" to me.

Buy this book for your kid, but make sure you read it to them so you can get in on the action as well.

Other Things...

Other books that I thought were cool this week were Uncanny X-Force (duh), Generation Hope, and Invincible Iron Man (I'm alone on this one). The Green Lantern books were okay, but I'm getting tired of everyone switching rings. It takes away from the the unique way each ring selects it's wearer. That's just my nerd side complaining though. Plus John Stewart was stuck with compassion (purple) and they gave him the dumbest costume to go with it. It's terrible, we can argue about if you want. I'll be the guy who's right and you can be the one that's wrong. Fun!

I've also become a big fan of Teon in Generation Hope. Something about this dog boy has warmed my heart.

I would also like to thank the Boston Red Sox for finally getting into the swing of things. My heart palpitations should be going down now. Peter Parker's favorite team, The Mets, aren't faring as well this year. Since Peter is making so much money now, he could probably buy the Mets. I should tweet that at Stephen Wacker.

That's all for me right now! Bye!

This was considered to be crazy at one point...

2011-04-18T09:38:00.001-07:00

..snort.. yeah, like THIS would ever happen.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

This week in the life of comics 4/15/11

2011-04-15T12:05:00.001-07:00

Salutations everyone! I regret to inform you that I have lost another of my superhero themed pint glasses this week. One of my cats, Brooklyn, knocked over our Wonder Woman glass with his bulbous behind, causing it to shatter on the floor. He showed no remorse for his actions. My fiancé, being a huge Wonder Woman fan, was devastated.

The Red Sox continue to bludgeon my heart with a rusty crowbar, but I won't abandon them. I've been through worse times with late 90's Spider-Man titles. I can handle this nonsense. Thankfully the Sea Dogs have been faring well, so I can relax a little bit.

As for comics, I've had a hard time deciding what my favorite book was. It's come down to Carnage #4 and Uncanny X-Force #7, and I think I'm just going to call it a tie. Both were gorgeous, well written, and left me insanely satisfied. You should be reading both of these titles, if you're not already.

Flash #10 was the big issue before Flashpoint begins, but I was a little underwhelmed by it. I'm not too sure what to think about Flashpoint period. I know it's supposed to be a big event, but it doesn't feel like it. That's me anyways, I'm sure there are some Flash fans excited about it. I just have a very wait-and-see attitude about the story.

Spidey was fun this week. I especially enjoyed Sue Storm imprisoning a mime in an actual invisible box. I didn't care for the opening scene with the new costume though. There's no need to re-write a scene that already occurred, and was written better, in FF #1.

Other books that were cool are Daken, Batman and Robin, and Birds of Prey. Each provided me with copious amounts of joy.

Also, what's happening in Age of X is enough to give me a panic attack. It's insane!

I also managed to get 27,555,000 on the new pinball machine here, Scared Stiff. Deal with that!

Until next time everyone!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The New Future?

2011-04-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

Did anyone else freak a little bit when they saw this in Batman Beyond #4 last week?

Now that Max Lord ensured that Kingdom Come will never be, is the Batman Beyond world the new "future" of the DCU? Crazy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Comics 4/8/11

2011-04-08T08:23:00.001-07:00

I'm going to level with you guys, this has not been a fun week for me. Moving all last weekend, merchandising, the Red Sox losing, and my Black Lightning glass broke. My cats have been mad at me too, but there's nothing I can do to appease those drama queens sometimes.

Thankfully, comics come out once a week and restore bits of my sanity. If it wasn't for them, I'd probably be in a padded room somewhere screaming about Coke and Pepsi being the same thing.

It's not too often, that when I'm unpacking books, that I scream "yeah! F&$@! Yeah!!". I did when I saw this book. I've been beyond excited about it for a while. I talked about it so much that Tristan warned me that my excitement may cause me to be disappointed when I finally read it. Well he's wrong. I loved this book.

I already knew what the story was going to be about, The Norse God of Fear has been released from his prison and now all hell is going to break loose. Having prior knowledge of the books events didn't stop it from being awesome though. It felt epic and had me hooked on every page. It has that "big fight" feel to it. The feeling that this story will be big. Fraction's writing has lived up to the insane amounts of hype in my head.

I'm a huge fan of the artist Stuart Immonen and he's done his best work in this book. Whether it's Sin battling undersea dragons (yes, that really happens) to Thor having a screaming match with Odin, Immonen hits all the right spots. It's great to look at and it's paced well.

I can't wait for the second issue.

Other books that made me gush this week were Brightest Day 23, Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth 2, and Ultimate Captain America 4.

Brightest Day finally let us know who the guardian of the Earth was, and it didn't disappoint. It's now the shop consensus amongst employees and subscribers that we can forgive all that other crap because of this issue. I don't know if it's enough to help me cope with the loss of my Black Lightning glass though ..sniff..

That's all for now! I typed this whole thing on my iPod! My thumb is tired now, but it was worth it.

Until next time folks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Comics! 4/1/11

2011-04-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been put in charge of protecting all of the basement long boxes today. I'm not sure if there are roving hordes of nerds looking to pillage such a collection, but I stand here in defiance of their possible existence. Juggalos too, those wretched creatures will not steal these comics! No sir!

There's also a snowstorm on the first day of April. I know we're located in Maine, which has a history of unpredictable weather, but this is bananas. If this is some ethereal beings idea of an Apil Fools Day joke, then I must say to thee "not funny".

Anyways, let's talk about some comics that came out this week!

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1

With the exception of the 90's American version, Godzilla movies are awesome. The delightfully low budget films have developed an insane following and has led to Godzilla being a houseold name all over the world. When a series of films is that popular, it typically leads to a comic book series. The transition to the comic book world has never really been that great though. It's always seemed rushed and lacking the polish of a seasoned comics professional. What works for film (low budgets) doesn't work for comics.

That changes now! Eric Powell (The Goon), Tracy Marsh, and Phil Hester have decided to make an action packed, humorous, monster comic that is sure to delight any fan of the movies. It should also delight comic book fans too, which is good because that's who they're selling these too.

The only detriment to this issue is that it's a little short. There are four pages devoted to different variant covers of the comic you're reading. I would have rather had four more pages of story than a thumbnail gallery. Either way, the story is a blast and the art is great. It's monster mayhem in a comic, the way it always should have been.

Batman: Detective Comics #875

Despite all of the amazing books that came out this week, this book was my favorite. Scott Snyder already made this my favorite Batman title on the shelves, there's no argument about that. With this issue he's written one of my favorite Batman related issues ever, and the caped crusader doesn't even show up until the next to last page.

Memories are haunting Jim Gordon on a snowy night in Gotham. The issue opens with him tracking down a killer from a case that originated back when he was a lieutenant on the force. As he tries to apprehend the criminal, we view scenes from Jim's past. A summer camping trip with his family, which includes his recently returned and criminal son. The past and present are weaved together seamlessly and should cause anyone with a pulse a good level of anxiety. By the end of the issue you don't know who is more terrifying, the killer in the present or Gordon's son in the past. The moody art from Francesco Francavilla is the cherry on the top of the crime noir sundae that is Snyder's writing. He makes children look so scary. I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of or not, but it works perfectly here.

After reading it, I immediately tweeted at Mr. Snyder to let him know that I loved it. It blew me away and I can't encourage you enough to read this series. It is fantastic.

New Space!

2011-03-30T17:17:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! I'm sure you've all heard that we are moving down the street by now. I thought I'd post some pictures of the interior of the new place. I couldn't be more excited to see how it's going to look when we have everything set up. SO COOL!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Batman and Hal

2011-03-29T10:39:00.001-07:00

This pretty much sums up their relationship.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Many Faces of Ben Grimm

2011-03-26T15:13:00.001-07:00

Me and Tristan had fun with sharpie markers.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Uncanny X-Force Vs. AOA

2011-03-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't the latest news, but it has been announced that the current X-Force roster will be venturing into the world of Age of Apocalypse in a future story. I'm not entirely sure how that works. The last I remembered was that AOA came to be because of killing Xavier in the past, thus altering the present. It was set back to normal at the end, thus negating the effect of Xavier being dead, the Age of Apocalypse itself. I would think AOA shouldn't exist anymore, but it looks like it's just it's own alternate universe instead. Anyone that has seen Back to the Future 2 should understand this concept due to Doc Brown's chalkboard diagram.

That's not really what struck me when I came across this promotional image for the upcoming story. It was how dark the Marvel U has become. When AOA first came out, our regular cast of characters received new, deadlier makeovers than what we knew. They were brutal, full of sorrow, and violence. They had really taken characters like Nightcrawler and Cyclops to a different, darker place. However, when I look at the cast from AOA charging at our current X-Force, all I can think is the AOA guys are toast. Seriously, I would bet money on the new X-Force destroying these guys.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight as to exactly how dark things in the Marvel U have become over the past decade. House of M, Nation X, Skrull Invasions, Osborn's Dark Reign, all of these things have caused our heroes (especially mutants) to become fiercer than they ever have been. When a world that is devestated by Apocalypse just doesn't seem that bad anymore, you know things have gone south.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the current Marvel Universe. I'll gladly eat it up with a spoon. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this. I gladly welcome yours.

Also, since changes to the time stream create alternate universes...can we head back to House of M for a bit. I loved that place.

Comics! 3/23/11

2011-03-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

I've experienced a bit of comic overload this week. There's so many awesome titles on the shelves, I've found it difficult to not have some type of nerd stroke. Thankfully, I've survived long enough to provide you with a candid look at two titles that really stuck out for me. My my, we are getting so personal you and I.

Captain America #615.1

These .1 issues have been excellent so far, and Captain America 615.1 is no exception. If this story was going to have a title, it would be called "The Return of Steve Rogers." Or it could be called "The Great Noodle Disaster of 2011". Just kidding, it could never be called that. Seriously, though this issue sets into the motion what we all knew would be coming now that the Cap's movie premier looms in the horizon. Steve Rogers will be Captain America once more.

It doesn't feel forced though. We find Steve coming to grips with his new job as head of SHIELD, admitting he misses his previous "life" as Captain America. Meanwhile, private industry has produced a new Captain America to fill the void now that Bucky is off in a Russian prison. This new Cap sets a record for how quickly someone can be caught and tortured by AIM, and Steve ends up saving him. It's simple and to the point, but handled with such grace by Ed Brubaker that it feels important. If you're looking for a great jumping on point for Cap, then this is it.

Green Lantern #64

It's official, I'm interested in Green Lantern again. Despite months of exposition, that I felt like I was drowning in, we're finally getting to the point. Krona has made his move and things look grim for Hal Jordan.

Note that I only said Hal Jordan. That's because most of the book focuses on Hal, which is something I've been missing for the past year (that may be an exaggeration, I just don't have an exact date). I want to know what Hal's thinking and doing, I don't want to hear about every other colored lantern under the sun. This book has that in spades, plus a bad guy that's making some major moves. It's fun, new, and exciting. It's what I've been wanting out of my Green Lantern books.

Will War of the Green Lanterns be as good as Sinestro Corps War or Blackest Night? If this first issue is any indication, I'd say it's on track to be on par with those events. I'm into it guys!

Comics! 3/16/11

2011-03-16T17:20:00.001-07:00

Since today is 3/16, I'd like to to give a "hell yeah" to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Now on to the comics!

Brightest Day #22

Brightest Day has been a real test of patience for me. I keep telling myself that there is going to be a huge payoff at the end. There will be a moment that will shake the DC Universe to its very core. That this journey has been worth it. This issue does little to assuage my feelings that this whole thing has been a bust.

It's not that things don't happen mind you, Firestorm does fight the Anti-Monitor and a character dies. You are gipped out what looked to be a cool fight though. It just doesn't help answer the bigger question, what the hell is going on?! The lack of information that's been given for this entire series is causing solid single issues to be really frustrating. Throw me a bone here!

Overall, it's not bad issue. With only four issues left of this series, you feel like there would have been more details about the over arching theme.

Fear Itself: Book of the Skull

While I've become frustrated with Brightest Day for its lack of information, Book of the Skull provides me with just enough to get really excited about Fear Itself.

In this prologue issue, we find Sin (the daughter of the original Red Skull) and Baron Zemo entering one of the original Red Skull's old bunkers. Sin is in search of a book that contains the notes to one of her father's greatest failures during World War II, summoning the Norse God of Fear. We're treated to a flashback involving Cap, Bucky , and Namor as they try and thwart the Red Skull before his plan comes to fruition. It's a well crafted story that definitely builds anticipation and how scary this new enemy could be for the heroes of today.

Whether this event will be a bust remains to be seen. If it's as good as this prologue issue, then we'll be talking about this story for years to come. Stop in and check this book out!

Dr. Ducktopus

2011-03-14T15:49:00.001-07:00

I mentioned this in the newsletter today, so I figured I'd draw him for you guys.

You should sign up for the newsletter too! It's fun!

Rick Grimes is Dead

2011-03-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

Note that the cast of The Walking Dead has been killed here.

From the pages of Guarding the Globe. An awesome book, if you haven't been reading it.

Comics! 3/10/11

2011-03-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

I want you people to understand that I did something very difficult in order to write this for you. I stopped playing the Angry Birds Seasons update. As much as I want to smash those damn pigs into the ground, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't provide you with some reviews. Here we go!

Batman Inc. #3

Oh Batman, I truly love your romp around the globe, setting up Batmen, and fighting strange bad guys. Every page is a surprise with this issue. As you read you may turn the page to find exploding scorpions, Br

uce Wayne dancing, or the motorcycle riding Argentinean super hero,

Gaucho. It keeps you on the edge of your seat or on your toes. It's your choice as to how you want to wait in anticipation. I know I found parts of the book where I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but I didn't mind. A little mystery is the nature of the beast at this point. It's fun and wild, everything I look for in a Grant Morrison written Batman book. Two thumbs up.

Punisher MAX #11

This is it, the final showdown between Bullseye and The Punisher. I don't know who's more excited for it, the fans or Bullseye himself. You see Bullseye has developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Frank over the past few issues. He's been trying to become him in hi

s mind to better understand the man that he's been hired to kill. In doing so, he's discovered something about Frank that could change everything in this fight.

The fight between these two is brutal, but insanely enjoyable. Bullseye is such an oddball and plays off the Punisher's no nonsense attitude perfectly. They're both men of destruction that have been let loose in a way that hasn't been seen in some time. I think these two panels sums it up pretty well.

The ending of this story is excellent and has me looking forward to the next arc. It's good to see this book shipping on time and kicking ass like it's supposed to. If you don't mind some bloody violence, then check this book out.

Tiger Blood Shirt

2011-03-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Tristan, of the Fun Box, and me made a t-shirt showcasing our love of Charlie Sheen's madness. I'm really happy with how it came out. If you want to buy it, then please go here.

There are a lot of other cool shirts there as well. Make sure to check them all out. Buy local and whatnot.

Comics! 3/3/11

2011-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

I know it's the not the most important thing going on in the world right now, but I am enthralled with Charlie Sheen's descent into madness. Everytime he opens his mouth, posts a picture, makes a cake, it's solid gold. To quote Brock Samson from the Venture Brothers "it's like he's channeling dead crazy people." It's a masterpiece of a media spectacle.

Despite my near obsessive compulsive behavior regarding Mr. Sheen, I'm going to take some time to review some of the fine comics that came out this week. Fine wares that are available for purchase at Coast City Comics!

Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1

It's impossible to say anything bad about this book, since it's literally written by a 6 year old child. To insult, or even critique it, is to insult/critique the imagination of a child.

The book is unpredictable, and full of nonsense. It's dialogue and setups are simple, childlike simple, but that's the whole point. It's meant to be like you found a book that you wrote in elementary school and read it again. I don't know about you, but I've always found that experience to be hilarious, and this book is no different.

What makes this better than the book that you created when you were a kid, is the involvement of the writers 30 year old brother. His exaggerated style compliments the insanity of Axe Cop's world perfectly. All the zany characters are full of life and look cool to boot. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to draw this book on a regular basis. I bet plenty of artists would love to see "draw t-rex with chain guns for arms shooting down fighter jets" in their scripts.

Axe Cop is a light-hearted, insane romp through the mind of young cild, and will more than likely make you feel like a child after reading it. I can't recommend it enough.

5 Ronin #1

Some of the Marvel U's most brutal heroes have been re-imagined into the time of feudal Japan. It's something that I would think would have been a meme on an graphic designer forum, but this is a full fledged mini-series. Not that I'm complaining, I love "elseworlds" stories. Out of continuity is usually the best continuity to me.

This issue focuses on Wolverine, with the rest of the series devoting one issue to each of the heroes being featured. We find him roaming the country sides as a ronin, or masterless samurai. The world is changing around him and he's losing hope of finding his new place in the world. It's a story that has been told many times before, and I was actually having flashbacks to Usagi Yojimbo while reading it. Not that saying it's similar to a book about a samurai rabbit is an insult. Usagi is an Eisner award winning masterpiece worthy of praise. The fact that 5 Ronin is similar indicates that this introductory issue is quite good and accomplishes what it set out to do.

An intriguing story, coupled with gritty, detailed art has produced a mini-series that is sure to be talked about in the coming weeks. If you were on the fence about this series, I would encourage you to give it a shot.

Panels 2/26/11

2011-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

MODORD is incredible, but not as incredible as...

AW YEAH BRO!!!

Both panels were from X-Men: To Serve and Protect #4

Panel 2/23/11

2011-02-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

Comics! 2/23/11 Age of X Edition

2011-02-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

There is a ton of really cool stuff that came out this week. I spent the majority of my shift reading today and I was easily overwhelmed by the mountain sized level of goodness that was being taken in by my eyes. However, despite the numerous titles that could be reviewed, I wanted to talk about the first two chapters of Age of X.

X-Men Legacy #245

This issue does a great job of establishing this new world for anyone that might have missed the Age of X: Alpha one shot. It opens with the remaining mutants on Earth battling the Sapien League on the 1,000th day anniversary. The first thing you'll notice is the new looks that this universes X-men sport. It's kind of like a sleek mad max. It makes sense, since they're living within a psychic shield bubble scrounging for their lives. After that, you'll notice they're killing humans left and right. The days of Xavier's dream, if it ever existed in this place, have long since passed. It's a brutal battle for survival that results in a death within this first issue. Overall, it's a great introductory issue that's full of interesting bits of information that really help flesh out the world and how different these characters are now due to this new time-line. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see more.

New Mutants #22

Oh good! I don't have to wait to see more at all. They released the first two chapters this week.

This issue focuses primarily on Rogue, or Legacy as she's referred to here. X-Men Legacy left us with a question, and Rogue is determined to get to the bottom of it. To get that answer, she'll have to break into Magneto's holding cells for mutants to unstable for battle. It doesn't help that Danger is the warden of this area, and none too pleased about Rogue's plans. We also learn that there may be something fishy going on with the Sapien Army as well. Since Cyclops, AKA Basilisk, seems to be killing the same humans again and again. This issue helps flesh out more of the Age of X world, while raising more questions at the same time. This issue definitely keeps the pace of the first issue and has left me hooked. I'm anxiously awaiting chapter 3.

Panel 2/17/11

2011-02-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

Truth.

The Street Fighter II Machine

2011-02-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

Chickens...why is there always chickens?

When people look around Coast City and The Monster Emporium, they usually notice a lot of the more eccentric items we have in the stores. The pinball machines, movie replicas, old toys, artwork, statues. These are things that I love having in the store, it helps bring people in and get people excited. Why just have a room full of funny books when you can have a room full of funny books and a replica Captain America shield or alien pulse rifle. It just makes sense to be half store, half nerd museum.

These things don't just fall in our lap though. Well, occasionally they do, but we usually have to venture out into the real world and get this stuff. When we received word there was an original Street Fighter II machine in "perfect working condition" and at a good price, we decided to venture up to northern Maine to retrieve it.

It took us longer than we expected to arrive at the place. That's because the state of Maine can just close highway on ramps without mapping out a detour route. Thank goodness we're all early adopters with GPS on our phones. After the runaround, we arrive at a garage that is surrounded by old cars. There are so many cars, that they are blocking all of the entrances into the garage. No one is getting in or out at this point. I have a simple rule about garages. If you have so many vehicles around your garage that need fixing, that you can't get into the garage via a car, then this is not the place to go. Cars should be running and able to drive off of the grounds. They should be fixed. I wasn't into this place.

We ventured up towards the entrance and were greeted with a door that had "smile you're on camera" painted onto it. A man sat behind his desk, only visible due to a purple light on his desk, the rest of the room in darkness. Tristan knocks on the door, and he let's us into the garage. I guess we caught him as he was closing, and didn't know we were coming. I guess someone else was selling his machine and didn't tell him? It seemed dicey to me, but I went in anyways. Keep in mind that I did not smile, despite the fact I was being filmed.

We step into the garage to check out the machine. I would like to say that the arcade machine was the first thing that we noticed, but it wasn't. Instead we were greeted by a set of school lockers next to the machine. Inside the lockers were chickens under heat lamps. Living chickens, clucking away. I turned to my left and noticed that upon entering the garage I didn't notice the giant rooster next to the door. That rooster was not pleased about us being there. That dude was pissed.

The man pulls out the machine. It's covered in dirt, spray paint, dust, and well it looks like some chickens had been hanging out on it as well. I'll let you come to your own conclusion as to what was on the machine. The description only said that it worked though, nothing about the cleanliness of the machine. No foul (no pun intended) as of yet I guess. Let's turn it on to make sure it works.

We turn the machine on. The rooster sees this and makes a long high pitched noise. I start to keep one eye on that rooster. I think he has it in for us. We start to play the game and quickly realize that the majority of the buttons don't work and the first player joystick is busted. Not being able to jump or punch in a fighting game really defeats the purpose of the game's experience. It's not a fight anymore. It's just walking back and forth. We hem and haw for a few minutes, trying to decide if it's worth it to fix the machine. The owner of the machine decides to call a friend of his instead of talking to us. At that point, he doesn't care about the money, and we don't care about the machine anymore.

I carefully walk past the rooster. I still don't trust that guy. We get back to the car and talk about how defeated we feel. Grabbing some Burger King helps soothe some of the sting, but I'll be the first to admit that I really wanted that machine in here. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to build one myself.

It's not easy finding cool stuff for the store. It usually involves us heading out to the middle of nowhere, where chickens rule, and leaving empty handed. I just thought it would be nice to fill you guys in on some of the less talked about exploits that we get into while working at this store. I hope you enjoyed it.

And remember, the next time that you see something cool in the store...we probably had to fight a rooster to get it.

Comics! 2/16/11

2011-02-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

I'm waiting for a pizza to show up right now, so I may randomly start talking about food while writing this. It's a little something called "professionalism", check it out.

Thunderbolts #153

I'll admit that I've been a little bit bias about this book lately. The reason is that I love giant monsters, and that's what the Thunderbolts have been fighting. It's like Godzilla meets super heroes, and thanks to Jeff Parker's knack for 1950's era sci fi, it works really well. PIZZA IS HERE!! I am so excited, give me a sec...

Oh my god this pizza is so good...

Alright, where was I... Luke Cage punching monsters! Right! This story has a quick pace to it and jumps around quite a bit. It doesn't feel choppy though, which is always a possible pitfall for a fast paced team book. The interactions between the newest member, Hyperion (who's a total jerkwad), and the rest of team provide a lot of humorous and action packed moments. It's a fun issue that looks great. What more can you ask for?

Silver Surfer #1 (of 5)

This is a brand new miniseries about Marvel's silvery, planet sized lunch finder and it's written by Greg Pak. The issue starts right at the end of Chaos War (super cool, if you never read it) and we find the Surfer being his usual philosophical self. He's contemplating his existence, the cosmos, delicious pizza, and where to get Galactus his next meal. After dropping Galactus off at an intergalactic buffet, the Surfer ends up back on Earth. What happens from here, ends up with the Surfer being in a position he hasn't been in before. It's new, very intriguing, and possibly deadly for our hero.

It's difficult to view this issue as anything but a setup issue, but it's a good one. The character is handled well and the art looks great. Who knows where the rest of this series will go, but I'm definitely going to be reading to find out.

Generation Hope #4

This issue marks the end Hope Scooby-Doo'ing around the globe activating new mutants. There have been some wins, and one major loss, but I'd say it was a reasonable success. These new mutants are starting to become actual characters. We're getting to what their powers can do, their hopes, fears, and possible love interests. They're a cool group, especial Teon the dog boy. He cracks me up. It's a fun book that is only getting better as it moves along. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun X-book to jump into. Also, Teon catches a fish. Here it is.

Brightest Day #20

Two Aquaman issues in a row! That explains why I've been raving about Brightest Day so much lately. With six issues left of this series, we're beginning to see a lot of dramatic action. Prophecies are being fulfilled, people are dieing, and one big questions is beginning to form in my head...can you trust the white lantern? This issue features a huge battle between Aquaman and the undersea menaces that has been locked away in the Bermuda Triangle. It's brutal, action packed, and Mera shows just how powerful she is. It's a really cool issue with a shocker ending. I say you should be reading it! So do it!

Comics! 2/9/11 Iron Fist Edition!

2011-02-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

Iron Fist managed to appear in four different books this week. Considering that his series was put on hiatus several years ago, and that he isn't Batman or Wolverine, I'd say that's a pretty impressive feat. Here's a brief breakdown of the books he appeared in this week.

New Avengers #9

I wasn't really blown away by this issue. I hate to say that, really I do. I'm such a huge fan of New Avengers that I've literally developed heart palpitations from writing that first sentence. This is a very cryptic setup issue and the Nick Fury flashback scenes drawn by Howard Chaykin left a bad taste in my mouth. While the Nick Fury portion is confusing, the Mike Deodato pages with the New Avengers are full of the great action and humor that I've come to expect from this title. It's a pretty cool issue, but not up to sky high standards this book has already set. I just hope the next issue only has one artist.

Heroes For Hire #3

This series has really picked up the pace since its debut issue. We're no closer to discovering why Misty Knight is being held under duress by the Puppet Master, but we do see some things set into motion. Paladin confronts Iron Fist about Misty's dissapearance, which naturally results in an all out brawl. Meanwhile, Moon Knight fights a dinosaur. I'm serious about that, and it's totally awesome. This is turning into a really intriguing series, and it's easy on the eyes to boot! I recommend picking this one up.

Power Man and Iron Fist #1 (of 5)

Spinning out of the pages of Shadowland: Power Man, comes the debut issue of Power Man and Iron Fist. Iron Fist has decided to take the new Power Man under his wing and train him to use his powers. While this sounds good on paper, it quickly becomes a headache for Iron Fist. Power Man is rude, impatient, and immediately gets in over his head in the first issue. It's like a buddy movie in a comic book that's full of kung fu. I'm giving this book my seal of approval too. It's also written by Fred Van Lente, who wrote the awesome Taskmaster miniseries. Also, this panel is in it...

Amazing Spider-Man #654

Revenge of the Spider-Slayer comes to a deadly conclusion in this weeks Amazing Spider-Man. Spidey is desperately trying to build a weapon to negate the Spider-Slayer's "insect sense", while the rest of the New Avengers are beating the crap out of bad guys to protect Mayor Jameson. He's also trying to keep his secret identity under wraps from his new boss at the same time. No pressure or anything guys. The story is fast paced, action packed, and full of Spidey goodness. Stefano Caselli continues to impress with his visuals on this issue. The entire cast is vibrant and full of expression. I'm going to recommend this issue as well, mostly due to its crushing ending. It also has a bonus story for the new Venom series! It looks so cool!

Comics! 2/4/11

2011-02-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted on here. The reason for my brief hiatus is that I went on a spirit quest in Sri Lanka. The end result, my spirit dinosaur is the ankylosaurus and I am to be weary of a dark haired man with a mysterious past. With that being said, let's talk about some comics that came out this week.

Ultimate New Ultimates #5

The bi-monthly schedule for this book really killed its momentum, but it sure is gorgeous. Frank Cho has put together another amazing looking book, and I feel it was worth the wait. We see some interesting things happen with the characters, cool fights, and about half the team ends up leaving by the end of it. All in all, I really enjoyed this story and this issue was a good ending. I would recommend picking it up in trade if you can't find the back issues for it. Also, someone gets a spear through their throat! That's top drawer entertainment in my book.

Brightest Day #19

This is the issue of Brightest Day that I've been waiting for. The issue that finally explains what is happening. It only took 19 issues to get to the explanation, which is way too long in my book, but I'll take what I can get. This issue is also entirely about Aquaman! He's been my favorite character in Brightest Day by far, so it made me very happy that I only read about him. The art continues to be solid and the story was really cool. Add in a couple of shocking panels at the end, and this is a must read for this week.

Invincible #77

After the explosive events of the last issue, I expected some more bloody fisticuffs. Instead, Mark is presented with an interesting ultimatum that he can't refuse. While it's not the epic brawls that I've come to expect from this book, it sets up a lot of interesting stories for the future. It's a fair trade in my opinion. Ryan Ottley continues to produce some of the best art out there and the story is top notch as usual. There are some grizzly scenes in the beginning of the book that should satisfy anyone's desire for disembowelment. However, if you truly desire disembowelment, then you're probably a murderer.

Hulk #29

This series continues to impress me with its awesome action, beautiful art, and well crafted stories. We get to see the Red and Green Hulk fight side by side in this issue, and they're fighting giant monsters to boot! The whole concept of it is a lot of fun, and it looks like it was a lot of fun for artist Gabriel Hardman as well. His pages are jam packed full of monsters, robots, and explosions. It's pretty awesome looking. We also get to see the rebirth of a villain that is a shop favorite. I'll give you a hint, he's a playable character in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. If you haven't been reading this book, then I highly recommend it. Stop in and check it out!

Green Lantern Corps #56

2011-01-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

I really should have wrote about this series a few issues ago, but I didn't get around to it. What can I say, it's the new casual me. "Deadlines are for chumps" is my new golden rule. There are a million people doing what I'm doing, and a million people who have already told me that they do it better (or could do it better than me), so why stress about such things. If you need me, I'll be in the hammock located in the office downstairs.* Anyways, enough of my new years philosophy, let's talk about Green Lantern Corps #56.

The main story is that The Weaponer (not a terribly original name) from planet Qward has decided to take revenge on Sinestro. He made the yellow lantern rings for Sinestro, who in turned enslaved his people and ruined his life. In order to get revenge, he kidnaps current Green Lantern, and Sinestro's daughter, Soranik. That's not all! Soranik has been dating Kyle Rayner, so he leads a group of GL's to go rescue her. ALSO! The Weaponer has made a new weapon out of white lantern energy, which was left on Qward by Deadman way back in Brightest Day, that makes him nearly unbeatable. WHEW! It's a little steep in continuity, but it does make for an interesting read.

This particular issue sees a lot of action between the green and yellow lanterns. It takes me back to the days of the Sinestro Corps War storyline, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I know there a bunch of different lantern groups floating around now, but it will always be about the green and yellow battling it out. The addition of The Weaponer keeps the tense battle fresh, making it a three-way bout. Who will end up on top once this over is anyone's guess, but I'd say chances are that everyone loses in the end.

It's also nice to see Kyle and John receive some of the spotlight in this series. They quickly became canon fodder once Hal came back to save the universe from every evil in existence. I always thought that was a shame, since they are rich characters that have many stories left to tell. This issue is a fine example of that, as we get to see Kyle and John take charge of a situation that highlights their qualities. It's very similar to how Emerald Warriors is allowing Guy Gardner to be awesome as well. Hal who? That's what I say! Just kidding, I still like Hal. Don't hate.

The art in this book was cool as well. The battle looks epic, as tons of lanterns battle it with giant constructs from their rings. You'll see a lot of different types of constructs created too. I always make a note to check for variety of ring creations when talking about a GL artist. It's a great area to use some artistic license and create a bunch of wild drawings. I was glad to see that here.

If you haven't been reading GL:Corps, or dropped it for one reason or another, then I would suggest picking it back up. This issue marks the fourth part of "The Weaponer" story, and I highly recommend it.

*- There isn't a hammock in the basement of Coast City. It's just a pile of cardboard boxes and oily rags that I call a hammock.

Fear Itself

2011-01-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'm getting tired of reading internet message boards where comic book fans are complaining about the upcoming release of Marvel's next event story, Fear Itself. The common complaint is that Marvel is trying to make comic book fans to spend more money by putting out event books with tie-in titles. They also claim that these event stories push people, new and old, away from comic books, intimidating them with their size and overall investment.

These arguments are nonsense for a couple of reasons. Marvel is not forcing you to buy every issue that ties into an event. I can't tell you how many interviews I've read where the editors have stated that you don't need to buy the tie in issues, you can just read the main story and get everything you need to enjoy it. In other words, you could have just purchased Civil War, and never read the X-Men tie-in's for it. You didn't need to, that was the beauty of the situation. If you cared enough to see how the X-Men reacted to that event, then you bought it. If you were me, then you didn't. It's really just that simple. To imply that Marvel, or DC for that matter, is strong arming you into purchasing the event book and all its tie-ins associated with the main book is ridiculous. In the end, you're the consumer. You have the power to say yes or no to a product. If you bought every issue because you felt like you had to, then the only person you should be mad at is yourself.

Say you don't want to read the event, but are concerned with missing possible storyline changes to your favorite titles. I understand how this could be a matter of contention, but I have a couple of easy fixes for this common complaint.

-The Internet! As it turns out, the internet is full of information, not just porn. It even has reviews and detailed analysis of major events. They give you all the information you need in a clear and concise format, and you don't even need to buy the issues! Brilliant!

-Talk to a friend! I'm sure one of your friends is buying the event, or has read something on the internet. Why not have a conversation with them and ask them what's going on. Hell, they may even let you borrow the issues they have already purchased! What an enjoyable, yet thrifty, solution to your belly-aching!

Claiming that event books drive away readers, new and old, is also a fallacy. I've never seen more people coming into our store for the first time, then when a major event was highly publicized. They want to know what's happening. Their interest is peaked and it's a good way for them to jump in and see if they like it. This is also the time when I see readers that may be strictly DC or Marvel check out what the other side is working on. It makes people curious, and excited for what may come.

Why the comic book fan on the internet has developed such a nauseating level of contempt for something that they are a fan of is beyond me. At the end of the day, comics are meant to be fun. Have fun with what you are reading and read what you like. If you don't like reading events, then don't read them. No one is forcing you to. Some people enjoy them, and will continue to buy them. To blame a company for putting out a product that some of its' fan base enjoys, is silly. It's like yelling at Coke for selling Cherry Coke, because you don't like it. It just doesn't make any sense.

That's my take on it anyways.

-Action Chad

Annihilation Conquest

2011-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Annihilation: Conquest

One of my earliest memories involving comics growing up was when the Phalanx attacked the X-Men. I apologize if that makes some of you feel old, but I can't alter when I was born. Just deal, it'll be alright. Anyways, I remember being transfixed by these cybernetic aliens that were taking over everyone on Earth. They had such a weird design, like they were made of moving strips of yellow and black metal. They absorbed people, and turned their bodies into techno organic material. What a creepy, yet cool enemy!

Now that we have that bit of Chadistory (made up word involving myself) in place, imagine my excitement when I found that the Phalanx were the villains in Annihilation: Conquest. If you can imagine me doing backflips on a pogo stick, while eating buffalo wings, and singing "Spacelord" by Monster Magnet, then you pretty much have it down. It really was a great combination. They had cool villains from the past and updated heroes of the present. This was going to be great.

In this story, the Phalanx have infiltrated the Kree homeworld of Hala. For those of you who may not know about the Kree, they have an interstellar empire. They have a substantial presence that is felt across galaxies. As far as alien races go, in the Marvel U, these guys are pretty much the tops. Well imagine that there homeworld, and empire, are crippled within hours due to the Phalanx absorbing its populace. It's intergalactic genocide! Luckily, the space heroes of the Marvel U are trying to stop them. It's an intense battle against impossible odds, with an entire race hanging in the balance. This is some fantastic stuff guys.

Like Annihilation, Nova, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Conquest provides some characters with some new looks. The most notable visual update is for the Phalanx. They no longer sport the yellow and black look that I adored so much as a youth. They now look more like skeletons wearing black jumpuits with neon accents. It's a radical departure, to put it lightly. The change makes more sense once you realize they're trying to emulate their leader, Ultron.

Yeah, Ultron, the Avengers villain. After a battle with the Mighty Avengers (Initiative era), Ultron's consciousness is blasted out into space where it meets up with the Phalanx. Ultron assumes control of the Phalanx and takes over the Kree home world. His reason for doing so is to track down the perfect organic being for him to transfer his consciousness into, which apparently is on Hala. He believes doing this will make him the perfect merge between man and machine. The being he's looking for turns out to be a staple of Marvel space comics, thought to be dead. I won't spoil it for you though. You should read it.

Ultron is really what makes this story so great to me. It's a classic Marvel villain taken out of his element and given a chance to really open up and be ruthless. He murders main characters with a twisted metal smile in this book, and you can't look away from the page. They also gave him a cape and some attitude. He's just a real sonofabitch, and it works so well. It's just more of the creative recycling that Abnett and Lanning have become known for with their space comics.

We also get introduced to a few new characters. There's Wraith, a shadowy fellow that has the ability to disable the Phalanx. A new Quasar that is the daughter of the original Captain Marvel. This is also the first time that the Guardians of the Galaxy really come together as a team. I know I talked about the Guardians before this, but I just really like that book and I jumped the gun. Sue me. While being able to put a fresh face on older characters, it was cool to see interesting new ones thrown into the fray as well.

There's so much I'm not telling you guys, but there needs to be some surprises left for you. There's just so much going on, and it's all solid gold. Epic space fantasy at its finest.

Sweeping changes of the status quo are the norm for these series thus far, and Conquest is no different. After an epic final confrontation, which naturally involves massive explosions, the stage is set for the next big space event. War of Kings is up next, and things will never be the same for two space empires.

-Action Chad
@chadventure
chad@coastcitycomics.net

Review! Detective Comics #872

2010-12-30T10:01:00.001-08:00

Detective Comics #872

After reading Scott Snyder's debut issue of Detective Comics last month, I was really hoping it wasn't too good to be true. Could it be that there was an intriguing, street level, Dick Grayson as Batman book where he did actual detective work? Issue #872 has set my mind at ease. I didn't experience a hallucination, it is quite real.

Scott Snyder, of American Vampire fame, is crafting an intriguing mystery for our new Batman to solve. How are items from Gotham's rogues gallery ending up in the hands of wealthy citizens? The answer turns out to be fairly simple, but it's how Dick gets to the that answer makes it such a good read. Snyder has an excellent grasp on the character and his history. The dialogue between supporting cast members, especially Oracle, is strong and mindful of the past. I felt fully enveloped into their dark world.

We also have a new villain, named The Dealer. It was nice to see Snyder create a villain that's more cerebral than brutish. I've always thought they were better foils for Batman. I'm interested in seeing where this character goes. His spindly form may be hiding something far more sinister.

The art, by Jock, suits this title well. His characters are expressive and Batman looks terrifying when cloaked in the shadows. He's also mindful of Dick being a former acrobat. He has him twisting in various ways when going through the air. The art is moody and gritty, perfect for this story.

If you've been turned off by the time spanning adventures of Bruce Wayne, you'll want to read this book. It's what Batman is all about, solving crazy mysteries with insane villains. It's just that simple and just that good. He also rides a one wheel, rocket powered, flying motorcycle...just saying.

Larfleeze Cookies!

2010-12-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! As I'm sure many of you know, the Larfleeze Christmas Special had an Orange Lantern cookie recipe in it. Since I'm a huge fan of cookies and Larfleeze, this seemed like the perfect excuse to make a batch. I was also fortunate enough to have Larfleeze and Globulus stop by and lend a hand.

The recipe contains a fair amount of orange juice concentrate and zested orange peels. It helps give the cookies a nice sweet flavor. Glomulus, much like a child, is jumping the gun here. He wants to put the frosting on before anything has been mixed.

Larfleeze summoned a greedy orange cat, named Brooklyn, that tried to steal my sandwich.

Everything has been mixed, put into doughy balls, and cooked in the oven. We'll wait for the cookies to cool, while we get the frosting ready. If you put the frosting on too soon, it will become runny and gross.

The cookies have been frosted, and decorated with the orange gel. Larfleeze and Glomulus are ecstatic that the cookies are finished.

A mother at the grocery store gave me a hard time about the decorating gel I bought. She didn't think it was good for me to eat something that was mostly food coloring. Her daughters gave her a hard time about criticizing someones purchase at the grocery store. Her daughters were right, mind your own business lady.

We brought the cookies to Coast City for everyone to enjoy. Luckily, Larfleeze had learned the true meaning of Christmas in the holiday special comic book. He didn't put up much of a fight above giving them away. He just wanted to let everyone know that the recipe was his, and his alone.

Stop in and grab one while supplies last! They're totally free and REALLY good!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

I would also like to point out that my lovely fiance helped with these cookies. She's an excellent baker! Larfleeze, Glomulus, Brooklyn, and myself could not have done it without her!

Archie Haiku

2010-12-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Riverdale has snow
Betty and Veronica tan
Jughead eats cupcakes

Review Black Panther: Man Without Fear #513

2010-12-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Black Panther: Man Without Fear #513

It took a lot of people by surprise when Marvel revealed that Black Panther would be filling in for Daredevil when Shadowland was over. Why would the former ruler of the African nation of Wakanda start protecting a small, albeit dangerous, section of New York City (Hell's Kitchen)? Out of all the candidates presented, was the Black Panther really the best choice? He was a king that had advanced technology at his fingertips. Could he fit into a book that has become the standard for gritty, street level, super hero crime drama? As it turns out, yeah.

At the beginning of the issue we find that Daredevil had requested Black Panther to take his place, since he felt he could no longer be Daredevil after the events of Shadowland. Black Panther accepts his offer, but not as a favor. Black Panther has been going through some emotional turmoil himself, after the events of Doomwar. He sees this as an oppurtunity to prove to himself that he is man worthy of being the Black Panther. It's solid motivation for the character to make this change in scenery, but it may be lost upon readers who didn't check out Doomwar months back. Luckily for new readers, that information is really only relevant in the first couple of pages. After that, it becomes its own story.

Black Panther now finds himself in an unfamiliar environment. He has a new name, a new job, and is without the aid of advanced technology from his homeland of Wakanda. This is truly a unique situation for the Black Panther. The writer, David Liss, handles this transition well. It moves at a brisk pace and is full of meaningful dialogue and action. There's even a new villain introduced in this book, and he seems like an interesting foil to our new man without fear. The artist, Francesco Francavilla, does a great job at making this new world look dark and dangerous. His redesign of Black Panther's costume is fantastic as well. It's more militaristic, and fits the mood of the book well.

Overall, this is not a typical Daredevil book. It's not really a typical Black Panther book either. Instead, we have a nice middle ground between the two types of book. The result is a gritty, street level, super hero book. It's well written, beautiful to look at, and worth your time. It was a great read and I'm looking forward to seeing where this series takes us.

Wolverine eats

2010-12-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a compilation of all the pictures of Wolverine eating in New Avengers #7

Extreme Justice

2010-12-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

I wish I could pinpoint the exact moment when "extreme" took on a life of its own in the 90's. Most would assume that it probably began with a snowboarder or a rebellious musician doing something outrageous. Personally, I think the word "extreme" became a buzz word the second Dan Cortese put on his bandanna for the first time. Reading the wiki article that link leads you to may be surprising for some. Yes, MTV used to have a sports show... Regardless of what started the usage of "extreme" (or its bastard cousin x-treme), it only makes sense that DC Comics would apply it to one of their books. I give you Extreme Justice.

What's interesting about this book, is that it features half of the Justice League International roster, except more extreme than normal. How extreme? How about Captain Atom has long hair! I know right, he's a military man. Guys in the military are supposed to have short hair. What an extreme disregard for the norm. You'll also find that Blue Beetle is flipping around like he's Spider-Man in this book. They also made his goggles bigger, which I'm assume is also an effort to mimic Spider-Man. Either way, it's out of control and in your face!

Booster Gold gets a new, dare I say extreme, costume in this issue as well. Tights were beyond out of style during the 90's. If you didn't have a costume with a bunch of extra bulky crap all over it (especially pouches), then you were a total loser. Booster receives an amazing costume upgrade(?) in this issue when Blue Beetle presents him with his new battle armor suit. It's bulky, looks like guns could pop out of it from anywhere, has a cool visor, and leaves a hole up top for Booster's flowing blonde locks to flow freely. It's so extreme, it's like getting an injection of Mountain Dew straight into your veins while snowboarding down K2.

This extreme team does not only consist of JLI members though. There are two members on the team that I had never seen before. There's Amazing Man who has the ability to absorb stuff. This seems redundant since Captain Atom can already do that. There was probably so much extreme energy that needed absorbing, they needed two absorbing guys to handle it. He's also the only minority on the team, so that makes me think they put him on the team so it wasn't only white guys. I doubt there wasn't a lot of extreme thought put into what his powers would be, just that they had a black guy on the team. Which is insulting, almost as insulting as how excessive his shoulder pads are. They probably called him Amazing Man because it was amazing he could fit through doors with those things on. The other new face is a female telepath called Maxima (extreme to the max??). It's another flat character that I'm sure was created because they didn't have a female hero on the team. Her costume is a delightful mix of thongs, bandanas, and shoulder pads. It's an extreme concoction that will leave you in a skydiving, bmx riding coma that you will never recover from.

It's not all fun and games though. Firestorm is also on the team, and he has an extreme problem. Firestorm is a wild party animal and is an alcoholic. I'm serious about this, he gets drunk in this issue. This made me think though, what a terrifying super hero to get drunk. If you thought a drunk driver was dangerous, try a guy that can make anything out of thin air coming at you while plastered. I'll take my chances with the drunk guy in the car, at least he's not going to turn all of the air in my lungs into mercury or my eyeballs into ice cream. He can do that! It's giving me a panic attack just thinking about it. The only good thing about Firestorm is that he's such an idiot. If a person with any type of intelligence had his powers, they would have taken over the world already. Thankfully, he's too busy downing beers and trying to figure out the chemical formula for nachos... EXTREME!

What a delightful trip back to the 90's this book was. Some people really hate that era, but that's when I grew up with comics. It's fun to go back and see how much things have changed, or haven't, since then. I'm also glad I was able to work in a reference to Dan Cortese in this post. He's listed on UNC's famous alumni page alongside John Edwards and Andy Griffith! Go Tar Heels!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see if I can find any Rock N' Jock episodes online. Keep it extreme everyone!

-Action Chad

Cyclops knows how to wrestle an octopus

2010-12-06T15:39:00.001-08:00

You don't get to be leader of the X-Men without learning how to wrestle an octopus.

Archie Haiku

2010-12-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Haiku for Jughead #204

jughead is hired
amusement misdeeds are found
tanning at the beach

Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova

2010-11-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome, one and all, to part 2 of my guided tour through Marvels space opus. This time, I'll be taking a look at the series that started after Annihilation was finished. Those two books are Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova.

For those who have read comics throughout the years, the names on these books are not new ones. Both Guardians and Nova have had several runs in the past, which are typically quarter bin fodder now. Abnett and Lanning took a different approach to both of these books, than how they had been handled in the past.

After giving Nova an updated look in the pages of Annihilation, it only makes sense to do the same for the Guardians. With a fresh look, and a vastly different lineup, this book was able to distinguish itself from it's guilty pleasure past. It was an important first step for this book, if they wanted to ensure the book had even mild success.

Both books covered a wide range of topics in the Marvel U. From Nova's visit home during the Civil War, to the Guardians finding a lost Celestial head/space station on the outermost regions of the universe, it was clear these books were not going to hold back in terms of thought provoking stories. It was evident that there wasn't a leash on these writers, as anything seemed possible within these pages.

By "anything", I'm referring to telepathic Russian space dogs, holographic bounty hunters, trips to Phalanx home world, and possessed living planets. These books took you on a wild tour of faraway worlds, and insane concepts. They really brought the excitement and mystery back into the Marvel U. Did I mention they had a raccoon with a rocket launcher that hung out with a talking tree? If that doesn't do anything for you, then chances are your inner child has died. These books are just fun, plain and simple.

While major events like Annihilation set the stage for this rebirth of space stories, it's books like Guardians and Nova that held it together. These books were the mortar to the bricks. If you haven't taken the time to familiarize yourself with these books, then do yourself a favor and pick them up.

Next up! Annihilation: Conquest

Namor is a dick!

2010-11-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

You would think that a guy that spent as much time hanging around with Captain America as much as Namor has, would probably learn a thing or too about being a decent person. A person that spent the majority of his youth fighting the good fight against the nazis, for the freedom of the world, would have developed a strong moral fiber. If you thought all of that, you would be wrong.

Let me tell you what Namor spends the majority of his time doing. He spends his time swimming around the ocean yelling at fish, whining, and trying to bang your girlfriend. If you need proof of the latter, check out this weeks issue of the Fantastic Four. Namor is still trying to bang Sue Storm. It's been about 30 years Namor, she's not giving it up man. Reed Richards is smarter than you, and can stretch any part of his body out...ANY part. You can't compete with that Namor. Your lucky that Reed hasn't invented a virus specifically designed to kill you, and only you. It's time to move on. Perhaps there are some lovely fish ladies swooning over you....

Oh wait, he did move on. He's been trying to get with Emma Frost in the X-books for the past year and a half. Big surprise, she's not giving it up either. You want to know why? Because she's with Cyclops, leader of the damn X-Men. Namor, and his winged feet, can't compete with that level of awesomeness. Regardless if you managed to get with her for a brief moment in the past. It's the PAST man, get over it. It's cool that Namor tried to hook up with someone of than Sue, but let's try and go for a lady without a man in her life. You're the drunk frat guy hanging out at a trashy bar of the Marvel Universe.

It wouldn't be so bad, if he wasn't an indignant ass to everyone he meets. Always prattling on about how the surface world is full of jerks and how Atlantis is the best ever. You're not endearing yourself to anyone by insulting where they live constantly. You're just acting like a snotty kid that says he has all the cool stuff at his house, in hopes to make everyone think he's awesome. It's not working, get a new shtick or shut up.

If I was Reed Richards and Cyclops, I'd hold this guy down and optic blast his face off. He's the idiotic frat boy of the Marvel Universe. Any guy that has abs like Namor does, and still can't get a girl, is easily a huge ass.Do the math!

"Imperius Rex" means "I'm a giant tool and a dumbass".

Marvel's Space Opus Part 1

2010-11-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Annihilation

If I had told you ten years ago that Marvel will publish a line of comics set in outerspace that are awesome, you would have laughed in my face. Marvel's outer space had been stuck in the 70's for what seemed like an eternity. Occasionally some jerk would get a hold of infinity gem, and the avengers would go stomp them. The worlds of Marvel's outer space were an after thought at best. That was until recently though. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have performed an act that many would have considered impossible, they made space the place to be.

These talented writers first rubbed their defibrillator paddles together when they produced the first issue of Annihilation. The premise was simple, Annihilus gathers his army in the Negative Zone and launches attack into the Marvel heroes space. Annihilus, a Fantastic Four villain, never really seemed like a threat before. The FF tended to handle him easily, so the idea of him trying to attack the universe seemed like a bit of a stretch. That is, until you see the first few pages of this book. A massive, menacing armada enters space and immediately starts to destroy planets, which includes the home planet of the Nova Corps. Their ships all look like giant bugs, and the soldiers are twice as gruesome. This Annihilus means business, and it doesn't look like anyone will stop him. The idea of giving a C-list villain a bump like this is one of several tricks these writers implored to make things interesting. This power jump takes you off guard, and suddenly you don't know what to expect from each issue.

Since they gave a power bump to a villain, it seems only logical to give one to a hero as well. This is where Nova comes into the picture. Nova has been in one second rate group after another throughout his years in comics. He's had several solo series, but they never really gained any traction. He belongs to an intergalactic police force, but spends most of his time trying to nab muggers in NYC. Abnett and Lanning saw the potential in this character, and endowed him with the power of the entire Nova Corps. If you're looking for a comparison, imagine if Hal Jordan had the power of every Green Lantern. Yeah, Nova is pretty hardcore now. He's also patroling space now, something you would have assumed he would have done from the very beginning of his career.

Nova isn't the only character that receives an update though. Many of Marvel's space characters now have modern looks, including Drax, Gamora, Super Skrull, and Ronan the Accuser. These are characters that you probably haven't though of in a while, but suddenly look pretty damn awesome. You also get to see them use their powers in new, and exciting ways. They have depth now! It's such a radical departure from how these characters have been treated for years, that it's shocking. It's part of what makes this series so interesting, it's almost like they're all brand new characters.

Once you get over the shock of seeing these characters handled with care and purpose, you realize that this is a serious war story. These are epic space battles, and land battles to boot. There are massive casualties on both sides. Even characters that you wouldn't expect to die end up receiving the axe. It's a bold story that isn't afraid to try something different.

You also get to see characters move on with their lives. What I mean is, some of these characters have been floating in limbo with what they say they're supposed to be doing. In this series, characters make choices and move forward. Any historian of the Marvel U will appreciate these actions, it's a breath of fresh air to see. I mean if Drax has been trying to kill Thanos since the 70's, maybe he should just kill him already. Just sayin'...

The whole series feels epic, and features a lot of back and forth action between Annihilus and our heroes. While that's awesome, it was still possible for this series to fall flat on its face if it didn't end well. When you're staging a comeback for several characters, you need something that's going to seal the deal. Something that's going to make the reader say "Hell yeah, this is awesome." Well this ending delivers in spades. Fleets of ships in ruins, tons of people have died, and Annihilus and Nova are battling in space to determine who will win this war. With each fighter pushed to the brink, Nova throws a hail Mary. He forces hit fist down Annihilus's throat and rips his heart out.... Hell yeah, that was awesome.

This book sets the stage for what will become the best Marvel space books in the companies history. It's an amazing feat for these two writers to assemble so many characters, that most comic readers could have given a damn about, and tell a story that has you cheering for them by the end. Nobody walks out the same way they walked in here, and that's a good thing.

Next: Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy Series

Review Invincible #75

2010-11-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Invincible #75

It's a bloody, intergalactic, superhuman, throwdown the likes o' which ya never seen in this months milestone issue of Invincible!

The Viltrumite War nears its conclusion in this issue as Invincible and the rest of the United Planets troops make a final assault on the Viltrumite home-world. If you figured the Viltrumites wouldn't take this type of aggressive behavior lying down, then you are correct. A bloody battle begins in this issue, with some serious casualties for both sides. This story continues to escalate into something that is so vast and epic, you wonder if they could ever bring Invincible down to fighting guys on Earth again.

Robert Kirkman's writing in this issue is good, but doesn't really advance any characters. Besides checking off the deceased box next to their names. It's an action issue, lots of brutal superhuman battles. For what it is, it's top notch. It moves at a quick pace and is full of dialogue that fits the scenes. Given the issue previous was an exposition issue, I think its safe to excuse that this is all action.

The art is where this book will blow you away. Ryan Ottley blows the doors off of the place with this issue. If you were wondering why this extra long issue was late, just take a look through to see why. Anyone that is familiar with Ottley's work, knows that it's full of detail. Thankfully, none of that was sacrificed for the daunting task of recreating this epic battles. I've also never seen someone punching someone through their fist into their opponents stomach, then continue upwards with the fist coming out of their opponents mouth look so good. Heads be bein' ripped off, and it's beautiful!

You may be thinking "Chad, this issue is $6.00! I'm not an oil tycoon! I can't afford that!". I say this! The invincible story is 36 pages, plus there's a science dog back-up story, PLUS there's a Tech Jacket back-up story. You're literally getting two comic books worth of material, for the price of two comic books. It's worth it.

I would definitely recommend this issue for anyone who was disappointed with War of the Superman or someone who loves Dragonball Z as well. It's an epic superhero space battle that is sure to entertain even the most jaded of comic book fans.

Review Teen Titans #88

2010-10-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Teen Titans #88

Take a good look at this cover. Notice how the characters are exploding off the page with smiles on their faces. That's because this book, much like Stella, has finally got its groove back. Keep in mind that they don't spend a Caribbean vacation Taye Diggs to do this. That's my obligatory "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" reference for this review.

The biggest change you're going to notice in this issue is going to be the roster. The fat has been trimmed and has been reverted back to the core members, as for as the 2000's are concerned. You have Superboy, Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Raven, Ravager, and another memeber that is revealed on the last page. To say that this mystery member has left me giddy for what is to come, is an understatement. It's a team that looks like it can do some damage, and it looks good.

J.T. Krul, writer, demonstrates a great understanding of these characters right from the beginning. It's very reminiscent of how Geoff Johns handled the characters when the series was rebooted several years ago. By that, I mean the characters are complex, interesting, and fun. He manages to throw in some new monkey wrenches into their lives in this issue, that are sure to make for some interesting moments in the future. He also has them beat down blood thirsty mutants in the first issue! Fantastic!

Nicola Scott really blew me away in this issue. The Teen Titans look phenomenal in this issue. He uses a lot of dynamic angles and poses for the characters, which make them look powerful. He reminds me a lot of Frank Cho, who is one my favorite artists. He also made Raven and Beast Boy look older than the rest of their team mates. I only point that out, because they're supposed to be. I usually seem them as still being drawn as teenagers, as opposed to the mentors of the group. It's awesome stuff and I hope he stays on this book for a while.

If you felt like Teen Titans left you out in the cold a long time ago, then come back into the warmth. The weather is beautiful on Titans island and looks like things are only going to get better from here.

-Action Chad
@chadventure
chad@coastcitycomics.net

X-Men Only

2010-10-28T18:15:00.001-07:00

Spidey on The Simpsons

2010-10-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hell Yeah

The Ghost Rider Omnibus

2010-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween is less than a week away, so I hope you guys are close to having your costumes finished. If you already do have one finished you should email me a photo of it. That way you'll be entered into our Halloween Costume Contest. We'll pick our favorite and the winner will receive a $25 gift card!

Around this time last year, I posted an article about why I thought Ghost Rider was the most brutal guy on the planet. This year, I decided to write a review for the Ghost Rider omnibus that came out a couple of weeks ago. Flaming skulls, vengeance, demons, and motorcycles... it doesn't get any more Halloween than that.

Ghost Rider Omnibus

Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance, dishes out the pain to a number of scumbags, murderers, and cultists in this book. His path of destruction eventually leading him to his final encounter with the angel Zadkiel, who has thrown Ghost Rider's life into the proverbial blender. Think of it as a wild cross country trip full of flaming skulls and Armageddon like visuals.

The writer responsible for all of this chaos is Jason Aaron. You may know him as the guy who recently sent Wolverine to Hell. The horrors of the afterlife seem to be Aaron's bread and butter. His writing makes you feel for Ghost Rider, as he searches for his own vengeance. He's a very human character at his core, and that's what makes this such an enjoyable read. It didn't get so wrapped up in the mythology, that I would have felt distanced from the story. No matter how crazy it became, it never wasn't a story about a guy trying to get someone who wronged him. Aaron's Ghost Rider is down-to-earth while doing things that are otherworldly. He also references "Vengeance", a horrible knock-off of Ghost Rider from the 90's. It's nods to those oh-so-bad Ghost Rider books of the 90's that made me smile, as I grew up on them. Thanks for that flaming motorcycle drive down memory lane.

Aaron also used an idea that Iron Fist did a couple of years ago. They made Ghost Rider a legacy character. By that, I mean that there have been tons of Ghost Riders throughout the ages. They've been in different countries, and date pretty far back. It gave the artists of this book a chance to have fun, and create some really interesting characters. My personal favorite was the Smokey and the Bandit Ghost Riders. I love those movies! It's a great idea, and really opens up the field for what types of Ghost Rider stories can be told in the future.

The art in this collection is handled by Roland Boschi, Tan Eng Huat, and Tony Moore. Each of these artists handled their stories beautifully. They really captured the dark tone of the book, but also captured the more human moments of the story as well. Overall, it's a great collection of artists that are showcasing some of their best work.

The other thing should mention is the price of this book. It's only $50.00! Marvel omnibus collections typically go for $80 - $100, so this is more than a bargain. It's probably the best deal you're going to get when comparing the awesomeness to cost ratio. I'd make some crack about how crappy the economy is, but to hell with it. You already know that.

The Ghost Rider omnibus by Jason Aaron is a well written, good looking, and well priced collection of awesome comics. I can't imagine a better book to sit down with on Halloween.

Review Hulk #26

2010-10-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

After conducting some extensive research via my twitter account (@chadventure). I have discovered that you people, you internet people, want to see more cheeseburgers. I am more than happy to oblige.

On to the review!

HULK #26

After the events of World War Hulks, I've been more than a little cautious about reading anything that says "Hulk" on it. I haven't been a fanof the Red Hulk. He was arrogant, hateful, and seemingly unstoppable. Couple those traits with the fact it took way too long for us to find out who he was, I lost interest pretty quickly. The character didn't seem to have any legs to me. I assumed he wouldn't stick around after the events of World War Hulks. As you can see from the cover of this issue, I was wrong. Granted, he's getting the stuffing beat out of him by Thor...but I was still wrong.

What I quickly learned is that I was wrong to treat this as Red Hulk centered issue of the past year. The status quo for the character has changed in a big way. He's been humbled and drop down a couple of notches on the power scale. He's at the mercy of his former rival and looking for purpose. He's everything that he was not before. He's changed so much that I'll even go out on a limb and say he's likable. (gasp!)
I credit this change to the new creative team, Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman (good last name). You may know them from their work on the recently canceled, yet insanely awesome, Atlas series. Putting this creative team on this book makes sense, as it's full of sci-fi threats and complex characters. That's their bread and butter! Kudos to the editor that called these guys.

Atonement is a big theme in this issue, as the Red Hulk knows he screwed up during the events of World War Hulks. Everybody hates him, and for good reason. When doomsday weapons built by The Leader and MODOK (his evil partners in crime from WWH's) start to terrorize the world, it makes sense that he would be willing to help stop them. This is his chance to change how people perceive him, maybe even how he perceives himself. It's a great idea and is providing some really compelling moments.

While Jeff Parker has written the Red Hulk to be a likable character, a feat which is Herculean in my mind, Gabriel Hardman really distinguishes this book as "not your typical Hulk book" with his art. I've found most Hulk books tend to have giant faces, or full body muscle flexing battles that take up the whole page. This isn't the case here. Instead of seeing the Hulk smashing in one giant panel, you'll several panels and poses of him in action. By putting the Hulk in smaller boxes, we actually get to see more of him than normal. It's more interesting to the eye and leads you on the visual path that a comic should. It's great stuff.

This series has taken a turn for the better. If you felt burned out by the events of World War Hulks like I did, then give this series a shot. Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman have given this character a stay of execution and it's worth your time to read it.

That's all for now guys!
-Action Chad
chad@coastcitycomics.net
@chadventure

Review Strange Tales II #1

2010-10-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I bet some of you were wondering about what happened on the third day of Comic Con. To answer your question, much like Tony's third day at SDCC, not a whole lot happened. Gerald and I just walked around and played video games for the day. Towards the end of the day I paid $13 for a cheeseburger with fries and a coke. I cried while I ate that meal. Thanks New York Comic Con!

Strange Tales Vol. II #1

The idea behind Strange Tales is that indie comic creators take Marvel characters and put them in odd, and often hilarious situations. The result is a collection of several stories, each with a different look and feel. Have you ever wondered why Spider-Man never tricked Kraven into attending the prom so he could hang out in a hammock. I know I have, and luckily the folks behind Strange Tales did too.

One of the best elements of the Strange Tales series is that you don't know what is going to appear on the next page. It could be a story where Wolverine and Deadpool are members of a wrestling league for people who regenerate. It could also be a dreamily illustrated story about the Silver Surfer longing for his lost love. Either way, the excitement of flipping the page never goes away.

Strange Tales is a wild trip that is a lot of fun. It's full of beautifully illustrated, well written stories that will make any comic fan, no matter how jaded, chuckle at the very least. If that doesn't make you want to buy this book, then know you should know one thing. There is a story where Wolverine eats hundreds of hot dogs while complaining about being dumped. Amazing.

That's all for now guys!

- Action Chad
chad@coastcitycomics.net
@chadventure

HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST!

2010-10-14T12:38:00.001-07:00

How would you like to wear your Halloween costume and win a $25 gift card in the process? All you have to do is send a picture of yourself in your costume and send it to chad@coastcitycomics.net. We'll pick the best costume on October 29th! We will be displaying our favorite costumes on the blog.

PLEASE NOTE: It does not have to be a superhero costume! We will accept costumes of all shapes and sizes!

REMEMBER!
send to chad@coastcitycomics.net

New York Comic Con Day 2

2010-10-09T23:08:00.001-07:00

The hits keep on coming as day 2 has come to a close. What manner of beasts and magic did I witness today?

The con was absolutely packed today. I joked with one guy about how I felt like cattle being sent to the slaughter house. He laughed, but then sighed and stared at the floor. We shuffled forward. There were a lot of people.

My first stop was David Mack's table. David is one of the nicest guys in comics. If you ever get a chance to stop by his table, then you should take it. I purchased a Spiderman print from him which he was cool enough to sign.

I also had my copy of Uncanny X-Force signed by Rick Remender and Jerome Opena at the Midtown Comics booth. It was a real "wam bam thank ya ma'am" type of deal. I was a little hummed about that, but at least I got it signed by two talented guys.

Also! I spent some time talking to other comic shop employees this week and I can say for sure that our store is some type of Bermuda Triangle anomaly. They were all shocked when I told them Shadowland and Franken-Castle had sold well for us. Apparently you guys are the only ones that like our best selling books. I don't know why and I don't care either. You guys have great taste.

After that, I went to the Avengers Assemble panel. This panel was a lot of fun, and they gave us a few bits of information about upcoming Avengers titles. The most important thing, to me anyways, is that Luke Cage and Jessica Jone's nanny will be Squirrel Girl! Bendis told the crowd that upon hearing this, Matt Fraction told him "well we better call the Eisner committee and inform that there will be no need for voting this year." It was also revealed that Nick Spencer will be writing a War Machine title called Iron Man 2.0. Exciting stuff! The marvel group was a lot of fun. Especially Jonathan Hickman, who is a genuine crazy person.

After that, I went and paid $4 for a cherry coke. I'm from Maine guys. That's some serious cash to be dropping on a soda. My bank called me to make sure my card had not been stolen. I told them no, but I had been molested.

I then went to the Green Lantern: Emerald Empire panel. You're probably wondering what gems were revealed at this panel. What tasty comic book nuggets will leave you salivating for more? Well there weren't any. None, not a one. The only highlights were a guy in an amazing Larfleeze costume asking Geoff Johns what his most prized possession was and Ivan Reis acting like a nutcase. Reis kept saying his mother was in the crowd as the answer to any fans question. If you ever want me to do an impression of it, just ask me. Gerald really enjoys it. It's also important to note that Larfleeze tried to steal the mic stand after his question.

After that, the place was shutting down. We stopped off at Chipotle and then saw the new Resident Evil movie in 3D. I LOVE CHIPOTLE!

That's all for now guys!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

New York Comic Con Day 1

2010-10-08T20:35:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a day. It feels like weeks have passed me by since I woke up at 6:30 this morning.

My first stop was a retailers breakfast, that was hosted by our distributor Diamond. I won't bore you with a lot of the details, ordering and numbers us pretty dry stuff. The good stuff that was announced for you guys is that all books from DC Marvel won't go above $2.99 beginning January 2011. Hooray! There was also Bacon, and I drank a whole pitcher of orange juice.

I played a lot of video games today. I finally got my mits on Marvel vs Capcom 3. It was an awesome game and I even won a few matches in the tournament, until I was destroyed by a professional player. Oh well, at least I received a free poster.

I also played the new Donkey Kong Country, and it is amazing. It will be in my home for sure. Not even two girls arguing over what is canon from previous Donkey Kong Country games ruined my experience.

The good folks at Sega gave me a demonstration on their upcoming Captain America game. This game looks really promising. I asked the developer if Cap-Wolf would be an alternate costume. He laughed and told me they wouldn't be digging that deep into the franchise.

Gerald met Rick Remender (Franken-Castle, X-Force, Fear Agent) while I was playing games. He bought some stuff from him and came and grabbed me, so I could meet him. Rick was one if the guys I wanted to see the most, so I was excited. We get over to his table and Remender informs Gerald that he really appreciated him buying his books, but he never paid him. Obviously, this wasn't intentional so we rib Gerald about this for a little while. I then asked him to sign my Punisher book. I posted a picture of what he wrote above. It's pretty funny.

I spent more time walking around checking out some great artists and booths. It's really a blast seeing all of these creative people being really excited about what they're working on.

To close out the night, I went to the Venture Bros panel. Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick are out of their minds. I love it. They didn't have any footage to show, since the season had just started. Instead they just took questions from the crowd and told stories. It was hilarious and well worth the hour plus I waited in line.

Tomorow ill be checking out the cup o' Joe panel and walking around eating pizza. It's a tough job folks!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Video Quickies! 10/610

2010-10-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Bobcat

2010-10-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a review tonight, but then I met Bobcat Goldthwait. I'm all flustered and starstruck and can't think straight. Woo!

Quickies 10/5/10

2010-10-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm sorry there hasn't been any updates between now and 24 Hour Comic Book Day, but I needed to take some mental health days after that marathon of insanity. We had 7 people complete the 24 hour challenge, which is quite a bit considering how hard it is to complete it. If you're ever talking to those people who completed it, make sure to shake their hand. They worked hard and deserve your respect.

I'll be scanning some of the comics we have tonight, and posting them tomorrow. There's some pretty funny/amazing stuff in there.

While I was having panic attacks last Wednesday through Friday, I neglected to do reviews! This will not do, so here they are!

Captain America #610

What can I say about this issue that hasn't been said about this series already. It's amazingly well written, and the art is top notch. I could gush about that for a few paragraphs, but instead I want to talk about why I think this issue is important to Bucky Barnes, the new Captain America.

This is the last issue of the "No Escape" storyline that features the return of Baron Zemo, or rather the original Baron's son as Baron Zemo. Zemo has taken Cap to task throughout this series and has left him unconscious and beaten on more than one occasion. At the beginning of this issue, Cap finds himself at the site of where he was believed to have died when he was the original Captain America's sidekick in WW2. Revisiting this location makes me Cap emotional and more determined the beat Zemo than ever before.

During their epic battle, Cap manages to gain the upper hand. Just as he is ready to finish Zemo off, he utters a sentence that cripples Cap more than any of the beatings he has received thus far. Taken aback, Zemo seizes the opportunity and defeats Cap.

Having the hero be beatable is critically important to me, and to storytelling as a whole. Cap can lose, and it casts a shadow of doubt in your mind when he's in a tight spot. It shows how strong the character is, if he keeps going after being knocked down.

With the trial of Captain America set to begin in the next issue, I can't encourage you to start reading Captain America enough. It's everything a comic book should be. Do yourself a favor and get caught up on this series.

Action Comics #893

Holy crap, I'm reviewing a book that's part of the Superman family. Wait? It's about Lex Luthor? Oh, well that's a horse of a different color! I loved that bald super genius and his Lois Lane Robot. Speaking of Lois Lane robots, like those wouldn't sell like hotcakes* if they were real. Just saying!

In this issue, we find Lex and company on the outskirts of Gorilla City. You may know Gorilla City as the home of the evil, super intelligent, psychic gorilla known as Gorilla Grodd. Lex is in search of the Black Lantern energy that was teleported away from him by Grodd, when he was on the North Pole. Calamity, and by calamity I mean brains are eaten, ensue and a very special cameo happens on the last page. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it's a popular character from an uber popular Vertigo title.

Paul Cornell, writer, crafts a tale full of so many twists and turns it will make your head spin. That's how a Lex Luthor book should be though. The guy thinks 50 steps ahead of everyone, nothing should be taken at face value. I especially enjoyed Cornell's take on Gorilla Grodd, as a crazy brain eating jerk. It's a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy a good story about the bad guys.\

Sean Chen pulls off another great issue. His work is full of detail and well organized. His gorillas are especially fierce, especially Grodd. I would also dare to say that I've never been more afraid of a gorilla with a giant spoon before. Good work Mr. Chen! I'll be having giant spoon related nightmares for weeks to come.

Overall, the series is progressing well. I'm looking forward to where this story arc will be when it reaches it's end. Out of all of the Superman books, I recommend this one the most.

That's it for this week! If you guys have any questions or comments, then feel free to leave a comment here. Also, if you want to email me then you can reach me at chad@coastcitycomics.net. You can also follow me on twitter @chadventure. Goodness I'm connected!

crush your enemies

24 Hour Madness part 5

2010-10-02T20:30:00.001-07:00

Sweet merciful crud, that's a lot of pizza...

Thanks Flatbread and Otto's!

24 Hour Madness part 4

2010-10-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

We had two dropouts, seen playing pinball in this picture. Luckily, a replacement was found in the lovely Kristine.

One will finish in time, the other will not. You decide internet!

Tristan is blurry in every shot I take of him. His molecules are unstable.

I told them to look nice in this photo and this is what I get.

Some awesome work from participant Eric Santos

Hugh and Bruce have got some attitude for you...they'll probably be stabbing each other at hour 15.

Guess who didn't want their picture taken??

These guys are machines!

Zoe is doing a lot of intricate work here.

Damnnit Gerald! You're supposed to be working on the comic!

24 Hour Madness part 3

2010-10-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

There, I contributed.

24 Hour Madness part 2

2010-10-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

Over an hour in and everyone is working hard! Things are going well and my panic attacks are subsiding.

24 Hour Madness

2010-10-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

All set up on Coast City's side!

Now I'm going to sit down for a bit and have a Mountain Dew...

THOR #615 Review!

2010-09-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Thor is the only super hero where you can write his name in all caps and you don't look like you left caps lock on by accident. He's a big Norse god and carries a massive enchanted hammer that can summon lightning. Writing his name in all caps shouldn't just be accepted, but mandatory. For the rest of this review, I will be writing THOR's name in all caps. AS IT SHOULD BE!

THOR #615

Remember how when I reviewed Fantastic Four #583 the other day and I said how you needed to read two trades worth of material to really appreciate it? Well you don't have to with this issue of THOR. That's mainly due to the recap page at the beginning of this issue, that sums up what has happened in THOR's life for the past few years. It's simple, direct, and gets you where you need to be. It's a great issue for jumping on.

Matt Fraction has taken over as writer for this book, and comic fans are rejoicing. Fraction has built quite a resume for himself over the past few years at Marvel, including Invincible Iron Man, Uncanny X-Men, and Iron Fist. He's a fan favorite writer for a reason. This issue of THOR leads me to believe that this will be another successful run for Fraction.

This issue asks the question "If Asgard is here now, vacating their own dimension to come to us, then what moved into their spot?" If you guessed angry, red, monster-people with a penchant for murder, then you guessed right! Granted, that's what I usually guess for every question. It's an interesting concept to explore, and certainly makes the title feel fresh. Fraction's take on THOR is a welcome change from the brooding THOR of JMS's run. He's made him a more gruff and human with his interactions. It feels lighter in tone, which also let's the book be funny. Having Volstagg be the "most brilliant scientific mind" of Asgard was a great choice as well. Those scenes were particularly enjoyable. There were a lot of good writing choices in this issue. Thor fans should be pleased with them.

Pasqual Ferry takes up the art chores and fills in the other half of this great creative team. Since the writing has a lighter tone than previous issues, it only makes sense for the art to adopt that principle. Ferry's lines are crisp and expressive. Every character shows tons of emotion, you wouldn't need the words to figure out what was happening on each page. It's good to see that Ferry kept with the re-designed outfits for the Asgardians. He makes his own tweeks to them, which is expected, but it's not nice to see he kept the modern look. The book feels like it has a lot of energy due to the art and makes for an exciting read.

Overall, the book was a great introductory issue for this new creative team. The characters are represented well. The idea that a new mysterious, evil force is lurking amidst realities is intriguing. I'm looking forward to see how THOR handles this new threat.

CAPS LOCK WAS MADE FOR THOR!!

Quickies 9/22/10

2010-09-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! So I totally eff'd up my Spider-Man coverage last week. I know it seems like working at a comic shop is a non stop mega party where everyone gets free pizza and girls run around in bikinis, but that's not the case. I have to do big boy work every now and then and sometimes that keeps me from the blog. SIGH! Luckily I'm back to being in my super fun Andrew W.K. mode and ready to spread some bloggy jam on the toast that is your eyeballs. That sounds gross! I'm sorry!

Fantastic Four #583

The Fantastic Four is a great title because it's not popular enough to have fans freak out over major changes, but just popular enough to avoid being canceled. It's awesome, because it gives the writers the ability to do anything they want with characters that can seemingly do anything! Did you know Dr. Doom made a new set of armor out of his ex-girlfriends skin once? It's true! Only in the Fantastic Four folks!

This issue kicks off the beginning of a major story called "Three". This story will result in, you guessed it, one of the members kicking the bucket. They haven't said which member it will be as of yet, but I'm guessing it's the stretchy guy that keeps F'n with things he shouldn't. That's my official guess!

If you're unfamiliar with the writer on this book, Hickman, then there are some things you should know. Hickman is a fantastic writer, but he lays multiple clues and plot lines in every issue of his now substantial run. At the beginning of this issue, there's a substantial trail of bread crumbs for you to catch up on. While this issue is written flawlessly, I can only imagine that a new reader would be lost when finishing it. I highly recommend starting from the beginning of Hickman's run in order to truly appreciate how great this issue is.

Epting provides the same great art that I've come to expect with every issue. His actions scenes are full of detail and take up the majority of the page. It's always a delight when Epting has The Thing clobbering the hell out of everything. The emotional moments, especially Valeria's encounter with Doom, are intense and full of anguish. He hits all of the right notes in this song. Not that it's really a song, but you get the idea. It's good stuff!

While this is another great issue, the amount of information you need to know in order to fully appreciate it is vast. I highly suggest picking up the two trades of Hickman's FF work before reading this issue. Other than that, this looks like it's going to be an amazing story that really will have those "crack the internet in half" type of repercussions.

Hey guys! Did you know I don't sit up in an ivory tower, casting judgment on all comic books that come my way? It's true! I'm actually very approachable and easy to contact. You can follow me on twitter @chadventure or you can email at chad@coastcitycomics.net. Send me messages at anytime and I will get back to you. Send me pictures, tell me your cat is going to vet, tell me I suck. It doesn't really matter. I am here for you guys!

Spidey Week! Part 2!

2010-09-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Today we're going to take a look at a comic that came out last week, Amazing Spider-Man #641.

Amazing Spider-Man #641: This issue marks the end of the One Moment In Time (O.M.I.T.) storyline, and finally answers the question about why no one remembers Peter is Spider-Man except for Pete and Mary Jane. There are a ton of other little plot threads that are tied up in this issue as well, so it's a pretty dense read.

The story is paced well and isn't as jarring as you would expect a story about several different time periods to be. The event that causes everyone to forget who Peter is felt very organic. It very reminiscent of the issue of JMS's Amazing Spider-Man run where Aunt May had found out Peter was Spider-Man. Much like that issue, it felt logical and honest. It made sense for the characters to act the way they do. Even the final fate of Peter and M.J.'s relationship (yes, that's in this issue as well) comes across the same way. It's quite a contrast to One More Day, the story that's the "cause" to this stories "effect".

The art in this book is top noch. The different art styles for the different time periods was a great way to help people know which time period the story is referring to. Joe Quesada captures the tender moments well, while Paolo Rivera handles the more sensational moments with ease. It's a great combination.

The only drawback to this story is that it's steeped in continuity. To really understand everything that's going, you really need to be caught up on Spider-Man. It's definitely a Spidey story for those who love and follow all of his adventures. If you're not too familiar with what's been going, you'll probably be confused and not as invested.

It's time for a confessional though. I got choked up over the last few pages of this issue. As a long time Spidey fan, I needed to take a break after this was over. It affected me deeply on an emotional level. That's all I'm going to say.

Also, did anyone notice that editor Stephen Wacker is listed as the sorcerer supreme in the credits? I thought that was funny.

There aren't a lot of jokes in this review, so here's one that was texted to me earlier today.

Q: Why does a chicken coupe have two doors?

A: Because if it had four it would be a sedan!

Hahahaha! Oh the fun we have, we are good friends.

ALSO! Thanks to the fine group of people who came down from UMA tonight! It's always nice to hear that people actually read this blog. Thank you so much! You guys are awesome!

My dimensions have been shattered

2010-09-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Were you curious as to why I didn't post anything last week? The answer to that, is that I've been in a Spider-Man coma! So much Spidey in such a short time literally shorted out my brain. So to make up for my vegetative state, I'll be reviewing every Spider book that has come in the past two weeks....starting tomorrow. Today I will be reviewing the amazing new video game, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions!

Story: Spider-Man ends up destroying (or you might say shattering!) a mysterious and powerful tablet during a battle with Mysterio. The pieces of the tablet end up being scattered into four different dimensions, each with their own Spider-Man (Amazing, Noir, Ultimate, and 2099). It's up to them to find the missing pieces of the tablet. Naturally, the pieces of the tablet fall into the hands of each universes villains and fighting ensues.

The story is pretty solid, and develops nicely while playing through the game. That's not really a surprise though, as it is written by current spider scribe Dan Slott. Slott has a great feel for the character in the comic books, and his writing has translated well to the world of video games. The story is jam packed full of references that any true Spidey fan will pick up on. That's including a reference to the Amazing Spider-Ham! The constant dialogue between Spidey and his rogues gallery is priceless, especially in the ultimate universe. I found myself laughing out loud a quite a bit. It's how Spidey is supposed to sound in a video game, and I think it's awesome.

Controls: The controls are pretty solid as well. I occasionally found myself not wall crawling in the direction I wanted to, but I'm used to that with Spider-Man video games. Web swinging took a bit for me to get used to. Once I figured it out though, I was web swinging all over the place. Besides those two minor roadblocks, I found the controls to be tight and responsive. I especially liked the web swinging marker system, which allowed you to jump to objects using your web lines with ease. Kudos to whoever thought of that idea.

Graphics: Each universe had it's own look, which really helps immerse you into these worlds. The characters models look good, and move fluidly. I dare say fluid movement of the characters is more important for a Spider-Man game, than super realistic graphics. I would say it's on par with the first Bio-Shock, in terms of graphics detail. That was a good looking game, so that's nothing to feel bad about it. It's not setting a new benchmark for computer graphics, but I wouldn't consider that a detriment. The game looks great and I loved the stylized choices they made for each of the Spider-Men.

Anything Else?: Yeah! How about each of the voice actors for Spidey are from four different Spider-Man cartoon shows! That's pretty awesome! It's a lot of little things, like the voice actors, that make you realize that the creators of this game tried to cram as much Spider history into this title as they could. It feels like a labor of love when you play this game.

Anything Bad?: Yeah! I don't like the choice they made for the voice acting for the 2099 Spider-Man. They have the guy who did the voice work for the 70's cartoon, and he is just way too happy to be Spidey 2099. This character should be more brooding and have a deeper voice. He comes from a world that is being destroyed by evil corporations, but he sounds like he's zipping around a roller disco while cracking jokes. It just doesn't feel right. I think it's cool they got that voice actor to work on the game, but he shouldn't have been used for that Spider-Man.

Overall?: I freakin' loved it! It's a blast to play and totally worth it for any die-hard Spidey fan like myself. Buy it!!

Panels

2010-09-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Here are the panels that I thought were cool or funny this week!

In this page, The Punisher demonstrates why you don't bring Kung-Fu to a gun fight.

Secret Six reveals what the next SyFy original movie will be about.

Magneto picks his favorite grandson.

Lastly, Taskmaster shoots a guy in the face for being weird.

Quickies 9/2/10

2010-09-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It's still ridiculously hot out! I can't wait for Hurricane Earl to come rolling in and destroy the Sun. What happy days we will all have then!

Taskmaster #1

Here's a B-list villain that only a few people really care about. Luckily, I'm one of those guys. For those of you unfamiliar with Taskmaster, he has the ability to do anything, as long as he's seen someone else do it. Flip like Spider-Man, punch like Captain America, kick like Iron Fist... if he's seen it, then he can do it. That's a pretty cool power, in my opinion.

What happens when you've memorized so many different things, that you can't remember any of your personal memories? That's the question that this series asks as Taskmaster has to figure out who he is, while every assassin group on the planet is trying to kill him. Craziness!

This series reminds me a lot of Deadpool, as it's pretty funny and full of action. Taskmaster does have his own personality though, so don't worry about it being a clone of Deadpool. I'm sure that's a sigh of relief for anyone who feels there is too much Deadpool out there. In fact, there is even a line of dialogue in this book where Taskmaster says that he hopes Deadpool isn't there. Those people who hate Deadpool are probably annoyed that I just wrote Deadpool so many times in this paragraph. Sorry!

Fred Van Lente writes a really crazy and action packed story. Luckily for him, Jefte Palo does a great job of making all this insanity look awesome. This is a really great combination for a creative team. I especially enjoyed Palo's choice of giving Taskmaster more of a cloth mask as opposed to the ridiculous over-sized skull mask some artists give him. It's a nice halfway point between the costume I hate, and Udon's amazing costume they gave him during Agent X (pictured on the right.) That was so bad-ass.

This is a mini-series that I highly recommend. It's friendly to new readers, as it offers bio's on all of the characters and groups featured in this issue after the main story is finished. Fans of Taskmaster (the few and the proud) will enjoy it too. Also, it's full of AIM goons screaming "Death by Science!". I'm a big fan of that.

That's it for me guys, I'm going back to sweating to death in the store.

Quickies 9/1/10

2010-09-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Guys, seriously, it's too hot in the shop for me to even think straight. I apologize in advance for anything that I may write due to heat exhaustion throughout this post. It's like the Human Torch is giving me a bear hug while whispering lewd things in my ear. It's hot AND uncomfortable. IT'S FRIGGIN' HOT!!!!

Here is my review of my favorite comic this week!

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2:

The spellchecker says that I can't capitalize "Children's". You think you're so smart spellchecker, but you are not. You are dumb, because that is the title of this book. It needs to be capitalized! This is why robots will lose when they rise up to kill humanity.

This series is really shaping up to be something special. Having the original writer for Young Avengers back to write another story for this book was a great idea. Having them try and track down the Scarlet Witch (the mother of team members Wiccan and Speed) is an even better idea. What could possibly make this any better? How about if we add Magneto (father of the Scarlet Witch) into the fray, and make it a real family affair. It's a great idea for a story that is unveiling quite nicely in this second issue.

The only drawback is that the issue is a little steep in continuity. That may turn off readers who are unfamiliar with the characters. They do spend some time in this issue answering any questions a first time reader might have, which is certainly a positive. Kudos to Allan Heinburg for filling in the gaps while progressing the story.

Heinburg also does a great job of handling Magneto. I know some people don't care for the idea of Magneto being a good guy searching for redemption, but I love it. He's always been one of my favorite characters, and it seems logical for the character to progress this way. He's seen the error of his ways and wants to make amends, no matter how many times Wolverine tells him that he'll just go back to his old ways. Heinburg nails his character perfectly.

The art, by Jim Cheung, is amazing as well. He reminds me a lot of Oliver Coipel, in terms of the look of the characters. They look strong, powerful, and just realistic enough. He leaves in a bit of exaggeration to their form and features, which works quite well. It's a beautiful issue. It's hard for me to find fault with his work.

Overall, the family reunion/hunt for the Scarlet Witch is moving along nicely. This issue has some action, mystery, and great dialogue. Plus the reveal of the bad guy at the end of the issue should excite the majority of you. It would behoove you to be reading this series, if you enjoy quality comic books.

Holy cow, I think my brains are starting to melt out of my ears. What a horrible thing to happen! I'll be posting more reviews tomorrow, preferably from a walk-in freezer. Send help, I'm dying!

Quickies 8/27/10

2010-08-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Sorry that the posts have been coming so sparingly, but I've been really busy getting the shop organized. Everything is all set now though, so I'll be updating this more regularly again. I also plan to eat more pizza than ever before! My goals are amazing.

Without further ado...

Green Arrow #3

I will say that I do love the cover for this issue. I know the image of Ollie with an arrow in his head stirred up a bit of controversy, but I think it looks pretty awesome. I thinks it's actually tasteful, as far as covers with the main characters with arrows in their heads go.

Speaking of which, Green Arrow has quite a bit of inner monologue going on for a guy with an arrow in his brain. He's also trying to speak! I don't know if the writer has ever been shot in the head with an arrow before, but usually those things tend to cease when something goes into your brain. Green Arrow must be a ridiculous tough customer.

This issue is okay, but I still have no idea where it's going. Is this book about the forest, the white lanterns, or Green Arrow's redemption? It could be all three, but I really don't know. It's that question, what's going on, that is keeping me from getting into this series and enjoying it. It makes things, like the introduction of Galahad (yes, as in the Round Table), less interesting and somewhat annoying.

This series still has potential, but the clock is ticking.

Guarding the Globe #1

Remember when Friends went off the air, but they had Matt LeBlanc star in his own series called "Joey"? Remember how god awful "Joey" was? It was really bad. I don't think Matt LeBlanc has done anything since that show tanked, so long ago. Oh well, I'm sure we'll see him on some Sy-Fy original movies soon. Let's take a look at this, long awaited comic, book spin-off.

The title of this book is not a typo, it really is called Guarding the Globe. You would think it would be called Guardians of the Globe, because that's what the teams name is, but you would be wrong. I guess they would rather name the book after what they're doing, as opposed to their name.

Since this book is set in the Invincible universe, it features a lot of the cast members of that series. While some spin-offs tend to lose the tone of their parent books, this one does not. That is mainly due to Invincible writer, Robert Kirkman, writing this book as well. Having him as the writer has kept the book full of the same energy, humor, and over-the-top action that you've come to expect from Invincible. If you enjoy Invincible, or fun super hero books, there is no reason why you wouldn't like this book.

Ransom Getty was a good choice for the pencils on this book. I do think he tries to emulate Ryan Ottley's work a bit too much, as I would like to see him really develop the characters on his own. He did a great job overall though. I really enjoyed it. Getting one inker and colorist would be a good idea for future issues. If you like on the inside flap, you see several inkers and colorists were used and it is a little bit jarring when reading the issue.

This book is a lot of fun, and great introductory story for these great characters. If you've wanted to jump into Invincible, but were not sure how, then this is the book for you.

I just checked out Matt LeBlanc on IMDB, and I'm sad to report that he really hasn't done anything since "Joey" was cancelled. Somebody hire this charming, funny, goofball. If you're reading this Matt, we will pay you one large pizza to come down and do a video for our store.

Here are books that I thought were cool this week. Black Widow #5, Captain America #609, Invincible #74, Justice League: Generation Lost #8, Prince of Power #4, Punisher: Happy Ending, Action Comics #892, Time Masters #2, X-Factor #206.

Image United #3

2010-08-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

The wait is over! The comic that I have openly mocked on our coming soon board, with "??" as it's date for a release, is here! Image United #3 has finally hit the stands. After about nine months, is this comic worth the wait? Do amazing things happen? Do you ever remember what happened in the first two issues? The answer to all of these questions is no! What do I continue to hurt myself by reading this series?

I'm astonished that this comic took approximately nine months to produce. It's overall production is no better than any other issue of this series, even worse in some parts. It's as sloppy, and weird looking as ever. You would think with nine months, that this book would like better than it does. Better than a drunken monkey photoshopping a bunch of sketches together anyways. Someone could have had a baby in the time it took to do this issue. A freakin' human life!

The fact that Rob Liefield claimed that they were waiting on Todd McFarlane to finish this issue seems odd to me. From what we can tell, and extensive squinting was done by the whole staff, McFarlane did two large drawings in this issue. Nine months to do two pages is a bit extreme, but they are easily the best looking pieces in the book. Given that Liefield came out and accused McFarlane for causing this book to be late, they do have a love letter written about McFarlane by publisher Eric Stephenson, seemingly in an effort to smooth things over with the reader. It's a nice effort, but I really don't care guys. You lost me on issue 1, I can only imagine you lost most of your core readers seven months ago. So why write a letter that doesn't say anything except "Sorry guys, my bad" from McFarlane himself.

Do you remember when your teacher would give you a group project at the beginning of the semester? They would tell you this was your final, and you had the whole semester to work on it. What did you do in this case? You waited until the last minute, and churned out a pile of crap that resulted in a pity grade of C. I felt like a disappointed teacher, shaking my head, and wondering why I bother after reading this issue.

I would like to provide you with a less than, greater than equation to describe the wait for this book.

Who Shot Mr. Burns is answered < Image United #3 is released < Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses is releases < The Titanic pulls into port (still waiting)

Given the shipping schedule of this book, it's entirely possible that this series will finish mid 2012. This is under the assumption that the remaining three issues will ship nine months apart from each other. That is assuming that Quezocotal doesn't end the world before that happens. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on the serpent god before I bet on Todd McFarlane and company.

Hopefully the Image faithful (is there such a thing?) haven't completely abandoned this series yet. Maybe they can still turn this around with the three remaining issues. For their sakes, I certainly hope so. This series continues to be a huge, late mess.

Also, the Erik Larsen back up story is a terrorist attack on my eyes.

Quickies 8/11/10

2010-08-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I hiked Mount Washington this weekend, and it was insane! That's the highest point in New England for you folks that are not from my neck of the woods. There came a point, when I realized that I had 3 hours to go before I reached the bottom, that I wished I was the Hulk. I would have just leaped right off that mountain and been done with it. I would have then smashed open the Coke machine, and saved myself $2.25. That's an outrageous price for a soda!

Anyways, here are this weeks reviews.

Ultimate Avengers 3 #1/ X-Men #2

These comics must have been separated at birth, because they're nearly identical! They both feature Blade on the cover, are about vampires groups joining together to infect super heroes, and have a super hero turning into a vampire before the issue is over! Do you guys not have phones at the Marvel office? It would be pretty crazy if two different writers had the exact same idea for a story arc, have both stories approved by the editorial staff, AND have them both ship in the same week. Craziness!

Out of the two Blades, one being the Ultimate version, the traditional Blade in the X-Men book is cooler to me. Now don't get me wrong, I like this Dolemite: Vampire Hunter version of Blade in the Ultimates. He just can't compete with the traditional Blade's handlebar mustache. It's one of the most diesel facial hair styles in existence!

When comparing the stories, I'm giving the nod to X-Men #2 as well. Ultimates 3 #1 felt choppy and full of holes. The vampire slaughter in the beginning was fun, but it went downhill pretty quickly when they introduced the new Daredevil. The X-Men story was paced well and made sense. It also featured Cyclops telling everyone how it was going to be. I love those moments, as Cyclops is the man.

I'm giving X-Men the art nod as well. I'm not a huge Steve Dillon fan, as I find his work stiff. It's not bad, I think he's a great artist in terms of technique. It's just not something I'm into. Paco Medina's art in X-Men is fluid and full of energy. It's something that I really enjoy. It's an art style that I feel has been missing from X-books as of late.

So, if you've been looking for a super hero book about vampires coming together in an attempt to infect super heroes to bolster their ranks while Blade fights them... I would go with X-Men #2 this week. The Ultimates books isn't terrible, I just felt that X-Men #2 was a better issue overall.

Morning Glories #1

Now this is how the school system should be. If you break the rules, you should be attacked by a purple, psychic, ghost man. I just think that's how it should be... I'm entitled to my opinion.

Nick Spencer does something that is always fun in this book. He takes high school students from various regions, social groups, and tax brackets and puts them under one roof. What will the rich boy say to the poor one? I bet something sassy and demeaning! Will the cheerleader and the goth girl get along? Haha! Nope! It's solid gold every time!

While mixing up groups like this is interesting, the school itself is the real story. Morning Glory Academy appears to be a prestigious prep school on the outside, but it quickly becomes evident that something sinister lurks within these halls. It's so evident, that it doesn't take our characters very long to realize that something is amiss.

This book is really interesting, and it does a great job of sucking you in at the very beginning. Joe Eisma's art is solid in this book. He does a great job of conveying the emotion of these characters, helping them come to life more. This was a great first issue.

This is another book that I would suggest you start reading, before it gets turned into a movie. I would like to note that there are no actual morning glories in this book. Fans of the flower will have to look elsewhere.

Here are other books that I thought were cool this week!

Birds of Prey #4, Daredevil #509, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1, Incredible Hulk #611 (touching father and son moment ..sniff..), JL: Generation Lost #7, Shadowland: Blood on the Streets, Ultimate Spider-Man #13, Thanos Imperative #3, Thor: The Mighty Avenger #3, Transformers #10, Walking Dead #76, Dark Wolverine #89, and Zatanna #4

Quickies 8/4/10

2010-08-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher

Don't be confused! This is not the same book as the Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe. This book is totally different, because in this one The Punisher kills the Marvel Uni.... Damnit! Okay, so maybe it's similar, but it is definitely a different story! I swear!

Frank makes an unintentional booboo in this one guys. He shoots up some mobsters that were carrying a dangerous chemical. That chemical gets into the water supply of NYC, and seven months down the road everyone starts turning into cannibals. They are NOT zombies though. The book makes that very clear. I'm assuming they made that distinction because of the over-saturation of zombie stories in comic books nowadays. How do you stop a global outbreak of cannibalism? By shooting the crap out of it, of course! It's a good thing that the Punisher enjoys doing that, so convenient! If you're curious as to why he's immune, read the book. I'm not going to tell you everything that happens.

While this book does borrow heavily from two other popular Marvel stories, it still felt fresh when I read it. I'm really enjoying how they have been putting Frank Castle in different situations, than he would be used to. Adding science fiction elements to his stories has really captured my attention, and made me appreciate the character more.

This introductory issue is brooding and interesting. Jonathan Maberry, the writer, acknowledges that this story is similar to PKTMU and Marvel Zombies. This helps make the story more palatable to older comic fans, and less like a rip-off of classic stories. It flowed really well. I was firmly behind Frank by the end of this issue. The art, by Goran Parlov, compliments this book nicely. It helps Maberry's writing seem even more tragic. This is a good mix for a creative team.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first saw this issue was coming out. I'm happy to report that I really liked it. I think if you're a fan of Marvel Zombies or Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, then you should dig this story. If you enjoy the Punisher shooting the crap out of psychopaths, then you should dig this book as well.

Crossed: Family Values #3

Dear David Lapham and Javier Barreno,

What the hell is wrong with you? Did I seriously just read an issue full of mutilation and incest, only to have it end with a young girl ripping her unborn baby out of so she can eat it? Do you guys need a hug or something? Did your Dad not show up to your little league games? Seriously, this is some pretty #$%&'ed up stuff here guys.

Go fly a kite or something, chill out.

Best Regards,
Action Chad

Okay! That's it for this post! Here are some other books that I thought were cool this week!

Brightest Day #7, Captain America #608, Doomwar #6, Gorilla Man #2, Shadowland #2, SHIELD #3, Amazing Spider-Man #639, and Ultimate Avengers 2 # 6 (loved the ending to that issue).

Big Time

2010-07-31T09:48:00.001-07:00

It was recently revealed at SDCC that the "Brand New Day" era of Spider-Man stories would come to a close with the story entitled "Origin of the Species." Saying the "Brand New Day" era is coming to a close not only has implications in Spidey's world, but in the real world as well. The book will then be shipping twice a month and Dan Slott (Avengers: Initiative, Mighty Avengers) will be the only writer. This is a big change from shipping three times a month and having seven writers. So, what major change in Spidey's life could equal the magnitude of this real life shift? Peter's finally going to get paid!

The name of the new era is "Big Time". That means bigger enemies, bigger stories (30 pages), and a bigger bank account thanks to his new career. Dan Slott described it as

"Peter's career is getting in shape, which leads to him having more resources as a superhero. After all, with great money comes great stuff."

Some of that great stuff will be multiple costumes, including the black and neon green costume revealed at SDCC. Slott also said

"This book isn't just Spider-Man. It's Spider-Man firmly in the Marvel Universe."

I think it's safe to assume that we'll be seeing more team-ups in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.

As a huge Spider-Man fan. I welcome this change with open arms. One of my favorite things about JMS's run on Amazing Spider-Man, was that Pete was getting his life together. He wasn't struggling for money, he was using his brain and finally being successful. Then the Brand New Day era came about and made Peter a penniless dumbass again. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot of the Brand New Day stories. I just enjoy seeing Peter be successful. I'm invested in this character. After the decades of hardships, it's nice to see a character get some sort of reward.

I also love the idea of Peter possibly getting a job where he gets to use his brain. I know it hasn't been confirmed as to what his new job would be, but I would imagine his "dream job" would be something involving science. Spider-Man has a brilliant mind, why not let him use it more often than when it's convenient for a story. I really hope this is Slott's intention, as that would make me the happiest Spider fan ever.

Given everything I have read about "Big Time" so far, I'm really excited about these changes. I only hope that I'm not letting my imagination get ahead of me, so I won't end up being disappointed. This looks like a fun and energetic new look for Spider-Man. I can't wait!

This new era will begin in Amazing Spider-Man #648, which will ship in November.

-Action Chad
chad@coastcitycomics.net

Tony's SDCC Coverage Day 4 and 5!

2010-07-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

SDCC Day 4 and 5:

So, this is late, sorry about that. Also, I combined the last two days because they were quite uneventful (well, for Comic-con that is).

Still riding the high off of Scott Pilgrim I decided to start Saturday at the Scott Pilgrim experience yet again. I really needed a new Gideon Club shirt that wasn't crooked. Also, the convention center would be a mob-scene since Saturday is the biggest day and I did not mind avoiding that at all.

This time, the Scott Pilgrim experience started at 10am so I got there around 9 and the line was already three times as long as it was the previous day. People seemed to have figured out what's going on. I got in line and immediately made friends with the two girls in front of me. I showed off my Scott Pilgrim 1-up pin and their jealousy was immediate. We all continued to hang out and chat. Midway through the line I let some random kid stand behind me. When people protested the girls and I let them know "Oh yeah...he's totally with us...he's our friend Billy". His name wasn't Billy, but that's what we called him for the rest of the morning. Once we got up to the top I got my new perfectly leveled-enough shirt and we got in the autograph line. This time it would be Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, and Jason Shwartzman. I didn't mention this last time I was here because I didn't want to do it by myself, but they had these three booths where you could make a flipbook! It was really awesome because you just moved around, doing whatever, they quickly filmed you and then printed out all the pictures, stapled them together and presto! flipbook! I easily coerced my two female buddies to come with me. I spun them both like ballerinas. It was adorable.

We waited for a bit longer, I snuck away to play more of the amazing Scott Pilgrim video game (soon to come to your PS3 and Xbox!) and then the line started to move. While in line, the rest of the cast came out to say hi and make their own flipbooks. Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram/Superman) is a tall dude. I have to say that the entire cast and crew for the Scott Pilgrim movie is freaking amazing humans. Each one really wanted to interact with the fans; you could tell they were loving the situation.
I asked if Edgar Wright would call my friend to say "happy birthday". He was totally cool with it, but security kicked me away while Edgar said to still try to get him on the line. I also thanked him a million times for what he did for everyone on Thursday. Michael Cera was really nice, but fairly quiet. A female friend asked for me to give him her number so I did. He looked at it, licked it up and stuck it to his forehead and then put it in his pocket. He hasn't called yet though, what a jerk! Last was Jason Shwartzman. He was super super nice. We actually talked a bit about his role of Gideon and the difference between comic and screen representation. He actually seemed vaguely interested in what I was saying, or he is just a great actor! (The previous line is a sincere statement as well as Scott Pilgrim the Movie reference)

After all of the fun we left the "Experience", traded contact info and went our separate ways.

I went inside and went to go see Adrian Alphona to pick up my sketchbook. He apologized for not being around and said he had to meet up with ___ for a ____. He immediately went "Oh shit, don't tell anyone I said that." This is me, not saying anything. His Niko sketch he gave me had a new unbelievably beautiful style to it. Seriously buy anything this person puts out. I then briefly met Rich Johnston who runs www.bleedingcool.com. I go back and forth on his site a lot, and it's mostly from the somewhat jack-ass commentators he has. He was a really really nice guy and seemed genuinely happy that I introduced myself as a reader of his site. He then told me if I hear any "dirt" to let him know! I didn't let him know about Adrian because I'm a man of my word! I then headed back to the Image booth to meet up with Jason Howard (Astounding Wolf-Man). I wanted a Wolverine sketch and he was happy to do it.

Now at this point I really had nothing to do...I needed to go to Hall H soon, but wanted to pick up my sketchbook first. I decided to wait in line for a Bendis signing because I had an hour to kill and didn't mind standing in line. He was there as well as Oliver Coipel and Laura Martin. I had a copy of New Avengers for Chad for him to sign. Laura Martin is my second favorite colorist (after Christina Strain) so I was happy she was there. Chad wanted an Iron Fist by Coipel and since he wasn't sketching, I did the next best thing. Bendis also followed suit.

My sketch wasn't done yet so I headed to the Hall H line to wait for the Thor/Captain America panels. We waited in line for over two hours and it wasn't moving and I then got a tweet that there was a stabbing in Hall H. A girl next to me told me her boyfriend (who was already inside) that they stopped the panel for some reason. I told her what I read and the rumors spread like wildfire in the line. When security came out after the third hour to tell us there was a medical emergency, everyone immediately started screaming that there was a stabbing. I lowered my head and was hoping I wouldn't be pointed out as the instigator. We waited another hour and nobody left Hall H so we could not get in. This really sucked so I left. I'm pissed that I missed that panel because amazing things happened during it. I then went to go to Flynn's Arcade (yes, from Tron) that the company set up, but they closed and wouldn't be opening on Sunday. Frak! I decided to hit up the Cartoon Network sponsored pizza joint for some moderately overpriced slices.

On Sunday I wasn't in a rush for anything so I went for a pretty good breakfast in the morning and then hit up the convention center. I got my sketchbook and then I had almost nothing to do. I could sit in panels all day, but the ones I wanted to go to were pretty scattered. I decided to go into Ballroom 20 (the mini Hall H) for the TV panels. I saw some good ones, but the highlight was "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Damn that show is amazing. That was pretty much it for Sunday. I had to take the red eye home which SUCKED. Guy behind me must've ODed on Ambien because he was snoring up a storm. I put on my headphones and listened to Fugazi "Sweet and Low" while I slept. Yeah, I listened to one song for 5 straight hours.

Well, that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed being in my shoes as much as I...uh...enjoyed being in my shoes.
PS: The last picture of Silver Surfer...I give this guy an A for effort, but damn dude, work on that bulge...

Quickies 7/29/10

2010-07-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Before we begin this week, I want to share with you the worst thing you could ever have uttered to you at a Wendy's.

"I'm sorry sir, we're all out of chocolate frosty. Would you like to try vanilla?"

The answer to that is a resounding no. Please don't make the same mistake I did. Learn from my follies.

On to the comics!

Wonder Woman #601

I've already told you my thoughts on Wonder Woman's new threads, so I won't spend any time talking about it in this review.

This story sets the stage for the new direction of Wonder Woman, and I enjoyed it. I'm serious! I thought the setup was cool, and it made me interested to read more. There are some exceptionally brutal parts shown during a flashback sequence that kept me interested as well. It didn't hurt that they mention that Diana's mission is to restore her world as it once was. This new direction is a lot easier to take, knowing that they don't mean for this to be a permanent change.

I really like Don Kramer's artwork in this. His pages, showing the siege of Paradise Island, are intense and beautiful. The fire scene is tough to imagine, but you can't look away. My only complaint is that he does recycle drawings in different panels a bit too much.

A lot of people were turned off by Wonder Woman #600, but you may want to give this book a second look. She may have changed clothes, but the book hasn't changed at its core.

Franken-Castle #19

Guys! Where are the Franken-Castle shirts! If anyone in the comic industry is reading this, can you please send an email to your apparel department and urge them to get on this! I want to display my adoration of Franken-Castle via my clothing!

If you thought the first encounter between these two was brutal, then you need to read this issue! This fight includes; ears being sliced off, grenades, impaling, being thrown through walls, more impaling, electrocution, stabbing, slicing, gun shots, and a concrete saw. All the while, The Punisher insults Daken by calling him "Mullet" and making fun of his tattoo. It's stories like this that are making Rick Remender my favorite writer. My only complaint about this issue was its guest star on the last page. Let's leave it between Frank and Daken, no outside interference please.

The art chores are beautifully handled by Tony Moore. This is the same guy that did the original "Franken-Castle" story, so it's some awesome stuff. His art style is fluid, and full of detail. His anatomy is spot on, but provides enough exaggeration to the forms of the character to make it fun and well...comic book like. I'm a huge fan, if you couldn't have guessed. If you were bummed that he had not been doing the past few issues of this series, then rejoice. His art style fits this character perfectly.

When I reviewed Dark Wolverine last week, I mentioned that I thought this issue would set up the plot for this mini-series. It sort of does, but I almost feel that this is going to be a big four issue fight. I guess that's alright with me, I wouldn't mind another long standing feud between two characters. We'll have to wait and see if there is more than meets the eye to this giant slobberknocker (Jim Ross!) of a fight.

That's all for this week! Here are a list of other books that I thought were cool as well!

Secret Avengers #3, Fantastic Four #581, Fear Agent #28, Flash #4, Green Lantern #56 (Larfleeze makes a Christmas list!), Green Lantern Corps #50, Justice League: Generation Lost #6, RASL #8, Action Comics #891, Ultimate Mystery #1, and the backup story to Uncanny X-Men #526, not the horribly drawn main story.

Tony's SDCC Coverage Day 3!

2010-07-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

SDCC Day 3:

Yesterday my day started with me waking up to Ramona. Today I woke up and first thing I saw outside was a Crow picking at a dead mouse. This will probably relate to the Walking Dead panel more than the futility of life...I hope.

So today felt a lot more uneventful in comparison to yesterday's madness. I still had a great time.

First thing that was happening on the agenda was the AMC Walking Dead panel. I got there about two hours early and the line was massive, but moved extremely quick and I got a pretty good seat. Because the smart thing is to get there early so you can get in, I got there right before a Hawaii 5-0 panel started. Seriously? Do people actually care? I guess so...the girls next to me were screaming. Daniel Dae Kim also came out, and Lost is awesome so that is cool. Basically, I played Mario Bros on my DS the whole time.

After that was the Walking Dead panel. Almost the entire cast was there with Robert Kirkman, Frank Darabont, the special effects guru, a producer and head of AMC. It was really entertaining and they all talked about their characters and discovering the comic for the first time. The footage they showed was UNREAL. It was incredibly gory and Frank pointed out that this was the safe footage they were allowed to air. I can't friggen wait. Six episodes for the first season. That's pretty much an hour per chapter of the first trade! Of course there will be differences in comics/screen, but it is still going to be AMAZING.

I then headed down to the convention floor. I finally found the AMC Walking Dead booth (you'd think I would've known where everything was so far!). They had a set set up. It was intense. Broken everything, one guy killed himself with a shotgun while another body laid on the floor. The "windows" had screens with zombies approaching on it. It was great.

Afterwards I continued to roam around. I found Kody Chamberlein (Sweets/Punks the Comic) at the Image booth and we chatted for a bit. We both frequent the same message boards so he then hooked me up with an AMAZING Batman sketch. Guy was a serious class act. Check out his new book "Sweets" it came out last week.

Getting this reminded me that Christina Strain had my print still! I headed to artist alley and found her and Adrian Alphona (co-creator Runaways) hanging out. Alphona was doing sketches so I of course picked up a Niko sketch. I left him my book, then our schedules collided and I never got it back. They'll be around tomorrow though (I hope!).

I then spent some more time at Artist Alley and the Dealers section. To be honest, Artist Alley was pretty pitiful. New York Comic Con had a WAY better collection of artists and it was probably double in size. There was some awesome people there, but it was way smaller than it used to be. The dealers section (the people actually selling back issues, etc) seemed pretty tame. San Diego has turned into geek-mecha and it seems to be getting too big for random back issue dealers. Yes, it has comics, but SDCC is more an entertainment expo at this point. I actually overheard one dealer talking to his friend saying "Yeah I think I made a whole...10 bucks today!" This was about 2 o'clock too. That sucks hard.

After that I headed over to the video game booths. I don't play a wide variety of games, I usually just find one or two and play the crap out of it. I decided to check out some stuff though. I played a few DS games that were just way too overly Japanese and didn't keep my interest long. I then waited in a short line to play Marvel vs Capcom 3. This game was AWESOME. I used Captain America, Wolverine, and Ryu (In honor of Chad) and I kicked ass. I am not good at these button mashing fighting games because I simply..button mash instead of learning combos, but me and this dude had a pretty epic battle and it was super close by the end. (Action Chad Note: I am EXTREMELY jealous...but proud.)

Stan Lee then did a signing in promotion of the Spider-man Shattered Dimensions game. I've seen Stan Lee a million times so I didn't really care, but it totally opened up all the other video games. I played Shattered Dimensions for a good 30 minutes without anyone else waiting to get on. This game was awesome. The Noir section is fun because it is grainy and you have to do a lot sneaking around and the unveiled Venom section is badass. You use a "rage" power and totally f stuff up.

After that I headed up to room 6DE. There was a DC panel, then a Vertigo panel, and then the Live Rifftrax panel (which was the big thing I wanted to see). The DC panel was interesting. Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison admitted they recently started having conversations about a team-up they'll do in the future. They talked a lot about Flashpoint, the upcoming Flash mini-event. So many people were excited about Flash related things. Also, comic fans have the worst questions at these things. It's either total fanboy whining or deliberately asking "How will this happen" when the only answer you'll get is "Uh...read the book".
The Vertigo panel was pretty good too. Jeff Lemire, Ba and Moon, Scott Snyder, and many many others were there. It was packed on stage. Vertigo is doing some really interesting stuff lately and as Karen Berger said at the panel, Vertigo has become a creator owned workplace for people which is a fun thing.

Last was the Rifftrax panel. What can I say? It's the Mystery Science Theater guys...it was hilarious. Laughing out loud the entire time. They live-riffed a short called "How to Buy Food" which practically riffed itself. They then worked with the audience to figure out the next Rifftrax. They ended up deciding on Clash of the Titans and the Last Airbender. These choices are solid, but too obvious. There would probably be riffs of them anyway. I really wanted the suggestions of 2012 or Super Mario Bros or Hook to be chosen.

Anyway, that was my day. Not as eventful as yesterday, but Walking Dead and Rifftrax were both amazing. Tomorrow brings Harry Potter, Green Lantern, Fringe, Captain America, Thor, and Kevin Smith! Almost all movies all day!

-tony

PS I found Ramona again, but she was volunteering at the Dark Horse booth and seemed really busy and when I came back later she wasn't there! Gah!

Tony's SDCC Coverage Day 2!

2010-07-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

SDCC Day 2:

Today I got to sleep in which was always nice. I went to the SyFy sponsored restaurant called SyFy Diem. The get up was super nice and all the meals were TV themed (Battle Star Galactica, Eureka, WWE even). I had some of the most amazing french toast ever and then I was off to the convention.

I started wandering around upstairs and finally made it to the con floor. I tried to pick up the Skeletor vs Mol-arr action figure from Mattel, but they were super crazy about their lines. I tried waiting for the second line to hop in, but a security guard kept telling me to move and keep walking. I asked him why, because I wanted to wait for the figures. He just repeated himself. I asked why again and then asked if he really expected a couple of thousand people to really respect his authority and not stand wherever they feel like it. He stared at me then told me to move again. I left. F that guy.

After that I tried to get a sketch by Francis Manapul. That guy was a machine, busting out beautiful stuff while standing up and talking with people. Sadly the line was crazy long and I didn't have enough time to wait around, perhaps tomorrow.

I did see Christina Strain, one of my favorite colorists (Runaways, World War Hulk). I picked up a beautiful print from her, and she held onto it so that Adrian Alphona could sign it as well. Writing this now, I realize I forgot to pick it up. Crap.

I then went to the Scott Pilgrim vs Comic Con Experience...but I will get to that in a bit.

After SPvCC I went to Hall H, the line wasn't ridiculous so I was able to get in pretty quick. I saw Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and others promoting the Warren Ellis adaptation "Red". It looks pretty funny and interesting, but I think I'll wait until it comes out on Netflix.

Right after that was Entertainment Weekly's Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams conversations. This was really fun and entertaining. Two legends discussing their favorite things, their upbringings and what they are doing in the future. Joss Whedon confirmed for Marvel that he is, in fact, directing the Avengers movie. Yes!

After that was the Expendables panel. Now...you know what the Expendables is already. It's the over the top action flick with almost every action star of every genre in it. It always looked fun, but the idea was so ridiculous (Let's stuff all these people in a film!) that I didn't think I'd be really interested in seeing it in theater. Well, Stallone, Dolph Lungren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, and..uh...the dad from Everybody Hates Chris came out and talked for a while and then showed some exclusive clips.This changed my mind on the whole film. It's completely over the top in the best way possible. People are getting shots with huge guns and body parts are practically flying off with blood splatter everywhere. Bones are broken in three different ways. It was just brutal and entertaining. I'm definitely seeing this in the theater.

Next was the Scott Pilgrim panel...but let me start at the beginning.

Last night I had a dream, and in that dream was Ramona Flowers. Yes, I understand how weird that is. We just hung out and talked. It was a very calm and pleasant dream. Little did I know that this was a sign of the amazing day I was going to have.

From now on SDCC is changed to SPCC, Scott Pilgrim Comic Con. Throughout the day I saw a lot of cosplay, but Ramona Flowers was the most cosplayed person throughout the day. Around noon I went to the Scott Pilgrim vs Comic Con Experience. It was outside the convention center so not a lot of people knew about it at first. I was within the first 30 people in line. Bryan Lee O'Malley came out at one point to check out the crowd and we talked briefly about Walking Dead and I snapped a picture with him. Chad put it best as "Not Pictured: Tony's boner. Upon entering the outside deck we were greeted with Dan the Automator and Kid Koala. spinning on a higher deck. and all around us were huge posters from the film. Also, I must add that Scott Pilgrim fans are awesome. Everyone was super friendly and talkative, I made friends with a really cute girl dressed up as Ramona. I really should have gotten her number...
Anyway, we were able to make our own t-shirts. By make I mean we chose a t-shirt color then a design (from about 10 different options) and they pressed it right there. I got the Gideon club symbol, but the lady doing it totally put it on crooked. We Hate T-shirts they are not...

Afterwards we could make our own flip books (Seriously, flip books! How fucking awesome is that!). Then the cast came out little by little to sign autographs. I met Bryan Lee O'Malley again and Edgar Wright. At one point Erik Estrada was watching us from an upper balcony. Wright went a little fanboy for a moment.

After getting autographs I went to play the Scott Pilgrim video game. It is freaking awesome!Iit follows the book pretty closely and the gameplay is just so much fun. At one point I found out the rest of the cast would be coming out little by little to get autographs, but I decided to pass and make my way over to Hall H. Also, I knew if I saw Mary Winstead (Ramona Flowers), I would have told her I dreamed about her the night before and then I would be escorted off the property.

Aaaanyway, flash forward to the Scott Pilgrim panel. Before the show they passed down buttons in the aisles. Not everyone got all the buttons though. I at first got a red Knives Chau pin which is pretty cool, but I really wanted someones 1-Up pin that I saw in the aisle in front of me. Right before the panel started a guy came up to me with a small bag of white pins. Success!
The panel was awesome, Michael Cera dressed up as Captain America and Edgar Wright was just hilarious. The footage they showed literally gave me chills.
They did a quick Q&A and right after the last question Edgar Wright interrupted the cheering audience and said:

"Hey, pins were passed out before the show...if you got a white 1-Up pin you are officially invited to a screening of Scott Pilgrim that is playing...uh...right now! Follow me!"
Holy crap...holy crap. Hall H was huge so it took a long time to get out of there and when leaving there was two huge groups of people walking in opposite directions. I followed the crowd to the right....when we got to where we thought the movie was being played we all found out this was for a showing of Penn and Teller, not Scott Pilgrim. Shit! Me and a few other guys literally began to run while screaming "Wrong way! Wrong way! Scott Pilgrim is not showing here!" I was with five other people literally running about 8 blocks until we found the theater. It was an old vintage theater and even had balcony seating. Simply Beautiful. Going in they gave us free popcorn and a soda and then I found a seat in the second row right in the middle. Dan the Automator and Kid Koala were there again spinning, and then Edgar Wright came out and told us he had more news....METRIC, the band who wrote the music for Clash At Demonhead will be performing after the credits! Awesome!!

Okay, the movie, the movie was simply fantastic. Literally laughing out loud the whole time and cheering throughout the film. I can't wait to see it another five times. It was extremely similar to the book and the changes that needed to be done were not a big deal at all. People had the most doubts about Michael Cera (Scott) and Kieron Culkin (Wallace Wells), but I thought they both did an AMAZING JOB! Of course, they had to adapt six graphic novels worth of material for a movie so the pacing was really fast, but it was awesome. This is a perfect movie for all types of nerds. Music, gaming, comics, movies, etc. It was fantastic.

After the credits, the screen lifted up and Metric performed. They did their Clash at Demonhead song and then played about 4-5 more songs. It was a lot of fun. They aren't necessarily my favorite band in the first place, but the music is nice and live it was really fun. The bassist is also super sick. The (almost) whole cast then came out and bowed.

Anyway, that was my day at SPCC. It was amazing...I know the rest of the weekend won't top it. Also, I mentioned Walking Dead yesterday, but I was mistaken, that is tomorrow!
Also, my new mission is to find that Ramona again...I dreamed of A Ramona....that must mean something!

-tony