Plots and Pictures

My Week In Skyrim

2011-11-19T13:07:00.036-05:00

Despite the pure awesomeness of comic books, I do have room in my life for other pleasures. I like V8 Fusion juice. There's a whole serving of both fruits and vegetable in one can. Socks bring me joy. The more outlandish, the better. One thing very near and dear to my soul though, is video games. Other than comic books, games have probably had the biggest impact on my life.

The line to get the game at midnight

Before I found the wonderment of getting lost on an epic quest, I was on the fast track to becoming a world-class athlete. Bobby Bowden would come watch my recreation league games when I was a wee tot playing for the Dairy Queen Knights just to ensure his continued dominance at Florida State. Final Fantasy VII would change all that though when my mom bought it for me as a reward for getting straight As on my report card. The greatest video game ever made quickly took over my life and my very being. The way I acted, talked, and thought would reflect every experience I had in my over 200 hours of playing time. So when Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out over 10 years later on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11), I knew I couldn't pass up another potentially life-changing opportunity. I turned in my week-long vacation request and hunkered down to begin another worldly adventure.

Prior to embarking on such a journey, one immensely important decision must be made. How do I want my character to look? This will be the visual representation of yourself in the video game. You don't want to look weak, stupid, or unfit to the over 1,000 characters inhabiting the world you're soon to explore. Make sure you create someone you can be proud to be associated with. After an hour of contemplation I finally decided to make myself a Dark Elf, medium build, long white hair, and purple eyes. Yes, this avatar will do fine. This...Champion.

Make sure you're ready to dedicate yourself to this game. Once you start, it will take control of your life. Say goodbye to daylight, healthy meals, and fun with friends. I missed out on a fun night at the Partridge Inn where it looks like Parrish humped a stranger in the back of the head and taking my trademark shots of Qream at Bar on Broad. Oh well though. Skyrim would more than make up for it.

Day 1 - Blind Ambition

My quest begins just as any does. With ambition in my eyes and awe in my heart. The beauty of the landscape and potential for exploration. I take it all in. Oh blessed ignorance. Ironically enough, I quickly found that my week of vacation would be far more work than one under employ. Immediately I am captured as a prisoner of war and sent to the executioner with the leader of the rebellion, Ulfric Stormcloak. I do not know this man. Wrong place, wrong time. Just as my appointment with the void arrives, so too does a dragon. The incredible beast wreaks havoc on the town. The army is in utter dismay and is quickly obliterated. I owe this dragon a debt of gratitude. Or do I?

Quickly I find out dragons are no saviors at all. Quite the opposite really. The tales of yore speak of the the World-Eater. Alduin, the first dragon. I need to make a name for myself. This dragon I shall hunt down. This world I shall save.

Something very interesting happens when I slay my first dragon. He speaks to me. In a tongue that only I can understand. Even more peculiar is my ability to absorb its soul. It makes me feel powerful. So powerful. What am I?

I hear tales of dragon priests that may be able to help me better understand myself. I must see them. But they live so far in the mountains. For now, the road is too dangerous. I must build my strength. Doing some quests to help out some townsfolk will help. I slay bandits, find lost relics, and restore honor to sullied family names. Surely I am ready for the mountain trek.

Day 2 - A Hero Humbled

Nothing can stop me. An entire day spent doing menial tasks have built up my strength. Not once have I encountered any force I couldn't quash. Up the mountain to seek guidance from the Greybeard dragon priests is my next move.

A giant! Oh what a monstrosity. Nothing harms it. Nothing slows it. I am helpless against its power and speed. His strikes send me rolling in the deep chasms of the mountainside. My first defeat. What a bitter taste. Never again shall I feast on such a foul meal.

The giant beats me again. In my anger, I throw my controller down and fall out of my chair. Why can't I beat the game? Why????????

My strategy is clearly not working. I am not ready to see the Greybeards and find out my destiny. Rumor has it that there is a college in the north. A college for mages. I like magic. Maybe that's what I need. The College of Winterhold, prepare to meet your finest student.

More random side quests. This is beneath me. I need the help of these mages though, so I do what they ask of me. I will find your lost amulet, test your new spells, and gather your potion ingredients.

A plot! One of the mages seeks ultimate power. He murders the Arch Mage and tries to tap into the Eye of Magnus. Not without his Stave you don't.

The traitor was easily dispelled. My heroism proves valiant. I am the easy choice for new Arch Mage of the College. My time there has been well spent. My fire magic is twice as strong and I have become quite the conjurer. Surely I am ready for the mountain trek now.

Day 3 - Destiny's Answer

Oh you pitiful giant. So easy were you to defeat. Nothing could stop the turning tables of the combined might of my firebolts, archery, and conjured fire monster.

I arrive at the summit of the Greybeards. An impressive temple. None but one talks to me. Are they being rude? What's their deal?

My first impression of the Greybeards was ignorant. They proved incredibly helpful. They only speak the language of dragons. Except for one. The one who could speak with me told me of my destiny.

The call me Dovahkiin. The dragonborn. Only I have the power to truly rid Skyrim of the dragons. Their souls are strong even after defeat. They always return. Unless I take their souls. I know what I must do. If I defeat the World-Eater in battle and take his soul, I can ensure he will never trouble the world again. How do I find him though?

Day 4 - Joy and Contempt

I am quickly contacted by an ancient organization of dragon hunters called The Blades. No doubt they've heard my impressive tales. They tell me of an ancient artifact that might show me the way to Alduin the World-Eater. I must find it.

Ooooooo!!! The Thieves Guild. I love the Thieves Guild. I will take a break from my quest and join in the fun of thievery and espionage.

I quickly rise in the ranks of the Thieves Guild. Clinging to the shadows and residing in the silence comes natural to me. This is how I should perform all my quests from now on.

Before long, I find out the Thieves Guild has quests of honor too. Bore. I shall finish these quickly and then go on about my business. The world will not save itself.

Day 5 - Respite

It feels like millenia since I have had any form of personal communication in the real world. The only way anyone knows I'm still alive is through Twitter and my awesome tweets. I must pause the game and step out in into the light.

It burns!!! What is it, like 400 degrees. This is November.

Costco is every bit as dangerous as the world of Skyrim. Countless cars waiting for parking spots, hundreds of people jabbering on in the densely populated aisles, and oh so many useless products. No one wants to make their own soda pop. I bring my mother along. She loves it. She goes to every vender to see how every machine works and snacks on every bit of food. Maybe she thinks this is a buffet. Yeah, a buffet of agony.

Despite the lack of awesomeness, it was good to get away from the game for a little bit. I realize I miss my workmates. Lynnsey hassling police officers. Claire's dance moves. Parrish's incredibly inappropriate sexual poses. Curry saying weird things. Sarah stealing the way I narrate my life through the art of song.

I return to Skyrim. Maybe the experience at Costco has taught me something. I may be a fearsome warrior, but I am a fool when it comes to domesticated living. What will I do when I can no longer quest. I don't want to be alone and living a miserable way of life.

I decide to take on a bride. Brelyna Maryon. A dark elf from the College of Winterhold. She's been my travel companion for quite some time now and has proved quite useful. She seems into me too, so I figure I'll throw her a bone (so to speak).

Brelyna stays at home now that we're together. I can't have my wife out on dangerous quests. Something could happen to her. So now she runs a potion store and cooks my dinner for me. Doesn't sing a lovesong though. I like returning home every now and then because her dinner gives me power bonuses and every time I go to sleep to recharge my health, I awaken to a message that says "You awake to your lover's comfort." Oooooohhhh yeahhhhhh. Still, I can't return home every night. Like I said, the world isn't going to save itself.

I am quickly able to find the way to Alduin. I also learn a method to ground dragons, keeping them out of the sky and thus easier to fight. The World-Eater never stood a chance against me. I have braved the horrors of Costco, World-Eater. You are nothing to me.

I jump for joy and shout the way Lebron James does after a big slam dunk. Have I finished? Is this game beaten? The music doesn't stop. I think my journey continues.

Alduin flees. My quest is not over yet. The coward has retreated to restore his power. In a most horrific way.

Day 6 - Mission Accomplished

Feeling my goal is nearly reached, I awake early in the morning to get a jump on my quest. How foolish of me to think it over so early. The pursuit of Alduin proves to be multiple hours of more gameplay. Fine by me.

The Greybeards tell me where Alduin has gone. He gets his power from the souls of man. That is why he wants to destroy all of us. An atrocity! To fully recharge himself, Alduin has gone to another plane where the souls of fallen warriors all gather to feast in the afterlife. It would be Alduin who would feast though, not unlike my mom at Costco.

I enlist the help of one of Alduin's lieutenants to get me to the dead warriors feast. Of course he did not do so without a fight. I capture him and threaten eternal imprisonment if he does not fly me to his master's location.

It was all child's play once I found my rival again. I beat him once and I can beat him again. Sure, he's fully powered now after dining on the souls of dead warriors like the dreaded Disir of Asgardian lore. These warrior souls still have some fight in them though, and their valor would not let them sit idly by as I took on the World-Eater again. Don't you remember how this turned out last time, nemesis?

Storms erupt. Clouds give way, but my firebolts set fire to the rain as they hit Alduin. A thunderous roar. The ground beneath quakes with a fury. The beast has fallen. I approach with the haste of Hermes and strike with my Bound Blade. After 58 hours, 43 minutes, and 36 seconds, I have defeated the enemy of all of Skyrim. The world is safe. You are welcome.

My journey is not over though. That was only the main quest. The world is safe, but there are still people out their who need the Dragonborn's help. Countries in strife. Powers attained.

Day 7 - Neverending Journey

I awake with an immense sense of accomplishment. I have just beaten what is most likely the best game to come out in the last 5 years. Even better, I am probably the first grown man to do so in Augusta, seeing how most adults have better things to do. Whatever. I don't. And I'm not done.

Without the weight of the world on my shoulders, I am able to do anything I wish in the world of Skyrim. First up, the Companions.

Seeing how everyone's favorite movie came out today, I felt joining the Companions would be a most fitting jester to honor Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Why? you ask. Well the Companions are a group of warriors who have chosen to become werewolves to help them better protect people. I too became a werewolf. Owwwwwoooooooo!

The main threat to the Companions is a group calling themselves the Silver Hand. They see werewolves as an abomination. I say werewolves can be good people too. So you must die, Silver Hand. I strike. They strike back, but harder. Our leader falls. A truly tragic tale because he wanted to cure himself of his werewolf nature before he died. He won't go to the afterlife the way he wished to. I will avenge him. The Silver Hand's act of retaliation only drew my ire. I would ensure their cold blades would never feel the warmness of blood again. I slew them all. Easily. Our leader was on to something though. I don't want to be a werewolf. What would my wife think? So I cured myself.

Keeping with the Twilight theme, I kill countless vampires and collect their dust for potions. They are so weak.

Maybe being a werewolf infected me with a taste for blood. Maybe it was there all along. Regardless, I have it now. The Dark Brotherhood is the perfect organization for me. Hired hitmen of Skyrim. I quickly get quite the compelling mark. The one and only Emperor of all of Tamriel (the empire Skyrim belongs to). This will be fun.

Killing an emperor is no small task. Someone like you could never pull it off. Only a true professional could accomplish such a feat. Especially if you want to do it delicately, like I do. I need to lure him to Skyrim. Just so happens that his cousin is to wed a ruler in Skyrim. I go to the wedding and introduce an arrow to her heart at the reception.

The Emperor wants his vengeance. He comes to Skyrim personally. To find his whereabouts I steal the itinerary off one of his most trusted lieutenants. After I slay the lieutenant, I frame him for the murder of the Emperor's cousin. Child's play.

He never knew what hit him. I infiltrated his ship silently. Took down his guards methodically. Walked right into his room and shot an arrow through the neck. Never even saw it coming.

What a week. It may have actually been more work than actually going to work, but it was so worth it. I may not feel like a new man like the way I did after playing Final Fantasy VII, but those games only come once in a lifetime. Skyrim came close though. But it's not even finished. I still have to either quash the rebellion or destroy the imperial army. I haven't finished building my wonderful dragon armor yet. And I'm sure there are still hundreds of quests that need questing. Also, I'll be waiting for those expansion packs offering up more quests and skills.

Leave a comment about our adventure. Like Button Gwinnett signing the Declaration of Independence, it will make you feel like part of the epic journey as well.

Comic Books Make Me Cooler

2011-09-24T14:22:00.011-04:00

Most people associate comic book nerds as just that. Nerds. I can't deny that reading about men in capes beating up on men wearing fish bowls as helmets is pretty nerdy. Reading these kinds of stories can make you look especially lame if you are ashamed or embarrassed of your passion though. However, if you own up to your love of comic books, a whole world of wonders opens up to you. Your love of comic books can actually make you cool.

Think about it. Anyone who is an expert in something is automatically cool. Oh that guy throws the best football pass? That's so cool! This girl wears the best fashions? Awesomeness!!! Same concept. I'm that guy who knows every superhero's alter ego and villains. I know how Peter Parker died in the Ultimate Universe (spoiler alert). I know how Captain America died (and came back), how Thor's going to die, the entire Green Lantern mythos, Batman's son's name, and even all the changes being made in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story. If loving comic books were like being a celebrity, I'd be Justin Bieber. If it were a movie, I'd be Forrest Gump. A sport - football. A liquor - Qream. An SAT section - analogies. That's pretty darn cool, right?

I'm so glad I'm cool. My life would be lame without comic books. I don't even know if I'd have a sense of identity without my pals Namor and Silver Surfer hanging out with me on Wednesdays. I wouldn't have that "thing" that makes me different or better than everyone else. There's nothing cool about that. I suppose I could find another "thing." But what? Videogames? Videogame junkies always end up about as cool as Fred Savage. Movies? Movie buffs are so precocious. Avatar rules! If I didn't have comic books in my life, my attention would probably turn to sports. One must be careful when it comes to sports though. It's a very slippery slope. Falter just a little, and your love for sports can easily be turned to hate.

Enter, Neal Folger. Here we have a man who is the most decent of decent dudes. He goes to church every Sunday. Helps the poor. Loves his mother. And recycles. There is a darkness in his heart though. Sports. His passion started just like any fan's. He likes the Falcons and wants them to succeed. Countless moons pass and all he experiences is failure and heartache, splintering his soul. No longer is winning what he desires. He must have company in his misery. Neal now cares more about your team losing than he does about his team winning. His appetite for hate grows with every passing second. The number of teams he must see lose every week has gone from 3 to 2,915 in only three and a half years. What started as Georgia, has grown to encompass America's team (the Cowboys), and even God's own team (Notre Dame). This once pure soul has been hideously transformed into a black abyss completely void of anything resembling happiness. Poor Neal. Thank you, comic books.

That's only an extreme example. Most people's passion brings out the best in them. If it's something weird, like a cat obsession (you know who you are), then you immediately become more human and easier to joke around with. Meow meow. If your passion is something incredibly difficult, you are the person that will get friendly challenges. Everyone loves duels. Rubics-cube-off! Now. I just won. We all have something we're known for. And pretty much every time, that something makes us cooler people.

So I'm proud of my comic book collection. Every summer all the cool kids come to ask me about all the superhero movies coming out. If someone needs to know what exactly San Diego Comic Con is, that person knows to look for me. What's the deal with the DC relaunch? Grab a chair, partner. It sure feels good to be cool. And it's all thanks to comic books.

**Leave a comment letting me know how super cool you think I am.**

NCAA/Character Battle Tournament

2011-04-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

National Champion

What a fight, right? No not really. As a matter of fact, the championship battle was almost awful. The two combatants were so mismatched that they failed to put up any kind of entertaining offense. In the end though, just as everyone expected, Thor ascended victorious and would feast like a king after the glorious feat of winning my first tournament challenge.

First and foremost, be sure to check out the NCAA/Character Battle Tournament page of my blog. It's an entire section of my blog dedicated to just this feature piece. You'll find the big bracket and results of every game at the top of its page, larger pictures of the brackets, every single update I will make after each day of games, and even a way for you to make your own bracket. Check it out and be sure to leave your comments there. Just click on the NCAA/Character Battle Tournament tab at the top of the page, just below my banner. Or you can even click on the image below that shows you where my Tournament page is.

From the very beginning of the battle, it was clear that Daredevil's luck had finally run out. Anything that worked in previous fights, had no success against the mighty Asgardian. Any ninja or stealth tactics were laughed upon by Thor as he brushed off all close-quarter combativeness and slapped away each sneak attack. If anything, these attacks hurt Hornhead. With each punch against Thor's armor, Daredevil's fists cracked. Each stealth tactic being perfectly countered, disheartened and wounded him. Each flail of a kick would only tire the blind hero out. He was able to land some projectile attacks with his billy clubs though, but those were few and far between and let's be honest. Inconsistent attacks on the God of Thunder don't do any significant damage at all. Daredevil was hopeless in this fight.

Thor wasn't that much more impressive offensively. He didn't have to be. His strategy of standing around laughing at Daredevil's ineffectiveness suited him just fine for the first half of the battle. Perhaps tiring of his opponent's taps and pricks, the Asgardian brought down the hammer in the second half though. Any chance he got, Thor would grab his unworthy opponent and just smash him into the ground. Once he was sufficiently pleased with his foe's placement on the ground, he would pound him continuously with the mighty Mjolnir. Once the God of Thunder tired of this, he would summon forth the ravaging thunderstorms and fry the wounded hero where he laid. Everything came easy for Thor in this match and in the end, he would be the one who made the Man Without Fear finally cower.

The tales of the Mighty Thor shall be recited for ages. In the first round, he utterly dominated the increasingly popular and well-written Batwoman. After that, he conquered the ever-popular ruler of the Dream World. His first true test came when he had to take on one of his oldest friends. But Iron Man too would succumb to Thor's might after a well-fought battle. Lex Luthor also fought hard in the Destroyer Armor, only falling once Thor's cunning and battle-savvy took control. Hulk would test his might against the God of Thunder, but alas it was not enough. And in the very final stage of this epic, Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder, would make Daredevil, the Man Without Fear, realize that the debacle that was Shadowland wasn't as bad as it could get for Daredevil.

You absolutely have to leave a comment on this page. This took a lot of hard work and I need your feedback. Also, I know you have something to say about some of the action that's going down. Don't be shy. Be heard. Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter while you're at it, @SoKoJohn.

Marvelous Bias?

2011-01-31T01:20:00.034-05:00

The comic book world is divided into two main publishing companies, Marvel and DC. About 90% of all the comic books you've ever heard of come from these two companies and currently they are about even in terms of sales per month. Naturally, these two publishers have different styles of storytelling. DC is more fantastical and hokie. Marvel is more grounded, while still being about superheroes, and gritty. They're a lot like the differences between Star Wars and Star Trek. I prefer Star Trek, by the way. A few people have accused me of having a Marvel bias. I'm not an irrational person. I can see why some might think that. My blog background consists of only Marvel characters. Ninety percent of my comic book collection, of over 1,000, consists of Marvel comic books. Even my Halloween costumes have only been Marvel-related. My preference does not equal bias though. Marvel's characters are just cooler than DC's. That's a fact. To help prove this I will be presenting you with DC's most recognizable heroes and then comparing them to, not Marvel's most popular, but characters similar to those DC heroes. This will leave some of Marvel's greatests, like Spider-Man, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Wolverine, out of the competition, seeing as how they have no immediately recognizable similarities with a popular DC hero. By giving DC this upper hand, hopefully I can hammer home the fact that Marvel's characters are better and get some people off my incredibly muscular back.

Captain America vs. Superman

Superman is easily the most popular person in all of comic books. Everyone in every country has heard of him. It's no wonder why he's DC's flagship hero. Marvel's flagship: Captain America. Both are not only icons in the real world, but also in the comic book universes they belong in. They are a source of inspiration to all super heroes. Enough about their similarities though. You people came for a battle.

I want to start off by saying that perhaps "battle" is the wrong word. This comparison isn't about who would win in a fight. That's Superman. He's got every power ever imagined. Of course he'd win. This "battle" is decided by which one is the better character.

Superman may be an inspiration in the DC universe, but in the real world - he's a dork. The boy scouts haven't been cool in 20 years, and Superman is no different. Also, no one likes a person with no flaws. In fact, people despise those guys. Superman is boring to read or watch because he has no real challenge. Every "conflict" of his seems manufactured. "I'm super awesome but that girl still doesn't like me." Yeah right. Lois Lane's everywhere would have no problem hooking up with big beefy Clark Kents.

Captain America is a real hero. Like Superman, Cap was created in a different era and flourished under its sensibilities. Back then, boy scouts and inspirational speeches were cool. They aren't anymore, and thankfully Marvel recognized that. In the cleverest of ways, Marvel brought Captain America into the modern era and gave him this "Man out of Time" dilemma (like Austin Powers except more serious). He still fights for morality, but must also learn to live in a world that's become mostly immoral. He also deals with espionage, terrorists, ghosts from his past, and has a hot blonde girlfriend. Oh. I forgot to mention. HE ONCE PUNCHED HITLER....IN THE FACE.

This one's easy.

Winner: Captain America

Daredevil vs. Batman

Batman might be the most popular comic book character in the world right now (thanks to Chris Nolan's amazing movie adaptations of him). I wish Daredevil got the same treatment, but Ben Affleck had a little something to say about that. Regardless, both heroes are the tortured souls of DC and Marvel. They're also the kings of what's known as "street-level" crime fighting, meaning they deal mostly with robberies and gangs as opposed to worldly threats. Which hero is cooler though?

Batman is certainly more popular. He's been around decades longer, has six more live-action movies, and starred in tons of cartoons (including one really good one). He also has more interesting bad guys (don't sleep on Bullseye and Kingpin though) and, even though he doesn't have any powers, would probably beat Daredevil in a fight because he's such a great strategist and has a gadget for every possible scenario. I love Batman. I don't love Bruce Wayne though. He's just not an interesting character and I hate every attempt to make him interesting, especially Damian, his ultra annoying, ill-begotten son.

Matt Murdock, Daredevil's alter-ego (you probably didn't know that), is incredibly interesting. He's probably more fun to read about than Daredevil himself. Bruce Wayne may have witnessed his parent's death but Matt Murdock is infinitely more tortured. Not only did his father also die, but two of his girlfriends were murdered in front of him, one of which was told she was HIV positive just so a bad guy could mess with Matt's head. His blind wife was put into a mental institution. And his secret identity was outed to the press, leading to his arrest. He's a ninja too. Matt Murdock, along with Daredevil, is a great character to read about.

This is a tough one for me. A problem with Batman is that the Nolan movies are better than any Batman comic book I've read. They're good books, but Daredevil's are just so much better. My decision is sure to upset some, but if you've payed any attention, you're sure to agree.

Winner: Daredevil

Ms. Marvel vs. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is pretty much a Lady-Superman. All the guy heroes look up to Superman in the DC universe and all the gals admire Wonder Woman. Ms. Marvel is, of course, the preeminent heroine in the Marvel universe. As far as powers go, both are remarkably similar. They can fly, are super strong, and prefer to fight in absurdly uncomfortable-looking costumes.

The similarities between Wonder Woman and Superman continue past their icon statuses unfortunately. Like Superman, Wonder Woman is a prude. In the 50s, she was probably this really cool chick who could do all the things men could do. All women can do that now. Wonder Woman's characterization is stuck in the past and her super coolness faded accordingly. She's more of a stuck up old fuddy duddy now. Recent Wonder Woman writer John Michael Straczynski even said a fan wrote and complained about him livening up the character by making her flirt a little. The fan said it was like "reading about his grandma hitting on dudes." Wonder Woman a grandma?!? Say it ain't so!!!

Ms. Marvel is just as strong as Wonder Woman, but she's sassy too. She's a modern girl. She goes on dates, whines about her life, listens to Lady Gaga, and jokes around with the girls. Her heroic problems are far more interesting than Wonder Woman's also. Ms. Marvel is trying to fulfill her legacy as Captain Marvel's successor and become the most popular super hero while doing it. Every girl wants to be popular. That's what makes Ms. Marvel feel natural.

Wonder Woman has gone the way of invisible jets. Who needs her? This one isn't even that close if you think about it. Ms. Marvel, you're hot stuff. Wonder Woman, you're a hot mess.

Winner: Ms. Marvel

Iron Man vs. Green Lantern

Continuing on with the theme of judging women, here come the womanizers of comic books. Iron Man and Green Lantern are known as the fly boys of their respective publishers. Both are constantly hooking up with random women and are known to be extremely arrogant, sometimes not even in the good way. Both also led to a sort of destruction of their superhero communities. Why would anyone like them then?

Surprisingly, I'm not that big a fan of the Green Lantern himself. He's not an extremely interesting character. He's just a guy who is confident in himself, so others are too. Green Lantern's appeal is the overarching story and supporting characters. No other place in comic books will you read a story more epic and fascinating then in the pages of Green Lantern. Emotional Spectrum of powers? COOL! Awesome enemies becoming allies in the face of greater evil? SWEET! Outer space? I THINK MY HEART JUST STOPPED!!! I wrote a feature story on this very blog about a single element of the greater Green Lantern mythos. That's how cool it is.

Iron Man. That's a character I'm a huge fan of. He's the kind of cocky jerk I can relate to. He's never ashamed to admit he's the best at every thing he does, and people get angry about it. I know how you feel, Tony Stark. People are mad jealous of me too. Iron Man and I are so much alike. It's too bad he has the opposite problem of Green Lantern. Iron Man's stories just aren't as interesting as the character. He fights a bunch of Iron Man wannabes and terrorists. I could watch that boring stuff on the news. It also seems like he's fighting the same Iron Man wannabes over and over again: a Stane, or Hammer, or Dynamo. His comic book series is good. Don't get me wrong. It's only good because Iron Man is such a great character though.

This one is sure to raise a few eyebrows but I just can't turn my back on awesomeness when I see it.

Winner: Green Lantern

Quicksilver vs. Flash

Here come the speedsters of DC and Marvel. They run fast. That's it.

I'm not a fan of Flash. All he can do is run fast. Usain Bolt can do that. Show me something I haven't seen. Also, the source of Flash's power, the Speed Force, is a lame attempt at replicating the mythology behind the Green Lantern universe. ICK!!! He's insanely popular though. I just don't get why.

Probably none of you have even heard of Quicksilver. And for good reason. I really hate Quicksilver. At least his speed is easily explainable, however. He's a mutant. Other than that, he's got nothing going for him. Quicksilver is a crybaby and a wuss, constantly getting beat up. In fact, I want to give a quick high five to my boys, Black Bolt and Magneto, for giving him some of the most passionate beatings ever seen in print. Quicksilver's costume sucks too.

Both of these guys are losers. One just slightly less than the other.

Winner: Flash

Namor vs. Aquaman

Both of these guys are the King of Atlantis in their respective universes. When it comes to the ocean blue, these guys are unbeatable...I think. Namor is at least.

This match-up really doesn't require any explanation, but I'll humor you anyway. Aquaman is the butt of every comic book joke. Family Guy makes fun of him for being useless on land. The guys on Big Bang Theory get upset when they are forced to dress up as him. Aquaman is a joke of a character and deserves zero respect.

Namor, on the other hand, is amazing. He's arrogant like the Green Lantern and Iron Man, but only in the bad way. I love that. Namor knows he's hardcore and acts so. He doesn't ask America for permission to do things that are beneficial for his country. He doesn't care if that woman is married to you. He doesn't listen to you, because he is better. Namor is also one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe, in or out of the water. I'm ashamed that my idol, King Namor, even has to be compared to that peasant, Aquaman.

Don't make me laugh.

Winner: Namor

Thor vs. Martian Manhunter

Every story needs the strong, silent type. A misunderstood tough guy. One brooding hero. Thor and Martian Manhunter fill those roles for Marvel and DC respectively. Both of these guys provide a nice contrast to the in-crowd of superhero teams because they just aren't like the other heroes. Martian Manhunter is from Mars. Thor, the God of Thunder, is from a completely different realm, Asgard. No one understands these beasts. Except me of course.

If you thought Superman had every power imaginable, then Martian Manhunter will blow your mind. He actually could do that. Martian Manhunter has all of Superman's abitities along with telepathy, telekinesis, and shape shifting. He's not a dork though, so that's OK. He doesn't preach to everyone on the right way to lead their lives or rescue cats from trees. Martian Manhunter feels legitimate sadness about being trapped on Earth and having no lady martians to hook up with. All in all, he's a pretty cool dude.

Thor is the man. He may not have every power in the universe, but he has a lot of the power that he actually can wield. Practically no one is a match for the Mighty Thor. His storms of lightning, torrents of wind, and earthquakes have stopped Ice Giants, Hulks, and demons in their tracks. Even heroes have been known to fear the wrath of Thor when he's in a bad mood. I'm looking at you Iron Man. Also, the Thunder God is well known for his arrogance. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a big fan of that.

Martian Manhunter is cool, but this one isn't even fair.

Winner: Thor

Dr. Strange vs. Zatanna

Magic exists in comic books too. DC's resident mage is Zatanna Zatara. Marvel has Stephen Strange, or Dr. Strange if you know him well enough. Which one is truly magical though?

Zatanna is a girl. She's got that going for her. Her costume is pretty cute too. Other than that, she's pretty lame. Zatanna usually has to say what she wants to do, except backwards, in order to cast a spell. So to defeat her, her enemies shut her up. I guess that's some sort of symbolism that a woman's power is "running her mouth." Shame on you comic book creators. What's next? Making her secret headquarters a kitchen? That is so anti-feminist.

Dr. Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme. I could stop right there and you'd be willing to agree with my final decision, but I'll continue anyway. The Sorcerer Supreme is the person responsible for keeping tabs of all the magic in the world. Suffice to say that Doctor Strange is an important guy. He's also capable of incredibly powerful feats, such as altering the memories of every human on the planet or time travel. Additionally he protects us from monsters wanting to control our dreams and demons wanting to steal our souls. Thanks for that Doc.

Zatanna has some potential of becoming cool, but Dr. Strange is already there, girlfriend.

Winner: Dr. Strange

Hawkeye vs. Green Arrow

Not every hero on a superhero team has to have super powers. These two guys are just Average Joes. Unless you consider archery a super power. I sure do.

Green Arrow is pretty much just a Robin Hood ripoff. He's a guy who brings street smarts to the fancy superheroes. Other than that, he's an ancillary character at best. Oh. And he's a complete Robin Hood ripoff.

Hawkeye represents the value of hard work in the Marvel Universe. He's always been the world's greatest marksman, but never quit trying to prove himself. Idolizing Captain America, Hawkeye would eventually become a world-class fighter, battle-tested strategist, and all-important leader. In fact, Hawkeye has been on as many Avenger rosters throughout the years as Iron Man has.

Green Arrow is a bologna. Hawkeye is fillet mignon.

Winner: Hawkeye

What? The competition's over already? Let's see who won. Dang that was a butt-whooping. By my count, Marvel wins 7 to 2. And only one of those is a legitimate victory. Flash only won because he sucked less than Quicksilver. Even with home court advantage, DC wasn't able to put up a fight. So get off my back, all you haters. I have proved that Marvel's characters are just better than DC's. Simple as that. Like what I said? Please comment. Disagreed? Comment then too so I can see exactly what's wrong with you. Also, leave a comment about some of your favorite heroes that I failed to mention. We can shoot the breeze. Follow me on Twitter while you're at it, @SoKoJohn.

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On a side note, DC does have one thing going for it. Conan O'Brien's comic book character, the Flaming C, was created at DC and is probably one of the coolest I've seen in almost forever. He's the first superhero to ever wear loafers, has an oven mitt that stays warm forever, and sports the Star of David. The next big thing I tell you!!!

Most Awesome Comic Books of 2010

2010-12-28T18:46:00.079-05:00

With the end of the year already upon us, there are probably tons of "Best of..." lists popping up around the place. Best Taylor Swift songs of the year? Mean, Speak Now, and Enchanted. Duhhhhhh. Best movie of the year? Easy. Inception. You don't need me for such banal things as music and movies though. I am more than likely the only comic book expert you know. Taking that into consideration, I consider it my duty to create a list of the best comic books of the year. And because I am superior to you in every way, I order you to continue reading to find out some of the awesomeness you may have missed earlier this year.

Amazing Spider-Man #617, #625
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Max Fiumara
Release Date: January 13, March 17

A lot of people like the story of a hero overcoming adversity to achieve his goals. For example, ESPN analyst Matt Millen could not have been more in love with Drew Brees after he led the Saints on a game-winning drive after throwing interceptions on the previous two possessions. I think a far greater accomplishment is telling the story of a villain trying to turn his life around, only to fail due to some horrible circumstances. Ed Brubaker did a fantastic job of this with the Kingpin in Daredevil #116. And other than Andy Garcia's character hooking up with his own cousin, the only thing people remember about Godfather 3 is the line "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in," painfully exuded by Michael Corleone after failing to live a decent life (a line quoted on the Sopranos many, many times). Getting an audience to feel sympathy for a villain is a very difficult task. And doing it with one of the hokiest villains of all time, like the Rhino, will more than earn a spot in my favorite books of the year.

Before this fantastic story, the Rhino was known for one thing. Being stupid. Spider-Man would make fun of him, getting him angry. Once he's good and riled up, The Rhino would just run into something very hard. With his head. He is beaten. Dumb character. Joe Kelly does something I thought impossible with the Rhino though. He doesn't make him smarter or more powerful or any of the other cliche things used to revamp characters. He makes the Rhino human. Now the villain feels remorse, despair, humility, happiness, and love. With this new "power set," the Rhino rehabilitated, living the life of a normal man, eating dinner with his wife, going to work everyday, and calling the cops whenever there's trouble. That may sound boring, but Joe Kelly's writing does a great job of making us buy into the story and even provides a moment of truth when Rhino has to decide whether to live an honest life or turn back to crime. His decision to stay honest is a win for us and really seals the deal on his outstanding transformation.

Not everyone is happy with the new Rhino though. A man wanting to take his place as the villain Rhino gets himself a new and improved suit and weaponry, wreaking havoc on people and buildings that stand in his way. The only way he feels he can "ascend" to his new role as the Rhino is to defeat the old one in battle. With the old one being a decent human being though, that task becomes increasingly difficult. He begins attacking the old Rhino and threatening him to make him don the old Rhino costume, but with the help of Spider-Man and his wife, the old Rhino refuses to go back to his old ways, saying to his wife "I will even be a coward for you." Finally, in a tragic turn of events, the new guy murders his wife. Rhino, overcome with rage, takes the bait and fights: Rhino vs. Rhino. The fight is amazing, but it kind of feels like a loss for us - in a good way. After rooting so hard for the old Rhino, it is truly heartbreaking to see him regress to his old self.

One of the great ways this story relates to us is because it is sort of written from our point of view. Cute-as-a-button reporter, Norah Winters, narrates the whole thing as an outsider, slowly becoming enamored by the old Rhino's new take on life and then devastated by his regression. The change from her eternally chipper attitude to one of incredible somber reiterates the sadness of the story. Max Fiumara's art is also spot-on. His characters may look a bit awkward at times, but his visual storytelling is fantastic and the panel layout completely captures the utter devastation of the story. After countless battles in the weeks leading up to this, Spider-Man really needed one in the "win" column to lift his spirits. Rhino's rehabilitation would have felt like a Super Bowl victory, but his shortcomings leave Spidey destroyed. And us too.

Green Lantern #55
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
Release Date: June 30

One surefire way to garner some attention is to tell the origin of an already established character. Frank Miller did it with Batman in Batman: Year One and Francis Ford Coppola did it masterfully with Vito Corleone in Godfather 2. Both were huge successes. Not to be outdone, Geoff Johns, in the bonus material of Green Lantern #55, reveals the origin of a character we all wanted one for but never expected to get, Dex-Starr: the adorable Red Lantern kitty cat.

Ever since his introduction in Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns, Dex-Starr has been a huge fan-favorite. After all, what can be cooler than a tiny little cat with a power ring that lets him spit fiery rage on anyone within range? He's used his cuddliness to get close enough to his victims quite a few times, upping his coolness with every succession. Also, in a clever play on the cat-and-dog routine, Dex-Starr does battle with space mercenary Lobo's dog and humiliates it. With each appearance, Dex-Starr gets more awesome. His origin story would not only continue that trend, but also justify his rage.

The lovable space-cat wasn't always a ruthless killer. In his younger days he was a happy adopted pet with his lonely owner. They played with yarn together and slept in the same bed. One fateful night though, a heartless intruder broke into the owner's home and murdered her, forever changing Dex-Starr's life in the process. He tried to cling to his owner's lifeless body, hoping for a miraculous resuscitation, but the police savagely shooed him away so he couldn't contaminate the crime scene. With no one to care for him, he was forced to live on the mean streets like a hobo or a prostitute. Those streets were mean indeed. Eventually a gang captured him in a bag and threw him off a bridge for no good reason. Finally, when Dex-Starr could get no more pissed off, he was rewarded with a Red Lantern Ring. Thank goodness too. You've earned it, Dex-Starr. Kill all the jerks you want, you space-cat of rage.

Fables #99
Writer: Bill Willingham / Artist: Inaki Miranda
Release Date: October 20

Almost any issue of Fables can qualify as one of the best comic books of the year. I picked one that may raise a few eyebrows though. Fables #100 is the issue with all the notoriety, having an epic battle and tons of bonus content. Even before it came out, anticipation for it was at an all-time high, partly because it was a big anniversary issue - mostly because of Fables #99. That issue served as the prologue to #100. In a lot of eyes, Fables #100 fell flat because there was no resolution to the threat of the Fables' greatest foe. Despite that, the prologue to #100's plot, which was so brilliantly written in #99, gets me pumped every time I read it.

All of Fables #99 is just talk. No fighting. No adventuring. No discovery. Just talk. All that talk, however, does a fantastic job of reiterating how awesome the story's two central figures are. First up is Mr. Dark. He basically represents every version of the Bogey Man and happens to be the most magical creature in all of Fables. Mr. Dark also provides for an interesting choice of enemy for the Fables seeing as how their last one was an entire empire and he is but one man. This issue does an amazing job reminding us how powerful he is, how arrogant he is, and most importantly, how hilariously insane he is. For anyone wanting to know anything about the character, this issue will suit you perfectly.

The other central figure of this story has been a key component of the series since its inception: Frau Totenkinder, otherwise known as the wicked witch in any and every fairy tale you've ever heard. Anyone who's followed Fables knows that her magical power isn't near that of Mr. Dark's, but her confidence in this issue about the upcoming duel reminds us of how mysterious she is. Where does she get her power from? How does she become more powerful in a world that doesn't have any magic? These are only moderately answered, but her demeanor really gets you excited about the next issue.

One thing that isn't all that great is Frau's new, hot, young body. I like my wicked witches old, weathered, and knitting blankets. Sexy and youthful usually work, but maybe not in this case. It doesn't matter though. She can be as bangin' as she wants to be as long as she keeps up her war against the seemingly invincible Mr. Dark.

Secret Warriors #21, #22
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Release Date: October 27, November 24

Secret Warriors is a peculiar book. It's a lot like the movie Raging Bull. You never want to watch it, but once you've already started, you realize how amazing it is. Every time. Secret Warriors is among the best written comic books on the market today, but for some reason I always forget. No more though. Unlike Raging Bull, which most people think got robbed of a Best Picture Oscar in 1980, Secret Warriors will not go unrewarded.

One of the things this book is known for is big, wacky concepts told in a spy-thriller sort of way. The story told in these two issues is no different. HYDRA is a terrorist organization that prides itself on its numbers. After all, if you cut down one man, there will be two more to replace him. Leading them are six figures known as the Heads of Hydra. While all six are cool in their own absurd way, the coolest is a man named Gorgon. Anyone who looks into his eyes turns to stone. Just so he doesn't overdo the stone-turning, he wears a bandanna around his eyes almost at all times and sword-fights blind.

The story that earns my "Best of..." award is told in two issues, each with one "OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS AWESOME (MIND EXPLOSION)" moment. In the first issue, Gorgon is responsible for that moment. The Secret Warriors have infiltrated a HYDRA base only to find that they've been sabotaged and the bad guys are waiting for them. Gorgon, who prides himself on killing Gods, sees a golden opportunity when he realizes Phobos, the God of Fear, is among the Secret Warriors. As they do battle, Gorgon becomes infuriated as it becomes more and more daunting, ripping his bandanna from his eyes and petrifying everyone in sight. Of course Phobos, being a God, is immune to it and perhaps becoming a little too cocky, recklessly attacks Gorgon. This fearsome Head of Hydra is too cunning though and bests the rash God, finally slaying a mainstay of the series since its beginning. OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS AWESOME (MIND EXPLOSION)!!!

Another thing this series is known for, and probably more so than the wacky concepts, is the total badass of a main character: Nick Fury, the coolest man in comic books. This is a man who knows everything. Remember that sabotage I mentioned earlier? He knows who's behind it: one of his team members. While the two of them are fighting HYDRA alone together to provide cover for their retreating teammates, a blast knocks JT (the culprit) off a ledge. Of course Fury saves him. They're teammates. While holding his arm, literally keeping him hanging, Fury tells him that he knew it was him and wonders aloud how he could that to Daisy, the girl on the team JT is in love with. After their heart-to-heart and saying he knows Daisy would forgive him, Fury has just one question, but not what we all think it'll be. Not "Why?" or "Do you regret anything?" Fury says, in all his badassery, "Do I look like Daisy?" and lets him go. BOOOOOOOOOM!!! That was my mind exploding at that awesome turn of events. Hooray, Nick Fury! And Secret Warriors for that matter.

What do you think? Do any of these books seem interesting to you? If they don't, then I did a poor job describing them. Even if I did spark some interest, it's still nothing compared to actually reading the stories. If you care about good writing, great storytelling, and phenomenal characterization at all, you must read these books. Let me know what you think about my post, the books, or even my writing style in the comments section. As always, you just have to follow me on Twitter, @SoKoJohn, for more of my random thoughts. Godspeed.

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Christmas Comic Books

2010-12-16T19:02:00.044-05:00

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? I know I am. That doesn't mean I'll get any cool presents though. For my birthday I got a gift card to a movie theater that doesn't exist in the city I live in. So I'm not expecting much. Food is always nice! I enjoy giving gifts more anyway. Nothing beats seeing someone appreciate the thought I put into a present. So here you go. My present to you. Some books that are not only good, but might also give you some Christmas spirit.

Fables #56
Writer: Bill Willingham / Artist: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha
Fables Vol. 9: Sons of Empire (Trade Paperback, TPB)

If you've never read an issue of Fables, you are really doing yourself a disservice. There is no more creative book imaginable and nothing more relatable than the characters in the world of this multiple award-winning series. "How can a comic book relate to everyone?" you ask. Well, you poor unfortunate soul, have you ever heard of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Cinderella? The Big Bad Wolf? Hansel and Gretel? You know you have!!! Fables has all of them. Basically, all your favorite childhood fairytale characters are real and live in different worlds connected to ours by portholes. Until one day, a very bad group called the Adversary came around and conquered all their worlds. Fleeing for their lives they found a safe haven on our world many centuries ago. If you're interested in a more comprehensive summary of their exodus, please click here. It's an excerpt from the first chapter of the Fables novel and I promise it is a very fun and relatively short read.

In a world full of your favorite characters of lore, of course you would find Santa Claus among them. Fables #56 starts off with Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk) traveling to the North Pole to steal Santa's Christmas list of all the kids who are naughty or nice. From his earliest days, when he sold his cow for magic beans, Jack has been trying all sorts of get-rich-quick schemes and with Santa's Christmas List in his possession he planned on selling names to governments to give them the head's-up on who would eventually turn out to be bad people. Santa wasn't having that though and came after him with a fireplace poker.

In another story, the Big Bad Wolf's and Snow White's kids (they're married, oh and he can assume human form through magic) stay up past their bedtime to see Santa Claus. There's a catch to seeing him though. If you catch him you get no presents, but you can ask him any question and he has to give you the answer. Forgetting what he wanted to ask in all the excitement, one of the children just had to know what we all would really like to know. "How do you visit every house in one night?" Santa, or "Chris" as he's called, gives an answer that's both amusing and makes more sense than any explanation I've heard before. And thus, I choose to go with the Fables one.

After the amusement and childlike wonderment of the first two chapters, the last one gives us a real doozy of a story. Santa Claus makes a visit to the Frog Prince, called Flycatcher, and gives him a very important gift. Flycatcher has a very tragic tale in the Fables universe. He still carries the curse of turning into a frog, but only when he gets nervous. When the Adversary took over his kingdom, they surprised him, forcing him to turn into a frog. After that, Flycatcher could do nothing but watch as the terrible soldiers murdered his family in front of him. In the present day, Santa Claus finds him in frog form again and uses very powerful magic to allow him to see his wife one more time. If you're a girl, you'll cry. Girly-men, make sure no one is around when you read this. Dudes, high five the next person you see after finishing this awesome story.

Winter Soldier: Winter Kills (one-shot)
Writer: Ed Brubaker / Artist: Lee Weeks
Civil War: Captain America (TPB), Captain America Omnibus (Hardcover, HC)

Oh. Your tastes gravitate towards the dark and gritty? Then you need to follow the down and beaten Winter Soldier as he celebrates his first Christmas in over 50 years. Here's a man feeling like he doesn't deserve to be happy or even belong in this world because of some of his past actions while brainwashed by the Soviets. OK. You win. That DOES sound crazy. The concept of the story may be far-fetched, but the heart of it is easy to empathize with. You've all felt sorry for yourselves at some point in your lives and needed a little pick-me-up. Well this book is here for you.

A great back and forth time shift is used as the structure of Winter Kills. Christmas is a time to look back at the good and bad that's happened in your life for the Winter Soldier. Any fan of the character knows there's plenty of bad, so thankfully writer, Ed Brubaker, gives us some glimpses into the happier times of his past. Seeing his playfulness in the flashbacks is a nice contrast to the somber Winter Soldier. Also, Namor (the King of Atlantis) is always a scene stealer and is as awesome as ever bragging about trying to steal another man's woman.

The present day scenes involve Winter Soldier teaming up with a rookie group of superheroes. Here, we get to see how hardcore this dude is as he not only whoops the heroes to teach them a lesson, but also helps them take out the bad guys they weren't ready to handle. Afterwards, he gets a Christmas gift of sorts that not only warms our hearts, but ignites his lump of coal too (figuratively speaking, because he would have literally exploded otherwise, not to mention that it's impossible to live with a lump of coal for a heart).

After all the hoopla and just when you thought Winter Soldier's one and only good day had come to end, he gets to hang out with our boy Namor again. Their banter is absolutely hilarious and the arrogance of Namor is probably one of my favorite things to read in the history of comic books. Not even his infinite pomposity could deny his expression of honor to have fought alongside the Winter Soldier and his friends countless years ago though, as he tells the Winter Soldier the story of one his fallen friends: one last Christmas gift.

Runaways Vol.2 #9-12
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan / Artist: Adrian Alphona
Runaways Vol. 5: Escape to New York (TPB), Runaways Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 (HC)

I might be cheating a little bit with this one because nowhere is "Christmas" actually written in the pages of these books. However, it does take place in the Big Apple during the winter and nothing says "Christmas" like snow in New York city. And quite frankly, this series is too good not to suggest reading.

Like a Tarantino or Scorsese film, the dialogue in Runaways is the main draw. Thanks to Brian K. Vaughan's ability to accurately portray the voice of modern teens and tell a joke without sounding forced or cheesy, the book is more fun to actually read than to read about what's going on in it. That's not to say there isn't a lot happening though. The group in Runaways consists of a bunch of kids who realize their parents are super villains and run away from home to keep from becoming like them, something probably every kid experienced. They've also got various powers that help them in their quest to do everything the opposite way their parents would have, a la - become heroes.

With the Runaways being heroes and all, the book centers around a friend asking for help. He's been framed for assaulting his partner and needs the Runaways to try and clear his name while he's fleeing from all the comic book superheroes you already know and love. Yes! That makes this book even more fun to read because there are appearances by icons such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. In fact, Wolverine is involved in one of my favorite moments in comic book history. He gets beat up by one of the girls in the Runaways. An 11 year-old mutant with super strength who used to have a huge crush on him. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, then you don't love fun. At all.

Hopefully you'll take this all under consideration. It doesn't matter who you are or what your tastes are. You will like all three of these books. Guaranteed. The third heading of each book, the one under the writer and artist, shows you the title of the graphic novel form. Those can be found in any book store, so go out and read them. Make sure you leave some comments letting me know if my post enticed you in any way to read them. Also, follow me on Twitter, @SoKoJohn, for more of my random thoughts.

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We Are All Lanterns

2010-11-27T18:12:00.039-05:00

One of these days Jeopardy is going to have a category on the Green Lantern and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you couldn't answer the questions on the most important aspect of it. Green Lantern may sound dorky and the Emotional Spectrum may sound like a self-help book for getting in touch with your feelings, but I promise it is cool. Before there was life, the universe was black. One day the seven lights of the rainbow pierced the darkness providing life. Eventually a few beings learned how to harness the power of each light giving them the ability of flight and to create any projectile they can imagine. These individuals are Lanterns and to better illustrate how they harnessed the power of light, I've given you examples of people similar to the Lanterns who may resemble someone you know.

Red - Rage
Residing on the very edge of the light spectrum, Red is most difficult of colors to control. Those wielding the Red Light of Rage not only lose their heads, but their hearts as well. When given the Red Lantern Ring, your heart is replaced by the Rage harnessed in your Ring and blood by the Red Light. With nothing but Rage to sustain them, Red Lanterns seek out any and everyone who may have wronged them in the past and spew their fiery blood on them. Everyone here has been burned by the fire that Colin Hilson spits. To all those who've lost a gas card, misplaced a P2 card, messed up a live shot, made a jump cut edit, forgotten to white balance, stuttered, gotten a bad hair cut, worn a tacky shirt, smiled, or said hello to Colin in the hallway, you shall be missed. And don't ever judge Colin's work by saying things like "your shot looks dark." Not only does he NOT have a sun in his pocket, but he will make sure you never see one again. The ire of Colin Hilson is near limitless and his Rage will never be satiated.

Orange - Avarice
The power of greed has affected us all at one time or another. You may have stolen a candy bar, taken someone's girlfriend or boyfriend, or used your neighbor's wireless internet. Regardless, it drives you to get what you want. When one is overcome with desire, that person can use the Orange Ring of Avarice. Its owner consumes its enemies and creates doppelgangers bathed in the Orange Light that now belong solely to said owner. Only one person here has both the desire and the power to get everything. Lynnsey Gardner. When reporting and she wants an interview, no front door or running car engine will stop her. She will have it. When anchoring, don't dare tell her she can't put a story somewhere she wants. She will take control. When partying, the world is her oyster. She will get everything. Free. If these achievements are considered her possessions, and a girl is judged by her possessions, then Lynnsey Gardner is the queen of Orange Lanterns.

Yellow - Fear
"You have the ability to instill great Fear" is what you're told when the Yellow Ring presents itself to you. Calling themselves the Sinestro Corps (named after their leader), those chosen for this great power use it to create constructs that illustrate terror incarnate, spreading Fear throughout the universe to exert their will. No one better exemplifies this than one Lisa Casini. Standing at a mere five feet and looking like she stepped right out of the pages of a Glamour magazine as if to fool us before showing her true color, our beloved director terrifies us into submission. On her bad side? Stiletto shoe to the chest. Not in place? A forceful all-call letting everyone know how lazy and irresponsible you are. Doing a poor job? Get ready to cry, grown man. And don't even think about changing your package script without telling her if you're not ready for a devastatingly ego-bruising "THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE!!!" Yes, Lisa Casini. We all Fear you. And that is why we obey.

Green - Willpower
Being dead center in the emotional spectrum, the Green Light is the purest of them of all. Perhaps that is why its power comes from something that isn't even an emotion. Emotions can corrupt rational thinking and the pursuit of justice. Willpower gives you the ability to overcome any that may lead you astray. I present Ned Dannenberg to you. This man has been through every challenge News 12 has to offer and he's overcome. Anchors opened a barrage of insults and demands on him when he first arrived. Ned kept his composure, never letting out any sign of annoyance more than a simple "Nyaghhh". Directors have screamed at him to change the names of his reporters in the master rundown. Ned stood his ground and left "Take Michael White" in. Even the weather and rotation of the earth have failed to sway his determination. Ned rides his bike rain or shine, avoiding speeding cars from diminutive drivers and piercing the blackness of night with his self-powered headlamp. Many would have faded away into oblivion from all these obstacles. Through shear Willpower however, Ned Dannenberg sustains.

Blue - Hope
A trickier power source than the Blue Light of Hope cannot be found. By itself, Hope is well and good, but doesn't accomplish anything. Only when the Willpower to do something about your hopes is present can you unlock the true power of the Blue Light. And thus, a Blue Lantern may be the mightiest of all the ring-bearers, but without a Green Lantern to feed off of, is powerless. Neal Folger has the best wishes and dreams in the world. He wants to become the next great sports reporter - not if it's too much work though. Becoming a better photojournalist has been on his Christmas Wish List for decades - unless it interferes with his dinner break. 172 different Georgia football teams are his favorite - but he doesn't suit up and help any of them. Indeed, Neal Folger is a man full of Hope. And maybe when he finds the Willpower he so desperately needs, he'll find his true power.

Indigo - Compassion
Empathy and true caring is an emotion that few possess but many admire. For the lucky few, a healing force is presented to them in the Indigo Ring. With it they are able to repair wounds far beyond the limits of medicine and prayer. In addition to that, the Indigo Tribe is able to harness other Lanterns' powers due to their strong sense of empathy. I can think of no one more worthy of the Ring of Compassion than macho man Jake Young. Here is a man who feels for everything. If your muscles ache, he is always down to give a body massage. If there's a terrified lizard stuck to his windshield while he's flying down the highway, he will pull over to return the guy to his forest. If he's in a hurry to shoot a football game and sees an armadillo attempting to cross the street, he will say "To hell with work!!!" and help the poor thing get to its destination. And perhaps most compassionate of all, if you really want to watch The Notebook or any other Nicholas Sparks movie for the 32nd time instead of the basketball game, then pop that DVD in, homegirl. Jake is ready to cry with you. In fact, all of Jake Young's actions are for your betterment and that is how he harnesses Compassion.

Violet - Love
Lying on the opposite end of the spectrum as Red, is the equally uncontrollable Violet Light of Love. When Love has left a void in someone's heart, the Violet Ring presents itself to fill that emptiness. With it, these Star Sapphires travel the universe capturing those who would destroy Love and encasing them in Violet crystals in the hopes of changing them. Still though, the loss of loves in their lives drives them to peculiar decisions from time to time. Cameron Crapps has been acting strangely ever since leaving her family in Tennessee. There may be a slamming party going on, but she will make the 17-hour trek back home every chance she gets. Eventually she got comfortable in Aiken but left there too, returning every night after work to sleep on her best friend's kitchen floor just so she doesn't have to be alone. Love has definitely driven Cameron to do crazy things. She's still a Star Sapphire though and fights to preserve it. If there is something bothering you, even if you don't even realize something is, she will badger you until you are back to your normal self (her own way of encasing you in crystal). I am sad that Cameron Crapps had to leave her family, but grateful that this action provided her with the Violet Ring.

You should now feel confident in your Green Lantern mythos knowledge. Even if you don't plan on showing off at the next Trivia Night at your favorite bar, hopefully you found this enlightening. My quest here was to entice an appetite for one of the better comic books on the market. Let me know how I did and please leave a comment. Maybe you even want to tell me what kind of Lantern I would be. As always, follow me on Twitter, @SoKoJohn, if you enjoyed your reading and want more like it on a daily basis.

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Harry Potter Midnight Show

2010-11-20T13:28:00.016-05:00

Have you ever been to a midnight showing of a movie? If you have, then you know that they're loads of fun. Sure it's cool just to be one of the first people in the city to see your current favorite movie. But that's only half the fun. The other half comes from the crowd. The costumes, the talks of expectations from the movie, the nerd discussions, and the pure excitement all make the movie-watching experience more enjoyable. I bet you'd like to know what I'm talking about.

First and foremost, always get to the movie early. Not only does this help ensure that you'll get some good seats in the movie, but it is essential to the midnight-movie experience. The time in line is the best opportunity to mingle with your fellow enthusiasts and costume gaze. I've provided a few pictures to help you experience the fun. My apologies for the bad quality. I forgot my camera and didn't turn the flash on on my phone.

Harry Potter's line was so extreme that when I arrived one hour early, 300 other people were ahead of me, which canceled out the good-seat-insurance part of the plan. In fact, I accidentally cut in front of a few people thinking "surely that's not where the line is." That little misunderstanding almost caused a nerd-fight and maybe even the dreaded nerd-riot, but cooler heads prevailed and we decided to make a joke a about the length of the line, comparing it to the one at Gilderoy Lockhart's book signing in Chamber of Secrets (HA HA). The line didn't bother me though. As I said, it's half the fun.

I'd be remiss if I didn't get to the costumes sooner or later. Looking at costumes is always fun. Why do people like Halloween? Costumes. Well they're even funnier on days not dedicated to looking stupid. And since Harry Potter fans are perhaps the most fanatical of all, most of the crowd was dressed up. I was actually surprised at how many were wearing the authentic robes. Those bad boys go for $100 a pop. There were plenty of makeshift costumes too. A few guys just wore what I'm sure are their bed sheets with moons and stars on them as capes. Some girls teased their hair and called themselves Bellatrix Lestrange. And thankfully, other girls just wore little black dresses and fishnets and came as sluts. Unfortunately I haven't figured out a way to ask a skank for a picture without looking like a perv though. I am open to suggestions.

Some of the discussions amongst us line-dwellers were quite stimulating. A popular topic was whether Emma Watson (Hermione) was still doable with her new short and boyish haircut. The answer was a resounding "YES!". Other conversations got a little heated. One girl was actually offended that I wasn't interested in the Tron movie. "It's got cool CGI and Daft Punk, you have to like it." When I tried to change to conversation to Green Lantern to ease the tension, she had none of it, calling Ryan Reynolds a pu**y. When I defended the poor guy, she said "Are you kidding? Have you seen how close together his eyes are?" Seeing a golden opportunity, a friend of mine sarcastically responded, "Yeah, you didn't know that was the universal pu**y indicator?" Finally, the laughter came. I love nerds. They know how to laugh at their absurdities.

If you thought the awesome waiting-game stopped once you entered the theater, you would have been wrong. Upon sitting in my seat in the second to the front row thanks to my place at the back of the line, trivia started. Trivia is always fun and most of the crowd got a kick out of it. They got the opportunity to show off their Harry Potter intelligence and won posters for it. However, most of the questions were based on the movie we were about to watch, like "Who dies first?" and "What happens to Ron's brother George?" If you haven't read any of the books, like my friend Alfredo, these were spoilers. He was distraught at the blatant disrespect towards his ignorance. Sorry man. Alfredo still enjoyed the movie though, spoilers or not.

Oh yeah! The movie! It was good. You don't need me for that though. Read a review. I wanted you to feel the midnight experience. Hopefully you enjoyed it and will want to join me at midnight, July 15 to watch the second part of Harry Potter's last film. Leave a comment to let me know what you think.

RIIIIIIIIIISE!!!!

2010-11-15T19:38:00.010-05:00

I AM BACK! Did you miss me? Judging from the amount of comments to my last post, I would have to guess the answer would be, "No." That doesn't hurt my feelings though....much. Part of that was my fault...my Blackest Night. This blog doesn't need to be another review site or an oasis for snooty comic book geeks. Plots and Pictures should be a place that relates the events of comic books, movies, TV shows, or whatever cool stuff in a way that will make everyone enjoy those things more. So just like in the Green Lantern universe, the Blackest Night shall lead to the Brightest Day.

My absence from Plots and Pictures has almost been a year. That's a lot of time. I can't just dive right in to the new direction. I've got to get my feet wet first, which is absurd because I'm totally a dive-right-in person when swimming. Baby steps are for wusses. Despite that, I will be starting off slowly. How about a recap of my life in the near-year I've been away?

Since the theme of my new direction is Blackest Night / Brightest Day, I'll start with Green Lantern. Recently, I've caught up on the entire series, reading Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro Corps War, and Blackest Night all from start to finish. The War of Light is one of my favorite sagas in comic books and I fully plan to help you guys realize how cool it is. Expect a feature story in the weeks to come that you will no doubt fall in love with. Also, make sure you go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend because the trailer for the Green Lantern movie is going to debut with it. I saw some clips already and it looks pretty cool. There's a Kilowog appearance!!!

Speaking of Harry Potter, I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios this summer. In a word it was, magical. Yeah, you all saw that coming, but that doesn't make it any less hilarious. Really though, the park was amazing. The two best roller coasters belong to Harry Potter and the atmosphere was just like watching the movies. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade looked spot-on, Olivander's reenacted the wand-matching scene from the first book, and the pumpkin juice and butterbeer were fantastic. Even the workers all had to do British accents. I had a particularly good time deciphering whose were real and whose were corny.

The trip to Hogwarts was so much fun that it inspired me to do something I swore I never would...read books. I know, I know. I'm a comic book guy. Books are for dorks. I agree, but the Harry Potter books are usually incredibly fun to read. There are some dead moments here and there, but as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed them and look forward to making snooty comments like "That's not how it happened in the book," when I go see the newest movie Thursday at midnight. Yeah, I'll be one of those guys waiting in that awesome line. Check back later this week for a post on that. Oh, and Snape is the man!!!

Another major development in my life is the premiere of the new TV series based on the comic book The Walking Dead. It is amazing, easily the best on TV right now. The show perfectly captures the tone set in the comic books and I love seeing all those crazy dilemmas the characters find themselves in. Should the black guy save the racist white guy? Will the hussie tell her husband she was sleeping with another man while she thought he was dead? You must watch. Sundays. AMC. 10:00. Be there.

What else is there? I played basketball with 14th overall pick in the '99 NBA draft, William Avery. That was cool. I fully intended to school him, but got ripped twice and was outscored by him. He cheated.

I finally read Bendis's run on Daredevil...the second volume at least. The first still sells for well over $100 on ebay and I can't spend that much on a book. Anyway, what I did read clearly showed that Bendis is actually capable of telling a compelling and emotional story. Who would have guessed. I loved it.

You know what? This has already turned into a huge post. I have no idea why, because my life really isn't worth that many words. Hopefully you made it through and if so, please leave some comments on how excited you are that my blog is back. That'll really help out the ol' ego. Also, if you liked this and want some quick hits and random thoughts, follow me on Twitter: @SoKoJohn

New Comics - Week of November 25, 2009

2009-11-24T18:50:00.009-05:00

The greatest story in all of comics comes to end, along with JMS's reign on Thor, in Thor: Defining Moments Giant Size #1. Loki has moved Asgard to Latveria and given Dr. Doom immortality. Baldur's rule is constantly in trouble and Thor is none too pleased with his current status. Expect brilliance tomorrow, especially with Siege right around the corner.

We get a double dose of Blackest Night the last Wednesday of this month too, matching that of October's. In Blackest Night #5, the true mastermind of the Black Light, Nekron - Lord of the Undead, has finally showed his face as Flash tries to gather the forces of good to defend Earth long enough for Green Lantern's return. Expect him to beat down some of DC's finest while Hal Jordan is off uniting the other Lanterns of light for an offensive. In Green Lantern #48, Blackest Night's best tie-in, we get to see Hal Jordan's mission play out. He went to the rescue of the Blue Lanterns last issue, which turned out to be a wise decision, not only because they are the most powerful, but also because they were in dire need of assistance. Atrocitus seemed to be on a similar mission himself after some Black Lanterns really pissed him off. Expect to see how that plays out as he hooks up with Larfleeze, the one and only Orange Lantern.

Other big releases are Amazing Spider-Man #613, Invincible Iron Man #20, New Avengers #59, and Secret Warriors #10. Electro will duke it out with Spidey in his title. Tony Stark lays brain-dead as Thor comes to his aide in the first chapter of "Stark: Disassembled." In New Avengers, Spider-Man (he gets around this week), teams up with Spider-Woman in battle. And "God of Fear/God of War" comes to a close in Secret Warriors.

I must say that what will probably be the most entertaining book of the week has yet to be mentioned. After reading Thor and the Blackest Night titles, I will quickly jump over to Ms. Marvel #47. More than half a year ago, Spider-Man agreed to help Ms. Marvel out only if she agreed to go on a date with him. Well he helped her out and she pays the price this week. I don't care if there is no fighting at all in this issue. I just want some awkward comedy. Plus, Brian Reed writes a great Spidey.

Reviews - Week of November 18, 2009

2009-11-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

***Book of the Week***

Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1
Writer: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning / Artist: Pablo Raimondi
This book has got a lot going for it. First of all, it stars the Inhumans, which will almost always get you "Book of the Week" status. This group is by far the most interesting ensemble in the Marvel Universe. I love their various powers, personalities, and ambitions, but their best quality is their family structure. The Inhumans succeed because they love each other and know their responsibilities to their people. Whether it's Medusa's mourning, Crystals sympathy, Gorgon's anger, or Maximus's scheming, Abnett and Lanning do a fantastic job reiterating all the qualities that make this cast amazing. Another thing the book has going for it is that it shows the Inhumans' dominance over other races. Too many times, I've seen this powerful team beaten by the likes of the Fantastic Four or some weird humanoids. My Inhumans really pummel any would-be rioters in this book in the most refreshing of ways. I also loved some budding story elements. Gorgon's popularity amongst the people seems to be a particularly juicy element that could cause some dissension. And thank goodness Maximus is mischievous and conniving again. He was a little subservient in War of Kings, which really rubbed me the wrong way. The only thing about this book that I didn't absolutely love, is Pablo Raimondi's art. His characters are a little stiff looking and have a doll-like quality to them. His choice of a black dress inspired by Black Bolt for Medusa was a particularly nice touch though. If you have ever read Silent War or any other book with the Inhumans in it, make sure you pick this one up.
IGN - 8.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

Realm of Kings (one-shot)
Writer: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning / Artist: Leonardo Manco, Mahmud A. Asrar
For anyone who is a huge Quasar fan or extremely interested in what lies beyond that big rip in space caused by Black Bolt and Vulcan, this book is for you. Myself? I've hardly ever heard the name Quasar and I got the gist of the Fault from Realm of Kings: Inhumans (it's dangerous). Despite its mostly uninteresting premise, Abnett and Lanning do tell an entertaining action story of an alternate universe where the good guys (and everyone else for that matter) are evil. That story has been told a millions times before though. Heck, isn't that what Dark Avengers is about? The art is also a little back and forth, due to two different artists with vastly different styles. Their difference actually resembles an episode of Sponge Bob Square Pants when he goes onto dry land and they use real life shots (hilarious in that, but not in this). Even though this one-shot turned out to be not-so-important, I still enjoyed seeing a different take on some of my favorite heroes and got a small glimpse into why the Fault is such a danger to the Marvel Universe.
IGN - 8.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Amazing Spider-Man #612
Writer: Mark Waid, Joe Kelly / Artist: Paul Azaceta, Ken Niimura
Did you expect this book to sell out in stores so fast? Marvel has been hyping the Gauntlet vigorously, but a Spider-Man comic hardly ever sells out. Kudos to the Marvel hype machine. I was able to get a copy and I have to say it was mediocre...but with a lot of potential. I appreciate the new take on Electro quite a bit, but for anyone who finds Norman Osborn's recent rise to power and popularity a little unbelievable, you will hate this book. Still, even though Electro makes a painfully cliche mockery of our political and economic situation, he provides a cool conflict to Spider-Man and I am excited to see their duel. Azaceta's art would be a great fit for the book if he can find a way to tone down some of the grit of it. As if Electo's story wasn't a good enough for us, we get treated to another great Black Cat tale written by Joe Kelly. This story about Spider-Man once again debating the ethics of his relationship with Cat is fantastically entertaining and funny. I absolutely loved Niimura's simplistic newspaper-cartoon style of art that is a perfect fit for a light-hearted backup story like this one. You won't hear any complaints from me about this book selling so well. Each story is good enough to stand on its own, but putting them together gets you an extraordinary book.
IGN - 7.8/10

Dark Reign: The List - Amazing Spider-Man
Writer: Dan Slott / Artist: Adam Kubert
I think I understand The List now. For months, I thought the series was about Norman Osborn taking care of people that were on his list. But this issue has finally opened his eyes. The List is about people who have Norman Osborn on their lists and they all beat him up in their respective issues. Fittingly, Spider-Man delivers the harshest blow when he exposes some of the illegal activity Osborn has been up to. Most of the issue turns out to be Peter Parker complaining about Osborn being in charge and working up the courage to take him down. Didn't we already see that in the first issue of "American Son?" Still, Waid writes a great Spider-Man, nailing his narration and wisecracks. Adam Kubert's art is awesome. His action is enticing and his characters are spot-on. The man can draw one heck of a splash page, but am I the only one who hates the vertical ones? They're just too hard to read. We're also treated to a reprint of "The Pulse" where Spider-Man first exposes Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin as a nice comparison piece to present times. I just wish The List was even half as good as that one was.
IGN - 8.7/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Dark Avengers #11
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Mike Deodato Jr., Greg Horn
This book was being touted as "the one that will make you a fan of Victoria Hand." I still don't care about her. How dare she question Nick Fury! I'm glad she got fired and hope she does again. Other than that, Molecule Man got to taunt the Dark Avengers a little bit. That was kind of cool. I enjoyed him trying to understand them and subconsciously realizing that they will eventually beat him. That is something I am very much looking forward to. You know I love Mike Deodato. Don't ever make him split pages with anyone. Greg Horn may be decent and was almost effective in his otherworldly sequences, but he doesn't even compare to my boy, Deodato. Let him do his thing for the entirety of this series. If Bendis follows that piece of advice and keeps telling interesting character pieces on his band of villains, this book will continue to succeed.
P.S. I love the cover - a tribute to one of Todd McFarlane's classics
IGN - 7.1/10
Comic Book Resources - 3/5

Mighty Avengers #31
Writer: Dan Slott, Christos Gage / Artist: Sean Chen
Last issue's brilliance wears thin this time around. No character pieces quite measure up to that of Hank Pym's when he talked to the Universe. And the "Whoa! Cool!" moments are less frequent. Still, some cool moments did take place. Hawkeye using the bow is always a welcome sight and I particularly liked his team-up with Stature and Captain America. I also appreciated Hercules's brand of barbarism with Amadeus's problem solving. With all that going on, this issue is nothing more than a cheesy fight with the cliche overpowering bad buy, who started off cool, but turned out to be really corny. Speaking of corny, the heroes didn't have to mention that Hank Pym was a founding Avenger every time they saw him. You can't force him to be cool. That's pathetic. Chen's art is not pathetic, however. He has a crisp and vibrant style that perfectly fits the tone of the series. If the writing and significance can't keep up though, I fear my interest will begin to wane.
IGN - 5.2/10

Spider-Woman #3
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Alex Maleev
There are two sides to this Spider-Woman coin. On the one side, Brian Bendis is doing a fantastic job characterizing Jessica Drew and making her one of the cooler females in the Marvel Universe. I like to compare her rise to popularity to that of Nick Fury's. Both are the center piece of successful books and are involved in enticing espionage stories. The other side of the coin is the constant retelling of Spider-Woman's past. She doesn't have to narrate her entire history in every book. Last month we got her pheromone powers. This month is her past with Madame HYDRA. I realize you want to catch new readers up with her, but just mention some of her key moments in history and let the newbs research it if they're interested. There are no two sides about Maleev's art. It's great. The dark, gritty nature is both captivating and haunting, perfectly depicted the danger of Spider-Woman's predicament. If you can get past all the history lessons, you'll find a highly interesting tale of superhero trying to find where she belongs in an unfamiliar world where everyone, good or bad, could use someone like her.
IGN - 7.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

New Comics - Week of November 18, 2009

2009-11-17T19:20:00.011-05:00

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are working their magic again in Marvel's cosmic corner. Realm of Kings #1 takes over directly after the events of War of Kings. Black Bolt and Vulcan had seemingly fought to their deaths, creating a tear in the Universe. What lies on the other side of the tear and how will it and the deaths of Vulcan and Black Bolt affect the Shi'Ar, Inhumans and Kree? If you're looking for a more in-depth look at the Inhumans (Who isn't?), then you'll definitely want to pick up Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1. Without Black Bolt, Medusa will have to lead her royal family and the rest of her people while also grieving for the man and hero she loved. Expect a lot of great character moments in this series.

Spider-Man is doing it big this week too. The Gauntlet finally gets started in Amazing Spider-Man #612. Every villain to make a reappearance since Brand New Day has been reimagined brilliantly. This new direction will be a series of those reemergences. Electro gets to go first. Spidey also has to deal with Norman Osborn in Dark Reign: The List - Spider-Man. I gave up on this series a while ago, but seeing as how Spider-Man is Osborn's greatest enemy and this is the last issue of the series, something significant has just got to happen.

Some other big books are Dark Avengers #11, Mighty Avengers #31, and Spider-Woman #3. Norman Osborn was left in a very dire situation the last time we saw him in Dark Avengers and this predicament could be the tipping point that drives him over the edge. In Mighty Avengers, Hank Pym has just assembled most of the greatest heroes in America to battle a force like no other. And Spider-Woman is just awesome. HYDRA and SWORD are already after her. Who will try to recruit her this issue?

Reviews - Week of November 11, 2009

2009-11-16T10:58:00.006-05:00

***Book of the Week***

Fables #90
Writer: Bill Willingham / Artist: Mark Buckingham
I know what you're thinking. "Hey, I don't remember seeing Fables in your 'Previews' post. And what's with the late reviews?!" Well fans, I'm sorry for the delay. Your boy has been kind of busy this week. As far as Fables goes, I, quite frankly, forgot about this brilliant book. I gave up on it once they started the "Great Fables Crossover" amongst their three books because I hate crossover events and couldn't afford to add two extra books to my "buy" pile just to read one bad story. Now that the crossover is over, I've read numerous good reviews about Fables' new story arc and decided to give it a try again. Boy am I glad I did. This new story, "Witches," is just as intense and entertaining as "War and Pieces." Willingham does a phenomenal job not only juggling countless different plot threads, but making them interesting and significant at the same time. In the span of 22 pages, I was able to get hooked by Bufkin's quest against Baba Yaba, captivated by Ozma's coup, intrigued by Frau's plan, and reintroduced to the awesome Mr. Dark. Buckingham's art is as amazing as ever. No one has the ability to combine the intricacies of Willingham's story with a sort of simplistic style of art that perfectly matches the book's content. So much was good about this book, I'm almost ashamed I wasted half of the review telling you why I initially dropped it. Then again, all the praise in the world wouldn't do this issue justice. Just buy it already!
IGN - 8.7/10

Green Lantern Corps #42
Writer: Peter Tomasi / Artist: Patrick Gleason
A close second for "Book of the Week" has to be this one. It may be the same old story of Black Lanterns beating down some good guys, but Tomasi has written it better than anyone. He does a fantastic job combining "Holy crap" moments of Black Lanterns doing crazy stuff and "Oh wow" surprises, like Kyle Raynor's strategy to distract them and the subsequent failure of that strategy. We also find out the Black Lanterns' true purpose for their attacks on Oa and every other Lantern homeworld. To be honest, we already knew that from other books, but nowhere was it as hard hitting, so I'm going to consider this book as the "reveal." Gleason's art was also quite impressive this issue. I usually find some of his characters awkward looking and country hick-like, but none of that was here. He also manages the immense amount of action quite well, never leaving me confused as to what was happening. The plot developments may be hard to come by in this book, but nowhere are you going to find moments as emotional and surprising as the ones that take place here regularly.
IGN - 9.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 2.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #611
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Eric Canete
I'm a little torn with this book. On the one hand, it's hilarious and fun. Deadpool and Spider-Man, written by Joe Kelly, is a team-up made in heaven. Whether they're making fun of each other about their monologues or just making fun of each other with "Your mama" jokes, I was laughing the whole time. Kelly does a great job giving each character his own voice while also making both funny at the same time. The problem I have with this issue, the proverbial "other hand," is that none of it makes sense. Deadpool was just a distraction? Couldn't Miss Kraven have picked one of her people to do that? And what was he a distraction for? There were three minor characters highlighted for this issue and I have no idea what makes them significant. The art was a bit iffy for me too. I appreciate a new style being added to the mix, but Canete was a just a little too unrefined. Some of his panels were just downright ugly at times. So to recap: if you're looking to laugh for a few minutes, like when you read the funnies in the paper, get this book. If you're looking for a story, maybe you should stay away.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 4.5/5

Cable #20
Writer: Duane Swierczynski / Artist: Gabriel Guzman
Aaaaarrrrgh! This book sucks! I've tried for two years to like this book because of the potential it has, but it still sucks! If something important wasn't slated to happen next issue, Hope's return to the present, this would have been my last review. The whole issue played out ridiculously like every episode of the cartoon, Road Runner. Bishop (Wily Coyote) tries to kill Hope (The Road Runner), some crazy event stops him (the Brood penetrate his brain), Hope escapes, and then he finds an insane way to go after her again (getting eaten by a space whale and using him as a transport). Does that sound stupid? <---rhetorical. Guzman sucks too. His art actually looks like the Road Runner cartoon when it's not indistinguishably blotchy. I can't wait for the mutant messiah to return home so I can quit reading this book.
*No major site reviewed this book

New Comics - Week of November 11, 2009

2009-11-10T19:22:00.004-05:00

Spider-Man and Deadpool! Together! Written by Joe Kelly! This is a match made in heaven. Not only has Joe Kelly been the best writer on the Spidey staff, but he also has a masterful feel for Deadpool and writes the funniest dialogue at Marvel. Spider-Man #611 is a must-buy for all comic lovers.

Another book to look out for is Cable #20. I know this series sucks, but stick with it just a little longer. This is the final chapter of the lame Brood story and hopefully Bishop will finally die off. Next issue will be the big one where Cable and Hope return to the present, so something important has just got to go down here.

Green Lantern Corps #42 also comes out this week. An Indigo Lantern finally showed up in the last issue, meaning the corps will probably do some ass-kicking for a change. Expect some emotional moments from the key members of the corps too.

Some good mini-series start tomorrow. Strange #1 begins Dr. Strange's journey after losing his title as the Sorcerer Supreme. Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1 follows Gladiator after the events of War of Kings left him as the leader of the Shi'Ar empire.

Reviews - Week of November 04, 2009

2009-11-07T16:10:00.003-05:00

***Book of the Week***

Captain America: Reborn #4
Writer: Ed Brubanker / Artist: Bryan Hitch
If you liked the last two issues, you will definitely enjoy this one. We're treated to more of the amazingly written flashback sequences and the progressing sinister plot of bringing back Captain America. Both parts are done better than ever in Reborn: #4. The most emotional moment of the series has to be Steve Rogers reliving his biggest failure. Brubanker does a phenomenal job not only writing Rogers' torment, but finally showing that he can't handle Bucky's "death" and his freezing again. The developing plot is just as great. No one writes the Red Skull better than Brubanker and although the twist at the end could have been seen coming from the very first issue, it's still pretty darn cool when it happens. Also, Dr. Doom is awesome in this book and I can't see any possible way for the heroes to defeat him and the Red Skull together. Bryan Hitch's art continues to improve. With every issue his style gets closer to that of Captain America's regular art team and his splash pages are stunning. The many developments in this issue are not only cool, but also set up brilliantly for the final chapter of this amazing series.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1
Writer: Paul Cornell / Artist: John Paul Leon, Tom Raney
I'm a little ambivalent about this book. The flashback sequences do a great job of creating one cohesive account of Black Widow's past (which is incredibly hard to do), but some events come out of nowhere and just happen for the sake of having it in the book. Cornell does a great job of making Widow a cool and capable soldier, but some of her dialogue was a little corny. Widow's origin tale was great, but her present day situation is sooooo cliche. Even the art is divided. Whereas the flashbacks, done by Leon, are stylistic and eye-catching, the present-day sequences, done by Raney, are generic and odd. In one panel Black Widow actually looks like a twelve year old. I hope the next issue builds more on the cool things in this issue and less on the cliche.
IGN - 8/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Amazing Spider-Man #610
Writer: Marc Guggenheim / Artist: Marco Checchetto
At no point was this story ever good. I wouldn't have minded if the series just skipped the finale of it as if the first two chapters never happened. This issue is definitely the worst. Raptor never becomes anything more than a tool to revisit the clone saga. The flashbacks are idiotic and at no point could anyone, even a dumbass like Raptor, could have possibly come to the conclusion that Ben Reilly was a murderer. Probably the most atrocious thing about this issue is a remake of said flashback. The only point of Kane being in this story is just to recreate that sequence of events? Are you kidding me? And if Kane has a degenerative cell condition, why is still around and stronger than ever after all these years? Checchetto's art continues to be disappointing. Half of the time I couldn't tell if I was reading a flashback and I couldn't distinguish between anyone unmasked. Nothing about this issue made sense except the not-so-subtle theme blatantly stated on the last page - and that was just lame.
IGN - 5.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 2.5/5

New Comics - Week of November 04, 2009

2009-11-03T20:15:00.009-05:00

Finally! Another chapter of Captain America: Reborn. If you can remember from way back in September, Cap has just devised a plan with Vision that may solve his time-problems, Bucky has escaped from Osborn's capture, and Dr. Doom and Red Skull go into cahoots together. Dang that sounds cool. Expect more of the same in Captain America: Reborn #4

Another interesting book this week has to be Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1. This mini-series is supposed to act as some source material for fans eagerly anticipating her big screen debut in Iron Man 2 next Spring. In it, her past will be retold to make sense of a present danger facing her. Natasha is a secondary character in practically every book nowadays and I am glad to see her get some star treatment for a change.

Not much else coming out this week. Things may be bad in "Who was Ben Reilly," but at least they come to an end in Amazing Spider-Man #610. One book to look out for is Psylocke #1. She's always been a fan favorite for X-Men fans and because of her recent resurrection, everyone's favorite telepathic Asian-assassin gets her own mini too. The book will act in much the same way as Deadly Origin will to Black Widow.

Reviews - Week of October 28, 2009

2009-10-31T16:02:00.005-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Green Lantern #47
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
On a week when Blackest Night and its most prominent tie-in are both released, I have to admit that I enjoyed this book just a tad more than the its big brother. Whereas Blackest Night advances the story (albeit in a formulaic way), Green Lantern tells a side story of the seven Lantern Corps building an offensive strategy. That's important for two reasons. I love strategizing. Sometimes the creation of a plan is cooler than the implementation of it, and this issue doesn't disappoint. Given the huge amount of hatred amongst some of the Lanterns, of course getting them to work together would be a difficult task. Johns doesn't falter on that premise as he builds on the tension between Sinestro and Hal, Larfleeze's envy of the Blue Lanterns, and Atrocitus's unique situation with Black Lanterns. The other reason I enjoyed this book more than Blackest Night is because it actually has the Lantern Corps in it. Pretty much the only thing I like about the DC Universe is the story of the Lantern Corps and its emotional specturm; and both are featured wonderfully. One way in which this book doesn't match up with Blackest Night is the art. Don't get me wrong, Mahnke's art is impressive, although his Larfleeze is lame, but no one can top Ivan Reis. This book has the coolest developments of the week and that's what makes it the best.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Blackest Night #4
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Ivan Reis
My preference for Green Lantern is no knock on this book. Blackest Night #4 is brilliant. Although every issue of this series has followed the same basic premise (tough fight, a B-Lister takes center stage, horrific last page), Johns does an amazing job making each issue actually feel fresh. This week has an unlikely group of heroes attempt to hold down the fort while they wait for Hal Jordan to finish his mission in the pages of Green Lantern. Of course, with this being Blackest Night, they end up on the losing side of the fight because of a stunning event, but what's impressive is the character development. Before this issue, I never cared about, or maybe even heard of, Flash, Mera, or Atom, but I found myself rooting for them. Flash truly shines in this issue and even has a line I look forward to repeating to my friends for years to come. The best thing about this issue is the amazing work of Ivan Reis though. With so much going on in every panel, it's actually surprising how good they all look. No character is under detailed and no battle is blurrily glossed over. And there is one splash page that is so gorgeous, I almost wanted to rip it out of the book and tape it to my wall. This book is amazing in every way and I cannot wait until the plots from it and Green Lantern come together and really rock the DC Universe.
IGN - 9/10
Comic Book Resources - 2/5

Ms. Marvel #46
Writer: Brian Reed / Artist: Sana Takeda
You let me down, Brian Reed. I may not have been a fan of this story, "Death of Ms. Marvel," or her "Resurrection," but he has always had a great grasp on Moonstone. In an attempt to show a different side of her, he completely misses the boat with her characterization this issue though. Moonstone has never been a sympathetic character. She's cool because she's ruthless, nonchalant, and selfish. I don't want to see her abandon those "qualities." Ms. Marvel's victory over Moonstone was kind of cool though. Everyone knew she was going to win, but the way she did so was creative, even though it did eventually lead to Moonstone's travesty of a emotional overhaul. Takeda's art is a bad as ever. Everyone is still shiny and doll-like, action is uneventful, and Norman Osborn is darn near unrecognizable. This whole arc has been pretty bad, but next issue is sure to be great. If you remember the first chapter of "The Death of Ms. Marvel," Spider-Man agreed to help Ms. Marvel if she agreed to go out on a date with him. It's showtime next issue.
*No major comic book site reviewed Ms. Marvel this week

New Avengers #58
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Stuart Immonen
Once again, almost nothing happens in these pages. This issue amounts to one big chase scene, a la Matrix Reloaded (and we all know how that turned out). Some cool moments did take place in the chase though. Ares fighting Captain America was definately one of the highlights. No one else shined though, and I was actually a little disappointed by how useless Bullseye turned out to be. The plot development with Luke Cage is utterly ridiculous, but at least it seems like a tie-in to Thunderbolts. I'm not a fan of Immonen's art. Some of his panels are cool looking, but far too many are silly. Hopefully things will start picking up with the Siege right around the corner, because this series has been floundering as of late.
IGN - 8.5/10

Secret Warriors #9
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
"God of War/God of Fear" has worn out its welcome. The story may have started out good, but without Nick Fury at the center of it, things went downhill fast. Actually, this issue is a lot like New Avengers this week in that the whole thing is just a chase scene with the Dark Avengers, except I don't really know the title team as well as I do the New Avengers. Even the art takes a dip in quality. I've enjoyed Vitti's art for the past few issues, but his resemblance to Caselli's isn't present this week. Some characters looked a little awkward and most of the art appeared a little murky. We have one of more issue of this story before things get back to Nick Fury's mission with Leviathan. I hope the last issue properly sets the stage for what is sure to be a cool story.
IGN - 8.3/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

New Comics - Week of October 28, 2009

2009-10-27T20:43:00.004-04:00

Blackest Night #4 comes out tomorrow. That's really enough said, but I'll continue anyway. The Lanterns have finally figured how to defeat a Black Lantern thanks the exciting debut of the Indigo Tribe. Also the cover shows the mastermind behind the new rings, Nekron. How did he come to power and what are his reasons for this abomination? Answers tomorrow.

Heating things up on the Marvel side, Ms. Marvel #46 brings the conclusion to "War of the Marvels." How will Ms. Marvel finally defeat Moonstone? What's in store for Catherine Donovan? And who the hell are those light creatures? I hope all these questions will be answered as Ms. Marvel gets ready for her big date with Spider-Man next month.

Some other huge titles are Green Lantern #47, New Avengers #58, and Secret Warriors #9. In Green Lantern, Hal Jordan's searches for the leaders of every corps and confronts Atrocitus. The Hood seems to be back in power and extremely angry at his old gang in New Avengers. Luke Cage's deteriorating heart condition continues too. And if you read The List, you know Nick Fury has just found the names of the remaining members of a super-secret group of people running the world. The new Secret Warriors picks up from there.

Reviews - Week of October 21, 2009

2009-10-24T15:51:00.008-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Mighty Avengers #30
Writer: Dan Slott, Christos Gage / Artist: Sean Chen
I almost considered dropping this book. Funds are getting tight and this book doesn't really have much to do with the greater Marvel Universe. Thank goodness I kept it in my "buy pile." From the hilariously written opening recap page, I remembered why Mighty Avengers is one of the funnest books to read. Slott and Gage are quickly becoming some of my favorite writers, as they create an awesome story with plenty of action, character development, and humor (probably the 3 most vital parts to a successful comic book). I'm not even a big fan of Hank Pym, but the writing duo actually manages to make him a character worth reading about. The "call to arms" also was very exciting to read. Some fans might see this as a slap in the face to the title team, seeing as how they're a rag-tag group of heroes and needed the help of the A-listers. I, however, do not. The Mighty Avengers are the first to notice the global threat, the only ones who know how to defeat it, and will lead Marvel's greatest characters in battle. What's cooler than that? Sean Chen also manages to impress in this issue. I was a fan of Khoi Pham, but Chen recreates Pham's style, except better. His characters are more dynamic and detailed and his action is smooth and easier to follow. Unless this book drastically changes for the worse, I will gladly keep it in my "buy pile."
IGN - 6.8/10

Amazing Spider-Man #609
Writer: Marc Guggenheim / Artist: Marco Checchetto, Luke Ross
Ultimately, this issue amounted to nothing more than filler. Not one significant thing happens. We don't find out why Kane is in town, what happened between Ben Reilly and Raptor, and the story story between Raptor and Spider-Man doesn't progress any. As a matter of fact the only action takes place in the first four pages (a pointless fight between Spider-Man and Kane). The only reason I can come up with for even having this issue is maybe so Marco Checchetto can show how slutty he can draw Peter's roommate, Michelle. Man, does she look like a porn star. As you can imagine, none of his art really fits with the comic. It's a little too dark and realistic for the tone of this book. At the end of the day, I wouldn't blame you for skipping this issue. Heck, I'd congratulate you.
IGN - 6.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Dark Avengers #10
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Mike Deodato
Before reading this, I stumbled upon an interview with Brian Benids raving about how the issue was so great. Naturally, that got me excited for it. Boy was I fooled. Once again, nothing significant happens, except maybe at the end of the issue (and that's a stretch). The whole issue is just the team bickering with each other until an outlandish threat pops up. Now I know that I said I love the interaction between the team members, but I want results, not just talk. I want to see Bullseye attack Venom for being a wuss, or Moonstone manipulate a man into helping her and then punishing him for it. Venom's wuss act was mildly funny, but I don't read the book to see him be funny. I read it to see sociopaths pretending to be heroes explode (figuratively speaking...maybe literally too). The threat I spoke of earlier never really shows itself, but it does provide a potentially cool battle and puts Osborn in an interesting situation that could, if used properly, lead to the inevitable meltdown we've all been waiting for. No complaints can be made for Mike Deodato's art. As always, his characters are dynamic and cool, his shadows create an ominous atmosphere, and his action is pleasantly chaotic. Come to think of it, maybe I misread the aforementioned interview. Maybe Dark Avengers #11 is going to be the best book Bendis has ever written. It certainly looks to have a lot of potential.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 2.5/5

Invincible Iron Man #19
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Salvador Larroca
Here we go! A book that doesn't disappoint! It's hard to believe that this story has been building for a year, but I must say, it was worth it. During a time when Tony Stark could not have been more hated, Matt Fraction creates a plot that makes a hero of him to us (the fans) and Marvel's civilians. The battle between Iron Patriot and Iron Man was also impressive. From Osborn's arrogance to Stark's barbaric strength, every scene hit an emotional note that really had me rooting for the hero. I think I finally know what Maria Hill's mission was and hope it ends with the destruction of Iron Patriot, a lame concept from the get-go, let's face it. The ease of her escape, with Black Widow and Pepper, from HAMMER was a little disappointing, but then again, it was just Victoria Hand they were up against. Who is this girl anyway? She needs to get her ass beat. Larroca's art this issue is really hit or miss. His action and panels with Iron Man armors are amazing. His character work and facial expressions are not. Let's get back to the good stuff though. The best thing about this issue is its setup for the next. It seems like Tony has thought this plan through to the very end, managing to get even his old comrade and foe, Thor, involved. Will he help? Is he still furious? I really can't wait to see him in these pages. Invincible Iron Man is actually turning into the best Avengers book on the market, which is the highest of any praise I can give.
IGN - 8.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
target="_blank" - 4.5/5

Spider-Woman #2
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Alex Maleev
The mood and feel of this book really gives off a sense of danger and anxiety. I love the way Spider-Woman describes the pain of battle and strategy of a prison break. However, that's the only thing that happens. As a matter of fact, the events of Spider-Woman #2 take place within the span of minutes. This issue basically serves as an introduction to Spider-Woman's pheromone powers to new readers. Her narration of how the power works is extremely well written, but I feel the issue would have been better served if it was just supplementary material in the back of the book. That way we can get more story in the meat of the book. Once again, Alex Maleev's art is fantastic. He really does a great job depicting Spider-Woman's ambivalence and anxiety while also drawing some awesome venom blasts and action panels. I am a little worried about how dark the look is though. I wonder if his style will translate to a scene that actually takes place in daylight. This issue may not have been everything I was hoping for, but I what I got was a very well written character piece, which is always a good thing.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

New Comics - Week of October 21, 2009

2009-10-20T19:25:00.006-04:00

No slow one this week. Marvel decided to unleash most of its biggest titles tomorrow, with Invincible Iron Man #19 topping the list. This issue will be the conclusion of "World's Most Wanted" and features the long awaited battle between Stark and Osborn. I have a feeling the events in this issue will tie in strongly to Siege, which will greatly affect these two gentlemen.

Another book I am very much looking forward to, is Dark Avengers #10. This series has been at its best when focusing on the relationships amongst its team members and Osborn's loosening grip on reality. Also, Brian Bendis has said that this issue is probably one of the greatest books he's ever written. Strong words considering Bendis is also the man who reinvented Daredevil and wrote Civil War: The Confession.

Some other good books coming out are Amazing Spider-Man #609, Mighty Avengers #30, and Spider-Woman #2. Spidey continues his battle with Razor in his book, as we learn just what went down between the new villain and Ben Reilly. In Mighty, we get a huge battle featuring a number of Avengers against The Unspoken. And the first issue of Spider-Woman was stellar. I have no reason to doubt that Bendis won't be at his finest writing this series.

Review - Week of October 14, 2009

2009-10-18T18:10:00.004-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Green Lantern Corps #41
Writer: Peter Tomasi / Artist: Patrick Gleason
Review? Yeah, that's right. I only read one book this week (which makes picking a "Book of the Week" incredibly easy). Thank goodness my one purchase was a good one. This issue of Green Lantern Corps pretty much follows the same pattern of previous ones, but finally Peter Tomasi builds on some of the plot threads. Instead of just seeing Kyle Raynor fight his dead ex-girlfriends, they actually create a tension between him and Soranik. Arisia doesn't just cry when her dead family chastises her, but admirably defends herself and her family's honor. Her use of projections was awesome, by the way. Kilowog steals the show though. He's always been cool, but in this issue he gets to hit an emotional note that almost makes me want to get out there and fight some Black Lanterns. I'm happy to see the overall story progress too. An Indigo Lantern arrives at the end of the issue to help the Green Lanterns take to the offensive for a change. Patrick Gleason's art is just as impressive, capturing the emotion of the "reunions" and the chaos of the battle while depicting a beautifully epic space setting. As with Green Lantern a few weeks ago, this issue is the best Blackest Night tie-in for the series so far and I'm looking forward to seeing some important plot developments in the future.
IGN - 8.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 4.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

I fear that you might feel a little shortchanged this week due to the lack of hard hitting reviews. To appease you, I've provided some peaks at Siege covers due out in January. Apparently, Siege is about Norman Osborn invading Asgard to take over the land. Man, that just sounds like a bad idea. He's going to get whooped up. Anyway, enjoy these pretty badass covers.

Big Things Coming for Marvel

2009-10-14T20:01:00.008-04:00

Dark Reign will be coming to an end soon. You can't tell from actually reading the series, but The List is spearheading the closing act to Osborn's rule. This December, all of Osborn's actions, alliances, and past deeds will come back to haunt him. The Siege is on!

From the looks of things, Loki seems to be at the forefront of Osborn's coming demise (something I predicted way back in May in my feature piece about Loki, My Favorite Villain. In countless books he's been building mysterious alliances, assembling teams, and empowering new allies. One of those alliances seems to be of the utmost importance. Of course, I'm talking about the team of Loki and Dr. Doom. From the first page of Dark Reign: The Cabal, we all knew Doom was not going to sit idly by with Osborn flaunting a delusional sense of power. Siege is the realization of Loki and Doom's assertion of true power.

Another cool thing coming out of Siege is the reunion of Marvel's holy trinity - Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. The three haven't fought together in almost 10 years, and for good reason. Captain America's been dead, Thor's been saving Asgard, and Iron Man's been an asshole. But Siege seems to be strong enough for the trio to put their differences aside and unite for a greater cause. In fact, this new direction is being touted as the largest shift in the Avengers Universe since Disassembled.

Siege isn't the only big thing coming in Marvel though. The X-Men have their own event going on in 2010 with Second Coming. Remember when I told you not drop Cable, even though it has been abysmal? Well this is why. Second Coming is about the Mutant Messiah's return to the X-Men and stems from the events of Cable #21. Writers are hinting strongly that Hope is actually Jean Grey and could either be the key to the survival of mutants or their downfall. Either way, I'm totally stoked for it. Heck, I've been reading Cable for two years solely for this purpose.

Siege will be a four part series starting in January, with a free prologue available digitally late December. Brian Bendis will be writing it with Olivier Coipel handling art duties. Also, read Siege: The Cabal in December to see Doom's role in all of this. Second Coming begins in 2010 and will be a 14 part crossover between Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Men: Legacy, and New Mutants.

New Comics - Week of October 14, 2009

2009-10-13T20:32:00.005-04:00

This week is the slowest one in quite some time. In it, only one comic book will be added to my collection. That one: Green Lantern Corps #41. This series has always been the heart of the Green Lantern stories so expect to see how the transformation of the dead Lanterns into Black Lanterns affects the Corps. Oh, and we should be treated to some intense action.

I may not be purchasing any more books, but some interesting ones are still due out. Deadpool makes a mockery of the new way of numbering issues in Deadpool #900. Spider-Man gets another ongoing series with Web of Spider-Man #1. And Magneto makes his long-awaited return in Uncanny X-Men #516.

Reviews - Week of October 07, 2009

2009-10-10T16:32:00.004-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Dark Reign: The List - Secret Warriors
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Ed McGuinness
I found this book to be deceivingly good. Being a List title, I was expecting a story about Norman Osborn forcefully exerting his will on the Marvel Universe. Nope. Instead, this comic was basically just another helping of Secret Warriors, which is never a bad thing. The events concluding the last issue of Secret Warriors are immediately continued here, as Nick Fury and his cyborg agent plan to infiltrate Avengers Tower to....ask Osborn for help? Yep. Apparently there's a bad guy out there so dangerous that even these guys can put their differences aside and team up. Of course, not everything is as it seems in this espionage book, as Fury continues to have the last word in every confrontation. Jonathan Hickman does such an amazing job creating new situations for Fury in every book and then coming up with a cool way for him to get out of said situations. McGuinness's art is pretty stylish here, emulating some of the work from 70s comics and old Bond films. Some of the faces were a little odd-looking at times, but I very much appreciated his art as a whole. However, Hickman is the true star of this book as he continues to make Nick Fury the coolest dude in the Marvel Universe.
IGN - 6.9/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #608
Writer: Marc Guggenheim / Artist: Marco Checchetto, Luke Ross
The brilliant, fast paced, and exciting run Amazing Spider-Man has recently given us ends here. That doesn't mean this a terrible comic though. A semi-cool back story (although completely ridiculous) of the new villain is told and the issue ends with a pretty interesting situation with Peter's awesome roommate, Michelle, caught in the middle of the action. Nothing makes up for the lame premise though. The villain is dumb, his quest to torment Peter is cliche, and Kane and Ben Reilly don't belong in any Spider-Man book ever again. Even Guggenheim's take on Spidey fails, as it seems like he's trying a bit too hard to come up with some of the Web Head's famous wisecracks. The combined efforts of Checchetoo and Ross on art is adequate. There isn't anything really impressive about it, but no glaring weaknesses either. Overall though, this issue (and probably the whole story arc) should be skipped. Wait for "The Gauntlet."
IGN - 6.3/10

Cable #19
Writer: Duane Swierczynski / Artist: Gabriel Guzman
I'll admit it! This book confuses me. I hate its slow, repetitive pacing and almost want to cry every time Swiercynzki introduces a "new" story arc, but the action sequences are pretty darn cool. That's where this issue of the bland series falls. Cable finally gets to go to work and whoop up on some Brood. I like seeing him succeed. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed by this series. Swierczynski continues to write Cable as an incompetent babysitter, rather than the super badass soldier from the future that he really is. He also continues to write Bishop as a bumbling idiot who can't accomplish the simplest of tasks. Both Cable and Bishop can't possibly make it through this story alive, and seeing as how the book's not called Bishop and given how lame he's become, go ahead and kill Bishop off. Please! Another bad thing about the writing is its hokey nature. The characters should not be spouting out Bendis quips in the middle of a Brood invasion. Not only does it detract from the action, but it's not funny either. Guzman's art is far too cartoony for this book. I think a more dark and moody style would fit it better. Maybe Roberto de la Torre or Leinil Yu would be more suitable. If you couldn't tell, there's a lot wrong with this book. But the action was good and Cable was cool in it. Finally!
*This book was not reviewed by any major comic book site

New Comics - Week of October 7, 2009

2009-10-06T20:04:00.003-04:00

We've got a slow one this week. The biggest book to look forward to is Dark Reign: The List - Secret Warriors. Now it may be true that The List has progressively gotten worse with each issue, but it still has the potential to be significant. Add the fact that Jonathan Hickman, writer for Secret Warriors, is at the helm of this issue, and I am very hopeful.

The only other books this week are Amazing Spider-Man #608 and Cable #19. Raptor from the Spider-Man Annual is the villain in Spidey's new arc, trying to take revenge for Ben Reilly killing his family. Cable may have been sucking lately, but I've seen solicits for future issues and Hope will eventually become someone important. Don't drop this series yet.

Posts Are Now Easier to Read

2009-10-05T03:17:00.011-04:00

For a while now, I've been afraid that my beautiful background may be interfering with your ability to clearly read the text in my posts (scroll down to see a few older posts where that might have been a problem). Recently a few loyal fans have confirmed those fears. My reviews are too important not to be seen, so I went to work to find an awesome solution. With the help of my Assistant Designer, Dan (AKA my brother), a solution was made. The border around my posts now is catchy without distracting from the content. You will definitely want to click "Read More" to read about and see our journey.

It was a long and arduous road, one most bloggers would not even have considered taking. But this is Plots and Pictures and Dan and I knew what had to be done. Immediately I threw ideas at him as he researched ways to implement them. Not all roads led to victory though. Blood was shed, fists hurled, and curses spouted as perfection escaped us. Then, on a cool October Sunday in the year of the Cow, glory was ours. Nothing so beautiful and stylish had ever been seen on a blog and all our hardships instantly became badges of honor. The journey may have been difficult, but our determination never wavered. Our combined power can be stopped by nothing. Take a look at the slide show below for a visual of the adventure - if you have the stomach for it.

Click on any picture to see a larger version of it.

Reviews - Week of September 30, 2009

2009-10-03T15:37:00.009-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Thor #603
Writer: John Michael Straczynski / Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
I love Thor. No other book feels as epic, personal, and even humorous as this one does. This issue continues on all that magnificently, especially Thor and Sif's relationship. For over two years, Thor has been freeing his people from their human body prisons but only found his lady love last issue. Immediately though, you could see their love for each other and how important Sif is to Thor as she notices all the bad going on and gives Thor the confidence to do something about it. That's good stuff right there. We also get the revelation of the second half of Loki and Doom's deal. In exchange for letting him stay in Latveria, Loki has given Doom a means to become immortal by experimenting on Asgardians. This is a very interesting development and I sincerely hope Doom succeeds. He's one of the coolest villains in Marvel and seeing him become an even greater threat to the universe presents countless potential story threads. I am a little disturbed by Bill's speedy progression though. He's even getting buffer. Wasn't he a fat lard at the beginning of the series? Oh well. It sure was nice to see him get his at the end of the issue, although I did hate that he held his own somehow. Something that definitely did not disappoint was Marko Djurdjevic's art. Every character is beautifully pictured, every story element is clearly depicted, and every action sequence flows masterfully. Surprisingly, we won't have to wait a crazy amount of time for the next issue, as it's due out in only a month. However, that giant-size issue will be the last of JMS's, marking the end of his brilliant run on this series.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #607
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Mike McKone, Adriana Melo
That's my boy Spidey! Spider-Man is finally starting to live life a little bit and he could not have picked a better person to liven it up with. Black Cat provides a very fun dynamic and mystery in this book and I wouldn't mind seeing her pop up a little more often. Her bad luck powers are a little lame, but I can let it slide if the writers keep coming up with creative ways to utilize her in the overarching story. Speaking of which, something interesting happens at the end of the issue. It seems like the Kravenoffs are putting a team together. For what? I don't know. But I am intrigued and Lady Kraven was super cool when she first appeared. Mike McKone handles the art for the first half of the issue. He's great. His characters are eye-catching and his images really pop off the page. The action was a little hard to follow in some instances though. Adriana Melo's half isn't nearly as good. Not only does it clash with McKone's style, but it's bland and all the characters look too butch (even Black Cat). All in all though, this is a good issue filled with interesting banter, Spidey's clumsy discomfort, and some interesting plot developments.
IGN - 8/10

Green Lantern #46
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
You know how tie-in issues of a big event don't really feel important to the event itself sometimes? Well there's no need to worry about that with this issue. In fact, I think it should be called Blackest Night #4. This issue acts as a continuation from the events at the end of Blackest Night #3. We see Hal Jordan and the Indigo Tribe search for more key members of the light corps to build up a strategy against the Black Lanterns. That brings them to Sinestro and Carol Ferris. And being the wielders of the compassion light, the Indigo Tribe give Sinestro exactly what he needs (and what we want). They teleport him to Korugar to deal with Mongul. That battle is awesome. I loved every bit of Sinestro's determination and arrogance on display and the outcome is both fitting and supremely cool. None of it could have been possible without Doug Mahnke's great art though. Every panel is stunning and portrays the story beautifully. I feel this issue of Green Lantern may be vital to Blackest Night and worry for those are only reading the event book. Every one should be reading this book though, especially if you're a Blackest Night. Heck, if you're a fan of reading, get this book.
IGN - 8.9/10

Runaways #14
Writer: Kathryn Immonen / Artist: Sara Pichelli
I'm beginning to grow a little tired with the new story. I still have no idea what happened at the beginning of Immonen's run. Why did a missile hit their house and why did Old Lace have to die? Now, without addressing that, a new plot thread opens up with Chase's mysterious uncle. And what was with the Gertrude appearance? I get the feeling Immonen is just trying to throw crazy developments (like Chase's near death) at us to hopefully keep our attention, instead of telling a cohesive story. I'm on to you! Pichelli's art isn't any better. She continues to miss the boat on the older team members, making them look disfigured and no where near their age. This issue proved to be disappointing, uninteresting, and frustrating.
IGN - 7.1/10

Secret Warriors #8
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Nick Fury continues to be the baddest dude in the Marvel Universe. The man seriously has a hand in everything that's going on. Norman Osborn ain't got nothing on you, Nick. In this issue we only get to see him a little bit, but in that short scene he manages to up the intrigue of the series tenfold. What is he planning and why does his accomplice dread it so much? I can't wait to find out. The rest of the issue involves Phobos, Hellfire, and Druid escaping the Dark Avengers. Their part wasn't really exciting, but I did like seeing Phobos finally showing what he can do (against Osborn, no less). I also love how Ares enjoyed seeing his son use his gifts and granted him mercy for it. Alessandro Vitti's art is quite good. His style is pretty close to Caselli's and his storytelling is great. This series keeps getting better and better and I have a feeling Jonathan Hickman has Nick Fury leading us to something big.
IGN - 8.6/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5

Thunderbotls #136
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Carlos Rodriguez
What a bad way to end a run. Andy Diggle has been nothing short of phenomenal with Thunderbolts, but this issue doesn't resemble the others at all. His team was fearsome and murderous before. They are ambivalent and heroic now. Why in the world would Paladin and Headsman save Black Widow? Aren't they the same two who hijacked Obama's plane and decapitated Deadpool? And what was with the Scourge reveal? The solicit made a big deal about his identity and I still don't know who he is. Sure, he took his mask off, but the person underneath it has no significance to anything I've ever read. Rodriguez's art isn't any better. His style is a little murky, his characters are a tad cartoony, and his action is overly clumsy. This book was just ridiculous.
IGN - 6.6/10

New Comics - Week of September 30, 2009

2009-09-29T20:58:00.018-04:00

Thor is an event comic in and of itself. It may only come out once every two months, but the story is so good that not only do we remember everything clearly, but our interest and anticipation never falters during the lapses in releases. Thor #603 picks up on the Asgardian's new life in Latveria, Loki's mischievous scheming, and Thor's new bond with Mjolnir as he attempts to save Sif. My description really doesn't do this incredibly epic book justice. Just read it.

Also be sure to get both Thunderbolts #136 and Secret Warriors #8. The two books are tied together telling the same story, except from two different perspectives. In Thunderbolts we get to see Osborn plan his torture of Nick Fury and the crazed team of lunatics continue its fracas. Also, Scourge's identity is supposed to be revealed in what is Andy Diggle's tells the story from Nick Fury's final issue writing this great series. Secret Warriors perspective. Expect to see how he escapes with his girls and the Secret Warriors battle the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers.

Some other big releases are Green Lantern #46, Amazing Spider-Man #607, and Runaways #14. Sinestro moves from the Star Sapphires to deal with his old friend Mongul in the pages of Green Lantern. In Spider-Man we'll get to see how Spidey handles his feelings for the Black Cat and how it affects the other crazy women in his life. And Kathryn Immonen's first arc comes to an end in Runaways as Gertrude makes her return to the team.

Reviews - Week of September 23, 2009

2009-09-26T16:26:00.004-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Spider-Woman #1
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Alex Maleev
A lot of people have told me that Brian Bendis should stay away from team books and concentrate more on solo series. I've only been in the comic book game for the past three or four years and actually enjoy his Avengers work quite a bit, but reading the first issue of Spider-Woman helps me see where those people are coming from. Bendis does an incredible job making us feel Spider-Woman's torment about the Skrulls using her as the face of the invasion and confusion about being missing from the Marvel Universe for who knows how many years. Never before have I been able to connect with a character this quickly. Also, while writing this great characterization, Bendis creates a believable outlet that gives Spider-Woman numerous potential story lines for future issues. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Alex Maleev's art. He is just as much responsible for the characterization as Bendis is. Maleev's shots and dark and murky tones perfectly complement the story. In the span of just one issue, this duo makes a hero out of someone a lot of fans may not know and create a story that should keep our interest for many issues to come.
IGN - 8.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 2.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #606
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Mike McKone
In a stark contrast to the somber nature of Spider-Woman (absolutely no relation to Spider-Man whatsoever), this issue is a purely fun read. Jokes and lightheartedness run aplenty as Spider-Man finds himself surrounded by crazy women, with Black Cat returning to stir the pot. I've missed her and she's always been a fun addition to any Spider-Man book. Apparently he's missed her too and I can't wait to see Mary Jane's reaction to the hottest tabloid photo of the year. Even with all the fun, Joe Kelly manages to create a cool story about Dexter Bennett having some secret that every one wants. Mike McKone's art is also a perfect fit for the tone of the series and his characters are quite nice-looking. If I gave awards away for "Funnest Book of the Week," this book would surely have won.
IGN - 8.4/10
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Dark Reign: The List - X-Men
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Alan Davis
This series is quickly becoming a useless action extravaganza. I really thought it was going to act as a transition between Dark Reign and the end of Dark Reign, but nope. The List is just Norman Osborn unsuccessfully trying to take down some of Marvel's bigger heroes. I did appreciate Namor coming off as totally badass in this book, but it was still just mindless action. Alan Davis's art was pretty good. His monster looked appropriately menacing and Namor looked as arrogant as ever. I can't recommend this book to anyone looking for anything significant to the overall Marvel Universe though.
IGN - 7.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Ms. Marvel #45
Writer: Brian Reed / Artist: Phil Briones
"War of the Marvels" just keeps getting more and more confusing. Just when I thought I figured things out, Catherine Donovan goes and gets some super powers. She was supposed to be the civilian part of Ms. Marvel, right? Osborn's treatment of her was pretty awesome though. What happens afterwards is not awesome. Apparently the light creatures from the prior story arc decided to reward Ms. Marvel with two bodies. Then they give her Moonstone's body. I'm confused. Who are the all-mighty light beings? Briones doesn't help matters any. His art is blotchy, awkward, and ridiculous. I really want to like this story. It's got some cool moments in it. But if I can't understand it, I can't support it.
IGN - 6.4/10

New Avengers #57
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Stuart Immonen
Does Hawkeye have super powers? That's all I could wonder while reading this issue. Nothing else was worth thinking about due to its absurdity. Osborn makes a deal with the terrorists, Mockingbird flies a plane immune to Osborn's machines into the middle of the battle, and the New Avengers ask Osborn to save Luke Cage for them. Dumb. But Hawkeye.... The terrorist super villains utilized a power dampener that incapacitates anyone with powers. Hawkeye was incapacitated. Maybe he's had powers ever since he came back from Scarlet Witch's banishment? But he's never shown those powers. I wonder where this will lead. The only other thing worth mentioning from this issue is the awful art. Immonen was terrible. His panels were highly under detailed, oftentimes just drawing blobs instead of actual characters. Maybe he realized the silliness of the book and decided it wasn't worth his time either.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant Size
Writer: Mark Millar / Artist: Steve McNiven
Marvel's adaptation of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven comes to an end with this issue. It may not be nearly as awesome as the movie, but Wolverine is just as badass in this issue as William Munny was at the end of the movie. In fact, I've never seen Wolverine as cool as he was hear. Oftentimes he just runs into a fight because he knows he can't be harmed...and then gets his ass kicked. But here he actually whoops up on people. Reading it brought back fond memories of that killer battle Uma Thurman had with the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill. Mark Millar may be credited as the writer, but Steve McNiven deserves all the credit for telling the story. Just as the Crazy 88 battle will be remembered for its choreography and spewing blood, this series will be known for Wolverine stabbing someone through the head or clawing his way out of the Hulk's stomach. I think this book just might be bloodier than Kill Bill. For anyone who liked Unforgiven or Kill Bill, I can't recommend Old Man Logan highly enough.
IGN -9/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

New Comics - Week of September 23, 2009

2009-09-22T21:15:00.007-04:00

It's finally here! The eight part story of "Old Man Logan" has taken almost two years to complete, with the most recent issue coming out four months ago. Sure, that may be a long time, but the story has been well worth reading. And I can forgive the monstrous delays because Steve McNiven needed extra time on the art. Take all the time you need, Steve, because your work is easily the best in the industry. Wolverine: Old Man Logan is worth buying just for the art alone.

Another interesting book devastated by delays is Spider-Woman #1. This series was supposed to happen after New Avengers, then after Civil War, and then in the summer. Oh well, with the events of Secret Invasion, Spider-Woman has never been more interesting than right now. Plus Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev are teaming up on the book. The last book they did - the award-winning and huge fan-favorite Daredevil. That's another one of those "'nuff said' comments.

Don't forget about Amazing Spider-Man #606, Dark Reign: The List - X-Men, Ms. Marvel #45, and New Avengers #57. The Black Cat will be making her return in Spider-Man. Over in The List, Osborn attempts to take care of what remains of his mutant problem. Ms. Marvel battles Moonstone in the penultimate issue of "War of the Marvels." And the New Avengers will have to defeat a foe without their powers while Luke Cage's life may be slipping away.

Reviews - Week of September 16, 2009

2009-09-19T16:20:00.009-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Blackest Night #3
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Ivan Reis
Everything I wanted was delivered in this issue. The first two issues were great, but they were mostly just drawn out fights and moments of horror. Well Geoff Johns fills us in on some of the Black Lanterns' motivations, powers, and weaknesses in this one. Finally! I know how to defeat a Black Lantern and the answer is rewarding and simple. Also, we at last get to see the Indigo Tribe in action. For years, fans have been waiting for the emergence of the last lantern corps, and their appearance does not disappoint. I look forward to finding out what they've been up to and how they know the answer to everything in future issues. Even though Johns takes the time to flesh out the story a bit more, he still delivers some incredible action. The fight with Firestorm is absolutely incredible and provides one of the most emotionally intense moments I've ever read. Ivan Reis's art is a sight to behold. All panels are beautiful, dark, flowing, and engaging. I can't find one thing bad about this issue. Blackest Night #3 totally rocks.
IGN - 8.7/10
Comic Book Resources - 5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #605
Writer: Fred Van Lente, Brian Reed / Artist: various
Van Lente has been on fire lately. He really shows his diversity with this issue. The Chameleon stories were great for their suspense and narration, but this one excels with humor and exposition. As a matter of fact, there is zero action to speak of; the whole thing is dedicated to Peter's love life. His roommate/girlfriend is awesome and I hope she continues to be a presence and annoyance in the series. We also get to see Pete try internet dating and going on a "date" with one of the girls he rescues. The premise sounds lame, and maybe it is, but the whole thing is hilarious. Also, Mary Jane's reasons for returning are explained in a short story. It's well written, but mostly uninteresting. Overall, this issue is highly insignificant, but very fun to read.
IGN - 8.4/10
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Captain America: Reborn #3
Writer: Ed Brubanker / Artist: Bryan Hitch
From now on, I am no longer going to mention my reluctance to bring Steve Rogers back. Not only has that been well documented on this site, but Reborn has won me over. Every issue gets better and better. Some people might be a little dissatisfied with reading some of Rogers' key moments in history, but I absolutely love them. His narration perfectly captures the torture he feels and his willingness to do nothing so that he can preserve history speaks volumes of his honor. But Cap is a master strategist too, and he may have come up with a solution to his predicament this week. I look forward to seeing how it plays out. Not much else happens except for Bucky's escape, which I found disappointingly easy. At least Hitch's art continues to shine. His style is progressively getting closer to the tone Ross, Guice, and Epting used throughout the series. The duo of Hitch and Brubanker may be the best thing to happen to Steve Rogers. Let's bring him back already!
IGN - 8.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 4.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Dark Avengers #9
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Mike Deodato Jr.
The strangest thing about this book is that it's a Secret Warriors story. Heck. The Dark Avengers don't even appear until the end. And when they do, we're subjected the poor characterization of typical "Bendis banter." None of that matters though, because the Secret Warriors part is phenomenal. Nick Fury is cool, the Warriors are appealing, and Ares is terrifying. I absolutely loved the twist in the Fury-Ares confrontation. Mike Deodato Jr.'s art is amazing as usual. He continues to innovate panel layout and his use of shadows is always appropriate and brilliant. Even though this issue doesn't have anything to do with the Dark Avengers, except for a lame cliffhanger at the end, the book is impressive and highly enjoyable.
IGN - 7.9/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Dark Reign: The List - Daredevil
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Billy Tan
Boy was I disappointed. Coming in to this issue, I was expecting something significant to the greater Marvel Universe. After all, this series is supposed to usher in Osborn's eventual fall from grace. Absolutely nothing happens. There's a fight between Bullseye and Daredevil and that's it. The fight isn't even really a fight. They never actually engage in combat. Daredevil just chases Bullseye around until he kills a bunch of people and makes Daredevil feel pretty crappy about his life. Lame. Billy Tan's art doesn't even come close to Michael Lark's brilliance in the Daredevil series, although his action sequences are pretty nice. Still, the book is insignificant and boring. What a waste.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Invincible Iron Man #18
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Salvador Larroca
I'm starting to grow a little frustrated with this series. It's still well-written and Larroca's art continues to improve, but the plot is so drawn out that I completely forgot some key aspects of the story. What the heck is Maria Hill's mission? So far she's done nothing but fight the Controller and get Black Widow captured by HAMMER. I don't know what Pepper's job was either. She's on HAMMER's helicarrier though, in a plot twist that makes me angry. (SPOILER ALERT) How the hell did she best Madame Masque in combat? (SAFE NOW) At least Stark has an armor and a plan now. Next issue is the last of the arc and let's hope it reminds us why this story was so great at the beginning.
IGN - 8.4/10

Mighty Avengers #29
Writer: Dan Slott, Christos Gage / Artist: Khoi Pham
Nothing important may ever happen in this series, but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying every minute of it. As a matter of fact, Mighty Avengers is the only book I read that doesn't really tie in to the greater Marvel Universe. Dan Slott does a great job here showing a pissed off Loki. He completely ravages the Young Avengers. The plot jumps forward by the end of the issue too, but I fear the series will be busy with the Unspoken before it progresses beyond that. The conflict with Unspoken is only moderately entertaining compared to Loki, but it shows some potential. Pham's art is a great fit for the series. His style is a bit quirky, a nice mix between the cartoony style of old and the realistic modern style, and his action is clean and easy to follow. The same description can be used to describe this series too. For all those reasons, Mighty Avengers is a very fun book to read.
IGN - 6.7/10
Comic Book Resources - 2/5

New Comics - Week of September 16, 2009

2009-09-15T20:07:00.005-04:00

Lots of books this week. Most important - Blackest Night #3. The first two issues have been haunting and amazing, but they've just been drawn-out fight scenes for the most part. I hope to learn some of the specifics of the Black Lanterns this month. Why are they rising? What is their motivation? And how do you stop one? The solicit teases that Johns may be addressing some of those issues and that the Spectre may play a big role.

The other huge book for the week - Captain America: Reborn #3. These two books have been dominating the sales charts, taking turns at number one the past two months. Besides that, Reborn #2 was great. No one hated the idea of bringing Steve Rogers back more than I did, but last issue completely won me over and I look for Ed Brubanker to continue that trend here.

I'm also looking forward to Amazing Spider-Man #605, Dark Avengers #9, Dark Reign: The List - Daredevil, Invincible Iron Man #18, and Mighty Avengers #29. This weeks Spider-Man serves as an epilogue to the Chameleon story and the cover suggests some hilarity as Pete has to deal with his stage five clinger girlfriend/roommate. Things return to normal in Dark Avengers, since they're done with the X-Men crossover. The first issue of The List was great and I expect this one to build on that momentum. Plus it has a battle between Bullseye and Daredevil: guaranteed coolness. "World's Most Wanted" in Iron Man has been stellar so far and you know the penultimate issue will be worth a read. Finally, Loki is going to whoop up on the Young Avengers in Mighty Avengers this week. Enough said.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

2009-09-14T19:40:00.009-04:00

It's finally here!!! Tomorrow I will be getting MUA2 and be able to satiate my hunger for a new quality comic book game. Over 20 characters will be at my disposal (and dozens more as NPCs) to take through some of the Marvel Universe's best story lines, including Secret War and Civil War. Sleep, I will miss you.

The game plays like a mix between a brawler and RPG. Remember those old Ninja Turtles and Final Fight arcade games of the 90? Well that's exactly how this game plays. There will be tons of bad guys on a level for you do walk through and defeat and boss fights waiting for you at the end. It's not just action though. You get experience with every brawl that you can apply to your characters. This makes the game very customizable. If you prefer Iron Man's repulsor blasts over his punching ability, build up his blasts.

In the game you'll be in control of one character and either your friends or the computer will be the other three. Some of the more interesting characters include most of the typical Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Juggernaut, and coolest of all, the Thunderbolts! I bet using Songbird is gonna be awesome. I'm sure there will be more downloadable characters in the future. Also, I'm sure not every storyline will center around Civil War. Expect to see some other plot threads pulled directly from the comic books. Anyone who wants to play with me, my Xbox gamertag is theJman100000.

Reviews - Week of September 09, 2009

2009-09-12T19:24:00.007-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Dark Reign: The List - Avengers
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
All the tension that has been building in New Avengers is on full display beautifully here. For months, we've been reading about the differences in heroic philosophies amongst the team members, but never has it been told better than in this issue. I actually felt Hawkeye's anger, Spider-Man's feeling of responsibility, and Captain America's willingness to listen to both sides. We're also treated to some great action too. Hawkeye sneaking into Avengers Tower and taking out the Dark Avengers one by one was highly entertaining. None of the characterization or action would have been as great without Marko Djurdjevic's spot-on art. Not only is every panel beautiful, but every character is drawn precisely, whether it's Ms. Marvel being slightly more muscular than Mockingbird, Mockingbird's hair being longer and straighter than Ms. Marvel's, or the nonchalant way Moonstone leans against the wall when she sees her base under attack. All the action and dialogue in this issue has me seriously excited for what Norman Osborn has in store for the rest of the Marvel Universe.
IGN - 7.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #604
Writer: Fred van Lente / Artist: Barry Kitson
After three stellar issues of great suspense and humor, I was sad to see Fred van Lente shift his focus to action and hokiness. I suppose it's understandable. We can't read about the Chameleon's methods of capture and mimicry every issue and Spider-Man had to save the day at some point, but the style of the first three issues was sorely missed. Some of the action was actually kind of annoying. Jameson's Spider Slayer squad attacking Spider-Man while he's trying save the day gets old real quick and Jameson himself was painfully stupid this issue. Barry Kitson does an admirable job though. His action is easy to follow and all the characters are depicted really well. Even with the lackluster final issue, I'd still consider this arc a success though. It reintroduced us to an awesome villain in Chameleon and sets him up for future arcs with a great surprise guest as a teaser.
IGN - 7.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Mike Deodato Jr., Terry Dodson
Well at least we get a cool fight. Utopia was always a dumb premise and none of that changes with this issue, but the fight was highly entertaining. Seeing bunches of mutants run for cover against Bullseye speaks volumes for his badassery and any fan of his will relish that sequence. The rest of the Dark Avengers are equally cool as they fight the hundreds of mutants, all of them except Daken of course. While the fighting may have been awesome, nothing else is. Anytime Matt Fraction tried to tie anything back to Cyclops's plan or some overarching story, I rolled my eyes. Thankfully, Mike Deodato Jr. did the art for all the action sequences. He's one of my favorites because of his innovative panel layouts, use of shadows, and all-around stunning depictions and all three are on full blast here. And just as Fraction fails jumping from the action, so too does the art as Dodson takes over for any panel without the awesome fight. In case you couldn't tell by now, only the fight between the X-Men and Dark Avengers is good. Don't read anything else.
IGN - 8.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Green Lantern Corps #40
Writer: Peter Tomasi / Artist: Patrick Gleason
Probably the best thing about this issue was seeing just how bad Scar messed up the Guardians. They're still in that black goo and totally incapacitated. Not even the Green Lantern rings can recognize an energy signature from them. Awesommmmmmme. Other than that, not much else happens. We see some more fighting between Black Lanterns and Green Lanterns. It was cool to see some of the old dead Lanterns back and fighting their former friends. I also enjoyed Salaak putting the Alpha Lanterns in their place and the new partnership between a Star Sapphire and Sinestro member. That sounds like a lot of cool things, but they are all minor parts of this issue. Most of it is dedicated to the fight. Sure the fight is always cool, but it's all the stuff I've been seeing in any Blackest Night book. Patrick Gleason's art is pretty impressive. None of his characters look like hill billies and most of his panels are nicely drawn. Overall though, nothing significant takes place in this issue and only die hard Blackest Night fans will find this a must-read.
IGN 8.3/10
Green Lantern Corps #40 - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Thunderbolts #135
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
This book is espionage at its finest. I love every twist and secret of the arc and this issue sees most of those coming to a head. Widow and Songbird make a great team and I hope to see them with Nick Fury in Secret Warriors in the future. Thankfully, the Thunderbolts are no joke either. While Songbird is incapacitated, they do a nice job taking out Black Widow, who puts up a valiant effort, but let's face it, she has no powers. Mister X was incredibly cool in the fight and I loved seeing Scourge taking charge. Speaking of him, I think Scourge may end up being another person secretly working for Fury, because that guy always has an ace up his sleeve. Pretty much the only thing I didn't like about this book is the art. Sepulveda art is a little silly and washed out and doesn't match the tone of the book at all. Another thing that bothers me is Black Widow's capture. Including this book, she is currently being held captive in three ongoing series. She is a continuity conundrum. All in all though, this book is great and I love how it ties into Secret Warriors.
IGN - 8.6/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

DC Making Moves

2009-09-09T19:31:00.004-04:00

Hot on the heels of Marvel's huge announcement, DC decides to shake things up a bit. Warner Brothers, DC's owner, has decided to restructure DC Comics into a new corporation called DC Entertainment Inc. What this means is that, DC is no longer an outsider in the development of some of its franchises as TV shows and movies. Now, DC will play an active role, much like Marvel Entertainment did with Iron Man, Hulk, and all the upcoming Avengers movies. It's about darn time.

Warner Bros. and DC have been together for a good while now, but have never seemed to work together. Warner Bros. has always left the comics publisher in a little corner to do its own thing, much like a a new mom would do her embarrassing step son. Now, they are putting their resources together to maximize the potential of some of DC's better characters.

With Warner Bros. now fully backing DC, not only will we get movies more faithful to the comics, but we'll also be getting more movies. Before, films were so hard to get made because rights were divided up between multiple producers and companies, a lot of which had no idea about the origins of the characters. DC Entertainment now controls what comics will be getting the movie treatment and how to go about it. So, a new Superman movie and a Wonder Woman movie are most likely going to be made soon, along with some of DC's other more popular characters.

New Comics - Week of September 9, 2009

2009-09-08T19:53:00.017-04:00

Due to the Labor Day holiday, all our books will be out a day late this week. So on Thursday, the comic I will be most excited for is Dark Reign: The List - Avengers. "The List" is a set of goals Osborn sets out to accomplish with the name in the title showing who that goal is focused on. This series is also supposed to mark the end of Marvel's Dark Reign. So not only is the premise totally awesome, the collection of books is sure to be incredibly significant.

Another big book out this week is Green Lantern Corps #40. Last issue saw the resurrection of hundreds of dead Green Lanterns as Black Lanterns and the destruction of Oa. Naturally, this one will show the fallout of that in a huge battle between the two corps. Nothing important should happen, but the fight should be entertaining and given that the last Green Lantern showed some of the other corps' reactions to Black Lanterns, maybe this book will follow suit.

I will also be purchasing Amazing Spider-Man #604, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus, and Thunderbolts #135. Even though the "Redheaded Stranger" arc in Spider-Man hasn't exactly delivered what was promised, the book has been great thanks to Fred Van Lente's characterization of Chameleon. The new take on him has been creepy, horrific, funny, and fascinating all at the same time and I can't wait to see what happens next. The only reason I'm getting Exodus is because I've bought every other issue of the "Utopia" arc so I might as well get this one too. But, who knows? There might be a cool fight between the Dark Avengers and the X-Men. Over in Thunderbolts, Andy Diggle has been working his magic. Just when it looks like Osborn has Songbird where he wants her, we realize that Nick Fury has been pulling the strings the whole time. I can't wait to see Widow and Songbird versus the lunatic Thunderbolts.

Something else to consider this week is Models, Inc. #1. I know what you're thinking. "Sounds gay." It probably is, but this series could turn out to be a big hit and I have a feeling the Tim Gunn variant cover might be worth some money one day.

Reviews - Week of September 02, 2009

2009-09-05T18:35:00.004-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Invincible Iron Man #17
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Salvador Larroca
This book only receives the highly coveted "Book of the Week" award by default. I wasn't all that impressed with it actually. For the first time, the length of the story arc seemed to be getting to Matt Fraction. There was no flow or substance in this issue. Tony continued telling us he's getting dumber and he gets shot out of the air in his Iron Man costume again (is that 3 times in the arc now?). Maria and Widow's part wasn't any better. Maria freaks out in the weirdest of ways and their elaborate plan gets broken up within just a few panels. I did like the cameo of Captain America though. His appearance gets me excited for some action in the next issue and maybe even something substantial will happen story-wise. Speaking of things I like, Salvador Larroca's art was pretty impressive. His characters no longer look like statues and he has a good way of building suspense with his style. This issue may have been pretty disappointing but I'm still confident in the overall arc and looking forward to Captain America getting down to business.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

Cable #18
Writer: Duance Swierczynski / Artist: Gabriel Guzman
Terrible! That should suffice as a review for this comic. Nothing was good. The whole point of Cable's exit to space was to get away from Bishop. But no, this is a Swierczynski book and apparently he can only create one conflict. So lo and behold, Bishop makes an appearance on their ship even though he was left on a desolate world with seemingly no way off. Swierczynski also completely forgets a major element he wrote only a few issues ago. The technorganic virus that was killing Cable is totally gone. His face no longer has any semblance of the virus and he even uses his telekinesis despite the fact that doing so is supposed to kill him by weakening his defense against the all important virus. Guzman's art sucks too. It may be his fault that the Cable looks more human than machine and every character and background looks amateurish. I can't say enough bad things about this issue. It really blows.
IGN - 4.7/10

New IGN Podcast

2009-09-02T20:54:00.012-04:00

IGN has finally decided to do another one of their podcasts. I love hearing opinions on comics, so naturally, I'm a big fan of these. They've been gone a long while, but the Disney and Marvel news forced the guys back from their hiatus. There are four IGN editors specializing in comic books, movies, and television giving their opinions on the huge news. Click the link below to listen.

IGN Comics SMASH!! Podcast - 09/01/09

If you want to save the podcast to your computer just right click the link and "save link as."

IGN also says their regular podcast should be returning shortly. Good. I think it's been two months or more since I've heard some good ol' comic book discussion.

New Comics - Week of September 02, 2009

2009-09-01T19:28:00.007-04:00

This is an extremely slow week for comic books. Of all the books coming out, I am only interested in two of them. First up is Invincible Iron Man #17. So far, Matt Fraction has been doing a phenomenal job telling the tragic tale of Tony of Stark. This issue sees Stark's plan maybe starting to fail because he can't actually remember it after all the memory deletion. Also, I look forward to seeing Black Widow and Maria Hill get to work.

The other book I'll be buying is Cable #18. Last issue left Duane Swierczynski with lots of potential plot lines. I'm excited about their space expedition and finding out what obstacles lie ahead for them. The one thing I'm most looking forward too though: no more of the bumbling idiot known as Bishop. Also, from the looks of the preview page I'm providing, Hope might be starting to develop some of her long-awaited secret powers.

Disney + Marvel

2009-08-31T19:06:00.011-04:00

By now everyone has heard; Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment through a combination of stocks and cash that amounts to $4 billion. Alright Marvel! Congratulations on the big pay day. So far, only the deal has been announced. No future plans have been mentioned other than that Disney will be honoring any deals Marvel already has in place, such as the Iron Man movies being distributed by Paramount and some Marvel games being developed by Activision. If I learn anything more, I'll be sure to keep you posted.

While I may not see this as a threat, tons of fans have been voicing their displeasure on the IGN boards. Their rants are a little absurd. Disney didn't buy Marvel so they could get into the comics business. They wouldn't have any interest in making Spider-Man a handsome prince or Captain America a merman. By the way, I'm sure Marvel has done stuff like that with some of its other characters already. Disney is probably more interested in taking advantage of Marvel's huge popularity right now. I'm sure they realize they had nothing to do with Marvel's success and won't try to alter anything for fear of messing it up.

I actually do see some potential if Disney does get into some of the creative aspects though. Imagine a Pet Avengers movie starring Lockjaw, Lockheed, and Frog Thor made by Pixar (another successful company that Disney bought). That would be awesome! Also, think of the potential for a Kingdom Hearts game with Marvel characters in it. If that gets made, I might as well quit my jobs because playing it will be the only justifiable use of my time. So even if Disney does try to get into the creative side of things, there are avenues well worth exploring. Just stay away from Marvel's 616 Universe.

Reviews - Week of August 26, 2009

2009-08-29T16:11:00.013-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Green Lantern #45
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
Geoff Johns had been detailing Blackest Night brilliantly in the pages of the proper and both Green Lantern books, but one thing I was missing was the reactions of the other Corps. That gets addressed in this issue. Finally we get to see Sinestro's shock and the Star Sapphires' confusion. Not only are we treated to great supplementary material for Blackest Night, but Johns also continues the enticing plot threads he was building before the event. Equally as impressive is Doug Mahnke's art, which is amazing in that he captures the chaos of the situation while also accurately depicting emotions of frustration, rage, and utter confusion. Additionally, almost every character is drawn beautifully. I say "almost" because I don't particularly care for his scrawny Larfleeze. With the plot threads mounting in Blackest Night, I am excited to see some of the smaller but just as interesting ones expanded upon in these pages.
IGN - 8.5/10

Dark Avengers #8
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Luke Ross
I've never seen a comic book sillier and more discombobulated than this one. The previous chapter in the "Utopia" story showed us some cool strategies that Cyclops laid out to counter Osborn's coup of the mutant community. Instead of showing that plan in action in this chapter, the story just jumps to the outcome. BTW, the plan worked. Lame. Nothing else makes sense either. Countless characters come and go without any explanation and I still don't know what Osborn's plan is with that torture machine he's using on Beast, who the nobodies in the Dark X-Men are, and why in the world Cyclops made his team study them if they were never meant to fight those guys. Luke Ross's stiff, cartoony, and cookie cutter art doesn't help matters any. Just when I was starting to see some good in "Utopia", this issue quickly reminded me of why I hated the story from the very beginning.
IGN - 6.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 2/5

Ms. Marvel #44
Writer: Brian Reed / Artist: Sana Takeda
Speaking of silly stories, "War of the Marvels" continues here. Just as I suspected, Ms. Marvel has been separated into two beings, one tough and one soft. Moonstone figures this out and hypothesizes that proximity between the two beings directly correlates to the tough one's strength (at least that explains why a pregnant Menace could defeat her). She devises a plan to kill the soft one to hurt the strong one, but everyone knows that won't happen and I fully expect them to merge by the end of next issue. Not much else happens this issue, as it serves as just an explanatory chapter of the story arc. Something worth noting is the art. It's terrible. All of Takeda's characters are shiny and look like toys, coming off as stiff and blocky. Despite all the lame explanations and horrible art though, I did enjoy the issue. That is solely due to Brian Reed's great ability to write interesting dialogue and his masterful characterization of Moonstone.
*None of the sites reviewed Ms. Marvel this week

New Avengers #56
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Stuart Immonen
Continuing the silly theme this week, the Hood's gang creates a machine that takes away everyone's powers except theirs to impress Norman Osborn. It's one of the more stupid things I've read, however, Bendis makes the most of it with some great characterization. Finally, he shows some respect to Mockingbird. No longer is she just Hawkeye's fragile wife, but a legitimate hero. Her narration is detailed and fun and her skills are on full display as she beats down one of the Hood's cronies. The Wrecking Crew is also given some great treatment from Bendis. Stuart Immonen's art is vibrant and catchy. Some of his panels actually look like they're popping out of the pages. Best of all - he uses Mockingbird's new costume instead of her ridiculous 80s one. Regardless of the silliness of the issue's premise, Bendis does a great job making this a highly entertaining read.
IGN - 7.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Runaways #13
Writer: Kathryn Immonen / Artist: Sara Pichelli
With this issue of Runaways, Kathryn Immonen does another great job creating circumstances that help with the characterization of the team. Chase gets the chance to shine this time. Immonen uses the sudden appearance of his long-lost Uncle to build upon a plot thread discussed way back in the first volume and the story is just as engrossing as it was back then. She also continues the ongoing theme of Nico slutting it up (is there anyone she hasn't hooked up with?). Thankfully, the rest of the team notices and in a particularly funny scene, Karolina busts her out about it. This kind of interaction amongst the team is what makes this series so much fun to read. Sara Pichelli's art frustrates me though. Nico looks horrible, Karolina looks like a tree, and Victor is completely unrecognizable. Please start using Adrian Alphona's depictions as references. Runaways may be going away for a little while after next issue and it couldn't have come at a worst time. The new creative team has brought the series back and I pray they and my favorite superhero team don't stay gone long.
IGN - 8.4/10

Secret Warriors #7
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Green Lantern, Runaways, and this wonderful comic made this week one of the strongest I've ever been a part of. With his second arc, Hickman makes Nick Fury and his team even cooler while further connecting the series to Dark Reign. First of all, I love Fury's way of treating the team. After robbing a dirty bank for more than a billion dollars and listening to the Warriors complain about not getting paid, he says, "Take 20 dollars and the night off." Hilarious. More importantly though, Osborn is finally tired of Fury and sends the Thunderbolts and Avengers after him. Or is Fury sending Black Widow and Songbird after Osborn? That's right! This story is sort of tying in with what's going on in Thunderbolts. I love how, with this series, Fury has his hands in more things than Osborn and is building three or more different teams to handle different situations. Alessandro Vitti's art is mighty impressive. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know Caselli wasn't drawing this issue until I looked at the credits. Vitti's Black Widow doesn't look all that great but only because her depiction is different than what I'm used to seeing her as. Other than that, I have absolutely no complaints about this issue and, quite frankly, cannot praise it enough.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

New Comics - Week of August 26, 2009

2009-08-25T18:49:00.014-04:00

Runaways #13 is coming out this week! Ever since Terry Moore departed, the series has gotten back to its fun and teenage angst ways. The last issue was full of analyses of the team's new relationships with each other and left us with an unexpected family reunion. Sara Pichelli's art may not be the best I've ever seen, but Runaways is always at its best when dealing with family issues, so this issue is sure to rock.

Of course, I'm excited about Green Lantern #45 as well. In this issue we finally get to see the Black Lanterns affecting someone else. As Sinestro attacks the Star Sapphires, they are interrupted by a deluge of Black Lanterns. I can't wait to see their reactions to Blackest Night and how it compares to those of the Green Lanterns.

Other books I will be adding to my collection are Dark Avengers #8, Ms. Marvel #44, New Avengers #56, and Secret Warriors #7. I look for ongoing sagas to keep getting better and more epic in the pages of Dark Avengers and Ms. Marvel. The last New Avengers felt a little too silly and left a bad taste in my mouth, but I've been following the team for four years and won't stop now. And Secret Warriors has been amazing in its entirety and I can't wait to see what the second story arc has in store for us.

The Death of Iron Man?

2009-08-24T19:11:00.008-04:00

Check out this new cover just debuted for Invincible Iron Man #20. I hope this is just some sort of symbolism to help show how things have drastically changed for Tony since Civil War. If this cover is meant to be taken literally, I will be very sad. Iron Man has been the most important person in the Marvel Universe for the past few years and with Captain America coming back, the potential for their reunion is limitless. Also, with said resurrection, Tony's death wouldn't have any impact and come off pointless.

While I'm at it, I might as well voice some other frustrations generated from this picture. I'm pretty tired of Marvel reusing the same ideas over and over again. Invincible Iron Man #20 is the start of the new story "Stark Disassembled." Oh another play on a famous older story arc? Come on! Wasn't "Death of Ms. Marvel," "Death of Marc Specter," "Initiative Disassembled," and "World War (insert dumb noun here)" enough? Also, that image is just a rehash of the one drawn of Captain America and Iron Man from Civil War: The Confession. It's a cool image and title, but I prefer innovation.

Reviews - Week of August 19, 2009

2009-08-22T18:32:00.009-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Daredevil #500
Writer: Ed Brubanker / Artist: Michael Lark
Choosing one comic to be my favorite was a lot tougher than I expected this week. Every one I read was amazing, but in the end, I knew in my heart that Daredevil #500 was the best. For months Ed Brubanker has been building an incredible story tearing Matt Murdock down and reminding us exactly what makes Daredevil such a cool hero. And just when I thought I knew where Brubanker was taking us, he throws us for one hell of a loop that puts Daredevil in a situation he's never been in before that will definitely set up tons of interesting new plot threads. Every other character is written just as masterfully: Kingpin is tragic and ruthless, Lady Bullseye is arrogant and vengeful, and Master Izo (the star of this issue) is enigmatic and more involved in Daredevil's life than anyone could have guessed. Michael Lark's art is just as impressive as Brubankers writing, capturing the suspense and danger of the atmosphere while also drawing interesting characters that are a joy to look at. Speaking of art, David Aja turns up some amazing and toned-down work for the "3 Jacks" tale in the bonus material. As a matter of fact, that story, written by Ann Nocenti, is just as entertaining a read as Brubanker's. A reprint of one of Frank Miller's old stories was another welcome treat. The combination of those amazing three stories not only makes this book well worth the cover price of $5, but also my hands-down Book of the Week.
IGN - 9.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 4.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

Amazing Spider-Man #603
Writer: Fred Van Lente / Artist: Robert Atkins
Fred Van Lente does another wonderful job with the Chameleon this issue. As a matter of fact, Spider-Man doesn't even appear in these pages. We see Peter Parker, but only the way Chameleon sees him. Not only do we continue to see the villain's awesome new skill set and demeanor (again told like a horror movie), but his impersonation of Parker is hilarious. In the span of one day he manages to do every thing the exact opposite way Parker would have, and I can only imagine the hoops Pete will have to jump through to get himself out of certain sticky situations. What really makes everything work so well is Chameleon's insightful narrative. I also loved how Van Lente bookended the comic with a narrative on how much you can learn about someone in one day. On a down note, Robert Atkins's art isn't as great. There's nothing terrible, but nothing terribly great either. I'm still excited for the next issue though, if only to see more of the Chameleon.
IGN - 7.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Mighty Avengers #28
Writer: Dan Slott, Christos Gage / Artist: Khoi Pham
Once again Slott and Gage deliver a highly enjoyable and quirky tale. What makes this issue better than any other so far is the infusion of an actually cool battle. Not often do I get excited at the thought of a fight in comics, but Loki taking on the Young Avengers is going to be awesome. His ruse has been the backbone of the title's new direction and I'm glad to see it developing so well. The other threads don't work quite so nicely. USAgent and Quicksilver's mission felt pretty silly and the Unspoken came off as kind of a wuss. I have no such complaints about Khoi Pham's art though. His style fits the quirky and action-packed tone of the series well. I will definitely be looking forward to next issue's battle with Loki and hopefully some cool guest appearances from other Avengers.
IGN - 7.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

New Comics - Week of August 19, 2009

2009-08-18T19:15:00.002-04:00

Not only is this a very light week, but no huge comics are coming out either. Easily the most significant would be Daredevil #500. Here we have another fake anniversary issue to generate buzz for higher sales. No extra incentive was needed for me to buy this issue though, because it concludes the Return of the King arc. Throughout the story we've seen the Kingpin return to Daredevil's life to either help or hurt him and Ed Brubanker has done a phenomenal job keeping us guessing. I can't wait to see what happens.

Not much else is left for us comic book fans. Along with Daredevil, I'll be buying Amazing Spider-Man #603 and Mighty Avengers #28. The Chameleon was awesome in the last issue of Spider-Man and I very much anticipate how Fred Van Lente will continue to use him. Over in Mighty Avengers, the team needs to bring together multiple superhero groups to take on the totally badass Inhumans villain, Unspoken.

Reviews - Week of August 12, 2009

2009-08-15T16:04:00.015-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Cable #17
Writer: Duane Swierczynski / Artist: Paul Gulacy
What?!? Cable is actually good?!? I know, right? The last issue sucked, but this one builds upon the threads set up in that one magnificiently. For the first time, Hope actually seems like a dynamic character on her own, instead of just Cable's burden. I loved every panel of her in the clean city avoiding detection and building a relationship with Emil. In fact, that budding relationship is what drives this issue. Cable's inevitable reunion with Hope is just as rewarding to read, seeing as how both are totally different people now. I was a little disappointed that his technorganic virus wasn't really addressed though. His escape plan brings us full circle to the beginning of the arc, but this time Hope's frustration actually makes sense. Another pleasant surprise is Gulacy's improved work, making this issue less cartoony and having Hope look more her age. The most promising thing about this issue, though, is that the escape effectively sets up plenty of new and fresh ideas for future stories.
IGN - 6/10
Comic Book Resources - 2/5

Blackest Night #2
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Ivan Reis
This book was an amazing read. Every scene of action was intense and packed with emotion and Aquaman's fight with his old kingdom is definitely the highlight of the issue. Throughout its duration, Johns does a brilliant job reminding us of his importance to the Atlanteans and perfectly conveying their horror about his new form. Ivan Reis is a huge reason why the fights work so well. He completely captures the intensity and chaos of every battle while also drawing beautiful characters and backgrounds. My only gripe with this issue is that the whole thing is filled with fights. No matter how awesome they all are, it still left me wanting more. What's Scar up to? How do you kill a Black Lantern? What is Black Hand's new power? None of these get addressed this issue. Oh well. At least there were some incredible fights to enjoy.
IGN - 9.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 4.5/5

Green Lantern Corps #39
Writer: Peter Tomasi / Artist: Patrick Gleason
I found this book to be nothing more than supplementary material for Blackest Night. Basically, it's an issue devoted entirely to "here's some other stuff that's happening in the Green Lantern neck of the woods." That's not an entirely bad thing though. I was happy to get back to Mongul's conquest of Korugar (and the Sinestro Corps for that matter) and the panels depicting the rings resurrecting the Lantern crypt were amazing. Sadly, Gleason's art continues to be inconsistent. Mongul's panels look beautifully dire, but throughout the rest of the book characters' faces change too much from page to page. Overall, I enjoyed this issue only because I like Blackest Night so much. It just doesn't stand on its own though.
IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #602
Writer: Fred Van Lente / Artist: Barry Kitson
The first thing you'll notice when reading this is that this issue doesn't really serve as a continuation of the last. It's a little jarring initially, but that unease quickly evaporates when you see how awesome the Chameleon is depicted here. He quickly steals the show when you see his horrifying methods of assuming a new disguise, which could actually serve as its own horror movie. The rest of the issue doesn't work as well. We get to catch up on Harry Osborn and get a glimpse of Mary Jane, but we don't find out anything about her in what is supposed to be her story arc. Kitson's art works well though. His imagery of the Chameleon is perfect and every other character is depicted rather well. Overall, Van Lente does a great job creating a cool new story with Spider-Man's oldest villain, even if he does lose focus on Red-Headed Stranger.
IGN - 8/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

Ms. Marvel #43
Writer: Brian Reed / Artist: Sergio Arino
Moonstone continues to kick ass in this series. As a matter of fact, I'm starting to wish that she'll never leave it. The return of Ms. Marvel has been confusing at best and stupid at worst. Apparently she's been split into two people - one who is the ultimate warrior (but can still be beaten by a pregnant Menace) and one who is the passive civilian (Catherine Donovan). Thankfully, Moonstone provides the desperately needed entertainment. In the opening sequence she uses a civilian to help her vent her frustrations and then just kills him. Awesommmmmmme!!! She doesn't stop there either, as she makes a strong case that she may deserve her own series too. Arino's art does a fair enough job this issue. Most of it is oddly shiny, but no one comes off as disfigured or ugly. I enjoyed this issue of Ms. Marvel despite her lack of any impact, but I'm going to need her to start being cool again real soon.
Comics Bulletin - 2.5/5

Uncanny X-Men #514
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Terry Dodson
This may be the first issue of Utopia that I've actually liked. The premise of the Dark X-Men is still a dumb idea but Fraction shifts the focus from that idiocy to the X-Men this issue and it pays dividends. Cyclops devises a strategy to overtake Osborn's X-Men and Avengers while keeping both us readers and his team in the dark about the specifics, but I love the bits and pieces that are revealed. Apparently he's creating three teams specifically chosen to fight both Dark teams and free the captured mutants. I look forward to finding out why Cyclops chose who he did and seeing how his plan plays out. Dodson's art is its usual cartoony style with every blonde looking exactly the same. That doesn't detract from Cyclops's great plan though, which just might make this series one of the few successful crossovers I've ever read.
IGN - 8/10
Comic Book Resources - 2.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

New Comics - Week August 12, 2009

2009-08-11T19:20:00.008-04:00

This week is another one of those "no-brainers." Get Blackest Night #2. The first issue was amazing. Heck, the entire Green Lantern series of books has been amazing. We left off with tons of Black Lanterns rising to the astonishment of the Corps and Scar finally making her move. Hopefully, in this issue we'll see some more great action and learn a little more about the undead Corps.

The other book coming out this week that I am most looking forward to is Ms. Marvel #43. War of the Marvels continues and I am excited about their showdown. Moonstone has never been cooler than she is now and Ms. Marvel has always been one of my favorite heroes (as you can tell by the site's background). Now that we're out of the whole "resurrection" mess, maybe Carol can go back to whooping ass - with the occasional blonde moment.

Other awesome books set to release are Green Lantern Corps #39, Amazing Spider-Man #602, Cable #17, and Uncanny X-Men #514. You really can't read Blackest Night without following either Green Lantern series. Expect to see the reaction of the Corps as they see all their dead comrades come back to fight them. In Spider-Man you'll see Red-Headed Stranger continue, hopefully learning some more about her deal with Mephisto, and the return of the Chameleon. Cable succumbed to his techno virus in the last issue so we'll get to see the fallout of that tomorrow. And in Uncanny X-Men, the Utopia saga continues with the new Dark X-Men fighting the Dark Avengers. That's a whole lot of darkness!

Reviews - Week of August 05, 2009

2009-08-08T19:42:00.013-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Captain America: Reborn #2
Writer: Ed Brubanker / Artist: Bryan Hitch
No one is more surprised than I am about how good this book turned out to be. The first issue did nothing but reinforce how dumb of an idea bringing back Steve Rogers is. This issue doesn't do anything to appease that, but it does help you forget the absurdity. Rogers' dilemma comes across as very captivating and, in a very clever way, provides a great reintroduction to some of his key moments in history. Brubanker also finds a plausible way to tie this whole thing into Dark Reign. As a matter of fact, Widow and Bucky actually lose to the Dark Avengers, thankfully (there's no way the two of them could take on two super-powered villains). Hitch's art also improves this issue, although I still don't care for his depiction of Black Widow compared to Steve Epting's. I may still think bringing Cap back is a stupid idea, but stories like this start to make me glad about his return.
IGN - 8.7/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

War of Kings #6
Writer: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning / Artist: Paul Pelletier
War of Kings has been built around one thing: Black Bolt vs. Vulcan. This issue certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard. Their battle is both entertaining and epic. I was a little disturbed how Vulcan was actually able to put up a fight, but thankfully Black Bolt asserts his dominance and absolutely destroys Vulcan's lame ass. Also, the two voices of the series, Gladiator and Crystal, end up with some interesting new found power. And once again, Paul Pelletier treats us with some spot-on art. One thing that did disappoint though, was the ending. There was no ending! Instead, the end will be told next month in a one-shot that will effectively be part 7 of 6 in this series.
IGN - 9.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 4.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man #601
Writer: Mark Waid / Artist: Mario Alberti
Mary Jane's return is handled very well in this issue. It's obvious both she and Peter need to talk to each other, but through a funny little twist, she misses the date instead of him. More interesting than what they need to talk about though, is what we find out while MJ watches Spidey on the TV. Remember in One More Day when Mary Jane whispered something into Mephisto's ear before he changed everything? I think we may find out what that was all about pretty soon. Other than Mary Jane, not much else happened, but Waid gives us some very funny comedic moments throughout the issue. Not as effective, was Alberti's art. In fact, some of the characters come across as downright ugly in a few panels. Despite the art though, this story has started off nicely and I look forward to finding out some of Mary Jane's new secrets.
IGN - 7/10
Comics Bulletin 3.5/5

Invincible Iron Man #16
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Salvador Larroca
World's Most Wanted continues to progress pretty slowly, but Fraction does a great job providing us with great character moments when the plot comes to a crawl. This issue belongs to Madame Masque. Her actions provide a great sense of tension and unease within the story. From the building suspense to the reveal of her scarred face to her creepy seduction of Tony, every panel she was in totally captured my attention and imagination. One thing I didn't like was her inevitable fight with Pepper. There's no way Pepper could ever be a match for Masque. Another disappointing aspect of the issue is Maria Hill. After 15 issues of building her great character, Fraction decides to totally break her this issue. Out of nowhere, she has a lame nervous breakdown. On a good note, Larroca's art is vastly improved. Some of the faces are still expressionless, but his people are definitely less shiny and kind of appealing too.
IGN - 8.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

New Comics - August 05, 2009

2009-08-03T20:07:00.005-04:00

The last chapter of War of Kings is due out this week. Some doubts may have sprung up from a slightly disappointing previous issue, but I'm still stoked about War of Kings #6. Finally, Black Bolt and Vulcan will have their legendary showdown. Hopefully, the Inhumans' attitude toward the war will be redeemed and they will become the true heroes of this potentially great series.

Another big release is Amazing Spider-Man #601. The fantastic previous issue left us with the return of Mary Jane and this one should be delving more into what she's been up to and maybe hint at she and Peter's new relationship status. If you recall, she left a very cryptic message, which he didn't get, on his answer machine while he was with the Fantastic Four. One More Day centered on their relationship and this is the first story about them since.

Other big releases from Marvel are Captain America: Reborn #2 and Invincible Iron Man #16. I was opposed to Reborn before it started and last issue didn't help matters any. This one probably won't win me over either, but a Bucky and Widow vs. Ares and Venom showdown should go a long way. Over in Iron Man, Tony and Pepper were caught and tormented by Madame Masque. Of course they'll escape this issue, but look for some more amazing characterization of Masque. Also, expect Tony to overcome his newly deteriorated mental state to defeat her.

Reviews - Week of July 29, 2009

2009-08-01T19:12:00.013-04:00

***Book of the Week***

Secret Warriors #6
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Stefano Caselli
Reading this book really is like watching a TV show. The story flows naturally giving action and plot in each individual issue, while also subtly building upon a greater theme throughout the series. Jonathan Hickman does a phenomenal job with that this issue, showing us that Nick Fury has won the battle but is far from winning the war. Said battle also happens to be very entertaining thanks to the great art of Stefano Caselli. Overall, this was the best issue yet of this extraordinary series and the last past leaves us thinking things will only get better.
IGN - 9/10
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

New Avengers #55
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Stuart Immonen
This issue of New Avengers serves more as a story for the Hood rather than our favorite superhero team. Most of it consists of a coup within the Hood's gang and the Avengers stumbling into an absurd evil scheme. Seeing a favorite group of mine get beat up by a team of nobodies without a valid explanation is the frustrating. Immonen's art is inconsistent, with a lot of his characters looking different from panel to panel. Add to that Spider-Man discussing some Brand New Day problems and you've got a silly comic book that's not very entertaining.
IGN - 8.3/10
Comic Book Resources - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 2.5/5

Thunderbolts #134
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
Everything I liked about last issue returns in this one and everything I didn't like is corrected. Seeing another villain on the team turn into a good guy was the last thing I wanted, but thankfully, Diggle provides an awesome cliffhanger on the last page involving one of my new favorite heroes that totally wins me back over. Also good was the interaction between Headsman and Mister X, providing some more character depth and dynamism. Of course, the main the story is about Songbird though, and this issue progresses that in a fresh and exciting way. I'm not a big fan of Sepulveda's photography inspired art, but it didn't at all distract me from Diggle's great espionage and action-packed story.
IGN - 8.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

New Review Format

2009-07-29T19:15:00.003-04:00

You fans have probably noticed that I have been slacking on the reviews lately. Instead of devoting hours of my time writing my usual in-depth reviews, I've decided to do some quick-hits. Basically, I'll be writing a few thoughts about why I liked or disliked the book and will leave off the analytical details of why my thoughts are what they are.

Along with each review, I will also include links to reviews from legitimate reviewers, such as IGN and Comic Book Resources. These will usually provide a little more detail to anyone who was enticed by my mini-review.

Additionally, I will be posting all my reviews together. Since they will no longer be so time-consuming, I will be able to write them all in one day and put them in a single post.

Hopefully with the extra free time I'll have because of this, I will be able to come up with more feature pieces. Also, with there being fewer posts, some of the more important ones will stay at the top of the homepage longer. Everyone knows the first post always gets read more.

I hope this new format will benefit myself and you loyal fans. If you have any suggestions or want me to go back to the previous one, just let me know. All comments are welcomed.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

2009-07-28T19:24:00.004-04:00

Whenever I have some free time from my two jobs I occasionally like to relax and play some video games. Given that my free time is so sparse nowadays, I need something I can just pick up and play for a few minutes at a time and get some immediate gratification. Being a huge comic book fan, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is the perfect game! It doesn't come out until September though :-(. However, available for download on Xbox Live tomorrow is Marvel vs. Capcom 2. I may suck at most fighting games, but this should be pretty fun and will probably tide me over until MUA2.

I remember this game in the arcades. It was totally kick ass, filled with 30 hit combos, 3 on 3 fighting action, and 56 different characters to use. Even if most of the ones from Marvel are X-Men, there's still some cool ones like Spider-Man (of course), Iron Man, Cap, Doom, and Thanos. They even remembered Thanos! Way to go, guys! I very much look forward to whooping some Street Fighter lovers up on Xbox Live. My gamertag is theJman100000. Send me an invite if dare. All challengers welcome.

New Comics - July 29, 2009

2009-07-27T19:19:00.004-04:00

There's not much in the way of big comics this week. I suppose that could be a blessing in disguise though, seeing as how my wallet has been taking a hit with the recent onslaught of good books. Anyway, the biggest issue due is New Avengers #55. It's the first one since the New Sorcerer Supreme and supposedly has the team losing their powers. Sounds lame, but it's still one of the coolest comics out there.

Two other titles from Marvel are Secret Warriors #6 and Thunderbolts #134. In Secret Warriors we'll see the conclusion to its first arc as Nick Fury takes back his ship and his team whoops up on the Hydra. Over in the Thunderbolts, Andy Diggle has been building an awesome story and Songbird looks to be at war with the team. Sounds intense.

From the DC side, Detective Comics #855 is the only big release. Greg Rucka did a phenomenal job in the last issue introducing us to the title's new lead and building a believable and interesting story. JH Williams's art was some of the best work I've ever seen and this book should be picked up for that reason alone.

New Comics - July 22, 2009

2009-07-21T20:38:00.006-04:00

I know I haven't been on in a while. Don't worry. I've just been taking a little break after my landmark 100th post. Not every thing can go undone though. A few major titles come out this week, the most important being Amazing Spider-Man #600. This happens to actually be a real #600 seeing as how the previous issue was #599, a first for Marvel. I digress though. Expect Aunt May's Wedding, the return of Doctor Octopus and a lead-in to next month's storyline about Marry Jane. Oh, also expect a tone of different covers.

Another huge release tomorrow is Green Lantern #44. This is the first one since Blackest Night has started and you better believe it'll have something to do with this issue. Hal Jordan and Barry Allen will be dealing with new Black Lantern Martian Manhunter. Sinestro also plays a prominent role, rebuilding his corps to take down Mongul.

Some other comics on the Marvel side of things are Ms. Marvel #42 and Runaways #12. In Ms. Marvel, Moonstone will be dealing with the return of Ms. Marvel while also doing battle with the rest of the New Avengers. From Runaways, expect some fallout from the death in the last issue. I have loved the writing in the last two issues and look for that to continue. Hopefully the art can catch up.

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 Writer: Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi / Artist: various

2009-07-16T11:49:00.003-04:00

Anyone going into this mini series expecting an important tie-in to Blackest Night will be highly disappointed. In fact, this series doesn't look to have anything to do with Blackest Night. Tales of the Corps serves as back story material for some of the less talked-about characters in the Lantern Universe. Because of that, each issue is a mixed bag of stories depending entirely on how interesting the character being discussed is.

Of the three stories told in this issue, Saint Walker's is easily the best. Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi write a tale of great faith and tragedy. Some of the things Walker suffered through was truly saddening and his eventual rise was heartwarming. After reading it, I really felt like I had a better grasp of this character and cared more about him.

Mongul's story and the introduction of the Indigo Tribe don't fare so well. We don't learn anything in their respective parts. The only thing we find out about Mongul is that he was a prick as a kid and his father was a bad ass. The Indigo Tribe story was an introduction and nothing more. They show up, do some mysterious stuff, and leave. I feel we should know more about their powers by now. Even their lantern bio in the back of the issue still lists the Indigo Tribe's powers as unknown.

The art doesn't make things any better. Mongul's and the Indigo Tribe's background is bland and boring to look at. Most of the character work comes off a little under detailed too. Just like in story though, Saint Walker's art fares much better. We're treated to detailed backgrounds, such as a fire storm, a super flood, mountain sides, and riots. Also the tragic tone of the story is captured nicely and the imagery on the top of the mountain was a very nice touch.

After reading the first issue, Tales of the Corps looks like it will be a pretty useless series. I was hoping to find out more about the separate Lantern Corps and their powers, but it mostly serves as a character profile of some less important characters. If they can be as good as Saint Walker's, this series could succeed. However, my faith isn't as strong as his and I don't see Tales of the Corps being interesting or important.

Blackest Night #1 Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Ivan Reis

2009-07-15T20:11:00.003-04:00

Something scary happened to me today. When I got to my comic book shop, I saw no Blackest Night. No Blackest Night?!? Apparently something happened with the shop's shipment and no Blackest Nights were delivered. I thought I wouldn't be able to read it today. Determined, I drove across town to another comic shop in the hopes of finding it. Thankfully, the delivery mishap was just for that one shop, and this one had it. I'm glad I put in the extra effort because this comic book was well worth it.

First things first though. Geoff Johns utilizes an interesting strategy to start the issue. Instead of diving right in to the plot, he focuses on establishing a sense of loss in the DC Universe. Throughout the first 8 to 10 pages, we only get to see that a lot of superheroes have died and some people are sad about it. I suppose Johns does this to foreshadow a certain level of tension to the upcoming fights on behalf of new readers. Longtime fans probably knew this stuff already and were bothered by having to reread it and new readers, like myself, most likely found this part unnecessary and, quite frankly, a little boring.

Enough of the bad stuff though, because so much of this issue is amazing. The only reason I found the first part so unnecessary was because Johns creates a huge amount of tension and anxiety in the Black Ring delivery panels themselves. With every rise of a new Black Lantern the DC Universe grew more haunting. An army of fallen Green Lanterns marching toward Kyle Rayner, Martian Manhunter sneaking up on Hal Jordan, and Elongated Man murdering Hawkman to make a new member of the corps all gradually built suspense and intensity. I honestly have no idea how or if the heroes can win and that's exactly how to keep us excited for future issues.

Ivan Reis's art is equally as impressive. He creates a sense of doom and anxiety through masterful use of expressions, shadows, and imagery. His depiction of Black Hand licking the skull of Bruce Wayne is haunting in its own right, but also goes a long way toward showing how demented this undead corps really is. Kyle Rayner's sense of panic is perfectly depicted as he watches in shock as his formerly dead comrades approach him wearing rings he's never seen. And proving his mastery to capture the tone of Johns's script, Ivan Reis instills a sense of warmth between Hawkman and Hawkgirl while also creating an impending sense of danger.

Blackest Night #1 could be a symbol of my journey today. Just as I was upset upon seeing no comic book in my store, the first half of this issue was disappointing too. However, I remained determined, as did Johns. Thanks to my extra traveling I was able to read one of the most suspenseful and diabolical comic books I've ever opened.