Superman Batman 24 Review

Author: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness

What the hell is going on in this book? What started out as a great possible flagship title for DC has slowly and I mean slowly turned into a cluster fuck! You know your book is late when you have to recap what happened just an arc and two arcs ago. I understand that Loeb has gone through some rough times, but DC could have easily given this title to a fill in team. That still doesn't justify for the mess that is going on in this book recently though. Come on Loeb, I know you can do better.

Between the months in between issues, the other world Super and Bat antigender counterparts, Bizzaro and Batzarro speaking fucking nonsense, and the Maximums showing up, I got a fucking headache reading this issue. It’s not making any sense to me. I thought the Maximums were a mockery of the Avengers, haha funny the first time it was done, but come on this is a lame joke and no one is taking these characters seriously. The only part I found amusing about this issue was Darkseid punking Superman out, by using his same dialogue when Supes trapped him on the source wall. It's a shame, when the best part about your comic is a funny shot out to a comic you wrote!

I have never been a fan of McGuinness, he's not my favorite, but I respect the guy for being a solid story teller. His art is a mix of anime and old school western art. It's all about the chins baby! Maybe he can give Hairsine a tip on drawing chins!!! But even his solid pencils can't save this atrocious arc. I really am starting to worry for the Ultimates. D+

X-men Deadly Genesis 5 Review

Author: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Trevor Hairsine
Inker: Scott Hana
Cover: Marc Silvestri

This will be a short review I promise, nothing of importance happens in this issue at all!!! That's right I said it. Am I alone here, because I just don't give a shit about this story. Don't get me wrong its okay, but damn Marvel makes it out to be the best fucking X-men story in 20 years. I mean let's look at what we got: 1) The return of a character that we didn't know exsisted in the first place. Ehhh Shadow King, Moira, Strife, Mr. Sinister and Sabretooth. The difference being that those characters were built up for years before they returned. 2) A sibling gone bad. Havok, Warpath, Deathbird, and Cassandra Nova nuff said! 3) Earth shattering events that will forever change the lives of the X-men. Fuck! Do I really have to tell you? Every other fucking issue in these books have been shattering events.

Hairsine is an okay artist at best. I'm not sure if he just flew by these past two issues, but his art has been really lacking. Not even the great Scott Hana can clean up this mess. His action sequences are decent, but I have never seen an artist have so much trouble with people's chins.

What exactly happens in this story? Well, Scott throws a bitch fit because he doesn't believe Vulcan is his brother. Vulcan blows up a Sentinel and kills its pilot. Scott finds out that Banshee is dead, and finally somebody other than me, gives a shit! Rachel escapes, but only to find out that Vulcan had planned her escape to draw Professor X to him. Professor X and the X-men show up and try to take on Vulcan. We get a backstory of how Professor X and Moira tried to recruit the White Queen years ago.

When I said nothing of importance happened, I meant it! With all the solicitations and Wizard articles that Marvel has been pushing down our throats we already knew Professor X would be back and that he would be depowered. Its not just the overhyping that is killing this series, but the slow paced revelations is really dragging it down. I mean by issue two we already knew what was going to happen. Xavier also has the use of his legs, now I didn't bother putting that in the spoiler section, because how many fucking times is this guy going to get the use of his legs back? Its really becoming a joke to long time readers, and by the cover of next issue, it looks like the joke is on Xavier. One more rant before I end this; what the fuck was the point of trying to recruit Emma only to mind wipe her when she refused? Is that going to add to the impact of seeing Vulcan, not for this reader. Xavier should mind wipe me so I could enjoy this series, maybe.

X-Men: Deadly Genesis is all leading up to Ed Brubaker's run on Uncanny X-Men starting with issue 475. By the cover of that issue we know the X-men are on a galactic mission and that Vulcan is still being a bitch! Sad to say that this is probably one of the strongest Decimation titles, because frankly the rest have been a huge pile of shit! Vulcan is just not that cool; he's probably as cool as X-treme and that sucka could fry you with your own blood. So here's hoping something big happens in the next issue, after all Marvel promised Nothing Will Ever Be The Same!!! C

Ultimate Spider-Man 91 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley and John Dell
“Deadpool” Part 1

Peter and Kitty face off against the Ringer who’s making a fool of himself in the city. He throws a huge ring around our hero (making Spidey give a Humberto Ramos mask expression) and Kitty shows up in a brand new costume. She phases Peter out of the ring and the two make short work of the villain. They race to the rooftops to avoid police and Kitty explains to Peter that she doesn’t want anyone making a connection about her dating Peter Parker and Spider-Man, hence the new costume. Peter has a lot on his mind with his family and all the craziness he has had to endure lately. He tells Kitty it’s not her that’s bothering him and he just needs to figure some things out. The Blackbird arrives electronically to pick up Kitty. In the jet, Kitty feels like she made Peter mad. She wants to have a life as Peter’s new girlfriend and doesn’t want that to have anything to do with the X-Men. She realizes thought that having two of the most powerful telepathic teammates will kind of ruin the secret she is trying to keep.

Back at the X-Mansion, Kitty runs into Ororo and Logan, who are acting crazy. Ororo blasts Kitty and she is knocked out by a lightning bolt. At Peter’s house, Aunt May goes out with some friends and Peter is surprised to find the X-Jet flying above. He suits up as Spider-Man and enters the jet. He tries to convince the computer in the jet to listen but its set on auto pilot and it takes him to the X-Mansion. He arrives at the doors and is greeted by Kitty, who knocks him out. Some of the other X-Men show up behind Kitty and they make comments about how Spider-Man wasn’t in the plan, but they think it is a wonderful irony that he is now their prisoner. After deactivating their cloaking devices it turns out Kitty is really Deadpool, who is backed up by the Reavers. Now the villains have knocked out both the X-Men and Spider-Man and prepare their next move.

Thoughts/Comments:
I love Ultimate Spider-Man. Each and every month this title delivers. Its great having Peter date Kitty and having the other X-Men show up from time to time is a fantastic bonus. I don’t really know what to make of Deadpool yet, but he’s tricky enough to take out the X-Men so he must be bad news. Kitty’s new costume is kind of crazy, but it makes sense she would adopt a new identity to protect Peter. Ultimate Ringer was a riot, loved how Bendis made him a big goofball just like he did with the Shocker. This issue really delivered and the entire story is off to a great start. Plus, issue 100 is almost here. I really enjoy reading Ultimate Spidey every single month A-. Check back next week when I review issue #92, now available for sale at comic stores nationwide.

Amazing Spider-Man # 529 & 530 Review

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Ron Garney and Tyler Kirkham

“Mr. Parker Goes to Washington” Parts 1 and 2 Hot off the heels of “The Other” storyline Spider-Man is given a brand new armored costume courtesy of Tony Stark. The story starts off with Tony summoning Peter to his lab to check out his new costume. Peter meets up with Stark and Tony tells Peter about all the various new abilities his costume has. Peter asks Tony how MJ’s arm healed so quickly after Morlun broke it in the hospital and Tony explains that he set the bone and injected a solution to mend the bone and heal it.
This is a great explanation of a leftover plot thread of “The Other” and a dead giveaway answer for the fans wondering how this happened.

Later, Peter takes his costume out for a test run. He chases down some guys evading the police and remembers that he can now glide in his new costume. He goes after the crooks and stops them. Spider-Man helps the woman who was the hostage and the police take the crooks away. One crook pulls out a gun and fires at our hero. Peter has no time to evade the bullet and it hits him right in the back. But, the crook is in for a shock. The bullet bounces right off his back, since he is covered in armor after all. The cops and crook are stunned, and one cop leaves the crook freaked out by telling him “some of the guys on the force think that maybe Spider-Man did die and this isn’t really the same man.” Peter’s new suit tells him the crook’s pulse and heart rate raised by this event.

Back at Avengers tower, Peter and MJ have dinner with Tony. Tony is pleased that Peter loves his new suit and its abilities, and Tony admits he didn’t call them to dinner just to talk about costumes. He makes Peter vow that he will stand by and support him in the coming weeks. Peter tells Tony that he respects him and appreciates everything he has done for his family and the two shake hands. Now, Tony presents to Peter a folder containing information on the upcoming Super-Hero Registration Act that congress is about to pass. Tony tells Peter it’s time for them to head to Washington.

Our heroes arrive in Washington and Tony goes over some information about the Bill with Peter. Peter returns to the hotel room and finds out that Tony has already improved the suit some more, now adding a chameliac cloaking ability. Peter can wear the suit and look like Peter Parker, and automatically change into costume (kind of the like the symbiote’sabilities.) The suit can also take on the form of his former costumes if he so wishes to look that way.

Peter meets up with Tony and the two must face off against senators. Tony makes some good points about how the heroes have saved the world over and over, yet the senators don’t seem to keen on his views. Peter asks them if he could say a few things and tells them that heroes are people underneath their masks who have families. He stresses the dangers of some heroes having a public identity, but the senators counteract with a point of that being all the more reason to register. Tony tells Peter that you can’t just tell the truth when it comes to dealing with the Supreme Court.

Just as our heroes are about to go get a good steak, the Titanium Man sets his sights on Tony Stark. Pete’s spider-sense kicks into high gear and he saves Tony from the gunfire. Peter automatically suits up into Spider-Man (I am not going to call him theIron-Spider) and attacks Titanium Man. Tony gets to safety and the police arrive at the scene of the battle. Naturally they blame Spider-Man for being in cahoots with Titanium Man and fire at both of them.
Titanium Man causes damage and endangers lives. Peter webs himself to Titanium Man and follows his foe, stating that this fight is just getting started.

Thoughts/Comments:
Not bad. I’m still not exactly sold on the new costume, but at least the reason for it was story driven and not just a random change. Ron Garney’s artwork isn’t bad and I love Tyler Kirkham’s issue. I really appreciate the fact that Straczynski is tying this book into the Civil War and not ignoring what is about to happen to the Marvel Universe this summer. It was great watching Peter nervously deal with politicians and stating “I’d rather face a room full of super-villains than go back in there.” I don’t know much about the Titanium Man but its nice having our hero face a new opponent. I give these issues a B+ right now. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for this book in the coming months.

Scythe!

I've got a new favorite comic book sound effect, courtesy of the rubbish that is Uncanny X-Men 471:

SCYTHE!

This is, evidently, the sound a sweep kick makes when it is intended to knock down a friend whose face is about to be eaten by a Shi'ar bug monster. It's a very specific sound that is nigh-impossible to produce outside of a bus station, and I'm sure Rachel's TK has something to do with it.

Apparently, the Shi'ar Death Commandos arc is over, thank God, without any real explanation of why the Shi'ar decided that now was a good time to eliminate the strain of the Phoenix once and for all. Of course, this may be another rogue ship, like the one that appeared in Phoenix: Endsong (which is strangely not mentioned in this story), but one gets the impression that this operation is legit. Of course, one gets that impression because that's the only way the story makes any sense, not because it's implied by the story.

The comic ends on a classic "X-Men do not kill" quote, which is bollocks. Rachel apparently doesn't kill. Anymore. Maybe because she can always SCYTHE bad guys instead of killing them from here on out.

What a mess. Chris Claremont can write some awesome stories, but this arc was complete shit.

Toy Biz X-Men Series 2

Right on the heels of yesterday's news that the DC figures were hitting stores, look what I found in Wal-Mart this morning--X-Men series 2!

Juggernaut from this series is just awesome. He's huge, scary looking, and not too far off his comic book model; in fact, he's probably got more detail than ever appeared in a comic book, but at least his colors are right.

The other figures, unfortunately, aren't much to look at. I'll not discuss the needless accessories, since I'm not sure how many times I can mention that Cyclops doesn't need a gun before the Universe implodes over the obviousness of the statement. Angel, Beast and House of M Wolverine (who's not actually called 'House of M Wolverine', despite his outfit being spot on from House of M) are decent, but the outlandish costumes take away from what could be some nice figures. Also, the paint applications on the ones I saw were all over the place from figure to figure, so if you have more than one to choose from, make sure you take the time to pick the best one, since they're by no means identical.

And then there is the pain that is the Cyclops figure. Again, gun. It plugs into his arm, and lights up when you press the button that lights up his visor. So not only is it an unnecessary weapon, but it only activates when he shoots his optic blasts; what is the possible play-pattern they're going for there? Also, his head is far to small, and his face looks stretched at the jawbone, like he's being attacked by Beetlejuice. Oh, I shudder at the pain that is the Cyclops figure. I'm almost tempted to buy it just to take pictures and ridicule it in detail, but I don't have $8 to waste.

* - Maybe the gun is like a Proton Pack, converting Scott's optic blasts into some kind of occult-killing mojo.

Mattel's DC Superheroes series 2 hitting stores

The first wave of Superman figures from Mattel's DC Superheroes line is showing up in stores! If you don't want to search for them, they're in stock now at BBTS.

Series 2 includes (click the links to see the figures in package, courtesy of Toy News International):

• Superman
• Supergirl
• Doomsday
• Bizarro

There's also a chase version of Bizarro, but I've not seen a description of what's different about it anywhere yet.

From the pictures I've seen, Bizarro and Doomsday look great, while Superman and Supergirl are just kind of unremarkable. They are much cleaner than Marvel Legends figures, but also don't include quite as much detail.

Do you have any of these figures? Let us know what you think!

About Heroes Episode 10

It's One Year Later - how is the DCU holding up? We discuss the books from last week and try to work out what seperates a strong line-wide event from a week one.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 10 (1:16:59)

Hawkgirl #50 Review

Author: Walter Simonson
Artist: Howard Chaykin

I would be lying if I were to say that this is a One Year Later book I've been waiting anxiously for. I had high hopes for this series, but lets be realistic it’s just a supporting character being carried by two big names in the industry. This was a brilliant move by DC, but in the end it they will only end up cancelling the book. Although it is really a re-launch it was probably a good idea to keep it at number 50, then to confuse readers into getting another #1 title.

Okay, first let’s talk about that gorgeous art from Chaykin. American Flagg was one of my personal favorite books and having Chaykin teamed up with Simonson who did the greatest run on Thor was like a dream come true for me. Chaykin's art for Hawkgirl is some of his most open artwork since his days on Power & Glory. Some people have a problem with his use of big panels and big heads with expressions filling every page, but damn do I miss that in my books. Yes Hawkgirl has giant nipples (which I think is hot!) and a belly piercing, but damn Chaykin can add that dynamic tone to the book with his clear panel structures. His dark thick lines add to the dark tone of the book.

I hate to admit it but the story fell a bit short of the art in this issue. Simonson's story has Hawkgirl out of costume because he wants to take this book away from the superheroesque feel to a more horror\sci-fi story. This can be a problem with some readers that are interested in Kendra and how she fits into the DC Universe after one year. She has been seen in JSA and Rann/Thannagar War, and although it’s nice to see her in the spotlight, most of us including myself want to know where she stands in the DCU. There are references to "the past year" and the Rann/Thanagar War, but it doesn't get too much into details.

The story begins with a mysterious dream of strange events that haunt Kendra and endanger those near her. For the most part Kendra is out of costume, which is really nice to see a OYL title, since some of the books I'm reading it’s still a mystery who is behind the mask or cowl. Although not the best of jumping points I think the title will benefit from remaining connected to the previous incarnation, drawing out the reader's curiosity over Hawkman’s absence. Perhaps new readers will be drawn by its Sci-fi/horror look.

Nice to have Chaykin and Simonson back on a monthly title and I hope they will stay on this continuing series for a while because it's been too long since either of them has lent their talents to a solid long run. I would be happy with a good 12 issues, but as previously stated, I think this book is mainly targeted for old-school fans and will probably not even last that long. But who knows in this day in age what One Year Later titles will be canned and which will keep rocking.
B

Wolverine #40

Author: Daniel Way
Breakdowns: Javier Saltares
Finishes: Mark Texeria
Colors: J.D. Smith

It's finally over, no I'm not talking about the final part of Origins and Endings, but Way's run on Wolverine. There was a time as a child I would get excited every month when I could go to my local comic shop and pick up the latest issue of Wolverine; of course at the time Chris Claremont and John Buscema (God rest his soul) were on the book. It's amazing to see what has happened to my favorite character over the years I have been reading about him. I keep reading this book in hopes that it will get better, that an editor will actually read those Wolverine back issues or hell the essentials are only 15 bucks, read those. Once again, I am left in a state of confusion and awe. Not because the story was amazing, but because this is proof that someone with no knowledge of an existing character can ride comic books.

Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) and Logan have a talk. Barnes apologizes for killing Logan's wife and unborn child and this leads to a flashback. Logan journeys to Jasmine Falls because he is seeking redemption, I am assuming that by the patch he is wearing, this is after he killed his master Ogun and goes under the secret identity of Patch (Hey, not one of Claremont's better ideas, but you just roll with it sometimes). He falls in love with some chick named Itsu and eventually marries her on his fourth year of training there. She tells him that she is with child and during a festival; Bucky I can't believe they brought me back from the dead Barnes kills her to draw Logan out. His explanation was that someone hired him to draw him back to Madripoor. Muramasa, whom I'm assuming will play a bigger role in Wolverine: Origins, is poorly introduced poorly. Not sure if he is a villain or some guy that forges swords for Wolverine. Instead of beating the fucking life out of Bucky for killing his wife, Logan just gives him some information.

I don't understand this story. If we are to believe they are finally going to reveal Wolverine's past, why not start with, oohhhh I don't know: SOMETHING THAT HE CAN'T FUCKING REMEMBER?!!! Why start at a time when he was running around as Patch in Madripoor? I'm pretty sure he remembers that, unless Superboy Prime has punched the living fuck out of Daniel Way!!!! So if this is the days while he was running around as Patch, how the hell was he married and the X-men not know? Or for that matter he didn't have the identity of Patch for that long, hell I think it was only 25 issues or so.

How hard can it be to make up a story for a character that has been around for God knows how long? Wow, he has his brown and gold costume at the end of the book, how fucking retro Way! You are so old school!!! And what is up with that cover? Wolverine was never in costume throughout the whole issue and none of those characters appear in the book. The only thing going for this book and I mean the only thing is Mark Texeria, his amazing artwork can get me to read almost anything. But, that won't last long, no the editors think that a manga errrr, I mean Humberto Ramos will make Wolverine look bad ass, with his big eyes huge feet and superdeformed body (yes I read manga). I can not believe the mockery that this comic has become. Can't wait for that Wolverine Origins...man I wish there was away to express my sarcasm.

This issue: C-
This story arc: D

Picture of the Week! Week 4

Skipped last week for some reason, maybe lazy, maybe medical who knows. But we are back this week.

Man you couln't get away with this shit in today's Batman! I mean how hardcore could Batman be if he wakes up next to a 12 year old boy...ewww.

Robin #148 Review

Author: Adam Beechen
Artist: Karl Keschl
Cover: Ed McGuinness

Another week and another One Year Later title. I think it’s a safe bet to say that this has been my favorite One Year Later title so far. I have reread it countless of times. Beechen is a nice addition to the Bat team, he's got me intrigued and looking forward to seeing what happens next. Keschl is the perfect artist for this book, he has a nice blend of cartoon and realism all in a nice amalgamated package. In some ways I think he gives McGuinness a run for his money.

By the cover you can guess that Batgirl wants to kill Robin or at the very least give him a new breathing hole. That cover, along with Robin's new costume had me really curious. So what exactly happens? Well, Robin is blinded by his assassin and then attacked. After a little bit of a battle he finds Batgirl's body lying on the ground motionless. It would seem that Tim Drake (yep, it’s Tim alright) has beaten Cassie Cain. But as he removes the mask he notices that this chick was not killed by his R's and that it’s not Cassie, it’s actually Lynx (a character that appeared in the original Robin miniseries and whom I thought died at the hands of Batgirl?)

We got a mystery already on our hands after the first few pages, I'm excited!! Tim is now suspected of murder and is wanted by the Gotham police. The whole Bat family finds out about Tim killing Batgirl. There is a nice scene where Batman tells Robin that he could have never beaten Cassie. Therefore Batman already knew that Tim was innocent. The interesting take on this story is that when Oracle makes a broadcast it seems that Cassie was at the scene of the crime and for that matter stalking Tim. The issue ends with Robin going back to the police station to get clues from Lynx's body.

Now, I'm not sure where the whole Cassie story is going. If she is actually behind everything that is going on with Robin. I got the impression at the end of her last issue that she was not going to follow in anyone's footsteps. However she is the child of Lady Shiva and David Cain, so her becoming an assassin might not be that unbelievable. Maybe she is pissed that Bludhaven blew up while Robin was supposed to be in charge. It is really a fantastic ride from beginning to end and the art is really perfect for this story (I don't think I have stressed that enough). I can't wait for the next issue to find out more clues and to see what happens with Cassie. A

X-men 184 Review

Author: Peter Milligan
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colors:Jason Keith

If you got so irate with this book and you dropped it a while back, then I guess my review won't matter, but if you are a glutton for punishment like me: Welcome back to part three of Blood Of Apocalypse sucka! I can't believe I am paying $2.50 for this book, what is going to happen when it goes up to $2.99? Ohh hell, anyway the writing in this issue has been the best so far in Milligan's run (but lets be frank, that ain't saying shit!). I believe he is finally getting comfortable with his characters, but in like many cases too little/too late. Larroca's washes really helps the colorist in this issue, there are some really gorgeous pictures in this book. The two of them are finally complementing each other's works.

Famine! The cover implies that Sunfire is going to wipe the floor with the X-men's asses, but no as we have learned from previous years, covers have absolutely nothing to do with the interior of the book in most cases. So last time we left our heroes, Apocalypse was still hovering in his Thundercat Lair above the X-mansion. Famine and Pestilence have been out causing havok while War was suiting up with the help of Ozymandias. Only Death was left to recruit and if you have read other stories involving Apocalypse, you know he loves to recruit X-men or friends of the X-men. So who goes willingly to see the big A in the last issue? Gambit! That's right the raging Cajun, now I bitched enough about that in two previous post, so you can go back and read those if you want.

I meant what I said about this issue being Milligan's best issue so far in X-men. We have some nice fight scenes between Rogue and Sunfire that were executed well by Larroca. I actually buy Ozymandis betraying the Apocalypse. He's never been a great character and probably just used as a plot device in the Rise of Apocalypse mini series a few years back. That wasn't the only betrayal in this issue; it seems that War double crossed Ozymandis as well, by ratting him out to Apocalypse. We finally get some retaliation by the X-men that are led by Havok.

Of course there has to be bad points in this story, it is a Milligan X-men book after all. Alright here we go 1) Why for fuck's sake would Havok take a depowered maybe/maybe not Iceman, Rogue and Bling with him? Who's Bling, exactly, unless he is using her as cannon fodder. Rogue I can understand, but Iceman, isn't he still off and on with his powers? 2) Why does Mystique insist Gus is going to be able to defeat Apocalypse? Gus!!! Are you serious? Magneto, Cyclops or Professor X couldn't take down the might Apocalypse, but fucking Gus can do it! 3) Leave Skids alone please. Can anyone other than Louise Simonson write this character? First Rusty and her get captured by the Mutant Liberation Front, then she joins Magneto, then she gets lost in the artic with some crazy bitch in the later issues of X-force.

Poor Skids and poor Gambit fans. There might be some resolution to his decision though, he mentions that he is doing this for the X-men. So maybe in six months like everything else that happens in the Marvel Universe lately he will go back to normal. Certainly the best issue out of the whole arc and Milligan's run. It’s always good to see ScalpHunter, but Fever pitch I could have lived without seeing again. I will miss Larroca dearly, especially when Bachalo takes over the series in July. B-

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes (raise your fists if your confused)

W: Mark "Weezy" Waid
P: Barry "Very Marry" Kitson

Before picking this book up I had to preconceived notions. One: This book is going to suck if it doesn’t explain why the hell Supergirl is 1001 years (that’s right OYL+1000, and I hate math) into the future. Two: This book will kick ass if they explain something, anything, from OYL, or in the least leave it less of a mystery for the readers. Nope. I was wrong on one and two. I liked the book and it doesn’t explain spit about how Supergirl got there. They do not explain a thing from OYL and instead leave it open for a second or a inverted double mystery orgy fest! I swear DC has a shovel marked “confusion” and they just keep wailing away on my face!

Like I said, I liked it. I told Omar that if it left me guessing that I was gonna be pissed and hate the book. I don’t hate the book. Don’t get me wrong I’m still pissed off about it. We basically have to wait a year to have the complete mystery revealed very very slowly, when Supergirl could just say, “Oh I _______” (You fill in the rest, I like to put in inappropriate words but that’s just me). I don’t like having to wait so long to know the whole story. Now for Supergirl she could have spent the last year traveling in space and the questions could be resolved in Infinite Crisis, which I believe is what Johns divulged.

As for the second mystery I like to call “Mystery Brain Orgyfest 2006” you cannot guess the last page where this mystery is revealed. It was stunning for a moment, and then you read it again, and say “WTF?”

The best advice I can give for reading this book is to just read it. Ignore the little 1001 years later logo (say that three times fast…yeah I could do it too, its funny people will do that just from mere suggestion); enjoy the homage cover, which remind jaded readers of a better time. Take in the classic banter and the goofy beginning. Enjoy the subtle things and the great action. If you get hung up on knowing what the hell is going on and why your big toe is suddenly warm then you may start to get a little pissed off.

The are work was alright, a little too boring for me (woohoo crazy acid trippie art), but not worth knocking it down a grade because I know lots of people enjoy that style. It was still clean and clear and worked well with the book. Waid did a good job as writer. One of the chief Crazy Ass Orgy Masters of DC (or CAOMDC) Waid did a good job at not making me want to set my face on fire with bacon grease and a “Frankie Say Relax” Zippo. I really like Supergirl; she can be in my orgy any time she wants, that goes for the other Legionnaires too! Oh yeah grade, uh F no just kidding B+. I was pleasantly surprised!!!

Mad 4 Hatter M (M for Monkey! not really, Allan Moore don't hate me)

Publisher: Image/Desperado
Art by: Ben Templsmith
Story by: Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier
Up Coming Novel by: Beddor, The Looking Glass Wars

First off my understanding of this book is that it is a prelude to a series of novels (not graphic the regular kind with many more words) that will be coming out soon. This is a take off of Louis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland. The tag that I received when this book was first being promoted was that Carol’s book was one interpretation of a true event and the other author Beddor has this version. Alice is actually Princess Alyss and she has been kidnapped and taken to our world. Hatter Madigan or Hatter M is a royal bodyguard sent by the Princess mother Queen Genevieve to our world in 1859 to find and protect Alyss. The Queen without her strongest bodyguard, we are told, has most likely died at the hands of her evil sister.

Hatter M is a pretty cool character. A take on the Mad Hatter (obvious I know, sorry) character, Hatter M is nothing like him (way to screw it up Carol!). He is smart and has many tricks up his sleeve (and a big thick knife!). He can also take off his hat and throw it, turning it into a blade-thingy and slice people up. The “vibration” of our world has weakened him, as Wonderland remains very mysterious, I am not sure what the difference is yet (two issues in, after all). Hatter M fights off many unusual foes and can travel via puddles (through the use of his hat) and there are mysterious people who talk amongst themselves in the reflection of glass.

Issue two kicks way more ass then the first issue, which only got one butt-cheek while two got both (so cover your third butt cheek when issue three comes out). The artwork is great. Ben Templesmith does a wonderful job with this book. I know I just bragged on Templesmith in the review below but in this book there is a drastic change in tones. This book has much more magic and action. It is rare that I comment on the artwork as being far superior to the story telling but this is one of those cases.

On the note of the writing I lead into my problems with the book. I don’t know if Beddor or Cavalier writes the actual script but it is often times confusing. The panel to panel flow is great and helps out a lot but the narration trips me up sometimes in its delivering of the plot and back story. I tried to make my recap make as much sense as possible (with these handy parenthesis to help me organize my crappy jokes). If it did make sense, your welcome you little snot. If not then I still say pick up the issues and read the inside cover synopsis and all the crap at the end, they lay it out, and that was where I got a lot of understanding. After all, to introduce people to a comic before a novel when the original concept story is for a novel, well need less to say things can get a bit confusing (I’m sure confused, but I’m still having fun!). For attempting the comic prelude novel concept the creators have big balls, even the chick (that goes for any writer who does such a change up)! All right enough gallivanting around A-.

Falling 4 Fell

Image
W: Warren Ellis
P/C: Ben Templesmith
Cover on the right- Up coming Issue 5

Reviewing the Book as a whole
It was very easy for me to fall for Fell. The artwork and the writing blend very well and in only 16 pages I was pulled into the world of Snow City and Rich Fell with ease and grace. After reading the first issue I craved more, which is a good/bad thing depending on how you look at it.

On the outside Fell looks like a regular minor interesting crime/drama, it isn’t in the slightest though. Fell brings with it an eeriness that I never knew existed. After all this is Warren Ellis we are talking about. My explanation can best be summed up with one phrase: “What the hell is the deal with the cigarette smoking guy or girl behind the Nixon mask and the nun outfit.” In the latest issue she/he/it picks up a hooker, before that it just spooked the shit out of Rich and me too.

That is what this book does it spooks you, it doesn’t frighten or horrify it just gives you the creeps. I thought I was pretty jaded to spooky things, but this still does it for me. Templesmith’s artwork is a big help. He is good at drawing surreal dream-like or rather nightmare-like pictures. Each issue is one single story so think along the playing field of Law & Order, only with a bizarre and fun twist that makes it almost completely original. There is a back-story to Detective Rich Fell that we slowly learn more about. This information is not forced it appears in short quick panels like flashback sequences or a dream. The book reads like you are opening a case file to Fell’s brain. There are little sticky notes with scribbled information over top of panels.

I enjoy the book for the oddball stories in true independent comics nature, and the artwork that works great with it. If you are looking for a cheap book to just casually pick up and read without having to know what happened 50 issues ago (impossible of course, but you get the stick note…I mean picture) then pick this up and be ready to say “WTF?” Issue 1: A- Issue 2: B+ Issue 3: A+ Issue 4: A

Spider-man Unlimited #14 Review

Writer: C.B. Cebulski
Artists: David Finch with Danny Miki
“Without A Trace”

Oh Hell Yeah! David Finch working on a Spider-Man story! Plus, Black Cat and Dr. Doom show up. I’m so there! The story picks up with Spidey and the Black Cat swinging over to the Latverian embassary. Cat is twisting and turning in every form, much to Spidey’s (and my) delight. Spider-Man can’t quite figure out why they are breaking into Dr. Doom’s personal quarters, but Cat tells him that he owes her a favor, no questions asked. (See Marvel Knights Spider-Man 10-12) Peter agrees, and the two bust in. They enter Dr. Doom’s bedroom and Felicia makes her way to the wall. Spidey makes a joke about Dr. Doom strolling out in his pajamas, and wishes he had his camera with him to take a picture of himself on Doom’s bed to taunt the Human Torch with.

Our heroes find a hidden elevator and Spider-Man tells the Cat that any minute now flame throwers, laser beams, and killer robots will descend upon them. Sure enough, they open the elevator door and are attacked by those three things. They dispatch the weapons with ease, and then Dr. Doom shows up. Felecia and Peter have to take him down, so they web and punch their way to victory. They discover this is only a Doombot, and Felecia makes her way to the hidden vault. Peter gets mad, thinking she only used him to deal with the security while she steals whatever. Felecia shows him that the item they went after was a spider-tracer. Peter doesn’t know why this is important, and Felecia shines a light on it, showing off a huge fingerprint. Peter’s fingerprint. She tells him that Doom was going to sell this to a scientist who wanted to figure out the identity of the man behind the mask.

Back at Avengers tower, Peter is still amazed. He realizes Felecia put her life on the line for him and his family. MJ comes in (wearing very little) and gets upset when Peter tells his wife that he was out on a mission with Felecia. Before MJ looses, Peter tells her about the spider-tracer and his fingerprint. He tells his wife that Felecia put all of them before her, and realizes she has come a long way as a friend to them over the years. MJ realizes this and tells Peter to “put his fingerprints were no one else will find them.”

Thoughts/Comments:
Whew, need to cool off after reading this. David Finch can draw some of the most beautiful women ever. Please, Please, Please give him a monthly Spider-Title after his Moon Knight run. His Spider-Man was great and so was his Dr. Doom. But wow, the Black Cat was just smoking hot in this story. A great story, great character growth and development, great action, makes this highly recommended. The most fun Spidey one shot story I’ve read in awhile. Plus, did I mention how hot his BlackCat and MJ are? B+Go pick this up, you’ll be very glad you did!

Ultimate X-men #68 Review

Author: Robert Kirkman
Penciler: Tom Raney
Inker: Scott Hanna

“Date Night” part 3
Back at the restaurant, Xaiver and Lilandra continue to talk about the Shiar and the Phoenix. Professor Xaiver uses his mental powers to freeze Lilandra in place, making her unable to move. He assumes that she is in league with the Hellfire Club and fears that her organization is out to harm his X-Men. Lilandra tells him that’s not the case and tells the history of the Phoenix entity. The Phoenix is basically the spark of life that initiated the universe. The Phoenix roamed throughout the solar system for centuries, eventually ending up helping creatures come to life on various planets. As these different species grew into prosperous beings and civilizations, they all rallied together to capture the Phoenix and harness it’s mighty power. The attack on the Phoenix went on for ages, and finally she was defeated. The various beings tried to find a prison strong enough to hold the Phoenix, and they eventually formed a massive prison around it. That prison would grow and thrive as our planet Earth. It’s believed that the Phoenix helped the first organisms evolve on Earth, and over centuries it watched as the human race took form. But the Phoenix also played another role in evolution, it helped create the mutant gene and bestowed this gift on a handful of the people of Earth.

Early civilizations came to study the Phoenix and realized it’s energy was a part of the Earth. Thus, the Shiar religion was created to study and observe the wonderful teachings of this being. Xaiver still has doubts about the Shiar and their ties to the Hellfire Club. Lilandra tells him the Hellfire Club are a rogue society that split with the Shiar years ago. Whereas the Shiar want to spread the peaceful word of the Phoenix and it’s love, the Hellfire Club want to harness the Phoenix’s power for themselves and shape the world in their image. Lilandra tells him that they believe Jean is the chosen vessel for the Phoenix to be reborn into our world and she wants to examine Jean. Xaiver tells her he must first talk to Jean about this and wants no harm to come to her. Charles believes Lilandra is no threat and they finish their meal.

Logan and Ororo continue to fight Sabretooth. Sabretooth still tells Logan that he is his son, and when he gets close to Logan, he strikes his side. A few organs fall out of Logan and Ororo fries the foe, sending him fleeing into the night. Logan claims he has had worse injuries and the two head back. Meanwhile, a new mutant named Elliott Boggs has accidentally murdered his parents. Nick Fury shows up to confront and calm him, but Elliott freaks out. He is in shock over killing his parents, and doesn’t understand his new powers. Fury and his troops detain the young mutant and shackle him. They take him to Xaiver’s mansion.

Back at the school, Bobby and Rogue “clean up” after their night alone. They realize they still have feelings and become an item once again. A few rooms over, Scott and Jean also rest after their night. Scott asks Jean if she enjoys his new assertive persona, and she tells him to keep it up and ask her again in a month. Kitty takes a cab back to Westchester from her night with Spider-Man, and Peter is still down in the dumps after realizing Kurt doesn’t feel comfortable being his friend anymore. As Kitty walks in, Nick Fury and his men have Elliott shackled. Luckily, Xaiver pulls up. Fury tells Xaiver he has a new recruit for him, and the professor vows to help Elliott. Logan and Ororo pull up and Logan asks Nick “What makes this one worth saving?” Fury scoffs at his comment, pretending he doesn’t know what he is talking about. (Pick up Ultimate X-Men # 41, New Mutants Part 2 for details) It seems that the X-Men’s night off has come to a close. Later, at a Weapon X lab, Dr. Cornelius welcomes Sabretooth back. He asks Sabretooth if he has the sample, and he hands the doctor one of Logan’s internal organs. Dr. Cornelius vows that if they can’t control Wolverine, they will create one of their own.

Thoughts/Comments:
WOW! This issue was a joy from cover to cover. I love the angle Kirkman is taking with the X-Men. He understands their characterization and personalities. I loved how we were led to believe that Sabretooth is Logan’s son, only to realize it was a trick conceived by Dr. Cornelius to obtain a tissue sample. Tom Raney’s artwork was a joy, loved the parts with Phoenix flying through space and learning that Earth is one huge prison for the entity. I loved all three parts of “Date Night” and give the storyline an A+ Highly recommended!

Teen Titans Annual Review

Authors: Marv Wolfman and Geoff Johns
Artist: Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Ed Benes

Marv Wolfman returns to the Titans!!! Ohh shit, that's already happened in Teen Titans 33. Yes, obviously there have been schedule problems, this Annual was supposed to come out a week before TT33, so there were spoilers in that issue. To sum up this issue, it is an Infinite Crisis crossover, but we take a break from all hell breaking loose for some character development and the story still works. We get the great characterization and witty dialogue that this series is known for and although it is part of a crossover; this could have been a great stand alone issue.

I'm not going to have a review with spoilers, because of the scheduling conflicts in these books. Having healed after the huge battle in Infinite Crises 4; Superboy and Wondergirl get a little alone time. We get to see Lex Luthor act like a father towards Connor and more resolution to the clone mess. We finally get to see a clean up of Bludhaven and Robin taking some charge, not to mention some guest appearances.

Now this issue is not a necessary read by all means, but I think it’s worth a look. This could be interpreted as a booty call of all booty calls. Yes the world is ending, yes superheroes are in need, but Connor and Cassie are still just two teenagers. Connor almost died at the hands of Superboy Prime while Cassie's powers are going off and on. Is it really difficult to understand why these two found comfort in each other's arms while the world is coming to an end? Characters acting like human beings are very difficult to find in huge cross-over events like this. This is what makes this book special to me.

I hope to see more collaboration between Johns and Wolfman. They both have the love and understanding for the characters and that is a rarity for two writers to work together like this. The art in this issue was inconsistent, because Medina (although really good) can be a bit over the top and Vlasco's facial expressions are a bit off sometimes. Sometimes it takes away from the story, but not enough to keep you from enjoying the basic plot. Is it worth 5 bucks though? Yeah that's right this annual is $4.99, they can blame it on the pages, but they could have easily charged $3.99 for it. Hey I put my 5 bucks down on this book, because I love the team and the creative team on it, but if you are not a completist, just wait for the collection. B+

About Heroes Episode 9

This episode - reviews of this week's books, some toy talk, some trash talk, and Chris tells a sad, sad story.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 9 (1:09:04)

The Walking Dead (oh no wait those are just comic fans after a con)

Writer: Robert "Captain" Kirkman
Artist, Inker, cover: Charlie "Child's Play" Adlard

Everyone has their little stack of comic books when they leave the comic store on Wednesday. I don’t know about everyone else but for me I put them in order of “must read or I’m going to expel floods out of both ends soon!” to “I’m going to drink some liquor and take a few pills before I sit down for this one.” The Walking Dead for me, and I mean this with the support of every toilet in the world, is at the top if not near top of that pile every fucking time it comes out!

I swear the genius Kirkman puts into every issue is amazing. This is issue 26, one issue after the dreaded 25-issue mark (it made it yippee, but there was never a doubt). Still, this book surprises me. I love horror films. This book is like a horror film, it reinvented the Zombie genre for comic books and dare I say it, movies too. After sticking with this book I feel that it has set a standard for the genre that has yet to be touched. I’d say out of all horror films I like zombie movies the best, I’ve seen a lot of them, my friends and I used to have Zombie Movie Saturday’s. That being said I figure I have some knowledge on the genre and half way through reading each issue I have guesses to the up coming events and/or plot twist. Nope. I’m wrong, I can admit it, and I almost never know where this book is going. That little point, and the fact that each turn I have enjoyed thus far, keeps this book at the top of my pile.

So for issue 26 stuff happens, and then more stuff happens, and then I’m shocked by the ending again it really is as simple as that. I can’t say much more then that, if you’re behind an issue, I’ll ruin something for you. So what are you doing sitting there in your mom’s stockings and high heels eating Pringles fool go get the issue!

Quick note on color: I hear people from both sides of the issue. Some want it in color some know why it isn’t in color and are fine with it in black in white. Incase you don’t know why it is in black and white just go look at the original Night of the Living Dead. That effect, simply put, is done in the book to relive George Romero’s work, it stands as a kind of homage. What it lacks from movie to comic is the use of shadows. Now granted most of the survivors are walking around in the daytime and sleeping at night, but they are held up in the prison with the generator out of gas. I just think there could be more contrast in that effect, which would make it spookier. Other then that I love what’s being done, for this issue a solid A.

A quick note regarding solicits

Argh!

I just read Nightwing 118 myself - it's a great issue, and while the identity of the second Nightwing is pretty easy to guess, I didn't need it spelled out for me in the goddamn solicitation for the next issue! Thst just pisses me the hell off. It's like no one told the author that the identity of the second Nightwing was going to be revealed twice, once on the cover and again in the solicit. The story is written like a mystery, but there's no mystery there!

Generation M #5...ahh hell #1-5 Review

Author: Paul Jenkins
Pencils: Ramon Bachs
Inker: John Lucas
Colors: Art Lyon
Cover: Stuart Immonen

NO MORE MUTANTS! Three words that started a chain of events that will take years to recover. I'm not talking about mutants loosing their powers, but endless amounts of miniseries. I wasn't sure how I was going to review this issue, because seriously I was not impressed by this series until the very last issue, but by then it was too little too late. It reads better as a collected piece of work rather than single issues. I did not enjoy this issue by issue, it was a pain to read it and I didn't give a crap about the character of Sally. Rating issue five alone I would have given it a D, but as a whole....well just stay with me.

Spoiler Free Review
As of M-Day 90% of the mutant population have lost their power; by the covers you would think that is the focal point of this series. But guess what sucka? It's not! This book is not about Chamber, Jubilee, or Mirage; it's actually about Sally Floyd, a journalist covering the after math of M-day. So through her eyes is how we see the characters. You know for someone who was close to Jubilee and Angel for what seems to be a long time, it’s amazing we never saw her chilling at the X-mansion; perhaps she was chilling with Forge! But retcon is something I have just grown to live with in comics and in this case it really didn't conflict with any continuity. Combined with her alcohol problem Sally also has to deal with a personal tragedy. The death of her daughter is something of a plot device to make Sally into a believable/all to human character. The series needed a structural devil to deliver what it intended and what better way to do it than a troubled heroine. You could sympathize with her and understand her pain, but it really didn't work. Not for me, well at least until the last issue. I mean how many times have we seen this before?

Along with all her baggage she also had to deal with a lunatic that was murdering mutants. Leaving her notes stating that not enough died. She was being targeted by a crazy mutant (as revealed in issue 3) that was killing his own, while trying to keep her job at The Alternative. It is a mystery who is doing all the killings and why. In issue 4 we are even led to believe some of the clues point to Angel, but it was just a gimmick to get us to read how Angel lost his powers.

As stated previously her latest assignment is the Ex-Mutant Diaries in which she tells the tales of some of the victims of M-day. This is where I also had a problem, Jubilee a character that has been established for well over 15 years and has acted a certain way all the sudden acts like a grown-up. Yes Jenkins can blame it on maturity, but it seems to be more of someone didn't do their homework. Another instance happened when interviewing Marrow, where she started yelling how proud of being ugly and deformed she was. Now this is coming from a character that has always had a desire for beauty. Maybe that is the reason he kept most of the ex-mutants limited to 2 or 3 pages.

Yeah that's right! 2 to 3 pages are all we get to see of Chamber, Jubilee, and Moonstar. I am going to be completely honest the whole reason I picked this series up was my love of characters like Jubilee and Chamber. Those covers are very misguiding and it fools people into buying this book. Towards the end we get some closure and an okay resolution to Sally's problems. As stated earlier I would not have enjoyed this book if not for the ending.

Ramos Bach's pencils are in synch with Jenkins' writing, perfectly pacing the story as it reveals itself. You can tell he put a lot of heart into the emotions that go through Sally in each issue. He does a good job conveying her facial expressions. John Lucas does a phenomenal job with his solid inking which is only complemented by the great Art Lyon and all together they give us a hell of a visual experience. Although the X-men do look a little out of place compare to the rest of the cast in this book, but I think that might have been intended.

This book could have been a one shot, we really did not need a five issue limited series for this story to be told. Half of issue five dealing with Sally's past left me pretty content and the other half dealing with the murder just left a nasty taste in my mouth. Once we find out who the killer is and what his purpose is, we are left with some unanswered questions. C
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Nightwing Flies to the Big Apple (...to visit bigbird I guess)

Written by: Bruce "Footloose" Jones
Pencils by: "Not so Average" Joe Dodd
Cover by: Javier "I'm probably a Relative of Omar" Rodriguez Studios

Before I get into the review it might help you to know where I stand on the whole “Crisis” issue (or Revamp if we want to be honest with ourselves): Prelude = good, Countdown mini’s = alright, Infinite Crisis = taking it one issue at a time right now at alright status, 52 = still in debate with myself, OYL = Before I read Nightwing OYL I was kicking and screaming at what I had read so far, that’s how good this book is! Man is this book good. I will not be doing a spoiler review; only spoiler free, because to give anything away would ruin a lot of this books substance. Even if you Comic Veterans can decipher the meaning of the cover and thus know all about the book… YOUR WRONG AND YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT!

Seriously, what lies within the cover of this book is something great. I honestly think that OYL titles have been weird and annoyingly vague. Come on, we know we don’t know what happened in between the year but there is no reason to have all the writers smack us in the face with it at the turn of every page (or book to say the least). This book has it though, it took the fact that it is OYL and it turned it into something hilarious. Omar and I cracked up over some of the scenes. Oh and there is a bonus, I don’t pull out my hair with questions that I know will be solved in 52! I have questions at the end of this book but it does such a good job delivering it I finish satisfied like Nightwing on page 8!

All right now the complaints, the only things I got against the book is the pictures packed into the page on some occasions, not all just some. For instance there I a scene where a character has been squeezed in at the ass end of the page, he has dialogue and everything, if you look at the top though there is a nice picture of a sky. Fuck the sky and have more then a little Willy Wonka “How do ya do” at the end of your damn page. I don’t know whom to blame so everyone is at fault! The only other thing is the villain or villains. This won’t give anything away, they are shown throughout the book, but twins dressed all in white have been driven into the fucking ground. I don’t care if these twins were the first, I’ve seen it a lot and it sucks.

So that is that. I hustled my ass to get this review out there so that you smart people that read this web page will be able to beat all the other latecomers and you can get this book without having to slit someone’s throat for it! This baby gets an A-

David Finch: the new Roger Cruz

To the right is the cover of Daredevil 86 drawn by Joe Quesada....ohh I mean David Finch. He started out mimicking Marc Silvestri; just last week I compared Finch to Stephen Platt now he has taken the art course of Quesada. Come on Finch, pick an art style already, we know you can draw; find one that lets you meet your monthly schedule. I have to admit its a nice picture, so let's just blame that crazy inker!

American Virgin #1 Review

Author: Steven Seagle
Artist: Becky Cloonan
Colorist: Brian Miller
Cover: Frank Quitely

Back to what I would like to call his roots Seagle is writing another Vertigo monthly title. His work on Sandman Mystery Theater, The Crusades, and House of Secrets made me a huge fan of his Vertigo stuff. I was familiar with Cloonan because of a little book called Demo. Pairing the two of them together was a match made in heaven; they both seem to feed well off each other. Although Cloonan's pencils are not as strong as they were on Demo, they still look better than that cover art by Quitely. When I first looked at the cover I thought it was an ugly chick lying on a heart shaped pillow.

American Virgin is a new ongoing Vertigo monthly about sex, God, and ultimately death. The story follows Adam Chamberlain who is the figurehead for a national chastity movement. He's like a neo-Christian rock star, who has been preaching the word of God for the past year. That word being: Save yourself until you're married! Don't just have sex with random people, but rather save yourself for that "one true intended". Because that is what God wants, He told him so, or so we are let to believe, whether that is true or not, well I guess we'll just have to see. As of right now his character is already a rarity in fiction, let alone comic books, hell its already one extreme away from Preacher and Lucifer. He is a conservative, right-wing Christian who wants to share the word of God with teens and twenty-somethings that are looking for guidance.

Now, by no means does Seagle intend for the readers to agree with him, but you come to respect his views by the end of the issue. But this seems to be a weakness in the book; he is mentioning God at least once a page, so he really doesn't come across as a real person. But that could be the gimmick in this story; that Adam is not the key element here, but rather what he represents. We know he is going to have obstacles to overcome with temptations and his girlfriend Cassandra, whom God told him to be with forever. But do we really want to stick around and read about a guy that is trying to fight off sin and fornication?

A whole lot happens in this first issue, it seems to be going everywhere. We have the introduction of eight major players in the story. But, because of the way that the book reads and the heavy dialogue, none of them seem to come to life. Another problem I found was with the coloring, Miller doesn't seem to know exactly how to color those bold and heavy inks on the characters and just relies on shadows. So far it's enough to get me to read the next couple of issues. It is a very difficult to judge a series by the first issue, but I'm still hoping for a twist in the story. B

Invincible 29

Cyclops

From Marvel Legends Series 10

It’s about time.

I’ve been waiting for years for a well-made action figure of Cyclops in his classic costume, and it’s finally been made for me, complete with puffy seventies boots and gloves. This is Cyclops from the Dark Phoenix saga, from his days at the forefront of the X-Men, before he became the progenitor of the most chronally-disfuntional family ever.

I really dig this figure – he’s got all the posability of Marvel Legends, without most of the problems that the overabundance of joints brings to most of the other figures in the line. His ball-joint shoulders are offset from his torso a little bit, but that’s the only articulation-related issue here. He’s also a little bulkier than he should be (he ain’t called “Slim” because of his Atlas-like physique), but that’s a classic problem in his depiction in the comics. His chin also seems a bit too prominent.

I’m not thrilled with the paint job, though. The entire figure (except for the exposed face) is covered in a black wash, which makes it look as if Cyclops has either just emerged from a sewer or he’s been changing the oil in the Blackbird. If Cyclops has been through so much that his uniform is so filthy, it ought to at least be torn a little bit somewhere.

My issues with the paint applications aren’t so great that they make me dislike the figure, however; this is a great depiction of Cyclops. It’s also the first Cyclops figure I can remember that doesn’t have a light-up visor. While I understand that ‘action features’ are anathema to the Marvel Legends line, it somehow doesn’t seem right that Cyclops’ visor doesn’t light up.

Cyclops comes with a clear base that plugs into his back (so he can fly, I suppose). When I stuck the base in, I decided it looked silly, but when I tried to remove it, the pug broke off inside his back, so be wary. The box also includes the left arm of the Sentinel, along with a cable that plugs into the Sentinel’s hand. This cable, as I learned the hard way, also doesn’t like to come off.

The variant Cyclops from this line is made from the same mold with a different paint job.

Also worth noting is that the actual figure looks a lot different from the press image - the boots are much chunkier on the actual figure, and the paint applications are very different. Keep this in mind for future ML press images.

The Greatest Statue in the World!!!

Ohh hellz yeah! What's better than having a Wolverine statue? Having a Wolverine statue made in your image. For my birthday, my brother Tommy made me a statue of myself dressed up as Wolverine, damn that's hot! I have to say that my bulging biceps and pecks would have cost him more money, because he would've had to buy additional clay, but other than that it looks like the real deal. Look at that tan and the package, which is very popular with the ladies. He's a very talented guy and I can't wait to put up some of his work in our original art forum. It's amazing that it took something this beautiful to get my first A+ in my rating system.

Ultimate Spider-man 86-90 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Mark Bagley with Scott Hanna and John Dell

In the five-part “Silver Sable” storyline, Spidey faces off against the lovely and lethal Silver Sable and her team of enforcers, the Wild Pack. To make matters worse, Ultimate Omega Red and Ultimate Vulture show up to give our hero even more troubles. The story begins with Omega Red attacking the Roxxon Corporation. The character is more a gray and darker version than his Marvel Universe counterpart, whom sported a red and white costume design. Omega Red still has powerful, white tendrils to destroy things and throw people around. Spider-Man shows up and a battle ensues, and Spider-Man doesn’t have much difficulty defeating this new foe. The best thing about the fight? Spidey’s comment to Omega Red “What are you? President of the Doc-Ock fan club or something?” Spidey quickly leaves the mutant defeated and is eager to get back to class. He is shown touching down in an alley and gets an alert from his spider-sense, warning him that someone is nearby. Flash Thompson steps out and the Wild Pack move in, capturing Thompson. They believe he is Spider-Man. Spider-Man changes back into Peter Parker, and is surprised to see his new girlfriend, Kitty Pryde, standing outside waiting for him.

Meanwhile, Thompson is taken to Silver Sable. It seems Mr. Roxxon wants to know why Spider-Man keeps defending his company against numerous attacks. Silver Sable orders her men to wake Flash, and he is still dumbfounded by the ordeal. Silver looses her patience and kicks him, knocking him out cold. Silver realizes that this boy is not the legendary Spider-Man. The Wild Pack goes out and tries again.

Later, Flash tells the police what happened and the school becomes a media madhouse. The students feel threatened, so police are doing random bag checks. Peter was so preoccupied with Kitty that he forgot he had his Spidey costume in his backpack. The police ask Parker what’s in his bag, and his secret is about to be blown. Luckily, another student, Mark Raxton, goes parading through the school and media, claiming he is Spider-Man in order to promote his band. Peter has a nervous breakdown and rushes to see his Aunt. Peter goes to May’s workplace and almost confesses to being Spider-Man, but she cuts him off. May states how Spider-Man is a costumed clown and a terrible person. Peter is stunned and still delirious, but realizes now he can’t tell her the truth. The poor kid has had so much to deal with, and realizes he can’t alienate himself to his Aunt by telling her his secret.

Luckily, Kitty is a super-hero as well. Peter and Kitty hang out and Kitty tells Peter that May just isn’t ready to know the truth yet, and she will accept him as a good person eventually. Then, MJ calls Peter up and is shocked and hurt to hear Kitty’s laughter in the background. Very tense emotions happen over the next few panels. It’s clear MJ still loves Peter, and can’t cope with the fact that he has moved on without her.

Kitty finally convinces Peter to go after those who were after him. He eventually confronts Flash and finds out what warehouse they took him to. Spidey goes and is attacked by the Wild Pack and Silver Sable, and he defeats them with ease. Silver cheats though, and electrocutes our hero, making him pass out. While this happens, we learn about Silver’s youth. She was a very sad and lonely girl, taking out her anger on others. Her father was on his deathbed when she learned the truth about his business dealings. Silver vowed to follow in her father’s footsteps.
At Roxxon, Silver unmasks Peter and gives him to Roxxon. They wake Peter up and Mr. Roxxon wants to know why Spider-Man has been protecting his company against various attacks. Peter tells him it’s the right thing to do, and he vows to protect people from danger. Pete’s mad though; cause this is one hell of a way to thanks someone. Kidnapping and knocking one out isn’t very courteous. Then, they try to find out more information about Peter and tap into a computer link-up with Shield. The Shield technician notifies Nick Fury, and they trace the signal back to Roxxon. The Wild Pack and Silver freak out when they realize they are being traced, and Peter breaks free or his shackles. Just as everyone gets up on their feet, a green clad figure flies over the building and deposits numerous grenades. The Vulture has arrived, and he is after Roxxon.

Peter puts his mask back on and combats the new foe. After an amazing aerial duel, Spider-Man defeats the vulture and leaves him tied up. Silver and her Wild Pack demand their money from Roxxon, before Shield Arrives. Nick Fury and Tony Stark trace the call and end up at another location, full of various weapons and such. They confront the scientist who hired the Vulture, the Tinkerer. Fury gives him a choice, work for him to pay off his debt, or be shot. The Tinkerer now works for Shield.

Silver and her Wild Pack tell Roxxon they never want to see him again, and leave with their money. Peter goes back home to Kitty, pleased with how everything played out. Back at school, Flash Thompson is having his moment in the limelight thanks to the TV movie they made about him after his ordeal with Silver and Spider-Man.

Thoughts/Comments:
A very fun, very humorous arc. I really enjoyed all the moments with Peter, Roxxon, and Silver. The romance tension with Peter, Kitty, and MJ continues to grow. There were some amazing cliffhangers, my favorite being the police wanting to see Peter’s book bag with his costume inside. I loved how Peter almost told Aunt May he was Spider-Man. My only complaints were Omega Red and the Vulture. These are two classic characters, and both were taken down within one issue. I really hope if they do make a comeback, they will have a larger role and present more of a threat. Overall, I give this storyline a B+. Good stuff.

Let's Kill Some More Good Guys!!!!

In the tradition of Avengers Disassembled and Countdown it looks like my favorite teen teams of the 90's is biting the big one! After watching the trailer for the Marvel's Civil War #1 I get the feeling that they are going to do away with the New Warriors. And why the hell not? After the way Marvel has been treating these characters since Fabian Niceiza left the book, it doesn't surprise me. No one gives a shit about the Warriors, but Nitro!!!!!???? Nitro is going to off the Warriors, a guy who was taken down by Rusty and Skids!!!!? I know he was responsible for Mar-Vell's (Captain Marvel) death, but who has written him as a possible threat since then. I also put up the cover to issue two by Michael Turner. Those Young Avengers look nice, but damn that is a nice Liefeld-looking cover. Character in the foreground? Check; Characters standing as a group in the back with a huge splash of another character? Check; Rock field for them to stand on? Check! And where the hell did Spider-man's nose go? Whose side am I on? Damn, it’s hard to judge the book before it comes out. I could be completely wrong about this. I mean, I thought the previews to The Matrix sucked and I ended up loving the movie.

Picture of the Week! Week 3

Luke Cage is no one's bitch!

Thank you Justin for submitting this picture to us. If you would like to submit pictures for this section just email them to omar@aboutheroes.com

Teen Titans #33 Review

Authors: Marv Wolfman & Geoff Johns
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inkers: Sean Parsons, Norm Rapmund & Marlo Alquiza
Cover: Tony Daniels

I've been writing toy reviews and manga reviews for a few years now. I never liked reading people's reviews that started with sentences such as: Let me tell you how much I love so and so writer or; Let me tell you how much I hate this writer. So I wasn't going to do that with this review, then I said fuck it! So let me tell you how much I loved Wolfman and Perez's New Teen Titans. This was to me as good as the Uncanny X-men glory days of Claremont and Byrne. So to me teaming up Wolfman and Geoff Johns would be like teaming up Claremont and Whedon on an X-men book. So I was really excited about this book when I got my hands on it.

Spoiler Free Review
This whole issue takes place during Infinite Crises issue 5 when Nightwing is left at the Titan's Tower all by himself while all hell breaks loose everywhere. He ends up teaming up with Superboy and they have some nice bonding moments, not Brokeback Mountain (that movie is now a part of our vocabulary) bonding either. Superboy puts all the original Titans on a pedestal and Nightwing explain that they made mistakes too. This makes me wonder if this was probably an unintentional analogy to how Johns feels about Wolfman; it would be interesting to find out. In my mind I would like to think that Wolfman wrote all of Nightwing's dialogue and Johns handled Superboy.

Todd Nauck returns as a guest artist for the second month in a row and does a pretty decent job of portraying the characters, with the exception of the adult characters. For some reason most of the grown-ups look a bit awkward. He seems to have a hard time drawing Nightwing's body specifically his torso. Could be because this issue was running late and he needed to be rushed. Like I stated before though, he can keep up a monthly schedule. Yes, Tony Daniels can draw some kick ass panels, but he has always had schedule conflicts leading all the way back to his days on X-force.

Without going to much into details, I will of course leave that for the spoilers, I'm going to try to describe what happened in this issue. The beginning at Titans Tower, Nightwing and Superboy prepare to leave for the Artic, and the questioning begins. Both of the characters don't know how to act around each other. Superboy doesn't want to screw up in front of Nightwing and Nightwing feels unsure about working with someone who can't face the truth. Superboy makes a statement that it feels like he is hanging out with his best friend's older brother. The two of them discuss their pasts and their possible futures as they rescue an ocean liner crew from death. While all this is going on Nightwing is wearing his old duds so he can glide, very nice to see him in that old Titan's outfit.

Ares makes a deal with Wondergirl, because something happened and there is an odd scene with Wondergirl and Superboy that left me going: Huh?! I am assuming that all of that was explained in the Annual that was late this month. A really good story with some nice scenes, even though some of the things that were revealed in this book should have been revealed in the Annual. Which is a shame, because it seemed like a pretty big deal and the scheduling really messed that up. Wolfman was a nice addition to the book and I really look forward to reading his Annual. A-
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

About Heroes Episode 8

We do a lot in episode 8. Which Flash was it in IC 5? Crisis on Infinite Cybertons. Why don't they translate sound effects in some manga? What's the state of the comics industry? How do comics relate to comic book movies? Are comics still "taboo"?

NOTE: There are some skipping issues at the beginning of the file. As far as I can tell, they are restricted to the first minute or so of the episode, after which any incoherencies are our fault, not the hardware's.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 8 (1:30:52)

X-men 198 #3 Review

Author: David Hine
Penciler: Jim Muniz
Inker: Kevin Conrad
Cover: Juan Doe

The second of David Hine's book this week and a second Decimation book at that. Mr. Hine and I seem to have a little disagreement here. I don't think Mr. M is that cool and he does. Other than that small issue of Mr. M he writes an okay story, with some let downs of course. I remember a time when this would have made an X-men issue instead of a limited series. I still don't see the point of all these series and none of them focusing on the characters that were once important. Yes I know, he uses Toad and Magma, but we all know who the real stars of the books are.

Jim Muniz gets the job done, but he is far from a good artist. When characters are just standing around he does fine, but when there is action happening in panels, all the characters seem to look 2 dimensional. Some of the characters looked a little warp when they are talking and the angles are really off. The cover makes up for what is lacking in the art department in the book. Although, Juan Doe (has to be a pen name) uses only three colors, this cover is probably the most eye catching on stands right now.

Pretty much what happens in this issue is: The Office of National Emergency gives a speech to the 198 mutants and wants to put tags on them to know their whereabouts. Of course this upsets most of them and Erg, yeah Erg the guy that got his nuts kicked so bad in the Mutant Massacre, speaks up and refuses. This is really pissing me off that the X-men are just standing around with their thumbs up their asses the government tags everyone. With the 198, they have the power to take down the five sentinels. Fuck, Jubilee could have done that by herself back in the day. Of course this isn't Hine's fault; he just has to play with what he's got. But he's got 198 mutants and he chooses to play with some District X's (a book I really enjoyed) lesser known characters. Erg is not one to stand up, hell if anyone out of that group of mutants should say something it should be the fucking X-men!!!

It's not all bad though. The scene where Magma finally confronts Empath was nice and it has been coming for years. This is a character that has been mind controlled by Selene and emotions played with for years by Empath. For her to finally take control of her life and confront that little prick was finally a closure to all the garbage she went through. We finally get a reason for Johnny D creating mini clones of the various 198 members. I really want to enjoy this book, because I liked Hine's District X so much, but its just doing nothing for me. C+
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man 5 Review

Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Mike Wieringo
Inker: Karl Kesel

This one issue story was amazing. Titled, “Weblog”, the reader is taken through the life of a lonely girl named Vanna. Vanna has an internet blog talking about how she believes Spider-Man is stalking her. In high school, the Vulture shows up and attacks the football field, and Peter changes into Spidey under the bleachers. Vanna thinks our hero was a peeping tom, only looking up her skirt. Later on in her life, she takes a field trip to a museum in town. The Looter shows up, wanting to steal a meteorite. Spidey shows up to stop him, and is thrown into the girl’s bathroom where Vanna is. She thinks Spidey is only staging these so called “super-villain fights” to impress her. She still thinks he’s a creep. Later on, Vanna is on the beach and the Sandman attacks. Once again, Spidey shows up to save people. Vanna, on the other hand, thinks he’s only there to check her out in a bikini.

Vanna finally has enough and gets a restraining order on Spider-Man. The judge scoffs at this but tells her that she can have a small restraining order if it will make her feel better. Jonah Jameson learns of this and wants to do a story on her. Peter Parker walks in and is ordered to take her picture. She tells Peter he looks familiar, but Peter assures her that they have never met. Vanna gets her front-page story about the restraining order on Spider-Man.

Years into the future, an old woman sits alone feeding pigeons. Another woman sits down and tells Vanna it’s been 40 years since she made the front page. The woman tells Vanna that the restraining order was a stupid, pointless move. The woman explains how Spider-Man wasn’t stalking her, and he would save anyone in the city without hesitation. Vanna looks shocked and asks her who she thinks she is. The woman replies “his widow” and throws a bloody Spider-Man mask at her. The mysterious woman is MJ, now an old woman. She tells Vanna she wasted her life. Vanna never got married or had kids, and lives alone in her parent’s home with her cats. MJ states how selfless and loving Spider-Man was, and how pathetic Vanna is. MJ leaves, and Vanna admits she only thought Spider-Man was stalking her because she thought he liked her and was giving her attention.

Thoughts/Comments:
WOW! This is one of the best single-issue Spidey stories I have read in years. Not since Paul Jenkins have I enjoyed a one-story issue. The characters all felt real, and the ending was moving and beautiful. Learning Vanna only did all this for attention was bittersweet, and it shows how lonely she was all through her life. If you love Spider-Man, I recommend this issue and series. Peter David is the man! A+!

Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk 1 & 2 Review

Writer: Damon Lindeloff
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

Picking up where the Ultimates volume 2, issue #3 left off, readers find out the fate of Dr. Bruce Banner. Last time we saw the doctor he was lying unconscious aboard a tanker, with a bomb set to detonate and fry him. This was his punishment for the deaths of 815 civilians when he went on his last rampage as the Hulk.

Nick Fury has found evidence that the Hulk is still alive. A stool sample was found with a finger in it.
So Fury calls the one man savage and wild enough to finish the Hulk once and for all, the man called Wolverine. Logan tells Fury he will hunt down Banner and finish the job. When Logan finally tracks his prey, he finds the Hulk surrounded by tons of beautiful women. Banner has had a rough time since his supposed “death”. He Hulked out and made his away across the ocean floor. From there, he continued to travel from place to place. He even gets a therapist, but she makes him nervous and angry when talking about Betty.

Bruce has been calling her but always hangs up the phone before even talking to her. Banner hulks out once again and continues to roam. When working on a ranch under the alias, “Bixby” (nice nod to Bill) some ranchers mock him for being a vegan. Thus, the Hulk tears them, and the cattle, apart. Banner finally seeks out help from a monk in the hills. There, a young boy poses Banner a riddle. “Is it Banner who turns into the Hulk, or the Hulk who turns into banner?” From there, Hulk eats a bunch of meat and some people (obvious from the stool sample) and gets the ladies. Things look great for him until Wolverine shows up, eager for a fight.

Thoughts/Comments:
Off to a good, if slow, start. It’s great to see Damon trying his hand at the Ultimate Universe. His characters feel real and the moments leading up to the fight are tense and wicked. Leinil Yu is no stranger to Logan, having penciled his core title for years. He even drew the Hulk previously (Wolverine 145) so it’s great to see him return to characters he feels at home with. My only real complaint is how slow things are going. The series is called “Wolverine Vs. Hulk” but they haven’t technically thrown down yet. Sure, Wolvie was ripped in half at the start of issue one, but we haven’t got to see the tussle ensue yet. Nonetheless, I’m enjoying this mini series. I rank it at a B+. Good Stuff thus far, bring on issue 3.

Son of M 4 Review

Author: David Hine
Artist: Roy Allan Martinez
Color: Pete Pantazis

I will admit I had to go back and re-read Son of M 1-3 to catch up, because I couldn't remember what happened in those issues. As I was reading those issues it struck me why I forgot in the first place. I just didn't care, to put it bluntly. Son of M started pretty solid and then just went to hell. Issue three was like watching Back to the Future 2 on acid, not that I have done that in the last four years or anything. Pretty much the outcome of this miniseries so far is to prove that Quicksilver is once again the biggest dickhead in the Marvel Universe.

Spoiler Free Review
It all started out with Quicksilver feeling guilty for the whole outcome of House of M. He poorly attempts suicide and Spider-man shows up. That is actually a pretty good idea and it actually makes sense for a guest star like Spidey to show up in issue one. But then Crystal took him away to Attilan, the Inhuman city. Yes the Inhumans get involve in issue two and it starts going downhill. The Inhumans have a place called the Mists of Terrigen, which they use to trigger their mutation. Of course Pietro is interested in this and exposes himself to the mists. He gets his powers back an, but in a new way. He now has the power to travel in time!!! So issue three is pretty much him talking to himself and finding out he killed Goran to steal the mists to go back to earth to give it to his people, nice move dickhead!

This issue reads better than the last, it’s not as confusing but it’s still a bit of a mess. Hine has a good idea here; it’s just really poorly executed. Introducing new Inhumans and killing one of them off doesn't really help the story. There are plenty of useless Inhumans already, we didn't need anymore. Martinez really shines in this issue; his art is improving issue by issue. Some faces still look a bit distorted, but the look to the book is nice. His art style is very clean and light, he hardly uses shadows, which really could strengthen him.

There are some nice scenes and character interactions in this book, but once again it just seems to be dragging. Luna and Quicksilver show up on earth with the Mists of Terrigen and Hine does a good job portraying the relationship of father and daughter. Pietro wasn't much of a father and husband when Crystal and Luna lived on earth. Hell, the Black Knight was more a father, but that's because he was just trying to get some action from Crystal, but we won't go into that. Seems that the Inhumans have found out about the murder that Pietro has committed and are coming after him. Better than the last two issues, but still not a great read. C-
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Ultimate X-men 66 & 67 Review

“Ultimate X-Men”
Date Night
Issue #66, 67
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Tom Raney and Scott Hanna

Robert Kirkman is experiencing wild popularity and respect among comic fans lately. With a string of incredible books under his belt, Mr. Kirkman has been given the task of helming the Ultimate X-Men. His first two issues did not disappoint.

In “Date Night”, readers get to see what the ultimate children of the atom do when not off saving the world. Professor Xaiver is meeting with a woman from an organization interested in donating money to the school. Scott and Jean decide to take in a movie. Kurt and Peter pay a visit to Dazzler, still suffering from wounds inflicted by Deathstrike. Kitty is given a ride into New York City to go patrolling with her boyfriend, Spider-Man. Logan and Ororro take visit a few bars, playing pool and roughing up anyone who tries to get in their way. Finally, Bobby and Rogue are stuck at the mansion alone, still uneasy when having to be around one another.

First off, Logan and Ororro’s night is interrupted by the return of their foe, Sabertooth. Sabe’s got a lot of bad blood with Logan and a fierce battle erupts between the two. Storm tries her best to help out, but she only gets in the way and puts Logan in a bad situation when Sabertooth gets a hold of her. Moving on, Kurt tells Peter that he has always had a crush on Allison, and can’t figure out why a gothic girl such as her ended up with the high flying angel. He figured she’d be more interested in the “demon” type member of the team. Peter decides to grab a burger with Kurt, but Kurt doesn’t feel comfortable being around Peter since he revealed he enjoys men over women. Kurt tells his friend this is a big deal, and doesn’t now if they will ever be friends again knowing this secret.

Kitty helps battle crooks with Spider-Man. The two still manage to find the time to smooch under the moon-lit sky. Scott and Jean watch a movie, and Scott decides to actually watch the movie instead of kiss his girlfriend. Jean leaves the theater hurt. When Scott inquires why she is upset, she tells him that he’s basically a coward. She tells him that for the leader of the X-Men, he sure doesn’t have any guts around her. Scott interrupts and kisses her, finally asserting himself. The two rush back to the mansion to explore this new attitude Scott has developed.
Charles Xaiver meets up with Lilandra Nermani, who is representing the Church of Shi’ar enlightenment.
Charles has some questions as to the true intentions of the Church, and what the catch is. Lilandra tells Charles that there is no catch, and she has been interested in his school and organization for some time. When Charles finally asks who her church worships, she tells him they pray to an entity known as the Phoenix. Charles is shocked by this revelation, realizing Jean has had the Phoenix power for some time now.

Bobby sits alone watching some of America’s funniest home videos on his computer. Rogue shows up, wanting to watch. Rogue’s appearance has changed from her kissing Gambit, now she has his red eyes. Bobby looks at them and Rogue gets upset. He tells her that they look cool, and finally tells Rogue he never quit caring for her. The two kiss and Bobby is surprised when he learns that Rogue’s power to absorb one’s life force is gone. The two decide to go with this and get wild and kinky with one another.

Back at the bar, Logan threatens Sabertooth. He tells him to let Ororro go. Sabertooth tells Logan that he didn’t show up here to fight. He states that Logan started the fight and he just wants to talk. After telling Logan how similar they are in powers and attitude that there is only one conclusion: Sabertooth is really Logan’s son. Logan and Ororo are shocked by this revelation. B+
Next week I’ll review part three of this storyline.
Issue #68 goes on sale March 15, 2006.

New X-men 24 review

Authors: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Pencils: Paco Medina
Inks: Juan Vlasco
Cover: Mark Brooks

Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir's New Mutants (volume 3) really caught my eyes. They took the remaining ladies from the original New Mutants run and returned them to the X-books as teachers. Then Reloaded happen and the editors had a ball with that and New Mutants became New X-men to improve sells of the books. After Reloaded the students became more of the focus point of the book and some of the teachers left. I really lost interest in the book after this; I really didn't like any of the characters with the exception of Surge. They were bland and whiney and if I was 14 again, I probably would have enjoyed the book more. Funny thing was that I liked the secondary team (New Hellions) better than the regular cast of characters.

Spoiler Free Review
After House of M, I was really sad to see Weir and DeFilippis leave, because I know they had the potential to make me care about the characters again. However, Kyle and Yost have done an amazing job replacing them as writers. They have taken the bland boring characters out of the book and completely revamped the team. Decimation stated that the student body dropped from 182 to 27 mutants (not including X-23). Their first arc started out really nice and this is the beginning of their second arc and let me tell you, it is a really touching book. Paco Medina is the perfect fill-in artist for Mark Brooks; he has a simplistic/anime style going for him. Actually it reminds me of what Bachallo could be doing if he didn't get to crazy with the shadows.

Reverend William Stryker is back with a vengeance! I know the crazy guy from God Loves Man Kills, returned in Extreme X-men and the previous story arc. This time he really makes his presence known, by launching a full assault in the X-men's front lawn. Some of the students that lost their power in Decimation were being sneaked out in a bus to return home, well let's just say that bus didn't make its destination. It opens up with a funeral, so automatically you know this is not going to be a happy story. I'm just going to say that this is not just one person's funeral too. For some reason all of this gets blamed on one person, which is the one weak point in the story.

The story flows really well, between the funeral and the flashbacks. Several of the X-men make an appearance at the funeral and through out the book. Actually, Nightcrawler is doing the funeral and even Forge (yes, he is still in the mansion) shows up. I really like the turn this book has made, it is very character driven. I really thought they were going to shove X-23 in my face, but she is rarely in this book and it’s actually nice to see her when she shows up. Yes, the teen angst and emotion is still there, but we get more action and overlooked characters finally getting some spotlight ahem ahem Dust. There is a great scene between Wolverine and Cyclops at the funeral, one panel and Yost and Kyle manage to capture them in character. This is a great beginning to a new arc and I can't wait for the next issue. A-
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

New Moon Knight

Seems to me that David Finch's Moon Knight is reminiscent of Stephen Platt's Moon representation of the caped crusader (sorry couldn’t help it). Regardless, his artwork looks different than when he was drawing Ascension or for that matter New Avengers. I actually like this better than his previous work. I know Moon Knight is just a poor man's Batman, but that's really silly to say. He's a good analogy and it doesn't hurt that he has a really cool costume, except no one seems to be drawing his cape correctly these days. It is, after all supposed to look like a crescent moon.

Dana Reeve dies at the young age of 44.

Dana Reeve, who was married to Christopher Reeve (Superman), passed away on late Monday March 6th 2006. I know we aren't a source of news, but this is really sad and I just wanted to let everyone else know. She was devoted to her husband while he struggled with his paralysis. She sacrificed her career on Broadway to concentrate with her husband's foundation. Dana was the chair of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which funded research for a cure for spinal-cord paralysis. She passed away of lung cancer, even though she was not a smoker, at the age of 44. To find out more or how to contribute to the foundation just click here.

Outsiders 34 Review

Author: Judd Winick
Penciller: Mathew Clark
Inker: Art Thibert
Cover: Daniel Acua

One Year Later continues as the Outsiders gets a team revamp. Some of the old team members are gone and we've got new ones. I never really cared for the old team with the exception of the old established characters: Nightwing, Arsenal and Starfire. What I really cared about was the well driven stories and the villains that would cause havoc. This is by far the weakest out of the One Year Later titles that came out this past week. I put up the cover with the one character blanked out of it because I wanted to save that for the spoilers review. Then I realized I really don't have much to say about this issue. So it won't take long....

It takes too long to get into this story, half the issue is wasted on set-up. At times it was really painfully drawn out and superhero teams and politics should never mix. Once the team actually showed up, it was pretty enjoyable. But by then, I didn't care and I was pretty bored. As usual there is good dialogue and some really good moments, well at least towards the end. I won't go into detail as to who exactly the team is made up of; you can find that in the spoilers. The art was decent, it actually reminded me of the over exaggerated superhero in tights days. Thibert has finally found his calling; just staying to inking and cleans up the artwork rather nice. It's not a bad book, but just a really slow and weak start. C
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Ms. Marvel 1 Review

Author: Brian Reed
Penciler: Roberto De La Torre
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Covers: Frank Cho and Michael Turner

There are certain things in the realm of comics I never thought I would see again. Bucky and Jason Todd walking around again spring to mind. The return of a monthly Ms. Marvel and Spider-woman book are other things I never thought I would see again. I was a big fan of the original Ms. Marvel book (yes I know she was just a gimmick); A female version of the Captain Marvel character. Hell, the best thing Marvel ever did was kill Captain Marvel and revamp Carol Danver's popularity. This will be a hard book to sell; I mean with that cover they are really pushing the fact that she made a guest appearance in a New Avengers issue. If that is their selling point, they might have lost the battle already. But reading this issue I think has proven me wrong.

Let's do a little recap, in case you might not know about the character. Ms. Marvel joined the Avengers right after her solo series folded, but several months later was sidelined due to a surprise pregnancy(oohh no we ain't goin' into that one). In Avengers Annual #10, she was ambushed by Rogue (a then member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants). Rogue drained every power that Carol had and her emotional connections. So Danvers left the Avenger, only to join the X-men in a fight against the Brood. In a Phoenix-like manner she gained cosmic powers and she became known as Binary and spent several years in space with the Starjammers. Eventually Danvers' link to the white hole (the source of her Binary powers) was broken, and as a result, she lost her cosmic-level powers. However, she retained a level of superhuman strength, flight, resistance to injury and enhanced senses. These powers were similar to her powers she once possessed, as well as the power to manipulate and absorb energy. She returned to earth and rejoined the Avengers and changed her name to Warbird. Fast forward House of M and her latest appearance in New Avengers and she is now back to her Ms. Marvel codename.

I didn't think I would enjoy this issue, but to my surprise I am happy to admit I was wrong. Reed has found a pretty reasonable angle on this character. For the first half of this book Danvers and Jessica Drew (Spider-woman) are eating lunch and talking about their days, with some nice flashbacks. This is the way that Reed introduces new readers to her history. The second half of the book is all a self narration giving us insight to her character. She realizes that she is a C-list character; hell Stilt-man doesn't even recognize her. Her biggest problem is that she sees her self as a minor character. So she decides to do something about it and hires a publicist to turn her career around. This is just the beginning the story and it already reminds me of early She-Hulk issues and that is a damn good thing. There is also a funny moment between Ms. Marvel and Captain America. Everything is written witty and smart, well with the exception of the end, which throws the book off.

Those covers are the selling point? They really don't tell you what the book is about at all. I mean, yes Frank Cho can draw a nice curvy woman and Michael Turner does a good job of that too (with no feet in the picture!!!!). But they really remind me of covers from Image's first year, hell Rob Liefeld has drawn more things packed into covers (granted someone else probably drew them before he did). The interior artwork is fine, but that's all I can say about it. Yeah, it gets the job done, but nothing really special here. Torre does a good job at giving us nice action packed panels, but when characters are just sitting around and talking they look bland. Overall not a bad book and I'm sure Torre is just trying to find his style for the book. B

Finally Marvel Legends Series 9 Reviews!

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Marvel Legends Series 09 (Galactus) reviews are done. Just click on the toy archive tab and check them out under Toybiz/ Marvel Legends. We have tons of pictures and Dan and I have been working really hard on uploading them and writing reviews in the toy section. So when you get time check them out. More are coming soon! And I don't mean Professor X either.

Black Panther is still a pimp!

With this preview of Black Panther #14 everything is clear to me now. I always thought Luke Cage was the ladies man in the Marvel Universe. But this cover, which shows my boy Black Panther is a bigger motherfuckin' pimp! Damn, look at all those fine ass ladies on the cover. I'm sure The King of Wakanda gets to test drive, before he makes a purchase too! Captain America can save the whole world and he doesn't get this many offers in a lifespan.

About Heroes Episode 7

It's a DC week! We cover Batman Annual 25, the One Year Later books from this week, and of course, a little independent book called Infinite Crisis 5. Oh, and Next Wave. Download it today!

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 7 (1:13:59)

Picture of the Week! Week 2

Holy shit! The look on Batman's and Superman's faces remind me of a couple of Camp counselors that many years ago....ah never mind...those poor kids. And Robin thrown in the mix, this is so wrong.

Claws of Darkness #1 Review

Author and Illustrator: Jerry Cho
Translator: Yun Zhao
English Adaptation: Ailen Lujo
Publisher: DrMaster

This comic is based on a novel by Josev, and it's released in a 64 page color graphic novel formant. This is only the first part of an ongoing Korean Manhwa. Claws of Darkness #1 Journal of the Vampire Hunter ended up surprising me. When I first looked at the cover I thought to myself: "here comes another Vampire Hunter D rip-off". But it’s really more than just that, the protagonist Nicholas Bane, seems more like Batman than the Quiet Vampire Hunters to come out of the east. He's got the classic half demon and half human lineage, because don't you know? All vampire hunters need one.

Spoiler Free Review
A mix of water coloring, beautiful paintings and a touch of computer generated effects will have you drooling for more. No kidding, the art is breathtaking, the character designs seems like something Yoshitaka Amano would have produced. Cho is amazing at putting action and emotion in every panel and does it in away where it doesn't take away from the main theme. Even during the big action sequences, you don't loose track of what is happening. There are some stunning scenes in this book; unfortunately for those with a weak stomach they won't be able to appreciate it as much. By that I mean this book is pretty fucking violent and dark, it is definitely filled with taboo occult rituals. Actually I was reminiscing of Garth Ennis' Preacher books when I was reading a couple of scenes. Claws of Darkness takes readers on a wild blood-soaked ride into the world of the undead.

Vampire hunter Nicholas Bane is not alone against the bloodsuckers; he is accompanied by his pet/familiar Bobo. Bobo is a black cat that travels on Bane's shoulders, no better way to balance out an angsty character than to give him a cute little sidekick. Bane travels to Santa Anna, Mexico where the drug kingpin Gino Carlos seems to be more than human. There have been murders in this town and Bane investigates how exactly they had been killed. We find out a bit about the Vampire Hunter as he talks about his past at the Azul Bar where he meets Anna. In this story vampires have to be not only staked through the heart but be decapitated and the head has to be turned to ashes. Damn, that's got to be a bitch when fighting a clan of 30 vampires. Not a bad start for a new series, the only problem that I had was with the dialogue, some of the translations are a bit wanting. B+
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Detective Comics 817 Review

Author: James Robinson
Art: Leonard Kirk and Andy Clarke
Cover: Simone Bianchi

It's One Year Later…and who is the mysterious vigilante who's been keeping Gotham free of crime? And what is his relationship with the new police commissioner? Those are the questions that the solicitations for this issue asked. Whether they be answered or not was never stated. Now, first of all I would love to state how much I loved Starman by James Robinson and how much I did not like Hawkman, so I'm a little indifferent with him. Leonard Kirk's art is very clean and crisp, nothing too fancy but it gets the job done. The cover by Simone Bianchi is a really nice addition to this story; it reminds me of Kia Asamiya, but more detailed. If you have seen the covers for the upcoming Detective comics, you know he will be drawing those too and they would make for a nice collection.

Spoiler Free Review
This is the first part of an eight part story that crossover to the Batman comics and Robinson does a nice job of setting it up that way. Just as the cover states, it is one year later in Gotham City and one of Batman's villains has been murdered. Naturally this looks like a job for Batman, but it has been 12 months sine he last appeared in Gotham City. However, the new commissioner has a hunch that this time Batman will answer the Bat-Signal's call. Batman and Robin show up and they take the case. There was something different about Batman though, I will talk about that in the review with spoilers. The story ends with Batman and Robin jumping off the side of the building as the commissioner watches in the classic style.

I'm not sure if this would be a good jumping point for readers or not. I mean yeah we don't need to establish the origin of Batman, but does the fact that he has been MIA for year really set up a plot twist big enough to reel readers in. Well, I can see this working both ways. Are we sure it's Bruce Wayne under the mask or not? That could make for a good story (as long as it’s not drawn out, having a different person under the mask could be bad for sales...ahem ahem KnightQuest). As far as old readers are concerned, yeah I could see this working. Where the hell has Batman been for the last year? We better get some good answers! Not a bad issue and after all it’s just setting up the rest of the story, so a B-.
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Hellboy: Makoma, Two Great Issues One Great Story

Hellboy: Makoma #2 Review

Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Richard Corben

This book was fantastic; I will start the review off by saying that my only complaint is that we (Hellboy readers) only get these 2-issue deals with Hellboy’s story. I’ve had my great stories and my not so great stories but at this point I just want some more issues, a six, an eight, hell a three would even be nice. I liked the six issue BPRD stuff and I know Mignola originally wanted Hellboy to be a team book but Hellboy can stand on his own and he knows it, so put out more stories. That goes double, no triple, for Lobster Johnson.

So I know what your saying, what the hell is a Makoma? Best I can tell, and Wikipedia can deliver is that it’s the term some African tribes give to deities (high powered ones). If you just want a really fun read with out all the “continuity” hang ups that SOME people have, then give this a shot. It may only be two issues but it’s just a nice little story, with some interesting artwork that really pays tribute to the African Artwork of today’s artists, as well as the rich and lavish Culture of the African people. It just goes to show that as far as Mignola’s anthropological research goes, he has yet to find his bounds/limits, and creative spin. A+

Aquaman or Aqua-Not?

Aquaman (#40): Sword of Atlantis OYL Review

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: Butch Guice

Okay you may think that this is a weird way to start this review but it is the best way to address the conflicts in this issue. On the cover it clearly states “One Year Later” if you look at the man known as Aquaman you see that he is either pre or post enchanted hand/hook hand/no hand, to put into other words, he has both hands. He’s holding a sword so the subtitle “Sword of Atlantis” at least that holds up so far. The issue is numbered at 40, so this is within the continued story of Aquaman. The best guess I have for the number and the subtitle is that the CONTENT (as per the solicitation “totally changed”) is different and that is a result of One Year Later and the events within that year are supposed to tie up the reason why Aquaman is “with hand.” If this sounds confusing then read the issue, you will unfortunately be just as confused before you started reading it, but at least you’ll know where I’m coming from.

This review doesn’t need a spoiler/non spoiler review, because it doesn’t really reveal anything. You can see on the cover that The Shark King is allied with Aquaman, and that is semi covered in the issue.

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to review it without any bias but I was pushing for it because I like Aquaman as a character. He is a good classic character that has fallen into some bad hands. He was always outside of the JLA because his powers were water based, that put him at a disadvantage but he’s a character that lives in water, so a team wouldn’t make a lot of sense, that’s just my opinion though. As of late I have really liked the “Sub Diego” work, but this book, this One Year Later tale, seems to have thrown all that away. The first page is really obscure, not the artist’s fault or the writers it’s just odd. Something happened to send Arthur Curry into the water. I thought it was Su Diego and that this was someone else maybe, but no, I don’t think that after reading the whole issue. I blame the One Year Later set up basically. I hope that future Infinite Crisis books and One Year Later Aftermath and 52 for that matter answer this question. I assume they will, but the fact that they haven’t before this book came out puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of the creative team, specifically Busiek whose name drew in a lot of readers. The art is beautiful through and through, that was a really good part about the book.

Incase it hasn’t been made clear this is not a book for someone looking to fall in love with Aquaman, if your on the fence you might be against him by the end of this issue. But if you like Busiek, Guice, or Aquaman even a little, I suggest you give it a try, you might like it. It has a lot of cool sci-fi/ magical elements in it that are also a plus incase you dig those. If you are a little curious about Aquaman and don’t give a damn about the books past then start with this, One Year Later is, if noting else, a fresh start for readers. C+

Uncanny X-men 470 Review

Author: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Billy Tan
Inks: John Sibal
Colors: Brian Haberlin and Avalon

This review should be short since this is the mid part of a three part storyline and not much happens in the issue that deserves spoiler tags. First of all that cover has absolutely nothing to do with the book, for that matter Cyclops and Beast don't even appear in these pages. The art seems a little weak in this issue, due I'm sure, to the fact that there are two issues coming out this month. Tan's pencils are sharpening up but still lacks in the facial expressions department. Nice action sequences, but you can tell he struggles when characters just sit around and talk (this guy would not be a good pair with Bendis).

We get to see Logan pay Storm a visit, maybe this is Claremont's way of saying good bye to the character (he always wrote the best damn Storm in my eyes). Val Cooper notices that Phoenix is missing and asks Nightcrawler for some help. Rachel goes and visits a psychiatrist and Bishop and Officer Jones go and fight the Shi'ar Death Commandos that are escaping a jail cell. Not a lot like I stated, but great dialogue and character driven story makes up for the lack of action. It’s good to see someone write Rachel as the strong individual she is as opposed to the weak personality she has in Deadly Genesis. Nice to see her break down, shows the human side to her, despite all her omnipotent powers. Ironic that one of the strongest minds on the planet has to go see a psychiatrist. Not a bad issue but not great either, its just there, but still better than 90% of the X-books that came out last week.B-

Batman Annual 25 Review

Author: Judd Winick
Penciller: Shane Davis
Inks: Mark Morales
Cover Artist: Jock

This seems like a huge week for DC books. But where to start the reviews? I mean there was so much One Year Later books out there and Infinite Crises 5. I'm sure our podcast will be the review for Infinte Crises 5, so no need to write one up. Out of all the DC books however, I really was looking forward to finding out how the hell Jason Todd managed to survive a crow bar beating and an explosion. In Batman 638 the New Red Hood character was revealed to be Jason Todd, the second Robin who died in Batman 428 . Batman is still in a shock of disbelieve, but make no mistake about it, by the end of this book we get to find out whether or not Jason Todd is the real deal or not.

Spoiler Free Review
Jock is the cover artist for this particular issue and has being doing cover art for quite some time now. The cover is a take on Jim Aparo's cover for the Death in the Family trade paperback. However, instead of holding Jason Todd in the Robin outfit in his arms, he is holding the red hood. It's a gorgeous piece of art with a nice mix of shadows and vibrant colors. The interior artwork by Davis and Morales is not to be overlooked either. Morales really flatters Davis' pencils and it shows with the flow of panel to panel story telling. There are some amazing sequences that I can't really say in this part of the review. His action sequences are really nice and not over the top and he manages to capture facial expressions with a certain realism to them. Last, but not least is the fantastic page, by the late Jim Aparo that was the alternate ending to Batman 428. That is fucking respect right there!

This is the payoff, every since Jason Todd first returned in Hush(or was that Jason Todd?) that we get! Winick gives it his all to please all the readers. There are some readers that completely dropped the book, because of Todd's resurrection. So I think by the end everyone will be pleased. Everything is explained here and without going into detail, it is really believable. There is no detail that goes untouched, hell they even tie this book all the way from the Hush storyline to current events in Infinite Crises. This story goes back to the events in Batman 428 all the way to the beginning of the Under the Hood storyline. I am satisfied in every way, with the exception of one little gripe that I will mention in the review with spoilers. Overall this was my favorite book out this week. I hope someone else..ahem Mr. Morrison uses the character of the Red Hood in the future.A+
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

52* Card Pick Up?

Okay I know what this really means but lets pretend I didn't for a second, WHERE IS GORDON'S FACE AND WHY IS HE TRYING TO CALL THE RIDDLER? I'm interested to know who will be picking up 52* as I still remain on the fence until One Year Later tells me what the hell is going to be the final result, if the end result is appealing then I'll follow it up with 52 to find out how all that came to fruition. Until then I keep getting bombarded with these little snipits of stuff thats supposed to make me start salivating? F that! The latest IC came out and I flipped through it before picking it up to just to double check, yep, no more surprises in this issue. Well maybe one, MINI spoiler---lets just say Johns beats Bendis in quickest death/rebirth ever, possibly, both are still in the running. Oh well, Batman wont be gone for long in Gotham, like a guy with no face and who always leaves the people he helps in a vague stupor is really going to clean up the worst city ever, succeed where the Bats has failed? F that too.

Sentinel

The gimmick behind series 10 is the same as series 9, collect all the pieces to combine one big character. This time that character happens to be the mutant hunting robot Sentinel. There are six pieces to this figure, although there are seven figures, Mystique and Omega Red include the same torso part. Along with those two, this set also includes: first appearance Spiderman, Mr. Sinister, Cyclops, Black Panther and Angel. Once put together he stands 16" tall.

This is really an amazing figure, because of all the attention to detail. There are wires running in and out of his outer shell mainly around the joints and some on his torso. Those wires make him look like an actual machine. The design on him is very complex, he looks very sinister with the blank expression on his face and his hands look like they could crush any Marvel Legend figure. You would think since he is a robot and 16" tall that articulation would be a problem, but they do an amazing job on him. He has a ball jointed neck, double jointed elbows, hips, knees and shoulders, a ball jointed torso and waist, ball jointed wrists and each hand has ten fingers that move individually. For some reason each of the arm pieces also includes tentacle that can be unattached if wanted. It's practically the same bendable tentacles that Omega Red has. I really didn't see the need in including these, but if they are going to recycle pieces of a figure, this is the way to do it.

The thing that makes this figure more mechanical than anything else is the paint application. Since a metallic finish is given to the Sentinel it catches light easy and looks tons better than in pictures. His prime colors are blue and purple which is applied to perfection; there are no signs of paint bleeding or shavings. Wires actually look like wires, and he really does look like he is made of some sort of metal. There are scrapes and wear to give the metal monster a sense of aging. My only gripe with this figure is that you have to buy six figures to own just one Sentinel. I would love to have an army of Sentinels, but that would be rather expensive. Hopefully, they will repackage this figure and sell it separately. Overall though, this is really an amazing figure, the best so far out of their combiners (Had to throw in some Transformers lingo in there).

Who's side are you on?

From the look of this cover of Civil War issue 2 by Steve McNiven, it looks like Spider-man has choice to make. To side with Captain America or side with Iron Man. Damn, he should go back and read Contest of Champions or Secret War...by the way Spidey, go with the side that has the damn Hulk on the team. Or could this be the first cover with two Spidermen. Peter Parker in the classic suit and his dead skin turn woman made of spiders wearing the new suit made by Iron Man a.k.a New Venom as Dan likes to call it.