Iron Man #15

Writers: Daniel & Charles Knauf
Artists: Roberto de la Torre & Jonathan Sibal

Warning: This may spoil the end of Civil War #7 if you haven't read it yet, though the last issue of Iron Man pointed towards this.

Still here? Ok. Tony Stark is now director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and this issue, rather than jump into the 50 - State Initiative looks at the director's other duties, like stopping terrorist attacks. The issue is a conversation between Dum Dum Dugan (who I thought died in Wolverine Origins) and his superior at the Pentagon. Dugan is complaing about Stark's methods, how he is treating it like a Super-hero team and a company, rather than a military division. Stark puts in a suggestion box on the Helicarrier, gets rid of the officer's club so he can spend more money on the enlisted men's cafeteria, and has a day care center for the children when the ship is in port. How the helicarrier enters port, I have no clue. As this conversation goes on, we see Tony leading S.H.I.E.L.D. not as a commanding officer but as a friendly mentor. He oversees missions, and most of the time has to diffuse the situation himself because the soldiers look to him as a secret weapon, rather than doing the work themselves. Maya, the creator of the Extremis virus wants to use it on other soldiers so that Tony does not have to bail them out all the time. There is also an escalation of terrorism post civil war, as small time groups are getting better weapons. Are they being financially backed and by who? This is a great issue that sets up a lot of storylines that can run through the book for a long time, if Tony stays in his postition for a long time as well. I like this idea of Tony as the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., and if the Knaufs can write stories like this one with this idea for a long time, let them. This is a great resuccitation for a book that was drowning after Warren Ellis and Adi Granov delayed it into oblivion.

The art, while not Patrick Zircher, is great. It has a nitty-gritty feel to it that fits the book, especially with it's new S.H.I.E.L.D. premise. It's a cross between Ariel Olivetti, Tommy Lee Edwards, and Brian Hitch. If this guy took over the art on Iron Man, I would be pleased. Another thing that is great about the art is the coloring. Colorist Dean White uses a lot of red and pink filters in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to give it a "red-alert" feel. It's a great looking book. Here's hoping Iron Man can move up an be one of Marvel's top tier books. A

Action Comics #846

Writers: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner
Artist: Adam Kubert

Wow! As late as this book is, it's still fantastic. Donner and Johns have really crafted and interesting story and are ramping it up more than I ever could have imagined. A quick re-cap here. In 844 we had a ship crash to earth and reveal that there was a small boy inside. Superman learned that the boy was Kryptonian and brought him to his parents' house to ask about raising him. In 845 we saw Clark bring the boy, "Chris" to Metropolis, where Bizarro attacked and tried to capture the boy for Lex Luthor. Clark and Lois decided that they wanted to raise the boy as their own. At the end of that issue we learned that the boy was the child of General Zod and Ursa, as they somehow escaped the Phantom Zone in the arctic. This issue starts with the Zoners going to the Fortress of Solitude and speaking with Jor-El's hologram. We learn that many people were sentenced to the Phantom Zone, not just these three. In Metropolis, Clark and Lois are bringing the Chris to the Daily Planet for some unknown reason when the Zoner's just attack. Non pummels Clark, Ursa attacks Lois and tries to take her son back, while Zod pontificates how they will make Earth the new Krypton. The writing and characterization are spot on. I thought this arc would simply be a fight between the three Zoners and Superman, but it is shaping up to be so much more. After this issue's two cliffhangers, (TWO!!!) now I am really mad that I won't be seeing the rest of the story until May.

The art is fantastic. Adam Kubert, inking complaints and ugly Supermans aside, is doing some great work. The backgrounds are fantastically detailed. Each of the book's three double-page spreads contain a sense of awe and grandeur. Kubert's panel layouts and angles are really cinematic. It may not be the best work of his career, but it's up there. Damn the wait on the next issue of this book, go get it. B+

Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #9

Writer: Marc "Savior" Guggenheim
Artists: Ron Adrian & Art Thibert

You all know how much I hated issue #6 of the Flash. #7 and #8 weren't that great either. At last, writers Bilson & DeMeo left or were booted off the book, making way for Marc Guggenheim, who wrote the Civil War Wolverine Tie-In and is currently writing Blade for Marvel. He knows how to write comics, he's still a TV writer, but he's better than what we had on this book. What I immediately liked was how he handled Bart. Bart's internal narration referenced everything he's done in the past, being Impulse, reading an entire library, and growing up in the Speed Force. These are all things that Bilson & DeMeo chose to ignore. This issue is just a small starting point, it doesn't launch a new storyline, it is a single issue story just to get us started and interested in the character again. Bart feels like he used to be as Kid Flash, he still acts young and rash, but with a little added maturity. What also helped was the opening and closing conversation between Bart and Robin. It showed that Bart still has friends and didn't ignore them after coming back from the Speed Force at the end of Infinite Crisis.

The art by Ron Adrian didn't blow me away, but it was serviceable. He kept Bart young and lean, looking like a 20 year old rather than the buff 25 that Bart looks like on the great Ethan Van Sciver cover. It was a good simple little issue, if you got burned by the last arc, pick this issue up and give it a try. B-

Batman Gets Chosen... By Sinestro?

From this week's Green lantern # 17. It doesn't spoil anything, but it's too cool not to show you, and it's especially cool if you are a Batman nut like me. Way back in Green lantern #9, Batman donned a GL ring, and it beat the crap out of him to use it. But it also gave him the snazzy costume you see here to the right. It was pretty snazzy and showed that Batman's mind is powerful enough to keep some of the Bat designs in his GL uniform. Also, it was drawn fantastically by Ethan Van Sciver.

This one is drawn by Ivan Reis, the regular artist on Green Lantern now. Ever since OYL, Geoff Johns has started planting the seeds of the Sinestro Corps. This is another one of those seeds. I just thought that it was so cool that Batman is the person most suited to instill fear upon others (the main requirement for the Sinestro Corps, opposite of the GL Corps' requirement of having no fear) in the entire sector of 2814. The friggin' Batman. Just an awsome concept. So here, a Sinestro ring finds Batman, attaches itself to him, and tries to make him part of the Corps. Batman denies it, and it flies off into another part of the issue, which is fantastic by the way, go get it!

About Heroes Episode 46

Civil War #7 - need I say more?

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 46

Joshiebear's Picture of the Week!

Just a reminder for everyone who was bitching that Reed Richards was a dick
during civil war.

Reed's just about always been a dick. This pic is completely Cannon.

S.H.I.E.L.D. runs on Mac OS X

Hey! According to this panel from Civil War #7, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier runs on Mac OS X. And Deputy Director Hill (goofing off reading comic books sites at work notwithstanding) browses using Safari.

So, do the engine turbines run as a desktop widget? Can I get little widget trackers that tell me where tagged superheroes are? Because that would be awesome.

Joshiebear's Picture of the Week!

Joshiebear is back and he brought Kamandi with him!

New Avengers: Illuminati # 2 Review

Authors: Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed
Penciler: Jim Cheung
Inker: Mark Morales
Colors: Justin Ponsor

Ohh man what a silly little book. And what a silly little world that BMB is creating. Sometimes I wish Dr. Light would get a hold of me too (you know, minus the raping) so I could forget all those stories that came before. But, unfortunately I can't get those stories out of my head. And these are not those characters and this is not that world. This is all BMB's Marvel World and I want no part of it!

This story takes place a few months back (Marvel time) after She-Hulk # 1 and after Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Watch, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade....and so on. Some how Reed gets a hold of the Power gem and wants them all! So you know what the rest of the Marvel adults and leaders say to this idea!? Fuck it! Let's find the rest of these gems that have caused nothing but trouble in our past! They manage to get all the gems with the help of Cerebra and some contraption Reed made. In the end Reed tries to wish the Gauntlet and gems away, but it's impossible and each one of the six Illuminati gets to keep the gem.

My major gripe with this issue is that these are men that have been leaders in the Marvel Universe and to act like an amateur rookie team that gets scolded by the fucking Watcher at the very end is just a concept I can't overlook! They acted like the Young Illuminati....you know what? Fuck that! Because Young Namor would have beat the living shit out of Young Mr. Fantastic for even bringing up a stupid ass idea like this. It’s bad enough they make Iron Man and Reed look like dick-heads in Civil War; now thanks to this series the poor bastards are also irresponsible and inexperienced heroes!

You also expect me to believe that Reed can sneak Black Bolt and Iron Man into his lab and not have Johnny and Ben wonder what the fuck is up? Or for that matter Xavier sneak pass every X-men while he was suppose to be in Genosha and Wolverine not being able to pick up Namor or Black Bolt’s scent? How in the hell did Mr. Fantastic get the Soul gem from Adam Warlock? Because I seriously doubt Adam Warlock would have given up the gem to an earthling. One more thing BMB; Namor was also in the fight against Thanos, maybe they forgot to mention that in the Cliffs Notes version of The Infinity Gauntlet. I could also bitch about Namor's outfit, but whatever.

Jim Cheung is the saving grace in this series. He has crafted a perfect mix of action and expressions! Morales, I have always enjoyed his inking since his days with Adam Polina and he adds what Cheung was missing. The detail that shows age on these faces, finally they don't look like kids. Now, of course this review is just my opinion, because lots of people love this series, but I do not in any way believe that this bullshit underground organization exists and I can't wait until someone retcons this silly idea. D+

Ion # 11

It's Wednesday night, and that means I take over with a ton of reviews! On to Ion #11!

Writer: Ron Marz
Artists: Greg Tocchini & Fernando Pasarin

The second to last issue of this series, and I'm still not sure what the point of it was. I liked the middle of the series where we found out that Kyle is now the super-lantern of the GL Corps, but we haven't seen him used as such in this series. I enjoyed the issue where he visited Radu, an old character from Kyle's GL days in New York. Even the last issue with Captian Atom and the Tangent characters was good, but I'm not seeing the big picture. When I first read this series, I thought that we would see an over-arching story similar to Batman Hush, but what we got was an arc for the first six issues and smaller ones after that. I liked this issue because we get some Kyle and Donna moments, as well as the return of Grayven. Who? Grayven Darkseid's son who wants to kill his father and rule Apokalips. When Kyle was Green Lantern, Grayven was the first major villain that Kyle really faced on his own. This story can be found in the Trial by Fire trade, check it out as it's a great story. It appears that Grayven has been planning and plotting revenge, so he's the villain behind Nero impersonating Kyle and all the stuff that's happening with his Mom's health. The "why" is never given here, and with one issue left, it almost seems like we might not get a good reason. We see another appearance of the Moniters here, they are showing up here more than in Nightwing, or Supergirl, so my guess is that Kyle poses a bigger threat to their grand scheme. Obviously this has to tie into the next big DC event. This is a good issue, it's just that I can't justify why this series exists. It feels more like an ongoing than a 12-issue mini-series. I wish we had this as an ongoing rather than a Green Lantern Corps series, or even the Confidential books. Ron Marz is clearly having a good time with the charcter he shaped, so why not let him continue?

Greg Tocchini, is absent for the last half of this issue, where all the action is. That is a shame, as I think the fight between Grayven would have benefitted from Tocchini's art rather than Pasarin's. If Tocchini is the main artist on the book, let him do the fight scene! Pasarin's art isn't as bad as some other fill-ins we've had on this book, and at points it imitates Tocchini's style, but in the end it is not the frenzied pencils that Tocchini has. But hey, the book is coming out on time right? Oh all right, fine, I guess I can't have both. I'm looking forward to the next issue, the last issue, hoping that we might have some revelation and a hint at things to come for the DCU that will define this book's existence for me, other than to show off Kyle's new costume, we haven't seen him explore manu aspects of his new powers, but I guess that goes back to the simplistic, "I'm still a Green Lantern, but don't need a ring or power battery" explanation. C+

The Brave and the Bold #1

Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: George Perez & Bob Wiacek

This was a fun book. An old fashioned superhero romp. At first I was not going to pick this up, but as time went on, I said, how can I not? It's George Perez, it's got to be good! Boy was I right. Perez's art-style may be as modern or slick as current artists, but the man can tell a story and frame an action scene. Mark Waid is not one of my favorite writers, but if he can keep each issue of Brave & Bold as fun as this one, he may soon be. The idea of this book is that is a journry through the DCU with a rotating cast. For this arc, it looks to be Green Lantern. Here he teams up with Batman, next issue Supergirl, and who knows after that. At some point it may switch off to another character who was last teamed with Jordan. Hopefully we'll see more than the standard Big Gun team-ups, which was used to launch the book, team-ups with a big character through an wacky adventure with oh, Ambush Bug? That would be a romp. You get the idea. Smaller characters can be explored through these team-ups and maybe get readers to latch on to them and pick-up the books they are featured in. I'm calling for a Blue Beetle team-up. That book needs more attention, but back to the issue...

A murdered man is found in space, and Hal Jordan takes the case to Batman, the premier detective in the DCU for help. The two investigate and get attacked in the Batcave, and travel to Las Vegas. Batman in Vegas? No. Bruce Wayne in Vegas. Let's hear the collective, ahhhhhh.... In a really cool scene we have Bruce pimping the waitresses to get special treatment, and Hal Jordan playing Blackjack so recklessly that he schools Bruce in the game. It was this moment that made the book for me. Both of our heroes bonding out of costume, how often do you see that in super-hero books? Get this book for that moment alone. The way Perez draws the end of the scene is great. Hint, watch Hal's chip count. It's actions like these whether planned by the writer or artist that make comics worth reading, just a little something extra to re-enforce the characterizations. Bully for Mark Waid and George Perez, let's keep it up fellas! A+

Superman #659

Writer: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Peter Vale & Jesus Merino

After a few months between apocalyptic Superman stories, Busiek teams up with Fabian Nicieza to bring us a nice single issue story. Here, we find Superman contemplating how he affects the Earth after Arion told him he will help destroy it in the last issue. The issue is a recollection of Superman of his early days in Metropolis about a woman who was inspired by him to clean up her neighborhood. Some of you may not want to get this book reading that it's not continuing the story, but I urge you to keep reading. Superman saves this devout Christian woman from being hit by a car, and she sees him as an angel. A few days later, this woman sees an act of violence and prays for a angel to stop it. Naturally, Superman arrives and stops the violence, and after a few more times, this woman thinks she can "summon" Superman. Supes realizes what she is doing, so to keep her from getting hurt he tunes his ears to her whispering prayers. Which each time Superman shows, the woman gets bolder, enough to actually hunt down and instigate situations in her slum of a neighborhood. Things go bad when Superman can't get there in time. Rather than teaching the old woman a lesson, she teaches Superman a lesson, that his acts of good bring people up and inspire them so do good themselves, that he affects more lives than he thinks he does. It's a touching story, in the same way that Busiek's first story on the book "On Our Special Day" was. It's a good read and worth picking up.

Rather than getting an issue with Carlos Pacheco, he gets an issue to breathe, and we get some great guest pencils from Peter Vale. The first and last pages look like Pacheco drew them, but the flashback is a different art style. If Peter Vale channeled Pacheco for the pages that are happening in the present he did a good job. The imitation adds to the story in that we see Superman currently looking back on his past, so a younger-different looking Superman makes sense. Superman is remembering, and memory is always a little blurry, so it's cool that Supes looks a little different. Vale's biggest strength is his handling of the old woman. She looks very firm in her beliefs, in her faith, and in Superman. Her facial expressions and posture are drawn well enough that we can all recognize someone we know in this woman. Rather than skip this issue because it's a fill-in, pick it up because it's a fill-in. It is a good break from the story we have been reading and will sastisfy your emptiness from Civil War's conclusion. B

Wonder Woman #4

Writer: Alan Heinburg
Artists: Terry & Rachel Dodson

Wonder Woman #4 is a good book, in fact it might almost have been a great book if this had come out in October or November. But besides all of that, this is a really good story and will read great in trade whenever the fifth issue come out, which has now been postponed without any idea of when it's coming out. This book had a great first issue, Donna Troy was Wonder Woman, for all we knew, it was going to stay that way. By the time the second issue came out, we had already seen Diana in Justice League #0 and #1 as Wonder Woman, so it ruined the mystery of who was going to be Wonder Woman. Even though we know that Diana will remain Wonder Woman, with this issue it is clear that Diana is the focus of the book. As issues 2 and 3 came out, the focus turned completely away from Donna, and we saw Diana acting as a human, to re-establish her humanity, which she lost in Infinite Crisis. This book is all about the journey, and the title of the story "Who is Wonder Woman" is both literal and metaphorical. Diana must find herself before she can resume the mantle of Wonder Woman. Last issue saw the villainess, Circe capture the gods' powers and become a new Wonder Woman. Diana, Donna, Cassie, and Hercules are now powerless, and are trying to get the power back from Circe. Diana journeys with the demi-god Hercules to find Circe's home and find something to bargain with in order to regain the power of the gods. There's a good twist in the book, a cross, and double-cross, which made the book for me. I never saw it coming. Alan Heinburg has a great story written and plotted, just poorly scheduled in terms of delays. The only complaint I have about this book is that it's late, but I can't knock anything else, it is a good book.

Terry Dodson needs to fire his agent or whoever schedules his projects. It it's him he needs to find a lucky charm, as he seems to be stuck with late books. First it was Spider-Man/Black Cat and now Wonder Woman. The man can't catch a break. He's a great artist, but he's under used because he gets backlogged on these delayed projects. I think his Marvel Knights Spider-Man run with Mark Millar was the only thing recently that hadn't been greatly delayed. Of course, with these delays, it gives Dodson the chance to really take his time and shine. His art here is perfect. There is not one panel where I felt the art was weak compared to others. If anything is benefitting from the delays, it is the art quality. Sure, Dodson may be a little cheesecake, but it's nothing like Michael Turner or Joseph Micheal Lisner. Dodson's focus is here is on the story, and if he gets to draw a beautiful woman while doing it, so be it. I think Wonder Woman is a perfect fit for Dodson. The man draws women as godesses, so in a book about Gods, demi-gods, and super-heroines, he is perfectly suited for it. I would not put him on Batman, for sure, as he lacks that dark touch that Batman artists need to have. Dodson is good at lighthearted fun art, so Wonder Woman, Superman, or Spider-man are perfect for him. Now if only he could get to work with some on time creators. Maybe when Jodi Piccoult comes on with issue 6 we'll see Dodson start to output a greater volume of work a year. B

Amazing Spider-man #538

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Ron Garney & Bill Reinhold

Mild Spoilers Below:
After a lackluster Civil War finale with lackluster art (the last seven pages aren't McNiven, there's no way he penciled that bad) this issue manages to deliver a sastisfying conclusion. If you can't remember the cliffhanger of last issue, Wilson Fisk hired a sniper to shoot either MJ, Aunt May or both of them, and we saw the two women in his sights as the last issue ended. This issue picks up in the middle of the giant battle in Civil War #7, and sees Peter return after it has ended. A lot of it is him speechifying to the readers how he's fighting for the people, blah blah anti-reg stuff. That's boring. What thrilled me about this issue was the end, and how it harkened back to Spider-Man lore. That's right, I liked who got shot, or rather, how they got shot. JMS set it up so that like Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, Peter will always feel responsible for this event. His Spider-sense goes off and he tackles one of the women to save them, doing it so fast that he forgets about the other one. From here on out, he will forever be saying to himself, what if I wasn't so hasty, I could have prevented it. Which is similar to the thoughts he's had about Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy for the last 50 years. For those thinking, Spider-man was boring for the last 15+ years, pick up this book, it's about to get more interesting. What is sad is that they had to resort to this in order to make Spidey interesting again, rather than revisit the older issues. Maybe JMS tried that (see Sins Past), and got such a bad reaction from fans that now he feels he has to create something new. The argument could go on forever, but I thought the way it was written and set-up was well done.

Ron Garney is amazing. Where was this Ron Garney on JLA though? Like the last 6 issues, this book is nothing short of breathtaking art-wise. Garney draws Peter at a ripe 30, not a 21 or 35 like other artists. He also has a great feel for the other characters appearing in the book's battle scene. Nobody looks ugly, unlike McNiven in Civil War this week. The two page spread of the battle in Manhattan is nothing short of beautiful. It's exactly the sort of thing I want to see regularly in my books. Another thing that Garney is a master at is emotion. Peter, MJ, Aunt May all emote, which is hard to say about other comics art. This really hits you in the gut with it's art, and the writing helps as well. If you're not reading Civil War, at least give this issue a chance. B+

About Heroes Episode 45

Peter David part II! Peter joins us to talk about his new Dark Tower series, drop some hints about things to come in X-Factor, and give us an insider's perspective on all of these late damned books and why the companies do what they do the way they do.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 45

New Excalibur # 16 Review

Author: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inker: John Dell
Colors: A. Crossley

Chris Claremont returns to New Excalibur after some sick time off. After reading this issue I was really glad to have him back on the book. While Tieri did a good job handling the characters (It was great seeing the Black Knight) now we can move on with the story.

The first half of the book is very Superhero cliché with a tussle between the team and some bank robbers. Dazzler ends up biting the dust again and while it is really annoying that they haven't given any clues about that mystery, a totally unexpected twist with another team member makes you forget that right away. It really brought a sense of realism to see the doctors have a hard time with the anatomy of Nocturne. I believe Claremont is going to try and explain why Nocturne has been acting different since her Exiles days. Speaking of Exiles; I have a strong feeling Nocturne will be making a return to the Exiles team after reading this and the last issue of Exiles. One last thing that I like to point out, but is it just me or is Claremont the only writer that acknowledges other stories in the other X-books?

Scot Eaton and John Dell are completely amazing. I am very impressed with what they did with a story that wasn't mind blowing or off the charts in your face. The detail that Eaton can put on his faces makes this so much more enjoyable to read. I believe these artists have found a new home. Although the first half of the story is slow paced and stereotypical it’s still good to see Claremont come back home. B

My Day at Megacon in Orlando!

This was my first convention ever, so here are some pics from the con with some explanations to boot. It happened on a beautiful Florida day. It was a little windy, with a high of 65 degrees outside. Cold for Florida. After trying to park for an hour, we found a spot and headed for the con. We bought tickets online ahead of time, but we still had to wait in line to pick up our tickets. While we waited in this line we saw a bunch of anime characters, some I did not ever know. That's not suprising because I'm not into anime. Dragonball Z was pretty much it for me. All the while my girlfriend kept asking my why all these kids were "wierd." She had no idea what she was getting into. Pretty soon we got into the con, and it was great. My girlfriend came with me, so to please her, the first thing we did was go see Efren Ramirez from Napoleon Dynamite. $20 for a picture. We also saw next to her, Sean Astin with a huge line, and a very old looking Margot Kidder with no line. She looks way different in person than she does on those new Superman DVD's! Lou Ferrigno was there, but nobody wanted to pay $20 for an autograph or picture from him. Apparently he is at all the cons in the country. Kevin Sorbo however, had a huge line.

Next I waited in line for an Amanda Conner sketch of the Punisher for my friend in Seattle. That took forever because two older men thought that they could cut in line in front of this young whippersnapper. I didn't remember to bring any paper, so she did it on some of her own, a small tablet.... But it still looks great! She was parked next to her husband/boyfriend Jimmy Palmiotti and Phil Noto. Jimmy was cool and was looking at people's portfolios. He gave one guy a bunch of inking tips, and pulled out a marker and started drawing on the table to demonstrate what he was talking about. It was great to eavesdrop and listen to a dedicated creator give tips to a fan. If you see him at a con, go say hello because he is very laid back and approachable. Phil Noto was hard at work doing sketches, but was charging a lot. They were more like commissions since he was charging $100 for grayscale, and $200 for color. My wallet hurt seeing that. He was doing a great looking Black Canary while I waited for Amanda Connor, who was bright and jolly even after being delayed and getting their late. She had a great deal going, and was selling some black and white prints of covers and interiors for a dollar. She was doing head sketches for $20, and head and bust for $40. A guy in front of me got a power girl sketch, and needless to say, got one with a bust. She inked and added a little color to each sketch. The guy who got a Deadpool (the first one she did) got a full color piece. After that she realized her markers were going to run out and just added flourishes of color to the sketches. Mine, being a Punisher sketch, well, had a lot of black, so it had less color than a Wonder Woman I saw or a Power Girl. Go see her at a con, she's a great artist, and gives you a great deal.

After that I got a lot of books signed by Steve McNiven and Morry Hollowell. I had them sign 1-6 of Civil War and their New Avengers issues that they did. Morry is the one with the wild yellow hair. Steve and Morry were really nice to talk to and we just chatted about everyday life. I think that they really like it when you talk to them about more things than comics and thier work. They are there for so long doing the same thing, they thrive on the stimulation you give them. What do I know, I've only been to one con anyway. Steve was selling what looked like inked pages from Civil War. They looked as good as they do in color, minus all of the great effects that Morry does. Morry is, in my opinion, the best colorer in the business today. He and McNiven make a great team, and were so much fun to talk too.

Next to those two was David Finch of New Avengers and Moon Knight. I'm not reading Moon Knight, so I gave him my New Avengers books. He was cool and was selling some Moon Knight pages and they looked awesome in person. That guy pencils the crap out of his pages! There were no shortcuts in the ones I saw, so anyone looking to buy originals, check out David Finch. Also at the con I got books signed by Jim Cheung, currently working on New Avengers: Illuminati. I saw Darwyn Cooke, Jimmy Palmiotti, Adam Kubert, and George Perez. I got JG Jones to sign my favorite 52 covers as well. I asked him about his strategy for signing the covers when the entire 52 series comes out, and he joked about maybe doing the first ten for free and then charge an amount for each one after that. So if you see him before May 2nd, get him to sign them! Or, like he said, come back multiple times with less than ten books. He was really cool to talk too like everyone else at the con.

By far, my favorite was Ethan Van Sciver. He signed my books and was very cool. He's very approachable. He had some more sample pages from his Sinestro Annual #1 coming up, and they look FANTASTIC. Purely evil, sadistic, and full of pain. My jaw dropped when looking at these. I asked him if he had anything lined up after this project, and he said "Batman." I freaked out when he said this. If you've read my Superman/Batman reviews, you know I love how Ethan draws Batman's cape. I think I squealed and jumped up and down. My girlfriend made fun of me the rest of the day for that. Ethan was doing sketches, but for $100, making the one I got from him at a store signing for $25 even more of a steal. As always with Ethan, if you bring him a Green Lantern Rebirth Hardcover to sign, he will do a free sketch inside the book of Hal, although I did see him do a Kilowog inside the book on Saturday. And these are good free sketches, he really puts time into them.

After that I did some shopping, got some $5 trades and $1 books. Great deals at the con, I need to go to more of these things and save money. Although I was tempted to spend more money because the deals were so good. I left with my back hurting from all of the books I brought to get signed, and all the books I bought. Some guys had rolling backpacks full of books, and one guy strapped two short boxes to a wheel cart to carry around. At first I thought I brought a lot of books, but after seeing these guys, I did not feel bad at all. If you haven't been to a con yet, find one and get to it as fast as possible. It is an experience not to be missed for any comic fan.

Below are some interesting costumes we saw. The most notable on is the Ent. He was on stilts, even though in the picture he's sitting down on a trashcan. Oh, and now I feel like I am totally abusing the access to the site that Dan and Omar gave me. Haha.

Batman #663 Review

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: John Van Fleet

This by no means is your standard comic book. There is no sequential art, no word balloons, no caption boxes, nothing. What this issue contains is prose along with some few illustrations, like out of a third grade storybook. This explanation is by no means a critique of the issue, as Morrisson has crafted a great Joker story, almost as good as Paul Dini's recent Christmas issue. Morrison has written an incredibly detailed, metaphoric, and deep story about the re-birth of the Joker. His main point here is that each time the Joker is incarcerated, or defeated, a new "persona" arises. This can possibly explain all the different Joker's we've had over the decades in Batman books. By having this new theory, Morrison makes the Joker seem even more evil and insane. I think it is brilliant. The story starts out with some old Joker henchmen dying off, clowns, the dwarfs from "Killing Joke", and a few others. They way Joker kills them is really cool, and it's more subtle than he's done in the past. But, the Joker is in Arkham recovering from being shot in the face way back in Batman #665, how can this be? Enter Harlequin and the start of what the Joker wants to be his magnum opus. Morrison really suprised me with his writing, he could almost be a novelist if he didn't use such wacked-out descriptions here. Wacked-out is putting it softly, this is pure un-filtered Morrison.

The art by John Van Fleet is digitally painted, which in the description made me think of Freddie E Williams II and Alex Ross combined, but what we get looks like bad video-game screen shots. I don't know if these are 3-D models posed and framed or actual paintings, but they look like 3-D models. What these don't do is capture any sort of drama, suspense, or action that normal comic art might do. If you don't want to read this issue, go ahead and skip it, I almost did, but be warned that you are missing out on what my turn out to be one of the new premier Joker stories of this decade. If you're interested at all on how messed-up Grant Morrison's mind is, pick this issue up. B-

Action Comics Publishing Delays

Action Comics was good then it got delayed. 844 and 845 came out in October and November respectively, but where is the third issue? It's supposed to come out on February 28th, but we'll see. Meanwhile Issues 847, 848, 849, and 850 are all fill in issues. Here is the schedule below.

844 october Johns Donner & Kubert Part 1
845 November Johns Donner & Kubert Part 2
846 February 28th Johns Donner & Kubert Part 3
847 March 28th Dwayne McDuffie and Renato Guedes (spin off for Johns' story) Part 3.5
848 April 25 Fabian Nicieza and Allan Goldman (separate storyline Part 1)
849 May 16 Fabian Nicieza and Allan Goldman (separate storyline Part 2)
850 May 30 Kurt Busiek and Renato Guedes (Supergirl on Cover)

Issue 847 is a fill in for the current arc "Last Son" and is ties in with the same story, everything else after that is separate from what Johns and Donner are doing. Johns said on Newsarama that he and Donner would be back with issue #851 and then an arc with Goon creator Eric Powell on art. You can read that here.

Wolverine Origins # 11 Review

Author: Daniel Way
Art: Steve Dillon
Colors: Avalon Studios

I give this book so much shit and probably more shit than it really deserves....NAH! But, as much shit as I give the book, I give Daniel Way twice as much more because he is writing the horrid thing. However, this issue I didn't really mind that much, hell even the art was good...but I think I know why.

I'm not sure if this is done on purpose or not, but it really feels like Way is trying to copy Garth Ennis' style of Preacher. I believe that's why the art really suited the story and I didn't realize it till the very end. Like I said, I don't know if it's on purpose, but hell just judging from a couple of scenes it is very Preacher like.

Not much happens in this issue as always. Wolverine thinks his son looks beautiful on the outside, Wolvie's son sleeps with a guy to get what he wants, and Cyber makes a triumphant return! Who you say? Cyber! I always liked the character because he always fucked with Wolverine's head and Logan didn't know what was real or not. However, I don't see the point in him coming back from the dead. He has absolutely nothing to do with Wolverine's past. Unless Origins is here to tell us stories about Wolverine's past that we have already read, except do it shittier!

As I mentioned earlier Steve Dillon art doesn't normally fit the storylines, but for some reason it really goes well with this particular issue. But if you want dark humor mixed with grotesque scenes why not just hire Garth Ennis? Like I said I really didn't mind this issue as much as the others and this is probably my highest grade I have given Wolverine Origins, but I think it's safe to give this issue a C- . Still lots of better stuff out there than this forgettable title.

Justice Society of America #3

This review was submitted by Knightwingbk

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Dale Eaglesham and Ruy Jose

After last issue's amazing pages featuring Hawkman and Starman, this issue of JSA feels less great than the first two. It is still however, great. Johns is still doing great writing, and Eaglesham is still delivering the best pencils of his career, so there is nothing to hate in this book. We go back to the picnic of last issue where our Nazi villains and Hawkman appeared. These Nazis are tearing apart the people here, a speedster whizzes her arms through people, cutting them in half while others are torn apart, smashed under trees, or turned to steel statues. Meanwhile Wildcat is still talking to his lost son, as the other JSA'ers realize that the families of Golden Age heros are being killed. They only know this because Sandman appears and tells them that he had dreams about the attacks. The team splits up to go protect the next families to be targeted.

This is definately Johns' book, he has a firm grasp on each character, and their personalities come across in their dialougue. His skill of building tension is on display here as the true mastermind is revealed. Next issue looks to be an all out fight, because everything is set in motion here. If you thought the first two issues had too little action, this issue delivers! Dale Eaglesham and colorist Jeromy Cox rock on this book, there is just no better way of saying it. Everything is so vivid. Colors, reflections, motion blurs, the wind from new member Cyclone, it's all great. If you are not reading this book, and you are a DC fan or a team book fan, there is something wrong with you. B+

Trials of Shazam #5

This issue picks up where #4 left off, with Freddy and the god Achilles facing off a bunch of pink pig-warriors. Achilles tells Freddy to hold the line while he trys to kill a hate-empath ( a beast whos power grows on hate, did I mention they are in the middle east?). Ultimately Achilles fails and Freddy must defeat the beast himself. Compared to other issues this one felt like straight up action, less about the mythology of Shazam and more about the tasks. Since this issue is finishing off a task that was started last issue, it doesn't advance the plot much but it is worth getting for the art alone.

Howard Porter is doing some amazing work here, and each panel is gorgeous to look at. Some people may not like the color outlines of each character, but I do and it makes each character pop off the page, it's similar to the black outline you get while inking, just in pinks and oranges and yellows, depending on the color pallete of the page. I liked this issue, but I think the delay between the last issue and this one took some of the enjoyment out of it for me. C

Peter David to join us for Round 2 Interview.

Writer of X-factor, Supergirl, Dark Tower, Fallen Angel, and thousands of other books, Peter David will be joining us again on February 20th for a second interview. You can listen to our first interview here . Feel free to post any questions you have for Peter David here in our forums and make sure to submit them before 4:00pm Eastern time on February 20th. So be a part of our interview and get your questions answered from the writer of stuff!

The Secret #1

Oh indie titles..... I love you most of all. Recently Dark Horse put out a title called The Secret. Mike Richardson writes this tale quite well and is further complimented by Jason Shawn Alexander's artwork, which rivals Ben Templesmith's and Ashley Wood's works to an extent. Mike Richardson, for those that may not know, is for all intents and purposes Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse is him. Now I know what your thinking, dude he's a publisher he probably sucks at writing, to which I say, SHUT IT!, it's good.

The Secret starts off with Tommy, a high school kid rushing to a party. After arriving, Tommy finds everybody downstairs phone pranking random numbers. Each person calls a random number saying I KNOW YOUR SECRET, and then designates a time and place to meet them. You can kinda see where it's gonna go from here. Tommy's "love interest", Pam, ends up being the last call....and let's just say she pranks the wrong hombre. Both Pam & Tommy make out awhile after the semi-disturbing call though and all is forgotten. Later on, for kicks, they all go out to the designated meet point and well...yeah said bad-assed mamma-jamma comes walking up. Hiding in the bushes Tommy and the others see the ominous figure standing, waiting, and then, after a moment, walking off. Pretty much the next day things keep going downhill. I don't wanna spoil the title, so I'll just leave it at that.

I liked the writing, I don't know how else to put it. Richardson writes a moderately fast paced somewhat entrancing story that you end up finishing too quickly. The characterization of Tommy thus far is a little typical but, the semi-loner/outsider who is neither cool nor really fits in, come on, who didn't feel like that in high school at least once. The "ominous hombre" I'll call him, though having little character development this early on, has enough depth to make you keep reading. If I had to sum up Richardson's writing simply I'd say it's like reading a fairly good horror movie.

The art...ohhh the art. I don't know who Jason Shawn Alexander is, or where he came from but the guy needs to put more stuff out there. Alexanders' style through this first issue set the tone for the whole story, no doubt about it. Dark and a little edgy. Alexander follows in the trend of artist Ashley Wood, depicting a dark realism to everything, and still having colors be vibrant and yet subdued, a sort of ashey (mind the pun) feeling. Elements of Templesmiths' chaotic/sharp style can also be felt a little, throughout the different panels. It's the "Silent Hill" feel I guess, is the most succinct way to explain it.

In short, I found this title to be both entertaining and inventive. While I don't wanna make any big judgements, like GO OUT AND BUY THIS!, I will say try it out, and see how it flies. B+

Outsiders #45...damn dude that's harsh

Writer: Judd Winick
Pencilers: Fredie Williams II & Carlo Barberi

Does anyone wanna read a comic that has the most fucked up flow ever? No?

The recent issue of Outsiders came out and yeah…..not good. The first five pages or so we see Roy “Arsenal” Harper coming home to visit his daughter, then….it stops. Now when I say stop, I mean stop, no transition, no explanation, nothing. The next page leads you back to where the story left off, with the Red Hood talking to Nightwing.

Is anybody getting the feeling nobody gives a flying fuck about the Outsiders anymore, cause that’s the feeling I get from Winick. Instead of thriving in this title Winick has slowly been drowning. Mind you Winick’s characterization of Nightwing is tolerable but, given Jones’ & Wolfman’s latest incarnations, that isn’t saying much. I guess I just expect more from this title. How do you go from a good arc involving Monsieur Mallah and the Brain….to this…..crap. The most interesting part of this whole issue was the Arsenal side story…the one that seemingly connects to NOTHING. I don’t care about the current story, the characterization for Black Lightening feels flat and yeah just.. no. Gail Simone and many others have done great jobs reinventing ‘b-list characters’ such as Catman, Black Canary, etc. but, Winick just can’t seem to do it with Black Lightening and it hurts this story. Maybe things will come to fruition in future issues but, if the story is constructed in such a way as this issue was, why pick up another. It almost seems like this story is being written as a trade rather then an ongoing title, and not even that good of a trade so far. Winick man, I love your Green Arrow run but, you have to do better then this if you want me and others to keep reading Outsiders. More energy needs to be put into this title then is seen with this issue and this non-transition transition crap must never EVER be done again, lest you want to incur the wrath of DC fans…..which is less like the Wrath of Khan, more…like the wrath of Stormtrooper #1 in Star Wars: A New Hope, oh sure he looks alright but, you know when blaster fire starts the guy is gonna start some shit, maybe pick up C-3PO use him as a shield.

The artwork throughout this issue was “alright”, that’s all I can say, it becomes a tad annoying half the time when everybody looks EXACTLY the same, what’s ironic is, there were two different pencilers in the issue. Same general jaw lines for Waller, Alan Scott, Mr. Terrific, AND Black Lightening. The Red Hood & Deathstroke….same guy….oh yeah didn’t you know….he just switches masks…least if page 15 is any indication. See 17 and 18 for the shocking revelation that Jason Todd and Dick Grayson are actually TWIN BROTHERS!!! DUM DUM DUMMMM. Again I reiterate, it seems like the same faces keep getting repeated, much like me and my bitching of the faces. In short the art just adds to this issues’ overall SUCK.

Oh on a side note, Checkmate, good gosh Checkmate. I didn’t like the ongoing series and I don’t like when they make “guest appearances” in different DC titles. You want a sure fire way to slow a title down, put a pointless appearance of the Checkmate team in it. I keep thinking that DC has a memo circulating wherein all titles must have at least one appearance by Alan Scott, Mr Terrific, Amanda Waller, or all three.

To close this all up, transition problems, uninteresting characterizations, storylines, Checkmate, and artwork make this possibly the worst issue of the Outsiders I have ever read…EVER. If this title is gonna survive, the writing as well as the artwork has gotta get better, and soon. I’d give this an F but it gave me an excuse to make a Star Trek & Star Wars reference in the same sentence. D-

About Heroes Episode 44

We finally get to talk about comics, including the now infamous Spider-Man Reign #3, which still makes me shudder. Also, we talk to Jeff Hartz, our podcast-member-at-large! (There's some supplemental content in the extended entry, click the link above to view.)

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 44

The Gunslinger Hits His Target

The Gunslinger Born Review
Creative & Executive Director: Stephen King
Plot: Peter Furth
Script: Peter David
Art: Jae Lee & Richard Isanove

Is there anyone left who hasn’t read this? There is? Oh, just checking before I started my review. I figured that everyone under the (desert) sun would have picked this book up, in the very least flipped through it at the comic book store. So I think it was three years ago that Marvel announced that Stephen King was going to be coming over to comics. I think they tried to boost the hype by first just eluding to the idea, but fanboys are not easily tricked these days.

Then the waiting started. Then it was announced that King himself would not be writing the book. Then it was announced that Peter David would be writing the books. You feeling the ups and downs of the roller coaster ride as I have? This is all how I remember it, mind you, I can’t be sure on the facts, and I just call them as I see them. So then word came around about Jae Lee coming on the book.

The waiting game finally concluded this week and comic book fans met with Stephen King fans at the local comic book store. Some stores even had a midnight release, which actually does sound cool, not exactly an exciting thirty minutes after midnight of course, rather dead silence, save the sound of flipping. Maybe if I were still in the States I would have cared more, or maybe if Marvel and the Industry as a whole were putting out consistently better things, than maybe I would have been more excited when this book finally did come around, but alas I have finally read it.

I am here to say that I found the book quite enjoyable on many levels. The first has to be the translation from novel to comic, done before, worked and didn’t work, depending on the content. I also have to remain skeptical about whether or not King really put forth his directors rights. He had creative and executive control but two other guys handled the translation, the plotting, and the script, so what was he there for? Oh yeah the cool shadowy yet still enormously eye catching name, right.

So how the hell did Peter David do? I’ve read only The Gunslinger from the Dark Tower series, and it was about three years ago, but from what I remember this seems to fit in perfectly. It brought back all the things I liked about the book (I stopped after Gunslinger because I just did, no reason). The narration was annoying at first but catchy as it went along and eventually became quite natural by the end, I felt like I knew the narrator personally. Roland’s character does exactly what this issue is for, flourish. He comes into his own and I found it completely believable and understandable. The supporting cast seemed distant at first but by the end I had a sense of them as well.

The art is pretty insane. I’m a huge fan of Jae Lee; I love the moody, brooding, dark aspects that creep throughout all of his work. The areas of his pictures that appear in black seem to stand out more than they regress. I am commenting of course on past Jae Lee work, I haven’t gotten to his work in this yet. Sometimes it can be a little too creepy, almost forced uneasiness and it leaves me feeling confused and numb to his artwork. I choose his work on Ultimate FF for an example. It simply didn’t fit as well as I had hoped. What about The Gunslinger Born? Now that was something to open up, set down, step back, and just enjoy. Credit must be given to Isanove too for his contribution because I was honestly blown away by the work. I don’t know about you but those first few pages that popped up every time there was an update about the mini-series, just about killed it for me. But when the world of the Gunslinger is shown and just the way Lee plays with the lighting of the desert sun and shadows it casts, mixed with the luscious palate for the coloring, I felt like the art alone could tell me this story.

I may not have been beating on the door of the comic shop to get my hands on this first issue, but man I can’t wait to read the second A+!

Ultimate Spider-man # 105

This review was submitted by Spider-Ben
“Clone Saga Epilogue”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark (Please Don’t Leave!) Bagley
Cover: Bagley and Richard Isanove

I love this book, I truly love this book. There is not a thing wrong with this title, and instead of getting old and dull as time goes by, the book only gets better. This issue picks up after the clone saga, and a lot of things are still lingering in the air.

Fortunately for Peter Parker (and readers of the book) we get some answers, but we also get some new questions as well. Peter realizes he has to check up on his Aunt May, and leaves MJ with the Fantastic Four. Nick Fury shows up with the Utltimates at the Baxter Building to arrest Peter. Ben Grimm tells Fury to go the hell away, and MJ steps in telling Fury that Peter has always looked up to him as a father. MJ tells him that Peter wants to join the Ultimates and become the world’s best super hero ever. (Guess what MJ? Peter already is the worlds, nay, the universes’ best super hero already!) Fury does not know what to say, and goes to find Peter.

Meanwhile, Kitty and the X-Men arrive at Peter’s house and Kitty is an emotional wreck. She realizes that she has to find Peter right away, and she and Jean rush to the hospital after learning Peter’s aunt had a heart attack. At the hospital, Peter checks in on his Aunt and tells her that after all the shit that has recently happened, nothing hurt him like when May told him he wasn’t her son. Nick Fury shows up, and he tells Peter he created the Spider-Slayers to take Peter down in case he snapped. Peter is totally pissed and outraged (and so was I!) after hearing that Fury thought he would be the next big super villain. But, before he can continue, he tells Peter he was wrong.

Fury admits Peter is a hell of a man and didn’t snap after all the shit he has been though, and Fury tells him that Peter is a very special individual. Peter is shocked and surprised to hear this, and realizes he really is a terrific person. Peter tells Fury to tell Reed Richards no thanks, but he wants to continue to be Spider-Man. Fury leaves, and May awakes still groggy from the heart attack. She tells Peter his costume sucks, and she realizes she is very proud of Peter. The two hug, all is forgiven.

Back at Forest Hills, MJ reunites with her mom. She tells her mom that Norman Osborn destroyed the Parker home and kidnapped her. Peter arrives and realizes he totally has no place to stay. Mrs. Watson tells Peter that he is always welcome at the Watson home, and they are relieved to hear May is alright at the hospital.

MJ tells Peter that he will just have to stay with her forever, and the two kiss again. Peter is finally happy one more after all the crap recently, and I’m even happier for Pete and MJ. But one person who isn’t happy is Kitty. She is furious at Xaiver for not erasing May Parker’s memories of the past 24 hours, claiming Peter wouldn’t want May to know. To make matters worse, Kitty just saw that kiss between Peter and MJ. Sorry Kitty, you were fun for awhile and Peter belongs with MJ and only MJ. Peter has one final task to do, say bye to Jessica.

The two meet up and Jessica states she is not ready to be around Fury, despite Peter saying Fury is OK with them. Jessica realizes she has to go and have her own life, and wishes Peter all the best. Peter tells Jessica she already started living her own life when she assumed the name and mantle of Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman. The two hug and Jessica swings off.
Peter realizes the two will probably meet up again one day. I sure hope so!
At the end, Peter is sleeping at MJ’s place. MJ goes to brush her teeth and has some kind of seizure twitch. Peter comes in to check on her, and she notices the reflection of Ultimate Kaine. She is scared to death, but Peter calms her down. The two hug, wondering what will happen next.

Thoughts/Comments:
Perfect, absolutely perfect. I love this book, it is my favorite comic book of all time. This issue was amazing. Bagley is the man (Please don’t leave Bags!
Or if you do, take over the artwork on regular marvel universe spider book!) and his work never lets up for a minute. Very glad Jessica is alright and going off to find her own destiny. It was gold when Fury told Peter he was something special, and realized Peter has the potential to be the greatest hero ever. The only gripe I had was with MJ’s seizure. I’m already pissed at Joe Quesada and JMS for fucking up the Peter/MJ marriage in the core spider-books. But leave Ultimate Pete and MJ alone. Seriously, I love ya Bendis. But if you kill off MJ, I’m going to start giving this book a B- or C every single month.

I want Peter and MJ together. I want them to be happy. I don’t want a sad, lonely, and single Peter. If I wanted that kind of depression and shit I would look at my own life. I want a comic with my hero to be happy, not alone and sad. So Bendis, I swear leave MJ alone. If not, these reviews are going to get a lot shorter and this book will fall in grading every single issue. It’s bad enough Stuart Immonen and his vomit inducing art is about to grace this book, but leave MJ alone or suffer my lowest grades ever. I’m dead serious about this folks. All in all though, this issue is another solid
A+! Bring on Ultimate Knights.

Phoenix Warsong # 1 - 5 Review

Author: Greg Pak
Penciler: Tyler Kirkham
Inker: Sal Regla
Colors: John Starr

The follow-up to Phoenix Endsong comes to a conclusion with issue five. Thank the good Lord! I really had high hopes for the series because I enjoyed Endsong so much and Pak was stirring this ship as well. But, I'll be damn if this didn't turn out into nothing more than a very boring story that just seemed force to cash in on the Phoenix fever.

I should have known better, hell every time they bring the Phoenix back its the same bullshit over and over. Although the big cliché was absent in this series (Jean Grey) it was still painful and very predictable to read. Pretty much all that happens within the span of five fucking issues is the cuckoos find out they are nothing more than clones of Emma Frost and that they were part of the Weapon Crap (That's what I call Morrison's take on the whole Weapon X story) project. The Phoenix takes over not only Celeste, Mindee, and Phoebe, but all 1000 Cuckoo Clones! Don't worry all 1000 clones get destroyed! The Phoenix stays in the three Cuckoos, the X-men win, Emma cries, and Omar wonders why the flying fuck he bought five issues and didn't bother reading any of them till he got the last one!!!?

The art is nothing special, just seems like one of the really bad Silvestri clones that got stuck in the mid 90s. Although some frames are really well done, some just look plain awful, the characters never really come to life and for the most part look the same. So to wrap up this review I'm going to quote Phoebe, because this is the way I felt after I realized I spent 15 bucks on these books: "If I could feel anything....I think I would cry." D I have to give props to the cover of issue 5 by Silvestri because es muy muy caliente, no pun intended!

Detective Comics # 828 Review

This Review was submitted by Knightwingbk

Writer: Paul Dini
Artists: Don Kramer & Wayne Faucher

If you are looking for a consistently good, on-time book, pick up Detective Comics. Don't finish reading this review, order the book online or go to your comic shop and get it.... Go!!! GO!!!! Okay, maybe you're not going right away, but still go after you finish your sandwich or whatever. Dini is consistently turning in good one-and-done, no-strings-attached Batman stories where a mystery is set up, investigated, and solved in 22 pages, similar to the 22 minutes he used to get on the animated series. This issue deals with a murder, and the newly reformed Riddler, who teams up with Batman to solve it.

The art by Don Kramer, is fantastic as usual. He is one of the best artists out there right now because he can consistently turn in a quality book on time, which we seem to be lacking these days. I never have any problems following his layouts or camera angles, they always seem to tell the story in the right way. Kramer and Dini are a fine team and I am glad to see that DC kept him on the book instead of the rotating teams that were originally planned. Sure J.H. Williams and Rags Morales would still have been great, but neither of them are the most timely artists. How long did it take for Seven Soldiers #1 to come out? I'll take Kramer over anyone else, any day. Add this title to your pull list, you'll be doing yourself a favor. B+

Action Comics Annual # 10 Review

This Review was submitted by Knightwingbk
Writer: Geoff Johns & Richard Donner
Artists: Art Adams, Eric Wright, Joe Kubert, Rags Morales, Gary Frank, Phil Jiminez, and Tony Daniel

In the wake of lateness of the regular book, Action Comics Annual # 10 almost makes up for it. Rather than end a storyline completely (Batman Annual # 25 and Jason Todd anyone?) this book is a big teaser for Johns' and Donner's run on the book, if it ever comes out again. A collection of short stories, fleshing out Superman's past and his present, Action Comics Annual delivers for its $3.99 cover price. Lex Luthor has two interesting spotlights highlighting Kryptonite and the many deaths of Superman. The best stories are the ones with Mon-El and the Phantom Zoners on Krypton. It seems that Non, the big cave-man l