Pic(s) of the Week (more like month)

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted anything for awhile, but here's a slew of fun stuff for you to try and make up for it. Haven't forgotten about you and still love you all and the site, just busy busy busy. Anyway...BEHOLD.

We've all seen the "Quiet or Papa spank!" Batman, but does he ever make good on this threat?
Yes.

This wouldn't fly now, but throwing Godzilla into the Planet Hulk mix couldn't really hurt. I'd go for it.

Lol, Jay actually makes a shark cry for it's momma. Only in the Golden Age.

Terrifying...with or without context.

Hahahaha, c'mon. That's funny. That's 'Malibu's Most Wanted' funny.

Everything I know about women I learned from comics....

......

oh robin, when will you learn...

Gayest Looking Superhero fight EVER.

again........i'm speechless.......

HAH!

Can't remember if I've posted this one in the past, but it's worth a second look anyway. What a bum.

Don't we all wish we had that?

And now I say g'bye for who knows how long, but trust that I'm out there grabbing funny pics, and someday, they'll make it up to the site. :-D ta-ta

Cable and Deadpool # 43 Review

Author: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Jeremy Freeman
Colors: Gotham

There is always a formula to this book. If you include Cable in the Deadpool formula you get really awesome entertaining stories. If you take Deadpool out of the equation you are left with great and funny stories. I guess you can technically still call the book Cable and Deadpool, because there is a statue of Cable.

How do I sum this issue up? Well I'll just let Weasel do the talking for me (keep in mind he is talking to Hydra about his new teleporter he just created): "We're going to use the Penetrator to penetrate the warm comfortable walls of mother earth! This machine will ram home our agenda! All will know Hydra has thrust themselves into the very womb of civilization!" Throw in Bob agent of Hydra with a bullet in his leg and Nuff' said.

I can't say more without doing the book justice. I seriously couldn't stop laughing out loud while reading this comic. This is pure gold when you have Deadpool, Weasel, and Bob in one book. In one page we get to see how four characters handle the death of Cable. I can't think of another comic that has even mentioned Cable being dead, apart from the couple of lines in X-men 201. Ron Lim is always a delight to see drawing again. I really look forward to him getting a monthly series someday. The man used to draw up to six comics in one month. Some publisher should appreciate that, since books are notoriously for being late in recent times. That last page is one hell of a cliffhanger too. A

X-men # 201 Review

Author: Mike Carey
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Carlos Cuevas
Edgar Delgado

Not much to say about this issue since it was just a series of fights and is literally action packed. I love to see the Marauders take the X-men by surprise and when I say X-men, I mean the Astonishing and New teams as well. The part that really drew me in was the name game I was playing at the end. I don't think it’s quite hit me how much these characters really sucked back in the 90s, but still fun trying to identify them. So yes, Exodus, Random, Frenzy (Cargill), Tempo, and Uniscione(?) are back by the end of the issue. Even though three of these characters were on the side of the angels in the past, it'll be fun to see how they don't bother explaining why they are bad again.

Finally Endagered Species seems to be going somewhere with the inclusion of the Black Beast character. Good to see Claremont isn't the only writer that remembered these AoA characters. Although putting a spear through Sugarman's head wasn't a bad idea. The issue was okay, nothing big happen, but you put Marauders in a book and for some reason the inner child in me comes out and I fear for the lives of the X-men. Ramos' cartoonish exaggerated figures are a better fit for an action packed issue. They still don't look like X-men at times, but you can easily tell what is happening between the action sequences. However, I wonder if he was sober drawing a few panels. B-

Wolverine # 55 Review

Author: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Simone Bianchi
Ink & Washed Halftones: Simone Bianchi & Andrea Silvestri

It's finally over; the huge Sabretooth vs. Wolverine battle that has lasted for just a little over 20 years. One shall stand. One shall fall. Damn, Cullen is still affecting me. So yes, the good news is that this horrible six issue slugfest is finally over. The bad news is that you paid 18 bucks for a story that really could have been done in one issue and still leaves us as confused as the first few pages of the first issue. Thank you Marvel and Jeph Loeb for assuring future generations that if your name is big enough in the industry you could wipe your ass with a piece of paper and some publisher will still consider it gold!

This is where Wolverine was supposed to change forever? The ending of Evolution was going to set the direction of the character for years to come? Once and for all we will find out the connection between Wolverine and Sabretooth? Did anybody tell Mike Carey the ending for this issue? What do you call this mess that answers and delivers practically nothing? The only relationship that we are told between Creed and Logan is that they evolved from the same lupine species over time. Who the fuck let all the estrogen in this issue? When I want to see a final battle between two archenemies I don't think of either one of them crying over each other. The Sabretooth that has been written for this particular arc must have been one of Sinister's clones gone bad, because he doesn't seem like the character that has been in the other x-books, I don't give a shit if humanity has been stripped or not.
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Even though the only reason to buy this issue is for the art, it still seems a little off at times. Actually from the very first page we get an awkward picture of Cyclops holding the sword and then to another weird picture of Cyclops in some weird samurai pose talking to Logan. The idea of a character that can shoot fucking Optic blasts or one that has indestructible claws popping out of his hands holding a sword as a threatening weapon is still ludicrous to me. His portrayal of Emma is very nice eye candy though. It's finally over and we can finally move on to the next writer. Who is none other than the guy that is trying to make us believe that Wolverine can't die and can reproduce from a single cell. No not Akira Toriyama, but Marc Guggenheim. Oh yeah and this issue is still ass. D

Ultimate Spider-Man # 111 Review

This Review was submitted by Spider-ben:

Ultimate Spider-Man #111
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen
Covers: Bagley, Immonen, and Richard Isanove

I am filled with a weird feeling of dread and regret upon reading this issue. Most of you know that I hate, hate, hate the artwork of Stuart Immonen. I knew for months that he was to take over my beloved book, and this is the issue where it officially happens. I guess the best way to put my feelings on the book is like this. I’m sure everyone remembers their first love.

There is nothing quite like one’s first boyfriend/girlfriend, and it always holds a magical place in your heart. But with good things, most first relationships come to an end. My first girlfriend was the best thing to ever happen to me, but she decided to leave without really any good explanation. Now while I hold this issue of Ultimate Spidey in my hands I’m reminded of the pain and heartache of losing a loved one. I feel like something really important and special in my life is no longer there. Sure, I’m comparing a comic book with the feelings of loss and depression I experienced upon losing my first girlfriend, but both situations left me in a state of shock and dread. For the past 6 years I have turned to Ultimate Spidey for an escape from the pressures of real life. Bendis and Bagley both made this book more than just a comic book. This book was like a loved one. This book always made me smile and feel great about myself as Spidey and his supporting cast where updated for the 21st century. Now after a wonderful and terrific 6 years I’m finding a wonderful part of my life being yanked away. I understand Mark Bagley wants to work on other projects, but just having him leave after all this time is a terrible sting. What’s worse, instead of getting one of the 50 plus artists working for Marvel that I like, they chose the one artist that I despise. Think about this for a moment gang, I buy around 50 marvel comics each month and have no complaints about the artists on the books I buy. But the one artist I despise they put on my all time favorite and most loved comic. This feels like that before mentioned first love not only leaving with no explanation, but still wanting to be friends.

The good news though? Immonen only drew 6 pages of this book. This was truly Bagley’s farewell. He still nailed the issue. What happened in this issue? It was basically Peter and May having the talk. (No, not that talk. The being Spider-Man talk.) Bagley drew his heart out and the scenes between Peter and May were beautiful. The last few pages were gorgeous, with May hugging Peter and giving him her blessings to be Spider-Man. The last page is a full drawn splash page of Peter swinging over the city in costume, with the knowledge that his Aunt loves and supports him in his career of being a super hero. Immonen only drew the action pages where Spidey fights Ultimate Spot. Luckily, these pages were short and sweet and only burned my eyes a little bit. Still, I hate the dark outlines on Immonen’s characters. I think his faces look like dog shit. When Peter and Jonah and the Daily Bugle cast were introduced in the story, most of them had squinty eyes and pouty looking faces. Thank God he can at least draw Spidey’s mask without making it look like vomit. Anyways, Bagley saved the issue but in doing so also broke my heart. However, I salute him for his dedication to my favorite hero and await his work over on Mighty Avengers.

I don’t need to include my thoughts and comments here because I have already done so. If you a Stuart Immonen fan, that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But there are very few things I hate in life, and there is really only one artist whose work I hate in comics. However, like I said before Bagley still made this issue shine and it was a terrific farewell. Also, if Bendis was leaving with this issue I would totally drop the book. The only reason I will continue to buy is for Bendis. I’m keeping my fingers crossed Immonen is only on for a year and then leaves. So all in all, this issue gets a B from me.

Tales of the TMNT # 36 Review

This Review was submitted by Spidey:

Writer: Tristan Jones
Artists: Paul Harmon

This issue follows the events of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol.1 issues 50-62 - The City at War Saga, one of the better stories in the Original TMNT run. It was nice to revisit this story line years later with a different perspective and a new story to the chapter. This story is told from the perspective of the cops that had to figure out what the hell was going on with all these Ninja running around town killing Gangs. One of the best moments in this issue is where the cops have detained a surviving Foot Clan Member from one of their bloody battles with a local gang. Before he can give any information the Foot Clan infiltrates the NYPD, silences their own Ninja, and wipes out pretty much the entire NYPD. This issue is heavy on the Action with the well balanced Turtle Humor and lots of bloody Ninja Action. The Turtles kick lots of Ass as usual and offers up some really great action scenes.

Tristan Jones delivers a well written strong story; I hope he writes more issues in the future. Paul Harmon offers up some great art that was something new, easy on the eyes and fits the Turtles really well, I look forward to more of his art. For new readers jumping on this issue will come as a little confusing, but if you’re interested in getting into the Turtles, Tales of the TMNT is a perfect series for newcomers. A+

Hellsing Volume 3 Review

Hellsing Volume 3
Author and artist: Kohta Hirano
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga

It never ceases to amaze me just how many different ways Hirano can draw Alucard! I don't mean that he can't draw and therefore he always looks different, but that his facial expressions are never the same. What an accomplishment! Hirano doesn't rely on the same cool smirk every time; I believe he enjoys seeing how many different ways Alucard can look crazy. And he is a shape-shifting vampire, so I suppose his face wouldn't always be the same.. Seriously, you'll never get bored reading this book with all the hard work put into each panel.

Pip Bernadotte, the leader of the mercenaries that Hellsing hired in the last volume, has an accent that's really fun to read - way more fun than Father Anderson's accent. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what the crazy priest guy with swords is saying, but Pip, with his crazy facial expressions, tends to be easier to understand. But what kind of name is Pip Bernadotte for a mercenary leader….?

Alucard gets the okay from Sir Integra to kill all the soldiers attacking him and Seras in the hotel they're staying at. Actually, he pushes her hand to give him the order, which is a little creepy. Needless to say, due to Alucard's bloodlust, the violence is on a higher scale in this volume than in the last two. Everything moves really smoothly though, like a dance…, a gun-shootin', blood-suckin', transform into a demon dance!

We get a little bit of character development with Alucard when he converses with Walter at the beginning of the volume and later on with Seras at the hotel. He's not just disinterested vampire; he wants his protégé to experience the joy he finds in killing. And he's got great quotes like this one after he gets shot full of holes by the soldiers - "Your power is impressive, but a pack of hounds can't beat me. I cannot be killed by dogs. (He's slowly recombining himself at this point.) That which defeats a monster… is always a man! (And he's up in all of his black silhouette, gloved hands, flowing hair glory!)" This makes me wonder what he thinks about humans. He's ready to kill over a verbal insult directed towards his master, Sir Integra, allows her to use his power, and this statement implies he puts humans on a pedestal.

A

About Heroes Episode 63

Our second interview with Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime!

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 63

The Order #1

Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Barry Kitson

I first heard about this title at HeroesCon during a round-table/Marvel House of Ideas panel. In general it sounded interesting enough and hey Fraction was gonna write it with Kitson penciling WOO. Well last week the first issue of the Order hit shelves and to be honest....it was actually pretty good.

The Initiative banner at the top of this title's cover already had me guarded, just seeing that thing makes me wanna twitch a little. I believe after reading this first issue though, that Fraction and Kitson have actually churned out something of substance from the crap fest that was Civil War.

The story starts out interviewing the point man for California's "initiative" team. Henry Hellrung. Narration of sorts follows throughout the issue as it flows with another part of the story. Basically the blend of this narration with an ongoing battle between The Order and it's first super-villain. I don't wanna say too much more other then, the status quo for heroes is a bit stricter with Tony overseeing things and with Fraction at the helm, you better damn well be ready for some curve balls in story.

Matt Fraction (Casanova/Punisher: War Journal/The Immortal Iron-Fist) brings his unique style to this title and keeps the reader engaged. Fraction gives moments of brief darkness sans The Boys whilst still keeping it light and the pacing tight. Barry Kitson's penciling is a nice match for this story, looking like a fusion of sorts between his Empire style and Legion of Super-Heroes style.

Ok, so I have said what's good about this title, where's the bad right. Well the one thing that keeps this title from being better is summed up in one word...Humor. The book strays once or twice into this area but, not enough. I almost feel at times as though Fraction wants to make it a little lighter in mood, but decides against it, which I find unfortunate.

Overall, the writing and penciling is enough this first issue to get me interested... well that and the HUGE ASS ROBOT!! What? Big robots are cool people, come on, it's like a gorilla with a machine gun, a zombie ninja, it's just cool.

Seriously though, The Order isn't half bad, just ignore the "Initiative" banner at the top and you should be alright. B-

Wolverine Origins Annual # 1 Review

Author: Daniel Way
Art: Kaare Andrews
Colors: Shannon Blanchard

Back from vacation and ready for some more reviews. Let's see what book haven't I reviewed in a while. Well shit the bed, if it isn't Wolverine Origins Annual? From the same suck-ass team that brought you Wolverine Origins and the artist that brought you Spider-man (my gunk will kill you if you keep swallowing it) Reign. But, I am all about giving things another shot. So what was the end result? A four dollar book that will go down as the worst Wolverine Annual. I think it's a safe bet. It's worse than the annual where Wolverine is running around looking like an ogre. It's worse than Wolverine vs. a gigantic samurai robot. Good God, I haven't thought about another annual next year; I’m hoping someone saves us from the misery of this title and cancels it by then.

Wolverine returns to Madripoor for some reason to find the dead body of some woman he used to bang back in the 30s. We are reintroduced to Seraph, a throw-away character created by Chris Claremont back in the late 90s. That's a pretty promising start. At least from the beginning it seems that Way is trying to tie loose ends. However that's just a guise for another story that tastes like a bidet-less ass! Seems that Seraph was another woman that was caught up in a conspiracy against Logan or Patch...sorry. The end of the story is the revelation that Seraph was connected to Romulus. Yeah, that's right. Holy shit they are connecting this story to the other suck-ass Wolverine title.

The first half of the story is nothing but a flashback that wasn't too hard to buy, but by the time we fast forward to the present, everything just falls apart. Those connections from past to the present just don't make any sense. The Seraph story was completely pointless, unless Way is trying to get the point across that any woman that sleeps with Wolverine will end up gutted by Sabretooth. I think other writers have done that sick ass fetish and ran it to the ground. Since Way has been revealing Logan's past it seems that every supporting character is turning out to be villain in disguise. What's next Jubilee and Elsie-Dee revealed as agents working for Daken? This book could have been better if Way just stayed focus and given us an actual revelation at the ending or if someone else wrote it.

It's really a shame that Andrews was teamed up with Way for this horrible pointless story in Wolverine's life. His style has changed over the years and seems really strong in this issue. It's a great mix of Frank Miller and Tim Sale with some strong and distinctive figures. Blanchard's artificial aging of the pages in the flashback is not something new we've seen in comics, but it's done so damn well it makes you almost overlook the horrible writing. Almost. D+

Gunsmith Cats Omnibus 1 Review

Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition Volume 1
Author and Artist: Kenichi Sonoda
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga

You know it's good if the manga is rated for mature audiences of 18 or older! (Not saying though that being over 18 necessarily makes you mature…) With that disclaimer out of the way, there's lots o' cool gun tricks, bombs galore, car chases, and sex in Gunsmith Cats! The two main characters, Rally Vincent, 18 years old, owns a gun shop and works as a bounty hunter on the side. Her partner, Minnie May (17 years old), is a sex addict who happens to be a bomb expert. These two girls are anything but normal. To quote Rally, gun oil and gunpowder are her favorite fragrances, and Minnie May goes down on a guy to go undercover in a whorehouse. But enough with the random stuff; three things really make this book great.

1. The detail in Sonoda's art is phenomenal. He really knows his stuff. Each gun, bomb, or car is painstakingly drawn to perfection, and he adds notes underneath panels to explain the type, make, or how the bullets work. Now as far as boobs go…, all I'm saying is that I wish I had Rally's boobs because they change size all the time! If I felt like having big tits, as she does on the cover of the book or issue covers, then I could just snap my fingers! But if they got in the way while exercising or, say, chasing down criminals, I could just switch them to A cup size!

2. The characters' facial expressions are on point as well. He seamlessly makes the transition from Rally's face being "I'm in pain because my ribs are broken but I love this new gun I'm shooting" to "I better get serious or this guy is going to blow my head off!" It's not just a fast-paced action story; humor is sprinkled in to slow down the pace.

3. The story is well-written. Some of the issues can stand alone, other stories are two or three issues long, but there is an over-all story arc throughout the whole book. It's not just a shoot-'em up, car chase, explosion happy time story - I invested myself in the characters and genuinely care about what happens to them.

This book, collecting 16 issues of Gunsmith Cats, is definitely worth the 16.95 retail price! An Ultimate Spider-Man hardback is about twice as much and only contains 12 issues. Besides, you can probably find it cheaper online or at a used bookstore, and it will take you a good while to enjoy.

A

My Thoughts On Harry Potter

NO SPOILERS!

Though my fellow Podcast-mates and myself have already dabbled in bringing you commentary on “non-comic book heroes,” I think this column will kick off the new direction where we bring you comments and reviews about heroes of all types.

It dawned on me this morning while watching the news about Harry Potter on CNN that we should do more reviews and commentary about actual books, and for that matter overlooking a sensation like Harry Potter (though Trevor and I jokingly say the name throughout Podcast episode 41) would go against our New Direction.

First and foremost this is not a review of the new (or any of the others) Harry Potter book. This is just me (a comic book fan) telling you what I think of the character and the hype. I haven’t read the books but I think it is safe to say that everyone knows someone who has read the books and is in love with them. I have seen all of the films except the new one but it is on my list of summer movie must-sees.

The feeling I have toward the first film is largely why I haven’t picked up the first book and started the series. I know, of course, the book is probably way better than the movie but that isn’t my excuse. It isn’t that the movie was bad it was just not catered to me, it’s a movie and a book that’s for children that adults can read. This is the audience formula that saw J. K. Rowling’s pants sag low from all the money pouring into them. The same can be said of the second movie, however the third, fourth, and latest films have become darker with each installment. I understand that the same can be said for the books and of course Rowling herself teased that this final book would be a bloodbath. The reason for the change simply makes sense, as the character matures, the books original audience matures, and coincidentally the arching plot becomes darker and more dangerous too. The plot also becomes far more complex but the values from the first book hold up in each of the installments all the way to the very end. (For those of you wondering how I know so much, I’ve researched the hell out of these books before I sat down to right this and this is my best assessment so far.)

So unfortunately for me the first book and possibly the second aren’t very appealing right now, but from what I’ve heard about this last book and seen from the latest movies, I’d say Harry Potter (and mates) has been set up to be one helluva kick ass hero. And like we always say, a hero is only as good as the villain he’s up against, this Dark Lord skin-head guy looks to be one of the nastiest bad guys around, enough to give fellow bald baddies Darkseid, Lex Luthor, Apocalypse, and Mr. Freeze a run for their money.

About Heroes Episode 62

Our Peter Cullen interview has been pushed back a week because, well, listen to the podcast for the reason, it's a good one. In the meantime, we catch up on some e-mail!

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 62

Hellsing Volume 2 Review

Hellsing Volume 2
Kohta Hirano

Both Seras and Alucard get shiny new guns, but Seras's weapon is actually a…cannon! She has got to have one of the coolest weapons ever, and with her newfound vampire strength, it's easy for her to wield. The undead couple receive their guns just in time - the
Valentine brothers are invading Hellsing and using the organization's own soldiers (now existing as ghouls) against it. Jan, the younger vampire brother, is a little annoying with his posturing and dropping the f-bomb every five seconds, so when Walter, the Hellsing family butler, breaks out with his mad skillz, the fight is all the sweeter. Walter was apparently the man in his day, and he can still formidably and gracefully use his strings o' death to deal with ghouls and vampires.

The older brother is after Alucard, but doesn't realize what he's up against. Alucard releases the seal on his power and shows his true form: a shape shifting, full of eyes, black mass of a shadow dog. Pretty creepy stuff! Nothing cool and suave about this guy's true nature. I would have liked the sound effects translated though; they come in handy when understanding a fight.

Hellsing hires on mercenaries to replenish its depleted numbers, and the Iscariot agency (the organization to which Father Anderson belongs) meets with Sir Integra in a museum to share information about the Millennium project that Jan mentioned before he died. Of course, the guy has to insult Integra first, which sets Alucard off, and he calls in Anderson to protect him. The funniest part of the volume is how Seras defuses the situation. She leads a group of elderly people on a tour right through the middle of the two, and they decide it's not the proper fighting atmosphere. B

Fray - Oh that’s f*&%kin AWESOME!

Author: Joss Whedon
Penciller: Karl Moline
Inker: Andy Owens
Letterer: Michelle Madsen
Colorist: Dave Stewart

Now, I am a Buffy the Vampire Slayer addict, so being as such it’s no big amazement that I checked out the Fray trade paperback when it showed up at my public library.

Simply put Fray is the story of Melaka Fray a young gal in the future who is seemingly the next “Chosen One” aka Vampire Slayer. The beginning of this tale starts out slowly, I’ll just be honest with you but, it all serves the overall story, BELIEVE ME. In the first couple of pages Buffy-fans are already waiting for a Watcher to show up…..Watcher shows up…AND THEN LIGHTS HIMSELF ON FIRE! Apparently the last slayer to appear was a century or two ago and Watchers have become a little unhinged waiting for the next Slayer. The story breaks most of the stereotypical Buffy storylines and really is something even a non-Buffy fan can get into. There were one or two points in reading this that I got me some goosebumps and was shouting to myself, OH THAT’S F*&%kin AWESOME!! There are also some classic Whedon humor moments and…oh I don’t wanna spoil it other then to say, the stand-off and the cab…HILARIOUS.

Ignoring the overall story (which I find hard to do) the artwork of Karl Moline is something to appreciate greatly. This book is not littered with cheesecake shots, nor heaving breasts, it is what it is. Moline’s style conveys the strength of Melaka’s character while at the same time not totally ignoring that, well, that she is kinda hot. I guess to put it more succinctly Moline makes the Slayer’s strength her sexiness. I will not say everything Moline did was great though as the enviroments that the characters were in, seemed somewhat lacking at times, but, given the story and the detail that was put into most characters within the book, this is kinda forgiveable. The details on that huge ass snake, ohh that was sweet. Lettering also plays a more important part in this book as you have almost classic noise affects like KOOM, WHOMP, KRACK appearing throughout the book, which, I don’t know, they just add a small bit to the overall geek-out, geekgasm factor that you have when reading this, props to Michelle Madsen. Props really to all the artists on this thing (Andy Owens, Dave Stewart and those mentioned already), yeah….I liked this book A LOT, lol.

Other then the enviromental details in this book, my only real critcism for Fray is that it didn’t become an ongoing Dark Horse series. I know that in general Dark Horse isn’t really known for ongoing titles but, honestly this series could have easily become one. I somehow think the reasoning for the series ending the way it did was simply due to time delays on the part of Whedon, I kept remember hearing something to the effect that the last couple of issues got delayed awhile (which given Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run, isn’t too big of a surprise).

To sum this whole thing up, whether your a fan of Whedon or not, try out Fray, it’s good and about the only thing you’ll find to bitch about is that there’s not more to read after the story arc finishes up.

Green Arrow Year One # 1 Review

Author: Andy Diggle
Art: Jock
Cover: Jock

When I heard the creative team of Losers were going to be on a DC book I was hoping they would take over Aquaman. Then I learned they were canceling the fantastic Green Arrow title and that Green Arrow Year One would follow in its footsteps. As a huge fan of Mike Grell's Green Arrow: The Wonder Year I went from excited to meh. A retelling of an origin is tricky and I have only seen a few creators do the originals justice (Mark Waid's Birthright and Frank Miller's Year One).

In this issue we see a troubled young man with too much money and nothing to fill the great void in his life except banging supermodels and living a crazy life. We are introduced to Oliver Queen, a thrill-seeking young playboy who only trusts one man, his assistant Hackett, who travels the world with him. There is a great scene where Ollie makes an ass of himself at a drug-rehab charity auction, where he purchases the bow of legendary shooter Howard Hill (Errol Flynn's stuntman). He makes a drunken speech and vomits all over himself. During this issue we also learn that Hackett has arranged for Ollie to fraudulently move millions of dollars in an Asian development deal. He has planned to steal Ollie's money and his true employer is demanding that he kill his friend. Hackett knows he can't kill Ollie, so instead he leaves him on a deserted island (Lost style) to die.

What is there to be said about Jock? Except the guy is a perfectionist. It seems that he took so much time in each panel. He has a strong use of white spaces and black shadows and everything seems symmetrical in his art. The dialogue leaves a little wanting and the issue moved a little fast. Ollie sounds like a surfer dude instead of a suave ladies' man. I really don't see this as a substitution for the Green Arrow series by Winick and McDaniel....I mean just because you're getting married doesn't mean your title has to end? Right? B

New Avengers # 32 Review

Author: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Leinil Francis Yu
Colors: Dave McCaig

I remember complaining about how slow New Avengers moved for me and some of my comic reading friends would tell me that's just a different way of writing. To give it time and the it reads better as a trade. But you know what? If it takes one whole issue to tell a story about the Avengers on ("Fuck you! I'm getting in the plane"....George Carlin) a plane? Fuck that type of storytelling. This is a comic book and I know there are different types of comics out there. But with a title with the word Avengers in it, you figure the characters would be doing a little more than sitting on their asses playing the blame game.

Does BMB think the readers are fucking stupid? Last issue we found out that Elektra was a Skrull. So of course any reader would be asking themselves: Who else is a Skrull? What is their purpose? Hey is my fellow Avenger a Skrull? And it takes one whole fucking issue for these street smart Avengers to ask the same questions the readers are asking. Except Wolverine never acknowledged he has already been impersonated by a Skrull during his time as Death. The plane crashes and Spider-woman takes the Elektra/Skrull body to Iron-man, because Bendis, much like us thinks that Iron-Man could be a Skrull. One issue for 3 bucks gets me less satisfaction than over 1000 blogs that have done the same thing, better.

Yu is really the man for any job. You can put him on any book and he can make a cruddy book better. I guess that's why they teamed him up with Bendis on dull stories such as this one. Bendis really kills the momentum he built up with the cliffhanger in last month's issue. Well at least they weren't eating donuts and having coffee time, it could always be worse. C-

Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular Review

Authors: Fabian Nicieza & Dan Slott
Artist: Kieron Dwyer, Nelson, Paul Pelletier, Dave Melkis, and Clio Chiang
Color: Pete Pantazis, Giulia Brusco, and Wil Quintana

Damn, that's a huge list of creators for one summer special. I can't remember the last time I picked up a summer special, but how can you go wrong with Deadpool and GLI? We are talking two of Marvels' best comic (as in funny haha) writers with some of Marvel's greatest comedic characters!

In the absence of Cable, the Great Lake Initiative joins Deadpool in a collection of short stories that I seriously doubt any editor read before they saw print. This of course is a great thing for the readers. The main story focuses on the god Dionysus falling to Earth and AIM using him to place all superheroes in a state of permanent intoxication. And of course only Deadpool and the GLI are unaffected so it’s up to them to team up and stop AIM. There are several other stories as stated earlier, including Deadpool’s date with Big Bertha (which was fucking hot!), his struggle against Flatman, and Squirrel Girl’s confrontation with her once boyfriend Speedball, who is now known as Penance.

I had a hard time trying to figure out who wrote what for the most part (with the exception of the Squirrel Girl/ Penance story). Both Nicieza and Slott are wonderful about using Marvel continuity as their base, and making a mockery of what some take seriously. If you need a reason to check this book out, well look no further than the Squirrl Girl/ Penance story, it seems that Nicieza just had a blast making fun of the Penance character. All I have to say is Niels, the bouncing cat has also changed in to Penitent Puss! If only Steve Ditko could see this, wonder what he would have to say. The art is pretty consistent for the most part. Dwyer and Pelletier's parts are great, but Chiang's art is a little under average. Not much to complain about, I really recommend this summer special and hope everyone gives it a shot. A

Justice Society of America # 7 Review

Author: Geoff Johns
Penciler: Dale Eaglesham
Inkers: Ruy Jose & Rooney Ramos
Colors: Jeremy Cox

And here I was just talking about the books I look forward to every month in my Blade of the Immortal review. As soon as I open this book I am reminded of why I enjoy it so much. The story and the art just remind me of those Eclipso and the Shadow Fighters days, that were ohh so bad, but so damn good at the same time. Johns has taken a C-list character and turned him into a potential Bad-Ass. Citizen Steel baby!

With the Lighting Saga over now; Nathan Heywood finally awakens from his three week coma. Just in time for the book to focus on him. Hank Heywood's (Commander Steel) grandson is really wrapped up in his misfortune to see that he is the true heir of the Commander Steel legacy. Nate finds his body transformed into organic steel and with the help of Mr. Terrific and Dr. Midnight is able to control the over abundance of power that comes with his new body. There were also some nice moments between Superman and Starman talking about the whole Lighting Saga and what Thom's purpose is here in this timeline. Of course Thom is still talking crazy, but I think you can try to decipher between the lines.

Eaglesham has really tightened his pencils for this series. From just quiet sit down moments to explosive battles against the American Supremacist Party he really outdid himself in some of these panels. However, some of the panels seemed rushed, particularly the sequences involving Power Girl's funbags. Sometimes they look as lopsided as Ms. Marvel's Gazongas . There is hope for Nate by the end of the issue; we find him believing in himself again in a very touching moment. No gripes other than some tits and not enough Mr. Terrific (yeah I know he's not part of the team) and Dr. Midnight. A-

Trigun Maximum Volume 11 Review

Art and Story: Yasuhiro Nightow

Wolfwood's death in volume 10 didn't affect me that much because I've seen the anime and knew what was coming, but it really hit me in volume 11 that he was dead. I really missed him in this volume and wish he had not die. On the bright side, I like Vash's new sidekick (ironically, the guy responsible for killing Wolfwood) and I'm glad to see more of Vash-kun. This volume isn't as dark and serious as the last couple, and the humor sprinkled in the story is a nice break. Even the bad guys don humorous expressions at inappropriate moments!

Remember the coin collection case Legato gives to Vash many volumes ago? He was to collect half a coin from each of the Gung-Ho guns after he defeated them. My favorite part of this volume is when a random disco guy walks up to Vash and gives him the missing piece of the last coin, and then the issue just ends. Now that his collection is complete, Legato challenges him to a duel.

Meryl and Milly finally return in volume 11, and a space ship is heading toward the planet in order to rescue the surviving humans. But will Knives, who's become uber-plant extrodinaire, let the ship complete its mission? B+

Blade of the Immortal Volumes 15 -17 Review

Author and Artist: Hiroaki Samura
Translator: Dana Lewis
Lettering and Retouch:Tomoko Saito
Publisher: Dark Horse

There are certain comics I look forward to every time they come out. Of course Astonishing X-men, Cable and Deadpool, and JSA are up there now. But one constant title that I get really excited about is Blade of the Immortal. Even at a time when I wasn’t buying comics, I would still buy my trades of Blade of the Immortal. Now Hiroaki Samura’s masterpiece is still a very unique manga. For example it is the only manga that is still being published in monthly format by Dark Horse. Samura requested that the publisher of the licensed English translation, Dark Horse Comics, not "flop" the manga (, reverse the pages as if in a mirror). This keeps the image true to the original and it still reads from left to right. A lot of manga readers have problems with the prices on these trades, but is it worth the price? Every damn penny!

In all reality Volume 15: Trickster is the aftermath of the last story arc and serves as a transition for the surviving characters to begin their new paths that will ultimately collide once again. It starts off with Rin getting captured yet again and a series of random battles that really amount to very little. Other than to serve as action sequences that open up the next arc. Giichi and Manji join forces and Manji’s immortality is tested by Bangashira Habaki Kagimura. There were some nice down time after all the battles with both Manji and Rin in their own comfort zones. Of course the title says it all, because the audience was only tricked into that false sense of security by the time the ending comes around. It was really good to see Makie back in the series and hopefully we will get to see her back in action again.

It felt very strange reading the 16th volume of Blade: Shortcuts, because you get used to the in your face action. This time it felt like I was watching a demented episode of CSI or Quincy (yeah I used to watch that show!) Even without the action, there is still plenty of gore in the form of an autopsy and study of Manji’s body. I would have to say that this particular volume has hit the peak as far as being one of the most grueling sequences in this series goes. Kagimura has hired two medical examiners to discover the secret of immortality of Manji’s body. He wants them to find a way to pass it on to other warriors, because if they don’t he has promised them death. Manji goes through some pretty intense torture and even getting one of his hands replaced by another man’s hand. Meanwhile Rin is still playing hostess to two very odd couple, but what their true intentions have not shown yet.

On the Perfection of Anatomy is the title given to the 17th volume of the series. It continues the study of Manji. With only doctor Burando left to keep cutting pieces of Manji and attaching them to death row felons. By the end of the book Burando has gone through more than eight patients have died trying to reach immortality. Burando finally snaps and saves the final patient from getting his limbs chopped. Habaki Kagimura sends him to prison for life. Meanwhile in the search for Manji; Rin and Hyakurin find Giichi, who is now a remorseful drunk, mourning the death of his son. It’s quite a cliffhanger that Samura leaves us with. Hopefully we won’t have to wait more than 6 months to find out what happens to our beloved cast.

I can’t go on enough about Hiroaki Samura's artwork; it is one of the more distinguishable styles in all of manga or comics in general. His thin pencil work is scrupulous, punctual, yet raw, creating character designs with a lot of depth and some great kinetic action sequences. Even when action is not displayed, the backgrounds are nicely detailed and very clean. Samura sure knows how to compose an action sequence as well, with each strike and slash clear and concise. His splash pages with the whitewash added to them leave me in awe every time. How can someone draw something so destructive, yet so beautiful? At times it can be a bit confusing to tell what is going on, but that is just a small gripe. I get my Blade kick in tpb format and waiting for another installment always leaves me deprived. A If you haven’t checked out this series, hell give it a shot. It reads from left to right so there is no reason for you to be scared.

2nd interview with Peter Cullen coming soon

We've lined up a second interview with Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime in both the G1 cartoon and the new film! We'll be following up with questions from the film and about his future projects, so if any of you, our faithful readers and listeners, have any suggestions for questions, go ahead and send them as comments to this post.

Before you submit a question, take a listen to episode 38 (our first interview with Mr. Cullen) to make sure it's not something we've already asked him. Also, we're probably going to stay away from questions about the G1 cartoon, since as he told us in the last interview, his memories of specifics from those days are pretty foggy.

Thanks!

About Heroes Episode 61

Transformers just hit theaters. Any care to guess our topic this week?

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 61

Uncanny X-men # 488 Review

Author: Ed Brubaker
Endangered Species Writer: Mike Carey
Art: Salvador Larroca
Endangered Species Art: Mark Bagley and Andrew Hennessy

I'm going to make this quick and easy. Just like the book read. It's your basic plot of X-men trying to find Masque and his gang of Morlocks. Although I enjoyed the last issue, this issue felt really bland.

I think my problem with this particular X-book is that none of the characters have evolved in the years that they have been around. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not talking about pulling out your adamantium turning you into a fucking ogre evolving, but just a simple character development would be nice. How long is Storm going to be afraid of going into the sewers and mention it to every fucking X-men? We get the point; Storm is strong for conquering her fears. But this is something that every writer has done with the character. Does anyone know what to do with Skids anymore? You know she used to be one of the good guys, before Liefeld decided to brain fuck her. By the end of the day (whenever a new writer comes along) Warpath and Hepzibah will be back to the land of C-list characters or X-factor.

This issue is just another comic rehashing X-men stories. First we have Destiny and then the Destiny Diaries. Now we have someone who likes to tell the future on walls. Brilliant! $3.99 to get a piece of shit back-story of Beast running around in snow? Seriously Marvel way to give it to the fans! They should have made Endangered Species an annual, because already it's not reading well as 8 page little entries. C-

PS: I always thought Hepzibah was a hot skunk; why does she look more like a cat now?

Berserk Volumes 11 - 17 Review

Author/Artist: Kentaro Miura
Translation: Duane Johnson
Publisher: Dark Horse

After reading superhero book after superhero book I really need a break. So it’s always nice to go back to the dark world of Berserk. In 1998 I was introduced to this anime that was only 25 episodes long and one series whose ending left me feeling disturbed and dirty. If you haven’t watched the anime or read the first ten volumes of Berserk; I would suggest to stop reading now. If you have read, don’t care, or want to know what Berserk is all about, by all means please keep truckin’ (I’ve been in Kentucky too long).

This storyline picks up only moments after Guts, Pippin, Judeau, and Casca escape from Midland Castle with Griffith, who is withering away every step they take. They are being hunted by a mercenary group almost as famous as the Band of the Hawk, the Knight of the Black Dog, made up entirely of criminals with a leader who is... less than human. 90% of this volume centers around the remaining members of the Band of Hawk's battle with the Black Dog Knights, and with Guts' battle with their powerful leader who turns into an apostle himself. The transformation of their leader is really a foreshadowing of things to come. Rickert is still lost out there and runs into the Skull Knight. The action in every volume is intense and I think Miura finally reaches his point of perfection with the characters in this particular volume.

Volumes 12 and 13 are the final chapters that were animated with some great new material. Before I talk about these volumes, I want to just give props to Dark Horse for printing the original cover to volume 13. That really shows how much true to the original run they are trying to be. These volumes are the meat of the Black Swordsman and Golden Age arcs. There is so much blood, slashing, kicking, crunching, screaming, rape and gore to even make those with a strong stomach become feeble. The end we fans of the anime have come to be disturbed by is finally at hand. This is where everything falls apart for the Hawks; with the appearance of the four God Hand, betrayal from their former leader, and the constant demons tearing at their bodies. Every single member of the Hawk with the exception of Guts and Casca gets killed. Favorites such as Corkus, Judeau, and Gaston sacrifice themselves and meet their maker in one of the most disturbing ways I have seen characters die. Griffith becomes the 5th God Hand; Femto and rapes Casca in front of Guts. By the end of the 13th volume Guts and Casca are rescued by the Skull Knight who has fought off Zodd for the entry inside the eclipse.

So that in a nutshell was how Guts escaped from the clutches of demons and the five God Hand. The remaining volumes show us the aftermath of the gruesome battle and brings us back where it all started two years later. Volume 14 is a mixture of three stories: the first is used to show us how Guts and Casca are reunited with Rickert and are taken back to Erica and Godo so the healing can begin. There was a fantastic scene where Guts gains his new Iron fist and says: Grooovy! And of course where he picks up the Dragon Killer (AKA Big-Ass-Sword). Casca is not acting like her usual commanding self, but more like a child. I guess that’s what happens when your friends are eaten by demons and you are raped by your former captain-turned God. Guts decides to leave his friends and go on his own journey of revenge and kill all the demons until he meets with Femto again. Fast forward two years later and we find ourselves meeting new characters such as Lady Farnese and the Holy Iron Chain Knights. With the help of the mark on his neck and his personal elf; Puck, Guts is still kicking demon ass. The last chapter is the Berserk Prototype which is the very first Berserk story, created during Kentaro Miura's college days as his audition that sold the series. You could tell what kind of story he wanted to tell from this pilot episode.

The last three books; volumes 15-17 focus on Guts meeting a young girl by the name of Jill and of course more demon fighting. This story is a bit different though, because it’s really tragic and it really got to me. The demons come in the shape of elves and the queen elf is Jill’s childhood friend Rosine, who really believes she is an elf, but is really nothing more than a demon-possessed little girl who sacrificed her parents to acquire he status. By the end you can see Guts become more and more human as he has choices to make, because these elves are nothing more than children. After the gory battle, Guts is taken prisoner by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, who are under orders from the Holy See (think of it like the Pope) for all the killing he’s been doing? Although they really have no prove that he is responsible for any of it. Guts manages to escape and kidnaps Lady Farnese, who witnesses the demons first hand, but still wants Guts dead. These last three volumes have blood, destruction, sword-humping, and head crushing action I have come to love from this series. By the end of volume 17 Guts is searching for Casca, who is now paired up with a girl named Luca.

This series just keeps getting better and better with each volume and that is really a lot to say because it’s been nonstop action for 17 volumes. With these later volumes I am starting to feel more sympathy for Guts and that could be because of Puck. He keeps Guts leveled and doesn’t let him become one of those monsters that Guts has sworn to destroy. I really hate having to wait long for the next volume, but I know that this series is not meant to be rushed through. Fans of horror, action, or adventure should give this a shot…hell, anybody that reads comics should try out this series, it is that amazing. The only gripe, is that towards earlier volumes the noises were not being translated so the art could be confusing at times. But where else are you going to get a guy that uses his Iron fist-cannon to propel his sword through two huge demons? A- Bring on volume 18!

New Avengers/Transformers # 1 Review

This Review was submitted by Spider-ben

Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tyler Kirkham
Cover: Jim Cheung

I love the Transformers and I love the New Avengers, so teaming these two groups together was a match made in heaven for me. Needless to say, I am not familiar with Stuart Moore at all, but his writing was pretty spot on for the most part. Tyler Kirkham’s artwork is just beautiful in this issue, and I would much rather see him drawing Spider-Man and Optimus Prime together than the Stepford Cuckoos from Weapon 10. (See the terrible Phoenix: Warsong mini that Kirkham drew, or better yet, avoid it like the plague!) So despite not having a huge creative team, I thought they both did a good job with the first issue of this dream team-up.

As far as story goes, not a lot happens just yet. The New Avengers (pre-civil war) are investigating a weird energy anomaly in Latveria. Cap, Luke Cage, Wolverine and Spider-Man come upon this weird Cybertronian sphere giving off weird radiation energies. They notice a bunch of destroyed Doombots outside the complex and decide to go inside and get further readings. Inside, Megatron is scanning the various blood readings of the New Avengers, deciding to go with Spider-Man to further his plan. Spidey is captured by one of the Decepticons in vehicle mode, and Cap is seriously pissed off at Luke and Logan.

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and his Autobots watch from a secret location. They notice that the Decepticon complex is giving off a weird aggression signal, thus the reason why Cap is getting so mad at Luke and Logan. The energy wave is to keep the humans from uncovering the truth behind Megatron’s secret plan.

The Autobots transform and roll out to take care of this problem. Later, Spider-Man is taken to Megatron’s lab and told he is the key to bringing forth total victory for the Decepticons, and then a bunch of weird needles and syringes start to go toward Spidey as he is strapped to a chair. Things get worse as Captain America learns that Symkaria, neighboring nation to Latveria, is about to deploy nuclear arms unless the situation with the Decepticon complex is no longer a threat. Latveria is also ready to retaliate, leading to full out war in less than 24 hours. Cap calls in the Falcon and Ms. Marvel to help, and then the Autobots show up, transform, and tell Cap and crew to back off and let them handle the problem. Due to the aggression wave affecting their thoughts, Cap calls for the Avengers to attack the Autobots, believing them to be the real enemy.

Thoughts/Comments:
Not bad, but kind of a slow start to such a popular team-up. The artwork is totally gorgeous here, I love the double page spread of Optimus and the Autobots telling the Avengers to back off and leave this one to them. The very fact that this issue features some of my all time favorite heroes (Spidey, Optimus, Cap, Wolverine) in one issue together is awesome! I loved when Logan states “Did that truck just talk?” when Optimus Prime shows up. However, like I said before not a whole lot happened in this issue. But from the looks of the cliffhanger, there is a lot of action about to commence. Also, try reading this issue with Peter Cullen’s voice every time Optimus talks, it makes the issue a lot more fun! Due to a slow start thought, I’d give this issue a B. I’m hoping for more action in upcoming issues, but this is still a must buy for any Avenger or Transformers fan.

Hellsing Volume 1 Review

Hellsing Vol. 1
By: Kohta Hirano

I love vampire stories. In fact, I'm going to have the victory march from the end of the first Vampire Hunter D movie playing as the bride processional in my wedding! (It's so purteee….) ::Clears throat:: Anyway, Alucard, the main vamp of Hellsing, is the total opposite of good ol' D. First of all, his master is Sir Integra, and she (yes, she) is the leader of the Hellsing organization, an army in the service of the Queen of England that kills vampires, monsters, and the like.

Alucard loves violence, and doesn't worry if humans get in the way of his guns. But he does make an exception for Seras Victoria, the last surviving police officer of her unit. In order to kill the targeted vampire, he must kill her as well for the enemy is holding her hostage. He decides to sire her, and now she is part of the Hellsing organization too.

This volume explains the relationship between Sir Integra and Alucard, how Seras is handling her change in lifestyle, and introduces his arch-nemesis, Father Anderson. He's a Catholic priest who's out for blood! Hirano really likes playing with the dynamics between religion and lots of gore in his manga. If you're not offended by that, this is a really fun read, and he puts 100% into drawing each facial expression, which are awesome to the max. The fights are fluid, and he drops in a bit of humor every now and then to spice things up.

As a side note, Dark Horse also publishes the Vampire Hunter D novels, and boy-howdy, are they somethin' else! (I don't know why I'm using a hick accent in this review…) I'm sure Hideyuki Kikuchi is a great author, but I've got to give mad props to Kevin Leahy for translating the books so beautifully! Each sentence is so well-crafted that…, well…, just the beauty of the writing turns me on! What can I say; I'm an English teacher after all.

A

Silver Surfer: Requiem # 1 and 2 Review

This Review was submitted by Spider-ben
Silver Surfer: Requiem #1-2
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Painted Covers and Interiors: Esad Ribic

Truth be told, I have never really been a huge Silver Surfer fan. In fact, the only comic books that I own with the Surfer within the pages are my issues of Fantastic Four, and an occasionally guest appearance in a Spider-Man title. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #4-6 to be precise, along with a two-part crossover in Amazing during Tom Defalco’s second run) I have nothing against the Surfer, but he just didn’t come off as this kick ass character. However, being the Marvel geek that I am I rushed to go check out the second FF movie, and I really, really loved it. The Silver Surfer was awesome, with a big thanks to Doug Jones and Lawrence Fishburne making the Surfer a character that kicks major ass. So with my interest peaked, I decided to buy the new Silver Surfer Marvel Knights mini series and I’m very glad that I did.

The story is about the Surfer coming to Earth to seek the aid of his longtime friend, Reed Richards. Reed runs a series of tests on the Surfer, with most of the tests causing the Surfer a great deal of pain.

Finally, after a few days Reed tells the Surfer the harsh truth: he is dying. Now you may ask yourself, what? How can the Surfer die? Well, it seems that the Surfer’s outer shell, the shell that protects him from the freezing depths of space to the blazing inferno of the hottest stars is finally deteriorating. Reed estimates that within a month, the Surfer’s entire shell will be destroyed, killing Norrin Radd with it. The Surfer decides that a month can feel like a lifetime if one makes good choices, thus the Surfer decides to make amends with as many people as he can before his voyage is finally over.

Later, Spider-Man is fighting this crazy looking robot. Spidey isn’t fairing that well, and then the Surfer shows up and takes care of the robot in a split second. Spidey tries to thank the Surfer, but he isn’t in much of a mood to talk. Finally, Spidey asks what is wrong and if there is anything he can do to help, even if it is only offering a friendly ear to the troubled Surfer. The Surfer decides to take Spidey up on his offer, and tells him the truth about whom he is and where he comes from. The Surfer wants to offer Spidey a gift: one hour worth of the power cosmic to see the Earth and the stars as he has seen them for years. Spidey realizes what a fantastic opportunity this is, but realizes someone would benefit more from this gift. Later, Spidey brings MJ to meet the Surfer and become one with the power cosmic. MJ gains the power and goes off into space, with the Surfer assuring her she will not become cold or have to worry about falling off the board. Later, MJ returns and the power cosmic fades away from her. She tells Peter and the Surfer how beautiful the Earth is, and how she could see and feel the Earth’s heartbeat. She tells Peter that she loves him and this was the best birthday gift ever.

The Surfer is reminded of his home Zenn La and his former lover, Shalla. The Surfer decides that he wants to give the entire Earth the touch of the power cosmic if only for five minutes. For five minutes every person on Earth is given the chance to know true beauty and happiness. This greatly strains the Surfer, but he realizes he has given back to the people of his adopted planet. The Surfer then simply tells Peter goodbye, realizing his time is ebbing away faster and faster.

Thoughts/Comments:
WOW! This mini series is beautiful all around.
Everything from the dialogue to the gorgeous painted pages by Esad Ribic, I am totally having a great time reading this mini series. JMS is the man, he totally nailed the characterization between the Surfer and the FF, and his Spidey and MJ moments in issue 2 show why these two love each other with all their hearts and soul, and why Quesada is an idiot for wanting to separate these two. What Peter did for MJ was just unbelievable and so beautiful, it just goes to show how great of a job JMS does writing these two as a married couple. Esad Ribic is the man, his art is full of power and emotion, completely capturing a wide range of expression and fear that all the characters are feeling as the Surfer continues on his final voyage. I still don’t get why Spidey’s eyes are painted black, but that is pretty much my only beef with the art this far. I think even if you aren’t a huge Silver Surfer fan you will still enjoy this mini series. Give it a shot, its fun and totally gorgeous!
Solid A, great job guys. Bring on issue 3!

Kare Kano Volume 21 Review

Author and Artist: Masami Tsuda
Volume 21

When I play RPG video games, I always look forward to the ending. With all that build up, it better be magical, or someone's gonna get it! But it's also sad to say good-bye…, and that's what I had to do with Kare Kano. Volume 21 is the last volume, and I hate for it to end, but the ending was definitely worth it.

The reason I enjoy Kare Kano, written by Masami Tsuda, is because of how it makes me feel. All warm, cheesecakey, grandma quilty, goosebumpy, flutters in your stomach on your first date twitterpatted. You know the feeling…, or maybe I need mental help.  After wrapping up high school graduation with all the friends sharing their plans, Tsuda jumps forward sixteen years to regal us with the marriage between the two main characters Yukino and Soichiro. And of course Asaba is still right dab in the middle of their relationship. The two have three kids, and Soichiro is a police officer. Yukino is a plastic surgeon. And with the skill of a truly good storyteller, Tsuda wraps up the story but leaves it open…, not in a "there's a chance of a sequel" sense, but in a "Neverending Story" sense - everyone's life is a story, and it continues on.

Needless to say, the ending made me cry. It's right up there with the last page of Sailor Moon, which is saying a lot, coming from me! As a side note, I'll definitely miss the little author notes Tsuda writes as well - she's so cute when she talks about her daily life and draws herself as chibi stick figure! So if you love good endings, don't worry about being disappointed with this series. I tell ya what you should steer clear of - ReBoot the video game! I was so upset by that cop-out…, erg! A+

About Heroes Episode 60

Did you read the Sinestro Corps special yet? You may want to before you listen to this podcast. Because it's awesome.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 60

Junk: Record of the Last Hero # 1 and 2 Review

Author and Artist: Kia Asamiya
Publisher: Drmaster

Kia Asamiya was influenced by superhero shows as a child. In fact, he drew himself as Batman for his author’s note in Junk: Record of the Last Hero. He also notes that he aspired to create a story unlike any other superhero one told before, and to accomplish this, he makes the main character a complete douche bag. Seriously! Hiro acquires a bionic suit that enhances his speed, strength, etc. Nothing new there. But what is unique is that he is a complete jerk. And since he’s been holed up in his room for months on end due to bullies at his high school, his first priority with his new found powers is to beat them all up. Then the power goes to his head, and he uses it to his own advantage. But he’s not just callous to the “ordinary citizens.” He also ignores his parents and the attempts made by Ryoko, a cute class mate, to bring him out of his shell. No, he’d rather go have sex with her mom. Lol, poor Ryoko-chan, getting showed up by her own mom. Ewwww!

The art is very dark and gritty, and fits the mood of the story perfectly. And just like in most manga, the focus tends to be on the facial expressions of the characters. I love the pictures of the Junk suits; they remind me of Evas from Neon Genesis Evangelion. You can get a feel of how fluid and fast they move from the fight scenes. The pictures of the pop-star Hiro is obsessed with, Manami, are simply amazing. Maybe Kia has a crush on her too because all of the drawings of her are crisp and a refreshing change from the tone of the other pictures.

The dialogue takes a bit to get used to, since some panels don’t have the characters’ faces or dialogue balloons with the pointy things to point to who is saying it (I’m sure there is a term for that type of balloon, but I don’t know it). But this happens all the time in a lot of manga, so just get over it, all right?! Geez, always the pessimistic one, aren’t ya? Well, just one more side note then to feed that dark side of yourself. The dialogue isn’t written that well either, but maybe that’s a problem with translating. It’s just rather bland.

But fear not, for the story does pick up around the middle of the second issue, and if you’re a fan of anime, this will be nothing new to you. You’ve got to get through the set-up stuff to get to the suspense. I won’t spoil it for you, the avid reader, but there’s a cool twist on the identity of the other Junk user (Junk being the name of the suit). She shows up in her white-symbolizing-goodness outfit to save people, and poses this question to Hiro: Do you want to be a god or a devil with your power? So if you like angsty/emo to the extreme, check this out for something unique. B