Everything you've ever wanted to know about Symbiotes and was afraid to ask...

They've come and gone in the limelight of marvel lore, but it seems the symbiotes are quite 'back' as of late. The Mighty AND New Avengers are about to encounter a 'Venom-Virus' somehow involving Dr. Doom and a New York city chock full 'o' those crazy gooey suckers scraping and drooling at our most favorite marvel teamsters, and the self-proclaimed Aboutheroes expert on symbiotes (all of them) is here to lay it all down for you as all-encompassing and nutshell-esque as possible.

The symbiote first came to earth after Spider-Man, anybody who's seen Spidey 3 has a close version of what happened, but here's the skinny. Spidey was on the Beyonder's planet during the first Secret War when his costume got thrashed and he found what he thought was a new one. Nope! It's an alien that wants to crawl inside of you and eat your mind, or whatever, it seems to change depending on who's writing. Spidey finds out and gets rid of it. By going up to the top of a church and letting the bells inside of the tower rattle his noodle around a bit, thus weakening the symbiote, which is vulnerable to sonics and fire.

ENTER EDDIE BROCK! Reporter recently proven to be wrong about who the "Sin-Eater" was, who hated Spidey a lot. He's in church praying for forgiveness for what he's about to do (which is kill himself). Buuuut, the costume finds him as it slinks away, rejected by Spidey, and the two make a wonderful psychotic couple. Venom. La-dee-dah, Venom hates Spidey a lot and constantly pops up throughout the 90's falling into and out of various truces with the web-head, always upholding a twisted sense of brutal justice and earning himself the nickname, the Lethal Protector. While in after one of his earlier stints, Eddie (seperated from the symbiote) roomed up with crazy hillbilly killer, Cletus Kasady. Before you know it, the symbiote busts Eddie out of jail for more Venom-escapades, but not without squirting out an 'offspring' to bond with Cletus.

ENTER CARNAGE: One of the worst and best characters from the 90's, Carnage killed a lot of people because he thought it was fun. That's it. Venom first teams up with Spidey to right the wrong that his Symbiote did giving the madman the means to commit mass murder on such a vicious and epic scale. After repeated episodes of Spidey and Venom going after the Symbiote hillbilly, Venom busts into the cell where Carnage is being held, and proceeds to eat the symbiote. No more Carnage.

WRONG! Cletus breaks out and follows Spidey through a portal to some crazy space planet (haven't read the issue in quite some time) and finds another Symbiote! Woo! He's back! Buuuut, nothing that significant really happens with him before symbiotes go out of style...

RETURN OF THE SLIMY TONGUE KING: Venom comes back on the scene about 3 and a half years ago, only now he has cancer. Poor Eddie, the symbiote doesn't like him anymore. It wants to leave him. Tough Noogies! Spidey tricks it into staying with Eddie until Eddie's through. It's worth noting that there was a Venom series here where there was a Venom clone and it was all super-spy government laden and la-dee-dah, but trust me, it didn't make a wink of sense, forget it.

CARNAGE HAS A BABY! Carnage pops out a child that hooks up with a police officer making a symbiote named 'Toxin' that fights for good. Venom and Carnage team up (it's weird, it didn't make sense) to defeat him, cuz Venom hates anyone who likes Spidey, and Carnage....well Carnage hates everyone. Long story short, Spidey helps Toxin get his head straight and fight of the Toothy Family of Nightmarish Proportions. Toxin is now enrolled in the Initiative, nothing else has been released on him. (Funny note, Venom keeps referring to himself as the Grandpa of Toxin, but he isn't cuz he ate his 'son' and Carnage's symbiote was a new one from the far-reaches of space).

BENDIS HATES 90'S COMICS! And he shows it by having Carnage pop up in New Avengers only to be flown into space by the Sentry and ripped in half. Fuck yeah. Carnage = gone...for now.

MILLAR HATES ME! And he shows it by ripping the symbiote off of Eddie Brock and throwing it on the Scorpion. Eddie sees "Passion of the Christ" and decides he wants to die (again), so he auctions the symbiote off to the highest bidder and donates the money to charity. Then he slits his wrists and goes to the hospital, where, long story short, he still is, only he's batshit crazy without the help of the symbiote. The symbiote goes to the son of a mob boss, who sucks. The symbiote sees this and leaves him (midair, leaving him to fall to his death, ha!) and goes to the Scorpion.

THUNDERBOLTS HO! The new Venom now works for the Initiative as a member of the Thunderbolts.

Misc Characters:

The 5: 5 Symbiote offspring were extracted off of Venom and given to 5 employees of the 'Life Foundation'. Their names were: Riot, Phage, Lasher, Agony, and Scream. These people had seemingly 2 different outcomes. Some of them were eaten by a symbiote eating alien monster, but in another comic...

Hybrid: They remain intact until Scream kills their hosts and the remaining symbiotes all blurb together and then find a crippled ex raft employee. They all form on entity named 'Hybrid'. He ends up tooling around with the New Warriors for a bit, but quickly disappears, currently M.I.A..

And there you have it kiddies! That's pretty much the nutshell history of Symbiotes! There's a lot more small stuff but this is the stuff that really made any significant impact at all, at least in my opinion. And now you're all ready for any new Symbiote Action that comes up in comics now, be it a Symbiote Virus...or just crazy eddie trying to pull the plug on Aunt May. Seeya buds!

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About Heroes Comic 03

Welcome to aboutheroes Spider-ben and The Fastest Nick Alive! Hope you survive the experience.

The Last Fantastic Four Story

Teen Titans #50

Writers: Sean McKeever, Geoff Johns, Marv Wolfman, & Todd Dezago
Artists: Randy Green, Mike McKone, George Perez, & Todd Nauck

There are two things happening this issue, the Titans are celebrating Bart's all too short publishing life, and the Big Guns of the DCU are getting shut down by... themselves? Sean McKeever writes the majority of this issue and as the new series writer does a pretty good job.  At least he's better than the horrible drivel that came out of the Titans' mouth when Adam Beechen was on this book.  Instead of speaking cliches all the time, these Titans actually emote.  Robin and Cassie share some moments over Bart.  Ravager and Kid Devil rebel against all the mourning and go skinny dipping, while Blue Beetle appears in a 3 page re-cap of his last issue #18 just to set up his appearance in the book later on.  Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman write some cool flashback sequences that relate to Bart. Johns' being the best where Robin lets Bart fly the Bat-plane over Smallville.  Wolfman's segment has the Wally reminiscing about how he wanted Barry's approval of him being in the Titans, the same way Bart did of Wally.  Dezago writes a page that captures Bart's impulsive nature but doesn't do that much for the story.  Of course all the old arists are back to draw their segments.  Randy Green illustrates the rest of this issue, but I'm left wondering why Ale Garza didn't do it as he's listed to be the next artist on the book.  One the whole, it's not a bad story, but it's not a neccessary one.  It's your typical anniversary issue, that while enjoyable, doesn't merit a must-buy for it's 3.99 cover price like Superman and Wolverine did last week.  B 

Action Comics #855

Writers: Geoff Johns & Richard Donner
Artist: Eric Powell

The second arc of Johns and Donner starts here, without the first even being finished.  Moving past that, this is an enjoyable story, but a quick one.  I think I read this in about 5 minutes, whereas most comics take me 15 minutes to get through.  This is because there is not a whole lot of dialougue in the Bizarro World pages.  Well, there's some Bizarro dialougue, but that's so confusing to get through, I just skimmed over it.  Sometimes Bizarro is talking normally, and other times in the same sentence he's talking backwards.  Jeph Loeb did it right where it was ALL backwards (the one good thing from that last arc) but here, without any note to tell you how to read it, it just gets skimmed and ignored.  Another thing, we don't get any real reason as to why Bizarro World exists, Superman arrives after Bizarro kidnaps Johnathan Kent and takes him to Bizarro World.  We get some mention of what the Blue Sun does to Superman, but the Jor-El hologram doesn't say much else other than that it may make Superman stronger.  One thing I did have a problem with was how Superman found Bizarro World.  Jor-Ello-gram simply sends his son to the closest planet around the closest Blue Sun, which he just assumes is Bizarro World.  What if it wasn't?  It's too convenient and took me out of the book.

Johns and Donner clearly have a plan for this book, and this arc, but this first issue doesn't show it.  It's more focused on action than story, and even though it's called Action Comics, I wanted a little more exposition on who this Bizarro is (is he a clone or alien?) and the existence or purpose of Bizarro World.  It would seem to make sense to put it here in the first issue, since this is only a 3 issue arc, and the next two issues be slam-bang action.  Eric Powell draws a great zombie-ish Bizarro, and his Superman looks straight out of the Max Fleisher cartoons from the 1940's.  It's this stylization that brings the book together.  Superman doesn't look all emo like he does in JLA or Superman, he looks tough, and like he's all business.  He should be all business since his father is missing.  Anyway, Powell is a great addition to this book, if only for 3 issues, it's too bad that it failed to grab me and rock me like I was hoping.  C- 

Superman and Batman Vs. Aliens and Predator Review

This review was submitted by Ray2007
Writer: Mark Schultz
Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics / DC Comics

Boy, oh boy...When I first saw this title at my local Borders bookstore, I actually chuckled. It just sounded like a title ripe for disaster. I mean, the title alone already shows some inherent flaws in the concept:

1. "Aliens AND Predator" ? If the film, "AVP" taught us anything it's that those two species are natural enemies. How are they going to work together against Batman and Superman?

2. Both Superman and Batman have each confronted Aliens and Predators before, and lived to tell about it. Any guesses as to who's going to win THIS battle?

3. The title had the trappings of one of those WWF or WWE (or whatever initials they go by) Pay-Per-View Main Event Steel Cage Matches.

So...of course, I had to get it.

I figured this one of those books that was so outrageous that it would either succeed brilliantly, or die in flames. Well, for me, it succeeded. Just not brilliantly.

Our story starts in the Andes Mountains of Peru where a geological team vanishes (read: decapitated) while climbing a volcano, Mount Viejo Abuelo. Word of this event reaches the Daily Planet where Perry White decides to send Clark Kent to sniff out the story. After a bit of badgering and bad puns (you'll know when you read them), Lois Lane tags along with her super husband. Little does Perry realize that just the day before, Clark had encountered a group of Predators modifying an underground power generator in Metropolis. But rather than fight, they scatter. And now, Clark doesn't realize that his trip to the Andes is about to provide more answers than he wants...

Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Batman,( who has started keeping Captain's Log's like Star Trek Starfleet officers), is about to jump a meeting of the Russian mob and the local steelworker's union. His mission is interrupted however by the presence of another group of Predators, who after a brief tussle, also retreat. Batman, after analyzing dust traces they leave at the scene, tracks them to Peru.

In short order, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight meet in the Andes, and discover a THIRD party called to Peru: TDI agents. The Terrestial Defense Initiative is a covert group that is dedicated to protecting the human populace from Aliens and Predators, by any means necessary. (No doubt this group was started with the help of two U.S. state governors, an L.A. police lieutenant, and a clone of a woman who looks remarkably like Sigourney Weaver!) However, the TDI agents that Batman and Superman encounter are all dead, easy pickings for the Predators. And that's just the beginning of their problems...

Ariel Olivetti's ("The Last Avenger's Story", "JLA: Paradise Lost") artwork is good, done in a digital style that vaguely reminded me of "Batman: Digital Justice". But, that feels appropriate for a story dealing with advanced and alien technology. Mark Schultz's writing is solid, if a bit repetitive at times. (How many times can Superman say, "Great Rao" in a given story?) He does have at least a grasp of the fundamental differences in Superman and Batman's philosophies when it comes to fighting crime, and milks it for all it's worth when dealing with the Aliens and Predators. It then came as no surprise that he makes Superman so noble in the face of these adversaries, since Schultz's most prolific and current assignment is as the writer on the "Prince Valiant" comic strip. Schultz's portrayal of Batman is believable, but nothing groundbreaking.

The action is well written and drawn however, and there were enough surprises and gags to make me smile. Personally, though, I was hoping for something just a little bit bloodier. We ARE dealing with Aliens and Predators, after all.

Maybe the title should have been:

Dark Horse versus DC: Clash of the Franchises!

B-

Picture of the Week!

Haven't done one in a while and figured Josh a break. He's still the man at finding the weirdest shit. Thanks for the submission John! I know who I'll be voting for.

About Heroes Episode 67

Join us for our first round table discussion about manga, suitable for newbies and otaku alike!

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 67

Joe Quesada to join us for an interview

Editor and Chief of Marvel Comics Joe Quesada has agreed to do an interview with us on Thursday August 30th at 4:30pm eastern time. We would love for our listeners to participate and ask questions. All you have to do is leave your questions in the comment section. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish. We will try to read as many as we can. Thank you Jeff (Dr. Whofan) you are the man for setting up this interview for us.

Justice League of America - Black Canary

Holy frijoles; real fishnet stockings on an action figure. Do I actually need to write out a longer review than that?

Actually, yes. I really like this figure, and not just because of the fishnets, or because Black Canary is one of my favorite characters (though not as she's written - or not written - thus far in JLA). But lets get the fishnets out of the way. This is the first action figure I've encountered that uses real tiny fishnet stockings. While the seam up the back is pretty thick, the general effect really works; not only that, but the stockings themselves hide the joints in her knees. Since her elbow joints are covered by her black jacket, and her hip joints are hidden by the shiny black of her costume, Black Canary has a very statuesque look that escapes a lot of action figures.

However, the stockings aren't perfect. The dye from the stockings has left marks all over the flesh-colored paint of her legs; if you mess with the stockings and throw off their position from the way they are when you open the package, it's a pretty unsightly mess. Luckily, the stockings aren't difficult to convince back into position.

In terms of the pose, I'd like to see something a little more dynamic from DC's premiere female martial artist. If the archetype behind Black Canary is "kung-fu and fishnets", this figure only gets one of the two. Since her pose is so static, like the vast majority of DC Direct figures, I'd have liked to see her hair sitting more naturally than it does. That's just a nitpick, though, since I figure an all-positive review is pretty boring.

Her paint applications are all clean, and her facial sculpt isn't bad; if anything, it errs a little towards an Asian look. But it's definitely Black Canary as opposed to another DC heroine's head just repurposed.

This figure's certainly worth the cost, and I'd be surprised if it doesn't turn out to be the hardest-to-find figure of the wave. If you like the character at all, I'd definitely pick up this figure.

Manga Reviews: Full Metal Panic, Peace Maker, and Alive!

Full Metal Panic! Fighting Boy Meets Girl Novel
Author: Shouji Gatou
Illustrations: Shikidouji
Translation: Duane Johnson
Publisher: Tokyopop

It seems that more and more novels keep coming their way to American shores and I think that is a great thing. This book not only ties into the smash-hit anime series and manga of the same name, but is also its inspiration. The Full Metal Panic! manga is the story of gung-ho young secret agent Sosuke Sagara, assigned to go undercover and protect high-school honor-student Kaname Chidori from a band of international terrorists. Needless to say, Sosuke's background as a counterinsurgent guerilla isn't the best possible preparation for high school and of course first impressions aren't always the best! This first installment of FMP gets the readers well acquainted with the characters of the book through a sequence of bountiful mini stories and chapters. Through these stories you also see a budding relationship between the two protagonists in the book, as well glimpses of Sagara's painful and unknown past. The only drawback I saw are the illustrations, for some reason I was expecting so much more, but to be honest they look more like blown-up versions of manga panels. If you are a fan of the series, you already know how good the book is and if you are wondering what the FMP craze is all about, why not read where it all began? B

Peace Maker volume 1
Author & Artist: Nanae Chrono
Translation: Michelle Kobayashi
Publisher: Tokyopop

I have to say that the cover for this book really stands out. I love the black and white with some red just water colored on look. The story is focused on the main character, Ichimura Tetsunosuke, your stereotypical energetic, short, and very childlike 15 year old. He and his older brother are left to fend for themselves after the vicious murder of their parents. While Tetsunosuke wants to get revenge, his pacifist brother Ihchimaru is not so inclined. Interestingly, the story develops when they take refuge working defined jobs in a special police force called the Shinsengumi, where his brother is an accountant and he is a servant to the demon of the Shinsengumi Hijikata Toshizo. The Shinsengumi, are based on a real police force and that is why you have probably heard that name and seen those outfits before. What may seem like a very the physical comedy at first will later expose itself at having a serious story that the cover portrays. Tetsunosuke is eager to "become a demon" to get his revenge, obviously not knowing what he's getting into in his hurry to become the man he thinks he wants to be. I think that is why I got hooked so quickly, well that and Souji and his pet pig Saizou. I just really wish that they would start translating more of the sound effects, because they are really important in this series. You can see that some of them had to be translated to get a better understanding of the story. Just a small gripe for an overall great story. A-

Alive: The Final Evolution volume 1
Author: Tadashi Kawashima
Artist: Adachitoka
Publisher: Del Rey

After reading Poison Candy last week, I really didn't want read another "virus" story again. But damn, I'm so glad I did. The book starts out gloomy with a sequence of intangible conversations stating that life has been found on Earth. We are then introduced to Taisuke and Hiros who are both teenagers in high school. While Taisuke is walking home he witnesses a woman committing suicide and that makes him feel kind of awkward, but it's another kind of feeling that he hasn't felt before. As the week goes on it seems that over 100,000 people have committed suicide throughout the world. When I first started reading the book I really thought it was going to be a deep commentary on the pandemic of suicide with youths in Japan, but it really turned out to be more than that. It is a very Twilight Zonish feel to it and the art is does nothing but make that story shine with its gory details and perfect panel to panel fluidity. I really can't wait to see where this story is going. A

Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious

Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious
Writer/Penciller : Sam Kieth

Well the words Batman and Lobo were in a title, so you know I had to get this sucker. This story written by Kieth begins with Batman being transported to a space station light years away to handle some kind of space plague. While learning about the plague Bats runs into your favorite Czarnian , LOBO. Pretty much the Batman and Lobo's aims become similar after a point and they chase after this body hopping space virus which only seems to be affecting women.

Kieth's writing for this first issue is fast paced and to the point. Humor and general insanity are interspersed throughout this issue as is Sam's norm. Kieth's unique art style matching his tone of story is made all the better by Alex Sinclair's colors. The best way I know how to describe Keith's art style is imagine if Jim Lee and Frank Millers' art styles ended up having a kid...this is what that would look like. Deranged and overemphasized at points yet still keeping a tight clean look at other times.

There's a lot of things to like about this first issue. First, you have the Batman/Lobo dynamic aka a violent Abbott and Costello type vibe, if you know...Abbott could regrow limbs. Second, insane depictions of gunfire. Third, you got women blowing shit up almost every page. This book quite simply verges on the insane but in a delightful way. In short buy this book, it's worth the time and kinda trippy. A+

25th anniversary G.I. Joe wave 3 images

Hasbro has just released high-res images of the 3rd wave of 25th anniversary G.I. Joes:

While I'm a Transformer fan at heart, G.I. Joe kinda shares a universe with them, so a bit of collection bleed is to be expected as well. I've picked up the first wave and they're wonderful, so I'm really looking forward to Zartan, Shipwreck and Firefly at the very least. What do you think?

Cable and Deadpool # 44 Review

Author: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Ron Lim
Inks: Jeremy Freeman & John Dell
Colors: Gotham & Sotocolor

After killing Cable in the pages of X-men 200 and Wolverine chopping Deadpool's head off last issue, I wondered what this issue would be about. Leave it to Nicieza to keep pulling stories out of his great ingenious head. To top the greatness of this issue we also throw in the fantastic Ron Lim, who doesn't get enough work in my opinion.

After taking Wade's noggin off Wolverine turns his attention to Penetrator. Even thought the whole time Weasel is trying to clue him in that he is a Pene-traitor! Bob: Agent of Hydra manages to reattach Wade's head back to his body and presto! Deadpool is back. And of course there is the must Wolverine Vs. Hydra agents fight! Not only is this book action packed, but damn it's one of the funniest comics in recent time. It really takes a great writer to have that great balance in a book. Everything is set up for the next issue at the end with Deadpool and Bob teleporting somewhere or somewhen. Only small gripe is that Wolverine seems to be wearing his old costume and not his Astonishing one. But still, I can't wait for the next issue. A

X-men 202 Review

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

The New X-men, Colossus, and Shadowcat get their butts handed to them by Exodus and gang; of course they were using Tempo to stop time, so that's not really fair. It's funny how the New Mutants were able to take care of Tempo, but Colossus and Kitty have a hard time with the help of the New X-men. It looks like the incomprehensible storyline is starting to make more sense now that we know that the Marauders are after the books of Destiny. Why exactly is still a mystery? Dear God, they are probably tying into the Endangered Species flashback we had where Destiny is part of the Black Womb experiment. Funny thing to see pop up again in the X-books, since the editors didn't let Claremont do what he wanted with the books of Destiny.

Where the hell are the rest of the X-men? I know they were taken by surprise, but Cyclops, Storm, or Forge should be taking some kind of charge and getting everyone together for a counterstrike by now. I was a bit confused by what Emma learned from the Marauders minds. Did they go back and stick Vargas with a sword again or was this a flashback to Rogue stabbing him with the sword? Of course that has more to do with the art than anything. I'm a big fan of Ramos, but to me he has to be on the right book. Impulse, Crimson, and X-nation 2099 are perfect books for the guy. However, even if the characters looked their age I would still be disappointed by his art here. He is showing considerably less range than he has in the past and he is lacking in consistency from panel to panel. Endagered Species had another lackluster part in this issue. Hope to get some kind of resolution some time soon. B-

Blue Beetle #18

Wolverine #56

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Howard Chaykin

Like most other Wolverine solo issues in the past 2 years, this one is awesome.  The best part about these stories is that while they appear in the Wolverine book, they don't feature Wolverine very prominently.  This issue's plot is fairly simple.  It features a naked Wolverine in a pit getting pumped with lead every ten minutes.  The story is about a man named Wendell, who does the shooting of Wolverine.  After six weeks, Wolverine starts talking to the guy and gets under his skin.  Wolverine knows a lot about Wendell, and keeps asking him about hit relationship with his father, his abuse, and his crappy life that he leads now.  Wendell's job is to show up at 8am everyday and shoot Wolverine, for no apparent reason.  There are a lot of soldiers guarding the place who take no notice of Wendell, and the secretary of the joint ignores Wendell as he looks lustfully at her every day.  Once Wolverine gets under Wendell's skin, Wendell goes on a journey to find himself, and correct his familial issues, in a rather direct way.

After the abysmal and pointless storyarc by Jeph Loeb the last 6 issues, I was going to drop this book.  I jumped on it for Civil War and Humberto Ramos, and ended up staying on after that, hoping that Loeb would bring something cool to the table.  I grabbed this issue, hoping that like the other one-shots, it would be good, and I was correct.  Jason Aaron writes a good tale, and if Wolverine was in a pit being shot at for 10 issues in a row talking to his shooters, we might have a better series.  I'm still considering dropping the book, but I think I'll see what Marc Guggenheim has in store next issue.  I enjoyed what he did with the Civil War tie-ins, and his Flash run, so I'll give his return to the book a shot.  When I was first exposed to Howard Chaykin in New Avengers last year, I was unimpressed, but his style really works here.  I think Chaykin is staying on for Guggenheim's run so I'm looking forward to that as well.  His Wolverine is good, similar to Darick Robertson's, but I might give him a shot on New Avengers and put Yu back on Wolverine.  Like Superman this week, this is an oversized book worth the $3.99.  You won't be dissapointed.  B+

Superman #666

Amazing Spider-Man #543

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

After reading Spider-Ben's review of Ultimate Spider-Man this week, I will try not to bash this book as much as he did (even though he gave it a B-) but I might not suceed.  After last issue's stunning fight between Peter Parker and the Kingpin, all we have left is the resolution to Aunt May being shot 5 issues ago.  Don't let the cover fool you, we don't get resolution, all we get is Peter Parker at his lowest point in his life, ready for One More Day to undo it all. 

The whole issue deals with Aunt May's condition.  It's not getting any better and Peter doesn't know what to do.  His cash is running out and the hospital is asking questions.  My main issues with this book have to do with the actions Peter takes.  JMS turns him into a criminal, a felon.  We know Spider-Man was a felon before, since he has not registered, but he makes Peter Parker a felon, not Spider-Man.  A cop comes to the hospital to investigate this "gunshot wound" since the hospital has to file a report with every gunshot wound they recieve.  The cop is investigating since there is no police report for this May Reilly/Fitzgerald gunshot wound.  The cop talks to the nurse, who spins this elaborate but probable yarn about what she thinks happened to Aunt May.  The cop acts like he believes this crappy nurse story, and goes to the hospital room.  What happened next is what angered me about the issue.  Peter Parker assaults the officer, ties him up, steals an ambulance, and forges  hospital papers to move May to another hospital.  What the hell JMS?  Why can't Peter take responsibility for his actions?  Isn't that Spider-Man's mantra?  I know this is all set up for the great undo of One More Day, so that Peter will be so down and out that he'd be willing to change it all (or so they'd have us believe).  Spider-Man could have intervened with the cop, and surely if he told the truth that this was Spider-Man's Aunt, they would've still taken care of her.  I know that MJ would have been arrested for aiding and abetting a felon, but May would at least be safe and being taken care of.  JMS makes Peter take these criminal actions, to say, things will never be the same again, etc. etc. But we already know they will be because of all the One More Day hype.  If One More Day were a secret until this issue came out, then the story might have more weight to it, but with all the hype around the next issues, this issue just falls flat.  It was a great storyarc until this point, when it became set-up for Joe Quesada. D

I still think that the undo-ing of the Peter/MJ marriage is a ruse, just like killing Speedball was...

Manga Reviews: From Angels to Zombies!

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Volume 9
Story & Art: Yukito Kishiro
English Adaptation: Fred Burke
Publisher: Viz Media

When last we left Alita she had finally penetrated the center of Melchizedek, the supercomputer who is holding her friend Lou's brain hostage. It is there she is mesmerized by a vivid vision of the undead life of Caerula, who in this flashback is referred to as Vilma Fachiri. As the dream sequence continues we learn the fates of Haruka, Victor, Vilma, and Arthur. It is at the end of this volume that we also learn what the title Last Order means. Melchizedek (known as Merlin originally) has no inherent sense of morals or human values, but instead is influenced based on those of its human operators. It turns out that after losing Haruka, Arthur has lost the hope of humanity and gives a "last order" to Vilma. When Merlin's operators become so corrupt as to have Merlin threaten the future of humanity, Vilma is to insert the Fata Morgana module into Merlin, which will cause Merlin to self-destruct. That's pretty much the crux of the story. And while it remains a good Kushiro story, full of slashing fights, gory violence, and mind twisting facts, it is a total deviation from Alita's story. She doesn't even appear in this book. I found it very weird that the Panzer Kunst evolved from vampire martial artist. Not a bad story what so ever, but I'll just be happy when we can focus back on Alita. B

Ranma 1/2 Volume 1
Story & Art: Rumiko Takahshi
English Adaptation: Gerard Jones & Matt Thorn
Publisher: Viz Media
I can't help but think of the first season intro song every time I read Ranma. That song has been stuck in my head for 15 years now and of course this is a good thing. I tried explaining to friends in the past the beauty of Ranma, but it really doesn't do it justice. So, what happens when your father takes you training in China and you fall in a cursed spring? Well you turn into a girl when splashed with cold water! And him into a Panda that holds up ridiculous signs to get his points across. What happens when you are forced to live with your fiancée that hates men and has every guy in high school after her? That's just the first chapter, how can you not instantly fall in love with that idea? In this 300 page manga you also get the first appearance of Kuno who falls in love with Ranma's girl side and is in constant battle with himself over who to choose Ranma or Akane. Directionally-challenged Ryoga also makes his first appearance and fights Ranma to the death over some bread. Although the artwork is top notch, this is the first volume and it pales slightly in comparison to later volumes. The lines are not as sharp and a bit smudgy and the figures not as well defined. Some of the characters look a bit different than they do in later volumes. Ranma ½ is an entertaining martial arts romantic comedy with some strange loveable characters and some great ridiculous fights; and that is the only way I can describe it. I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone that has ever wondered what manga is all about, because to me this is the definition of manga. A+

Zombie Powder Volume 1
Story & Art: Tite Kubo
Translation: Akira Watanabe
Publisher: Viz Media

From the same guy that brought you that little wonderful series Bleach comes the search for the zombie powder. And if you haven't read or seen Bleach, shame on you! Gamma Akutabi is in search for the 12 Rings of the Dead, which is the source of the zombie powder, which can raise the dead or grant immortality. Along the way Gamma meets Elwood, whose sister is killed by a gang in his town. Elwood decides to travel with Gamma to acquire all 12 rings to bring his sister back from the dead. This manga is blended well with action and comedic elements. Elwood provides the comic relief, dragging Gamma and later his partner Mr. Smith, into one worse predicament after another. But don't let him fool you; he's really deadly with his weapons of choice, his knives. Gamma himself is an intriguing character with his black metal arm and the powerful giant sword/chainsaw sword! You have to keep in mind that this book came out before Bleach and you can tell by the way that Kubo was tightening up his art in these pages. I really like the look of the characters and the action scenes are purely amazing. The details are especially lush and striking with facial expressions. Now this is a way to start a manga. A

Bastard: Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Volume 15
Story & Art: Kazushi Hagiwara
English Adaptation: Sean McCoy
Publisher: Viz Media

Dark Scheinder is dead, well at least for now. I find it funny that even the author is already talking about DS coming back in the next volume or two. While the Rebel Samurai and Sorcerer Shogun are fighting of a flock of angels who have submerged into the world's surface, Kall-Su studies ancient computers aboard the embattled Arc and discovers a terrifying prophecy known as Apocrypha of Johannes. This prophecies the end of all humanity and the world, we are talking Armageddon baby! Then, just as Yoko is about to be ripped apart by winged monsters, Lucien is suddenly reborn as the fallen archangel Lucifer. Not only is all of heaven breaking loose on earth, DS falls into hell and comes face to face with the Devil himself! This series isn't for everyone, but for those people that love adventure, sex, violence, gore, and some great ass kicking action this is the book for us. I do have to say the DS is the glue that keeps everything from falling apart and having him MIA is really a downer. However, the art is definitely hitting its high streak. Hagiwara has come a long way from volume 1 and his characters look amazing and ready for battle. I really look forward to the next volume and hopefully the return of DS. B+

Ultimate Spider-Man #112 Review

Ultimate Spider-Man #112
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Cover: Immonen and Richard Isanove

To quote Mr. Horse from the Ren and Stimpy show, "No sir, I don't like it." That pretty much sums up how I feel about the shift in artists on my former favorite Marvel comic book. Before I get this review into swing, I want all you Immonen fans to chill out and relax. I am a huge geek and I pretty much enjoy all things Marvel (stories, characters, art, and the such) and I think it isn't that bad that I only despise one artist working for Marvel. It just so happens though that this one artist I hate is taking over my former favorite comic. But all my Immonen hating aside, the story still was pretty sweet, but that's because Bendis is still writing the comic.

OK, even though the art looked like horse shit, the story was pretty damn fun. The Shocker returns once again and once again he gets his ass handed to him courtesy of Spidey and Kitty Pryde. Kitty is sporting some weird ass costume, makes me wish they were using Bagley's design from the Deadpool arc some issues ago. Kitty is still royally pissed at Peter, and after the way he treated her with the breakup I completely understand her emotions and actions. Like I stated a few reviews ago, I was also considered the "mistake" in my first serious relationship back in high school, and that is something that just doesn't go away. To make things worse, Kitty and Peter are seen coming to class late, getting a lot of jokes from their peers about the awkwardness of the situation. To make things even worse, the teacher is giving the class an assignment of taking care of a fake baby and matching pairs up herself. Sure enough, Peter and Kitty are teamed up as parents. Kong does something cool though, he basically tells Flash to calm the hell down with his racist mutant comments, defending Kitty. Kitty is stunned by this, and I really hope Bendis pairs these two up. Kitty has been treated like shit by Bobby Drake, some of her fellow X-Men, and now Peter. So it's really cool seeing Kong defending Kitty for just being herself and not ashamed of being a mutant. Good for you Kong, hope you get lucky in a few issues!

Kitty's a total babe and she deserves someone who likes her for who she is. Anyways, MJ is still having flashbacks to becoming the goblin thingduring the clone saga arc, and she is also having some jealous feelings towards Kitty and Peter being paired up for the assignment. Oh, almost forgot to mention Norman Osborn returns as well. He is ready to make a deal with Nick Fury, but he has to talk with Captain Carol Danvers instead. Carol doesn't want to listen to Norman, and tells the doctors to up his medication to keep him sedated. Things then get weird as the power to Norman's cell goes out and then a huge explosion ends the issue.

Thoughts/Comments:
Thank God Bendis is still delivering on the story or else I'd totally drop the book. I just can't stand Immonen at all. I hate his people, I hate the faces on his people, and I still can't really get into his Spidey. All the scenes at the school were atrocious, I swear the faces on Peter and gang all looked smashed together and dull of any life. I just can't stand this art at all, and I really wish they would have ended the book last issue instead of continue on with Immonen as the artist. Please God, let Immonen only be on for 6-12 issues. Better yet, make him a DC exclusive so his art doesn't taint any Marvel comic books. I know you Immonen lovers will probably hate me, but this is how I feel. The story has promise, but I can't say that for the art. B- ,and that is me being generous.

Manga Reviews: St. Lunatics High School, Fantamir, and Poison Candy.

Author and Artist: Majiko
Translation: Alethea & Athena Nibley
Publisher: Tokyopop

It is very ironic that the artist and writer of St. Lunatic is properly named Majiko. The cover of the manga reminded me of the Nippon Ichi game Disgaea. Actually most of the look of the book reminds me of the NIS character designs. Which I think is why I enjoyed this little title so much. The story centers around Niko Kanzaki and her brother, Atchan, who are very poor and he can't keep a teaching job for more than a week. Atchan gets an offer to work as a teacher at the prestigious private school St. Lunatic High, complete with a house for the two of them, so of course they jump at the chance. At night, St. Lunatic is a high school not for privileged humans, but for demons. As Niko tries, and fails, to fit in, she's drawn to Ren-Kun, who looks almost human, though his wings come in handy every time Niko gets into trouble. Each story is separated by periods of classes and there is all kinds of possibilities the writer can take us through. I found this manga very appealing and offbeat, although Niko's hyperactive overreactions to everything could be irritating, the art really makes it funny. I'm sure the premise of the main story is to see how Niko and Ren get together, but I am really interested in all the supporting characters like the pumpkin head and mermaid. I can't believe that this is Majiko's first manga, it seems like it's been done by professionals. I really look forward to future volumes of this cute and funny series. A

Author: David Hine
Artist: Hans Steinback
Publisher: Tokyopop

David Hine is no stranger to writing comics. He has written Spawn and even some X-men titles. This seems to be his first shot at a OEL (Original English Language) manga and he is teamed up with Hans Steinback famous for his work on Midnight Opera. The title is a little misleading, when I think of poison candy I think of all the horrible Halloween stories parents and teachers used to tell me, maybe I had a weird childhood. It is really a story about a group of teenagers that find themselves the victims of the South Korean Adolescent Retrovirus (SKAR). This is a disease that triggers the latent mutant gene in a tiny minority of adolescents all over the world, triggering inside of them remarkable superhuman and telekinetic powers. The twist is that the retrovirus also kills within a few months. The main characters are Sam Chance and his girlfriend Donna as they struggle to come to terms with Sam's newfound abilities and the death sentence that comes with them. Sam is frozen and wakes up one hundred years later to find out his girlfriend and all his friends are dead. It's a promising start and the story is pretty solid, but for some reason I really couldn't get into the book. Could have been the awkward dialogue or the way Sam acts, but to me he's not a likeable character. Steinback's art is really inconsistent; while some of it is impressive, some panels look odd and out of place. Heads look bigger at times and bodies are sometimes contorted in unrealistic proportions. Not a great start, but it does peek my interest where Sam's story will go from here. C+

Author & Artist: Eun Jin Seo
Translator: Lauren Na
Publisher: Tokyopop

To look at the cover I would think that this is one of the many hundred CLAMP manga out right now. They seem to put out more books than your average creators. However, Fantamir is not even a manga, it is a manhwa (Korean comics). Seo is the same creator that brought you Peppermint, which is also available from Tokyopop. Fantamir is a story about Mir who loses her magical abilities, so she decides to retire and become a student in a normal school. And of course it's never that easy! To her surprise, she's enrolled in a shaman class, and the school has a mysterious history attached to her family's past. I can't say enough about the gorgeous artwork, it's really amazing that the same artist can pull off those great action sequences and the panels where characters are just acting goofy. Sounds stereotypical of this genre I know, but the perfect combination of humor, beautiful art and drama gives you a wonderful story that you will be looking forward to with the release of each volume. A-

About Heroes Episode 66

Catching up on two weeks worth of comics and a few notes about toys.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 66

Oh My Goddess! Volumes 1 - 5 Review

Story & Art: Kosuke Fujishima
Translation: Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Toren Smith
Lettering and touch-up: Susie Lee & Betty Dong
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga

"I want a Goddess like you to be with me always." That's how it all began. I have been following this manga since the single issues came out in America in 1994. Sometimes I couldn't wait for the manga to be translated so I would just import the un-translated volumes and try to decipher the stories. The series started in Japan in 1988 and there is a reason why it's been around for almost 20 years. Since 2004 Dark Horse has been rereleasing the manga in its original right to left format. Every single story that was left out in previous incarnations are found here. So far only volumes 1-5 have been released in this format and every volume since 21 will have this treatment. How can I put to words how I feel about this series? How do I describe falling in love with a fictional character without sounding like a weirdo?

The story centers around Keiichi Morisato, a good-natured college student that accidently dials the wrong number and gets the Goddess Help Line by luck. That is where the beautiful Goddess Belldandy materializes in his dorm room and grants him one wish. Thinking that this is all joke by his roommates, the girlfriendless Keiichi wishes for a Goddess like her to be with him always. The wish is granted and this is how their story begins. Now that Belldandy is stranded on earth to be with him, she must also live with him, but with his dormitory being strictly male-only, they are both forced onto the street. Keiichi's motorcycle had just been repaired, so they set off to find shelter somewhere else. Eventually finding sanctuary at a monk's temple Keiichi realizes that there is a system force that keeps him and Belldandy inseparable and that after using her powers Belldandy sometimes needs a nap to re-energize. The first volume introduces us to so many characters like Megumi (Keiichi's sister), his sempai Otaki and Tamiya; and the conniving Sayako.

The introduction of Belldandy's older sister Urd, certainly spices things up. It's just a shame it slips so easily into such an episodic nature, but not to the point where she goes un-noticed mind you. Urd is a self declared Goddess of love, and she's made it her mission to force Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship to move on for the sake of her sister's happiness. Unfortunately for her, she is only a second class Goddess and not as powerful as she likes to think. So what she ends of doing is making Keiichi's life even more complicated, especially since her presence serves to irritate Sayako, who wants Keiichi for herself. Even The Almighty doesn't want Urd around so he sentences her to stay on Earth as punishment. Sayako's cousin Toshiyuki Aoshima is introduced in volume 3 and proves to be a rival for Keiichi. Even with his money and good looks he still can't get Belldandy to leave her man!

Urd continues her campaign of naughtiness into volume 4, when she brews up a love potion that, of course, goes horribly awry. Infecting everyone but her poor intended target-Keiichi. But random passion in the streets may be the least of the gang's worries as we are introduced to Mara, a first class demon. Of course Mara enjoys only one thing , causing endless trouble for Belldandy and Urd! How can we not talk about the fifth volume without talking about Belldandy's little sister Skuld? Skuld is a Goddess second class, type one, limited license, a category similar to her eldest sister Urd. Although her true age is unknown, but her appearance is that of a girl in her early teens. She is an engineering genius, capable of building just about anything out of the most mundane parts under most limited resources. Her reason for coming to Earth is a little different. She thinks that Belldandy is living with Keichi against her will and has come to bring her sister home!

You can see how the stories have evolved over time. The first two volumes are mostly standalone stories that don't quite link together right and unfortunately you can see the seams between them. But from volume 3 you can see how Fujishima has a definitive story he is trying to tell. Fujishima is not only a great story teller but a fantastic artist as well. He has a wide knowledge in not only mechanics, but women's fashion. However, looking at volume 1 the art style really looks old-fashioned. Now, you have to keep in mind that these pages were first drawn in the late 80s. By volume 3 you can see his art really clean up and if you have seen later volumes of this series, he eventually perfects his style. But you really don't get to appreciate that art without going back to the beginning where it all started.

What started as a spinoff from the manga You're Under Arrest has really taken a life of its own. I really can't say enough about how wonderful this series is! It is funny and intelligent yet at the same time sad and action packed. These books also have some of the best translator notes in the back of the stories. While other books have a bare minimum, Oh My Goddess goes into detail with their comments. Throw in some color pages with the already beautiful black and white and you've got perfection. How can you not fall in love with Belldandy? She is perfect in every way! Smart, beautiful, powerful, and the most unselfish being in the series...I guess the word Goddess is really meant for someone like her. This is the perfect choice for anyone seeking a casual read, it should also wet the appetite of someone searching for a longer series to sink their teeth in. A

Road To Perdition TPB Review

This Review was submitted by Ray2007

Writer: Max Allan Collins
Artist: Richard Piers Rayner
Publisher: Paradox Press

One night in July, 2002, I walked out of a movie theater, having just seen the film adaptation of "Road to Perdition" with a friend. As we discussed the film, we quickly discovered how different our opinions on the film were. Then, I asked a key question that made it clear why our feelings were such polar opposites: "Have you ever read the graphic novel?" He hadn't.

But, I had. And that was when a major irony struck me, an irony that had its roots in a forgotten day four years earlier...

In 1998, I had been working in a local comic book shop and one day discovered a copy of a new graphic novel that had just come in. It was called "Road to Perdition" and on the cover was a brightly colored drawing of a man in a fedora and Zoot suit, holding a Thompson submachine gun in one arm and a laughing child in the other. What's more, the laughing child was also holding a gun! "Interesting." I thought, as I began to flip through it. I was familiar with the writer Max Allan Collins, mainly from his many novelizations of films. But the artist, Richard Piers Rayner, I had never heard of before...but once I saw his art, I never forgot his name.

"Road to Perdition" is the story of Michael O'Sullivan, an enforcer for John Looney, an Irish-American gangster in the 1930's Tri-Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. Nicknamed the "Angel of Death", O' Sullivan is the best triggerman in Looney's outfit, so good that he's sometimes loaned out to Al Capone, a "business associate" of Looney's. Yet, for all his violent work, he has a comparatively calm domestic life. A loving wife, Annie, and two sons, Michael Jr. and Peter, keep him relatively balanced. Then comes the day when the balance goes completely out of control...

One day, the older son, Michael Jr., brimming with curiosity, decides to stowaway on one of his father's "business meetings" and ends up witnessing his father and Looney's son, Connor shoot a corrupt cop and his partners. Upon discovering his son has witnessed firsthand his work, O'Sullivan Sr. assures the Looneys that Jr. won't say anything.

Connor is so convinced that he sneaks to the O'Sullivan house a few nights later, when Sr. is on another job, and Jr. is at a friend's birthday party. He then cold-blooded kills Annie and Peter, the younger son, mistaking him for Michael Jr. And thus begins the road that Michaels Sr. and Jr. will now travel...a road of revenge, a road of redemption, a road of tears, a road of blood...and a road of a parent's love for their child.

One of the first things that struck me was the artwork. It was ASTONISHING, entirely in black and white, and done with a precision that I hadn't quite seen in any other comic. That's not to say that there aren't precisely good artists in the business, but his work seemed to truly come alive from the page. Small wonder that it took Rayner (a native of Britain whose work had been featured in "Hellblazer" ) FOUR YEARS to put this graphic novel together with his illustrations. Each panel, each frame, seemed to capture a moment in time, which is where the strength of Rayner's realism comes in. When all these moments are put together in linear fashion, it moves the pace of the story to that of a film.

In fact, many times I would say to myself as I read it in one sitting, "This would make a great movie." It helped that Max Allan Collins had written such a solid story with crisp dialogue (much of which was never used in the film) and made the character relationships so easy to imagine. Plus, the combined work of Collins and Rayner actually make this book an entertaining historical document of 1930's Chicago and the Midwest, because the fictional characters interact seamlessly with real life figures such as John and Connor Looney, Al Capone, Frank Nitti and Eliot Ness. (All of whom are drawn accurately as well.) and much of the background information and events are or are based on real events.

And this is where the irony I spoke of earlier struck me...because coming from such a wonderful work of art and literature, the film adaptation was not what I expected. Make no mistake, the performances in the film, especially of Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, Stanley Tucci and Tyler Hoechlin who played Michael Jr., were superb. The director Sam Mendes had shot a beautiful film with a haunting musical score. So, as a film, it was good. As an adaptation of a graphic novel, however, it fell disappointingly short.

Many scenes that were in the graphic novel that I felt especially gave wonderful texture to the father-son relationship were cut or never used in the film. Wonderful dialogue that made the characters come off the page, were never used on the big screen. Worst of all, the opening and ending of the graphic novel, that bookended the story and was one of the most powerful plot points was changed. Now, as a cinemaphile, I understand that when adaptations are done of existing written material, often times, liberties have to be taken. As far as I'm concerned, Sam Mendes took all the WRONG liberties.

Now, you may be wondering, why I chose to review a graphic novel that was published nearly ten years ago? Basically, because when it first came out, despite how good it was, it got very little notice. Even when the film came out four years later, it didn't do much service to the book, either. (In my opinion, the film did a DISservice because you're only getting part of the story.) This is truly a shame, since this book is an excellent example of what happens when time and care is taken to produce such a quality piece of literature.

So, perhaps I was wrong when I thought this would make a good movie. Maybe in the right hands, it still would. But until Hollywood decides to do a remake, you have the choice of the DVD or the book.

I know what my choice would be. I hope you do yourself a favor and give my choice a try.

A+

New X-men # 41 Review

Authors: Chris Yost & Craig Kyle
Art: Skottie Young
Colors: Skottie Young & Jean- Francois Beaulieu

Yost and Kyle still have me hooked on this series. They have turned a book that was dull and going nowhere into one of the best action packed monthly X-books. With tons of characters I really thought the story would fall apart by now, but all it manages to do is remind me of the old Louise Simonson New Mutants days.

The Quest For Magik comes to a conclusion and after a huge battle some things change for the New X-men. Along with Amanda Sefton and a O*N*E Sentinel, Surge and Hellion travel to Limbo to rescue their friends. Belasco is still trying to find Illyana and can't seem to see her, because she is missing her soul. Turns out Belasco has been in love with Illyana and all the mutilating of children was done in the cause of finding her soul. After the kids are reunited and kick some demon ass, Illyana gets Pixie to stab Belasco because her soul is so pure. DarkChild then destroys a defeated Belasco and everyone is sent back home. By the end of the issue DarkChild is in possession of Pixie's soul and is set out to look for her own; Rockslide is now partly Limbo-Rock; and Anole and Pixie get a personal invitation to be on the New X-men team.

I can't say enough about how great this title has been; particularly this arc. Having Magik come back as DarkChild makes sense. Although I would have loved some more interaction between Illyana and Kitty, I really enjoyed the touching scene between her and Colossus. Skottie Young's artwork was so perfect for this storyline. He has a great feel for the characters now and I hope he gets to stay on. The only let down was the dragging Endangered Species chapter. For every good chapter of this little 8 page story there is two bad ones. Well, this happens to be one of those bad ones. It seems that now Destiny was part of the Black Womb experiments. What the fuck? Blind old lady Destiny? I really hope this story has a point eventually. But like I said, it's free 8 pages that you really don't have to read to enjoy an otherwise great issue. A-

Terror Inc. # 1 Review

Author: David Lapham
Artist: Patrick Zircher
Colors: June Chung

From the cover I really thought this was going to be a revamp of Deathlok, but to my surprise it's a revamp of another 90s third-string character. The original Terror Inc. series was about a corrupted hitman who had some interesting powers. To sum it up he could rip someone's limbs off and attach them to his own body, thereby gaining the skills associated with that appendage that the person has. Anywhere, from a runners legs to a marksman's eye. The guy went up against Luke Cage, The Punisher, and even Wolverine and Jubilee had a team up with him. The story got a bit confusing after they try to make him travel through different earths and making the readers believe he is someone named Shreck from the Shadowline series.

I really think this first issue was a great read, not only for people that used to read Terror back in the 90's but new potential readers. And the fact that they made it a Max title makes it all the better. There aren't enough Marvel Max titles out there and I really think they should work on that. But enough about adult oriented books. This issue was a fun read Lapham goes back to the beginning to retell the origin of Terror. Terror Inc. We go back to the days of the Roman Empire, when he was married and he was a part of the Vandals. After confronting a huge monster, Terror is stricken with a curse that causes his body to rot away even as his consciousness persists in immortality. The years pass and he maintains his decaying body by stealing flesh from other beasts and humans. Hell, Lapham even kept the lover's arm that Terror has incased in his metallic left arm. When we come to the present Terror is talking to Alexis Primo and back to running his organization known as Terror Inc, which specializes in being hired assassins.

If you think about it a Max series is the only way to go with a character that can his limbs off people. Lapham has so much more room to play with now. Ripping a guy's head off and putting it on his own body is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I have been a fan of Zircher since his days on New Warriors and then of course Cable and Deadpool. His art style for this series is dark with some heavy inks and it really flatters the story with some gratuitous gore and we even get a tit or two down the road. It's a great start and I'm glad they are limiting to five issues just so we can see if this idea can work for more than this miniseries' lifetime. A fun read overall, with the exception of the $4.00 price tag. Hell, since they are both Max titles I would love to see him go up against the Punisher for rematch. B+

Pic of the Week

Well, any of you that are sane aren't reading Ultimate X-Men, but being the quasi-completist that I am, I bought it. It was horrible. The story (introduction of Ultimate Morlocks) was crap, but the art made me want to claw my eyes out. Then I found this on a community I frequent. Quite Lolleriffic.

from this page:

I tried to look up the page I got it from to site, but I can't find it. Let me just sum it up as 'it's from a very talented artist on the web doing awesome things that i did not do.'

Brave and the Bold #6

Justice League of America #12

Booster Gold #1

The Flash #231

Aboutheroes comic 02

Since we aren't recording a podcast this week I figured now would be the perfect time to let you get to know us a bit better. This comics presents a behind the scenes timeline of sorts of our podcast recording. If you've listen to our previous podcasts then you know this is how it normally rolls. If you haven't.....well this is how it normally rolls. Thanks for the idea John.

Holy variants, Batman!

I was browsing at Toys R Us yesterday, and I found three - three! - variants of Mattel's Super Friends Batman figure.

I mean, I know that Mattel's taking a huge financial hit from all of these lead paint recalls, but if they're planning on making their money back from completists, that's just not nice.

Upgrading to Movable Type 4

Howdy all, I'm in the process of upgrading to Movable Type 4, the all-new all-different release of my blog software of choice. I'm optimistic that this won't break anything, but if you find anything that doesn't seem to be working correctly, let me know in a comment to this post, or send me an e-mail to dan at aboutheroes dot com.

Flight Volumes 2-4 Review

Contributors: Way to many to name
Editor: Kazu Kibuishi
Publisher: Villard Books

Where do I start this review? I figured I would kill the time today waiting on new comics by reading volume 2 of this series. Figured since Nick did a review of Volume 1 you kind of get the idea of what these collected works are about. I went ahead and read volume 2 and then 3 and couldn’t stop till I was done with four. So instead of killing time, I found myself lost in a childhood fantasy world that I don't get to revisit often. There are not enough words to do this series justice.

Flight volumes 2 through 4 like their predecessor are a collaborative celebration of all that is wonderful in comics; a gathering of some of the best established creators along with a number of new stars which shine brightly. I’m not talking just comics here people. I’m talking about game designers, story board artist, video game conceptual artist, and even guys from Pixar. While it would be easy to simply adulate this fantasy anthology and speak of nothing but the credible artwork, there are reasons to explore the wonderful writing that takes place. Kazu Kibuishi and all his collaborators have captured something magical and delightful within these books. Each story does have the theme of flying, but you guessed it, some more blatant then others.

Each cover has that Studio Ghibli feel to it that just seems to want to take you away to a magical world of time forgotten. Of course one could gather that every story is going to be anime influenced by just looking at the covers, but with a wide and varied array of different art styles you will be awestruck. All the stories are extremely entertaining and imaginative. They range from comedic to dramatic, and you'll find yourself reading these strips over and over after devouring the book. Some have a way deeper meaning when you read it the third time around.

Some of these wonderful stories that stand out to me are: The Edge which follows two brothers who find out who really lives at the edge of the world. Vodoo, a wonderful story about a whale that wants nothing more than to fly. The Robot and the Sparrow a friendship between machine and bird, but a deeper meaning is hidden within that first layer. Twenty-Four Hours which is just visually stunning! And of course each volume has a continuing story by Michel Cagne, who can draw some adorable furry animals.

To say I highly recommend this series is just an understatement. I guess I really can’t see a perfect comic collection without these books in my mind. This series is not only for fans of the comic genre, but I can’t imagine a library being complete without copies of these books in their possession. There is so much energy portrayed in each story, it can literally change your mood and that my friends takes talent. A+

Star Wars: Legacy Vol. 1 Broken Review

This Review was submitted by Ray2007

Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Jan Duursema
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

The Expanded Universe of Star Wars has come a long way since the publication of the first new original directly-related Star Wars novel in 1991, Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire". Sixteen years later, there have been hundreds of new novels, comics, sourcebooks, RPG modules,
and more that have explored the time before, during and after the events chronicled in Episodes I through VI.

And now comes a new publication that is bound to, as its title suggests, create a legacy of its own: "Star Wars: Legacy". I first read about this new comic when it was being promoted in "Star Wars Insider" magazine, and the concept was a very intriguing one: Imagine a time, roughly 125 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi", in which Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, R2-D2, C-3PO are no more...a time where the New Republic has fallen once again...to the Empire AND THE SITH! A time when the Jedi are once again scattered to the stars...but there is one hope left for the galaxy.

That hope comes in the form of Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke. Now, before anyone starts harboring visions of a tall, blond, handsome guy wearing regal beige tunics and a brown monklike robe holding a lightsaber...think again! Cade is a filthy, rude, crude, bounty hunter, who is only out for Number 1 (not unlike a certain Corellian smuggler all of us know and love). He never likes to talk about his past, and for good reason: Cade is also a Jedi. What's worse, he knows it, and resents himself for it.

Actually, Cade is a fallen Jedi. He was a Padawan (apprentice) as a young boy, when he lost his father Kol, a full-fledged Jedi, to a Sith warrior during the Sith and Empire's re-taking of the galaxy. Since then, Cade has turned his back on his Jedi heritage, hiding from his pain with deathsticks (that's right, boys and girls, he's an addict!) and even letting the pleas of his great-great-great grandfather Luke fall on deaf ears. And the worst part is, Cade has great Jedi gifts, particularly the ability to heal someone, even bringing them back from the brink of death. (But that requires stepping briefly into the Dark Side to do it.)

But, as with many in the Skywalker family, destiny soon finds Cade. Before he knows it, he finds himself in the middle of a conflict brewing between the Sith and the new Empire. What's interesting is that though this is still the Empire with stormtroopers and Moffs, you find yourself cheering for them! That has always been the strength of John Ostrander's writing, the way he has been able to take totally new characters in the Star Wars universe and make them CONVINCINGLY FIT into the universe. Jan Duursema's artwork is as always, top notch. She really knows how to balance fine detail with minimal composition. (If you need any further proof, check out their collaborations on the "Star Wars: Clone Wars" trades.) And now, they've given several unique twists to this latest installment in Star Wars comic history. The best compliment I could give them is that I wish there was a movie of this trade paperback!

In any case, this new series is an absolute MUST for Star Wars fans, and for anyone who appreciates good art and storytelling, do yourself a favor and give this trade a shot.

A+

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened Review

Creators: Way too many to name
Editor: Jason Rodriguez
Publisher: Villard Books

If you’ve listen to our podcast you know that Melanie was a big fan of the Post Secrets book. A book where random people mail secrets on postcards to the author and it got published. Postcards uses the same method in a way. Except this time Jason Rodriguez bought old postcards at antique shops and put together an ensemble of wonderful creators to come up with fictional comics based on what was written on the postcard that had been mailed to different people.

We have really forgotten that before the time of text messaging, email, telephones, or any other online devices postcards were the means of communication. They were a way for a lover to tell their significant other how much they really mean to them. A way for someone just to say hello or talk of a loss in their lives. In just a few sentences these messages embodied hope, dreams, losses, and regrets. In this particular volume there are 16 different stories. As writers and artists were presented with a card and used the writing on the back, the subtext, and the historical context to craft stories.

The stories in the book range from comical to depressing; from mysterious to heartbreaking; from inspiring to right down creepy. It’s a shame I can’t name all the contributors, because it would fill up the page. Just to give you an idea of what kind of talents are behind this book here are a few creators: Harvey Pekar, Robert Tinnell, Stuart Moore, and Philip Hester. I honestly can't recommend this book enough to my friends that happen to be teachers, because it really is a wonderful idea that they could use in the classroom. I guess the only negative thing I can say is that I wish some of these stories were done in full color and that it was a bigger collection. But hell, what’s to stop them from publishing another one if this one does well? B

Flight - Volume 1

Flight - Volume 1
Authors/Artists Bengal, Bill Mudron, Catia Chien, Clio Chiang, Chris Appelhans, Derek Kirk Kim, Dylan Meconis, Enrico Casarosa, Erica Moen, Hope Larson, and many others
Publisher: Villard Books

This volume is hard to explain. An anthology of sorts of stories, some relating to the aspect of flight, some others not so much. This volume explores areas of art and writing both, to levels that are humorous and a tad horrifying.

Flight by no means is easily categorized. I sat down to read this not knowing what to expect and after just having finished it, I find it hard to put into words exactly how I feel about this volume. Containing nearly 23 random stories the range of emotions and reactions elicited are all over the place.

Not all of the stories are gonna make sense to most people, if they do to you, your more cerebral then me, that's all I am saying. Dummy Brother by Jacob Magraw-Mickelson I can only analogize as what I would imagine at age 12....if I were on acid, the art style evoking memories of childhood, the story seemingly taking a backseat to this style. Humorous stories are sprinkled throughout this book to counterbalance it's darker points as is most evidenced by Kazu Kibuishi's uplifting and light Copper story being put right after Clio Chiang's dark and disturbing story "The Bowl"

Overall the various art styles and stories within this volume are unique and at times very enjoyable. Broad in it's appeal, I honestly think anyone could pick this volume up and find one story they will either identify with in some way or just enjoy. Take a chance on this one and check it out. A

Tasty Manga Treats!

Kitchen Princess Volume 1
Publisher by Del Rey
Manga by Natsumi Ando
Story by Miyuki Kobayashi

Kitchen Princess, published by Del Rey, hooked me on the on the first page, where the publisher explains the honorifics of Japanese society. The company pays respect by not translating them into English because they don't transfer well. Even though I knew most of them, I learned a couple of new ones, including what the absence of an honorific means.

A few pages in, and the author already hits me with a tear-jerker - the reason why Najika wants to find her prince and cook the most delicious dessert in the world for him. This romantic story is well paced, and of course includes the cute, humorous pictures that you love to read if you have a heart….or a vagina. Same thing.  The manga also includes recipes in the back, translation notes, and a preview of volume 2 that is not translated! I thought it was really cool to see the story in its original language. Finally, the food is drawn to perfection! It really makes me want to eat sweets. B+

Iron Wok Jan! Volume 24
Published by DrMaster
Manga by Shinji Saijyo

On the flip side, Iron Wok Jan! , published by DrMaster, is all about violent, competitive cooking. Jan, the chef of the hour, always has an evil grin on his face and a trick up his sleeve. Even though most of the stories are cooking competitions, Shinji Saijyo never fails to keep the suspense up. It's kinda like Dragonball Z meets Iron Chef - except it doesn't take 50 pages for Jan to "power up" and do something cool with his cooking.

It's also very graphic. Volume 24 starts off with a competition of cooking ostrich meat, and they have to kill the animals while in a relaxed state in order to keep the meat tender. And what do the contestants do once they kill them? Rip the feathers and skin off with their bare hands to show the audience the quality of the meat! Finally, you can jump into the story with any volume and still understand the characters and what's going on. This is due to the vast wealth of knowledge the advisor, Keiko Oyama, has about cooking. Even self-contained stories aficionados such as Joe Quesada would agree that's a big plus. A-

Another Star is Lost: My Tribute to Mike Wieringo

Fellow comic book fans, I’m sure by now you have heard that we have lots an incredible talent in the world of comics. Mr. Mike Wieringo passed away on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at his home due to a heart attack. This comes as a total shock to me and I’m sure other Wieringo fans are also stunned and sad upon hearing this news.

Instead of reviewing one of his books, I just want to take a moment to pay tribute to this incredible illustrator. I became aware of Mr. Wieringo’s artwork during his two year run on the Sensational Spider-Man.

Along with writer Todd Dezago, Mr. Wieringo got to pencil part of the “Revelations” storyline that concluded the two year clone saga. When the real Peter Parker returned as Spider-Man, Wieringo got to draw a plethora of heroes and villains during his Sensational run. Among the heroes and villains brought to life by Mr. Wieringo were: Ka-Zar, Shanna the She-Devil, the Incredible Hulk, Stergon, the Prowler, Swarm, the Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange, Spidey’s temporary slinger identity the Hornet, and even the beautiful Black Cat (if only for the covers during that arc). His final issue was issue 33 I believe, where the Rhino was on a rampage and Spidey had to stop him once more.

Mr. Wieringo also did a lot of work for DC comics. I never read his Flash run with Mark Waid, but my friends tell me it was awesome. I believe Mr. Wieringo also penciled some issues of Superman, but I’m not sure on that. What really excited me was his run on Fantastic Four with Mark Waid. I hadn’t been picking up the FF books since Jim Lee did his Heroes Reborn year long story. But when I heard Mr. Wieringo was geared up to tackle the adventures of Marvel’s first family, I was very very happy with the news. Over their FF run, Wieringo proved he still had the talents to tackle the wild and weird settings and themes of any good FF story. Not only did he show the family aspects of the FF, he also got to draw the Negative Zone, outer space, Latveria, and other classic FF settings. During this run, Waid and Wieringo told one of my all time favorite Doctor Doom stories, “Unthinkable” which concluded in the legendary FF #500. Mr. Wieringo also got to play with the classic FF characters and villains, including the just mentioned Dr. Doom, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and more. He also got to illustrate some familiar heroes during this run, most notably Spider-Man and Dr. Strange.

One of the most touching stories during their run was a three part story where the FF travel to heaven itself to bring their friend Ben Grimm back to life. When meeting with God himself, it was none other than Jack Kirby. It was a lot of fun reading that issue and Mr. Wieringo’s work simply shined throughout each and every page.

All in all, everyone take a moment to pay your respects to a wonderful creator. I had the chance to meet Mr. Wieringo at Wizard World Philadelphia 2003 and he was a very generous person, signing books and sketching for fans. While I didn’t get a sketch, I did watch him draw an awesome Black Cat sketch for the person in front of me. Mr. Wieringo never complained and took the time to talk with each and every fan. So here is to you Mr. Wieringo, thank you for everything. You were taken from us to early, but know that your work has inspired many comic book fans.

Thank you.

Mushishi Volume 1 Review

Author and Artist: Yuki Urushibara
Translation: William Flanagan
Publisher: Del Rey Manga

There are certain manga that I really enjoy because they remind me of the formula used on TV shows like The Hitchhiker, don't ask. Pretty much is where the main protagonist just meets different people and interacts with them in different stories. One has nothing to do with the next story. Certain manga stick out like Ogre Slayer, Black Jack, Pet Shop of Horrors, and Mermaid Saga to name a few. Mushishi is definitely using that formula and it is on my must read list.

The term Mushi normally means little bugs, but in this case it used as a word to refer to small spirit creatures. They’re a primal form of life, which are often tiny or invisible or simple vague, and so close to the heart of nature that their activities can affect things in a manner not unlike magic used in fantasy novels. Think of these creatures as spirits that can sometimes inhabit the bodies of humans, unleashing havoc on them, and unfortunately most of the time the host is not even aware. Ginko, known as the Mushishi is a sort of medicine man who treats humans infected with mushi, he wonders from town to town all over the world to study and help people.

This particular volume includes five chapters and they each range from about 35-60 pages each. Ginko helps each one of these cases and takes all sorts of different ways of payments. He is very alienated, full of himself, and self assured in his skills; in other words I really like the main character. Although the stories are fascinating and intriguing, it’s Ginko’s personality that really makes this manga shine. This is a series that is targeted to an older crowd, and Ginko’s character is a helpful trait in trying to reach that crowd. The author’s use of tone in this manga is accurately applied. From the start it really grabs at those heart strings and takes you away to a place of melancholy and loss with the story of Shinra and his grandmother.

I really got taken by this world that Urushibara has created, it's a really beautiful place of fantasy and magic that often takes me back to my childhood fantasies. But there is some humor mixed in with this magical and dark world. Her artwork is a perfect balance of dark and beautiful inks. She doesn't overly detail everything, but it's as impressive as some of the best artist around today. I highly recommend this book to anyone just wanting something different from the usual. A

Old Boy Volumes 1 - 4 Review

Author: Garon Tsuchiya
Art: Nobuaki Minegichi
Translation: Kumar Sivasubramanian
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga

It's no coincidence Old Boy is the manga that inspired Oldboy, a Korean movie directed by Chan-wook Park that has gained considerable reputation internationally. The movie won many prestigious awards, including the Grand Prize of the Jury from the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. If you haven't seen the movie, I really recommend you to read the manga first and then go see it. Don't get me wrong, it is still a great movie, but you get so much more by reading the manga.

“Ten years ago, they took him. He doesn’t know who. For ten years, he was confined in a private prison. He doesn’t know why. For ten years his only contact with the outside world was a television set and the voices of his jailers. In time, he lost himself " Now, that is how you peek my interest. In the first volume we are introduced to the protagonist who goes through two volumes without a name. His ten year sentence is over and he is made free by his captives. He wakes up in a park and immediately runs into a girl that helps him put the clues together to figure out who and why he was put in that room for 10 years. There are plenty of flashback scenes of his time in that room to drill in how mentally and emotionally starved he became. Small clues lead him to many dead ends and lots of more questions pop up instead of getting answered, but hey that's the fun of the mystery.

By the end of the fourth volume we learn that his name is Goto and we learn along with him who sent him to be confined in that room. Even as he gets glimpses of the answers, more and more questions emerge. He is able to remember his old friend and the woman he was engaged to during the time he was kidnapped, but for some reason can’t remember the voice of the man that sent him away. Later we learn this man has had plastic surgery and uses a voice changer on the phone. As long as the story keeps building showing more and more unsolved puzzle pieces it'll continue to be interesting. I really find the manga more to be about the mystery of his past and sadly we lose character development. While the events surrounding Goto’s life are mysterious, he feels detached and dull. The rest of the cast have extremely minimal roles aside from revealing essential information, and the villains he faces are mostly shallow caricatures. His sense of revenge seems a bit tone down for a guy that's life has been robbed from under him.

Minegishi's artwork really fits the tone of the series. His characters really look like they are in pain when receiving a kick to the stomach or a punch to the face. But his people are not really his strongest point; Hatched inks, shadows, dark lightning, silhouettes, and heavy screen tones add to the dark city atmosphere. The sound effects are sub-noted inside tiny boxes that are drawn at the edge of the panel, so it's really easy to tell what is going on panel by panel. Just a few complaints, but overall the books have been highly enjoyable. B

Stray Little Devil Volume 1 Review

Stray Little Devil
By:Kotaro Mori
Publisher:DrMaster

Stray Little Devil is a manga about a young girl named Pam who, while trying to summon a "friendly" demon, accidentally transports herself to a world of angels and devils. But in order to escape, she has to become a full-fledged demon. Sounds like it's been done before, but the rules of the society are interesting, with demons not being allowed to help angels and vice-versa, and this gives the cliché story a nice twist.

The action-to-action transitions between panels are a little jumpy at times, but it doesn't interfere with understanding the story. The layout of the paneling is really nice with a blend of big, unframed pictures overlaying the smaller panels, and the artwork is really cute. There are a couple of typos at the beginning (misspelled words, unfinished words, etc.) that perturbed me, but DrMaster translates the sound effects, so kudos to them!

The characters didn't really entice me to read further than volume 1, but like most animes, you've got to get through the first couple of episodes to get to the good stuff. C

Black Adam # 1 Review

Author: Peter J. Tomas
Penciler: Doug Mahnke
Inkers: Christian Alamy and Norm Rapmund

I'm a bit confused about this book. For starters, I thought it was going to be called Black Adam: The Dark Age, but nowhere on that cover does it say Dark Age. I also thought it was going to be eight issues long, but I guess they made it six. I was really confused as to why this series existed to begin with. Why not tell this story within the actual pages of Countdown? How many miniseries is DC going to milk with the phrase from the pages of Countdown?

We start the issue off by finding out that Adam has been hiding out with several loyal followers from Khandaq since the ending of WW3 and 52. We have a little flashback of some great moments with the JSA and not so great moments in his life. Teth Adam takes drastic measures to change his appearance and has his followers literally beat his face to the point of nonrecognition. Meanwhile Atom Smasher, Wildcat, Hourman, and Mr. Terrific land on Khandaq to find Black Adam before anyone else does. Adam and his followers set out to recover Isis' remains so that he can resurrect her in a Lazarus Pit. After recovering her bones by sneaking into police state Khandaq, his followers sacrifice themselves so that he may escape with her untouched. Hell, one of them even sacrifices his body so that Adam could eat him and survive the cold climb to the pit. The issue ends with a dip in the Lazarus Pit and the perhaps the temporary return of Isis. After all, Atom Smasher did keep a finger or that might serve some other purpose, damn that’s kinky.

I really wish that DC hadn’t been in such a hurry to get COUNTDOWN out the printing press. I think everyone bitched when they saw that Black Adam just popped back up good as new with no explanation as to how he got his powers back within those pages. The last issue of 52 Adam was powerless and all the sudden he is brought back messing with Mary Marvel. Readers really wanted to know how he found the word again; I guess cashing in on that story for six issues is the way comics do it. But I think it really messed up the flow that it could have gone. I do have to say that it is a very dark and twisted story and looks like it will keep going that way too.

Mahnke is the perfect artist for this dark story. I've been a fan of his since his run on JLA and he can draw some really disturbing stuff right out of Scary Stories , yes those stories still creep me the hell out. I tell you what, that ass eating scene in the snow could have been taken right out of Alive, but Mahnke just adds that extra dark gore to it. If you enjoyed Countdown or are a fan of Black Adam, it's a really good story. I can't see anyone else wanting to pick this up, not knowing what went down in 52. B-

X-factor # 22 Review

Author: Peter David
Artist: Pablo Raimondi
Colors: Brian Reber

I can't remember the last time one of us reviewed X-factor. I really don't know why. It's always a joy for me to read. Peter David is one of the few X-writers that respects continuity and without him this book would go to shit. So what happens in an issue that was cut short because of the eight-paged Endangered Species story? Alot.

The Isolationist finally approaches Multiple Man in this issue and plans to protect mutant kind by forcing the government to add them to the endangered species list. Holy shit; Why hasn’t anyone brought this up yet? Why don’t they make that the main focus of this useless and outstretched crossover? M and Siryn attempted to take the two God loving/mutant hating singing siblings to their grandparents, but are taken down by Solo and Clay. That’s right, not only does the Punisher wannabe make a return, but so does the badass from the Madrox miniseries. It's good to see Clay come back and it will be interesting to learn how Multiple Man handles his return, since they both have the same power. If you haven't read the Madrox five issue limited series do yourself a favor and go and get the trade because it really leads to the X-factor ongoing and it's an excellent read.

It's so great to see Rictor and Rahne get it on. They've been in love since their days as New Mutants. For God sakes Rictor left the team to go find her in Genosha, even though he made a quick stop and joined Weapon Prime....ohh we aren't going there. These two are meant to be together and it takes a fantastic writer to finally see that. Let's just hope Douglock doesn't come around any time soon. Speaking of both of them getting it on. Could Rahne be the one that's pregnant? And how exactly would those crystals from Rictor's back affect their unborn child? As we get to the cliffhanger we come to a full circle as Nicole bitch slaps Layla with a giant rock (hey if there is going to bitch slapping, you got to do it right) and leaves her for dead. Seems that our little Nicole has been working with Isolationist and he wants Layla dead. I guess Layla somehow didn't see that giant bitchslap coming.

For some reason I found this chapter of Endangered Species really enjoyable. Mainly because it was a flashback to the Age of Apocalypse. So we get to see McCoy's examination of Alex, Jack, Julie, and Katie Power. Jamie Madrox's career as a test subject. A cameo by Jesse Bedlam, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. And Sinister’s movies of Nate (X-man). There was even a small mention of bringing him back. Somebody should fix the mess that Warren Ellis made of that book. Dear God making X-man a shaman to the world, what the hell was Ellis thinking? You see why I fear for my beloved Astonishing X-men?

The greatest thing to me about this comic is how all of the little things that seem to just be dropped into the story as an anecdote come back later as part of the main story all along. PAD never ceases to impress me and surprise me every few issues. Raimondi's art is amazing, which is really underselling him. I am impressed by anyone who can make only Multiple Man look like himself and every other guy in the book look different. That really takes talent. His use of shadows and angles are a true gift. If you aren't buying this book, give it a shot; hell I can think of worse things to spend three bucks on and yes unfortunately all of them happen to be shitty comics. A-

About Us Atari Style

During the last podcast I mentioned the Atari 2600 and that brought back so many memories. Today talking to my buddy Travis he gives me a link to this wondeful place So what do I do with this technology? The only thing that I can think of with the limited pictures I have.

New Avengers # 33 Review

Author: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Leinil Yu
Colors: Dave McCaig

Brian Michael Bendis almost made something happen that would have made the fanboy in me just jump for joy (well maybe not that girly of a reaction). That's right folks in this very issue Wolverine orders a beer! Oh yeah! A fucking beer! All he needed was a stogie and it would have been all good in the….not even going to go there. But right before he could drink it, we are interrupted by the main story of this issue. Oh yeah the Hood makes his move in this issue too.

Its funny how much the last issue was just ass and how different this one was written. There is more of the blame game in this issue. Cage is just loosing it thinking that everyone around him is a Skrull, including his wife. We get a glimpse of how Clint learned to fight hand-to-hand combat and how much of a hard ass Cap used to be. While the Avengers are reunited with Jessica Jones and Wong; Madame Masque, Jonas Harrow, The Wizard, and Crimson Cowl have a meeting with the Owl. It seems the Owl has come in possession of the original Deathlock (Luther Manning) and is willing to sell him to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for Owl fans, he gets a few bullets plugged in him by none other than the Hood. It seems that Mr. Parker Robbins has been learning to use that Hood, because by the end of the issue he sneaks up on Wolverine. Hell, even Kraven didn’t let him sneak up on him, of course this Wolverine could be a Skrull.

I'm not sure yet how I feel about the Hood becoming the next Kingpin of the Marvel Universe. Brian K. Vaughn's six issue miniseries was phenomenal and one of my favorite miniseries of all time. I guess I could buy the fact that Parker Robbins would follow in his father footsteps and stop being an antihero to become the new badass of the Marvel Universe. After all, he's only had a total of 12 issues of characterization and half of those were leading to this new life style. I just hope we see more of a back-story so we know what makes him choose this new occupation. And hopefully with that back-story will also come an appearance of Sara, his baby, and the Nistanti.

This was a fun issue altogether and like I said Wolverine almost drank a beer, so that's always a plus. Yu's art is gorgeous; he's really starting to clean up most of his sketchy panels and seems to be going back to his older style, which to me was perfect. The muted colors used for the flashback was a touch of pure gold. It just dragged a little bit with all the forced blame game, but the other half of the book really balanced all of that out. B+

Chuck Series Pilot Review

Series Premiere Monday Sept. 24 8/7c on NBC

So have you ever asked yourself, “when are they going to make a TV show about my life?” I’m sure the question doesn’t hang in the air too long before you realize that it’s kind of boring, so you say, “…but it should definitely have more hot chicks in skimpy underwear, spies, ninjas, ninja-spies, government spooks and ghouls, WMDs, and more hot chicks.”

Well if you haven’t ever had these thoughts than good for you, but if you have then look no further than this falls NBC series “Chuck.” I was first turned on to the series by the commercials where a sexy yet obvious government spy randomly takes out a dork, next thing ya know he’s running around being shot at, and then the line hits the screen, “what’s up with Chuck?”

Asking that question was all it took for me to sit up and say “Yeah, what is up with Chuck?” Then I happened upon the pilot on the Internet, which you may be able to see here . I was hooked right away with the setup of the main character Chuck Bartowski played by Zachary Levi, he’s at a party thrown by his sister so that he will meet women but all he can think about is his ex-girlfriend (gee sounds oddly familiar). He strikes out with every hot baby at the joint, and slumps the next day to his job as an IT geek (gee this is getting too close to home). He excels at his job but lacks confidence (I don’t have that problem myself, but it is played off very believable, and you instantly have sympathy for the guy). His best friend (Morgan Santos played by Joshua Gomez) is even odder than himself and together they talk about…well…the same stuff we talk about in Podcasts every week. If these guys were real they would definitely be About Heroes fans.

Fifteen minutes into the show and I’m sold 100 percent. Chuck does a good deed that is both out of his way and gets him into trouble with the management, I can tell already that serious moral questions are going to come up but he’ll always remain true to this one defining moment.

Twenty minutes in and I’m drooling on my laptop…you’ll see. Before the drool was side splitting laughter that was out of nowhere and totally welcomed at the same time.

I won’t reveal the plot of the show because I think it is very easy to grasp and I want everyone to tune in for the premiere. However, I will tell you what I perceive to be the story of the show (no they are not the same). Chuck is a guy like you and (clearly) me, but he is stuck in his mid twenties with no direction and a lack of purpose. Fate hands him a purpose and his good nature sends him in the right direction on what to do with his new found “ability.” But at its base I think it is a show that just wanted to make a geek into a badass spy, James Bond ain’t got nothing on Chuck Bartowski, and move over Bond Girls, Yzonne Stahovski is takin’ over! The show is funny and cleaver, if you’ve seen any other show, movie, or book where the hero defuses a bomb like that please let me know because I sure haven’t! The pilot gets a big A+ from me!

The rest of the cast is:
Yzonne Stahovski- Agent Sarah Walker
Sarah Lancaster- Ellie Bartowski
Adam Baldwin- Agent John Casey
and NBC didn’t list Captain Awesome’s name, but yeah Captain Awesome

Transformeracist?!

Found something hilarious over at the Bendis board.
Someone tooks some pages from Transformers/New Avengers #2 and made his own dialogue balloons. This is hilarious stuff!

Click here to see the rest of the comic. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Savage Dragon: Legendary Comic Book Heroes Figure Review

This Review was Submitted by Spidey:
Marvel just made me a very Happy Guy! That doesn't happen very often. But today when I walked into my Comic Shop (Texas Toyz in Corpus Christi, TX) Something caught my Eye. I don't usually buy Action Figures, only when I see something I just have to have. Today was one of those times, I saw this new Savage Dragon Action Figure(the last one wasn't that good which is why it's in the $5.99 Bin)and gobbled it up, not even looking at the price tag(which I still don't know). They also had a Judge Dredd that looked awesome but Alas, money was thin today so only one figure.

Now apparently while I was absent from the "Figure Realm" ToyBiz changed their names to Marvel Toys and they got a hold of liscenes to pretty much all the Comic Book Companies: Dark Horse, Image, Top Cow, & 2000 AD. I didn't realize this until I looked on the back of the Card and was quite confused, but the internet is your friend kiddos remember that.

Anyways onto the Figure, This Action Figure is apart of the "Legendary Comic Book Heroes" line which includes Ripclaw, Judge Dredd, Super Patriot, Madman, Witch Blade and Savage Dragon. We immediately get the "Build-a-Figure" crap with this series. Something which I hated about the ML figures except the Sentinel series - which was cool but I never got all the pieces - which is way I hate Build-a-figure, you have to buy all the figures. This series you can build "Pitt", never heard of him.

Anyways, These Figures are on ML Scale so everything is nice. neat and sized right. I don't know if I got a variant, on the box Dragon has no shirt, but my figure has his Classic Wife Beater on. Articulation is awesome, what you'd expect from a ML figure, maybe better. Now Dragon is a Big Guy and this figure's Proportions are just right, Big Arms, Big torso and smaller legs, just like the comic book. Paint Job is pretty damn good, nice details such as his hair on his arms and chest. Head Sculpt is great, looks just like him! Although his Fin bends and won't stay Straight.

However, something that pisses me off, no Accessories. WTF? No guns? Come on, I know Dragon is a Brawler but he did use Guns a little bit in the comics! I'll probably pick up Dredd some other time, hopefully this weekend. Overall this figure gets a 9/10. Not bad at all. Let's pray we get more Indie goodness!

Crosses fingers for Grendel (Hunter Rose) and Eastman and Laird's TMNT Comic figures

Brent's Summer Review Catch-Up

So, after about a month of computer problems, I'm back! Back with reviews, so here's some quickies. Look for regular reviews to return this week.

Detective Comics #835
After a great two-parter written by Paul Dini concerning Zatanna and the Joker, we're back to guest writers on this title. So far, these guest writers on Detective have turned out pretty good stories. John Rozum writes this issue, the first of a two-parter concerning the Scarecrow. Tom Mandrake is doing the art chores, and after his 4-issue Batman run in between Morrison's stories, I was a little wary, but he pulls of the horror and suspense well in the issue. Scarecrow after a stint in prison from being turned into a giant scarecrow from Judd Winick's Batman run, Johnathan Crane escapes from Arkham, and freaks the freaks out. The Great White Shark even tells Batman not to bring him back to Arkham. Scarecrow has left his old methods behind and is now a plain serial killer. He strikes down a bunch of random victims in Gotham at night leading the people to believe they are safe during the day. Wrong! John Rozum includes Bruce Wayne into the tale, which is similar to what Dini has been doing on the title. I wish Dini was on the book, but if the fill-ins are always of this quality, I will keep buying this book. Plus, the Simone Bianchi cover is killer. B

Fantastic Four #548
This title is okay Post Civil War, but like Black Panther, it's story is failing to keep me that intersted from staying on. McDuffie writes an exciting story and Paul Pelletier has some great art, but it's just not enough. Black Panther and Storm being part of the FF was cool, but now that it seems Reed and Sue are back, why should I keep reading? If I knew they would be on the team for just an arc, I would not have jumped on after Civil War. Plus, the Initiative banner is just silly, as this title has absolutely nothing to do with the Initiative. Is Reed starting or heading a team for New Jersey or working on the Prison? No. So take the Banner off Marvel! It has to do with sales? Now I see. C-

Black Canary #3
I was reading the previous Green Arrow series, and wanted to read the new series, so I figured I needed to try out this book to get some more Black Canary outside of Justice League of the America, seeing as how I've never read Birds of Prey. The first two issues were okay, but this mini is really not dealing with Dinah's thoughts of whether or not she should marry Ollie, but with the kidnapping of her new adopted daughter "Sin." The art was good as well, by Paulo Siqueira, for the first 2.5 issues, but halfway through this issue it switches to Tom Derenick, who does a servicable job, but why not have him do the whole issue? I hate the half and half stuff companies are doing. I hope Siqueira does all of number 4 when it comes out next week. Probably the best thing about this mini-series is that it's only 4 issues long and is coming out twice a month. Why can't DC do more mini-series this way? C

Thor #2
I've never been a Thor reader, and all I really want to see is the throw-down with Iron Man next issue, but so far this series has not been too terrible. I thought the first issue was a little lacking as a hook for a series. Issue two does a better job, giving us a look at what Thor may be doing in this series, living in Oklahoma! Will he farm too? Anyway, once the throw-down is done I'm probably off this book. On the other hand, Olivier Coipel's pencils rock... C+

Outsiders Five of a Kind: Nightwing and Captain Boomerang Jr.
My interest in the Outsiders has never been great, but seeing Batman choose a new team intrigues me. This issue was good because Nightwing and Boomerang have to disable Chemo, while dodging the issues that Batman and Nightwing have for Boomerang because of his father (see Identity Crisis). The best part of the issue is the conversation between Nightwing and Boomerang, and other than that, there is not much to this issue. Freddie E. Williams II (from Robin) does the art, and it's nice to see and artist put out two books a month. We need more artists like Freddie. The next issue seems a little redundant, as those of us still reading the chronically late Trials of Shazam know that Billy Batson can't be on any team as he can't leave the Rock of Eternity! So what's the point of the issue? What's the point of the series now that we know who's on Batman's team thanks to solicitations and DC teaser images? Who knows. Will I be getting Batman and the Outsiders when it comes out? Probably not. But I like Freddie E Williams! C+

All Star Batman and Robin #6
Wait, it hasn't been a year in between issues of this title? Stop the presses! Wait, that won't help anything! Nevermind. Six issues in, and we still haven't seen Robin in any capacity. Last issue we got one page of him. Hell, Batgirl suited up before he did? How does that work out? Other than going nowhere, my main complaint is that DC can print the word "ass" in another book (I forget which one), and "goddamn" everywhere here, but can't print "bullshitting" in this one. If you can't print it, use another word, don't black it out with a censor bar! Tell the goddamn Frank Miller to use a different word! Mr. Editor that is what you are for! Jim Lee does a great job pencilling the issue, as usual, and we finally see how the solo Black Canary story in #3 figures into the main story as she shows up here. Will we ever see Robin? Who knows! Here's hoping that it's only another 2 months between issues the next time it comes out. C-

Let me know if you like this format better, I might do it more often.

About Heroes Episode 65

In which we decree that the latest issue of She-Hulk features the best story ever told in three panels, among other things.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 65

Power Rangers Once A Ranger Review

This Review was Submitted by Spider-Ben:

Power Rangers Operation Overdrive Episodes #20 and 21
“Once A Ranger” parts 1 and 2
Written by: Jackie Marchand
Directed by: Britta Johnstone
Starring: James Maclurcan as Mack/Red Overdrive Ranger
Caitlin Murphy as Ronny/Yellow Overdrive Ranger
Samuell Benta as Will/Black Overdrive Ranger
Rhoda Montemayor as Rose/Pink Overdrive Ranger
Gareth Yeun as Dax/Blue Overdrive Ranger
Dwayne Cameron as Tyzonn/Mercury Overdrive Ranger
Ria Vandervis as Miratrix
Rod Louish as Andrew Hartford
David Weatherly as Spencer
Guest Starring:
Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam Park/Mighty Morphin Black

Back in 1992, Haim Saban returned from a business trip from Japan. Saban being a television executive had an idea for a brand new live action program that would entice and excite the viewers of the Fox Kids Network. While in Japan, Saban learned of a popular live action series known as Sentai. The Sentai series was a live action program that featured heroes in colorful costumes piloting gigantic machines that formed into a larger fighting machine. The heroes would often find themselves pitted against evil space aliens that wore giant foam costumes bent on destroying the world. In 1992, the current Sentai series was known as Zyuranger. Saban returned to the US, bought the rights to Zyuranger, and went on to cast Americans to fill the roles of the heroes and villains of Zyuranger. Thus, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were born.

Now, 15 years later and over 600 episodes, the producers of Disney have decided to commemorate this momentous occasion by bringing five rangers from the past together to join forces with this years heroes, the Operation Overdrive rangers. The story of the Overdrive Rangers is simple. Five heroes are chosen to locate five mystical gems that create the ancient crown, the Corona Aurora. When this team-up starts, the rangers possess two of the gems, while Miratrix and Kamdor possess the third gem. There are currently four groups of villains that the Overdrive Rangers must face off against: Flurious, Moltor, Miratrix and Kamdor, and the Fearcats. At the start of this special, the rangers must fight off another of Miratrix and Kamdor’s forces. After saving the day, the villains get a mysterious message from an alien being on the moon of Onyx. Flurious and his minions also receive the message, along with the Fearcats. All the villains arrive on the moon of Onyx to meet up with the villainous Thrax, son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. Thrax was never mentioned on the show before and is a completely American made villain. Thrax is so impressive looking that Ban-Dai should create an action figure of him! Thrax looks like his father, even going as far as carrying his father’s Z staff. Thrax proposes as temporary alliance among the Overdrive villains, hoping to destroy the newest incarnation of the power rangers once and for all.

The various villains are reluctant to work together until Frax tells them this a temporary alliance, and they can spilt up once more after destroying the rangers powers. The rangers are called into battle and are quickly overwhelmed by this alliance of pure evil. Together all the villains destroy the Overdrive Rangers powers, severing their tie with the universal morphing grid. This grid is the key to each and every rangers power from past to present. The rangers regroup, and Andrew Hartford (Mack, the Red Ranger’s dad) tells the rangers that there is a disturbance at Stonehenge, and that the rangers still possess their unique genetic powers. The rangers rush to Stonehenge, trying their best to stop the villains from finding the next jewel to the Corona Aurora. The Overdrive Rangers get their asses handed to them without their morphing powers.

Things look bleak, when suddenly the Xander, the Green Mystic Force Ranger arrives on the scene. As Xander shows off his moves, Bridge, the Red SPD Ranger decides to help out and even out the odds. As the villains are stunned, Kira, the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger shows up to help the Overdrive rangers, claiming “It’s great to be back!” As Kira kicks into action, Tori, the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger decides to lend a hand. As the villains stumble and try to regroup, a powerful axe is thrown to the ground, knocking the villains back. The Black Mighty Morphing Power Ranger, Adam, arrives on the scene, ready to lead the former rangers into battle against these new foes. The villains retreat, with the retro rangers deciding to fill the Overdrive rangers in on this new situation. Back at Hartford mansion, the Sentinel Knight, the mystic guardian of the Overdrive Rangers and former protector of the Corona Aurora informs the powerless Overdrive Rangers that it was necessary to gather together five former rangers to take up the mission of protecting the jewels. Now, the former rangers are entrusted to protect the jewels and thwart the plans of Thrax and his minions. Adam, who has spent two seasons fighting against Rita and Zedd realizes the severity of this new mission and has and idea on whom can fix the morphing grid. Meanwhile, feeling helpless, the Overdrive Rangers decide to resume their former lives, leaving the former rangers in charge of protecting the gems and stopping Thrax and his minions.

While the Overdrive Rangers resume their previous lives, Mack decides to stay behind and help his father. Despite having powers, the Sentinel Knight informs Mack that “Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger” and Mack decides to continue the mission. The Sentinel Knight informs Mack that the sword Excelsior (no relation to Stan Lee) is the one weapon that can kill him, and Thrax is after said sword.

Mack decides to go on a quest to find Excelsior, despite having ranger powers. Meanwhile, Adam leads to the retro rangers back to his home town of Angel Grove. At an abandoned warehouse, Adam informs his new teammates that there is a being that can restore the Overdrive Rangers’ powers. As the retro rangers prepare to open a mysterious crate, the evil Chillers appear ready to stop the former rangers from completing their quest. The retro rangers use their genetic powers to fend off the Chillers, while Adam uses his own martial arts talents to fend off the foes. Since Adam possesses no genetic powers, he simply uses his hands and feet to stop the villains, claiming “It might be old school, but it still gets the job done!” The rangers then get the crate and take it back to Hartford mansion. Meanwhile, Mack goes on a quest to retrieve the sword Excelsior from the woods. Thrax intercepts him, telling him his efforts are useless. Then, the other Overdrive Rangers appear to help their leader, despite having powers. Thrax runs away, vowing to have his revenge. The Overdrive Rangers realize the power of their friendship is stronger than any ranger power, and they receive the sword Excelsior from the mystical guardian holding the sword. Back at Hartford mansion, Andrew Hartford reactivates Alpha 6, who goes into the Morphing Grid and restores the Overdrive Rangers powers. As the powerless Overdrive Rangers return to the mansion, they present to the sword Excelsior to the Sentinel Knight. The Knight resumes his mortal form, no longer being a spirit. Adam and the retro rangers arrive in costume, telling the Overdrive Rangers that Alpha has restored their powers. Suddenly, Thrax and his alliance of evil challenge all the rangers to one final battle. All the rangers decide to meet Thrax and his evil minions, and have one last battle to end this evil alliance.

At a rock quarry, all eleven rangers prepare for battle. This is one of the best moments in any ranger team-up, the huge group morph. The heroes prepare to power up, in a spectacular morph sequence. It went something like this:
Adam: It’s Morphin Time! (So damned awesome hearing JYB say this again!)
Tori: Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!
Kira: Dino Thunder, Power Up!
Bridge: SPD Emergency!
Xander: Magical Soure, Mystic Force!
Overdrive Rangers: Overdrive, Accelerate!

As all eleven rangers stand morphed in front of a blast of colorful explosions, an epic battle ensues. Adam takes on Thrax, due to he being one of the rangers who caused trouble for his mother and father. The rest of the rangers team-up based on colors and tackle the Overdrive Ranger villains. The really cool thing is that all the previous rangers are fighting alongside the new rangers, and their respective theme song music is playing in the background. All except for Adam, who had some kind of updated rock music playing instead of the original Mighty Morphin theme music. Adam decides to call on the Overdrive Defender Vest, which is totally awesome seeing a former ranger using the current ranger team’s weapons. With the power axe in hand, Adam strikes down Thrax, proclaiming “Morphinominal!” As the battle winds down, the Sentinel Knight arrives and decides to finish Thrax off once and for all, ending his evil legacy. The Overdrive villains retreat, desperate to find the final two jewels of the Corona Aurora. All the rangers celebrate their victory, then return to Hartford mansion. At the mansion, the retro rangers decide to return to their lives leaving the Overdrive Rangers ready to resume their mission of finding the jewels of the Corona Aurora.

Thoughts and Comments
Totally Bad Ass!! Man, Disney did ranger fans right with this special event. I’m totally thrilled Jackie Marchand wrote this, seeing as how she has been a writer on the show for every single year except for the Wild Force season. She knows the characters and continuity of the series and it totally shows in this special. Adam and Kira mention the legendary Tommy Oliver, Xander employs his plan Xander technique (used quite often in Mystic Force), Bridge is given buttery toast, one of his favorite foods (another nod to the SPD season) and Thrax is of course the son of Rita and Zedd, the original villains for the first three years of the show. Plus, the use of the former rangers theme music and having Johnny Yong Bosch back in action after 9 years just sweetened the deal. Plus, Johnny claimed he did this special for his fans, making him one of my favorite rangers of all time. (Note: I’m going to try to get Johnny to do a podcast with the site. Stay tuned for updates on that!) So all in all, if you are longtime ranger fan like myself or just getting into the series, there is something here for any ranger fan. A+ all the way! I wonder what Disney will have in store for the twentieth anniversary in 2012. Whatever they do, I’ll be there!

SUPERBAD!

While talking to Chris online a few days ago, the film 'Superbad' came up in conversation, and I told Chris about how I saw it a little over a month ago. After hearing this, he urged me to write a review, justifying its presence on this page by simply saying "It starts with Super, that's all the reason you need." Well, after he said this, it dawned on me that there was actually more to this movie that applied to the About Heroes crowd than just it's name having the S-word, so here I am, reviewing it.

On the surface, it just looks like a teen movie, which, for me at least, makes it automatically eligible for immediate dismissal. Not to say that teen comedies aren't funny or anything, but a lot of times it's just too heavily relying on boobs and fart jokes, and I don't need to see 20 movies based on that every year, so I usually breeze past them in favor of...other stuff. HOWEVER...this movie is wonderful. Not since I saw the 40 Year Old Virgin for the first time in theaters (after not hearing anything about it) have I laughed so hard in a theater. This movie, is a movie most of us can relate to. The journey of 3 Geek buddies acclimated to simply getting drunk and watching porn in their parents' basements with each other while all the cool kids go to parties and have social lives, relying on each other for companionship throughout their teen years because no one else will have them. One day, things seem to fall into place and they get invited to the big cool party on the stipulation that they bring the booze. Luckily, the 3rd wheel of the group just got a fake I.D., which lists him as a 25 year old simply named "McLuvin". This can't go wrong. A seemingly mediocre teen movie standard operating procedure plot. But in this film, it's not where you're going, it's how you get there. And Jesus, this movie is one hell of a trip.

This movie is balls out funny. If you liked the rest of the comedies in this genre (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Anchorman) you'll love this movie. In my opinion it is funnier than all those movies, and from what I've heard of my other friends who have seen it as well, that's going to be the general consensus. While the main story is a road often traveled in teen comedies, it's still done with character development and writing that'll knock you on your ass and dare you not to laugh at the crazy stuff that comes out of these kids' mouths. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are freaking hilarious in this. Their comedic timing and interaction are second to none. They make great nerd-buddies and play well off each other in a classic Abbot and Costello kind of way, only with a lot more penis obsession and awkward a capella karaoke (just watch the movie and you'll know what I mean). The journey these characters take, while as I said is a well-paved one, delivers it's message successfully anyway. As these friends grow up, the start to grow apart, as many friendships from childhood do. However, they find that growing up doesn't have to mean growing apart, but rather adjusting to accommodate the new situations in your life as well as the old ones.

While the main story is great, the subplot is a complete runaway and almost steals the show. McLuvin and the two cops he encounters while trying to buy the booze is a freaking awesome sub-plot. By the end of the movie, all these characters have their rise to not-quite-popularity, but more social acceptance. It's not about finding a way to be on top, but rather finding a way to be where you fit in and be happy about it. But I am happy to say that in one sweet, gut busting moment, we are obliged with the downfall of the typical 'popular bully' at the savage end of a justice-laden billy-club.

I wish I could recap all the funny parts of this movie for you to zest this review up a bit for you, but spoilers in a comedy absolutely kill the buzz of the unexpected, and this movie relies heavily on being off-the wall and random, and so I must keep my lips sealed on all that. However, I would hope that by now you have at least understood the subtext of this review. THE MOVIE IS AWESOME. GO SEE IT. TAKE ALL YOUR FRIENDS WITH YOU. IT'S THE BEST COMEDY OF THE SUMMER (subtext be damned). When all is said and done, this movie is Supergood, and if you don't go see it, you'll be Supersad.

Jesus, that was so cheesy I have to go throw up....

Well! See Ya Next Time!
-Joshiebear

New Avengers Illumanati # 4 Review

Authors: Brian Michael Bendis & Brian Reed
Pencils: Jim Cheung
Inks: John Dell, David Meikes & Mark Morales
Colors: Justin Ponsor

Its funny how some books I just can't stand to read and then some books really make me wish the paper inside was made of the real soft material that the fine toilet papers are made from. You know what though? This fucking book doesn't even need to be printed on fine toilet paper. It really didn't need to be printed at all.

God almighty from looking at that cover I really thought they were going to introduce a female group of Illuminati characters and I probably would have bought that more than the silly shit that happened in this issue. The reason those ladies are on the cover was because Bendis and Reed had the brilliant idea that for half the issue these great men of the Marvel Universe could talk about their women. We get great revelations like Dr. Strange likes hokey, Iron Man brags about nailing Masque, Professor X just found out about the internet, Namor is a fucking dick (we actually knew that already), and Mr. Fantastic is the biggest fucking pussy in the Marvel Universe. How can he sit there and bitch about Sue leaving him, while the guy she leaves him for is just calling him out? Namor has been a thorn at his side for so many years.

Why does this team even exist? So they can talk about girls and not being able to understand them like they were fucking teenagers? This book is meant to be taken as a serious retcon of Marvel history, but the writers just act like it's an episode of Nancy Drew Mysteries for Boys. Seriously who wrote this shit? If Bendis and Reed are having marital problems they don't have to make a comic out of it. They can just stop blowing each other for starters.

There are small saving graces for this issue; first is the appearance of Marvel Boy Noh-Varr. You might remember him from the great, but unfortunately forgotten series written by Grant Morrison. Of course Jimmy Cheung's artwork is always a pleasure to view, no matter what he is drawing. Although some of the characters look rather young he has some great facial expressions and the fluidity of their emotions nailed. Each panel is really a work of art, perhaps that explains the delays. But, to be honest, on books like this, delays don't bother me at all. D

Behind the Scenes at About Heroes

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at About Heroes (particularly when it comes time to think of podcast topics)? Omar gives you a glance inside...

Click on the comic to view a larger version.

New Warriors # 3 Review

Author: Kevin Grevioux
Penciler: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colors: Marte Garcia

I don't think I really got the point across in my review of issue 1 how much I wanted to hate this series. As a fan of the original New Warriors, I look at every incarnation (This being the fourth) with very prejudging eyes. They killed and bastardized the characters from my beloved team and you add to the formula the guy that wrote Underworld and I was bitching about the first issue before it was printed. Damn, I'm so glad I was wrong.

In this issue we get all kinds of fan service: depowered mutants, Night Thrasher, Wolverine, old New Warriors, and Jubilee's ever growing fun bags. The mystery of Night Thrasher's identity delves deeper as the autopsy of his remains comes back with partial DNA results. Jubilee is still trying to convince Sofia to join the team and we see more on the true identity of the new New Warriors. We learn a few code names and a few powers, but no one is really showing their personalities or talks about the past. As another treat to original New Warriors fans we catch up with Bandit, Night Thrasher's brother, who appears after a car accident that took his legs, has turned his life around and is now heading the Taylor Foundation. Ohh yeah and Wolverine makes an appearance just to remind us how horrible the stories in Wolverine Origins are.

I only caught a couple of the New Warriors line up. I'm pretty sure Decibel is Jono AKA Chamber, Blackwing is Barry Aka Beak, but that's really all I could tell. Since all of them are supposed to be depowered mutants and hardly any of them speak, it's really a mystery who the rest of the team are. Most people would probably claim that Night Thrasher is being a dickhead by taking in depowered kids and supplying them with new powers to fight. I think Dwayne is just acting like his normal self. Come on, this is the guy that threw Rich Ryder off the roof of a building because there was a pretty good chance that his powers would come back. Part of me wants to know more about the identity of some of these characters are, but all in good time. The story is moving right along and in no way does it feel decompressed.

Now let's talk about the other good parts of the book. For example Paco Medina’s art, which I think is a strong selling point. The guy can draw great action sequences and lively characters that are very expressive. I still didn't like the idea of Beak being turned into a model, but I'm sure that really wasn't his decision. Vlasco's inks really clean up Medina's art, these two were meant to work together. So, yeah third issue and we still have the big mysteries, with a new twist on the whole Night Thrasher ordeal by the end of the issue, but I really like the pace in this case. The thing that bothered me the most was that this book actually referenced Wolverine Origins and acknowledged it as part of continuity. But shit, I saw an editor's note, so I'm not complaining too much. A-

About Heroes Episode 64

Catching up on new books and news from San Diego Comic Con.

Listen to About Heroes, Episode 64