The second part of Episode 100 includes gifts from Jeff, Ray's magic, Omar and Ben's drunkenness (just so you have fair warning), a conversation with Josh, and some comic book talk, about:
Thanks for sticking with us for 100 episodes!
Blood + vol.1
Story & Art: Asuka Katsura
Publisher: Dark Horse
Saya is a regular girl except for the fact that she can’t remember what her life was like before a year ago. Hmmm…, what Omar would give to have this “blessing”! It’s an actual curse for her though. She desperately wants to bond with her adopted family and have a sense of identity and belonging, especially with her “brother” Kai. I don’t know yet if it’s a family love or a romantic love going on between the two, but he won’t give up on their relationship, even though Saya finds out she’s a vampire killing machine! Dum dum duuuummmm! I look forward to see where the story goes.
The author and artist, Katsura, is a woman, which I find to be highly inspiring! Morbid stories can pour forth from the minds and hands of females too! I love the different angles she uses to attack the scene. They aren’t randomly thrown in for something different than a straight on point of view; instead they create a mood suitable for the story. The angles switch drastically during the fights though, which makes it hard to follow where a character jumps or how Saya is attacking with a sword. But she looks so remarkable when she turns into the vampire hunter extraordinaire! I love her eyes and the use of shading. B
Dororo vol. 1
Story & Art: Osamu Tezuka
Translation: Dawn T. Laabs
Publisher: Vertical
You can’t think of manga without thinking of Osamu Tezuka, hell you can’t think of comics without thinking of Tezuka. Even though he passed away in 1989 we (U.S.) are still releasing so much of his massive works in comics. This recent book by Vertical is Dororo originally published in the late 60s is a story about Japan during the Sengoku (Warring States) period. During this time the 48 demons rule the land and they sense the birth of a powerful human who will grow to destroy all of demon kind. Daigo Kagemitsu promises to offer body parts of his unborn child for domination of the country and to become unbeatable in warfare. When the baby is born his parents put him in the river, but he manages to survive and now goes by the name; Hyakkimaru (One-hundred Ogre Boy). He is found by a doctor who takes him in as his own son and builds him an artificial body. He also develops telepathic powers to make up for his lack of senses and body parts. When he reaches adulthood he sets on a journey to vanquish the 48 demons and reclaim his body parts. This is when he encounters a young street urchin named Dororo. Together they form a pact to get rid of all the demons so that one day Hyakkimaru can be complete again. Although this is not Astroboy, Kimba, or Black Jack, this is still Tezuka at the top of his game. But has he really made a manga that wasn’t enjoyable to read? Each one of his works is unique, but they all deal with the same basic human existence theme. There is a reason why he is the master at his craft and why he is one of the pioneers in the form of sequential art. One look at his artwork in the book and you can see his understanding of visuals and dramatic effects certain frames and blocks take on figures. He wasn’t only an artist, but a phenomenal story teller, director, and editor. I can’t say enough about this man and if you’ve never read anything by him, do yourself a favor and let this book introduce you to the world that he created. You can’t have a manga collection without this book in your library. A+
HeavenShield vol.1
Story & Art: Ryu Blackman
Lettering: Lucas Rivera
Cover Design: Jose Macasocol Jr.
Publisher: Tokyopop
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw the cover to this book. The artwork reminded me of Fred Perry’s Gold Digger and I also noticed it was an OEL graphic novel. I’m not sure what the prerequisite for publishing OEL manga by Tokyopop is, but from my experience it seems the artist have to have a Japanese influenced art style. Anyway the premise of this story takes place in the future. In the post-meteor age, humans and human-like reptile descendents have struck a delicate peace accord based on a dark new religion called Sacrosanct. However around this time a psychotic general escapes from prison and plots a military coup. That is when the government hires saucy racer girl Sepulveda Ramos and her dysfunctional crew of mercenaries to do everything it takes to prevent global scale carnage. However, Sepulveda is not your ordinary mercenary, she’s more of a mental nutcase with a fetish for killing. I really don’t know where to begin with this book. The story is everywhere with the plot jumping all over the place, the characters are one dimensional, the art is very flat and bland, and the dialogue is horrendous. Seriously with dialogue like this: “ Gonna rape you good”, “ my paw told me reptilian cooch is worth dying for”, and “give me them bones sucka” the creator is really not trying to win any Eisner Awards. Even if he wasn’t, the dialogue is atrocious and it doesn’t help some characters have thick dialects and are hard to understand at times. As most of you know I have a colorful use of the English language, but sometimes these words are completely unnecessary. The art really doesn’t help that much, most of the characters look the same and the action sequences just seem boring. I do dig the character designs on some of the characters and his angles keep the pace fast. But the book just has too many flaws to be overlooked. I have high hopes for Blackman and hopes he grows not only as an artist, but a stronger storyteller. This however, is a poor beginning. D
Shaman Warrior vols. 4-6
Story & Art: Park Joong Ki
Translation: Taesoon Kang
Adaptation: Derek Kirk Kim
Publisher: Dark Horse
This book reminds me that not enough people read manga/manhwa. Instead of talking about how horrible the latest issue of Wolverine Origins is; people should be talking about how much of a badass Batu is or how great the latest volume of Shaman Warrior is. I really don’t see the difference between Western and Eastern comics. Most of the time if you strip everything down it is a basic story of good vs. evil. Unfortunately, some people can’t tell a basic story like that, but that is not the case with SW.
The storyline in SW is simple; When his master is mortally injured, Batu must leave Yarong’s side to protect his master’s child. Batu seeks refuge in different places to keep Yaki out of harm’s way. But trouble always seems to find them, not only in form of bloodthirsty assassins, but Death Lords as well. As of right now Yaki’s powers have yet to reveal themselves, but this doesn’t stop Batu from leaving her with Genji to avenge his master. He returns to Kugai to kill Yuda, the man responsible for the death of Yaki’s father. Eventually Genji leaves Yaki in the hands of brutal warriors in a desert training camp. Years pass and now teamed up with another Shaman Warrior Horakaan, Batu reunites with Yaki and begins to set the pieces for what is to be the final battle against the rulers of Kugai. There is a nice flashback that reveals the story of how Batu and Yaki’s father met when Batu was nothing more than a butcher.
The covers always seem to grab my attention. Each one is lavishly illustrated and just focuses on one character from the series with no background. The cover to volume 6 just goes to show how much time has passed since Batu was given Yaki in volume 1. The art inside the book is absolutely amazing to say the least. The art is beautiful to behold, and of such a unique style. It’s more than worth reading, even if just to sample something quite different from the books you are used to reading. It is not only gorgeous for the marvelous and easy to follow fights, but the facial expressions show so many characteristics that it literally makes these characters come alive. When characters are in pain, it really looks like it hurts. There is so much emotion behind those detailed eyes that makes you feel for the struggling protagonists. The action sequences are gritty and dark and moves the story at a fast pace. SW has a mature look that will draw in the many readers searching out the few truly adult oriented graphic novels they crave. If you like samurai stories such as Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, or Lone Wolf and Cub, you will love this series. If you just like a great story featuring fantastic and realistic heroes put up against gritty and memorable villains you will love this series! A
White Night Melody vol.1
Story & Art: Selena Lin
Translation: Ysabet Reinhardt Macfarlane
Adaptation: Candy Shea
Publisher: Tokyopop
That cover is so ridiculously cute; I had no idea what I was in store for when I picked this book up. I’m such a sucker for super deformed (SD/Chibi) characters; I always purchase SD toys of characters in the anime/manga universe. Anyway the story in this book is rather confusing. What I thought was going to be an easy to follow kid’s novel turned out to confuse me at times. Ke Lim, Qian Shu, and Gao Ji are a typical normal family, but they live with two, not so normal dolls. Colleen and Jing Ping were once human, but have been turned into dolls, but can temporarily return to their human forms when their glass slipper charms get wet. I was of course confused by this, because I thought they were little children that turned into teenagers. For a kid’s book, it really didn’t explain much at the beginning and the reader figures it out as the story goes along. So these two try to get used to being human again by exploring the outside world, try to become regular teenagers, and eventually go to high school. The story can be a little hard to follow at times, mainly because the art is so busy in almost every panel. For example the costumes of the characters are drawn with exquisite detail. While I found the story cute, I can see why this is mainly a book for kids and not people my age. I had a hard time relating to some of the pre-teen characters and sometimes I just got lost with how fast the story moved along. I do want to find out how exactly Colleen and Jing Ping got turned into dolls and hope they reveal more of their shadowy past in later volumes. B-
Another one from John Bryant! Damn, that's two pictures in one week! Josh my man...I just had to put this one up there too.
The long awaited return of me doing the very thing that got me an avatar on this site.
Also, I changed the video in my last entry to include more of Jeff Hartz, of Dr. Who Fan, as he's more commonly known.
Jeff Hartz comes all the way from Florida South Carolina to join us for a look back at some of our favorite moments from the last 99 episodes of About Heroes. Part B, which includes Ray's magic trick, will go up later this week.
I added Jeff's little Diddy as well.
Here's the official unveiling of my love-letter to About Heroes.
Woo! Let's have 100 more!
I figure to celebrate our 100th episode week. I would share with everyone a badass picture that John Bryant (Spidey) did for us. Keep in mind this is a work in progress, but I still had to put it up, because we were looking pretty damn good!
Thanks again John!
ZOMG! A DC VIDEOGAME IS COMING OUT!!!
It's DC vs Mortal Kombat.
.....
WHAT? There really isn't a 'Happy' part to this one. Mortal Kombat hasn't been relevent or popular in almost 10 years, and aside from Rayden (spelling? don't care enough to check) everyone else who's part of the MK crew would get their asses kicked in a fight against DC characters. Ugh. Think about it. When's the last time you played a good DC oriented game? Want to hear MY answer? NEVER. I have never played a good DC game. Yeah, some of the Batman games were alright when I was a kid, but nothing special.
Anyway, reports say they're going to magically make DC characters such as Superman crappier with a Magic Handicap. All I really have to say is...this is dumb and I hate them for knowing that nerds like myself will at the very least go out and rent it (not buying, I refuse to do that) to indulge my morbid sense of curiosity. Well, maybe we'll be able to play online and one of you guys out there in whereveryouareland can get on and kick my 'Reptile' ass with any number of DC characters that'll make the game. In my opinion it would be smarter for them to do sort of a Marvel Nemesis take and just MAKE UP characters to fight our heroes. Ugh. That game was crappy, but it's sure to be better than this thing. Ok, bitch-session: OVER.
Authors: Mike Carey, Chris Yost, Craig Kyle, Matt Fraction, and Skottie Young
Artist: Brandon Peterson, Sana Takeda, Skottie Young, and Jamie McKelvie
I thought they had cancelled X-men Unlimited? I was almost 100% they had, but for some reason what I am reading feels like an issue of an overpriced X-men Unlimited comic. This book is a collection of short stories that deal with the aftermath of Messiah Complex. But did we really have that many loose ends to tie up?
We get five stories that feature Cannonball, Nightcrawler, Anole, Nehzno, and Hellion. Cannonball returns home to Kentucky to be picked up by Paige and they hit a bar, because Cannonball is depressed that the X-men broke up and needs to drown his sorrows. Then we get the stereotypical family vs. family in KY from Chuck Austen’s horrible run. It’s the Guthries vs. the Cabots in a bar brawl….yeeeeehhhhaaawwww! Nehzno makes his return to Wakkanda to be reminded that his “kind” isn’t welcome there, even by family. Northstar pays a visit to Anole who feels like he doesn’t belong in his own town thanks to the X-men, Hellion looks to Magneto for vengeance against the X-men, and Scalphunter gets a visit from Nightcrawler to discuss how good his migas plate is.
So, back to my question; Is this two issue limited series really needed to tie up loose ends? Sure, but it would have made a hell of a lot more sense to release it right after Messiah Complex ended. While I appreciate the character study we get in each chapter, the stories were just dull. The best one comes from Skottie Young, even though Northstar has mysteriously lost his French accent, it was still a touching story about not able to fit in at home after you have seen the things you have while in the X-mansion. Anole (who I had no idea was gay) feels like an exile and hurts because he doesn’t trust himself around his family and his town. But it’s also a dual theme of not just hurt, but abandonment, much like the Hellion story.
The remaining three were just boring and really served no purpose. So what if the X-men disbanded? Why is Cannonball so pissed? Just call Boom Boom, Boomer, Meltdown, or whatever the fuck she is calling herself these days and get X-force together again. Shit, I’m sure Sunspot and Magma aren’t doing anything but eating bonbons and watching reruns of Where are they Now: New Mutants Edition! Nehzno can’t fit in because he is an outsider, not because he is a mutant. Way to rule your kingdom Black Panther! I found Fraction’s story really lame. Nicieza already gave us a look at humanizing Scalphunter in the Gambit series. He even talked about how clones can’t have a soul, but that part didn’t bother me. What bothered me the most in this story is for Nightcrawler (who is still a man of the cloth right?) to even threaten to kill him is just out of character. What is the purpose of Nightcrawler visiting this guy for days, eating his food, and quoting Walter Benjamin? What I guess was supposed to be an emotional story about finding God, really felt empty (this is coming from the wuzz that cries at movies too.)
Skottie Young really defined the way the New X-men looked and I really miss his art in a monthly book. Brandon Peterson has really changed the way his art looks, he has come a long way from the days of being a Jim Lee clone. To be hones the art was fine in every story. The only bad thing I can say is Takeda’s art makes everyone look really young. I couldn’t tell an age difference between Nehzno and his mother, unless of course Wakkanda women just age well. I have mixed feeling about this book. I feel like its stories that needed to be told, but not really necessary to buy. But hey, if you want to know what happened to some of these characters after Messiah Complex, you know you already have a copy. C+
Written By: ROBERT KIRKMAN
Art & Cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
Ok, so I'm going to pretend that you've never heard anything about this book and just hit this review running.
THE WALKING DEAD IS SO FREAKING GOOD. ROBERT KIRKMAN IS A MONSTER AT WRITING COMICS WHEN HE'S NOT AT MARVEL! Ok enough with the caps, but man, whenever I pick this book up, I always set it down with a lasting impression sitting inside of me. There are few other comic titles that can stir up my emotions so well with characters that I have no other choice but to love and hate. This issue is without a doubt the most climactic and incredible issue in the series' history. I don't want to spoil anything, because man, this thing is chock-full of things just begging to be spoiled, so I'm going to go ahead and avoid specific plot details and just try to critic the book from a writer's point of view. It should be interesting since I'm nowhere close to being a writer (I pause and reread that last sentence, realizing that I occasionally write for this site and wonder whether or not I should feel like an idiot for writing it...). Anywhoo, in this issue, Kirkman displays a very efficient way to keep you interested in a comic that very well could have just dried up by now, much like a zombie years after the crazy government gases reanimated it from whatever resting place it was chilling in. He's shaking things up. He's killing people (left and right I might add...don't look at me that way, it's not technically a spoiler, I didn't say WHO died). He's doing what so many of our hero comic cannot, which is becoming routine. Since the series is his to do with as he sees fit, he can do what needs to be done to make it interesting. Since the story started, there have been so many shifts in the status quo, and just when I thought things were gearing towards being somewhat comfortable, and issue like this comes along and literally slaps you in the face for being so accustomed to comic stories where nothing truly changes, and if somebody tries to change something, the retcon timer starts ticking until the status quo is re-established.
Ok, on to the next thing that needs to be addressed. Character develpment. Kirkman is so good at making you love his characters. As I have read these most recent issues, I've almost felt as if I myself lived in the prison sanctuary our 'family' of survivors has taken residence in. I've glimpsed into their worries, their happy moments, their day to day hum-drum of getting by in a zombie infested world and their moments of incredible crisis. Kirkman takes the appropriate amount of time to really show you his characters, to build a beautiful house of cards and makes you forget just how fragile it truly is, and then writes an issue like this that seems to just turn a leaf-blower our way and force you to just watch the cards scatter and flail about. By the same token, he knows how to make you HATE a character as well. Any readers who have read any of the last year's issues can (or should) sympathize with me when I state that "The Governor" is one of the dirtiest, most awful villains in recent comic history. Now sure, it's easy to write a monster that does awful things, but it's not easy to do it well. Just compare and contrast The Gov' with a 90's 'extreme' violent psychopath like, say, Carnage. He was a killer who massacred people, but man....he was sooo gay. Wheras The Gov' isn't just a killer (in an albeit somewhat roundabout fashion), he's a liar. He's a puppetmaster taking advantage of those foolish enough to put him in charge. He's more evil in his abuse of trust and leadership than any simple killer symbiote can ever be (haha, again, after reading that, should I feel like an idiot?).
If you haven't read any of this series, please do yourself a favor and go pick up the trades. If you can't do that, at the very least you should go to a book store, park your butt in the aisle along with that dorky guy reading anime (....or 30 year old guy named omar...either way) and start reading son. And after you've gotten all caught up, you can sit back with me and watch Kirkman just pull out another deck of cards and get to work, knowing that at any moment, he's GOING to blow it all down again, and love him for it. +A
...oh yeah...the art's purty too.
Dark Wraith of Shannara
By: Terry Brooks
Adaptation: Robert Place Napton
Illustrate by: Edwin David
Publisher: Del Rey
Alright, two things before we start this review. No, this is not really manga, but it is in the same format that the other manga from Del Rey is released in. Two, I have never read a Shannara book, even though I have been told by numerous friends to get off my ass and read them. Melanie however did do an awesome recap of some of the books like Wishsong to keep me familiar with some of the scenery. So keep in mind this is my introduction to the world of Shannara. There is a nice forward by Terry brooks himself where he calls this graphic novel a grand experiment. I found the prologue a good recap into this world that I was unfamiliar with as well. We find Jair (which also happens to be my middle name) a little more mature than he was in Wishsong and living in the Four Lands. He is now testing his new magical powers when the shade of Druid Allanon sends him on a task. He warns him of an evil inhuman race (the Mwellerts) that have a new scheme starting with the abduction of two of Jair's friends Kimber and Cogline. The only way to get them back is for him to look into the dark arts that his father and sister told him not to use and he looks for help in the spirit of a deceased warrior.
I really enjoyed the character designs in the book; they really looked like the characters in fantasy novels. David does a great job with action sequences, but sometimes his figures look a bit odd. He reminds me of a mixture between Justianno and Kevin Lau. At times his anatomy can be a little off and some pictures look awkward. Del Rey includes an artist’s sketchbook, showing concept drawings and changes following Terry’s instructions. There is an extract from Wishsong for those who might be tempted to go and read the novel after this graphic novel. While I’m sure that Brooks will continue to write novels, if he ever wants to write another comic again, count me in. After reading the extract from Wishsong, I will be checking that book out as soon as I get a chance. The book kept me interested and I wanted to know more about the characters when I was done. If you enjoy fantasy books or are want to try to dive into the world of Shannara, this is a great way to get your feet wet. I am sure fans of the popular series have already picked this up. B+
Junk: Record of the Last Hero vol. 6
Story & Art: Kia Asamiya
Translation: Kenji Komiya
Adaptation: Ailen Lujo
Publisher: Dr Master
From the creator of Silent Mobius, Steam Detectives, and Nadesico comes his latest creation: Junk. Although it’s not really a catchy superhero name here, it does make sense when you actually read the books. Kia Asamiya was influenced by superhero shows as a child, which led him to take an interest in Western superheroes. He fulfilled one of his dreams when he got the gig drawing Uncanny X-men. I was a little disappointed in the story when I read volumes 1 and 2. The story was really unoriginal (guy gets a bionic suit that enhances his speed, strength, etc) and the main character was a complete tool. The first thing he did with his new powers was beat up all the bullies that picked on him at school. However, the story has turned for the better and Hiro is maturing as he gets more and more used to his power. He is now back in school and even his JUNK counselor becomes his teacher. But my problem still lies with the dialogue. It takes a while to get used to and it just seems odd at times and seems bland. The art is very dark and gritty, and fits the mood of the story perfectly. And just like in most manga, the focus tends to be on the facial expressions of the characters. I love how Asamiya draws those Junk suits…they really are their own character. The story has finally picked up and the art keeps looking better and better, but the bland dialogue just makes it drag. B-
Oh My Goddess! Vols. 7 & 8
Story & Art: Kosuke Fujishima
Translation: Dana Lewis
Adaptation: Toren Smith
Publisher: Dark Horse
Every time I get a new volume of Oh My Goddess it just puts a smile on my face and even though I have already read these stories when they were originally published in their monthly format, it is still a blast to go back and read again. But it’s worth buying these over again because of the color pages and the original art is the way it was intended. They also include the original Mini Urd series that ran through the monthly manga.
So much happened in these two volumes it’s really hard to believe it happened in only 400 pages. Urd tries to help out the romance between Belldandy and Keiichi by creating a potion that will make Belldandy sexually desire Keiichi. Of course you know if it’s a potion that Urd created it has to backfire on her. Mara returns yet again to wreck havoc on the goddesses and Keiichi. This time she takes over Keiichi's little sister's body, and tries to bring misfortune to Belldandy with the help of Senbei the demon of poverty. A demon that lives in a bottle and has a tendency to talk in the third person. Also in this book Skuld builds a robot named Banpei to protect the Morisato household from Mara. It happens to be his first appearance, since he will be a reoccurring character. The problem is that Banpei decides that Belldandy needs protection from everyone, including Keiichi and Skuld. There is a haunting featuring a ghost/maid who falls for Keiichi and just wants a ride on his bike. Skuld finally realizes what Belldandy sees in Keiichi.
I can’t get enough of these books; they just don’t come out fast enough for me. It really is nice playing catch up and DH giving us a breather between volumes 1 and 21. Fujishima's art seems richer here, especially in the backgrounds. His mastery over his art style clearly developed as the series progressed; the differences between the very earliest art and this art are quite striking. I found it rather weird that the back of volume 7 advertises the first appearance of Sora, but doesn’t say anything about Banpei. People looking for light reading material should look no further. Sure, it's not the most difficult of books to read, understand and (hopefully) enjoy, but the nature of the OMG series and its plot can appeal to a much wider age group. See why millions of fans have fallen in love with OMG and just read it. A+
Oh My Goddess! vol. 28
Story & Art: Kosuke Fujishima
Translation: Dana Lewis
Adaptation: Christopher Lewis
Publisher: Dark Horse
Funny enough I read this back to back with volumes 7 and 8. I really shouldn’t have done that because this book took no time to read. It seems that Fujishima is now just concentrating on letting the art carry his stories. This also seems to be a popular trend with Western comics as well. Comics now-a-days seem to take the dialogue out of the books to make more room for the pictures. Of course I enjoy the beautiful artwork by Fujishima, but I miss the volumes that take hours to read. Not much happens in this volume; Sora holds a karaoke contest to get more members for the motor club and we see some old faces like Miya, Takki, and Aoshima. Hild and Belldandy decide to have a broom/machine race with the outcome being a cure of Vesper (who happens to be sick with something giving him spots). If Hild wins the Goddesses have to return to heaven. I have to say I love that cover, it is probably my favorite OMG cover I have seen on any volume. Belldandy just looks so innocent and beautiful. Even though there wasn’t much of a story, it’s the cast that really saves the book. Throw in some gorgeous artwork and you still have a recipe for greatness. A-
Written by: Andrew Steven Harris and Shane McCarthy
Art by: Guido Guidi
Cover by: Don Figueroa
With Botcon coming up in a few weeks, I figured it was time to review a Transformers comic. This isn’t exactly a comic though, this is more of a behind the scenes look at the upcoming 12 part comic series, “Transformers: All Hail Megatron.” This issue still contains many goodies for TF fans. There are interviews with All Hail Megatron writer Shane McCarthy, preview artwork for the mini series from Guido Guidi, and even an eight-page sneak preview of All Hail Megatron issue #1.
The issue opens with a Swear Allegiance page focusing on the Decepticon mission statement. After catching up on the Decepticon mission statement, readers are given a sneak peak into the Master Plan excerpt that contains the original pitch for the All Hail Megatron mini-series. The comic then features interviews with the writer and artist of All Hail Megatron, followed by some really cool Decepticon profiles. The book ends with the first eight pages of All Hail Megatron in their final, colored stage.
Thoughts/Comments:
This comic is really similar to what Marvel produces with their “Marvel Spotlight” issues. This isn’t a comic story per se, but more of a lead up to the All Hail Megatron mini-series. I was reluctant at first to buy the All Hail Megatron mini. First off, it’s more like a What-If style story and it is going to be 12 issues at 3.99 per issue. But I have to admit, after reading the interviews with the writer and artist and reading the first 8 pages from issue one, I’m sold. This issue is a wonderful look into the making of the upcoming TF mini series and has some wonderful profiles and artwork for all the main Decepticon warriors. I’ll give this comic a B since it really isn’t a comic, but it’s a great look at how a future TF comic book is created.
Written by: Douglas Sloan
Directed by: Isaac Florentine
“Stronger than before! Go Zeo! Powered up for more! Go Zeo! Even up the score! Zeo, Power Rangers!” Man the PR Zeo theme song is great; it really captures the transition from MMPR to PR Zeo. After three years and one movie, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has come to an end. But the saga of PR is far from over, thus the Zeo series is born. The story opens with the command center a pile of rubble, the Zeo Crystal missing (Goldar and Rito stole it) and Alpha 5 and Zordon presumably dead. Tommy brings the audience up to date with this scene of carnage and destruction---
“The events that have transpired over the last few moments were almost beyond belief. Somehow, Goldar and Rito were able to penetrate the security of the command center and plant an implosive device. And to make matters worse, they were able to steal the Zeo Crystal, the only thing capable of restoring our powers! But little did we know how soon our world as we knew it would come crashing down, and our lives as Power Rangers would come to an end!”
As our powerless heroes stand in shock and awe, on the moon and Rita and Zedd are celebrating their victory. Still, their celebration is short lived when Rita and Zedd come under attack by the forces of King Mondo and Queen Machina. The Machine Empire arrives and sends Rita, Zedd and crew running away to Master Vile’s home in a distant galaxy. Zedd is infuriated with this development, he hates Master Vile and he hates having to run and hide from King Mondo. Zedd promises that he will return one day and reclaim his throne. King Mondo and Queen Machina arrive with their machine empire and quickly set up shop on the moon. Along with their son Prince Sprocket, and their minions Klank and Orbus, the Machine Empire prepares to target Angel Grove as their first target on Earth.
Back at the ruins of the command center, the rangers discover the Zeo Crystal amidst the rubble. It seems Rito and Goldar didn’t steal it after all. The power of the Zeo Crystal sends the rangers into the tunnels running below the command center. On the surface, the power of the Zeo Crystal rebuilds the structure of the command center. As the rangers walk through the deserted tunnels, they hear a familiar voice—Alpha Five’s! Alpha tells the rangers to walk through a green portal. The rangers follow Tommy through the portal and are shocked not only to see Alpha alive, but also to see the Interior of their new Power Chamber. The Power Chamber has always been hidden below the command center in case there was ever an attack on their base. Alpha tells the teens that Zordon is fine as well, and everything seems to be working out for our heroes.
At the machine skybase, King Mondo begins to manufacture his cog army. He sends a squad of Velocifighters and Cogs to Angel Grove to test the Earth’s defenses. At the power chamber, Billy tells his friends that there are only five Zeo sub-crystals, thus he must step down from being a ranger. Billy agrees to continue building and manufacturing weapons in the new Power Chamber in order help the team and also keep contributing to the good fight. Zordon then informs his team of the Machine Empire. As the rangers learn of their new enemy, they also learn of their new powers. The rangers are given their Zeonizers in order to call upon their new Zeo powers. The Zeo sub-crystals appear over the five power teens. Zordon informs his rangers of their new colors and powers---
“Katherine, you shall become Zeo Ranger 1, Pink. Tanya, you will now become Zeo Ranger 2, yellow. The remaining sub-crystals will bestow upon you new powers and colors. Rocky, you shall become Zeo Ranger 3, Blue. Adam, the power of Zeo Ranger 4 Green shall be yours. Finally, Tommy you shall become Zeo Ranger Five Red.”
As the rangers remove their helmets they are thrilled with their new powers. The PR Zeo theme music plays in the background as the original MMPR suits and Weapons appear on display in tubes on the back wall of the Power Chamber. Zordon once again congratulates his team---
“Rangers, the power of the Zeo Crystal now resides within you. It shall bestow upon you powers beyond your wildest dreams. As power rangers, you served your planet well. But the power rangers as you knew them are gone forever. You have now become the Power Rangers Zeo, the next step in the fight against evil!”
Billy and Alpha run a test to make sure the Zeo powers are fully functional and then the Zeo Rangers morph into action against a fleet of Cogs. The rangers quickly make short work of the cogs and realize they are back and stronger than ever. King Mondo is not upset at this loss; it has been centuries since someone has given him a fight. He vows to crush the rangers and claim Earth as his in future battles. Meanwhile, Rito and Goldar have amnesia and run into Bulk and Skull. Bulk and Skull trick the duo into being their personal maids in return for a place to sleep and some food. Back at the juice bar the rangers tell Billy it isn’t the same fighting without him, but Billy tells his friends he is still helping out even if he isn’t fighting beside his friends. The Zeo Rangers are born and ready to protect the Earth from King Mondo’s forces.
Thoughts/Comments:
Wow! I never ever thought PR would change so drastically. During this time I knew nothing about Sentai so this just blew my mind. I mean, MMPR was over. This was the next step, Zordon even claimed so in part two. Everything was new from the command center to the costumes and even villains. But despite this huge change, it still worked. Tommy and crew were still there despite having new colors and powers. I have to admit at first I didn’t care for the Machine Empire but they really grew into a serious threat as the series progressed. My biggest complaint was Billy not being a Zeo Ranger. Yes, I know there were only five zeo crystals but I still thought Billy would be the Blue Ranger. I thought Tommy would become the green zeo ranger and thought Rocky would be the red ranger. Boy, was I surprised when Zordon announced the new colors and powers. Also, one of my all time favorite bloopers was from this episode. When Zordon tells the rangers to guard and protect their Zeonizers like they did their power coins, Jason David Frank states, “But we didn’t protect our power coins! We lost them!” All in all, this two-part episode receives a solid A. The saga of the zeo rangers begins with a bang!
Written by: Mark Litton
Directed by: Robert Radler
The transition from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into Power Rangers Zeo begins with this mini-series. This mini-series introduces Master Vile, Father to Rita Repulsa and Rito Revolto. This also introduces the Metallic Armor power up, despite the armor not being used very often in the remaining episodes of the season. Still, this mini series is full of incredible action, sensational zord battles, and uses a ton of Kakuranger Sentai footage.
The story begins with the rangers riding horses on a beautiful day in Angel Grove. Lt. Stone is sponsoring the event which means Bulk and Skull have to tag along despite their fear of riding on horseback. Suddenly, a surge of pure evil arrives at Rita and Zedd’s lunar palace. The sky quickly darkens and the rangers must teleport to the command center at once. At the lunar palace, Lord Zedd demands the intruder leave his throne room while Rita announces that this isn’t just any villain, this is her father Master Vile. Vile is furious that Rita has married Lord Zedd, stating, “Why couldn’t you have married someone with a skull!” Vile quickly takes control promising to destroy the rangers for good. He calls upon his Skull sky base and instructs Squatt and Babboo to feed the Tenga Warriors a special root that will make them unstoppable.
At the command center, Zordon tells his team that a being of pure evil has arrived on the moon. The rangers quickly meet Master Vile while looking at the viewing globe. Zordon states that Vile is the father of Rita and Rito and he has been conquering other galaxies many light years away. Adam is getting tired of Rita’s family stating, “Some family tree. First Rito and now this!” To combat this new threat, the rangers are given their new metallic armor. The metallic armor is basically a shiny gloss like material sprayed onto the regular ranger costumes. The armor will make the rangers unbeatable, but it must be used in only emergency situations. Suddenly, the Tenga Warriors begin their attack and the rangers quickly morph into action. The rangers are quickly surprised at the new strength and savagery the Tenga warriors posses. Tommy instructs his team to activate the metallic armor, and with their new armor the Tenga Warriors are defeated. Master Vile isn’t about to quit and creates his first monster, the Blue Globber. Vile instructs Globber to begin attacking Angel Grove. Back at the command center, Zordon tells his rangers that Master Vile is after the Zeo Crystal. The Zeo Crystal is a source on unlimited power and Vile must not get his hands on it. The Zeo Crystal is stored in the Caves of Deception under Zedd’s lunar fortress. Still, the Zeo Crystal is not unprotected. An energy field surrounds the Zeo Crystal and it will destroy anyone with even an ounce of evil within them. Any person who once committed an act of evil will be destroyed by the crystal’s force field. Tommy volunteers to go after the Zeo Crystal and Kat decides to join him. She is going to pretend to be evil once again in order for Tommy to get into the caves of deception unnoticed. The two morph and teleport to the Lunar Palace and Katherine removes her helmet and tells Rita and Zedd she wants to become evil once again. Tommy sneaks off to the caves of deception and Zedd tricks Kat into stepping into a device that will turn her evil once and for all.
Back on Earth, the other rangers call upon their Shogun Zords and combat the Blue Globber. The Globber drains the Shogun Megazord of its energy and Billy creates a device that will allow the rangers to summon their Ninja Zords. The Ninja Megazord doesn’t fare any better as the Globber drains the Ninja Megazord of its powers as well. Ninjor shows up to help the rangers but Globber is ready for him. The Globber drains Ninjor’s powers and takes Ninjor prisoner. What’s worse, the rangers can’t hit the Globber without endangering Ninjor. Since Ninjor is now connected to the Blue Globber all damage inflicted on the monster will also damage Ninjor himself. Master Vile watches the battle from his Skull Base and Lord Zedd can’t believe that Rita’s father is actually winning!
In the Caves of Deception Tommy faces many illusions as he nears the Zeo Crystal. Tommy confronts the following illusions on his quest: Goldar, his fellow rangers (who claim to have lost and decide to work for Master Vile) the Green Ranger (a very cool cameo) Rita Repulsa, Master Vile and eventually Katherine. Tommy reaches for the Zeo crystal but the force field attacks his body. For those not keeping score, Tommy was evil for a brief period. Clips are shown of evil green ranger Tommy from the Green With Evil mini-series from season one, followed by clips of Tommy fighting the good fight as the Green and White ranger. Due to the goodness in his heart, Tommy retrieves the Zeo Crystal. He teleports inside Rita and Zedd’s throne room and saves Katherine along with the captured Falcon Zord. Katherine and Tommy morph back into action, store the Zeo Crystal inside the falcon zord and show up to help their friends. With the Falcon Zord entering the game, the Blue Globber is caught off guard and things seem to be looking up for our heroes.
Master Vile isn’t done yet and the rangers realize they can’t keep fighting Globber as long as Ninjor is placed in danger. Globber finally drains all the zords of their powers and the rangers are kicked out of their own zords. Master Vile sends the zords to the distant planet in the galaxy he ruled over. The atmosphere of this planet creates a layer of corrosive rust that covers the now powerless zords. To make things even worse, Master Vile now has the Zeo Crystal! The Blue Globber then proceeds to drain the rangers of their powers. Tommy instructs his team to call upon the metallic armor; thus the rangers are able to escape. On his Skull airbase, Master Vile and the villains are celebrating their victory. Lord Zedd is clearly unhappy with the outcome of the battle. Zedd is sitting in a chair and very frustrated that Master Vile has defeated the rangers with such little effort. Rita and Rito tell Zedd to cheer up, and Master Vile decides to throw an end of the world party at Ernie’s Juice Bar. At the juice bar, Ernie and Bulk and Skull wonder where the rangers are when Master Vile arrives with his alien army. Master Vile tells the people of Angel Grove that this is the end of the world party. Zedd even joins in the festivities, despite still being bitter that Vile has won so easily. Another thing that is important about this scene is that this is the first time Bulk and Skull actually come face to face with Rita and Zedd. This will later be referenced in the 10th anniversary special, “Forever Red.”
At the command center, the rangers feel drained. Alpha constructs a device to re-energize the rangers. The rangers realize they must get their zords back, save Ninjor, re-claim the Zeo Crystal and stop Master Vile. While Billy, Adam, and Aisha begin to search for the zords, Tommy, Rocky and Kat go to the Juice Bar. At the Juice Bar, Bulk and Skull tell their friends they are really worried about the rangers and Goldar tells the rangers that there is no reason to fight any more since evil has won. Tommy, Rocky and Kat are instructed to return to the command center since Billy has found where the zords are. The rangers all morph back into action and teleport to the alien planet. On the planet, Billy tells the rangers to use their blade blasters to get through the layer of corrosive rust covering the Megazord. This allows the rangers to enter the Megazord. In the heart of the Megazord all six rangers summon the strength from the morphin grid and re-energize their zords. With the zords back in action the rangers return to Earth and prepare to save their world.
Master Vile once again sends Globber to confront the Zords. This time Globber uses the ranger’s own energy that he drained from them in part two. Notice in the sentai footage that the Alien Rangers helmets appear on the Blue Globber. For those who don’t know, the Kakurangers (alien rangers) were the core team in the Kakuranger series, not the Zyurangers (the MMPR power suits). That is why the ranger power helmets that appear on the Blue Globber look different. The rangers realize they must stop Blue Globber once and for all despite putting Ninjor in danger. Just as luck would have it, Ninjor escapes from Vile’s Skull Base and joins the rangers in battle. Master Vile grows angry and decides to grow to giant size and help Globber out. Ron Wasserman’s incredible rendition of the MMPR extended theme plays in the background during this fight. This helps show the severity of the battle and also enforces that the rangers will never give up despite impossible odds. Blue Globber is eventually destroyed and Ninjor is out of danger. Master Vile isn’t finished though and the final fight begins. Vile states, “Monsters may come and go but I Master Vile am here to stay!” Tommy then replies from his Falconzord, “Time to show you how it’s done, Master Vile!” and the rangers summon all their powers to send Master Vile running. The rangers once again gain control of the Zeo Crystal and Vile swears revenge.
In a deserted field, the rangers prepare to split the Zeo Crystal up into five sub sections. The rangers realize they need extra protection they summon the metallic armor. Zordon sends the pieces through a time stream, hiding all the pieces in various locations throughout time and space. By splitting the Zeo Crystal up no one can ever find the crystal and reassemble it. This plot really comes into play in the Mighty Morphin Alien Ranger 10-part mini-series not to far down the road.
With the Earth safe once more, the ranger teens finish their horseback riding event. Bulk and Skull still dread riding on horseback, and the Earth is safe once more.
Thoughts/Comments:
If any of you guys talk to Chris or Omar or Melanie they will tell you that I love the PR Zeo series. I absolutely love it! I mean, I even made Omar, Melanie, Tommy and Manuel all do the Zeo group morph at a bar on my birthday!(I was Zeo Ranger Five) When this mini series first aired I had no clue that the huge transition from MMPR to Zeo was about to occur. I didn’t think the Zeo Crystal would ever reappear and it’s really cool the writers started dropping hints with this mini-series. I love how the full, extended version of “Go Go Power Rangers” plays during the final Zord Fight in part three. I also enjoyed the evil Green Ranger’s cameo in the Caves of Deception. Also, this mini-series was where Bulk and Skull first meet Rita and Zedd. All in all, this is a historic moment in ranger history and I give all three parts a solid A+. I just wish MMPR DVD sets would be released, my copy of this I taped on VHS years ago is old and kind of static in quality. Still, this mini-series is a lot of fun and a great set up for the Power Rangers Zeo series.
It was a bit of a slow week in comic books, but we soldier on through and talk about:
Also, two quick notes. Yes, this episode is intentionally without the opening music and episode title, because I thought the way we recorded it was funnier. And we've decided to integrate the clip show we spoke of before into episode 100. We didn't forget.
If you’ve read my reviews on Beckett Anime Magazine or have known me for some time, you know that I have a fascination with giant robots. Every since Mazinger Z, Robotech, Voltron, and of course Transformers I have been enthralled by these mechanical creatures. Combiners were always some of my favorite ones. I mean what is better than having one robot? Three or five that combine into one of course. From the Power Ranger series Jungle Fury (for some reason I keep calling it Jungle Fever, which would be interesting) comes the Deluxe Pride Megazord which you should be able to find in stores now.
As always these giant robots come pre-painted and inside of a big window box. There are pictures of the megazord everywhere on the box as well as its capabilities and its different mode. Transformation is rather simple and it also features a savage spin action. The Pride Fury Megazord can separate into three different animal zords; red tiger zord, and yellow cheetah zord. This figure can interlock with future (yet to be released) Megazords to transform into different and more powerful megazords. It stands almost a foot tall and the tails from the animal zords can combine to form a staff. Just by looking at the Megazord, I really didn’t think I would be that into it, but I was proven wrong. The only negative things I can say is that I miss the days of five or six separate zords forming into one and like most things, the prices have gone up because of the mechanics that go into making them. But, Bandai still knows how to show their fans love!!! A-
It's a secret invasion of the About Heroes podcast! Is one of us a Skrull? Ben joins the regulars to help us figure it out. On this episode:
I know South Park really isn’t about heroes, but this mini movie had so many hero and villain cameos I couldn’t wait to review it. Before starting, yes I just bought this DVD on Friday and I don’t have cable at my house so I know many of you have probably already watched this movie. But I’m late to the party and I’m also going to talk about the extras on the DVD itself.
The plot of this mini movie goes like this: Kyle loses a bet when Cartman proves a Leprechaun does exist. Kyle now has to suck Cartman’s balls. This is really the central theme of all three episodes but the setting of this story takes place mostly in Imagination Land. I don’t want to type out Imagination Land every time in this review, so I’m going to refer to it as IM (remember, this doesn’t stand for Iron Man or anything like that). So the after losing the bet to Cartman, Kyle and crew are approached by the mayor of IM in his magical balloon. Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Butters, Jimmy and more decide to follow go with the mayor and enter IM. Butters fears the mayor will rape them, but that is no the case. After singing a terrible song, the mayor and boys enter IM. We are first introduced to the good characters of IM. Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Orko from He-Man, Snarf, Lollipop Land thing, and others reside here. Jimmy has one of the best lines of the entire story when meeting the citizens of IM: “This is incredible, and completely fucked up at the same time!” The mayor brings the boys down and they mention how they met the Leprechaun from the beginning of the episode. The Leprechaun told them terrorists were going to attack IM, but before the boys can tell the citizens of IM the message the terrorists actually attack IM. Many IM characters are killed, and the boys escape but Butters is captured and left behind.
The next morning the Stan and Kyle realize they had the same dream, and Mr. and Mrs. Stotch tell everyone Butters is missing. In IM, a huge rocket thing that is alive is used to destroy the barrier separating the good IM land characters from the bad ones. The forces of evil pour through and begin to kill even more IM characters. Some of the evil Im characters include: Predator, Alien, Storm Troopers, Joker, Darth Maul, Jason from Friday the Thirteenth, Freddy Kruger, Carnage, the Woodland Critters (from season 8’s Woodland Critter Christmas) and the first appearance of the true Manbearpig. Butters escapes with Snarf and Lollipop land guy and head for the magical castle outside the gumdrop forest. Back in our world, Kyle is about to suck Cartman’s balls when the government comes and takes Stan and Kyle to the pentagon. The government witnessed the video of Butters asking for Stan and Kyle to help him, so the boys must remember the exact chords to the IM song to open the government’s own IM doorway portal. Cartman is very pissed at this since he has gone to court and received a document declaring Kyle must suck his balls before the next 24 hours are up.
The evil IM characters torture Strawberry Shortcake. She has an eye cut out and the Woodland Critters want to pee in her eye to give her AIDS and make he suffer a slow death (yes, that is exactly what they say to her) while Butters, Snarf and Lollipop guy try to stay quiet. Back in our reality, the government sends Kurt Russell through the now opened doorway to IM with other government troopers. In IM, Kurt and the soldiers run into the Woodland Critters and the Critters begin to rape and kill Kurt and crew. Cartman makes his way to the Pentagon and shows the government the court order, thus Kyle and Cartman are sent to a room so Kyle can finally suck Cartman’s balls. Kyle wants to get it over with, but Cartman doesn’t want to rush this and gets some thrill from Kyle’s suffering.
Back in IM, Butters and crew meet the imaginary council of nine at the castle. The nine consists of the best imaginary characters ever. Some of the nine include Aslan the Lion, Morpheus from the Matrix, Popeye, Wonder Woman, and even Jesus himself (Melanie didn’t care for that when I told her and Omar about the council) and Butters realizes he is the key to saving IM. He is from our world so anything he imagines will come true. However, Butters is nervous and can’t seem to imagine Santa Claus. The council needs Santa as the evil IM characters storm the castle for the final battle. At the pentagon, Manbearpig breaks through the barrier getting the attention of Al Gore. Al shows the video to everyone, and at the pentagon Kyle and Cartman are told to report to the main lab by the IM doorway. Cartman is pissed and Manbearpig is sent back through the portal. The government realizes they must now nuke our very own imagination to stop other characters from entering our world.
Back in IM, the battle of good vs. evil explodes. Have you all hear the song “The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny?” If so, this is almost that song brought to animated life. Optimus Prime and other characters show up to fight for the forces of good. But without Santa Clause the evil forces will prevail. In the battle Popeye is raped by the Woodland Critters, Jesus is losing to the Alien, countless characters fall, and there isn’t a power ranger in sight to help the forces of good. Butters finally imagines Santa being there, and he then uses his imagination to give Popeye more spinach which helps him defeat the woodland critters, while Jesus is given a huge gun to take down the alien.
Just as things look like they will work out, the doorway at the pentagon opens up and sucks Kyle, Stan, the government, and the nuclear missile right on top of IM. Everything is blown up and destroyed.
The screen goes white and Butters appears. He uses his imagination to undo all the damage caused by the terrorists and evil characters. He also brings everyone back to life and things are back to normal. However, Cartman learns that if he uses his imagination he can create anything while staying in IM. He imagines Kyle really going to town on his balls, and everyone laughs at Kyle. Back in reality, Butters wakes up in his room and is grounded by his parents for not helping his mom clean out the basement.
Thoughts/Comments:
This DVD is a must for any South Park fan. Not only is the DVD uncensored, but Matt and Trey do a super long commentary on the mini movie. They usually only do commentary minis on South Park DVD episodes, but they did a great job talking about this story. They even considered this being a theatrical release for a while, the story itself was supposed to be five episodes long at one point. I would have loved to have seen this in theaters since the story was much better than the original South Park movie. Bonus features on the DVD also include the episodes “Woodland Critter Christmas” and “Manbearpig.” All in all, this DVD was a lot of fun and deserves a solid A. Go pick it up, it’s great to pause the scenes with all the IM characters.
Produced By: Bandai
Last year was a wonderful year to be a ranger fan, and 2008 is shaping up to be even more morphinominal! The current live action series, Jungle Fury, is incredibly good. The rumors of Power Rangers being animated for 2009 have been laid to rest, and next year’s version of the series tentatively titled Power Rangers: RPM will keep the live action series going strong. There are even rumors of a Power Rangers Jungle Fury/Power Rangers Ninja Storm team-up going around online from a very reliable source on the ranger message boards (Hi Poweranimals!) which will only make Jungle Fury even more incredible. But to my amazement Ban-Dai has gone above and beyond the call of duty and produced two chase figures in the current Jungle Fury toy line. The two figures are of the original Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and the most menacing villain in all of rangerdom (In my opinon anyway) the diabolical Lord Zedd. Both figures are recreated in the old school Mighty Moprhin Power Rangers toy packaging complete with the original MMPR logo. Both figures are simply gorgeous and the sculpting and colors of the two figures are top notch. But enough rambling, let’s move to the figures themselves:
MMPR Green Ranger:
This figure is amazing, it really makes me stand up and shout “Dragonzord” when holding the figure in my hands. The sculpting of the helmet is dead on just as it appeared on the TV show, and the colors are bright and vivid. The gold dragon shield is just beautiful and the morpher on the belt is even colored gold, just like the suit on the television show. The green ranger also comes equipped with his dragon dagger weapon, and it fits quite nicely in the belt holster attached to the right of the green ranger’s belt. I really hope one of these rare figures ends up in the hands of the legendary Jason David Frank (Mr. Tommy Oliver himself) because this figure is truly amazing. One of the best sixth rangers of all time has finally been given his due and this figure is a must have for any true ranger fan. This figure gets an A+ and I’m proud to have this in my collection.
Lord Zedd:
“Oh Hell Yes!” That was my reaction to opening up this incredible action figure of the great and legendary Lord Zedd. I own a version of Zedd created back in 1994 but it doesn’t compete with this version at all. This Zedd is poseable and much less bulky than his original action figure. The colors are bright and vivid, giving off the evil energies pulsating through this legendary ranger foe. Zedd comes equipped with his incredible “Z” staff and his face is truly horrific for a toy (a good horrific, the toy is incredibly true to the costume on the show). The attention to detail on the sculpt of this figure is perfect, even the bars on Zedd’s mouthpiece are crafted perfectly. I can almost hear Robert Axelrod’s terrifying voice (the voice actor who portrayed Zedd) when I hold this figure in my hands. The greatest villain of PR has finally received his due, once again my hat goes out to Ban-Dai for creating such a perfect Zedd Figure. My only suggestion to Ban-Dai? When are you guys going to produce a figure of Thrax, the son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa (seen on last year’s 15th season team up, Once A Ranger)? With a Zedd figure this perfect I can only imagine how a Thrax figure would turn out. I bet it would be awesome! This Lord Zedd figure receives a A+ as well, I can’t wait to pit this Zedd figure against my white ranger figure to recreate their fight from Season 3’s “The Changing of the Zords, Part 3.”
Overall, these figures are a must have for any ranger fan. Yes, I understand they are hard to find. I understand fans might get frustrated searching for these toys without much luck. But remember what Tommy said in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie, “To those who posses the great power, anything is possible.” I believe all ranger fans have the power within them, so heed those words while searching for your figures. I wish you all the best of luck. Once more, thank you Ban-Dai and thank you Omar for letting me add to morphinominal figures to my collection! I can’t wait until the next two chase figures are released later this year. The next two are of the White Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and the Gold Zeo Ranger. I have no doubt they will be any less perfect, these chase figures are simply amazing.
Creators: Kazu Kibuishi, Mathew Armstrong, Jake Parker, and others
Publisher: Villard
While anxiously waiting on another volume of the phenomenal Flight series, I figured this might satisfy my hunger for right now. This book contains short stories from a handful of creators that helped bring the original Flight books. It is a little over 100 colored pages printed on some thick glossy paper. The purpose of this book though is to engage younger readers to give them a bridge into more adult storytelling.
Since this is a children's anthology, the stories are short and simple. The artwork is completely beautiful full of vibrant colors and memorable characters. However the art and stories do vary in style. Some of the stories work on an all-ages (kids and adults) level such as Kazu Kibuishi’s, Philip Craven’s, and Kean Soo’s stories. Mathew Armstrong and Rad Sechrirst in particular are great as always, and I loved and actually prefer Johane Matte's piece here to her contributions to the main anthologies. However, not every story works; for example the main cover character Missile Mouse, I had a tough time getting into. The Fish N’ Chips story reminds me of Earth Worm Jim and a character from the Chicken Little movie. Don’t get me wrong the stories are still written solid and the art is top notch, but like I said for me not every story worked.
My only gripe is that some of the stories felt shorter than what I had hoped for. With ten creators, I figured each would get at least 10 pages. Flight Explorer brings in the perfect mix of children’s fantasy stories, comic books, and animation and mixes them in for a fantastic treat for children and adults. This is a book I support 100% and hope that every kid picks up. It’s a wonderful book to keep in a classroom and share with teachers and kids. A-
Author: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art: Alina Urusov
Cover: Jim Cheung
It’s been years in the making and I really couldn’t wait to read this issue. Since we found out that the Scarlett Witch was Speed’s and Wiccan’s mother I have been anxiously awaiting this reunion. I’m assuming Marvel was waiting for Heinberg to tell this story, but it doesn’t seem like he is coming back anytime soon. So they let RAS handle this chore. What I thought was going to be an emotional reunion turned out to be an unexpected great read instead.
Wiccan and his brother Speed are planning to search for their real mother. Wiccan tells Hulkling to impersonate him for his foster parent’s sake. There is a nice and subtle moment where they express to each other their feelings when they say goodbye. Wiccan and Speed then head to Genosha, Wundagore, and Cresskill in search of their mother. However, instead of running into Wanda, they run into an old lame villain….the Master of Pandemonium. It seems that through him they learn not to look for their past history, but to live for the moment.
I had no idea that P-town stood for Provincetown, MA and it has a reputation as a gay resort. Had to do a little research, but that’s what I found. I found it interesting how RAS (who is openly gay) handled the boys’ relationship. It was refreshing to see a gay character and relationship treated in the same way a straight relationship would have been handled. While I was hoping for the boys to reunite with their mom, Wiccan does learns not to live in his past and that it doesn't matter whose blood is flowing in his veins. It was nice to see Speed as well, since the character was introduced so late in the series.
The only gripe I have is with the inconsistency in Urusov’s art. At times it’s gorgeous and just as stunning as Josh Middleton, but sometimes his faces just seem off and uneven. It was still a fun read and damn I wish someone would let a creative team take over a monthly YA book. A-
Emma vols. 2 & 3
By: Kaoru Mori
Publisher: CMX
I’ll say it again, just like the first volume I did not think Emma was going to be my cup of English tea….hahaha, alright that was lame. Those covers, at least to me, looked like an American artist trying to imitate manga. In these two volumes Emma and the Young Master Jones go out on a tour of the historic Crystal Palace, which leads to an unexpected romantic evening together. But things are not meant to be because news of their love comes to the rest of the Jones household. Of course Eleanor is not happy to hear about this. This leads Emma to make a most drastic decision concerning her class-breaking relationship with William. Emma's origins and her first meeting with Madame Stowner are shown in these volumes. We also see introduction of several new characters that will impact the series a little later. Emma eventually decides to leave London behind hoping to start anew elsewhere. Needless to say, these two volumes do a great job of shoving the young lovers into the reality of their forbidden love while providing a background for Emma and tons of character development. The art, as always, is beautiful and detailed with tons of work put into the historical setting. It is always a pleasure to see Emma negotiating the city when she goes on errands for her mistress. Mori uses grey tones to make the art in the book look antique. His author notes show a genuine enthusiasm for her subject, which is evident in the care and attention to detail that can be seen throughout this series. Mori went to a lot of effort to make each character, setting, and background unique and distinctive and succeeded brilliantly. Overall, it is great and well worth your time. It’s like Great Expectations only fun to read. A
Genshiken Volumes 1 and 2
Kio Shimoku
Del Rey
If you are a die hard anime/video game/manga geek (as in you would sell your mom for an original copy of Radiant Silver Gun), then you’ll appreciate all the references in Genskiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture. You don’t have to be completely fanatic to enjoy this manga about a geeky club though; I thought it was hilarious because Kanji, one of the main characters, is having a hard time allowing himself to express his true passions (such as porn fanzines) even though he is around his kind. Makoto, another new member, is oblivious to the fact that Saki (a hot, normal chick) is trying to get in his pants. She even plays Puyo Puyo with him and cosplays as a puyo in order to turn him on. Instead, he chooses to hang out with his nerdy friends and kick their butts at 2D fighting games. As the story progresses in volume two, Saki almost becomes the main character, which is cool with me. She’s got the most conflict going on.
Shimoku created a manga within a manga called Kuji-Un for the characters of this manga to read and geek out over. We find this really cool because Omar had bought these cute girl figures a while ago and now we know where they’re from! Apparently it got so popular in Japan that they created figurines of the managa within this manga! I thought the girls looked familiar…. Finally, you have to read the excerpts at the end of each chapter from the club’s fanzine - each one sounds like someone is really analyzing his favorite character from Kuji-Un, just like we do on About Heroes everyday. A
Purgatory Kabuki vol. 1
Story & Art: Yasushi Suzuki
Publisher: DrMaster
I have been waiting for this book since it was announced in 2006. I really had no idea what it was going to be about, but that one page they showed at the Wizard Con Chicago kept my interest. It is a samurai story set in the underworld of the afterlife. Where former samurai Imanoturugi wants to leave and makes a deal to gather 1,000 swords from the fallen warriors who preside in the underworld. The story reminded me of Togari which I just read last week, but it was more confusing. The plus are its intricate details and consistency. The art in the front cover is what you get on the inside; it is all gorgeous to look at. Action packed, interesting characters, beautiful artwork, and little dialogue; you think with a formula like this nothing could go wrong. However, gorgeous art in small panels do not mean that they are a form of sequential art. It is very hard to follow the fights and fast paced scenes. I had to read it twice and look at it more than that to figure out who was who and what exactly was going on. Suzuki is an incredible artist, but you’ll spend so much time on each panel trying to figure out what is going that you’ll forget the main focus of the story. I was disappointed in the overall feel of the book and I hope volume 2 really picks up where this one was lacking. Is it worth the buy? If you like mindless action and gorgeous art (like I do), hell yes buy this book. But don’t expect more than that. Those character sketches at the end are completely gorgeous by the way. B-
Sugar Sugar Rune Volumes 1 and 2
Moyoco Anno
Del Rey
This looked a little cheesy when I flipped through it, but when I recognized the art style and realized it was done by the author of Flowers and Bees (a hilarious book about a guy trying to get laid), I definitely had to read it. Her art style is still the same in terms of the characters’ eyes and that the panels are overflowing with information, but she does adapt the art to fit the cutesy mood of her story.
It starts off slow like animes and mangas tend to do in order to introduce the concept and characters, but by the end of volume one, the story starts to pick up. Chocolat and Vanilla are the two candidates to become Queen of the Magic World. They must collect hearts in the Human World in order to accomplish this. Sadly though, it’s not real human hearts that they brutally rip out of the humans’ chests (Indiana Jones style, son!); they just collect pretty crystal hearts that don’t harm the person. Chocolat is in danger of having her heart taken if she falls in love with this jerky wizard dude, but unlike humans, witches only have one heart to give, so if he gets it, it’s curtains for her.
The characters really grew on me and I found myself rooting for them, even though they are two witch-girls who have candy names and cast candy spells. Again, Del Rey does a great job of explaining what the French and Japanese references mean. B
The Art of Yasushi Suzuki
Publisher: DrMaster
As much as I wanted to like Purgatory Kabuki, it got really confusing at times. But each panel was gorgeous to look at. I could only imagine what it would have been liked colored. So this is probably the next best thing. To get a book like this release in the U.S. is a blessing, because art books aren’t really in demand. It showcases his artwork from videogames, novels, and original illustrations. Such as his fantastic work on the N64 game Sin & Punishment (available now on the Virtual Console via Wii). There is plenty of artwork from Ikagura that will make fans of that series drool. It includes interviews with the artist and text taken from magazine articles. The text is written both in English and Japanese and the pages are printed in color with a glossy paper making them stand out. The only gripe I have is that I wish the book was longer, but seriously that is small gripe because any fan of not only manga art, but art in general should pick this book up. A
Uzumaki Volumes 2 and 3
Junji Ito
Viz Media
Junji Ito continues his horrific stylings in the second and third (and final) volumes of Uzumaki (which means ‘spiral’ in Japanese). The whole town is possessed and infected by the shape of a spiral, so much so that a guy slowly turns into a snail. This might not sound creepy, but Ito leaves no details out: the kid crawls into school drenched from the rain (since he can only travel in wet conditions), naked, with a shell forming on his back.
Most of the story is psychologically scary. If Ito had written it in prose, I would still be freaked out. But thankfully these nasty pictures add to the fun! I had to stop eating noodles while reading the first volume, but my favorite story is from the second volume: pregnant women at the hospital are infected by mosquito bites and stab spiral shaped drills into the other patients in order to suck their blood. But after the babies are born, they want to return to the womb, and a possessed doctor gladly helps by cutting the moms open and sewing the babies back in! On top of that, patients are feasting on the placenta that fell to the floor and grew into mushrooms. Nasty!
In the third volume Ito moves toward an actual plot besides spirals changing people. It’s still entertaining, but it my least favorite out of the three. It ends up that the physical town itself is the source of the spiral infection, and things are very bleak for the two heroes. On a side note, Kirie (the girl on the cover) has got to be one of the most boring characters ever! Her reaction to the insanity around her is a frown and a sweat drop on her head. But you know what? I still give this series an A! It’s so disturbing and disgusting that character development would only get in the way of you the reader experiencing the horror for yourself
Author: Marc Guggenheim
Penciller: Yanick Paquette
Inker: Ray Snyder
Cover: Terry Dodson
It’s only been two months since Cyclops disbanded the X-men and already he is putting a new team of young mutants together. Wonder why he didn’t just keep his old team of New X-men together? I wasn’t thrilled when I saw the solicitations for this book. Paquette’s art puts me to sleep and his pencils can look rough at times. That cover by Dodson is rather boring and wouldn’t get my attention if I was looking to pick up a new comic.
I really thought the book was going to start us off in the Danger Room when I saw the Young X-men taking on Pierce, but to my surprise it was Blindside that was having a premonition dream. It seems that Cyclops is recruiting a new team of mutants to take on the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. In this issue he recruits ex-New X-men members Dust and Rockslide as well as a new more grown up Blindfold, Dust, Wolf Cub, and a new Tattoo mutant. It seems that Wolf Cub is connected to the Werewolf arc from Chuck Austen’s run. Tattoo seems to be another lame mutant who can manipulate the tattoos on his body…of course we have seen this before with characters created by Grant Morrison and Chris Claremont. The ending shows a picture of this new brotherhood of evil mutants and it is made up of Cannonball, Sunspot, Moonstar, and Magma
I don’t know where I stand with this book, since it’s the first issue it’s really hard judge. The idea of ex New Mutants becoming a New Brotherhood of Evil doesn’t make any sense. Perhaps Sunspot, since he has ties to the Hellfire Club and at one time was a villain named Reignfire, but that’s even pushing it. This better be some kind of damn test for these new kids. I thought it was silly of Cyclops to have gone and search for these kids. Couldn’t he just give them a ring and ask these kids to join? Breaking someone out of jail and destroying property really doesn’t seem like the Cyclops I know. Of course he is probably being written more like a hard ass.
The story is okay and Guggenheim really has a new cast of characters on the team, so he can’t screw up the dialogue that much. Even though I don’t think this is the same Blinfold I’ve been reading on Astonishing. I really don’t have anything nice to say about the art, except it looks cleaner and I can tell there are figures in this book. There are hardly any backgrounds and the figures themselves aren’t easy on the eyes. I’ll keep reading the book and see what happens, but my expectations are very low. C
The Ray/Jeff battle royale continues, and Chris makes a wise suggestion about spinning it off into its own podcast. Beyond that, I've once again left the show notes at home, so I'll update this post later. Writing them on paper seemed like such a good idea at the time.
In honor of the awwwwesome Zombie Variant Banner Omar Posted, here's a special movie treat I only WISH I had worked on.
EDIT: GAH! It's not on youtube anymore, so I have to link to it on some stupid website. Check the movie out here and then come back to AH and curl back up in our nerd blanket again. END EDIT.
Impressive no? I wish I could have worked on this soooo bad.
Yeah, we know it should be more like picture of the month, but this one comes from Jonathan.
If you'd like more, here's the Full Frontal Nerdity site.
Writers: Daniel and Charles Knauf
Artists: Carlo Pagulayan & Jeffrey Huet
Iron Man keeps on ticking. The focus of this book since the Knuafs came on has always been Tony Stark and technology, and now that Tony is director of S.H.I.E.L.D. we've seen the book take a more spy vs. terrorist approach. Except here, the spy is Tony Stark and the terrorist is the Mandarin. This issue has Tony telling Maya Hansen that the Mandarin has broken the Extremis virus to make it deadly and airborne, and that she needs to decode it so they can come up with some counter-measures. Maya hesitates, saying she needs proof that the Mandarin has done so, because she doesn't want anyone stealing her formula. Meanwhile, Tony is dealing with the mini-nuke he dropped on the Extremis infected thugs last issue. This issue is not a huge step forward in terms of storyline, but when read in sucession with the other chapters of this story, it will read as a good middle chapter.
Carlo Pagulayan steps in for art chores this issue and does a bang up job. His stuff looks similar to what Butch Guice and Roberto de la Torre have been putting out in previous issues of the book, keeping the dirty gritty feel going. I thought I had more to say when I started writing this review, but I realize now that this was a middle chapter and not much happened in it, which is dissapointing, looking back, even though I enjoyed reading it. C-
Writer: Alan Burnett
Artists: Ed Benes, Sandra Hope, Mariah Benes, Ruy Jose
What the hell happened to Justice League of America? It seemed like the book was finally moving quicker when McDuffie jumped on and told the Legion of Doom story, but then he backs off and lets fellow JLU alum Alan Burnett write a 3-part Salvation Run tie-in story that resolves nothing. Let's be honest though. No one really thought that the JLA was going to rescue the villains at the end of this issue, Salvation Run still has 3 issues left. So, from the beginning, this storyline has been kind of silly. We knew it wasn't going anywhere important, but we read it anyway. This issue has the JLA fly to the planet where the villains were supposed to end up, only to find it empty. Really? We all knew this because over in Salvation Run Bane and Deadshot had already said that they were not on the right planet. Luckily for the JLA Kanjar Ro (who?) was waiting for them to take thier powers. You mean you spent two issues building up the JLA going to this planet, only to have them fight some lame villain? At the very least we should've gotten a confrontation with Amanda Waller again, telling her how she's fucked up so badly. Ugh. Come on McDuffie, I praised you for making this book exciting to read again and then you leave it for 3 issues. Please restore my faith in this book next month when you return with Ethan Van Sciver on art.
Speaking of art, Ed Benes stinks this month. I don't know if he was rushed, or if the three inkers on the book ruined the output, but a lot of his faces and figures this month do not stand up to the work he's previously turned out for JLA. His wife Mariah Benes and Sandra Hope usually do his art justice, but here, combined with Ruy Jose who's pretty consistent with Dale Eaglesham over on Justice Society, the art falls apart. This should be DC's must read book, but instead it falls to the wayside month in and month out to things like Batman, Action Comics, and Booster Gold. C'mon! Booster Gold should never beat the JLA in terms of story no matter who's writing it. I'm worried about this books' future, especially with James Robinson's redundantly titled Justice League on the way. This book needs a kick in the pants. D
Writer: John Rogers
Artist: Raphael Albuquerque
Well, I finally found some time off from school where I didn't have any homework to do, and I had comics I wanted to talk about, especially one of my favorites, Blue Beetle, which wraps up its ongoing story with issue 25. John Rogers leaves the book with this issue and it wraps up all the threads he and Keith Giffen started in issue one. We started on a journey with Jaime, learning how to use the scarab in the first arc, we then learned some of the history behind it as Peacemaker and the Reach arrived, and then had the chilling discovery that the scarab was a weapon, sent to earth to take over it's user and make the earth prime for conquering by the Reach. Somehow, half of the scarab's programming was given to Peacemaker, and half to Jaime. This let Jaime control the scarab, rather than the scarab controlling him, as it was originally designed to, and Jaime became a hero. Once Jaime learned that the Reach were here to conquer earth he's been trying to stop them, and recently the Reach started their endgame and Jaime went up against them to stop them. At the end of last issue, Jaime had the scarab pulled out of his spine by the Reach, and they were about to kill him, and Jaime's last words were "Khaji Da!" With this issue, we learned that this was the scarab's serial number or name, and that Jaime was summoning it to re-enter him. It's a bit of genius, and it shows that Jaime has a true connection with the scarab
