Book Review: Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk

This review was submitted by Jeff Hartz.

Writer: Len Wein
Artists: Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Dick Giordano

Okay, so I have a couple of reasons for submitting this review. Number one is the fact that while we wait for Omar and Melanie to return from their wonderful honeymoon, it's time for some of us to step up and provide some filler for the website. Number two is that with both "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Dark Knight" hitting theatres this summer, it sounds like the right time to look back at this 1981 classic. You can find this story in The Crossover Classics Volume One trade paperback, unless you're really old like Ray and I and have the original copy we got in or youth.

The story begins with people dreams starting to become real, such as a sweltering summer dream of Arctic Ice and monsters in the horror movie. It seems the Shaper of Worlds, an old Hulk villain that was originally a Skrull-created Cosmic Cube experiment (Damn! Those Skrulls are EVERYWHERE!!!) is going insane and losing his ability to use other people's dreams as a blueprint to alter reality. Seeking out a unique mind in the Universe to help him find a cure he turns to... The Joker! It seems there is a chance of a cure using a Gamma-Gun being developed at Wayne Enterprises as a way to cure all Mankind's diseases. So the Joker attempts to steal it, unaware that secretly working as day labor at the project is Bruce Banner. He's there to find out if the Gamma Gun will finally cure him of The Hulk, and when The Joker's goons tackle him after he trips the alarm, it's time for a little Jade Giant action. Fleeing with the gun from the Hulk, they come upon none other that The Dark Knight! But Joker manages to turn the situation into your classic "Superheroes fight before they team up" scenario and gets away with the Gamma Gun, which he plans to use to give Shaper his powers back in exchange for being able to alter reality any way Emperor Joker sees fits.

Okay, I'm not going to go too much further into the details as you've either already read the story at least once in your life and know it by heart, or you've never read it, and I'll tease you for more and make you go out and read it. But I will give my thoughts on it. The style of Bruce Banner being on the run and secretly trying to find a cure was at the heart of the story back then, directly related to the "lonely man" television version of Hulk. And with the new movie (go see it again and again and again!) focusing on that style once more, it really comes full circle to the way Hulk is perceived these days. Joker is as maniacal and lethal then as he's ever been in the years since. And Batman is Batman. Bad ass then, badder ass now! Shaper of Worlds doesn't do much except be the McGuffin, and cameos with Thunderbolt Ross, Doc Samson, and various Batman/Hulk villains could have been more than just an afterthought. But he y, this was 1981 and we saw HULK VS. BATMAN and didn't give a rat's ass who else was in it! Overall, the story surprisingly holds up today as much as it did when it was written. I'd say give it a shot and see for yourself, or for those of you over 35 go back and recapture that feeling from long ago that you felt a little bit when you sat in the theatres last week. RATING: A-

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 : Midnight Comic Rambles

Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday

Delayed for.....how many months was it? Anbody?

Giant-Size finally wraps up Whedon/Cassaday's run on Astonishing, which for a 25 arc give or take it has lasted a damn long time.

Earth-bound heroes are alerted to the incoming threat the Breakworld has sent hurtling towards Earth in the form of a giant weird bullet. Spider-Man, Storm, Iron-Man, etc, all are putting their power together in harmony to figure out how to stop this huge threat. On the Breakworld, Colossus prevents the destruction of it by an insane rebel named Aghanne. During all of THIS, Kitty is still hurtling in space, inside the giant weird world destroying bullet, unable to phase through the metal, the metal itself meshing with Kitty preventing her from leaving. MEANWHILE on Earth... Spider-Man and all the others each fall into a mental trap somehow imaging themselves saving the Earth from the giant bullet...Spider-Man being the first to figure out something is wrong when he single-handedly stops the huge bullet with only his webs.....

Ok folks it's hard to write a review on this. The words "GIANT MAGIC BULLET" keep coming up and it's kinda hard to keep a straight face typing it out every time. The writing by Whedon throughout this Giant-Size is good, the pacing feels right, and there is a nice wrap up of things at the end after the world is saved. How is the world saved you may ask? Well, I called it in January when Kitty got stuck in the bullet so....yeah....how the world is saved from the giant bullet, I will not say but, if I figured it out in Jan., good chances are you can already figure what's gonna happen.

John Cassaday as always does a fantastic job with the art in this series...uncharacteristically though in this one-shot you look at the penciling of some of the Marvel characters that haven't shown up in this series (Iron-Man, the Sentry, Spider-Man, etc.) and Cassaday's penciling seems a tad below his normal high quality. The cover of this 1-shot is something to see as well, it being a full two page cover from front cover to back cover.

Final Impressions/Thoughts.

The story Whedon wrote and art Cassaday did for this series was great but, the delays ultimately killed the title. I can't remember how many times I picked up a new issue of this series only to think "What was going on in this title again" This run by Whedon/Cassaday is definitely a series to avoid in singles and a trade to buy right away.

B+

(Would have been a B- but the Beast/Agent Brand relationship was cute and made me smile)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The newest Indiana Jones movie came out Thursday the 22nd, and around the world Indy and non-Indy fans alike...sorta packed theaters. (Side Note: Who the hell premieres a movie on a freaking THURSDAY ...in MAY?)

I walked into a nicely cooled theater that Thursday, not knowing what to expect. Would George Lucas butcher another legendary franchise? Would there be sickening amounts of CG? Most importantly.....would Short Round make an appearance?

Well...5 bucks and 2 hrs later....my general opinion of the movie...it was Ok.

Plot: The overall movie summed up is, the Russians look to return an alien crystal skull to El Dorado in some plan to control the minds of everyone on Earth, Indy of course tries to return the skull before they do and ultimately foil the Russians' plans.

There were a lot things which worked and just did not work for this movie.

What worked:

• Indy theme was played and you better believe I geeked out plenty when I heard it.

• Ark of the Covenant shown in a broken crate as Indy and the rest make their escape from Area 51. I was maybe one of four people that caught the reference in the theater but I was smiling the whole freaking time. It was a nice call-back to Raiders of the Lost Ark and in general a nice nod to the movies that came before.

• Marcus Brody statue, painting, and overall references. It's a shame that Denholm Elliott died before this movie came out but, I am glad they paid tribute to the guy.

• Harrison Ford working the fedora and whip, the man is still a bad ass.
  
• Shia LaBeouf. His portrayal of Mutt Williams was actually not half bad.
  
• Karen Allen as Marion....what the hell is this woman on, 57 and she doesn't look like she has changed hardly at all. Good acting from her overall from what few lines she was given
  
• The swordfighting scene between Shia's character and Cate Blanchett's character, as the two jeeps were speeding side by side....AWESOME! In retrospect the whole scene is a bit outlandish but, it's pulled off in such a way where you don't give a crap, you just think "Oh that's bad ass!"

What DIDN'T work.

• Indy escapes ground zero of an atomic bomb by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator. Unfunny and just fucking stupid. The scene tested the lengths at which I will suspend disbelief for an Indy movie.

• Development on Cate Blanchett's character is poor. Initially the movie has her set up as having sorta/kinda telepathic/psychic powers, she even tries to read Indy's mind but...with no success. The whole psychic power aspect of Cate's character I thought would play out more later on in the movie but really it was just kind of a random thing about the character that had no real purpose for existing. The progression of Irina Spalko as the villain was just kinda left wanting. In previous movies you've had fully fleshed out villains, from René Belloq (Raiders) to Mola Ram (Temple) to Donovan (Last Crusade), all villain types have been written with a certain amount of substance and style, Spalko had a little style but not enough substance.

* Russians instead of Nazis. I understand that due to the time frame the movie was set in, and the age of Ford, the enemies had to be updated to fit the times but....let's be honest the Russians in this movie are like Nazi-Lite....their semi evil....quasi-evil. Russians just aren't the same as Nazi's in an Indy movie...this is more a bias on my part...and my love of Indy beating the crap out Nazi's in Crusade (tell me that motorcycle chase scene was not EPIC...oh right...review)

* The evil Russian plan was more an idea then a plan. Essentially the russians' evil plan is to use the power of the crystal skull to somehow control the minds of everyone on Earth. Irina Spalko (Blanchett's character) is kinda vague about the plan and the skull is never really hinted at as having the power to help others control others minds. In this aspect Kingdom of the Crystal Skull mimics Temple of Doom slightly, as Mola Ram's plan was to use the magic stones to somehow take over the world....again...the power of the stones really was never delved into....other then to say...all three stones glowed when near one another...which isn't so much a power....cool night lights maybe but...well yeah.

* Mutt Williams catching up to two speeding jeeps...by swinging from vines with monkeys. This is pretty much right up there with the atomic bomb scene...it wasn't funny....and it took me outta the movie.

• Location. I understand that we live in a world today where environments can be created quite easily with CG but, going to certain places on location gave the Indy movies a little something extra. The best example is something someone wrote about the sun lighting in Raiders compared to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. You have that one scene in Raiders where they are working in the hot desert sun digging to find the entrance to this tomb...the Sun sets against a black backdrop Indy standing ontop of this mound..workers swining axes at the ground...it's a great scene cinematically. Compare the scene in Raiders to when Indy is outside the Area 51 hanger, the sun light thematically is mild and muted, and the general feel is....this is very CG.

Final Impressions/Thoughts

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a ok "movie" bottom line. I thought as a "movie" Indy 4 was fine...not great...just fine, it had some nice action sequences, a somewhat decent story and moderately decent casting.

AS an Indy fan, judging this among the other Indy films, this movie is last. The plotting, villain character development, humor, and many other aspects of this film are found far lacking when compared to the previous three Indy movies that came before.

I hate being harsh on an Indy movie...it hurts but, this just isn't a great one.

For those new to the Indiana Jones movies, check this sucker out and see what you think but to those ole' school Indiana Jones fans that remember seeing at least one of the original three films in a theater...I say....try to watch this movie as you would a NORMAL movie.. cause expecting it to be the next Raiders or Crusade is just gonna amp up your expectations too high.

B-

(Side Note 2: There is nothing after the credits...I stayed the whole way through....no Short Round, Sallah or anything)

Iron Man : Legacy of DOOM #2 of 4

Writer: David Michelinie
Penciling: Ron Lim
Inker: Bob Layton

Apparently I am the only guy reading or talking about this...and I got no fucking clue why.

For those that have not been reading this little mini-series, you are missing out.

The initial first issue had Tony looking over old memory vids as he was disposing of older Iron Man suits. While sifting through a couple of these mem. cubes he happens upon some video of events, he can't recall happening. Pretty much the whole issue from here delves into the story of this "missing time". Doctor Doom wrangles Tony to go on a trip with him, apparently to Hell, in true Doc Doom fashion Tony is left high n' dry in hell, as part of a bargain Victor made with Mephisto. While Doctor Doom teleports back to Earth, Tony is attacked by several minions of Mephisto. Pretty much from here in the story, Mephisto torments Tony, while Doctor Doom, Earth-side, gets Morgana Le Fay (what he got for trading Tony) to do a spell for him. The battle scenes in hell are great and the character dialogue of Mephisto and Doom are perfect. There is way WAY more to this whole story than I am saying but...it's soo good I don't wanna spoil it all.

Impressions/Thoughts

About half the time when it comes to stories and heroes I tend to side with DC Comics, I don't mean to favor them, it just happens. This Iron Man series is one of those times wherein I honestly think "Why can't DC have more stuff like this?" David Michelinie writes this series in such a way, that your excited at the turn of each and every page, and while the story borders on hoakey at times, it's a good hoakey. This miniseries is filled with huge arsed battles, Doom dialoguing , Mephisto tormenting Marvel heroes the way he use to (See: Thor/Soul in a bag), and Iron Man, portrayed as just a freaking hero an not some ass. THIS is the Marvel I like, THIS is the Marvel I dig. Ron Lim's pencils within this book fit the vibe Michelinie has going, the battle scenes in hell, especially a treat to look at.

In closing, if you want something that doesn't have a damn thing to do with Civil War or any of that other event BS, if you want something that is just a good, fun, action-packed read, pick up this miniseries.

A-

Review done!

drops mic, walks off

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers “Master Vile and the Metallic Armor 1-3”

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.

South Park: The Imagination Land Trilogy DVD Review

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.

Robin #172

Robin #172
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: David Baldeon

This issue starts out with Tim hand-gliding over an illegal casino (what’s up with all the bat-gliders lately…seriously). The story from here is pretty standard. Tim waits for Violet to show up and rob the place, Violet does, criminals are tipped off and mayhem, mayhem mayhem! This is Chuck Dixon folks, so I may make little light of the writing but, it’s handled well trust me.

The really big point I wanna bring up within this issue however, was the reveal of Spoiler. We finally see the person under the mask that has been stalking Tim, who can’t possibly be Stephanie Brown….and yet? The blonde-haired beauty penciled, appears to be none other then Stephanie Brown herself. So…why is this such a big deal?

Well….the first thing Brown being alive would resolve is, why there is no memorial case for her in the batcave. I know…..some of you are like….who gives a crap about a case, all I have to say to you is….you’d be surprised. The glaring omission of a memorial case for Stephanie has been a sore spot within DC fandom ever since her death in War Games, being aggravated even more by events in the War Crimes story. The question has always been brought up….why did the first and only female Robin never get a memorial case in the batcave. Panels have been looked over numerous times and whilest Jason Todd’s memorial case stands in 3/4s of the shots, you never see anything for Stephanie Brown. Check it out…seriously I am not making it up. Whenever Didio has been asked about the Brown issue he has always avoided it, making remarks sometimes saying to the effect it’d never happen. Many think this was a specific policy with Didio, the reasoning of this thought being to slight the role of female heroes in some such way. I don’t know about all of that BUT, with this resurrection of sorts, this issue of the memorial case could be seen to have been framework laid for upcoming stories…in that possibly Bruce never made a memorial case for Stephanie…simply because after a point, he had found her to be alive. Whether this was planned from the beginning or instituted due to fan outcry I don’t know…perhaps that’s the greater question. Again, I know this doesn’t seem huge but, trust me, look around the comic blogosphere some, it’s an issue.

Moving along, the questions arise a plenty with Stephanie’s resurrection, the actual method that will be used to explain Stephanie’s sudden re-appearance. I mean…How did Stephanie come back?…or was she ever really dead? Explanations? The Stephanie seen is a clone, a ghost, a Stephanie from a parallel Earth, somebody with plastic surgery made to look like Stephanie, maybe it’s Clayface, or this person actually is Stephanie after her body was dipped into a Lazarus Pit by some unforeseen person,…maybe Leslie lied AGAIN to Bruce and has been keeping her alive and unseen…though not well enough as she thinks. I could go on and on but, you get the gist.

One also must wonder if this sudden resurrection ties in, in any way to current or upcoming events within the DCU (Countdown, Final Crisis, Reign In Hell, Blackest Night etc, etc.). The appearance of “A” Spoiler in the Gotham Underground series seems like a portent of sorts, of things yet to come. Then again....it could be just be Didio saying "I GIVE UP", lol.

What about Tim?….all of his feelings and reactions to such a reveal as this?

Solicits for the upcoming Robin/Spoiler special coming up will probably tie up a lot of these questions....but...again...maybe not.

I could go on and on about Stephanie being alive…needless to say, it sparks a lot of questions and discussion in both past, present and future continuity in the DCU at large.

Overall this issue was decent, and I am curious to see where Dixon goes with this and how he utilizes the character of Spoiler whom seems to be...in fact Stephanie Brown. Baldeon’s penciling again was alright, it wasn’t horrible nor was it mouth watering, it was just ok. B+

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #12

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #12
Writer: Drew Goddard
Pencils: Georges Jeanty

The words "jumped the shark" come to mind after reading this issue.

The story starts out with Xander and Renee (Slayer) keeping watch over the castle, apparently there are some wolves grouping around the place...blah blah blah. THEN, you have a panel of Buffy in bed with Satsu. Cue to me saying, What the fuck? Yes, apparently Buffy has knocked boots with one of her slayers, Now, I have no problem with gals that like gals but, in the case of this story and Buffy's overall character, umm, no. The whole thing just has me shaking my head. The scenes themselves are handled alright, as it's apparently Buffy's first time with a woman but....something about the whole thing just feels wrong. Throughout this issue I almost felt like Buffy or whoever was gonna wake up from a dream. It feels...forced I guess is the word, like at some point Goddard said to Whedon...."Hey Joss...I am running out of ideas, how about we turn Buffy gay too". I know that's a harsh thing to say but, that's how it comes off as.

The rest of the story had some nice comedic moments per usual as Buffy asks Satsu to keep the bedroom jaunt a secret....then Xander, Renee, Dawn, Willow, and Andrew end up running into the bedroom a breath later, Buffy highly embarrassed.

The wolves that had been surrounding the castle earlier attack, switching forms, from vampire to wolf to bees to mist/fog...finally stealing the Slayer Scythe and making a hasty retreat. Everyone questions these new vampires' powers and why they stole the scythe, causing the Scoobies to send Xander off to meet an old "friend", Renee in tow. Yeah....the old friend....Dracula. Pretty much at the panel of Dracula, I was sorta glad the issue had ended.

Out of the BTVS universe there are 100s of different characters that could have been brought back to help enrich the overall story in this title.....Oz, Riley, Angel, Wesley, Fred/Illyria, Harmony, Spike, frakking bring the f'ing Mayor back....but...Dracula? Really? That's the character you wanna reintroduce in this series? Argh!!!

This issue was ok....that's me saying this folks....so bare that in mind. The comic itself is still leaps and bounds above most current storytelling in comics BUT, this is Buffy...so try as I might, I have higher standards for this title then the rest. Turning a character gay is fine but, do it right and not as filler till the next big story gets momentum. Reintroducing new characters, again fine, but make it one we actually give two flying fucks about. Dracula wasn't that interesting in the Spike/Dracula mini...and he's not that interesting in this.

In closing, Jeanty's pencils have started to grow on me but Goddard's writing this issue brings to mind the Fonz flying in the air....and unfortunately...those AREN'T busses below him. B-

The New Frontier DVD Review

Where to start, where to start. I guess the best place would be to say regrettably that I have not had the fortune to read the graphic novel this movie was based on, however, I do love the good old Justice League, and feel like I have a good enough grasp on the characters that I am able to critique it without being misinformed.

First off, I'll say that what I like most about this thing in all is that it showed me that Bruce Timm didn't lose his magic with the Death of Superman DVD that came out a few months back. It cheered me to watch this and know that Bruce Timm HADN'T gone crazy and was still capable of making great work starring the characters we love from the DCAU

Now, that being said, I loved this film. It did a great job of capturing the whole DC universe, in terms of dropping tons of little hints for characters that aren't in the movie like Wildcat among others. The character I enjoyed the most in terms of faithful treatment was Barry Allen, or the Flash for you noobs out there. It was fantastic to see Barry and Iris on the screen, a scene where Barry thwarts Captain Cold in a bomb threat had me at the edge of my seat, truly greatful for a Flash on-screen that was worthy of the fastest man alive, something I didn't see on the Justice League cartoon often enough. That being said, the true star of the movie is Hal Jordan. We see him travel from a hot-shot test pilot to getting a ring from Abin Sur and fighting alongside the newly assembled team of heroes (including Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Green Arrow amongst countless other smaller, wonderful appearances) to end the global threat of the Center, an alien entity that spouts mutant dinosaur things and acid trips to anything that ventures within. For not being a huge Green Lantern fan, particularly Hal Jordan, I really enjoyed the story centering on him and felt prompted to read some older trades, especially GL: Rebirth. Another great featured character was the Martian Manhunter, undergoing his whole Gotham Detective deal and working with an AMAZING Batman.

As far as the actual movie itself, it was quite enjoyable. My only real complaint with the movie is just that I felt it teased me, taunting that the Justice League cartoon show was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I suppose it would be comparable to not having sex in years but dry-humping a supermodel.

Side note, was that weird for you? I'm gonna keep it in there anyway, haha.

The art is also fantastic. Or should I say Animation? Regardless, it was quite Timm-versey, but also in the same vein as the art of the original comic. I guess I'll keep this short and just tell you that if you like the DC universe, you'll love this movie. I super need to read the book. -A

Till next time!
-Joshiebear

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Before Dishonor Novel Review

This Review was submitted by Ray Hoey

Author: Peter David

Not too long ago, I asked the hosts of "About Heroes" a question: What did they like about Peter David's work in comics? Here were their responses:

Melanie: "...He makes characters seem like real people..."

Chris:"...He's got a very good grasp on the psychology of multiple characters and he can
handle that really well..."

Dan: "...He is able to submerge his own voice into the voice of the character in the series.
He's much more transparent as a writer. He tells good stories without stamping them
with his unique trademarks..."

Omar: "...He's one of the few writers these days that tries to get into the characters...I don't
think I've ever read anything by him where someone has been out of character..."

The interesting thing is that all these comments could just as easily be applied to Peter David's novel writing. You see, that was my first introduction to Peter David, specifically, his Star Trek novels. So, when I heard he was coming out with a new Next Generation novel, I was over the moon. He's written some classic Star Trek: Next Generation stories, and this one is another winner.

The story of "Before Dishonor" is actually a direct continuation of a STNG novel by another great author, J.M. Dillard, called "Resistance". In that story, Captain Jean Luc Picard is about to embark on a newly repaired USS Enterprise-E, with some new crew members, on what is supposed to be a routine test shakedown cruise. Instead, through his link with the hive mind, he hears the Borg once again. And what he hears is terrifying: The Borg, despite their repeated defeats at the hands of Picard and Admiral Kathryn Janeway, are now regrouping. Their first order of business...utilize a dead Borg cube and build a new Borg queen. (Those damn Borg...don't they ever give up?) Rather than wait for Seven of Nine to meet up with the Enterprise to advise him (and thus violating Starfleet's orders, surprise, surprise) , Picard takes matters into his own hands, and through a temporary "re-assimilation", is able to defeat the Borg's plans.

"Before Dishonor" picks up from there. Admiral Janeway, through her past experience with the Borg, goes out to this dead cube to make certain it can never be used again, and to perhaps learn whatever can be discerned by Picard's victory so that it can be used to prevent future Borg incursions. She then makes a chilling discovery. The cube and its Borg are still very much alive, and worse...they've evolved. These Borg no longer care about assimilation. Revenge and destruction are the top items on their agenda. Their target? Jean Luc Picard and Earth. Thus begins a series of events that will change the Star Trek universe forever.

What makes this novel great is that there are some Star Trek authors, who only watch the TV shows and maybe some of the films when they write their books. Peter David, a known Trekker, has watched the TV shows, films, the comics, the novels, the computer games, etc. and utilizes ideas from all of them effectively. His dialogue is such that you can truly hear Patrick Stewart's voice when Capt. Picard speaks, or Leonard Nimoy, when Spock speaks. Yes, that's right, Spock is in this novel, along with a host of other delightful surprise cameos.

And just so comic book fans are not left out, David even includes a few names of characters
that comic book fans should be familiar with. In any case, David's references to all parts of the Star Trek universe, past and present, make this a delight to read, because it reinforces just how vast the Trek universe is. This is our reward as Trek fans, folks.

READ IT.

A++