The Nerd Rage Report

Good Night, Sweet Prince

2008-12-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Well everyone, I'd like to take this opportunity to formally close the Nerd Rage Report. We had a good run, and I just wanted to thank everyone that made this site work. To Sazykilski and TheDudeVonDoom: thanks for being there every step of the way. I hope I was a good boss. To Commander and Rawnzilla: thanks for all your hard work and perseverance.

To you, the reader: thank you, thank you, thank you. You made it possible for people like me to rant about their problems with comics on the internet and actually feel more than the average forum poster.

Anyways, I'm not going to drag this on for longer than it needs to: good night, and good luck. Have a good 2009, and beyond.

Review: Futurama: Bender's Game

2008-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Futurama is one of the more nerdy shows as far as mainstream cartoons go. At least when compared to its yellow bodied counterpart. The sci-fi element attracts a lot of geeky humor. Heck, Leonard Nimoy was the guest star of its premiere episode. And to that end, Bender's Game does not get far without making an overt Star Trek reference.

Not that I'm complaining.

Bender's Game is the third movie in Futurama's semi-revival extravaganza that has been successful so far as to bringing back the old cast and crew to deliver the warm-blooded humor of the tragically short-lived series. And while the first movie tried to dig into the deeper character relationships and back stories that the series is known for (while also totally retconning Jurassic Bark), and the second movie recalled the great list of secondary characters that we have grown to love over the years, the third movie embraces the more nerdy side of the series in almost every way possible. Seriously. First of all, there's the title; an obvious send-up to a beloved science fiction classic, Ender's Game. Next, we have convoluted bullshit sci-fi explanations for plot points, something the show has always been fond of. Hermes even happily lampshades that fact during the finale (“You just can't make that stuff up.”). Finally and most importantly we have a full blown Dungeons and Dragons parody. It starts out tame enough, but then it eventually crossbreeds and escalates into a Lord of the Rings spoof that takes over the entire plot of the movie. And by that I mean they actually pause the original plot (a somewhat clever satirical take on the energy crises in the normal sci-fi setting) to make way for the parody which lasts for a good forty minutes (or two of the four episodes that the movie encompasses) and has to completely change the context of the show to take place in the fantasy genre (alternate dimensions: gotta love 'em) To make it even more insane, the conclusion of this offshoot story has little to no effect on the events that precede and follow it. Yes, it's completely ridiculous. One could even say it's ludicrous. But the end result is actually very enjoyable, in a very nerdy way. At the very least it's a nice send off to the late Gary Gygax which the film is dedicated to.

There's some good jokes here. When Bender begins to cave in to his Dungeons and Dragons obsession, Fry desperately calls out “When will young people learn that Dungeons and Dragons won't make you cool?!” As Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Professor are traveling in the alternate fantasy dimension, Hermes shows up as a beautiful centaur called Hermaphrodite...with blond hair and breasts. “Gaze upon my beauty and weep at my loveliness.” he calls. “Oh very well.” says the Professor as he fixes his glasses. “Wipe Castle” is one of the most clever parodies of Minas Tirith I've seen so far. And while that's not saying much, it's still good stuff.

I honestly laughed at many of the jokes.. And to be frank, I really didn't do that with the last two movies. Maybe it was because this movie was blatantly appealing to my nerdy side. I admit that may be a large part of it. On the other hand, the jokes were well done, no matter how nerdy they were. The plot was also a good part of the movie's success, despite the disconnect between the two halves. It kept me interested and allowed lots of very good humor, some well placed satire, and one big heart-felt parody.. In comparison, my biggest complaint about The Beast with a Billion Backs was that it began dragging in the latter half. In Ender's Game, the latter half is a completely separate entity that truly commands your attention. In comparison to Bender's Big Score, we also get more back story. Although, I'm beginning to question the logistics of having Nibbler's people being captured and used to harvest dark matter while also supposedly fighting off Flying Brains and planning Fry's cryogenic time jump into the future at the same time.

Bender's Game is the best Futurama movie to date and I sincerely recommend it to long time fans. Of course, long time fans are really the only ones that are interested in said movies and most of them already have some amount of time dedicated to watch it. Regardless, buy it when you have the chance. More Futurama is always good.

Mark Millar: Latverian Public Enemy #1

2008-11-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Soon after this year's Comic Con, Newsarama indirectly referenced to me, calling me "an evident, Dr. Doom superfan". A few days ago, Millar sat down with Newsarama to discuss Dr. Doom. My reaction (i.e. why I have this new Red Lantern ring) after the jump.

In the midst of an interview that deals largely about that dumb blonde bitch Reed Richard married and knocked up a handful of times, Mark Millar, infamously known for being an envelope pusher and goat licker, decides to leak a tiny bit of news about Victor Von Doom, who even Millar aknowledges as the most iconic villain of the Marvel Universe, and what plans he has in store for the good Doctor:

Mark Millar:We know he went off and got trained up with those monks and stuff—and now here he is...Marvel’s greatest super-villain—but you never even saw how all that happened. The idea of him being this sort of “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” type of character in the sense that there is a guy who trained him; it’s very similar to the whole Sith Master and Sith Apprentice roles in the Star Wars stories—in the sense that Darth Vader was really this rip-off of Darkseid and Doctor Doom.

So it just kind of blew my mind when I started conceiving the idea that there was a guy that bigger and more evil than Doctor Doom—like this sort of old man that Doom knelt down on one knee for when he saw him. That guy is now coming back—and there’s this idea that 20 years ago, Doom made a promise to concur everything and honor this guy by making a name for himself throughout the cosmos. Now, this guy is back and he’s looking at everything that Doom has achieved during this time that he’s been away...
NEWSARAMA: Is he happy with Doom?
MM: Ah...no. Doom’s been defeated quite a bit...
NRAMA: But he had the power of the Beyonder once...
MM: (laughs)
NRAMA: ...but I guess he lost it.
MM: In the end, the Fantastic Four and all these other people that Doom has faced have found a way to thwart his plans. And now, Doom’s Master isn’t very happy with his record—Doom has dishonored him greatly so he comes back and becomes the new Doctor Doom.

[...] MM: Well, the resolution of the first big storyline is coming. The Invisible Woman is dead—so that’s a new status quo set-up right there. The death of Doctor Doom...a new Doctor Doom coming to make up for how the old one has absolutely failed—and he’s going to try to destroy everything overnight.

Congratulations, Millar. You are the first to ever make me rage over something comic book related.

I don't know where to fucking start with this. I'll start with mentining that the characters involved in being Doom's masters are those previously mentioned in 1985 and the current "Old Man Logan" run of Wolverine. Who is writing those titles? The very same Scottish fuckass who's writing Fantastic Four at the moment. All Millar is doing with Marvel at the moment is razeing the titles that he has taken over and wanking himself and several goats all the while. This is all for himself and the blind mouth-breathers who think they are up in the know of what's hot in comics because they lounge around in their mothers' guest rooms refreshing millarworld.com every five seconds. At least when Bendis makes a 40-year-old comic book history/environment his playground, he has limits and standards.

All of this is actually reminding me all too much of Captain America, who many blame not Ed Brubaker but Mark Millar for his downfall. It was Millar who wrote the half-ass "oh that building's on fire I'm gonna give up" ending to Civil War, taking Cap down in a way that he did not deserve at all. At least when Brubaker dealt the final blow, he did so with style. Doom will not have that luxury, as he will be writing the death and downfall of the Latverian monarch in one biased swoop. At least Cap didn't have a master (albeit an apprentice instead) to take his place.

Who is Doom's master? Doom. That's who. What the flying fuck is this about Doom having to kneel and listen to anyone other than himself? Doom is supposed to be the quitessential self-made man of Marvel, a magical monarch mirror to Batman. This is a man so much of hubris that he refused to take lessons from the Ancient One, the supreme sorcerer prior to Doctor Strange.This is a man who did not back down to the likes of the Beyonder. This is a man who has been king nearly permanently since he's usurping of the Latverian crown, and had little to no help in conquering the world several times over. Oh, but I suppose that's not accountable for anything. I'm sure Doom's "real master" is furious that Vic never took care of his own private vendetta with Richards. Is that what we're soleling basing success on, nowadays? Apparently so, because Millar goes on to call Doom an "absolute failure."

Well then let me write my own report card, you grandeur-delusioning fuckass: I don't care how many of your own stories turn into films. I don't care if your little online forum is one of the most infamous on the internet. I don't care if you were the one to write Red Son or it's complicating and convoluted ending. (On that record, I don't care if you don't know how to write an ending, much less to your own creations, to save your fat pasty ass.) If we're going to base success on one sole thing, I'll choose your ability to be true to a well-established character's personality and legacy. After your wrok with Captain America, countless other characters and series, and now Victor Von Doom, I declare you, Mark Millar, an absolute failure.

External Links:
Newsarama article: Death of the invisible Woman

A Week of Chance

2008-11-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

"See, kids? Trying is the first step towards failure."~Homer J. Simpson

Well, it wasn't a good week for me, comics-wise. DC, as usual, had little to offer, and the only Marvel title I cared to read was The Stand: Captain Trips #3. So, I decided to branch out and venture to the other comic companies, and even two brand new series!

#1 The Cleaners:
A new series from Dark Horse comics, The Cleaners is as smart as it is cool. If you like a little House (possibly even Scrubs) with your Dexter, then you'll love this story. The art is solid and has a way with blood. Highly reccomended.

#2: Galveston

Now, the concept of cowboys and pirates kicking ass with all pistols blazing would be great. Unfortunately, an okay story can only go so far with horrible art. The slop that was presented on each page turned this book from a fairly historically accurate into some high school freshmen's poor attempt at establishing their deviantART account. All of this could've been avoided if the interior looked like the exterior.

#3 Savage Dragon 140

For some time now, I have been curious about Savage Dragon. From a distance, he seems like a character I would enjoy; a blue collar monster-do-right mirroring those like Hellboy and The Thing. I was also hesitant, however, due to him being a 90's kid, let alone a child of Image, notoriously known throughout the 90's for their X-TREME books and creators like Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarlane. Despite this guilt by association, I promised myself to flip through Dragon's pages some day.

As fate would have it, this week rolled around with little to entice me. Fortunately, the latest issue of Savage Dragon - you guessed it: this one - was one of the offers. So when considering my two cents on this issue, remember it's my first time with Dragon, and I'm kinda bitter about the rest of this week.

Straight off the heals of reading and buying (i.e. wasting money on) Galveston #1, I am particularly critical of art at the moment, but the errors inside this issue are too obvious for even the calmest of us to not nitpick. One: sloppy mouths. Two: Limb overextension. Three: Witchblade. Other than those three things, the art is decent and moderately exciting at best. Here's hoping to Larsen one day swallowing his pride and letting someone give Dragon the same treatment that the UDON crew did to Cable & Deadpool, and bring the Finster and his book into the 21st Century.

I can't say much for the story, though it was fairly accessible for already being in the middle of things. Image sure does like to throw subtlety to the wind when they're parodying DC/Marvel characters - re: Solar Man - but I suppose the whole point of parodies are to be at least a little exaggerating. The dialogue seems fitting for each character; Larsen at least has the correct kind of chit-chat for Invincible, and Dragon sounds like how I would imagine he speaks, Patrick Warburton voiceovers and all.

So, I guess 2/3 isn't...failing. Curiosity didn't kill this cool cat, but it did do some unnecessary wallet bleeding. Here's hoping to a new week with more familiarity and quality.

Belated Halloween Special: Film Review - Nocturna

2008-11-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of lamentation, among animation fans and filmmakers, about the disappearance of 2D animated films from mainstream theaters. I am among those who mourn. Not that there is anything wrong with 3D animation of course (It would be intrinsically hypocritical of me to say so) However, I’ve always held the highest regard for 2D animation. There is just a certain artistry to hand-drawn stuff that is hard to replicate with 3D techniques. Movement, color, shape, and volume; pull it all off correctly and you can have something really beautiful, a moving painting, a living illustration; where realism is readily traded for the utterly surreal.

You’ve probably never heard of Nocturna. Indeed, I wouldn’t have unless I was in the right place at the right time. It was produced in Spain, but the work done on it is the cumulative effort of many animation studios spanning several countries on both sides of the Atlantic. The list of financiers and production houses that have backed the film and helped bring it to life is very long. It takes almost a full minute to get through all their logos at the beginning of the film. And for their sake, I thank each and every one of them for their efforts. Nocturna is the end result of an extraordinary international effort to produce a feature length 2D animated film in a climate that has mostly discarded the medium (for the time being) to short films and television. And for what it’s worth, the film succeeds wonderfully.

Our protagonist is Tim; a nice name, very easy to remember. Tim lives in an Orphanage (I assume) where there’s no mom and dad to find comfort in. Which is quite unfortunate for Tim because he certainly needs a great deal of comforting. Tim is friendless, unhappy, and a bit of a coward. He has a very deep-set fear of the dark. But in the world that Tim lives in, there is no such thing a nightlight. So Tim finds comfort in the stars, in particular one star that he calls Adhara which he has taken as his own. Every night, he manages to open a window that peeks out onto his star, allowing him to fall asleep in it’s comforting light. But then, after one particular bad day, his star suddenly disappears.

Enter the world of Nocturna, a land that only exists during the twilight hours when children should be sleeping peacefully in their beds. The inhabitants of this land are responsible for everything that’s supposed to happen while you sleep; from bed heads to chirping crickets and even to bed-wetting. Of special importance is the Cat Shepard, the creature responsible for all the cats that prowl the rooftops of the city at night, who are thus each responsible for enticing children to go to sleep with their mews. The Cat Shepard is the first creature of Nocturna that Tim meets, and is the first creature that Tim tries to tell about his star plight. And although the somewhat agitated Cat Shepard is reluctant, Tim manages to convince him to take him to Nocturna headquarters so he can find out what has happened to his star…and several more which have disappeared in the meantime.

The story is simple, straightforward, but poignant; depending greatly on traditional character development, specifically the relationship between the Cat Shepard, who only seems to be friends with cats, and Tim, the loser who just doesn’t have any friends. The growth of their relationship takes center stage, even above the two’s ultimate goal; to find out why the stars are disappearing. Trust is made and broken; loyalty is tested and displayed. And in the end, Tim grows. He matures. And he’s able to sleep without snuggling against the motherly embrace of the stars. It’s a completely enjoyable growth: Tim is a cute little scamp, so there’s no way we’re going to be cheering against him. And the Cat Shepard-–despite being a little stubborn at first–is as loveable as a teddy bear. We want them to grow close and make that bond that they both seem to be missing. And that’s exactly what they do.

But perhaps the most enjoyable part of the film is watching all of the inventive ways that the filmmakers came up with to explain just how the nightlife works. Letter carriers arrive to tell you your dreams in your sleep, style obsessed robots give each kid a unique bed-head hairdo, a full orchestrated ensemble makes all those creepy creaks and groans that your house makes in a strong breeze, flying creatures drunk on water go about dispensing dew on everything in sight. These sequences are funny and delightful and seem like they could have been taken from any classic children’s book. They keep us interested–even more so-–they keep us fascinated with the world that we are in.

I don’t think I have to say much more about the art-direction and animation then that it is completely fantastic. Just look at the screenshots; the character designs are unique and interesting. And the backgrounds are enthralling and complex. And when everything’s moving, it becomes especially exciting. Watching this movie will take you back to Disney’s hey-day when it was the forefront of 2D animation. I do not wonder why there are so many financers to this project; such clean, well-done animation would be very expensive. And when you’re not Disney or Dreamworks, money can be a little hard to come by. I just hope that a company in the US picks up the film so I’m able to buy it.

Nocturna is a beautifully animated piece of fiction, brimming with fantasy, adventure and heart; it delves into our childhood fears of what (literally) goes bump in the night and dispels them with imagination and creativity. And in a world which stills seems to be getting over the novelty of 3D animation, it’s refreshing to see at least someone sticking to tradition.

Check this film out…if you can. Unfortunately, this movie hasn’t been released stateside. You can import it, but it’s expensive and the DVDs only come in the European PAL format. This is one of the only times that I directly recommend you see this movie by any means possible.

THRILLS AND CHILLS! COMICS AND CARTOONS! MUSIC AND MORE!

2008-10-28T22:54:00.001-07:00

Tune into Nerd Rage Radio's Halloween special this Thursday for all your spooky soundtrack needs. Captain Man and myself will be up to our old tricks, of course, but we just might give out a few treats as well!

Nerd Rage Roundtable #1

2008-10-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gents, my and the NRR guys had a chance during our anniversary to sit down in a roundtable discussion and talk about things important to us: comics and cartoons. Hit the jump for our AIM-Pasted conversation.

thedudevondoom (9:01:44 PM): Hey there, boyos
comanderdarklink (9:01:50 PM): hello hello!
rawnzilla (9:01:55 PM): hi there
cravethought (9:01:56 PM): Gentlemen
rawnzilla (9:02:04 PM): how do we kill superman
saZyK1LSkI (9:02:05 PM): the question before us...
saZyK1LSkI (9:02:08 PM): lol
thedudevondoom (9:02:14 PM): Geoff Johns
cravethought (9:02:19 PM): Hahaha. This is the first time I think we've all been in the same chat.
cravethought (9:02:21 PM): But anyways.
rawnzilla (9:02:27 PM): Geoff Johns
cravethought (9:02:40 PM): I'm going to be recording this and pretty much posting the transcript, so keep things legible.
comanderdarklink (9:02:52 PM): Sounds like a good plan to me
saZyK1LSkI (9:03:15 PM): k
cravethought (9:03:20 PM): Anyways. Tomorrow's the first anniversary of the site, and we've kind of grown a shitload in the past year. I guess I just wanted to start with the general question: how did you get into comics?
saZyK1LSkI (9:03:43 PM): (go in alphabetical order)
cravethought (9:03:55 PM): Or would a better question be "why are we into comics?"
comanderdarklink (9:03:56 PM): Oh god, I feel like a hypocrite
comanderdarklink (9:04:15 PM): Personally, I'm more of a cartoon guy at the moment
comanderdarklink (9:04:37 PM): Hence why I've been covering al lot of cartoon content on the site
cravethought (9:04:53 PM): Run him out of town!
comanderdarklink (9:04:57 PM): But I've read Watchmen, DKR, Batman Year One...
cravethought (9:05:03 PM): Essentials.
comanderdarklink (9:05:05 PM): some of the essentials recommended to me
comanderdarklink (9:05:29 PM): Can I talk how I got into cartoons?
cravethought (9:05:33 PM): Yeah sure.
comanderdarklink (9:06:03 PM): I'm was one those kids who woke up at 7:00 in the morning on Saturday to watch cartoons
comanderdarklink (9:06:12 PM): I watch cartoons network religiously
comanderdarklink (9:06:21 PM): I saw a lot of nicktoons and such
cravethought (9:06:39 PM): Man, I feel like the golden age of cartoons was when this generation was growing up.
comanderdarklink (9:06:40 PM): and I think I've seen almost every Disney animated feature in existence
cravethought (9:06:48 PM): That could just be the nostalgia, though.
comanderdarklink (9:07:01 PM): nostoldia is a big part of it
cravethought (9:07:34 PM): Me next, I guess?
comanderdarklink (9:07:37 PM): but I do think the nineties were a great time for cartoons
cravethought (9:07:53 PM): Agreed.
saZyK1LSkI (9:07:54 PM): yes, you next.
comanderdarklink (9:08:02 PM): yea go
comanderdarklink (9:08:08 PM): I could talk about cartoons all night
cravethought (9:09:19 PM): Anyways, I got into comics relatively recently; seriously anyways. I think my first comics were the ones in Nintendo Power, and I learned how to read off those. I liked Archie comics and the complex mythos of modern heroes.
cravethought (9:09:20 PM): So now in the age of Wikipedia I can catch up to my favourite heroes and it makes things more accessible to me.
cravethought (9:09:35 PM): It's a lot easier to "preview" comics nowadays.
thedudevondoom (9:09:48 PM): just like "previewing" music.
cravethought (9:09:56 PM): Exactly ;]
comanderdarklink (9:10:14 PM): Even with previewing, I still find it overwhelming, I just don't know where to start.
cravethought (9:10:20 PM): I've always had stacks of random comics in my room... I've never been a collector. I'm only really a trade-paperback kind of guy.
cravethought (9:10:26 PM): And I think Dude's next.
saZyK1LSkI (9:11:01 PM): are we going with
saZyK1LSkI (9:11:04 PM): t or d
saZyK1LSkI (9:11:10 PM): serious issue!
cravethought (9:11:17 PM): Rawn, go :P
cravethought (9:11:22 PM): Let's be consistent, I suppose.
saZyK1LSkI (9:11:25 PM): issue avoided!
cravethought (9:11:35 PM): Issue moderated, bitches.
rawnzilla (9:12:18 PM): My older brother collected comics when he was younger and I got started with the action figures of the characters I liked the most. Wolverine, Spider-Man, mostly Marvel characters.
cravethought (9:12:31 PM): Definitely forgot the toy aspect.
cravethought (9:12:44 PM): Batman action figures with needless battle suits. Spring-loaded launcher goodness.
comanderdarklink (9:12:51 PM): I'm just getting into the toys
comanderdarklink (9:13:02 PM): I've got a growing collection on my desk
saZyK1LSkI (9:13:24 PM): My go now?
rawnzilla (9:13:35 PM): My best friend when I was younger had a very large collection of Marvel toys, and we used to watch the X-Men cartoon when it was on TV.
rawnzilla (9:13:40 PM): When I got old enough to enjoy reading, I started collecting Archie comics and eventually moved into Marvel with titles like Amazing Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man.
saZyK1LSkI (9:13:53 PM): Gawd, use multiple lines :)
cravethought (9:14:01 PM): I guess if it's your turn, let us know when you're done ;
rawnzilla (9:14:13 PM): It's your turn, I just had to split my message up.
saZyK1LSkI (9:14:24 PM): this is gonna be a little tl;dr so go get a drink.
comanderdarklink (9:14:28 PM): Oooo, I forget to mention all Superhero cartoons
thedudevondoom (9:14:39 PM): Excellent, an excuse to drink!
cravethought (9:14:49 PM): Yum yum yum Guinness
rawnzilla (9:15:22 PM): This is going to be all about how Sazy picked up the first issue of Action Comics at the newsstand and has been collecting ever since.
comanderdarklink (9:15:44 PM): I love a good story time
thedudevondoom (9:16:10 PM): Sazy's Tale - directed by Peter Jackson
comanderdarklink (9:16:19 PM): lets all huddle in circle on the carpet and listen
cravethought (9:16:23 PM): Cue the Enya!
thedudevondoom (9:20:03 PM): Great story
comanderdarklink (9:20:14 PM): lol
rawnzilla (9:20:24 PM): Classic.
comanderdarklink (9:20:25 PM): He's in post-production
thedudevondoom (9:20:31 PM): Well, I had a few comics when I was a kid - Pinky & the Brain, Sonic, even some Spider-Man issue with Ben Riley and a Gwen Stacy clone
comanderdarklink (9:20:34 PM): gonna take another 10weeks
thedudevondoom (9:20:40 PM): and was of course a fan of the X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons, among other ones not pertaining to superheroes.
thedudevondoom (9:21:05 PM): Then from middle school to high school they went on the backburner
thedudevondoom (9:21:15 PM): until Hellboy and the other movies came out
cravethought (9:21:21 PM): Just let Dude finish, I suppose.
saZyK1LSkI (9:21:23 PM): yes
saZyK1LSkI (9:21:28 PM): I have to retype in notepad
saZyK1LSkI (9:21:31 PM): and post in peices
thedudevondoom (9:21:41 PM): After those, I started delving into the supes
thedudevondoom (9:21:52 PM): I was too intimidated by DC, though
thedudevondoom (9:22:05 PM): I had a crisis from all the crisesesses
cravethought (9:22:18 PM): And then you found Doom. And all was right in the world.
thedudevondoom (9:22:31 PM): Funny thing about the whole Doom thing
thedudevondoom (9:22:42 PM): I think my love for the Doom Metal sub-genre came first
thedudevondoom (9:23:03 PM): then I started reading about more about Vic, and thought "he seems like a cool guy,"
cravethought (9:23:06 PM): They really need Dr. Doom metal.
thedudevondoom (9:23:12 PM): and then I never looked back.
thedudevondoom (9:23:30 PM): Wagner with some heavily distorted guitars? I'll fund it myself.
thedudevondoom (9:23:48 PM): So, in a nutshell, that's my story.
saZyK1LSkI (9:23:57 PM): ok, I'mma try this again.
saZyK1LSkI (9:24:10 PM): I got into comics at a young age (way back in the mid-late 80s), we had just moved into a new house and I found a box left by the previous occupant.
saZyK1LSkI (9:24:18 PM): In this box was a treasure, Giant Sized X-Men #1-current at that time. I, having just learned how to read not to long before this, dove right in.
cravethought (9:24:25 PM): ...
saZyK1LSkI (9:24:28 PM): Well to make a long story, I was hooked, here was something I could read, and yet, like the other stuff that was targeted at my age group it didn't talk down to me, or assume I was an idiot.
cravethought (9:24:29 PM): Holy grail.
saZyK1LSkI (9:24:38 PM): It was like I had discovered a whole new world. I really can't describe what it was like. And thus, I'm into comics.
saZyK1LSkI (9:24:50 PM): (it was longer, but that would have been more retyping)
cravethought (9:25:00 PM): Well, that really ties into the next question: why are we still into comics? Why not another hobby?
cravethought (9:25:03 PM): Link?
comanderdarklink (9:25:11 PM): yes
comanderdarklink (9:25:16 PM): let me answer
cravethought (9:25:33 PM): I know, I was just moving the discussion to you =]
comanderdarklink (9:26:02 PM): Once again, I'll talk about cartoons
comanderdarklink (9:26:18 PM): because I still find the world of comics somewhat daunting
comanderdarklink (9:26:27 PM): but I do truly want to get into it
comanderdarklink (9:26:37 PM): I just need to take some more baby steps
comanderdarklink (9:26:55 PM): I think a very good reason why I kept watching cartoons into my teen years is because of Toonami, which subsequently led me down a confusing path as an anime fan.
comanderdarklink (9:27:03 PM): For better or worse, it kept me interested. Got me staying up late to see Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Wolf's Rain and some other Adult Swim stuff.
comanderdarklink (9:27:14 PM): But I think a true turning point for me was when I saw Toy Story.
comanderdarklink (9:27:36 PM): Back in 1995, it was so startling new
cravethought (9:27:46 PM): Yeah, I remember that.
comanderdarklink (9:27:54 PM): I was really impressed with that movie
comanderdarklink (9:28:11 PM): And it kept with me until I grew out of my anime phase
comanderdarklink (9:28:21 PM): I kept seeing other Pixar films
comanderdarklink (9:28:38 PM): and thought that I wanted to do that sort of stuff myself
comanderdarklink (9:28:49 PM): hence, I'm studying Film and Animation
cravethought (9:29:05 PM): -applaud-
comanderdarklink (9:29:15 PM): ta daa
comanderdarklink (9:29:18 PM): done
cravethought (9:29:39 PM): I guess the reason I'm still into comics is that I enjoy where they take me. They take me out of my current reality and supplants me into another one.
cravethought (9:30:25 PM): I enjoy a well crafted plot and a creator who genuinely cares about their creation... It's like Gail Simone and Birds of Prey: while she didn't create them, she was there for a huge part of their main run and shaped the characters into amazing ones.
cravethought (9:30:32 PM): I enjoy a well crafted plot and a creator who genuinely cares about their creation... It's like Gail Simone and Birds of Prey:
cravethought (9:30:32 PM): while she didn't create them, she was there for a huge part of their main run and shaped the characters into amazing ones.
cravethought (9:31:52 PM): Really, I'm here for the stories. I'm here for the ups, downs, the spine-tingling moments like when Hal Jordan was resurrected in Rebirth and stopped Sinestro from killing Kyle and Ollie...
cravethought (9:31:54 PM): he was just standing there, 100% hero, saying Sinestro, get the hell away from them.
cravethought (9:32:12 PM): Adrenaline shot.
cravethought (9:32:41 PM): It was the same with the whole "lethal force authorization." I literally said "Fuck yeah!" quite loud... another adrenaline shot.
cravethought (9:32:56 PM): I guess I love comics because I love reading, and love well written things.
cravethought (9:33:00 PM): Anyways, I'm done
cravethought (9:34:36 PM): Rawnny, you're up
rawnzilla (9:34:46 PM): I haven't always been reading comics. When the comic store that I went to for years closed down in 2000, I ran out of places to buy comics.
rawnzilla (9:34:58 PM): Around September 2001, I found a comic store about 20 minutes from where I lived.
rawnzilla (9:35:06 PM): The world was very scary in those initial months after September 11th, and I was still very young.
rawnzilla (9:35:16 PM): I had just entered sixth grade at the time, and I needed some place to escape to. Comics filled that role for about six months until I eventually lost interest in them again.
rawnzilla (9:35:31 PM): Around 2005, I discovered the magical world of comic book scans. My brother had gigabytes of comics on his computer, and I dove into Ultimate Spider-Man and read the first 80 issues within a week.
saZyK1LSkI (9:35:32 PM): 6th grade? I'm so old.
rawnzilla (9:35:42 PM): I fell in love all over again, and started buying comics within a few weeks of that time. I've been here for the community and the ability to escape from whatever I am dealing with in my life.
rawnzilla (9:35:54 PM): I've stayed with comics because they were my motivation to do well in school.
rawnzilla (9:36:02 PM): My mom knew that I didn't enjoy going to school, so she said that if I did well in school I would be rewarded with a trip to the comic store each week.
rawnzilla (9:36:26 PM): I'm still reading comics because the whole genre has become much more connected with it's fan base.
cravethought (9:36:26 PM): D'awwww
rawnzilla (9:36:51 PM): The internet really makes it easy to find out anything about your favorite comics or creators, and that's what has kept me going.
rawnzilla (9:36:57 PM): All of those reasons, actually.
cravethought (9:38:26 PM): =]
saZyK1LSkI (9:38:48 PM): my turn?
cravethought (9:38:53 PM): Methinks so.
saZyK1LSkI (9:39:11 PM): alright, well, I'm still into comics (and always will be) for a few reasons.
saZyK1LSkI (9:40:00 PM): I'm a huge fan of extensive, well thought out fictional universes. Also they do things that live action or regular novels can't due to a limited format.
saZyK1LSkI (9:40:50 PM): comics (and animation) are able to do things visualy that simply can't be done any otherway, and when they do, it's all cohesive, so you're not jarred by CGI effects against live actors or somesuch.
saZyK1LSkI (9:41:54 PM): I'm just a huge fan of the format (not to mention the content) I suppose.
saZyK1LSkI (9:42:10 PM): DOOM WILL SPEAK!
comanderdarklink (9:42:41 PM): ALL KNEEL BEFORE DOOM
thedudevondoom (9:42:54 PM): uh oh
thedudevondoom (9:43:13 PM): Well, it's funny
thedudevondoom (9:43:45 PM): Despite all the flack most comics get for being silly, I find most of them to be fairly intelligent
thedudevondoom (9:44:20 PM): Some I'd put on the same point of intellectual worth as an HBO series
thedudevondoom (9:44:42 PM): (speaking of which, Kevin McKidd for Thor!)
thedudevondoom (9:45:41 PM): another reason is that despite any attempt to be more realistic and cinematic, comics are still gateways to worlds impossibly fantastic
thedudevondoom (9:45:56 PM): gods and aliens and mutants all living in the same city!
thedudevondoom (9:46:30 PM): I dunno. It's just good ol' entertainment for me.
saZyK1LSkI (9:46:30 PM): oh my!
cravethought (9:46:56 PM): Okay, and the final question is: "Is there anything you really like, or found difficult, about writing about comics?"
thedudevondoom (9:47:13 PM): and so commander doesn't feel so alone, I still watch cartoons because they're good for the soul :)
comanderdarklink (9:47:23 PM): thank you
comanderdarklink (9:47:45 PM): they keep you in touch with your childhood spirit, you know
comanderdarklink (9:47:52 PM): anyway
comanderdarklink (9:48:03 PM): I've only been doing this for a few months, but I find that it's coming suprisingly easy.
comanderdarklink (9:48:15 PM): I've seen so many cartoons as just a regular member of the audience, old a new, good and bad, that I feel like I actually know what I'm talking about.
comanderdarklink (9:48:31 PM): And sometimes, I really DO know what I'm talking about.
comanderdarklink (9:48:40 PM): Studying about the artform of animation has exponentially increased how much I can write about.
comanderdarklink (9:48:51 PM): Mostly though, I just write as a fan.
comanderdarklink (9:48:59 PM): The Nerd Rage report is a very good title for the blog. Leting all my rage out, about all the small annoyances that comes with the medium...just writing about my passion is very cathartic
saZyK1LSkI (9:49:17 PM): (for the record, I came up with that name, thank you)
cravethought (9:49:24 PM): And I thank you for it.
cravethought (9:49:35 PM): I remember we wanted to call it "Gentlemen Geeks" or something similar
cravethought (9:49:49 PM): Anyways. My turn, I guess?
comanderdarklink (9:49:53 PM): the one thing I find difficult is just coming up with ideas for the editorials
comanderdarklink (9:50:04 PM): but reviewing is really easy for me
cravethought (9:50:07 PM): Yeah, it's tough some times.
comanderdarklink (9:50:24 PM): and there's usually a good load of content out there
comanderdarklink (9:50:49 PM): I'll have to start writing about the small short animations I see every day
comanderdarklink (9:50:58 PM): If I ever run out of content
comanderdarklink (9:51:00 PM): anyway
cravethought (9:51:05 PM): I find Vimeo's good for that
comanderdarklink (9:51:22 PM): yeah, I really liked that piece you wrote
comanderdarklink (9:51:31 PM): that site is very good
comanderdarklink (9:51:41 PM): but yes, your turn
cravethought (9:52:12 PM): I'm pretty much going to echo link's sentiments. It's hard to write for the internet when you're writing about comics you only got because you like them. No one wants to waste money
cravethought (9:52:26 PM): Since we've never taken ads, we can't exactly justify wasted money.
cravethought (9:52:41 PM): But I love just venting about shitty writing or artwork, and I love being able to cuss up a storm while doing it.
cravethought (9:53:01 PM): My favourite comic's Transmetropolitan... and really, this is as close to Spider Jerusalem as I'm ever going to get.
cravethought (9:53:47 PM): I love just... expressing myself using word, I suppose. It's good fun. I started the site because I wanted to write about comics while still being able to enjoy them from a fan's perspective; I think it's worked well.
cravethought (9:53:52 PM): Anyways, on to you, Rawn
rawnzilla (9:53:56 PM): I love expressing my opinions and I love having feedback from people about what I think. I love that I can put my thoughts out there and know that something like 200 people will read it and 4 will comment on it.
rawnzilla (9:54:12 PM): If there's one thing that I find difficult about writing about comics, it's when I have no motivation. This actually applies to all of my writings.
rawnzilla (9:54:21 PM): If I don't want to write, it's very difficult for me to get thoughts on paper (or in this case, 15 inch widescreen Macbook Pro.)
rawnzilla (9:54:30 PM): If I honestly don't care about what I'm writing, it's going to be a lot less enjoyable for you to read because it was less enjoyable for me to write.
comanderdarklink (9:55:35 PM): macfag too huh?
thedudevondoom (9:55:42 PM): we 3
comanderdarklink (9:55:42 PM): good times
rawnzilla (9:55:48 PM): I feel that because of the amount of time I spend on the internet, I see certain patterns and connections that others might not.
rawnzilla (9:56:28 PM): I pretty much save EVERYTHING comic related that I see or read. My mind is constantly searching for knowledge and I try and absorb as much as I can.
rawnzilla (9:56:47 PM): My friends had a habit of calling me "Brainiac" because I could answer whatever question about comics that they had.
rawnzilla (9:57:00 PM): I love being able to put all that knowledge into my writing.
rawnzilla (9:57:14 PM): OKay, your turn.
saZyK1LSkI (9:57:50 PM): well, I love talking about comics, I love arguing about events from the perspective of an observer of the unvierse.
saZyK1LSkI (9:58:12 PM): which is why my favorite comics-on-the-internet time was probably during civil war.
saZyK1LSkI (9:58:43 PM): it's just a blast. I love talking about comics (and cartoons) to a fault probably.
saZyK1LSkI (9:59:14 PM): the difficult things I find about writing... choosing what to write about is one.
rawnzilla (9:59:20 PM): oh, I know. whenever i find something interesting about comics I always send you a message.
saZyK1LSkI (9:59:44 PM): I mean, I could gush about power pack or BLSM, but I know I'm in a minorty that reads those and I'd like to keep my stuff relevant to the reader base
saZyK1LSkI (10:00:03 PM): I could also rail on certain creators time after time but that would get old for the people reading as well.
comanderdarklink (10:00:11 PM): BLSM is among one of the few comics I've read
rawnzilla (10:00:23 PM): Sorry to interrupt, but I gotta go. The girlfriend fell asleep reading Peter David comics and I fear I have been boring her.
cravethought (10:00:37 PM): No worries! Sorry to keep you Ron.
cravethought (10:00:40 PM): Have a good evening.
rawnzilla (10:00:50 PM): It's all right. Goodnight!
saZyK1LSkI (10:01:10 PM): also, I find it difficult to remember sometimes that my reader might not have read every x-book ever writen. Writing for the non-marvelologist as it were.
thedudevondoom (10:01:14 PM): HULK IS STRONGEST SLEEP-INDUCER THERE IS
saZyK1LSkI (10:01:24 PM): GO DOOM! ANGER DOOM ACTIVATE!
comanderdarklink (10:01:31 PM): lol
thedudevondoom (10:01:53 PM): man, when it comes to critiques, I'm more Dude than Doom
thedudevondoom (10:02:07 PM): that's my big flaw
thedudevondoom (10:02:09 PM): Like Mosey, I have the problem of knowing what I like, or at least have an inclination as to what I like, and then going from there.
thedudevondoom (10:03:00 PM): I find it hard to feel real anger about a given part of a story, too, because I accept it just as another part of the grand scheme
thedudevondoom (10:03:21 PM): (except for Cap quitting the Civil War because of "just fighting." I can never forgive Millar for that.)
cravethought (10:03:23 PM): Well, I guess the title of the blog might be misleading. There's not a whole LOT of rage, because we're mature (cough) individuals.
saZyK1LSkI (10:03:29 PM): cap's death? you didn't get angry about that?
cravethought (10:03:49 PM): But moments like the heroes of 9/11 tackling Captain America... or that stupid "Crossed" comic... RAGE
thedudevondoom (10:03:59 PM): Well, I haven't had as much time to be as emotionally invested in Cap as others.
saZyK1LSkI (10:04:10 PM): it's cap. get invested.
thedudevondoom (10:04:17 PM): Oh, I have.
saZyK1LSkI (10:04:28 PM): not with bucky.
saZyK1LSkI (10:04:30 PM): the real cap.
thedudevondoom (10:04:31 PM): but I like I said. I accepted it as but another chapter.
thedudevondoom (10:04:37 PM): Besides, I really like Bucky and what Brubaker has done with him.
cravethought (10:04:43 PM): There's only so much we can do, anyways.
saZyK1LSkI (10:04:43 PM): yea, but he's not cap.
cravethought (10:04:46 PM): We can't turn back time.
saZyK1LSkI (10:04:46 PM): never can be.
thedudevondoom (10:04:55 PM): Yeah
thedudevondoom (10:05:00 PM): well
thedudevondoom (10:05:01 PM): you know
thedudevondoom (10:05:03 PM): that's just
thedudevondoom (10:05:04 PM): like
saZyK1LSkI (10:05:09 PM): my opinon?
thedudevondoom (10:05:10 PM): BUCKY FOREVER
comanderdarklink (10:05:15 PM): lol
saZyK1LSkI (10:05:15 PM): lol.
comanderdarklink (10:05:19 PM): classic
cravethought (10:05:25 PM): And on that note, I think we should wrap this up
saZyK1LSkI (10:05:33 PM): yea, good times moses.
saZyK1LSkI (10:05:37 PM): thanks for putting this together.
saZyK1LSkI (10:05:48 PM): and giving us a place to post words and stuff.
thedudevondoom (10:05:50 PM): I'm sorry I just had to. :P
cravethought (10:05:55 PM): No worries guys. Just wanted to thank you guys for an awesome year.
comanderdarklink (10:05:56 PM): It was very fun
thedudevondoom (10:06:06 PM): Thank you for having us around.
comanderdarklink (10:06:06 PM): It kept me awake
saZyK1LSkI (10:06:07 PM): yes. now! YEAR 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!
thedudevondoom (10:06:08 PM): all this time
cravethought (10:06:11 PM): I mean, what the hell? a year?
cravethought (10:06:15 PM): =]
cravethought (10:06:20 PM): okay guys. Good night.
cravethought (10:06:21 PM): Thanks so much
comanderdarklink (10:06:23 PM): I have not had sleep for 48 hours
thedudevondoom (10:06:26 PM): Excelsior!
comanderdarklink (10:06:32 PM): I will have a very good night

Now with 100% more archival!

2008-10-19T22:33:00.001-07:00

For those of you who haven't been following Nerd Rage Radio religiously - which you totally should - do not fear! I and my trustee partner Captain Man have begun archiving each episode for your replaying and exploiting pleasure!

http://rapidshare.com/files/144880997/NRRs3e1_TheReturn.mp3.html
"The Return"
Pretty self-explanatory.

http://rapidshare.com/files/146762742/Nerd_Rage_Radio_Vol._3__2__All_Hail_MEDICtron.mp3.html
"All Hail MEDICtron"
Because it's more clever than "Trans Formers 2."

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1uuv6u
"KOSH KOSH KOSH RADIO"
Best worst show ever.

http://rapidshare.com/files/150471623/Nerd_Rage_Radio_Vol._3__4__Doctor___Commander.mp3.html
Doctors and Vikings and Sea monters, FUCK YEAH!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/m1vgpq
"Why So Structured?"
How about them Hollywood adaptations, yeah?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vwjzy9
"Nerd Rage Theatre"
I like how everything was overshadowed by the awesome of Gerry's dad.

More on the way, for another seven weeks or so! Be sure to let us know what aspects you like, and when we should just shut up and play a song.

Excelsior!

Nerd Rage Report Turns 1

2008-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, ladies and gents, I'd like to take the time to wish The Nerd Rage Report a happy first birthday. It was one year ago yesterday that I decided to start this blog, and I wanted to take the time to thank everyone involved. We've kind of evolved this past year, but while doing so we've been able to keep the main focus strong: providing you readers with the opinion and fans' perspective: not the industry ass-kissing bullshit.

So I'd like to thank you for your readership, loyalty, and comments. We'll keep writing till the day we become content with the industry, and really, is that even possible?

Cheers,
Moses

Review: Superjail: 102, 104, 110

2008-10-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

It’s been a very exciting fall season so far. Cartoon Network is producing a lot of new content, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars being there big new cartoon, followed closely by The Secret Saturdays. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is premiering next month on November 17 and a new order for nine more Chowder episodes is in the works (nine is an awfully odd number for a season, don't you think?). For the older crowd, there is also the third and final season of Morel Orel and Adult Swim new show, Superjail, which I will continue reviewing this fortnight. It’s quite a variety and it’s always welcoming to see such a wide range in tone and creativity especially when coming from Cartoon Network, which I am now officially done ranting on.

Fox is also going strong with their animated lineup. The Simpsons has reached their 20th season and they should be applauded for their accomplishment. I’ve actually heard some very good things about American Dad, and some annoying things about Family Guy (not surprisingly.) I’m afraid I don’t know what’s going on with King of the Hill. I’ll be sure to check up on it though; the show has really grown on me. And on a non-cartoon related note, the new season of House is going strong, if not blatantly homosexual now. Wilson is back though, so I’m happy.

Sadly, I must admit that as we get further into the fall, the time available to me to watch cartoons drops significantly. There’s schoolwork to be done; namely a lot storyboards that I have to finish. That and I must confess that I’ve been watching some other shows in my free time. Chiefly The Wire, which I find especially exciting since I grew up in the Baltimore region.

But enough small talk; let’s get this show on the road! I’m reviewing today episodes 102, 104, and 110 of Superjail (that’s just the order Adult Swim airs them. It’s weird, I know) which are titled "Combaticus", "Ladies Night", and "Cold-Blooded" respectively.

I must admit, I’m sort of lukewarm to Superjail now after its bold entrance into the Adult Swim lineup. And the reason for that is closely tied to reason I feel I can squeeze in a review for all three new episodes into a few paragraphs. There just isn’t a lot of substance to it. What little plot that exists basically acts as an excuse to get to the mind numbing levels of violence near the end, with the twins usually showing up at one point to add in a bit of havoc.

In "Combaticus", the Warden and co. unearths an ancient city of violence and uses it to quell the blanket of depression that has covered Superjail. The twins make "Combaticus", the ultimate fighting machine, to get in the Warden’s way. Violence thus ensues. In "Cold-blooded", Jared is sent undercover to learn about the jail’s new frightening criminal. The criminal accidentally kills himself while attempting to hack up the intrepid accountant and Jared becomes the leader of the prisoners as a result. The twins, just being bored this time 'round, hack into Jailbot and start mowing everyone down. Extreme amounts of violence ensue. And in "Ladies Night", an extraterrestrial Jailor arrives. Her jail is basically just like Superjail except everyone’s genders are swapped. The two Wardens decide to contest their inmates against each other My Fair Lady style. Violence eventually ensues, but the Twin’s involvement turns it into sexy violence. (In an American sort of double standard, the sex is definitely not as gratuitous as the violence)

You can basically sum up every Superjail episode so far in one word: violence! Very well animated violence. Even if I’m not satisfied with the themes or content, I’m still impressed by the quality of animation, which just seems to get better and better with each episode. I can’t even begin to fathom how much work it must have taken to storyboard some of the sequences, especially from my current point of view when I'm knee-deep in my own storyboard work.

Violence definitely seems to be the show’s main attraction, and it makes no amends for that. The characters are fantastical and unique, but rather 2D in depth. Frankly, the characters just don't have the time to be developed much, what with a good two-thirds of the eleven minutes available to them being used for spines being torn out and bodies being hacked to pieces. And that's all well and good if you’re into that sort of thing. Even I can’t fully deny that there hasn't been a some level of awesomeness in each episode, sometimes a lot of awesome as. Even if there is not much depth to the characters, their interactions with each other have at least kept me amused. And while the show still haven’t managed to make me laugh (out loud), I appreciate much of the humor, which can be VERY bizarre.

Frankly though, I’m looking for something more substantive.

And if you don't mind, I want to use that ending statement to segway briefly into Morel Orel, which is breaking into some truly weird places. To be honest, I haven't actually paid much attention to the show in the past. It just didn’t really pique my interest, at first only seeming like a very transparent attempt to constantly bash Christianity (I don't mind really, but that's not enough to hold me). With news that this season would be its last season, my attention was aroused once again and I decided to give it another shot.

Wow.

Okay, maybe I just caught a few wrong episodes in my past viewings, or maybe Morel Orel is truly diving into some very deep, dark places. Regardless, I definitely suggest that people give this show a shot if they haven't already done so. Do it now, because Adult Swim has decided to make this fall its final season.

I have no doubts will see more of Superjail. I just hope they can eventually bring a little something more to the table next time.

Marvel Zombies 3 #1 - Third Time's a (Lucky) Charm

2008-10-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is no world of Marvel Zombies. This is the Marvel Universe.

With plenty of C and D-list characters getting their time in the spotlight and swamp nights, Marvel Zombies is back. And this time, it's CANON.
The Marvel Zombies have become a part of the main continuity of universe. Fortunately for us and the Skrull-weary superheroes, the Zombie plague has only been spotted in one of the most niche parts of 616: Citrusville, Flordia, home of everyone's favorite Swamp Thing counterpart, the Man-Thing. It is also work space for Flordia's Intiative team, The Command, as well as the third installment of Marvel's Defense Trinity, A.R.M.O.R. Led by Siege, a half-man, half-machine remnant of the 90's, The Command tredge the murky waters of Man-Thing's domain until they become the first 616 heroes to encounter the Zombies, who are led by none other than...well, I'll let you find out.

Now, I didn't read the past two installments of Marvel Zombies, which is part of the reason why I decided to pick this one up, despite word of warnings from those who have read the prior Zombie stories. Attracted by the idea of this story being in main continuity, as well as the cover homaging Army of Darkness - this is probably the only time I'll ever forgive Greg Land and his mischeivious means of art - I gave it a try, and ended up being glad that I did. As a lover of obscure and/or C and D-list characters - if only we had more of The Conquistador before this series - I was happy to see the likes of Man-Thing, Michael Morbius, and the two robotic protagonists of the story itself, Aaron Stack and Jocata. If you're sick of the big names like Tony and Bendis and their oversaturating shenanigans, perhaps this is the invasion that you've been looking for.

I can only imagine that Van Lente is having quite the time writing this book. Fun, with plenty of horror and obscurity and SCIENCE! to go around. His dialogue for each member of The Command, which shows off their own individual chunks of cheese (with the exception of Jennifer Kale), and reluctantly heroic tone of Aaron Stack show that, at least for the time being, he is writing this book like a well-done zombie flick that still manages to keep some of the raw blood. This is a welcomed direction, particularly for the Marvel Zombie franchise; after seeing only a few panels from the past books, I'm thankful Van Lente is taking this route, as cheeseball as it may be.

Walker's art is exciting at best and boring at worst, but never that poor. The page highlighting The Command had me worried that the art of a comic about blood and monsters and more blood would be disappointing and dull, but things really get kicked up a notch once flesh is consumed and bodies are exploding.

So, while this was a fun read, and the twist at the end leaving me at least a bit curious as to what goes on, I don't think I would have been down for the second issue had the upcoming cover not have a character that's dear to my heart, and hopefully not dead to the series. Three out of five for a surprisingly solid start.

Animation Age Ghetto: For Children Only

2008-10-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

I considered for a time whether to continue my current running theme of ragging on Cartoon Network, completing my bitter rant by flowing from one William’s Street property to the next. But my frustration, for the moment, has dissipated. Adult Swim is not all bad…yet. They at least have a smidgen of originality. And while I may think a lot of their shows are completely nonsense, they have few golden eggs here and there. The series premiere of Superjail has redeemed at least some of their reputation. And while there may be major disagreements about how they handle their anime licenses, that can mostly be attributed to the habits of anime viewers anyway.

But Adult Swim does have some relevance to what I want to bring to your attention this week; a situation that everybody should be at least be distantly familiar with. It is something that has plagued the animation medium since its inception into media prominence, back during the first Walt Disney films. A mindset that is both frustrating and infuriating, a type of prejudice that every animator or animation connoisseur has to deal with throughout his or her lifetimes.

That is, of course, the mindset that animation is meant solely for children.

Or if not for children, it is something frivolous. It is not something to be taken seriously. It not a valid art medium, not something with its own set of artistic rules and terms that can take years to truly master and can be used in ways that regular live action films simply can not emulate correctly or at all.

No, because cartoons are for kids. Anything that is animated is always a family friendly, light-hearted affair with a good message and childish slapstick humor. And when it’s not? Well…then we start running into problems. Letters of outcry, protests, heck, even legal action.

Surely you, dear reader, know what I’m talking about. You may even confess to displaying this same damnable prejudice. Remember back in middle school when you didn’t want to be dragged to the theater see the next Disney movie with your family? Because surely you were too old for such childish pastimes. Don’t be afraid, you can admit to it. Even I can admit to such a crime, despite my ritual of watching cartoons on television every day. It is a curious mindset, completely infantile in nature. Judging that something is to childish for you to enjoy, to say that a piece of entertainment is not mature enough for your attention, to use “adult” as a term of approval; these are all actions of immaturity. Nevertheless, this mindset is real and pervasive, and won’t be going away any time soon. It has a long-standing history that has sculpted popular opinion for decades.

“Critics who treat "adult" as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adults themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence....When I was ten, I read fairytales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” —C. S. Lewis, On Three Ways of Writing for Children

Come back with me to the 1930’s and 1940’s–give or take a few years–when a TV wasn’t in every other household. Watching films was a very different experience back then. Movies would be played in a theater on a continuous loop and moviegoers would come and go as they pleased. A family would often coming into the theater at one point and staying until they reached the end of the loop. Cartoons in those early days, in particular the Loony Tune shorts, were meant to be viewed in between the main features. And since the Hays Code strictly regulated movies in those days, everything shown had to appeal to all audiences. Although back then, the term “appropriate for all audiences” had a different connotation then it does now. Nowadays, “appropriate for all audiences” basically reads KID’S ONLY! But back then; the shorts had loads of content that appealed exclusively to adults.

Which makes the modern act of censoring that content all the more terribly tragic.

This is where that prejudice mindset was first established. It was innocent enough. After all, the entire film medium had to fall under the same rules. And the Hayes Code, believe or not, lasted for quite a while. It lasted into the sixties, with Psycho being one of the major contenders against the code in its final days. In addition to the Hayes Code, you also had broadcasting standards established by the FCC that made television even more squeaky clean than film. And those standards didn’t really go away until cable networks and the invention of VCR came into the picture.

So why is it that live-action film productions are seen as a more credible art form than animation? Why can you get away with all manners of sex, violence, and drugs with a live action broadcast and not a cartoon one? Why can’t a primetime animated show get away with half the stuff as a single Law and Order episode during the same timeslot?

Of course, it’s a multifaceted answer. During and after the Warner Bros. shorts, Walt Disney began making feature length animated films: very popular ones. These movies made Walt Disney the most influential force in animation. So the fact that Walt Disney was dedicated to making “family-friendly” films, certainly made a great impact in the minds of movie-goers about what should and should not be appropriate content for an animated feature. In addition to this, it’s also hard to not admit that animation is a lot better at showcasing slapstick than live-action (with live-action actors actually having structural integrity to their bodies)

It is among these and other factors, the led to the mindset. At some point in time–or over time-–it was deemed by society that animation must be able to appeal to children. And if it does not; it’s either corrupting the children, or it’s a comedy.

Which inexplicably can get away with anything.

Ah Comedy cartoons… Now lots of cartoons are meant to be funny, but modern shows use comedy as a means to adult content. Let’s explore that section of animation for a brief minute. It’s the only adult animation you can usually find. This one exception to the rule is rooted in the tradition of The Simpsons, which for the longest time faced constant scrutiny for its “inappropriate material”. It had an alcoholic, slightly abusive dad; a troublesome, devil-boy; and a cast of misfits that were certainly not wholesome or good for children. But it was funny. And with that, it was eventually accepted by society. The Simpsons' rise in popularity subsequently allowed other comedy cartoons to sprout up and grow. Family Guy certainly has a lot to thank The Simpsons for, as well as South Park and the entire Adult Swim comedy line up. So basically, as long as it’s a comedy, then you’re allowed to do an adult cartoon, with the proper amount of warning to viewers of course. And you can get away with basically anything.

As long as it not a drama.

That’s the main point I’m point I’m trying to make here, the one point of contention that I want to bring attention to. For some reason, society does not accept the idea of an animated drama, the idea that a cartoon can be serious and deal with realistic issues and proper themes.

Take for example, Batman: The Animated Series. The show was lauded by critics who felt that the tone of the show was more appropriate for an older audience. But when Fox decided to take a chance and give it a primetime slot, it received dismal ratings. No one wanted to watch that. It’s a cartoon. It’s only meant for kids, right?

Take for example the previous example of The Simpsons. Something that is really special about the earlier seasons of that show is that it dealt with serious issues and actual family drama that could touch your heart. Homer loses his job, becomes depressed, and tries to kill himself. Another episode dealt with how Homer puts up with his job in the first place; a feat accomplished by constantly reminding himself that he’s there for Maggie, his baby girl. These episodes gave you a warm fuzzy feeling inside while also making you laugh. They were magnificent, masterfully done stories. But overtime however, the stories, the characters, the plots, the entire show; were Flanderized (ironic, no?). The dramatic elements were ditched for laughs. Homer is no longer moody and aggressive, but still an honest hardworking dad; he’s been reduced to a buffoon. And why? Because that’s what viewers like the most. The comedy. In that same vein, Family Guy derailed itself from plot driven episodes filled with good jokes, into joke-driven episodes with horrible plots because that’s what viewers responded to the most.

Take for example MTV, back when it wasn’t synonymous with bad reality shows. The network actually had a thriving animation department that released some truly progressive, experimental, and magnificent work; Liquid Television is the prime example. To a lesser extent there was Beavis and Butthead, Daria and Clone High. These were good shows that were certainly not meant for children. But the station’s demographic–teens and young adults–evidently didn’t want to watch to watch such childish animated affairs (They evidently didn’t want to watch music videos either. MTV viewers weren’t really the brightest demographic to begin with).

Now take for example, the animated films by Don Bluth. His films have always contended with this mindset. Whenever he strove for something more substantial something more dark and serious, such as with Titan A.E, The Secret of N.I.M.H, and Watership Down, he continually met financial problems. People just didn’t want to see those films. Heck, some people still don’t want to see those films. They think seeing a couple of bunnies maim each other to death is the most violent thing they’ve ever seen. It’s not by the way. But maybe it’s the most violent thing you’ve seen in an animated film.

In fact, the entire film industry encourages this discrimination. The category of “Best Animated Film” is probably the most revolting insult I’ve seen flung at the animation medium. The idea that an animated film cannot contend with live-action films is insidious. It’s a joke category. Shrek won it for God’s sakes. That is not film of the year material. Hell, Shrek basically exemplifies the idea that animation is only good when it is a comedy. The fact that Shrek 2 is one of the best selling movies of all time just infuriates me more.

This year saw the release of Wall-E, a film by Pixar, which is the studio that continuous the tradition established be Disney to release films that are appropriate for all audiences. But not the KIDS ONLY “appropriate for all audiences.” The “appropriate for all audiences” that means just that; EVERYONE can enjoy this movie. And Wall-E was not only enjoyable; it was spectacular. It was the most beautiful love story I’ve seen on film. It had social commentary, it had serious themes, and it had laughs. I could write a whole other article on Wall-E, but all I would eventually end up saying is that it deserves a nomination for Best Film. Not one for Best Animated Film, just Best Film. It doesn’t even have to win it. I just want it nominated. I want it to be acknowledged for its artistic merits; I don’t want it pigeonholed into the KIDS ONLY mindset.

I’ll try to end this article on a high note. Wall-E is breaking the mold for animated films. And believe it or not, animated television shows are seeing mold breakers as well. The recently concluded Avatar: The Last Airbender prided itself in delivering dramatic content that adults could enjoy as well as kids. Its series finale received some of the highest ratings ever for an animated series finale. In addition to that, there is The Venture Bros., which while classified as a comedy, is better described as a character study that addresses the theme of failure. The rise in popularity of anime is also helping to legitimize drama-focused cartoons.

The light at the end of the tunnel is there. We just need to rally the rest of the country to reach it.

(If you wish to read more about the Animation Age Ghetto, read this fun little article on tv tropes. I used it extensively myself when writing this article.)

Review: Superjail 101

2008-10-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

With the premiere of Superjail last week, it hit me that Adult Swim seems to be following a distinct theme with all its new programming (the stuff that isn’t cheaply produced live action crap). That theme being that super violence = super AWESOME! And while I may find it hard for my baser instincts to argue against such a theme, it does make me yearn for something a bit more substantial from the only television block that caters to adult fans of animation. But I digress; Superjail is, in a word: AWESOME!

The concept behind the show is simple enough; In every episode, the lowly criminal Jackknife is captured in the midst of a crime and taken to Superjail: a psychedelic prison run by a megalomaniacal Warden. The episode then loosely follows his escape. Jackknife is far from the main character of the show though. Mostly, his plight is a framing device for the antics of the regular inhabitants of the jail, most prominently those of the aforementioned Warden.

The image that immediately leapt to my mind when I saw the Warden in action was that of a slightly crazier, seemingly omnipotent Willy Wonka. He has to ability to control the very fabric of reality, which he uses for his own selfish, flighty whims. The Superjail itself seems to be constructed in his own fantastical, normally impossible way, and he seems to have no regard for the safety of others. In this episode he seeks to gain the love of Alice, Superjail’s only guard. Her very masculine features–especially the bulge in her skirt–seem to hint toward her being a Transsexual. But that’s not a deterrent for the Warden who seeks to create a bar at the Superjail so he can legitimately socialize with Alice, despite there being a policy against dating coworkers. This bar is met with much worry from Jared, the Superjail’s accountant with a very big head, and a recovering alcohol addiction. But he finds it impossible to disapprove with the Warden’s wishes on anything, except perhaps when under the influence of alcohol.

The plot is minimal, although there are hints at a developing relationship–or lack thereof–between the Warden and Alice. Frankly, whatever plot there is seems to be an excuse to get to the extraordinary sequence of death and violence near the end when an awry escape plan lets loose the flood waters from an undersea kingdom. But that’s entirely forgivable.

Let me explain why.

Beyond the sequence of crazy graphic violence, there are two things about this show that are truly fantastical: its art direction which looks like a cross between a Mike Judge production, a heavy metal music video, and drug-induced coma; and its animation, which is not only good for Adult Swim standards—it is several hundred miles ahead of any Adult Swim production I’ve seen—it’s good for theatrical short standards. Really, the work here is extremely impressive. The Warden’s movements are especially great, showing off many principles of animation that other Adult Swim shorts neglect. Not to mention, Superjail is animated in flash.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I absolutely loathe most Flash cartoons on TV. The medium adds almost nothing to the animation art form except making things cheaper to produce. I have expressed this distaste at least one time in the past; so believe me when I say that Superjail is a true exception to the rule. In fact, it practically legitimatizes the use of the tool in a professional setting. It disregards the excessive use of motion-tweening for traditional frame-by-frame animation, which is such a huge relief when compared to Adult Swim’s usual fare. And from what I’ve heard, it’s made completely in-house which is something rarely heard of. I can’t imagine how long it must of taken to animate everything.

Try Superjail out. I think it really deserves a viewing. Some people have complained that its not exactly funny which is usually what Adult Swim strives for with the original productions; but then again, my favorite show is The Venture Bros. which has rarely made me laugh. Superjail is amusing at least, and the level of violence surpasses the point of excessiveness. I’m not normally one for extreme violence, but in this case, it’s strangely hypnotic.

There’s a lot of potential here. I hope they can go far.

The Stand: Captain Trips #2 - Don't Fear, the Reader

2008-10-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

The second installment of Marvel's adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand has Captain Trips sailing across the country, and what a disgustingly great voyage it be.

I remember reading The Stand for the first time. It was sometime during high school, when I was just starting to actually read for personal enjoyment. It took some time to finally finish the whole book - any version of The Stand can be used as a blunt yet effective weapon - but it was worth the wait. The Stand truly lives up to its hype, not only as a modern apocalyptic Western romance suspense horror (with a touch of other genres for good measure), but also as one of King's greatest works, alongside The Dark Tower.

And, as anyone whose seen or produced the television miniseries will tell you, it's also a real bitch to adapt. This first installment of the new comic adaptations from Marvel, however, show promise of visually doing King's epic some justice.

For the past few months I was under the assumption that the entire Stand series was to be crammed into five issues. The looming fear was like that during the wait for your first cough after hearing about Captain Trips. Fortunately, for everyone, that is not the case. The Captain Trips story - which will probably cover the essentials of Book I of The Stand - will have plenty of time to contaminate the U.S. With that said, the story and writing is excellent, blending dialogue and third-person narration wonderfully. Part of this is due to Eliopoulos' lettering, which manages weave a web of multiple stories while not getting in the way of Perkins' wonderful art. A perfect example of this is the two-page story of Captain Trips' chain letter.

If I had one complaint about this book, it's that Perkins suffers from a problem that also plauges the likes of Steve Epting and even Alex Ross; the more "realistic" your characters are drawn, the higher the risk is of them sometimes looking utterly rediculous. This can be seen in a few faces of this issue - I will excuse the one of Stu Redman getting ready to sneeze, since that was the point - and will continue to be a problem, judging by the shadowy profile of Flagg, who must have the biggest honker this side of Mid-World.

I expect this book to be consistently awesome, especially since the King himself is creative and executive director of the series. Four out of five.

Invincible 53: Now with more Parkerisms

2008-10-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

So this week I had a chance to get caught up on Invincible. I haven't written about everyone's favourite Image wunderkind since good ol' issue #48, but like most of the comics I read, there's that lull where I don't read anything for a good long while, then take a day or afternoon and get caught up all at once.

Through legal means. I swear.

There's always been a bit of comparison between good ol' Mark Grayson and our friendly neighborhood angst factory Peter Parker (I was going to make that name a link, but really, if you don't know who he is... kill yourself?), but in this issue it's pretty damned prevalent. I mean, you've got it all! - Bitching to the girlfriend, bitching about the girlfriend, bitching to the super-powered younger brother who is apathetic about killing people, bitching about the super-powered younger brother who is apathetic about killing people... you know, just bitching in general. I think Kirkman's trying to contrast Mark and brother Oliver on the basis that Mark's a lot more human. Human in the sense of personality, not geneology, but I guess that applies too.

A parallel storyline inludes some of Mark's past villains having a bit of in-fighting themselves, and that always makes for an interesting set-up. If there's one thing I like in comics, it's villains fighting eachother; they tend to be a lot more vile. See Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge for more on that.

Anyways, solid effort from Kirkman, but not a lot actually... going on. Oh well. Cute Amber/Mark, and some sibling/parental strife, but other than that... tumbleweeds.

If the Nerd Rage Report was in charge...

2008-10-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

We here at Nerd Rage Report are always proud to bring you our opinions on various topics, be they comic books or television shows. This article is all about how we at NRR would change Marvel's catalog, and is a special collaboration between writers Rawnzilla and Sazyski.

We have offered a selection of Marvel's October 2008 catalog, and our opinions on whether we would; Change the title's creative teams, Cancel the book entirely, or Keep it the way it is. Read on for the full post! I've also added downloaded wallpapers for most of the books listed here. Enjoy.

Ultimate Captain America Annual by Jeph Loeb and Marko Djurdjevic
Sazyski- Cancel, Loeb, nuff said.
Rawnzilla- Cancel, Jeph Loeb only sells because of the artists attached to his work and the hype surrounding the books. Put any other writer on this and keep billing it as "essential for ULTIMATUM" and you will get the same sales.

Ultimate Hulk Annual by Jeph Loeb and Marko Djurdjevic and Ed McGuinness

Sazyski- Cancel, more Loeb is not good.
Rawnzilla- Change, remove all dialog and text from the issue, so I can use the artwork as wallpaper.

Captain America: White by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously who is this guy blowing?
Rawnzilla- Cancel, White #0 was garbage and this is more of the same Loeb crap.

Eternals by Charles & Daniel Knauf and Daniel Acuna

Sazyski- Keep, the Eternals should get some panel time.
Rawnzilla- Change, I'd like to see a different artist on this book. I appreciate Daniel Acuna's artwork, but I don't think it's the right fit for this book. I really enjoyed the Gaiman/Romita JR. Eternals mini-series from a few years ago, and I want to enjoy this as well.

Hulk by Jeph Loeb and Arthur Adams/Frank Cho

Sazyski- Cancel, I mean, can I get a name? I'd like to shit on paper and get paid for it too.
Rawnzilla- Change, Marvel can keep the artists on the book now, just get rid of Jeph Loeb for the love of all that is good and gamma-irradiated. Greg Pak had a great thing going with PLANET HULK, put him back on this book. Change the numbering to reflect the original volume of Incredible Hulk, plus the issues of volume 2. Issue #6 was terrible and the identity of Red Hulk wasn't revealed, most likely to drag out sales for as long as possible.

Ms. Marvel by Brian Reed and Paulo Siqueira

Sazyski- Change, make it an X-book, go back to Binary. More romance.
Rawnzilla- Change this. Brian Reed has failed to make Ms. Marvel an interesting character. There is barely any supporting cast, this book just deals with Carol Danvers talking to herself and punching things. Issue #31 was terrible.

Punisher War Journal by Matt Fraction & Rick Remender and Howard Chaykin

Sazyski- Change, art which doesn't make me envy the visually impared please.
Rawnzilla- Change. I will never buy a book with Howard Chaykin's artwork. Punisher needs a title that sets him in the Marvel Universe proper, and it's a shame that this book is so lackluster.

New Warriors by Kevin Grevioux and Reilly Brown

Sazyski- Cancel, haven't read it in 6 months for a reason.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. I'm a big fan of Reilly Brown's artwork, but this title is shedding readers constantly and it's written terribly.

Wolverine: Origins by Daniel Way and Mike Deodato

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously, not everyone needs to have their "Mysterious Orgin" spelled out.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. This book serves no other purpose other than to have another Wolverine title on the shelves. I don't care about Wolverine's mysterious son, or the forty women that he had sex with before having to disembowel them because he was brainwashed.

Cable by Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti

Sazyski- Cancel, bring back C&DP
Rawnzilla- Cancel this book and get Reilly Brown to do Cable and Deadpool by himself. Cable and Deadpool #50 was the single best C&D issue.

Young X-Men by Marc Guggenheim and Ben Oliver

Sazyski- Cancel, bring back New X-Men.
Rawnzilla- This book is just so terrible. It's a shame that New X-Men was canceled. Guggenheim has no clue how to handle the characters he stole from Kyle and Yost, and the new characters he has introduced are bland and boring.

New Exiles by Chris Claremont and Tom Grummet

Sazyski- Cancel, I love Claremont as much as the next old school X-fan, but he's not even trying anymore.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Sales are plummeting, the book is getting almost no promotion and it only serves as Marvel's way of putting Claremont out to pasture. It's a far cry from what the Exiles used to be, as the original series was one of my favorite comics. Right now the book is just a place for Claremont's pet characters to play around.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jessical Ruffner and Ron Lim

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously, instead of making adaptation of non-cape style novels, how about just original non-cape books?
Rawnzilla- Keep. While I am not reading this title, I've heard that it sells very well in markets outside of comic shops. I've also heard that women are picking this book up, and a more diverse audience for comics is always a good thing.

Marvel Zombies 3 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker

Sazyski- Cancel, zombies are stupid. People who prep for "Z-Day" are stupid.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This should be the last Marvel Zombies series. Fred Van Lente is a great writer and I'm glad he got put on a title that is guaranteed at least 50,000 readers. More exposure for creators is always a good thing. I loved the first Marvel Zombies, but Marvel Zombies 2 left me with a bad taste in my mouth (hah.) and I won't be buying this in single format. I'll probably pick it up in the eventual trade collection.

Amazing Spider-Girl by Tom DeFalco and Ronald Frenz

Sazyski- Keep, harmless series which some people like, keeps to itself.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Despite the lackluster sales in the Direct Market, Spider-Girl sells well in digest form and on newsstands. Spider-Girl is a step in the right direction for getting more diverse readers into comics.

Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin

Sazyski- Cancel, Hudlin has ruined this character and book.
Rawnzilla- Change. Jason Aaron did great work on the three issue Secret Invasion fill-in. Put Aaron on the book regularly and we might have a winner here. I haven't seen Black Panther solicited for December, so a change might already be in the works. Since the time I wrote that last sentence, it was announced that Black Panther has a relaunch in the works, with Reginald Hudlin still on writing duties. That's a shame.

Deadpool by Daniel Way and Paco Medina

Sazyski- Cancel, see the comment on the Cable book.

Ender's Game by Chris Yost, Orson Scott Card and Pasqual Ferry

Sazyski- Cancel, see comment on Anita Blake book.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Same reason as the Anita Blake book.

Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca

Sazyski- Keep, it's not bad and with Iron Man hardly in his own book anymore, it's a got a reason to be.
Rawnzilla- Keep. With Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. becoming a War Machine title, Iron Man needs his own book. Fraction seems to have a grasp of what Iron Man should be like, and I have high hopes for the book after this initial arc.

Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane by Terry Moore and Craig Rousseau

Sazyski- Keep, one of the two spidey books I like. Nice change of pace from everything else.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I really enjoyed the first issue and I might end up picking this up in the collected edition. This book is another good vehicle for getting more readers into comics.

X-Men: Original Sin One-Shot by Daniel Way, Mike Carey and Mike Deodato, Scott Eaton

Sazyski- Cancel, if you need a one shot to lead into your 2 book, 3 part x-over, you're doing it wrong.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Daniel Way's Wolverine is garbage. X-Men Legacy has been enjoyable for the most part, and I'm a bit upset to see it get dragged into the Wolverine Origins storylines, even if it it's only for a few issues.

Amazing Spider-Man #573-575 by Dan Slott and JRJR/Marc Guggenheim and Barry Kitson

Sazyski- Change, BND is still stupid.
Rawnzilla- Change. Get rid of Marc Guggenheim and Bob Gale. They don't know how to write Spider-Man. Get Fred Van Lente and Marc Sumerak on the title to assist Dan Slott in writing.

Astonishing X-Men by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi

Sazyski- Cancel, this book has no real purpose other than to give Ellis a Marvel paycheck.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Warren Ellis is not impressing me here. This book is up it's own ass in how cool it is supposed to be, and practically gushes Ellis' sense of British superiority over everyone else. Bianchi's art is muddy and his panel layouts are confusing and detrimental to the story. The book has only had two issues released by the new creative team before a two issue fill-in series came along to take the place of the regular series.

Captain Britain and MI:13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk

Sazyski- No comment, haven't read a single issue.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This title is really enjoyable and was perhaps one of the best Secret Invasion tie-ins when it was released.

Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat

Sazyski- Again, no comment.
Rawnzilla- No comment. I haven't read the book since the World War Hulk tie-ins.

Iron Man: Director of SHIELD by Christos Gage and Sean Chen

Sazyski- Change, Nick Fury: Director of SHIELD. all would be right with the world. Or more shots of ex-director Hill's ass.
Rawnzilla-Keep. This book is now a War Machine title. I really enjoyed issue #33 and I'm looking forward to where the series will go after Secret Invasion. This book will be replaced with War Machine #1 in December.

Moon Knight by Mike Benson and Mark Texeira

Sazyski- Keep. Good book, not my personal taste but I can recognize quality.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I stopped buying this series after issue #13 because I had no idea what was happening. After reading the first volume of Essential Moon Knight, I went back and read the first thirteen issues and fell in love with the character. I'm going to be picking this title up in the trades, so I'd like to see this book stay around.

Punisher by Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell

Sazyski- Keep, does it's own thing, knows what it's good at.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Marvel has a bit of a tough situation with this title. Garth Ennis just left the book after being on it for practically eight years and I think they realized that there was no way to properly follow that up. Marvel put a few crime writers on Punisher to do their thing, and Punisher will always have an audience.

Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction and Greg Land

Sazyski- CHANGE! Get Fraction and Land off this book, Fraction gives this book his D-game and Land and his lightbox need to be thrown out on their ear.
Rawnzilla- Change. I liked where the book was at pre-issue #500. Once Fraction and Land joined the title, it shot downhill in quality. I'm only picking up the issues where Terry Dodson is doing the artwork. I refuse to be even partially responsible for Greg Land getting more work in the comic industry. I don't think that Brubaker has been to the X-Retreats that Marvel has had lately, so he may not be staying on this book for very long. Land needs to be removed from this book ASAP, and the title needs to focus on the characters rather than the city they are residing in.

X-Factor by PAD and Larry Stroman

Sazyski- Change, the art punishes my eyes for being stupid enough to move their gaze to it.
Rawnzilla- Change. The first 25 issues of X-Factor were incredible, and the last year of issues has been awful. Put Pablo Raimondi or Valentine De Landro back on the artwork on a rotating schedule. Valentine De Landro is doing the artwork for December's issue, so we'll see if artist Larry Stroman is off for good. This book needs to get back to basics. Mutant Detective Agency. No more X-Men crossovers, no more Secret Invasion tie-ins, just Peter David doing what he knows best, dialogue, characterization and strong story-telling.

Captain America by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross

Sazyski- Keep, leave it the hell alone. They've got this one right.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This book is always the first book I read when it's released. Quality work by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Luke Ross is joining the art team to split the workload with Steve Epting. I can't wait for the second Omnibus of this title.

Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark

Sazyski- No comment.
Rawnzilla- Keep. After the four issue arc with Greg Rucka, this book finally has some life in it. Lady Bullseye kicked off quite well, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue.

Fantastic Four by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch

Sazyski- Change, Millar is painful for me to read. Bring back JMS.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I'm enjoying the series as it is. The only thing I would change is that I would want Millar to write his characters with a different voice. Everyone seems to have that generic, "So and so won't happen for another NINETY MINUTES. Did you REALLY THINK that I was in charge?"

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch by Simon Spurrier and Javier Saltares

Sazyski- Cancel, smells like a useless one shot to me.
Rawnzilla- Change. This is actually a mini-series about the replacement Ghost Rider from the nineties. Put this as a back-up in the main Ghost Rider title.

New Avengers by Brian Bendis and Billy Tan

Sazyski- Keep, a decent book, even if it suffers from Bendis-itis. A cast shuffle couldn't hurt.
Rawnzilla- Change. I am getting really tired of the Secret Invasion tie-ins. Nothing happens and it's an excuse for Bendis to write half a script and reuse the other half from previous issues. Secret Invasion has been going on for what seems like forever and I'm ready to Embrace Change.

Runaways by Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos

Sazyski- Change, Ramos doesn't work for me here, bring in Tak or Alphona again.
Rawnzilla- No comment. I don't read the book.

She-Hulk by Peter David and Vincenzo Cucca

Sazyski- Keep, fun book, full of PAD goodness.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This book is a blast to read and I'm glad Peter David is back on a "Hulk."

Thor by JMS and Olivier Coipel

Sazyski- Keep, Marvel's best book by a mile.
Rawnzilla- Keep. The only thing I want out of this book is a tighter schedule. The various fill-ins by Matt Fraction are satisfying my Thor needs for now.

Thor: Truth of History One-Shot by Alan Davis

Sazyski- Cancel, unnessecary one-shot trying to ride JMS's coattails to a quick 30k copies sold? I think so.
Rawnzilla- Keep. With the main title of Thor's erratic schedule, there are many gaps left which this title can fill. I also like Alan Davis.

Thunderbolts by Cristos Gage and Fernando Blanco

Sazyski- Keep, especially after the Civil War this book has a definte role to fill.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Andy Diggle is taking over after Civil War and apparently Norman Osborn is going to be playing a big role in the Marvel Universe. I am very interested to see where this is going.

Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen

Sazyski- Keep, Bendis's best work by far.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Ultimate Spider-Man got me back into comics after a three-year hiatus. I stopped buying the title monthly but I'll probably be buying the trades.

Wolverine: Manifest Destiny by Jason Aaron and Stephen Segovia

Sazyski- Cancel, stuff like this should be going in the Wolverine solo book.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Just put this out between issues of Wolverine's main series to act as a buffer for the delays.

X-Men: Legacy by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton

Sazyski- Change, go back to 'Adjectiveless', that is all.
Rawnzilla- Change. While I have enjoyed, "This is your life, Charles Xavier." I'm ready for a new direction.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual by Marc Guggenheim and Mike McKone

Sazyski- Cancel, bad writer does an annual in the forest, does anyone care?
Rawnzilla- Cancel. I don't care about Jackpot and Guggenheim's Spider-Man is worse than terrible.

Avengers: The Initiative by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli

Sazyski- Keep, probably the best Avengers book over the past year.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Recent announcements have revealed that Dan Slott is leaving the title. Christos Gage is going to be taking over the book with quite a lot to live up to.

Immortal Iron Fist by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman

Sazyski- Change, get Brubaker back on this.
Rawnzilla- Keep. While I would love for Brubaker and Fraction and Aja to get back on this title, I'm interested to see where Swierczynski can take the book. Foreman's artwork is a bit too stylized for my tastes, but I imagine that I will get used to it in time.

Incredible Hercules by Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak and Clayton Henry

Sazyski- Keep, it's got a good thing going, don't mess with it now.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I'm really enjoying this title. The only good thing to come out of World War Hulk.

Nova by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Wellinton Alves

Sazyski- Keep, a solid book every month.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I love this book and it's made Nova one of my favorite characters.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 by Brian Bendis and David LaFuente Garcia

Sazyski- Cancel, tell this story between USM arcs.
Rawnzilla- No comment.

Wolverine: First Class by Fred Van Lente and Salvador Espin

Sazyski- Keep, Claremont era fun is always welcome.
Rawnzilla- No comment.

X-Force by Chris Yost, Craig Kyle and Mike Choi

Sazyski- Keep, probably the best X-book out right now. Yost and Kyle need to be given the Uncanny job.
Rawnzilla- Keep. The only good thing to come out of Messiah CompleX and Divided We Stand.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of changes that we would make to Marvel's catalog. Will we do the same for DC's November books? If you liked this article, let us know. Give us your response and feedback on what we've written, and if you disagree with one of us, tell us why in the comments!

Captain America #42 - The End is the Beginning

2008-09-25T01:29:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the moment you and I have all been waiting for: The Return of Captain America!

Okay, I'm still too excited and overwhelmed by the sheer AWESOME of this book to review it with a clear head. Give me a minute.

...oh what the hell, I can't get over how incredible this issue is! This is the one that will make you smile and cheer. The one that will make you want to turn to the next page, even though you haven't finished the one you're on. The one that will make you hope once again.

For those of you who have read Ed Brubaker's run of Captain America from the beginning - or in my case, from the Civil War tie-ins to the beginning and then to whatever the current issue was - this issue, my friends, is the payoff. It is those of you who, for whatever poor excuse you have for not reading this book, that I cannot delve into why exactly this issue is so incredible. So much happens in this issue that is so crucial to the storyline, it'd be a crime to spoiler it for you all (even though you are all committing a crime for having not read this book). What I will say is that this issue is James' defining moment. The moment that he makes the shield-diving leap from Bucky in a Cap suit to Captain America. In his own eyes, and the public's. The moment that Natalia, Sam, Sharon, and even Tony and the former Grand Director have realized their roles in the greater picture, the idea and dream of Captain America. The moment that Zola and the Red Skull, as relentless as they are, realized that not even the death of Steve Rogers means they have defeated and destroyed Captain America. The moment that Captain America returned.

The writing for this issue itself is captivating and Brubaker at his most exciting. The taste of espionage and politics that have become the cornerstones of Brubaker's run, as well as action scenes that are reminisicent to stories such as Operation: Rebirth, with explosions and gunfire surrounding the Man of the Shield. The dialogue between characters is real, and only emphasizes the cinematic, fit-for-the-screen feel of a book that practically leaps out of the pages.

Artistically, this is Steve Epting at his finest, which is also his status quo. Occasionally he'll have the noticable lapse (i.e. that one hilarious "shocked" Sharon face), but this book is virtually flawless. Luke Ross helped Steve most likely during the epilogue pages, where several subtle differences can be noticed by the seasoned reader. A slight change in art is more than worth the extra five or so pages you get from this issue. (Notice how the price for this issue is still $2.99; It's even restoring my faith in the dollar!)

This issue gets five out of five, only because I cannot give it more. Go and buy this issue as soon as you can, and fall in love with comic books all over again. And be sure to check issue #43, when a new chapter begins for the new Captain America.

Astrotrain Kept a-Rollin'

2008-09-21T22:58:00.001-07:00

The Instruments of Destruction continue their parade across downtown New York in the latest installment of this heroic nonsense-free series.

I'm gonna be frank, and no you still can't be Garth: I was never a fan of the G1 series of Transformers, and can't honestly say that it's aged well. It was canceled for a reason, folks. Call me a 90's kid, raised on grit and Beast Wars, but the aged cheese of the original series just doesn't cut it for me. However I know this is a damn shame, since the characters themselves are immortal in their own right; any nerd worth their salt can name at least three Decepticons, as well as Optimus Prime and...uh...some other Autobot losers. It was a shame that nothing was being done to revamp the original incarnations for this current generation, as well as those of us who have learned to not let nostalgia cloud our judgment.

Enter IDW Publishing.

Between the Spotlight line and Megatron: Origin, the G1 crew have been given the writing that has been due for years. All Hail Megatron continues this tradition, with the Autobots out of commission, having lost the Great War to the mighty Decepticons. The past two issues have been full of smashing puny humans and their planet, with no heroic nonsense of the Autobots getting in the way. This third issue continues to deliver the chaos and panic of the last two.

Question is, what happens afterwards? While these past three issues have been a lot of fun, especially for my inner Decepticon fanboy, I am unclear as to where things are going with this series. What will Megatron do after taking control of this filthy planet? He seems just to be resting on his laurels, while the other bots lay waste. No other plans? Come on, Megs, you're better than that.

While the story itself seems to be riding towards a dead end, the characterization and dialogue in this series is excellent. Had the dialogue of the humans in the Michael Bay movie been more like that of the humans in this story, I wouldn't have minded the fact that they had more screentime than the actual bots, who are also fleshed out with finesse and horror; you'll never think of Frenzy and Astrotrain the same way again after these issues. You also get to delve into the mind of Megatron himself a bit more, particularly his thoughts towards everyone's favorite screamer. (Take that as you will, excluding the fangirls, but they'll think how they think anyway.)

Art-wise, this book is gorgeous and fits like a non-bootleg shoulder cannon. I am reminded of the work that Udon did for Street Fighter and (Cable &) Deadpool, with the smooth designs and bright yet bold coloring. You'll also see some of the best reaction faces, humans and bots alike, that you'll ever see. If nothing else, the artist for this book undeniably has one of the most fun names to say out loud.

I give this issue a four out of five for continuing the balls-out fun that only Decepticon destruction can deliver, though I fear that this one shall fall on its face if the plot doesn't get some direction soon.

Toonami: The End of an Age

2008-09-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

(Little did I know when writing this piece, was that I was writing it on the day of Toonami’s last showing. Imagine how utterly distraught I was to learn that it was about to disappear forever, right after I had spent so much time reconnecting with it. This is my childhood and it's probably your childhood too. If you're feeling especially nostalgic, I suggest going to the Toonami Digital Arsenal which has most of the content that was ever shown on Toonami. For now, I submit this to you as a eulogy. Let us look back and remember as we reach the end of an age):

As we follow through with out bitterly rosy Cartoon Network retrospective, we come to a point of particular interest; a topic that always brings up memories, controversy, love and scorn. I speak of course of the Toonami programming block, which is now over 11 years old. If there were any monument to Cartoon Network’s success, any marker of progressive brilliance, any forthright testimony to the network’s golden years (and any indicator of its current problems) Toonami would be it.

Writing about Toonami is like writing about World War II. It’s been done probably one too many times. Not to mention, everyone has his or her own personal story to tell. It was just that sort of program. Toonami put the cool in weekday afternoon. It defined the action in action cartoon. It oozed style, but did not disregard substance. It taught us life lessons; it brought us culture. It represented everything that was right with Cartoon Network.

Which made its downfall all the more symbolically tragic.

To an outsider, to someone who never got to experience Toonami during its heyday, the fascination might be perplexing. What made a mere two hours of television so special? The answer is hidden in the personal stories of veteran viewers. The likes of which are more common than you may think. There are several fansites you can go to reminisce about the block. Many of them are banded together in an effort to restore the Toonami of old. And make no mistake, when people talk about Toonami, they are referring to the Toonami of old.

(Toonami: The Inspiration)

For me, I remember watching Toonami the first time it ever aired. I don’t know how I managed to be tuned into Cartoon Network at the very moment, but I distinctly remember watching this bump, and then watching the very first episode of Dragonball Z. And for a kid who had was being raised on old Hannah Barbara cartoons and Loony Tune shorts up to that point, Dragonball Z was a jolt. I had seen nothing like it; my friends had seen nothing like it. There were aliens, and fighting, and people floating in midair, punching each other faster then humanly possible. It had perverted old men, cute girls, guys who could destroy whole planets, guys who could turn into gigantic rampaging beasts, people who could power up their power levels and people who could just beat the shit out of each other in general. It was exciting. It was fun. It was addictive.

It was also completely ridiculous.

One of Toonami biggest accomplishments was the popularization of anime in the US. Some might think that claim a bit fantastical, but you have to understand; before Toonami, anime was a relatively exclusive enterprise. It was basically limited to the people who could spend the time and the effort to import the tapes from Japan, learn Japanese, and translate the shows themselves. Even making entire fansubs (which would be no small feat during the VHS days). With a few exceptions (like Speed Racer, Voltron, Robotech and other early 1980s anime that despite some popularity, failed to get a foothold in the US market), the American public has not really heard of anime. Not to the extent that it does now, when you don’t have to venture farther then your local Best Buy to find the stuff.

(Toonami: The Experiment)

Toonami changed all that. Dragonball was popular for many, many years. It was a staple of the line-up that was rarely rotated out. Its popularity along with the interest shown in Toonami’s other Japanese properties such as Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing, demonstrated that that there was a market for this stuff. Yes, even when it was completely ridiculous; even when it was heavily edited; and even when it took five episodes for a planet to explode when it should of taken five minutes.

Toonami in essence, basically laid the foundations for the anime industry in America. It introduced hundreds of thousands of young, impressionable kids to anime’s charm with little remorse or apology. For young boys, there was Dragonball Z. For young girls, there was Sailor Moon. That’s right, most of young adult anime fans out there are a direct result of Toonami programming.

But lets not condemn it just yet.

(Toonami: The Robots)

Maybe Toonami felt a little guilty for the Dragonball Z thing. Whatever the case, they continued to bring in a varied selection of anime to their little two-hour lineup. There was older stuff like Voltron, Robotech and Ronin Warriors. The Gundam Series had a very large following, especially Gundam Wing. They had Tenchi Muyo (it still astounds me that they got away with that) and Blue Submarine No. 6. They aired Outlaw Star, a personal favorite (they skipped over the best episode though. Don’t know why…) Yu-Yu Hakasho and Rorouni Kenshin came in a bit later and were both very entertaining. And violent. Eventually, they aired the original Dragonball series, which is vastly superior to the power-crazy ridiculousness of its predecessor. To counteract that though, they also aired Dragonball GT, which was really more of the same. There was also Zoids, which was somewhat forgettable; Cyborg 009 which was an acquired taste; and of course Big O (Where is my third season Adult Swim?!) Even later (when Toonami got exiled to Saturday night) they would air the utterly confusing, painfully slow, but otherwise rather interesting .hack//sign. There was also the joint production with Production I.G. that resulted in the relatively cool but generally ignored I.G.P.X. After that we start getting into Naruto territory (I will not mention Naruto anymore than I have too) and into the recent state of things.

All that, and Hamtaro…

…Right…

(Toonami: The Action)

Now, that’s not to say they didn’t air western action shows. Reboot has a cult following all of its own; one that I think it well deserves. They aired old Superfriends episodes, reintroducing a new generation to the antics of THE LEGION OF DOOM! Thundercats gave birth to many a furry, but is generally regarded as being pretty awesome. Powerpuff Girls is a classic. Although, it was an ill fit with the overall tone of the block. The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest was another favorite of mine. Do you remember the fishmen episode? (OH GOD D:) We also got to see some WB properties such as Batman TAS, Superman TAS and Batman Beyond. Finally, when Toonami took up Saturdays, we came to see Samurai Jack, Justice League and Megas XLR; all very excellent shows.

(Toonami: The Speeches)

However, Toonami wasn’t just about the shows. No, it was quite more than that. It was the entire atmosphere it presented, the philosophy that it undertook. Nowhere else could you get an uplifting speech about being your own individual, a soliloquy about heroism, and poetic ponderings about reaching for your dreams in between your mindless action cartoon shows. Teamwork, anger, courage, the importance of teaching the younger generation; Toonami took pleasure in delivering mini life lessons, in tune to some truly great beats (I recommend the two soundtracks to everyone and anyone), and demonstrating those life-lessons through the shows that the young audience were so eagerly anticipating to watch. Toonami took us into space, a place of infinite possibilities. And they gave us a guide to keep us company. We all remember TOM and his multiple iterations. He was a robot that just ventilated coolness (Voiced by Steven Jay Blum of course.) He introduced new shows with all the pleasantries of the world’s best concierge. And although he didn’t have a face, we could tell he was smiling at us, giving us a cool wink as he sped us off to our new destination, whether it be among giant fighting robots, or overly muscular, topless men with very spiky hair. The oldest among us will of course remember Moltar, the one-shot villain turned daytime host (a fate that the cast of Space Ghost seemed to all share). He was the spiritual blueprint for TOM, stuck in his base on the enigmatic Ghost Planet, always turning switches and little knobs like he always did. He started the practice of giving us inspiring speeches, which TOM continued, always eager to do so. When TOM came about, we got the Absolution; the star roving broadcasting space cruiser to the infinte beyond. It had only one purpose, to bring us pathetic earthlings a better cartoon show. He was accompanied only by SARA, the ship’s computer, who managed to grow dangerously appealing in her later iterations.

How a mere framing device became so beloved by many is a testament to the greatness of Toonami’s legacy. It was experimental, progressive, and shaped the course of Cartoon Network for years. Kids loved Toonami, and as it turned out, so did some adults. It's because of Toonami’s Midnight Run that we now have the Adult Swim programming block; one of Cartoon Network most successful ventures

(Toonami: The Opening)

So now the inevitable question: What the hell went wrong? How did such a successful and popular weekday occurrence, which continually impressed viewers with its programming choices and fantastical atmosphere, get cut down to a mere two-hour block of utter crap? I wish I knew. I’ve heard stories that some of the shows, specifically Yu Yu Hakasho and Rorouni Kenshin, were just too violent for the weekday, after-school timeslot. So they pushed it back to Saturday, which might have been bearable, if they had kept the shows they were being pushed back for airing. For a while, things were okay. At one point, Toonami even got four extra hours to play around with. But that was quickly cut, in the same fucking year no less. And every sort of tolerable action show was replaced with Naruto.

(Toonami: The Montage)

And if that wasn’t bad enough, for its tenth year anniversary Toonami went under the knife and got a make-over to coincide with the new visual look of Cartoon Network. I don’t think I need to tell you how horrible it is. Just tune in for a quick painful second and find out for yourself. And if you won’t do that (understandable), I’ll tell you anyway: It’s like Thomas the Tank Engine molested the old TOM to give birth to some hideous half formed creature. There are no more speeches. No more (albeit horrible) fan art showings, SARA is gone, along with the Absolution. We are no longer in the vast, infinite wonder of space. We are stuck in a plain, earthly jungle. What went wrong Cartoon Network? What went wrong and what do we need to do to get the old Toonami back?

There are actually initiatives out there, headed by desperate fans, to bring back the old Toonami. You can check them out if you want, but don’t count on anything being successful. You know that cute girl you used to idolize in elementary school, the one you stared at from afar, completely mesmerized by her charm. Well, she’s now a stripper at the local Gentleman’s club, selling herself out to anyone who is willing to pay a few measly dollars. You can offer advice and make her remember the good old times, when life was more simple, wholesome, and good. But she’s in a situation that’s hard to get out off. And maybe, she doesn’t even want to get out.

That’s right. Cartoon Network is a ratings whore. And she’s offering her pretty teenage daughter, Toonami, to the whims of dirty, horrible old men; to molest and violate her, just to earn a few extra bucks. And she never looked back. Not once at all. Good job Cartoon Network. Good job.

And those dirty old men eventually raped and killed her. Toonami went off the air on Saturday night, September 20, 2008. It went quietly, and quickly, with almost no prior warning. Watching it was like seeing a loved one finally die after being in a yearlong coma. I think my childhood finally ended last night and I don’t know how to take it. I urge any readers who remember their own experiences with Toonami to write in and share them in the comments.

It’s the time for grieving now.

Let us ponder. Let us remember. Let us grow up.

Let boys finally turn into men.

We salute you Toonami. We salute.

(Toonami: The End)

Bang ;_;

Secret Invas...zzzzzzzzzzzzz

2008-09-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

So here we sit, later half of September, and Secret Invasion is almost over. And yet, to me it still seems like it's just only gotten started, maybe it's because of the glacial pace which Bendis writes at, maybe it's just me and I have no sense of literary pace. I don't know. Well, anyway, on with the show, here are some review type things of some recent SI type things.

First up, Secret Invasion #6.

This issue was pretty different than it's 5 predecessors in the fact that more than one thing actually happens in it. Thor shows up, and the Avengers(both Mighty and New) finally leave the savage land. And well, most of the issue is a montage of the various locales in 616 showing the various groups of people dealing with the invasion or shots of people standing around talking with each other. Most of the build up in the previous issues feels like it should have been handled in the 3 Avenger books before the SI event proper kicked off. I dunno, maybe I'm just old fashioned like that. It's not so much SI is bad or anything, it's just so fucking boring in the main book. All the really fun stuff is happening in the other ancillary books. Perfect example being Beta Ray Bill in SI: Thor. Seriously, does anything make you say "FUCK YEA!" than a preview teasing BRB and Thor teaming up for ass kicking again? Hell, even Nick Fury being a righteous douchebag over in Mighty right now is more interesting than the main SI book. F$(#ing 'Young Avengers/Runaways' was a more interesting veiw of the invasion than the actual Secret Invasion book to current.

And now all the stuff that has to happen in this book is going to happen in the space of 2 issues, probably relegated to a few pages of the last issue, so it will feel incredibly rushed and forced. Am I the only one who doesn't like things all wrapped up at the last minute? That a whole issue or even 2 devoted to the aftermath wouldn't be out of place? I can't be the only one. Anyway, enough of this rambling, on to...

Secret Invasion: Thor #2

What can I say about this book which couldn't be better said by smashing shit with a hammer? It's awesome, Skrulls come to Asgard in Oklahoma and smash. Asgardians smash back. Great stuff.

"But wait a second Mr. NRR writer man, why doesn't Thor come and just mop up everyone in a few swings of his mighty hammer?"

I'm glad you asked. The answer is because Thor is currently being Dr. Donald Blake preforming an emergency delivery for a local woman in the town's tornado shelter (Asgard goes to war, if fucks up even the weather.) So, who comes to lead the Asgardians in battle?

BETA

RAY

BILL

Did you just say 'FUCK YES! BETA RAY BILL"? Of course you did, I don't even have to ask. This series right now is probably the best SI related anything. If issues one and two didn't sell you on them... how's this get ya...

Thor. Beta Ray. Together. Kicking ass. That should be all you need to get pumped about this book.

"A Short Love Story In Stop Motion"

2008-09-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

I came across this video on Vimeo yesterday and I thought it deserved some attention. Carlos Lascano is an artist from Madrid who really seemed to capture a lot of facets of animation in this piece; I mean, you've got the hand-made figures, computer generated scenes, and good old-fashioned hand-drawn cartooning. More (including production pictures!) after the jump.

I really liked the music in this video because it seemed to capture the flighty, whirlygig mood of love with the vastness of the time period that it covers. I almost missed the point of the whole video at the end, but really, I think it fits together quite well in the grand scheme of things.

I'm a fan of traditional 2D animation as well as rotoscoping, and I think Lascano did both extremely well. After doing some searching I found his site, and through there I found these production photos. I find it awesome he actually hand-made the dolls; they're both eery and heartwearming at the same time.

I haven't really been paying much attention to the potential of Vimeo in the last little while. All I really noticed about it was that it's good for posting high-quality videos, but really it's emerging as the "Flickr for videos". I'd recommend it to people who actually want to see a quality standard to their videos.

Moon Knight #22 - Bad Moon Rising

2008-09-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's a dark and stormy night for Marc Spector, complete with bolts of thunder, and no-one's offering him shelter from the storm.

For those of you who haven't heard the calling of the Moon yet, I will bring you up to speed: Ever since his slow but ultimately triumphant return to the cape and chaos of Moon Knight, Marc Spector has had to deal with psychological and/or metaphysical struggles with Kohnshu, the Egyptian god of Vengeance and Marc's (ex-)personal diety, former accomplices and romances giving him the cold, bruised shoulder, and Tony Stark personally tracking and hunting down the White Knight for every S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.H.R.A. protocal that has been breached.

Oh, and you know, occasionally the actual bad guy.

In fact, Moon Knight's latest defeat and righteous murder of his longtime adversary, the Black Spectre, has amplified Stark's efforts to bring Moon Knight to "justice", and has left him with few options how to do so. Enter Norman Osborn, and the Thunderbolts!

Or rather, Venom & Friends.

As you can tell by the (heh) comical cover that just leaps out at you - okay, I'll stop - this issue primarily showcases Venom's enthusiasm for bringing down the Knight, let alone a cape with a real-live cape. I was a bit surprised that Benson went this route, considering that Texeira and Suydam's rendition of Venom is rather dull, and leads me to think that Texeira based the design off of an action figure. The same can be said for his Bullseye, who fortunately is little more than a cameo in this issue. (He apparently will, however, be a key character in the next two installments of this arc; let's hope Texeira at least find a decent statue before then.)

Despite Texeira's faults at symbiotes and tight costumes - and armor, as you will observe through his renditions of Penance and Iron Man - this issue flows with the trademark excitement and emotion that Benson has forged for this book. Amongst all the chaos that Norman and his cronies wrought, Marc's old acquaintence Crawley, goes on his own pursuit to rally up the Knight's troops. Unfortunately, long-time accomplices including Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp and Marlene Alraune, want little to do with the Lunar Loon (unless directly notified by Spector himself). Benson's writing, having already matched and arguably surpassing Charlie Huston's groundwork for this volume, rivals that of Ed Brubaker and even the Dark Knight for superhero suspense and emotion. In fact, the final scenes with Moonstone's ending dialogue reminded me of Commisioner Gordon's shpeal at the end of The Dark Knight (at least in style - definitely didn't have a silver lining for the White Knight).

All signs point to this arc truly being the end for Marc Spector, one way or the other. Whether he gives up all recognition and means of identification - including the Moon Knight costume itself, as he has now don a hybrid of Black Panther and Wolverine - or his body gives up on him, as he slowly bleeds his last drop against the Thunderbolts. Either way, this is a pivotal, do-or-die arc for Marc Spector; essential for ongoing readers, and reccomended for newcomers (though I'd still reccomend the past three arcs of this volume as well).

I give this issue a three out of five for great writing hindered by a style that doesn't cater well to most costumes. Hopefully things get better for us while things get worse for Spector.

Broads, Breaks and Brubaker

2008-09-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Light up a smoke and put on some Tom Waits, you clowns, it's time for another issue of Ed Brubaker's Criminal.

When we last left our chump protagonist Jacob, the guy was drawing some strips of Frank Kafka, Private Eye. Outta nowhere some meathead and his girl punch and push their way into his life, becoming strange bedfellows in more ways than one.

He's a pretty smooth operator, once you have him at gunpoint.

The second issue of the second story of the second volume of Criminal starts with any hopes of poor ol' Jake breaking outta this web being shot in the arm. Oddly enough, that's also how he might just get outta this mess alive.

"Bad Night" is the fourth story of the Criminal series, and is actually a great starting point for any of you clowns who haven't already been reading this. Though each arc of Criminal is fairly self-contained, they are still within in the same smokey world - like Pulp Fiction, but less intertwined. Ol' Jake, fortunately, has not had to deal with much of everyone else's skeletons and pasts (He already has plenty of his own). No other main characters have made appearances in "Bad Night" as of yet, but hey, the night is still young.

The second issue of the second story in the second volume of Criminal continues to keep up the book's reputation of being a modern-day noir masterpiece (or simply "really fucking good", according to Warren Ellis). Classic crime-riddled stories that can feel like they could happen in modern times, in the seediest corners of any city. Sean Phillips is a master of shadows, bringing a a black-and-white (with shades of gray) genre to color with grace and grit.

There's nothing wrong with liking a good superhero comic, but sometimes you need to read something that's a little more down-to-earth, even if the crimes and characters of those stories are extrodinary and larger than life in their own rights. If that's your current dilemma, mosey on down to your local shop and get yourself an issue of this book. Go ahead and jump in blindly; any issue will fit ya like a warm gun.

Note: I emphasize buying individual issues: Not only do you get a solid, ad-free comic every time, but you also get essays and columns written by Bru and accomplices about the forgotten and renown works of crime and (film) noir. (This week's issue tips its fedora to Eugene Izzi and the 1992 film One False Move.)

I'll go ahead and throw this issue a four out of five for being a solid middle act issue - with a moment or two of excitement - of a consistently excellent book. The rest of you should get on home, back to your girl or your glass. Just make sure to have an issue of Criminal by your side.

Crisis of Infinity Doom

2008-09-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

I wish I could tell you more about this image.

Much to our (and my personal) chagrin, all we know about it now we know from IGN.com, who was given this image by Marvel earlier today. The summary of the thousand words that this image expresses is that Vic has obviously found a way to discover the Infinity gems, which were apparently not that well protected by Tony Stark and the Illuminati (also including Namor, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Reed Richards, and Charles Xavier). Notice the Celestials in the background of Doom doing a Secret Wars-reminiscent posture. Looks like this will be a conflict that spans from Earth to the stars, or at least be one on a apocalyptic level.

During a Marvel panel at this year's SDCCI, Joe Q. told me personally that Marvel Comics has no real plans for Doom until next year. He has also gone on record saying that what Marvel Comics has planned post-Secret Invasion will be even bigger and grander than anything in recent years. Here's hoping that long-term event is Infinity Gauntlet 2: Latverian Boogaloo.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to wipe the froth from my mouth.

New Stuff! YAY!♦

2008-09-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

This time around I thought I would review a couple new #1s which came out recently.

On the docket today we have Runaways vol. 3 #1, with a new creative staff of Terry Moore on words and Humberto Ramos on pencils. Also We have the newest book to fall under the Marvel Knights imprint, Sub-Mariner: Depths by Peter Milligan and Esad Ribic.

Runaways picks up the story after Whedon's oft delayed embarassment of a run. The girl with plant powers from 1907 has joined the cast (as we saw in SI:Runaways/YA), which I suppose with where Whedon left the book was the only way to go. It would be poor writing to just leave her out with the new creative team, so they are using her. Hopefully they send her back to the past or something, the cute innocent little girl spot is already taken thank you very much, and by a character who doesn't have the misfortune of having been created by Joss Whedon.

The Good - I'm glad Whedon's horrible lateness didn't kill the book. Maybe now it will manage to get 6 issues out in less than a year's time.

The Bad - Ramos. More specifically his style, I don't think it fits this book. It doesn't feel right. Is Adrian Alphona too busy to come back to this book? Or even Tak, he's done runaways before, he's doing the SI issues now, perfect fit. Cristina Strain's(best in the biz IMO) colors really save the day here and make it at least serviceable.

All in all it's good to see my second favorite set of Marvel Kids back in action and out from under someone who, in all honesty, shouldn't be allowed to write teenagers ever.

Sub-Mariner is a different take on Namor, being under the Knights line it has the opportunity to ignore continuity and weave it's own tale of the Prince of Atlantis. This book is going for something a little different than your typical "Namor fights Nazis" or "Namor makes war on the surface" it starts off by following a 'Debunker' someone who disproves legends, myths, crypto-zoological type stuff, that sorta thing. That's what he thinks Namor and Atlantis is, just the tall tales of submariners(the type who serve on submarines, not the sexy nazi punching sort) and sailors over the years. This looks to be a very interesting book. I think we are gonna really get to see a new look at the Namor character. Invariably this book will be compared with Surfer:Requiem. I can see where people would do that, but I don't think it is fair to the Namor book. Requiem was truly something special, to draw comparisons with this series before it's even had the chance to really get started is simply unfair. Will this be Namor's "Requiem"? who knows.

The Good - The art. The art simply captures the atmopshere of the book like few artists have. I can't really describe it in words. Maybe I'm simply off base with the vibe I get, but you'll just have to see it to make that call.

The Bad - No Namor in the first issue, that's all I have really, and it's not really a bad thing when you read the issue. Just letting people know, there is no nazi punching.

Great book all around so far. Well worth the price of admission. Do yourself a favor and buy it. Only nazis wouldn't buy this book, because they so fear the Prince of Atlantis. Don't make him come and punch you.

The Dead needs a Defrib, fast

2008-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

So I've come across this new comic called The Dead, which probably picked a bad time to enter the "Zombie Apocalypse" genre. With tons of comics already dealing with both the dead and post-apocalyptic themes, The Dead seems very mediocre, especially when placed on the same field as its older, more robust brother, The Walking Dead.

Basically the premise is "Oh look, London's been overrun by zombies," which really isn't that much of a departure from the norm; there's no explanation for the infestation, as usual, but it's up to a group of firefighters and what looks to be two military men to survive long enough for help to come.

What I noticed about this comic is that gore seems to take front stage from everything else, like story, character development, and all that boring stuff. The art is a mix of cartoonish and realist: imagine if Mike Mignola decided to take acid, then smash his drawing hand a few times with a hammer. It's passable, but really, the bottom line with The Dead is that it needs to distinguish itself from the crowd. It needs to have an element that makes it unique, and right now, it's severely lacking on all fronts.

Love for the Lunar Loon

2008-09-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago, I wrote down my critique of Charles Huston's run of Moon Knight, with only the knowledge that Mike Benson would take over Huston. Two arcs into Benson's run, and my expectations have been exceeded with every issue.

Moon Knight is the superhero comic you're not reading but you totally should.

For the past two arcs, Moon Knight has been fighting one hell of a hadicapped match, going up against old faces like the Black Spectre, Iron Man and the S.H.R.A., old ex-friends, the ever-berating spirit of Konshu, and Marc Spector himself. Despite all of these obstacles, Moon Knight manages to deliver a raw and bloody helping of outlaw vigilantism that proves the bureaucracy of the law only gets in the way of dealing justice. For those of you who are still on a Dark Knight high, and understand Bats' current role and purprose in Gotham, then Moon Knight is the white glove for you right now (or at least until Bats is done being tuned in and dropped out - thanks, Grant).

In fact, the current arc has thrown Moon Knight right into the wolves (actually, that happened in his second annual), and who else to take down a hero than Norman Osborn and his Thunderbolts. The title of the arc - simply "The Death of Marc Spector" - does not bode well for the former Avenger and pride of his neighborhood. Who can possibly help Spector live through the onslaught of Venom & Friends? Kohnshu? Iron Man? People who decide they should read something else besides Secret Invasion?

I will reiterate what I've said already: Moon Knight is an underdog hero in an underdog book, and he needs our support, even if things look like there's a bad moon on the rise for the knight.

The Marvelous Misadventure of Flapjack: “Oh Brother / Panfake”

2008-09-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

BABIES! Delicious babies. Or ducks as the case is. Such was the subject of Flapjack’s most recent misadventure. That and puppets. Delicious puppets. Well maybe not very delicious. Maybe just disturbing. Either/or, I’m not too picky.

A puppet made of meat perhaps? Or…dead rats as it were.

Right…

Flapjack’s latest misadventure was an inspiring journey into the realm of BABIES! Or really, the making of the creatures. And by making, I mean Blubbie’s humorous attempts to wash over the subject like any parent would do and Flapjack’s misinterpretation of what she says. Oh sure, the plot line is cliché. The humor that comes with trying to explain sex to a child has been done over and over again, in different shows and different mediums. But “The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack’s” go at it was very well done.

Flapjack’s “little brother”, an unfortunate duck found in the seaweed that supposedly spawns babies, was dressed up in such a horrifying way that it was just impossible for you not to laugh. The jokes were fun, although most of them sort of rely on one main concept. Flapjack’s innocent, doe-eyed approach to life. Not that that’s a bad thing. Its certainly been keeping the show going along. I don’t know how, but the way he screams adventure just never gets old. Hopefully, as the series progresses, that innocence will remain in tack. I’m reminded again of Spongebob, which in later seasons–after the main staff left–had the title character dissolve into a puddle of stupidity.

There were also some nice observations about living with younger brothers and siblings. The frustration of having to play their “baby games” when you clearly have more “adult” things to do. Oh, how I’ve been down that road.

I also liked K’nuckles mutilation. Seriously. What the hell?

The later half of the episode—the one actually advertised which I find strange because I thought the first half was better—dealt with Peppermint Larry getting his candy shop closed down and having to take up puppeteering to make a living. The problem with this is that the only puppets Peppermint Larry has are two dead rats, tied to strings. (Not very pleasing to the eye…) He comes up with a new puppet though; Pancake. A puppet modeled after the ever-loveable Flapjack. Peppermint Larry then invents stories for Pancake based Flapjack's own adventures, much to Flapjack’s ire. It’s a nice, funny self-parody. I especially liked the fact that the puppet was named Pancake. Candywife made a few appearances in all her…candy-ness…and there was also a Chocolate man at the very end.

Oh if only we could solve our loneliness through large amounts of sugar sweets. (Some of us may try. I guarantee that it won’t work though.)

It was another great episode. Funny, endearing, and always disturbing, “Flapjack” is one of the best cartoons to come along in years.

(images courtesy of Flapjackfan.com)

The Mortifying State and Duress of Cartoon Network

2008-09-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

I’m sure everyone has his or her own set of favorite childhood memories. Memories from happier times when the most you had to worry about was your dog chewing on your LEGOs/Barbies again. Back when you didn’t have to worry about college, and politics and when the most trouble the opposite sex gave you was a terrible fear of the cooties. Hopping across the neighbors’ rooftops (not a good idea in retrospect), sustaining a concussion after sledding off a hastily built ramp during a blizzard (Very good idea, bad execution), or jumping out of a tree with a blanket tied around my neck (Pretty smart kid, wasn’t I) are the first memories that stick out to me when I think back about my youth. But I think the one experience that has left me irrevocably changed, that would actually stay with me the longest to the point that it would affect my present everyday habits, would be watching cartoons on the good ol’ Cartoon Network.

Johnny Quest, Yogi Bear, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Popeye, Wacky Racers, Droopy, Huckleberry Hound, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and The Jetsons, Captain Planet, The What A Cartoon Show, Speed Racer, Scooby-Doo and all of its knock-offs (The Pussycats, Jabberjaw, Speed Buggy), The Smurfs and The Snorks, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Batman: The Animated Series, SWAT Kats, and especially Looney Tunes; Cartoon Network once stood as a bastion for hundreds of cartoon series, old and new. For a while, the network kept a healthy balance between those two. It was a balance it managed to sustain throughout the years, adding in new shows, rotating old ones around. God, just looking at the Wikipedia list brings back so many memories. I remember practically each and every one of the shows on there. And goddamn…that is a huge amount of cartoons. Watching Cartoon Network gave me a love for animation that has stayed firmly beside me though the course of my (admittedly rather short) life; even during the particular confusing time as an anime fan (I’ve recovered, thank you. Although I still appreciate anime, for it’s own particular–often nonsensical–brand of storytelling). And with the help of Disney, Nicktoons and the Saturday morning programs of The WB and Fox (May they rest in peace ;_;) I don’t think I’ll ever stop watching cartoons.

It is with my often confusing–and unfortunately paradoxical–status as an adult fan of cartoons and animation that I say—with great, terrible sadness—that the Cartoon Network…is dead. Or at least, the Cartoon Network that I could appreciate and love and wake up at 7:00 in the morning to eagerly glue my eyes too. With a few notable exceptions, the channel is a shallow husk of its former glory. Older shows have been completely replaced by newer, original ones; a principle that wouldn’t be too much of a problem if not for two factors. One: the Cartoon Network only has a handful of original series in comparison to the truckload of cartoons it has access to. And it airs only a select few of those series at a time. The small variety in shows in addition to the universal practice of repeats equals a rather boring schedule. And two, a lot of those newer series are just not very good, particularly those that have come out in the last two or three years. Camp Lazlo, despite being from the same guy who brought us Rocko’s Modern Life, is bland; filled with tired cliché plots, and safe (i.e. terribly lame) humor, My Gym Partner is a Monkey grows old quick. Each plot follows exactly two themes: the juxtaposition of a human boy going to school with animals; and how much of a jackass Jake can act like.

(I only now get the Pulp Fiction reference. You just can't find promos like this on CN anymore.)

And then there are the flash animated shows; crap like George of the Jungle, Skunk-fu and the like. The practice of using Flash for television animation will continually make me irate, despite Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends success at the medium. I know it makes me sounds prejudice. In fact, I will freely admit to being prejudice right now. But Flash cartoons, at the moment at least, are like the dollar store version of animation. Cheap production values, cheap animation, (motion tweens are just plain lazy, okay?) cheap everything; shows like George of the Jungle (which has made me smile at least once) would be substantially better if they just had a bit more money for actual animation.

(I am not ashamed to admit I have this song on my iPod)

Now, I don’t mean to knock on all of Cartoon Network’s original series or co-productions. Several of their “Cartoon Cartoons” were fun, creative romps. Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff girls, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog are all excellent. And two of its newest series, Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, have hit the mark. The CN's action shows have maintain a steady level of awesome too. Transformers: Animated is a great reboot of the series, Megas XLR is awesome for the theme song alone, Samurai Jack (which is actually being aired right now. A very big surprise) often skirted the edge of art and entertainment, and while I don’t quite see the appeal of it, the Ben 10 series has a great sense of action, particularly the fighting-alien kind.

But a lot of the shows that I just mentioned–good cartoons, that I think kids should have a chance to see–aren’t shown anymore. Which brings us to Cartoon Network’s abysmal record when it comes to handling its older cartoons. The common excuse from CN is that if you want older cartoons, get Boomerang.

Boomerang was created to serve the purpose that the ol’ CN once dearly performed. The big problem of course is that you have to pay for a more exclusive cable package to get to see it, an obstacle that some people simply can’t hurdle over. In addition to that, I think Boomerang is being used for a purpose that it wasn't meant for. Cartoon Network often puts their most recently canceled cartoons over there. But really, isn’t it meant for even older cartoons. Like the ones that I just listed several paragraphs above. Shouldn’t those more recent cartoons get rotated around in the regular CN’s airtime schedule?

(The ending statement in this promo hurts me so much ;_;)

I think it’s quite clear to everyone here: things need to change. And I think everyone; everyone who was a fan at one point in their lives, has their own personal idea of what the change needs to be. It’s safe to say that none of us here truly knows how complicated running a television network might be. We probably know nothing of the financial position that gives reason to the CN to structure their daily airtime schedule as they do. Nor are we the targeted audience of their programming (excluding the Adult Swim block of course. That is a different rant for a different time). In terms of advertising revenue, the adult fans probably mean next to nothing to Cartoon Network. And frankly, we may just be deluded by our “everything-is-better-when-you’re-twelve” mentality (who knows. Maybe SWAT Kats: Radical Squadron wasn’t as radical as we were led to believe). But for God’s sake, I think a little fanbase loyalty wouldn’t hurt. For me, the crux of the problem, the one thing that I am irritated by the most, is that I have nowhere to watch older cartoons (because I just can’t afford the expense of Boomerang). If I could just turn on Cartoon Network one morning and see Bugs Bunny on-screen, I think I would be hopping up and down with inappropriate glee. Just the mere thought of kids today not having the chance to be exposed to classic Looney Tunes is depressing. Do that Cartoon Network. If you only had the chance for a single change, make it that. For the greater good; for the children of today and tomorrow.

(I saw Space Jam recently. It was even more awesome then I remember.)

P.S Although, if your entire executive branch gets fired and a new one is brought in; one that actually has a heart; We could make a lot of other changes: bringing back Toonami to the 4-6 weekday slot and setting it back in space; a constant rotation of older cartoons in the morning mixed with newer, better produced cartoons in the evening; no more live action shows, like Out of Jimmy’s Head or the Ben 10 movie (Seriously. Just stop that. Right now.) If all that somehow happens, I would have your metaphorical baby, Cartoon network. And I would sit him in front of the TV and let him watch forever.

So, you’ve put up with my rose-colored rant so far. Tell us what kind of change you think the Cartoon Network needs. Just post below. It won’t hurt. We promise.

Team Fortress 2: Meet the Potential

2008-09-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

By now, our readers are well acquainted with the video game Team Fortress 2. If for some reason you're not - first of all, how can you be a gamer or YouTube watcher or a geek in general and not know about this game, I mean goddamn - I'll be brief: Team Fortress 2 is a class-based FPS game made by Valve (the folks who also brought you the Half-Life series, Counter Strike, and Portal). The game is a sequel to it's virtually nonidentical predecessor, Team Fortress (Classic). One of the biggest and most obvious changes is the cartoon, animated look of the game. Something that Valve almost never mentions, outside of the "Meet the Team" shorts. A perfect example of these two points is TF2's Demoman:

Enjoyed it? Well, there's also ones for the Scout, Soldier, Heavy Weapons Guy (and his sandvich), Enginneer, and most recent, the Sniper. The Pyro, Medic, and Spy have yet to be released.

Question is, what happens next?

TF2 was already widely praised and consumed by the gaming community when it first debeuted. Today it ranks among Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 as the most popular multiplayer FPS games. However, TF2 also has a cult following that rivals the cult of World of Warcraft. Cosplays of each class (usually the Spy) can be seen at any con, quotes and references can be heard on any forum. And why is this? The personality. The style. The BONK!

With the weapons updates/upgrades being periodically installed for each class, it looks like TF3 is not even a thought in the minds of Valve at this moment. If that is the case, they need to create something to satisfy the rampant gamers and viewers.

A Team Fortress cartoon must be made.

The internet community has been clamoring for it ever since the first "Meet the" video (which I believe was the Soldier, but don't quote me on it). Rather than a heavily plot-oriented story, it would consist of one or several clips of combatical hijinks in the vain of Spy vs. Spy, where someone (or ideally both parties) are obliterated at the end. Respawn? Could be done arguably in the same way Wile E. Coyote always recovers from explosions or cliff falls: cut right to the next plot. Gameplay references would be nice, as well as a perhaps a scornful nod to glitchers; I can already imagine the Engineers and their sentries already falling from the sky after a Sniper makes the observations that truckies can't do that.

I can only hope that Valve actually has something like this in the works, once the "Meet the Team" series comes to a close (- on a side note, the Spy for "Meet the Spy" had better be BLU or Valve will have to inform their next of kin). Until then, I have erectors to dispense.

Journey into The Depths

2008-09-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Messenger of fear in sight
Dark deception kills the light

Hybrid children watch the sea
Pray for father, roaming free

We have only begun our downward spiral.

Amongst the slow, murky tide of this week's comics - I personally didn't find all that much to my interest - there lied the debeut issue of Sub-Mariner: The Depths, a new series about the King of Atlantis written by Peter Milligan and illustrated (or rather painted) by Esad Ribie. It should be noted that this is under the Marvel Knights mantle and not part of main continuity (and, like Silver Surfer: Requiem, I can already tell that this is another MK book that deserves to be part of main continuity.)

Set in the past - the reader is to assume the story takes place during the Communist witch hunts - we are introduced to an ill-fated underwater exploration team, and then later to Doctor Stein, a "professonal skeptic" who has already debunked such myths as the [spoilers too good to reveal in a review; I actually laughed at this scene]. He has been recruited by the U.S. government to make sense of the salvaged notes of one Captain Marlowe and aforementioned ill-fated crew, as well as continue the discovery - by which I of course mean "debunking" - of the mythical Atlantis. You'll have to debunk the rest of the issue yourself.

I have high hopes for this series. As a fan of Namor and as someone who loves sea monsters, because this is exactly what this issue has revealed to, or perhaps just reminded us: Namor is a feared legend of the Sea, a monster in his own right. A misanthrope to the surface, and an iron fist to the sea. The paranoia that the sailors and Stein express or suppress only add to the horrible and horrific visage of the Sub-Mariner, to an almost Lovecraftian level.

Aesthetically, this book is quite pleasing, and sometimes stunning (particularly the ships). With the exception of everyone looking a little pink in the face - McCarthyism would lead me to drink more, too - I have no real qualms. The handwritten thought blocks are also a nice touch, emphasising the personal journey Stein and the reader are undergoing.

As Stein and his crew dive ever deeper into the darkness of the sea and their own minds, my interest and hope for this book will rise. Imperius Rex!

Summer Cartoons of '08 Retrospective

2008-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

We plunge forward, deeper into the year, finally arriving at that cusp between summer and fall. Will we able to survive the cold depths that await us? After swimming through such wonderful water for so long? Make no mistake, the summer of ‘08 was a great time for cartoons on the big screen (I could gloss over the subtle intricacies of Wall-E for hours. But that’s for alter) and the tube. Avatar: The Last Airbender saw its story come to a close. Not with a whimper mind you. But a bang. A roar. A full-blown battalion firing off the port bound. Ships were lost, left to sink. But the rest of us survived quite fine. And found sudden joy in watching those unfortunate passengers choke on the sea of harsh reality. (Some more dramatically than others.)

(Wrapping yourself in metal and crawling on ceilings? Goddamn Toph is awesome.)

When all’s said and done, Avatar was a good thing. The finest action adventure cartoon to come along since Batman: TAS. It continually broke tropes and clichés, and was filled with memorable characters, harsh lessons and engrossing mythology. And the finale, in brief retrospective, was well done. Azula and Zuko’s fight was beautiful; Sokka, Suki, and Toph (who upgraded herself to fucking Iron Spider-Toph) continued to be awesome. And Aang kicked ass while avoiding the censors. A pinch of Deus Ex Machina may have been used, but at least it was used in a cohesive fashion. Azula finally went off the deep end and Katara, while possibly being used to toy with the hopes of some fans, came through in the end with a bout of creative waterbending to defeat Azula. Sadly, Iroh was underused. A real shame since I was mostly looking forward to his role in the grand scheme of things. Though, he did manage to team up with the entire “old guy” population of the Avatar universe to form a force that would surely strike fear into any foolhardy youngin’ that dare trespass their collective lawns.

(It seems fitting with all the comebacks of old action movie stars. The day the Indiana Jones, John McClane, and Rambo team up to take down an evil empire will be a glorious day indeed. Also, this picture indicates that John McCain might be able to take the presidency if he can manage to do a little kung-fu.)

It was an animated extravaganza. A showboat of elemental kung-fu action. And I do sincerely hope that people who don’t like Avatar, at least appreciate that it has some of the best animation to ever grace a cartoon made for television. (I can only imagine the hordes of Korean Animators working their poor little wrists off.) Also of special notice: the soundtrack. The Track Team pulled out all the stops for a truly epic sounding music to accompany the ongoing heroics of our young protagonists. But for all the awesomeness we saw on screen, for all the action and adventure and ass kicking, the Finale was not very “final” for the story. Lots of ends were left metaphorically loose. Whether Zuko finds his Mom or if Toph gains acceptance from her parents will have to be answered some other time. There are rumors of an animated epilogue but maybe those questions will have to wait for Shyamalan’s adaptation of the series.

(Zutara tears taste delicious. Like a fine red wine. Drink them. Drink to your hearts content.

But of course, there were other cartoons that we enjoyed this summer. Luckily, the situation over at Cartoon Network is finally improving. In July we saw the first run of “Chowder” come to an end after a rather sporadic airtime schedule that started in the fall of 2007. It was one of the network’s more successful offerings; full of bright colors and a unique visual style (a stationary clothing pattern that did not move with the characters) that was unique and interesting. And while the humor did sometimes get its head dunked into a potty, the rest of it managed to flail around enough to score some decent kicks. There was some fine meta-humor going on and some subtle, and not so subtle, pop-culture references. (Excellent parodies of Katamari Damacy, Lord of the Rings and Super Mario World come to mind). On top of everything from the fine character design, to the art direction, to those quirky claymation interludes, there’s the ever-entertaining relationship between Chowder and Panini. It’s not only adorable, it’s hilarious. “The Bruised Bluenana” is perhaps my favorite episode so far.

(BABIES?!)

Along with Chowder, this summer saw the premiere and ongoing showing of “The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.” And so far, I’ve fallen in love with the show’s oddball style. At first glance however, comparisons between it and Spongebob quickly bubbled to the top of my head. From the maritime themes to the wide-eyed, fun loving, often ignorant protagonist; Flapjack seemed to be riding Spongebob’s coattails. But perhaps comparisons with such a successful show like a Spongebob, which has been on the air for close to 10 years now (Makes you feel sort of old, doesn’t it?), is inevitable with all children’s cartoons nowadays. Do not worry my dear readers, I was wrong in my first assumptions. I discovered some strengths, such as its juxtaposition of the young protagonist’s innocent nature and the somewhat seedy setting. Some of the show’s sequences range from unsettling to surprisingly horrifying. The storyboarders not only avoid making characters less appealing, they seem to go out of their way to make characters disturbing and hideously ugly.

(Babies...)

It’s all in good fun of course. And the humor is great. I find special amusement in the substitution of candy with all the usual irreputable material desires of pirates: rum and gold and such. The Other strengths of the show include the voice talents of Brian Doyle-Murray (Captain K’nuckles), Roz Ryan (Blubbie), and especially the show’s creator “Mark "Thurop" Van Orman” as the loveable Flapjack. Is they’re voice talents that truly bring character to their…um…characters. Flapjack’s constant cries of adventure are simply infectious.

(The facial expressions on this show are priceless.)

And then of course, there is “The Venture Bros” whose third season aired this summer to much desperate fanfare (They damn well better be well into making fourth season by now or heads will roll). Heavily character driven, with ongoing plot developments, “The Venture Bros” really has come into it’s own of late. From being just a simple Johnny Quest parody (to which they still rely heavily on) to full fledge action/adventure/comedy show. Doc and Publick have upped the ante on basically everything from the scope of Venture universe, to the amount of reoccurring and new characters. In effect, Venture Bros Season Three feels very much like Venture Bros Season Zero with copious amounts of flashback and exposition. Not a bad thing mind you. However, it leaves the show unable to pay attention to some of the characters you all know and love. I would of liked to see Orpheus, Triana and the Order of the Triad, in the finale for example. But that was not case. But hark, more sweet Venture goodness is on the horizon. We just have to be patient. It’s tough, I know.

(Not sure why Hank decided to make his shirt into a battle turban…)

So what do we have plunging downward into the depths of fall? Well, besides the rest of our beloved Flapjack, we do have “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” which promises a return to Batman’s more campier roots. Unbelievably, against all odds, the trailer actually doesn’t look half-bad. We will remain pleasantly skeptical until it premieres on November 1.

The Venture Brothers: The Family That Slays Together (Season Finale Review)

2008-08-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Much like a rocket into space, or the now ubiquitous Michael Phelps, Doc Hammer, Jackson Public and the rest of the team that works on the “The Venture Brothers” have consistently climbed their way to the top of their game, topping themselves again and again in both their story telling techniques and indomitable sense of humor. “The Venture Bros” has long since established itself as one the highlights of the Adult Swim block, ever since its first season aired in 2003. A reputation helped largely by the actual effort that is put into its production, compared to most of the cheap crap they churn out over there. The show takes a while to produce and waits between the short, 13 episode seasons can range from excruciating to unbearable. And a large part of that pent up anticipation is the result of their season finales; epic productions that always bring something astonishingly new to the table, putting it just out of reach so all we can so is feel our mouths water. The finale to season three is no different. So SPOILER ALERT motherfuckers. If you’re waiting to watch it on the small screen at home (or if you’re foreign. Sorry Europe) take heed. Otherwise get your ass over to adultswim.com and watch it for free.

(The Cleaner cleans up.)

This two-parter started last week with Brock Samson worried about retaliation from his employer, the OSI (a send-up of G.I. Joe) for finding out too much info about his mission, which centers not only around protecting Rusty Venture, but keeping him from finding and meddling with a mysterious Orb. The seductive and shifty Molotov Cocktease arrives and informs Brock of a hit on his head that the OSI has supposedly put out. Three assassins are introduced: Her-Trigger, who finds orgasmic joy from killing; Go Fish, a water themed hit man of ill repute; and Le Teur a comic book fan especially fond of the silver age. (Maybe Doc and Jackson have been to one Comic-Con too many…)

(I find the growing difference between Hank and Dean exceptionally interesting.)

During the first part of the season finale, we had Brock trying to juggle the tasks of combating and killing the hit man in horribly bloody fashions, while keeping the Venture family out of harm’s way. This is made especially difficult considering their annoying habit of inadvertently (and advertently, as is the case with Hank) throwing themselves into the thick of things. Brock succeeds, but not without consequence. His encounter with Go Fish forces him to rip off his own hair in a wild bid to distract and overtake the assassin. And he very nearly loses to Le Teur. Luckily Hank was there to distract Le Teur with a shared communal love of Batman.

(The Clone Wars indeed.)

As all this goes on, the Monarch and Co., finally able to arch Dr. Venture again, head over to the compound to wreak some havoc, but no one is home. Except for Sergeant Hatred, who is suffering from severe depression. His wife is leaving him and he has come over the Venture compound to try to get Dr. Venture to kill him. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch consoles him while the Monarch grows restless.

(You really got to feel for H.E.L.P.E.R sometimes...)

The second part of the finale consists of Brock and the Venture Bros escaping from jail with the help of the Cleaner—who of course looks like Mr. Clean—and finding himself caught between the Monarch and the OSI. Choosing to play it smart, Brock sets it up so that the two fight each other while he watches from the sidelines. But the Ventures—now accompanied by Sergeant Hatred and inspired by Hank’s initiative and true-to-himself attitude—decide to join in the fight, thinking that Brock is in danger. Hank convinces his father to release the clones of him and his brother into the fray. Of course nothing good can result from this. Brock, seeing the boy’s clones come onto the battlefield tries to stop the fight before the clones are hurt. But he is too late to stop the Monarch who accidentally slaughters the clones in a runaway power suit. The Monarch is soon disabled and Brock offers himself up to the OSI. But it turns out the OSI never put a hit on him. They had come to help him. Stunned by this revelation and finally fed up with all the shit he has to put up with, Brock quits the OSI—and body guarding the Ventures—altogether. We then learn after the credits that it was Molotov Cocktease who had put the hit out on him, hoping that he would kill the three great assassins and thus ensure that her team of assassins was the best in the world.

(The dynamic between The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch has become one of my favorite aspects of the show.)

But perhaps the most unexpected thing about the finale are not those plot developments, but the death of the beloved side character, Twenty-four. It was karmic death in a way. Twenty-four and Twenty-one were perhaps too genre aware for their own good; throughout the season they has come to the realization that they had become main characters in the grand scheme of things and started to think of themselves as indestructible. But lo! Twenty-four finds himself stuck in the Monarch mobile, unable to escape, while the driver, a tortured H.E.L.P.E.R with a bomb strapped to his back, drives him to his doom. The episode ends with Twenty-four’s burning head landing in the arms of twenty-one. Or is it? Is it really Twenty-four’s head? And if it is, is there some way to bring him back, or is he gone forever? (Remember, it happened with the boys). We will have to wait till the next season to find out. Along with the fate of Brock Samson.

(Why did you buckle up?! Why?!)

You know what’s amazing: the sheer amount of content that Doc Hammer and Jackson Public are able to pack into their show. There’s so much plot development and character exposition (not to mention a constant stream of jokes ranging from parodies to one-liners) that it’s a wonder how they could of kept everything straight in their heads as they were writing it. I know my summary of the events was running long, but I didn’t even talk about General Hunter Gathers and the pair of gay-turned-religious-nuts ex-OSI members who each provide a great deal of laughs when they come on screen. There’s always been a great deal of plot to Venture Bros. episodes and it’s hard to exclude any one thing.

(Seasons Finales always seem to come with epic battles.)

One of the true strengths of this show is its incredible cast of characters. On the believability scale, they range from the insane to the impossible, but somehow the viewers are allowed to empathize with them through their failures and quirks. Where other shows eventually Flanderize their characters, the Venture Brothers constantly expands them, giving them motivations and goals, while keeping the laughs going and the drama high. There is a downside to so many characters though. Limited screen time means we can’t see them all. If there’s one thing that I thought the season finale lacked, it was Doctor Orpheus, Triana, and the Order of the Triad. But this pair of episodes was about Brock and it’s certainly plausible that it never occurred to him to ask for the help of Dr. O because he either didn’t want it or believed he didn’t need it.

(Awesome...)

Otherwise it was solid ending to an exceptional season. Good job Venture Bros. crew. Now get the rocket going higher and give us a fourth season. We will weather the wait as best as we can.

(Rest in Peace 24. Rest in Peace ;_;)

An eXodus of quality.

2008-08-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

The X-Books. One of Marvel’s most venerated properties, around since the days of The Man, are in trouble. Typically “State of the Union” style articles are reserved until January, however I feel this simply can not wait until then. So, enough rambling, on with the show.

The Ugly

Uncanny, once the standard against witch all the other X-Books were judged, has fallen upon some very hard times. It has been going downhill ever since Bru took over the book but now, it’s just horrible. Greg Land on art is simply an insult, and that is all I will say about him. The writing is simply bad; it hasn’t been this bad since the Onslaught era. Young X-men, the less said about this abortion of a comic, the better.

The Good

X-Force, X-Factor, Adjectiveless, Wolverine First Class. These are the best X-books right now by far. Why Yost/Kyle, PAD, Carey aren’t on the “main” X-books is a mystery I will never be able to solve. If you’re not reading X-Force because you say “LOL clawsquad” get your head out of your ass and give it a go. X-Factor is suffering from some Liefeld-esque art, but PAD is still doing his magic. WFC is just some good old fashioned Claremont era fun.

The Bad.

Astonishing. Warren Ellis working in established continuity is just… wrong. This book seems like it could be alright, but it is suffering from Ellis weirdness and it just isn’t working at all with where the other X-Books are. I didn’t like Ellis’s work on X-books before this, and I don’t like it now.

So, all in all, it is a trying time to be an X-Fan, Messiah Complex brought such promise for a revamped X-line, and for the most part, it has fallen flat. Hopefully things will get better soon. With any luck we’ll get better writers and some decent artists who don’t trace porn stills. But, like the old saying goes, you can wish in one hand… well, you know the rest.

So, am I the only one who feels this way? Am I just judging the current X-Books against my nostalgia for the past? I’d like to think not, but please, leave your thoughts, tell me what you think, because after all, what you think is what really matters.

2008-08-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

2008-08-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

So the gentlemen at Valve have decided to grace TF2 with some nice Heavy Updates which could prove fun, myself, being a scout most of the time, couldn't care less, but telling us what you think could prove useful, one way or another.

[insert appropriate KISS lyrics here]

2008-08-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

At the San Diego Comic Con, it was revealed that Greg Pak, current scribe of Skaar: Son of Hulk and Incredible Hercules - expect an article on these three gems in the near future by yours truly - will be taking over the upcoming series "War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Yep, ol' Rhodey is getting his own series. And with Pak at the helm, it won't be some aluminum-covered drivel from the 90's. Jim recently had some spotlight in Avengers: The Initiative, but will be leaving the hallowed halls (or rather "hollowed," thanks in large part to K.I.A.) of Camp Hammond along with his graduates. This new series will not only show War Machine playing a bigger part in the Marvel Universe, but will also show people that Jim is more than just Iron Man's best friend, and has a military background that is a key factor in his strategy and philosophy.

Sounds well and good, right? But what does this all mean for Mr. Funvee, though? What about Tony?

There is at least one catch about this deal: Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be replaced by this new book. It looks like Pak is pulling a similar trick he pulled with Hulk and Hercules after World War Hulk's dust settled and the Green Giant was incapacitated. Does this mean that Iron Man has hit even harder times than a glass of Jack can deliver? He sure hasn't been looking good in Secret Invasion, and things are never too rosy in 'Director. Has the Golden Avenger finally been brought down? Is everyone just sick of seeing Shellhead everywhere?

Who knows. The only thing (i.e. cameo) that Pak confirms is that Iron Man will play a crucial part in War Machine #1. After that, it's Jim's time to shine. Here's to Pak, in hopes that he'll deliver his Sunday best.

Star Wars According to a Child

2008-08-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

The way she says Obi kenobi is fucking adorable, also, light sword and pokèball training.

LHC Rap!

2008-08-01T09:48:00.001-07:00

I would laugh at this, but damn the rhymes are fresh.

My only complaint about Dark Knight

2008-07-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Bite-Size Reviews for the week of 7/23/08

2008-07-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Plenty of reviews this week, read on for reviews of Green Lantern Corps, Immortal Iron Fist, Daredevil and more. As always, there will be spoilers.

Green Lantern Corps {2006} #26 (DC) ****
Green Lantern Corps was so awesome that I am willing to ignore any gripes I may have had with the artwork. I’m glad the story got back on track after a few months of fill-ins and a whole issue dedicated to Mother Mercy. The heroic sacrifice in this issue was really heart-wrenching.

The Immortal Iron Fist #17 (Marvel) *** ½
I wasn’t as disappointed as I was expecting to be. With the series trading the creative team that made it what one of my favorites, for the author of “Cable”, I was expecting something a lot worse. Duane Swierczynski manages to keep the tone of the series in tact, as artist Travel Foreman manages to completely change the art. It’s not that I don’t like his artwork; I think it’s fine. I just found it more fitting for the flashbacks, and I’m not a huge fan of his new style. All in all, this was a fine issue and I will continue to buy the book.

Daredevil {1998} #109 (Marvel) *****
Absolutely amazing issue. I love what Rucka and Brubaker are doing with this title. Daredevil is FINALLY getting interesting. The last page literally left me with my jaw open. Awesome awesome awesome.

X-Men Legacy #214 (Marvel) ****
This was a fun romp through the many times that Professor Xavier has ‘died’ or turned evil. I always love to see villains acting good (in this case, Sebastian Shaw), and Gambit managed to come off as not completely annoying. If Gambit was written like this more often, I might find myself enjoying his appearances.

Robin #175 (DC) ***
I can’t really decide what to make of this issue. The art was amazing, but the story left a bit to be desired. I haven’t read Robin before this, so maybe that was part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it much. There isn’t anything clearly wrong with this, but for some reason I can’t find myself falling in love with it. A good book, but not for me.

Superman #678 (DC) *
I can’t decide what’s worse, the dialog or the story. I don’t care about Atlas and I don’t care about this Science Squad. The dialog is written as such that the characters seem to never fully form a thought, constantly changing their words as they are speaking and it really annoys me. It was really difficult for me to get through this issue, it was that bad.

New Avengers #43 (Marvel) ***
A good explanation of how the Skrulls implant memories, I guess. This was actually a sad issue, and I ended up feeling sympathetic for Skrull-Cap. Interesting how Ka-Zar has a magical toxin that exposes Skrulls. That came out of nowhere. I am a little upset at the lack of movement in this story. There was a whole issue dedicated to a Skrull Captain America whom we all knew was a Skrull, and not a whole lot of other things happened.

Ambush Bug - Year None #1 (DC) ****
Not enough dead women to get 5 stars. This was a fun romp through the DC Universe, and I especially liked how Ambush Bug gave the motivation for Jean Loring in Identity Crisis.

Avengers – The Initiative #15 (Marvel) ****
Wow. Another book that actually gets me to feel for the Skrulls. This time, it’s the Skrull who fell in love with Earth and decided to betray his home world for his adopted home. A nice origin for Crusader. I hope he sticks around, as this issue made me care about his character. I guess I’m a sucker for “alien falls in love with Earth culture” tales.

Trinity #8 (DC) ***
I decided to start picking up Trinity again, and this first issue back wasn’t as good as I was hoping it to be. I’ve found that I find the stories are more interesting if they focus on Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman rather than the villains. I tend to lose interest quickly in these villains. Enigma is the only intriguing villain, and it’s mostly due to his origin. Is he a Two-Face/Riddler combination?

She-Hulk {2005} #31 (Marvel) *****
This issue was fantastic. The art by GG Studios was amazing and the X-Factor crossover really put some life into this title. It’s got a fair mix of action and plot progression, along with PAD’s signature humor and wit. If you’re already reading X-Factor, I highly recommend picking this up. This issue was quality all around. If only the art on X-Factor was this good.

Watchmen trailer!

2008-07-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

So I saw The Dark Knight and wasn't too impressed, but this post isn't about that. If you've seen the movie, you've had a chance to see the Watchmen trailer (high quality version here) that preceded it. If you haven't, look below.

Dark Knight impressions

2008-07-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

So, finally breaking down and going to see one of the plethora of comic book movies on the menu recently, I went and saw The Dark Knight last night. I was thoroughly impressed, but I would not call it the perfect comic book experience that some people would have you believe. Yes, I'm aware that the Nolanverse is superior to all of the other Batman films, but if you read on, I want to point out some gripes I had.

One gripe I had is the complete lack of talent that Christian Bale has for playing Batman. Like Bill Bixby, I think he should just stick to the alter ego and avoid trying to replicate the intimidation of the "Batman Voice". It's laughable while watching the movie to hear him try to add some gruffness in his voice, because he just ends up making a huge fool out of himself. Batman's helmet looks bulbous and ill-fitting, and though I hazard to say it, I like the Schumacher/Burton suits a lot better than the Nolanverse ones.

Oldman and Ledger were both amazing, and the "Wanna see a magic trick?" segment made me laugh my ass off. My only other complaint was how freakin' long the movie was. I'm not sure of the time exactly, but when they finish off the majority of the Joker plot, you figure it's going to be the end of the movie, right? Nope. You get to sit through another hour of Harvey Dent bullshit which could have made another movie entirely. I hate when Hollywood decides to shove as many villains as they can into a movie, because it detracts from each individual character.

I maintain that Val Kilmer was still the best Batman, but if Nolan replaced Bale, we could have an usurper.

Bite Size Reviews for 7/17/08

2008-07-17T01:39:00.000-07:00

Hi.

Read on for many reviews of goodness.

Uncanny X-Men #500 (Marvel) *** ½
I’m torn. While the story was decent, the artwork changing and Land's art really pulled me out of the story.

Mighty Avengers #16 (Marvel) **
This felt like a waste of space. This issue leaves me more questions than answers. Is Elektra dead?

Amazing Spider-Man #566 (Marvel) *
Terrible. Just awful. Guggenheim is a pathetic writer and it seems like Jimenez rushed this issue. I’m glad I dropped this title.

1985 #3 (Marvel) *****
Wow. Fantastic art and writing. That last page gave me goose bumps. Awesome.

Captain America {2004} #40 (Marvel) ****
Awesome! Possible redemption for the 1950’s Cap? Also, am I the only one who thinks that the device that Faustin received from Doom is some sort of re-animator? I see two possible ways of bringing Steve or “a Steve” back to life. Break the brainwashing of the 1950’s Cap, or use Von Doom’s device on Roger’s body.

Trinity #7 (DC) *** ½
Neat to see Batman calling in the cavalry. Looks like Busiek is picking up his story from JLA/Avengers, pretty keen.

Incredible Hercules #119 (Marvel) ** ½
Disappointing, confusing and weird. The art was not as strong as last issue and I found myself reading pages over and over in an attempt to discern what exactly was happening.

Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #31 (Marvel) **
Bleh. Boring. Nothing special. It’s sad that the Knaufs are off the title. I don’t see this title as long for the world.

Batgirl {2008} #1 (DC) *
Crap. Utter crap. Holy expositional dialog Batman! It’s sad that DC will think the bad sales associated with this title are because of the character and not the writer. Boo @ Beechen.

Tangent Comics – Superman’s Reign #5 (DC) **
Weak. Has this series lost its steam already? The first four issues were a lot of fun and got me into the Tangent Universe and it’s characters. This was not what I was expecting at all. The JLA got taken down way too easily.

Final Crisis – Rogue’s Revenge #1 (DC) ****
Geoff Johns should be writing the main Flash title. This issue was a lot of fun, even though it was dark.

Fear not, brave citizens!

2008-07-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

As people have probably started to notice by now, we've hit a bit of a slump lately. I assure you, brave readers, that we are not dying anytime soon! We're just on a bit of a hiatus due to the summer months.

Thank you for your patience.
-Moses

Final Crisis 2: What the hell is going on?

2008-06-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Rejoice, rejoice! Final Crisis 2 has arrived! Part 2 of 7 just dropped yesterday and after a lack-lustre start, I decided to give it a read in hopes that it would get better. Grant Morrison got some heat from fans in the first issue by streaming together a shitload of neigh-comprehensible events into a semblance of an issue, and after the jump, we'll see if he's improved.

Aaaaand he hasn't.

My thoughts while reading Final Crisis #2 were those of "What the hell is going on?" and "This makes no sense."

Throughout this issue, and the one before it,Morrison gives us a a crapload of different events that I suspect he will "make sense of" at the last issue; however, this does nothing for the reader who wants to enjoy the series in the here and now. I mean, I don't want to be confused as fuck for 6 issues, wait for months, and then find out what the point of it all was in the end. I want to know why these things are happening now, and then look back once the series is over and realize that all these events played off of one another. Even though Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis was very iffily recieved by fans, at least that was something I could give it; through multiple readthroughs more and more of the story became apparent.

Hopefully Morrison surprises us for issue 3, and we salvage this series.

Hulk SMASH!

2008-06-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Like the title indicates, the Hulk smashed. And it was awesome. It was everything a Hulk movie should be. A more detailed review should be incoming.

Grampa Pickles is a real man

2008-06-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

Holy shit. Grampa Pickles is hardcore.

One of the rare moments of win in newspaper comics.

Interview with Ed Brubaker concerning Captain America

2008-06-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Newsarama has a jaunty little interview with Captain America (and others) writer Ed Brubaker. Lot of talk about streamlining continuity and reaffirming that "Cap is dead."

The only thing I have to comment on is "What happens when this whole "Cap is dead" thing blows over?" I mean, will we just have Bucky going around and fighting criminals? Will he lead the Avengers? What the hell is the Red Skull going to think?

No offense on the lad, but he just doesn't seem like the leader-ish type. Hit the jump for the interview.

Newsarama: Ed, let's talk about the bigger picture with your storyline. As readers are seeing, the whole "Cap is Dead" is also giving you the chance to streamline/clean up the larger "Captain America" continuity. Was that always part of the plan, to tie everything it - Jack Monore, the Grand Director, and...well, everything, or was it more happy circumstance/coincidence when it all started rolling?

Ed Brubaker: No, if you were to see my original Cap pitch, the Cap from the 50s is in there, it just took me longer and a stranger route to get there than I had sketched out. I don't know if I'm streamlining or cleaning-up anything. Cap's continuity is pretty straightforward, for the most part, I think. But yeah, a bit of the old and a bit of the new has always been my plan of attack. You don't take on a book like Cap without a lot of affection for the history of the series and the characters. That's why you're seeing characters like Union Jack and Spitfire and Nomad and the Cap from the 50s.

NRAMA: Personally - you're a Cap fan. Is there some level of "smoothing" that you're doing that has its roots way back with the addition of the retcons that gave the Marvel U the "multiple Caps"?

EB: Not at all. I think they handled that stuff really well in the 70s, which is why I've been referencing that part of the history since the early issues of the book. Remember there was that issue where Cap went to the graves of two other Caps after him.

NRAMA: Right, right. Speaking of those other Caps, you revealed who he was this issue, and confirmed a lot of suspicions on the fans’ part. Ballparking, in your view of the timeline, how long as the Grand Director/Cap been "sleeping?"

EB: That's hard to say, because of the sliding timeline stuff. I'd say a while - ten years, but that's just a ballpark guess.

NRAMA: So what exactly happened to him after his last appearance? Faustus grabbed him back?

EB: You have to read through the lines a bit on that one, but clearly this is what Faustus was hiding in that facility that the Falcon found, so yeah, he's had him all this time, healing from his massive burns.

NRAMA: Your view - the Grand Director - tragic figure or evil? And does that affect how you treat him in the story?

EB: Oh, I think he's a tragic character, of course. He's the ultimate Cap fan, driven crazy by the very thing that allowed him to take up the mantle in the first place. That's why I wanted to use him. I'm much less interested in his "Grand Director" phase than his time as Cap and that obsession he had. I never refer to him as the Grand Director. To me he's the Cap from the 50s. Or the crazy Cap.

NRAMA: Take us inside Sharon's head here - she's a little fuzzy 'round the edges, admittedly, due to what's been going on, but to kill this "Steve" in cold blood? Why?

EB: Because she's been through hell, and now she sees that the Red Skull is going to use Steve's image and Captain America yet again, to his own twisted purposes. After everything she's been through, feeling doomed to some degree, she just can't let it happen.

NRAMA: At this point, why doesn't Faustus just kill Sharon? There seems to be a point you're headed to that Scott Evil pointed out in Austin Powers where someone just needs to go to their room, grab their gun, and pop a cap in her ass, rather than keeping her around so she can cause trouble...

EB: Because they all know she's carrying Captain America's baby.

NRAMA: Oh – right. Good point. Is it just me, or are Lukin and Faustus sniping at each other a little more than normal here? Or is just the normal friction seen when men of great egos work together?

EB: Yeah, they're not getting along. None of the bad guys are, really. They all want to be in charge, and it's not going well.

NRAMA: Again, it's worth pointing out, I think, how the presidential campaign here is mirroring what we're seeing, and thus adding resonance that other Marvel titles really can't grab on to. When did you write this issue, and what was the climate like then? Obviously, the calls for "change" were as strong, but we don't have a third party candidate - yet. Given how Cap has been mapping pretty closely to our world, were you expecting to see one crop up in our political race, complete with some of the same issues as Sen. Wright?

EB: This one was probably written two or three months ago, but plotted out six months or more before that. I'm not really trying to reflect our current election, other than with the timing of the issues being published. Still, this being an election year, the Red Skull having his own "outsider" style candidate was something I couldn't pass up, you know? But as you'll see in the next few issues, the stuff Senator Wright says in his speeches isn't really about anything or meant to reflect one side of our politics or the other.

NRAMA: Faustus and Skull - watching the news report - again, props to Steve in the final panel, as it's clear that Faustus is studying Skull with as much vigor as he's putting into the other plans. I mean - he calls him Lukin when he's not wearing the mask, "Skull" when he is, even though he's the same man. Safe to say that Faustus has his metaphorical escape pod standing by? He's clearly not one of Skull's True Believers...

EB: I don't know if I'd go that far, but yeah, Faustus is used to running his own show, so working under the Skull isn't going so well for him. But the Skull/Lukin thing - they aren't really the same guy. They're just sharing the same body, so when the mask is off, that's when Lukin is in control.

NRAMA: Moving into the attack on the installation - the AIM guys are using deadly force, but Bucky isn't shooting. Why's that? Just easier for him to disable them with the shield at this point, has he made a decision not to use it, or...what? For the hulabaloo about the knife and gun when the new costume was revealed, there hasn't been a ton of use of either at this point...

EB: Well, I'm not responsible for the hullabaloo, I just write stories. Media screeds to the opposite, I never saw any big deal to Bucky having weapons as the new Cap, because he's always carried weapons (in WW2, as Winter Soldier, etc). Alex Ross didn't have a problem with it, either, so I really wasn't expecting it to be a big deal.

Still, he's fired the gun a few times and stabbed Crossbones in the leg. But even before he took on the Cap mantle, he wasn't just wasting people left and right or anything. He took on AIM in the teen issues, and there was no body count then, either. He uses weapons when he needs them.

NRAMA: So what was in that installation that Zola blew up – where the ‘50s Cap was held?

EB: Right. That's where they processed the body of the Cap from the 50s, beginning the process of waking him up. They didn't want any evidence left of what they'd been there for. It's all in the issues, for readers who are paying close attention to the details. I've been trying really hard because of all the storylines I'm juggling to make sure clues and hints are scattered throughout.

NRAMA: So - next ish - we've seen the cover...Grand Director Cap vs. Bucky Cap. Any hints at what to expect? How good of a "Cap" was Grand Director Cap? Was he Steve Rogers “good,” or more along the lines of Bucky Cap “good?”

EB: No hints.

I think the 50s Cap was a pretty good Cap for a while. He certainly wanted to be, and was never considered evil until he started to go nuts.

And that's all she (or he?) wrote!

Universal Studios fire damages film archive; results not evident yet

2008-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

A fire at Universal studios has destroyed the King Kong exhibit and has damaged part of a video archive. We won't know what exactly what we've lost until its been surveyed, but we can only hope some cartoon classics weren't affected.

I find it funny that CNN decided to inform us that the MTV Movie Awards won't be affected; thank god, right? Never mind that parts of film history are gone and that priceless video and animated archives might be lost to the world... as long as the stars are alright.

Fuck.

A Look Ahead : Marvel's August 2008 Secret Invasion Titles

2008-05-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to "A Look Ahead", where each month I will discuss solicitations of the variety of titles shipping from Marvel and DC. For today, we have our first looks at Marvel's August 2008 Secret Invasion titles. Read on for the full feature.

Solicitation text is normal size, my comments are larger and in bold font.

SECRET INVASION #5 (of 8)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO
Embrace change. With these two words the Skrull Empire declares their intentions to the entire Marvel Universe.
Embrace change. With these two words thousands and thousands of comic fans who have declared Secret Invasion the comic book blockbuster of the summer brace themselves for the shocking changes that are about to happen to their favorite characters and institutions. Embrace change, True Believer, because change is coming!
32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Rated T+ …$3.99

Boo at Marvel for charging $3.99 for a 32 page Brian Bendis comic. I can read through a Bendis comic in 4 minutes, and it's not worth 4 dollars even if it has a cardstock cover. I like the cover, and I even have one of the masks that was made out of it. It's a menacing painting, and it's pretty gruesome up close. I'm not sure what to think about "Embrace change." On the whole, the Marvel Universe has been changing a lot in the past 3-4 years. AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED, HOUSE OF M, DECIMATION, CIVIL WAR, ANNIHILATION, THE INITIATIVE, WORLD WAR HULK, MESSIAH COMPLEX, and now Secret Invasion have all changed the Marvel Universe. Look back at Marvel in 2003. There were millions of mutants, one team of Avengers, Captain America was still alive, and heroes trusted each other. I can only guess that the change coming is that the Skrulls take over the Earth, leaving the heroes to be on a constant battle against Skrull occupiers.

SECRET INVASION: INHUMANS #1 (of 4)
Written by JOE POKASKI
Penciled by TOM RANEY
Cover by STEPHAN SEIJIC
Spinning directly out of SECRET INVASION - the hunt for Black Bolt begins! You learned that he was replaced by the Skrulls in New Avengers: Illuminati, now it's time to find out if the Inhumans' former king is dead or alive! How will the loss of their leader tear apart the Royal Family? Can the mighty monarch recover from this personal blow - that is, if he's even still living? And how far will Medusa, Crystal, Triton, Karnak and Gorgon go to find their disposed king? Writer Joe Pokaski (TV's Heroes) and artist Tom Raney (Annihilation: Conquest) unite for an adventure that not only expands the events of this year's biggest story, but will lead to huge events in 2009!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

That is just a beautiful cover by Stephan Seijic, it really captures the emotions of Medusa perfectly. This is a portrait of a woman who was seduced by her evil brother-in-law, a woman who lost her husband not once, but twice, and is left all alone. I admit I do not know a lot about the author, Joe Pokaski, but with artist Tom Raney onboard, I'm a bit hopeful about this mini-series. With the promise of being important to a huge event in 2009, I can only begin to imagine next summers event. The Inhuman War, perhaps?

SECRET INVASION: THOR #1 (of 3)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO
The Skrulls are coming for Asgard, and they've got the gods in their sights! But it's not just the pantheon who stand to suffer the repercussions of the aliens' secret invasion -- the citizens of small-town Broxton, Oklahoma are about to become collateral damage in the attack…and the God of Thunder must defend two cites at once! For a job this big, Thor will have to turn to one of his oldest and closest allies…Beta Ray Bill!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I am really pumped for this mini-series. Matt Fraction, who wrote the amazing THOR: AGES OF THUNDER one-shot, is re-uniting Thor and BETA RAY BILL. This is going to be so sick. That is also a really powerful cover by Dell'Otto, I like how he chose to focus on just part of the character, it really shows that there is a struggle going on.

SECRET INVASION: RUNAWAYS/YOUNG AVENGERS #3 (of 3)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Penciled by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Cover by MICHAEL RYAN
The rip-roaring teen mini-series comes to a killer climax! The teams are split up, but can they come together and stop the Invasion? Can Hulkling become the Messiah he has been prophesized to be? Is Xavin lost forever?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I really enjoyed the last time the Runaways and the Young Avengers got together (RUNAWAYS/YOUNG AVENGERS : CIVIL WAR), and so I'll be picking this up. Yost did a great job on NEW X-MEN, and I'm hoping he brings his knack for action mixed with drama to this series. Plus, I haven't read a RUNAWAYS story that I've actually enjoyed since before Joss Whedon took over the main book. I like that they've done another 4 part connecting cover image, those are always fun.

SECRET INVASION: FRONT LINE #2 (of 5)
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by GG STUDIOS' MARCO CASTIELLO
Cover by JUAN DOE
New York has fallen to the Skrulls, and humanity is struggling to survive. Brian Reed (CAPTAIN MARVEL) and Marco Castiello (P'N'P) bring you the Skrull Invasion through the eyes of the man on the street in the Marvel Universe.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I'm not sure what to expect from this title. On one hand, it's not written by Paul Jenkins, mastermind behind CIVIL WAR : FRONT LINE, and WORLD WAR HULK : FRONT LINE, so I can be safe in assuming there will be no drunken rants about how the Skrulls don't know the American people because they don't have Nascar in space. On the other hand, it is being written by Brian Reed, who is hit and miss. As I said in my last column, his work on MS. MARVEL has been pretty lackluster as of late, and his CAPTAIN MARVEL work was all over the place in terms of quality. Sweet cover by Juan Doe, I've enjoyed his propaganda-esque art on previous titles like SENTINEL SQUAD O.N.E. and CIVIL WAR : X-MEN, and it's no different here. Strong design, strong execution.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #4
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER
Cover by CLINT LANGLEY
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
When their HQ is sabotaged, the universe's scrappiest squad of butt-kickers must ask themselves: "Who do you trust?" Is there a Skrull amongst the Guardians? Maybe the recently returned and revamped Adam Warlock? Or Star-Lord, who now hides behind a mask? And a talking raccoon and a telepathic dog? C'mon, people, you just know they're evil infiltrators! So jump onboard, Secret Invasion maniacs, and find out why ComicPants.com says: "(Writers) DnA are on fire right now, and this team is brilliant."
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

That is a really sweet cover by Clint Langley. I'm really excited about this title. Nova is one of my favorite titles and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY had a really strong first issue. I hope writers DnA do well and continue with their strong cosmic story-lines. Up until now, the cosmic section of Marvel has been pretty secluded from the goings-on of Earth. No longer, as the SECRET INVASION heads into both this title and NOVA. I'm excited.

NOVA #16
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by WELLINTON ALVES
Cover by PAUL DAVIDSON
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
At last - our #1 sci-fi hero rockets into the alien invasion saga that's tearing apart the Marvel Universe! But is our always-outnumbered space cop actually teaming with one of the enemy? When Super-Skrull comes asking for a favor, can you ever trust the warrior whose life was dedicated to destroying us? The summer blockbuster hits here in the book that IGN calls "easily one of Marvel's best titles"!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Super-Skrull became one of my favorite characters after his appearances in ANNIHILATION, and so it's great to see him return in the pages of NOVA. NOVA is always one of the first titles I read when I get home from the store, and I'm glad that it is tying in with SECRET INVASION. With the market the way it is, titles that sell below 25,000 units in the Direct Market usually are on thin ice. With NOVA selling around 28k, it's close to the danger zone. Hopefully, the readers who pick this title up due to the SECRET INVASION cross-over, stay on after the event ends. This book needs as many readers as it can get.

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #120
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JANSON & DEAN WHITE
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
"SACRED INVASION" reaches its cosmos-shattering climax! Hercules leads the ragged remains of his God Squad into desperate battle with the unimaginably powerful Skrull pantheon -- and if they lose, Earth dies!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I really enjoyed the first issue of "SACRED INVASION", Pak and Lente did a great job introducing the characters that would make up the "God Squad", the team of deities that Hercules will be leading against the Skrull gods. Rafa Sandoval is doing an awesome job on pencils and this is one of my favorite books right now. The crossover should increase sales and attract new readers, which is always a good thing.

SHE-HULK #32
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by GG STUDIO's VINCENZO CUCCA
Cover by MIKE DEODATO
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
Okay, we know that Jazinda, She-Hulk's fellow bounty hunting partner, claims she's not part of the alien invasion…but can you ever trust a Skrull? Especially one that's the daughter of the infamous Super-Skrull? Months of accusations and mistrust come to a boil as our gamma-powered glamazon leaps into this year's biggest event!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I've been enjoying SHE-HULK so far, but I don't think it's where it could be. Hopefully SECRET INVASION injects some life into the title, as it seems to be treading water until the crossover with X-FACTOR and SECRET INVASION. Hopefully this cross-over boosts sales enough for the title to leave the 20k range that it has been hovering around for a while now.

THUNDERBOLTS #123
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE
Penciled by FERNANDO BLANCO
Cover by BILLY TAN
A SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
The Skrull armada rains destruction on our nation's capitol! The only thing standing in their way? The Thunderbolts. But if salvation depends on a group of criminals and madmen who can barely keep from killing each other, is Earth doomed? Or are they exactly what we need against the merciless alien invaders? A major turning point for the Thunderbolts begins here!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Writer Christos Gage has been doing an awesome job on the THUNDERBOLTS fill-in one-shots, and so I'm happy to see him taking over the main book for this arc. I love the Super-Skrull with the powers of the original THUNDERBOLTS on the cover. I'm really enjoying the concept of Super-Skrulls with powers of entire teams from Marvel history. Anyone have a list or know all the various types of Super-Skrulls we've seen so far? The ones I know off the top of my head are;

Fantastic Four (Super-Skrull, as seen in NOVA)
Sinister Six (as seen in SECRET INVASION #2)
Classic Avengers (Wasp, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, as seen in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #1)
All-New X-Men ( Colossus, Wolverine and Cyclops powers, as seen in SECRET INVASION #2)
Squadron Sinister (Dr Spectrum, Hyperion, Nighthawk, Whizzer, as seen in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #1)
Champions (Iceman, Ghost Rider, Hercules, Angel, as seen in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #1)
Defenders ( Namor, Dr. Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, as seen in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1)
Legion of Monsters? (Werewolf by Night, Dracula, as seen in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #1)

I know I'm missing some, so feel free to post in the comments any that you have seen so far!

NEW WARRIORS #15
Written by KEVIN GREVIOUX
Penciled by KOI TURNBULL
Cover by NIC KLEIN
A "SECRET INVASION" Tie-In that brings you New Warrior against New Warrior!
To discover the true fate of his deceased brother, Night Thrasher will need to survive a melee between his
current teammates and his former teammates, infiltrate a heavily-guarded S.H.I.E.L.D. station, and brave an army of Skrulls armed with the abilities of every superhuman he's ever known. Piece of cake, right?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I dropped NEW WARRIORS after the first story-arc, and from what little I've read of the issues afterwards, it seems I've made the right choice. This title is really just not very good at all, and HOPEFULLY the SECRET INVASION tie-in can make some good out of this poor excuse for a NEW WARRIORS book. Maybe this time, we will have an artist that can make an asian woman, a black man, and a white woman look like different people. One can only hope.

BLACK PANTHER #40
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by JEFTE PALO
Cover by JASON PEARSON
"SEE WAKANDA AND DIE," Part 2
The nation of Wakanda has never been conquered by any outside invader, but then again, they've never faced an army of Super-Skrulls before, have they? As war rages on the plains of Africa, the Skrulls strike a major blow against the Black Panther. Could this be the end for all of Wakanda? No really, could it?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

This will be the first issue of BLACK PANTHER that I will be buying in a long time. I tried it during the CIVIL WAR arc and the FANTASTIC FOUR tie-in, and I hated it. It will be a good thing to see Jason Aaron take over, even if it is only for a few issues.

For more Secret Invasion tie-ins, please follow these links to previous editions of "A Look Ahead"

August 2008 Avengers Titles
August 2008 Spider-Man Titles
August 2008 X-Men Titles

A Look Ahead : Marvel's August 2008 Avengers Titles

2008-05-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to A Look Ahead, where each month I will discuss the solicitations for future comic titles from Marvel and DC.

Solicitation text is normal size, my comments are larger and in bold font.

AVENGERS/INVADERS #4 (of 12)
Written by JIM KRUEGER & ALEX ROSS
Penciled by STEVE SADOWSKI
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Variant Cover by ALAN DAVIS
Act One of this 12-part event concludes with a four-way battle royale among both teams of Avengers, the Invaders and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - all above the landmarks of Washington D.C. Plus, Doctor Strange discovers the secret of the time-lost Invaders, all while trying to keep all of history from rewriting itself…and the Avengers out of reality.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Awesome cover by Alex Ross, but I'm not sure how long they can drag this story out for. The first issue was just alright, but if the rest of the series continues with the same level of quality, I may have to drop it.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #18
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Pencils & Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN
A mysterious force that has plagued Immortal Iron Fists for centuries sets its sights on Danny Rand. But what is the Ch'i-Lin, and why is it destined to kill him? Danny races for answers for answers, as the fan-favorite legacy of the IMMORTAL IRON FIST grows even richer and more layered with the crackerjack creative team of Duane Swierczynski (CABLE) and Travel Foreman (ARES)!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I can't say that I'm happy about Fraction and Aja leaving Iron Fist, but Iron Fist is one of my favorite characters, so I'm willing to give this new creative team a shot.

IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #32
Written by STUART MOORE
Penciled by CARLO PAGULAYAN
Cover by ADI GRANOV
"With Iron Hands"
It's Iron Man the way you like him: wracked by guilt and crackling with power! With the Alpha Team out of action, Tony Stark must stop both the nuclear terrorist and the monstrous Overkill Mind -- alone. But even if he can reach the twisted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent at the heart of the Mind, the nation of Kirikhstan may pay an explosive price!
Part 4 of 4.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Stuart Moore's fill-in on the first Iron Man title was average, not as great as when the Knauf's were writing. I'm thinking that after this issue, the title will be discontinued. I'm not sure if the market can support two Iron Man titles, even with all the buzz from the movie.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #4
Written by MATT FRACTION
Pencils & 50/50 Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
50/50 Variant Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO
Iron Man and Zeke Stane have been dancing around one another like pieces on a chessboard, and it's been all Tony Stark can do to hold on. After one of his closest allies is critically injured, Tony aims to put an end to the games with some serious upgrades. But while Iron Man readies himself, Zeke makes his most audacious assault yet, in an attack so stunning you have to see it to believe it. THE FIVE NIGHTMARES continues, and it only gets worse from here for THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. By Matt Fraction (UNCANNY X-MEN) and Salvador Larroca (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN).
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I really enjoyed the first issue of the new Iron Man series. Fraction is doing a great job writing and Larroca is rocking it on art. I'm really excited to see how this story will go.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST: THE ORIGIN OF DANNY RAND
Written by MATT FRACTION, ROY THOMAS & LEN WEIN
Penciled by KANO, GIL KANE & LARRY HAMA
Cover by GIL KANE
Honor. Dedication. And above all, purity of heart. There have been sixty-six men and women to carry the mantle of THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST throughout the ages ?" men and women of great courage, valor, skill and sacrifice. Sixty-six men and women have stood between man and the unstoppable forces of evil, willing to give all they have to hold back the hordes. This is the story of Danny Rand, the Iron Fist of today ?" as told in THE BOOK OF THE IRON FIST! Raised in the otherworldly kingdom of K'un-Lun as an unparalleled martial artist, the Earth-born Rand mastered the ability to focus his spiritual energy into an impervious fist of iron. Now, as the costumed adventurer called Iron Fist, he fights with the fury of his ancestors and a hope for a better tomorrow! Experience the birth of a legend like never before is this special re-presentation of MARVEL PREMIERE #15-16 ?" featuring lush, fully rendered coloring and an all-new framing sequence by MATT FRACTION and KANO!
48 PGS./Rated T+…$3.99

I have these issues as they appear in ESSENTIAL IRON FIST, but it will be great to see them in color, and with new material by FRACTION and KANO.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #17
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by KHOI PHAM
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN
The legacy of CAPTAIN MARVEL! The return of MAR-VELL has brought with it more questions then answers. In this special Secret Invasion tie-in, all those questions will be answered. Plus, Marvel Boy is confronted with his true destiny.
From Secret Invasion author Brian Michael Bendis and rising star Khoi Pham.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the secrets behind Mar-Vell's return were already explained in the CAPTAIN MARVEL mini-series. I like Khoi Pham's art and Bendis has been doing a good job on the tie-ins to SECRET INVASION, and so I'll be picking this up.

NEW AVENGERS #44
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by BILLY TAN
Cover by ALEKSI BRICLOT
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN
The dark secret of the Illuminati. Marvel's most covert gathering of heroes has a secret so dark that they never speak of it, even to each other. And it could be what has brought about the Secret Invasion.
From Secret Invasion author Brian Michael Bendis and Uncanny X-Men's Billy Tan.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
Oooh, the DARK secret of the Illuminati. More retconning by Brian Michael Bendis! Is it just me, or does the entire premise of Secret Invasion rely upon the retcon that Bendis wrote in Illuminati #1? Without that issue, there would be no reason for the Skrull invasion.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #16
Written by DAN SLOTT & CHRISTOS GAGE
Penciled by STEFANO CASELLI
Cover by MARK BROOKS
SECRET INVASION TIE-IN
For months you've heard one question over and over again: "Who do you trust?" Well we've got your answer right here, Earth-boy: TRUST THE KILL KREW! Yeah, that's right, the SKRULL KILL KREW are back! And they're ready to kill, maim, torture, and butcher every mother lovin' Skrull out there! Also, back at Camp Hammond, ANT-MAN is in a giant world of trouble-the biggest kind of trouble the SECRET INVASION can dish out.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I never read the SKRULL KILL KREW, but I'm looking forward to this story-line anyway. Ant-Man is great in the Initiative, and I can't wait to see how Gage and Slott tackle the SECRET INVASION.

MS. MARVEL #30
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by ADRIANA MELO
Cover by GREG HORN
Ms. Marvel discovers the Skrulls' dark secret hidden away within Riker's Island. Something even worse than the armies already rampaging across the Earth? Most definitely. Brian Reed (CAPTAIN MARVEL) and Adriana Melo (Witchblade) bring the tale of Ms. Marvel and the Skrull invasion to its brutal conclusion.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Hmm, Ms. Marvel has been pretty lackluster lately. I had high hopes for the SECRET INVASION tie-in, but the issues so far have been pretty dull. The actions of the Skrulls in this series seem out of step with the actions in the SECRET INVASION main series.

A Look Ahead : Marvel's August 2008 Spider-Man Titles

2008-05-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #568
Written by DAN SLOTT & MARK WAID
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA JR. & ADI GRANOV
50/50 Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
50/50 Cover by ALEX ROSS
Variant Cover by JOHN ROMITA SR.
"NEW WAYS TO DIE!"

JOHN ROMITA JR. returns to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!
Get ready for the six part Spidey Summer Blockbuster: NEW WAYS TO DIE. In the double-sized part one, THE THUNDERBOLTS are coming to New York to take down Spider-Man! And Spidey's Brand New Day will be changed forever. Plus, Mark Waid and Adi Granov bring you up to date with Original Venom, Eddie Brock!
48 PGS./Rated A …$3.99

It looks like Marvel is finally realizing that perhaps sales on Amazing Spider-Man aren't as great as they thought they would be. With Amazing shedding more and more of it's readership each month, this "six part Spidey Summer Blockbuster" might just be the shot in the arm this series needs. With John Romita JR. on art, Dan Slott writing, and an Alex Ross cover, it seems like Marvel is pulling out all the big guns on this one. That's just the talent on the main feature, as Mark Waid and Adi Granov are doing the Venom back-up in this issue. Like I said before, I'm excited to see Venom back in the spotlight, and I will definitely be picking this up.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #569
Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
"NEW WAYS TO DIE!"
SPIDEY'S a villain? NORMAN OSBORN'S a hero? What kind of crazy, mixed-up world is this? Next thing you'll tell us is that black is white and white is black…Or maybe that has something to do with VENOM, MISTER NEGATIVE, and the birth of an all-new Spider Villain! Or would that be an all-new Spider-Hero? Either way, True Believer, this is a 1st appearance you do NOT want to miss!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I think Mr. Negative a really lazy excuse for a character. Want to create a new villain? Invert the colors!

VENOM: DARK ORIGIN #1 (of 5)
Written by ZEB WELLS
Pencils & Cover by ANGEL MEDINA
On the unlikely day when an embittered, washed-up journalist met a spurned symbiotic organism from an alien planet, one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies was born - a force of evil and vengeance like no other in the Marvel Universe - VENOM! But is it as simple as that? Discover the true, twisted roots that gave rise to a lifetime of malevolence for Eddie Brock…AND the symbiote! Writer Zeb Wells (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and artist Angel Medina (SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN) shed a little light on one of Marvel's darkest monsters!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Zeb Wells did an awesome job on his recent AMAZING SPIDER-MAN arc, and this is Venom, so I'm looking forward to it. Normally, I'm not a fan of Angel Medina, but I think his artwork would fit a Venom book nicely. I might pick this up in the eventual trade paperback collection.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #1
Written by MARC DEMATTEIS & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by ALEX CAl & RON FRENZ
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Heads' up, Web-Slingers! Not getting nearly enough bang for your Brand New Buck with Thrice Monthly Spider-Man? Well, get ready to have your Spider-Senses overloaded with the Brand New Amazing Spider-Man Family! Check in here for slices of life from Spidey and the rest of the Brand New Day Cast. We all know Spider-Man's origin - but what happened the day after Uncle Ben died? Find out as J.M. De Matteis and Spanish Sensation Alex Cal bring you SPIDER-MAN: 48 HOURS! Also, the Amazing Spider-Girl team of Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema show us life before MayDay became Spider-Girl with MR. AND MRS. SPIDER-MAN! Also, check out AUNT MAY, AGENT OF F.E.A.S.T. and a flashback to the birth of Spidey's New Ways To Die nemesis, VENOM!
104 PGS./Rated A …$4.99

The creators that worked on the clone saga are back! I'll pass, thanks. Sweet Granov cover, though.

SPIDER-MAN SUMMER SPECIAL
Written by KEITH GIFFEN & PAUL TOBIN
Art by RICK BURCHETT & COLLEEN COOVER
Cover by SALVA ESPIN
August is still summer, right? Yeah? COOL! Then we're hittin' ya up with two ALL-NEW Spidey stories from times when he wasn't Secretly Invading or Branding New Days. First, Spidey teams up with Falcon to handle an outbreak of futuristic weaponry showing up in Harlem, and then MARY JANE takes center stage as she teams up with She-Hulk, Hellcat, Marvel Girl and some other lovely ladies to take on The Enchantress, in this one-shot!
48 PGS./Rated A …$3.99

Keith Giffen and Colleen Coover? 'Nuff Said!

SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #1 (of 5)
Written by TERRY MOORE
Penciled by CRAIG ROUSSEAU
Cover by TERRY MOORE
At long, long, long, looooooooooooooooong last, SHE'S BACK!
Mary Jane Watson, in her very own adventures! Superstar writer Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, upcoming RUNAWAYS) supplies story (and covers!) and artist Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts) brings his best for this all-new mini.It's the beginning of a new high school year. MJ finally feels like she's got her life in order. Good friends, good classes, good relationship with a certain Wall-Crawler…but is there someone behind the scenes that's got it in for our rambunctious redhead?
32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

This isn't the type of title that interests me, but I'm sure a lot of you internet folk are excited for it. Nice cover, if a bit plain, by Terry Moore.

SECRET INVASION: SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY #1 (of 3)
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by MARCO SANTUCCI
Cover by MIKE MCKONE
New York is full of Skrulls and Spider-Man... where the heck is Spider-Man, anyway? Now, thanks to Brian Reed (MS. MARVEL) and exciting newcomer Marco Santucci, Jackpot and the rest of the cast of Brand New Day must pick up Spidey's slack and go toe-to-toe with Super-Skrulls-- including one that might just be Spidey himself!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I'm enjoying Ms. Marvel, and so I'll give this book a shot. I'm interested in how Marvel is going to connect Secret Invasion to Spidey's new status-quo. Pretty neat cover by McKone.

All in all, it looks like a pretty busy month for our favorite web-slinger. Check back tomorrow for August's Avengers titles.

A Look Ahead : Marvel's August 2008 X-Men Titles

2008-05-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of "A Look Ahead", where each month, I will be discussing the previews of Marvel and DC's future comics. For today's installment, I take a look at all of the X-Men titles being released in August 2008. Read on for the full feature.

My comments are in bold, solicitation text is normal.

ANGEL: REVELATIONS #4 (of 5)

Written by ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA
Pencils & Cover by ADAM POLLINA
THE LATEST SERIES FROM MARVEL KNIGHTS!
A tremendous evil has come for Warren Worthington. Now, not only is the boy with wings growing out of his back in deadly peril, but so are his friends. What is the devilish nature of the crucible that will forge a future X-Man? And how will this confused teenager rise to the occasion and become the hero his friends need him to be? All their lives depend on it…written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN) with astonishing art by Adam Pollina (X-FORCE).
32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Rated T+ …$3.99

I'm not sure if there is a large audience for what is basically an "Angel: Year One" title, so I don't see this series doing particularly well in today's market. This is a Marvel Knights title, and so there is a 4 dollar cover price for the same amount of content as a 3 dollar title. The cardstock cover does not make up for the price difference. The cover itself is pretty interesting though, although it's a bit too busy for my taste. The creators involved don't interest me, and neither does Angel nor the cover price. I'll pass.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #26
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Pencils and Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
"GHOST BOX" PART 2
The superstar team of Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi take the X-Men to the "Second Stage"!
"Messiah Complex" pulled the X-Men team together, "Divided We Stand" tore them apart. Now the X-Men are back to business -- with a new look, a new base of operations, and a mystery to solve that will take them into previously uncharted territory and test them to their core. It all starts on a spaceship hovering 300 hundred feet above the twisted wreckage of Chaparanga Beach. Its sole inhabitant: the mysterious Subject X. Five minutes -- just five minutes is all he needs, all he’s asking for.
Can the X-Men afford to give it to him?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I'll be picking this up mostly because of Ellis, but I'm also excited to finally see the X-Men get back together. These last few months have had a severe lack of X-Men as an actual team, because of Divided We Stand. There have been a lot of covers with the Golden Gate bridge featured recently, and it looks like this is another interconnecting cover by Bianchi.

CABLE #6
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Penciled by
Cover by ADI GRANOV
“HOMEFRONT”
Special double-sized issue featuring the Uncanny X-Men! Meanwhile, back in the present . . . In the aftermath of the “Messiah Complex” war, Cyclops took a leap of faith and allowed his son Cable to disappear into the time stream with the first new mutant birth since “M” day -- and the future of the dwindling mutant population -- tucked under his arm. Weeks later, he still waits for a sign, however small, that he made the right decision. With evidence pointing to the fact that Bishop has jumped into the timestream and is hot on Cable’s trail, the X-Men’s unquestioned leader is about to make one final power move to protect the fate of mutantkind " one that he might come to regret.
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I really love that cover, I think Granov draws an amazing Cyclops. With that said, I'm not very interested in this title. I found the first three issues to be very lackluster, both in terms of artwork and story. There isn't even an artist solicited for this issue, so I guess Ariel Olvietti is off the book. I'm gonna pass on this one.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #4
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Penciled by LEONARD KIRK
Cover by BRYAN HITCH
It's the final battle for Britain as MI-13 makes its last stand against the Skrulls. But the door to the darkness has been opened, and evil is loose in the world, and that might make even the end of the Secret Invasion look like the beginning of something much worse. Be here for the moment a team is created, a hero returns and a new legacy is born.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

This was in CBR's X-Men section, so I guess that makes it an X-Men title. I really liked the first issue, and so I'll be picking up these next few issues as well. I expected more out of a Bryan Hitch cover, I feel like he should be knocking these out of the park. I'm glad that the title is not just focusing on the Skrulls, and that plots are actually being developed alongside the invasion.

GENEXT #4 (of 5)
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by PATRICK SCHERBERGER
Cover by DOUG ALEXANDER GREGORY
When one of their own is in trouble, the next generation of X-Men doesn’t turn to their parents and grandparents (the original and all-new X-Men)…GeNext takes care of their own. Follow Legendary X-Scribe Chris Claremont as he brings you the adventures of today’s X-Men, if the team aged in real-time. This time, they’re on their own and out from under their predecessors’ shadows to do what they think is right: save their friend! Plus, back-up rarities from Marvel's X-vaults!
48 PGS./Rated A …$3.99

Fantastic cover by Doug Gregory, but that's about all the praise I have for this title. The first issue was awful, Claremont is well past his prime, and his style of prose and excessive narration just seems out of place in today's industry. I'm not sure if there is a Claremont tale that came out this decade that I've actually enjoyed.

NEW EXILES #9 & NEW EXILES #10
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by TOM GRUMMETT
Covers by ALEXANDER GARNER
The British and French empires are at each other’s throats, and the Exiles are barely able to catch their breath. Perhaps the help of certain wheelchair-bound mutant teacher’s student body would come in handy? Meanwhile in Chinese occupied Japan, Betsy struggles to deal with Lady Mandarin and Ogun. Double your dose of alternate-reality adventure as two issues fly your way, wrapping up the third arc of New Exiles!
32 PGS. each/Rated A …$2.99 each

New Exiles is another Claremont title that I will not be getting. I loved the original Exiles series, but Claremont quickly turned it into an indecipherable mess. The Exiles were people from all different realities working together to fix the multiverse. Over half of this team is made up of characters from the 616 universe, and it seems like Marvel is content with keeping Claremont in his own little section of the X-Universe, so as to not mess with any of the things they have planned. If these series are any indication of what the main X-Men series would be like with Claremont at the helm, I can't thank Marvel enough for keeping him away from the main titles.

NYX: NO WAY HOME #1 (of 6)
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
Cover by ALINA URUSOV
Variant cover by JO CHEN
There’s no place like home just ask young mutant KIDEN NIXON. She’s survived the hard streets of Manhattan, and she’s built a home and a family for herself, with her friends TATIANA, BOBBY SOUL and his LI’L BRO. But with fewer than 200 mutants left on the planet, Kiden’s become a target and when somebody strikes at one of her friends, Kiden’s going to find out just how much farther she can fall! Don’t miss the breathtaking return of this beloved series, by NEW YORK TIMES best-selling writer MARJORIE LIU (the DIRK & STEELE SERIES) with stunning art by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY!
Plusa special behind-the-scenes gallery!

I didn't enjoy the first NYX enough to pick this up, and seeing as I have no idea who either members of the creative team are, I think it's fair enough to say that I will be giving this a pass.

SECRET INVASION: X-MEN #1 (of 4)
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by CARY NORD
Cover by TERRY DODSON
It’s aliens vs. mutants as the Skrull Invasion hits the West Coast! X-Scribe Mike Carey and super-hot artist Cary Nord (ULTIMATE HUMAN) bring you a story that will shock X-Fans and have everyone talking for years to come. The Skrulls don’t expect the X-Men when they hit San Francisco, but don’t think they don’t have something very special prepared for Cyclops and his army when they find them at their new home. STARRING: ALL THE X-MEN. YUP. ALL OF THEM.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I'm actually pretty excited for this series. Mike Carey has done a great job with the X-Men in Adjectiveless, and I can't wait to see him tackle the Skrulls. Awesome cover by Dodson, I'm glad he's back at Marvel. There's the Golden Gate Bridge again, along with what looks like a new costume for X-23. I like the costume, but I'm not too happy about the big red X that the X-Men all seem to be sporting now. Nevertheless, I'm excited for this title and Cary Nord should knock it out of the park, art-wise.

ULTIMATE X-MEN #97

Written by ARON E. COLEITE
Penciled by MARK BROOKS
Cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
The battle lines of Ultimatum are drawn! Who is the true power behind Banshee? What is their connection to Wolverine and the X-Men? The answers will make the X-Men reconsider everything they've ever believed in! How can one ever be human again after being a god? It’s the shocking finale by Aron E. Coleite (TV’s Heroes) and Mark Brooks!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I gave up on Ultimate X-Men back when Kirkman took over, as I felt the book was without a direction or purpose. I might pick up this author's first issue and if I like it, I'll give this issue a shot as well.

UNCANNY X-MEN #501
Written by ED BRUBAKER & MATT FRACTION
Pencils & Cover by GREG LAND
Things start out grim for the newest X-Girl as the team gets settled into its new secret headquarters. Scott and Emma do what Scott and Emma do best-- but what's the secret project Scott's been building? And is anyone prepared for the menace of the Hellfire Cult? Mysteries, riddles, enigmas, and pain freaks all converge in the brave new world of San Francisco-- read SFX 1: ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

On the one hand, we have ED BRUBAKER and MATT FRACTION, the creative team behind THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST, one of my favorite titles being produced today. On the other hand, we have GREG LAND. I'm actually insulted that Marvel would put Greg Land on a title with such great writers. People will buy the issues because of Fraction and Brubaker, and Marvel will use the sales as an excuse to put Greg Land on higher profile books. According to Brevoort, Land sells, so they'll keep putting his stuff out there. Ultimate Power didn't do too well, now did it Tom? Put Land on a title where he isn't dependent on the author or title of the book to carry him, and we'll see how well he sells. I am interested in Uncanny X-Men though, but Greg Land being the artist really rubs me the wrong way.

WOLVERINE #68
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
“OLD MAN LOGAN”
50 years after the super heroes died, WOLVERINE and the blind archer, HAWKEYE, continue their journey across a ruined America. Next stop: Cedar City, Utah"home of the man who killed Magneto: the all-new, all-different KINGPIN! And he isn’t about to let Logan and Hawkeye pass without paying the toll… Plus: the secret of Hawkeye’s daughter is revealed! The biggest WOLVERINE story of the century by the best-selling creative team of the millennium continues! PART 3 (of 8).
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

Part 3 of Mark Millar's 'Wolverine Story of the Century!', and I really really hope this is the good Millar from The Ultimates, and not the bad Millar from Civil War. As long as Millar doesn't have the book seem like it's up it's own ass, I should enjoy it. When I have characters telling me every other panel how great something is, or how improbable something occurring is, or saying "did you honestly believe..." I tend to drop the book. Pretty standard cover by McNiven.

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #6
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Pencils & Cover by SALVADOR ESPIN
TONIGHT! On a brand-new "When Teenage Mutant Girl Sleepovers Turn Deadly": SIRYN and KITTY PRYDE get into a no-holds-barred throwdown of a catfight over COLOSSUS's love, with WOLVERINE caught in the middle!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I read the first issue of this series and enjoyed it, so I will most likely be picking this up in the eventual trade collection. I love that cover, there is just so much emotion put into it.

WOLVERINE: KILLING MADE SIMPLE ONE-SHOT
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & TODD DEZAGO
Pencils by KOI TURNBULL & STEVE KURTH
Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Wolverine’s hard to kill, sure"but if one guy knows how to do it…it’s WOLVERINE himself! X-FORCE co-writer Christopher Yost and superstar Koi Turnbull have all the answers as Wolverine faces down NANNY and ORPHAN-MAKER and lets former NEW X-MEN member TRANCE in on all his secrets… And in a special bonus tale, TELLOS writer Todd Dezago and NEWUNIVERSAL’s Steve Kurth send Logan to the Arctic Circle, and show us that there’s always one more way to die…
48 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Another month, another Wolverine special. I'm surprised that Marvel doesn't just release a "Giant-Size Wolverine" monthly title, with the amount of one-shots they are releasing lately. I won't be picking this up, as I get enough of the canucklehead in the four team books he is featured in, along with his solo title.

X-FACTOR #34
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by LARRY STROMAN
Cover by BOO COOK
A SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!
X-Factor is in pursuit of Darwin, whose father is looking for him. She-Hulk and Jazinda are in pursuit of Longshot, who may hold the key to defeating the Skrull invasion. With Darwin and Longshot on the run, neither of them wanting to be found, you'd just assume that X-Factor and She-Hulk will work together smoothly to accomplish both their goals. But what fun would that be?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

X-Factor is another one of my favorite titles, and a double cross-over with both She-Hulk and Secret Invasion should put this book higher on the sales charts. I've been a bit disappointed with this title since Messiah Complex de-railed the series, but hopefully Peter David can get this book back on track. I can't exactly say that I am excited about Larry Stroman being the artist, as I picked up the X-Factor Visionaries trades ( collecting Peter David's first run on X-Factor, from the 1990's) and I found Stroman's art to be off-putting. Hopefully he has improved in the 18-odd years since those stories were printed.

X-FACTOR SPECIAL: LAYLA MILLER ONE-SHOT
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by VALENTINE DE LANDRO
Cover by BOO COOK
Trapped in a future she never made, Layla Miller finds herself smack in the middle of the Summers rebellion that was respo
nsible for the eventual liberation of mutants from the camps. The only question is, will she survive it?
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

It seems to me that Peter David is forced to tell the stories that he wants to tell in the X-Factor series proper in a series of one-shots. Marvel first released X-Factor : The Quick and the Dead in April, and so it seems that is what is happening. Nevertheless, I will be picking this up, as Layla Miller is one of my favorite X-Factor characters.

X-FORCE #6
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Pencils & Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Bloody Variant by CLAYTON CRAIN
"Angels and Demons" Conclusion
The shocking finale to the first arc! Wolverine versus
Bastion. Archangel versus the Choir. Wolfsbane versus her father. X-23 versus Matthew Risman. Warpath versus . This is how a species dies.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

If that's the regular cover, I really want to see the bloody version. I've enjoyed the first three issues for the most part, and will most likely pick this up in the trade. This title seems to be the spiritual successor to New X-Men, as several plot threads from that series are continued here. While I'm not the biggest fan of Clayton Crain, the writing team of Kyle and Yost is more than enough to make up for whatever shortcomings are in Crain's art.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #15
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by KARL KESEL
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
Is she a bad girl? Is she a mutant? Does even she know what or who she is? Is that her real hair? The mysterious MEDUSA has escaped the reach of the Fantastic Four, only to run right into the home of the Uncanny X-Men!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I got a free issue of one of the earlier issues of X-Men First Class and I enjoyed it, so I may have to give this book a shot. Pretty standard "team facing enemy off-camera" cover by Pagulayan.

X-MEN: LEGACY #215
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
With some of his oldest ghosts finally laid to rest, Charles Xavier feels the need to make peace with the X-Men who've been most important in his life. But starting with Scott Summers may have been a mistake - particularly when he decides to re-awaken some of Cyclops's worst nightmares against his will.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

Mike Carey has been blowing me away with his work on X-Men Legacy, and if he can keep that same level of quality up, I would be hard pressed to pass this book up. Scot Eaton has been doing a great job on the interiors, and I'm excited to see where this book will be going.

X-MEN ORIGINS: JEAN GREY
Written by SEAN MCKEEVER
Art and Cover by MIKE MAYHEW
From the moment Professor Xavier arrived on her doorstep, young Jean Grey knew things would change forever. But she was never prepared for how strange life at the Xavier Institute could be - or just how dangerous she truly was. Will she be able to harness her budding powers in time to prove herself a hero? Or will the ghosts of her past haunt her forever? Sean McKeever and Mike Mayhew bring you the first adventure of the X-Men’s mightiest mutant. Guest starring the original X-Men!
32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Rated T+…$3.99

The Colossus origin issue by Kyle and Yost was well done, and so if that same level of commitment can be brought to this issue, I may have to pick these titles up in the eventual "X-Men : Origins" trade that I envision will be released. That cover looks amazing, and I'm sure the interiors will look just as spectacular.

YOUNG X-MEN #5
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE
Cover by TERRY DODSON
The numbers are in and it's official: Young X-Men is Mighty Marvel's newest hit!!! It's Marvel's youngest mutants in their final showdown with and one of them won't be walking away from it. The Young X-Men's first story arc ends here and nothing will ever be the same again. Yeah, we know lots of books make that claim, but with Marc (Eli Stone, Amazing Spider-Man) Guggenheim and Yanick (Ultimate X-Men) Paquette delivering the goods, you know this one's for real!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

The first two issues of Young X-Men were awful, as I reviewed here on the site back in April. I am still hesitant about picking up any further issues, as I have not enjoyed author Marc Guggenheim's Amazing Spider-Man or Wolverine. I might have to read this one in the shop to see if it's worth picking up.

That's it for August 2008's X-Men titles, and I noticed something. No Wolverine Origins? Perhaps that title just wasn't included in the preview given to CBR by Marvel. August looks like a good month if you're an X-Men fan!

Essential Defenders Volume 1

2008-05-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Marvel's 'non-team' of the 70's gets it's 'non-start' in the first volume of Essential Defenders. Collecting issues from multiple titles as well as The Defenders series proper, this collection provides a great look at the Marvel style of the 1970's. Featuring work by Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Len Wein and Sal Buscema, this collection is not short on talented creators. Read on for the full review...

Despite the members of the Defenders believing that they aren't a team, Essential Defenders is one of the best team-books I've ever read. A team book that has Namor, The Hulk, and Doctor Strange as three of it's cast and still manages to have a compelling plot as well as compelling villains? That's what this book has.

In almost every issue, there is a reason for the character to be there, and everyone pull an equal part. With 3 major power-houses on the team, Englehart (who wrote the majority of the issues featured in volume 1) manages to actually make the villains seem believable, and their threats to the heroes compelling. Over the course of the 14 issues of the actual Defenders series (this collection has issues from Doctor Strange, Namor, and the Incredible Hulk, among others), the team evolves and incorporates new members from all aspects of the Marvel Universe. The Silver Surfer briefly joins, along with former Avenger (at the time) Hawkeye. The team also gains a female member, the Asgardian-born Valkyrie.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable read, and I finished it in just under 3 days. The other Essentials that I have read have taken me much longer. I don't know the exact reason for the quickness in which I read this book, but it may have something to do with Sal Buscema's penchant for large panels, which made moving from page to page easier. Whatever the reason, this book was quick but not in the sense that it was a let-down.

My absolute favorite part of the book was the 11 part crossover with The Avengers, in which Dormmamu (arch-nemesis of Dr. Strange) and Thor's evil half-brother Loki team-up in order to rule the universe (and destroy the Defenders in the process!) These issues feature the cliche Hero versus Hero misunderstanding battle, but they are illustrated beautifully and the scenes are written so well that it doesn't matter. Seeing the Mighty Thor battling The Incredible Hulk, as well as Namor dueling Captain America made this book well worth the price of admission.

Pick this up if you like old fashioned super-hero fun, complete with sorcery, super-science and beings from another planet.

"Viral" Marketing for Cap Movie Continues Post-Iron Man

2008-05-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm sure you've all seen Iron Man five times already, like the good comic fans you are. I'm sure those of you who spend a good amount of time on the internet have also seen the gossiping of Cap's shield being in the movie.

Left corner. Yeah, I don't see it either.
Using this for proof that a Captain America movie is in the works (because apparently no-one has ever heard of imdb.com) and that Tony is the one actually making it (in his cozy beachhouse that a certain somebody easily snuck into) is bad comedy. Still, it does prove that people are becoming more and more curious about continuities between Marvel's (upcoming) movies, all leading up to the Avengers movie.

Well, a nice tidbit has just been discovered that's related to this whole marketing scheme...

That stuff ain't Flubber!

It is reported that in the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie, starring Ed Norton as Bruce Banner, General Thunderbolt Ross will be discussing about a certain serum used in WWII to create an above-average soldier. Add this to the appearance that Robert Stark Jr. will have in the film, and you have just as much excitement surging through the theatre as the post-credits scene in Iron Man.

MUTO: a wall-painted animation

2008-05-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

Even though this might not usually fall under the animation portion of our site, I was so... impressed by this video that I couldn't resist sharing it.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

I'm really impressed by artist "blu" and how much.. dedication he put into this. Even more boggling to think about is the amount of other people's work he painted over: I wonder how local graffiti artists are going to feel about that.

Anyways, top notch work, man.

Wolvering and the X-men Trailer emerges

2008-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Marvel's got a first-look exclusive trailer of the new Wolverine and the X-men series, and it looks pretty good. Stay tuned after the jump for the trailer.

I don't really care how it looks; as long as Colossus gets ample screen time, I'll be happy.

Reboot.com Mystery Counter Appears!

2008-05-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit. I wonder what the hell this could be?

Only time will tell, dear comrades.

Marvel Announced Q1 Numbers, new films

2008-05-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of the acclaimed Iron Man, Marvel has announced its first quarter numbers and plans for new films. Check the jump for more.

In a news story found on Yahoo!, Marvel released its Q1 2008 numbers, along with the announcement that they'll be working on new films that most of us have been hoping for for a long while now: Thor and an Iron Man sequel (2010) and two Avengers themed movies (2011). Man, I really can't wait for a Thor film, especially if its based on the new JMS series.

I SAY THEE YAYYYYY!

I AM IRON MAN.

2008-05-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

I just got back from seeing Iron Man. To see what I thought hit the jump.

It was fuck awesome, the suit looked awesome, Downey was awesome, Pepper was awesome, Rhodey was awesome. This movie was awesome on an awesome platter with awesome sauce and awesome fries on the side. I'm going again tomorrow.

If this is the future of Marvel's movie adaptations you can make mine Marvel until further notice. Now, to look forward to the sequel and the inevitable Cap and Thor movies.