Not much of a surprise, but....

We all knew that Manny Ramirez was not a happy camper in Beantown, but I was still surprised by the deal. I don't even have a clue who Jason Bay is?

On the other hand, I suppose it makes more sense then the proposed trade with the Marlins, which never made sense to me from Manny's position. The guy is used to playing in a major market, and LA certainly fits him better than the swamps down in Florida.

While we're on the topic of Boston vs. California, don't even bring up the Angels! I've been afraid to listen the the sports report for the past week. *sigh* Only the Sox being ahead of the Damned Yankees (if only by a single game) keeps me from jumping head first into the arroyo.

Maybe I can be distracted by the Olympics starting next week. Nothing like watching folks in speedoes to keep you from watching BASEBALL TONIGHT.

Do I really need another blog?

As if I don't already love ranting on my own two blogs I just received an invitation from Alex Ness to take part in his new comics review page, POPLITIKO. Alex and the others taking part are far better at sounding smart than I could ever pretend, so you might want to skim my stuff and read folks who are doing this much better than I could ever hope.

The site has just started so please be patient while we try and get our act together.

Some more about SDCC '08!

For those who care about this sort of thing I'm going to quickly list some of the stuff I saw and did in San Diego. This list is in no particular order.

1) Where the hell were all the Klingons? You'd think with a new STAR TREK film getting so much buzz that I'd have seen more than three and those downstairs at the local fan club tables. While we're on the subject, I saw a number of Federation officers & crew around, wearing outfits from just about every incarnation of the show, but not a single Vulcan. I'm sure there were some around.

2) The "Quick Draw" challenge this year was as much fun as usual. Regulars Sergio Aragones & Scott Shaw!, along with moderator/quiz master Mark Evanier were joined this year by political cartoonist & creator of MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM, Mike Peters. It seemed that Peters was having more fun than just about anybody and was laughing at all the suggestions. Both Peters & Shaw! won individual rounds, but Sergio continues to be the fastest 'gag' cartoonist I have ever seen.

3) It seemed that many of the Jokers were trying to recycle their Jack Nicholson/standard comics appearance, but smearing the lipstick to get that Heath Ledger look. I think I've mentioned this before, but this weekend (when I have time) I'm going to download the photo of my favorite Joker.

4) It's been twelve years since my last SDCC and the number of anime/manga cosplay folks have multiplied beyond anything I could have anticipated. Some young ladies, were basically going for the Japanese school girl look, but many had cleverly designed & made outfits that truly resembled their characters.

5) Considering the large number of Jedi/Seth/Storm-troopers that were running around there were only a couple of Darth Vaders in the Hall. One guy was easily 6'5" and looked amazing on Saturday.

6) Zombies were all over the place, along with a few '30 Days of Night' style vampires. Some folks looked like they spent about five minutes with white greasepaint and some fake blood, while others appeared to have been made up by professionals or spent quite a bit for the scars, wounds and gaping sores.

7) Saw two Comedians & one Rorschach on Saturday, but didn't recognize any of the other WATCHMEN characters. Of course, I probably wouldn't know Silk Spectre if she walked by. Seeing the Owlship on the exhibit floor was way cool! It's still hard for me to decide, from the trailers, how good the movie will be or how popular.

8) I know some folks don't appreciate it, but I happen to enjoy Dick's Last Resort over on Fourth. It's loud, crowded and the wait staff go out of their way to insult you, but that is all part of the fun of the place. I had lunch there both on Friday & Saturday, with Dan joining me on my second venture there. The bartenders and other front staff were dressed in costumes or wearing comics related t-shirts, which added to the fun of the place.

9) The Capa-Alpha breakfast was a disappointment, unfortunately. There were only six of us present at the Marriott Gas Lamp Saturday morning. Bob Ingersoll, one of those who did show up and sort of organized it, said that he'd probably just have us meet at McDonald's next year if this was what we could expect. Besides Bob and there was Joe Colgan, his son Elric, Jeff Gelb and Mark Verheiden who joined us a bit later for coffee. I remember earlier K-a meets where we would take over several long tables with a close to a couple dozen pros, fans and family hanging out. Just to name drop a moment we saw Bruce Campbell, a friend of Mark's come in and he waved, plus just about half the writing staff of LOST wandered by. Also, pointed out by Mark, since none of the rest of us would have had a clue.

10) Does seeing Doug Benson (of VH1's BEST WEEK EVER & "Last Comic Standing") and Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog count as star-gazing?

11) I got to chat briefly with William Katt (best remembered for GREATEST AMERICAN HERO & as Della Street's son in the later incarnation of PERRY MASON) who signed copies of his new comic SPARKS (from Catastrophic Comics) and the GAH preview issue of that comic. Robert Culp was joining him at the CC booth, but he was constantly being photographed and signing stuff, so I didn't want to bother him. Both gentlemen looked good and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

12) Sadly, a twisted ankle and energy drain stopped me from going to the MST3-K reunion on Friday night. Fortunately, I was able to hobble over to the RiffTrax booth and get Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy to sign a poster for me. I also have a photo of the three of them signing stuff & meeting with fans, plus one of Tom Servo & Crow that I'll have to post here.

There are other things I'd like to mention, along with some comments about some of the comics and goodies I picked up, but I'll save that for another time. This has gone on much longer than I intended.

Good night, Internet!

I survived San Diego Comic-Con '08 and don't have a lousy t-shirt!

Clovy said he had a great time at the convention and it was good feeding on his fans. (To be honest, this isn't my photo, but from the San Diego Union-Tribune site.)

Seriously, I'll have more to say on the convention and some of the things I did and didn't do later.

It was/is overwhelming and I don't know that it is still something I'd like to do every year at this point. Ask me again in six months when it's time to register for '09. :-)

On the road to San Diego!

Later tonight Dan and I will be driving down to San Diego for the Convention. We both are pre-registered for the entire con but we also had to work today. I think hitting the place for the three-day weekend will be more than enough excitement for both of us.

This is Dan’s first SD con, although he has been to others in New York. He’s more into gaming and action figures and has a list of stuff he wants. Great place to get some of the con exclusive and limited edition figures he collects. I’m just looking forward to hooking up with some folks I haven’t seen in over a decade, meeting some creators and getting as much free stuff as I can fit into my bags every day.


I’ll be sharing some of my adventures with you next week and probably some photos when I have a chance. I’m taking my digital camera down with me and plan to get some pics of folks in costumes, company displays and, if I can make it, the MST3-K anniversary reunion panel tomorrow night. I know that there are going to be dozens of ‘journalists’ and hundreds of bloggers roaming around and I doubt I’ll have anything to report that you will not have already heard or seen, but I’ll definitely have something to say about the rumors and news that will be coming out of the four days.

I have only a limited list of panels that I’d like to attend, although there are a few conflicts. There are always cancellations and changes, so I’m not going to be heart-broken if something happens. The panels and interviews moderated by Mark Evanier are generally the ones I go out of my way for, but there are also some previews and panels going on at the same time that sound interesting. Personally, the Capa-Alpha breakfast on Saturday morning is really the ONLY event that I have to attend, no matter what. I have seen or kept in e-mail contact with a few of my former apa-mates the past decade, but far too few to be honest.


Unless you catch me in the background of some YouTube video this weekend, I’ll be “seeing” you next Monday. Have a safe & fun one whether you’re at the convention or not!

Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show Ep. 1 - Lick Poop

I have discovered the true reason for YouTube. Kiko will be at San Diego next week. To be having so much fun then! :-)

Remote viewing: what we are watching!

Among the usual stuff on Animal Planet, ID & TruTV we have actually been catching two of the 'reality' entertainment shows on the networks. We got into AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT last year and LAST COMIC STANDING two seasons ago.

AGT is, I admit, a knock off of AMERICAN IDOL open to jugglers and tap dancers, but we get a kick out of it. It has The Hoff, so how far wrong can you go? :-) It was actually won, last season by a ventriloquist which was a nice surprise, so anything is possible. The show is just getting ready to start the semi-finals in Las Vegas (as is LCS), so you might want to tune in and see some of the better of the acts that were sent on. Trust me, that you might be grateful to have missed some of the ...it's hard to call them 'performers', that were to bizarre or just bad to make the cut. If you think the auditions for Idol are horrendous, you haven't seen anything like this since the days of the old GONG SHOW.

Last night, as part of the segment to gain immunity from expulsion the comedians on LCS had to do some prop comedy. Most of them had never done it before, or used it very rarely. Naturally, on this show the only person they could get or afford to act as 'judge' was Carrot Top. Let's be honest here, I have never thought the guy was funny, even when he was this skinny, annoying kid who looked like one of your old roommates. Now the guy is just flat out scary!

Apparently, somewhere along the line as his career continued to go nowhere, but college gigs, the guy decided he would be funnier if he bulked up. He is now this steroid jacked old guy with flaming artificial orange, thinning hair with what appears to be tattooed (rather then real) eyebrows. I had to post the photo (okay, the guy from MASK being there is a joke) so you wouldn't think I was kidding. Do a Google image search, if you don't believe me!

Dude, it was way uncomfortable!

Countdown to San Diego!

Wow! Can it only a week until the San Diego convention begins? I'll be there starting next Friday and am really getting psyched about it. Already planning some of the panels I would like to attend, especially a few moderated by Mark Evanier.

Even back in the early days of the convention (speaking from my own experience in 1975 & '76) there always seemed to be several panels, films or signings going on at the same time. You had to skip the Kirby signing if you wanted to hear Steranko or watch an episode of ASTRO BOY.

I have a list of comics I'd like to pick up to fill-in gaps, but also want to have enough to buy a few items from the folks self-publishing or from small publishers. I remember from when I was hitting the con pretty regularly that there were a lot of freebies and I hope to get a bag full of goodies (or several) in my wanderings.

It's been a while since I've been to SD. Anybody recommend a decently priced place to grab lunch within walking distance of the con? I know there was a small ribs/bbq place that was popular, but it recently was involved in a fire and has closed. Are the wings at Hooters really that good? :-)

Four Color Fiend: some quick thoughts

I'll try to get in some reviews later this week, perhaps tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a few projects at work so don't have much free time. However, I wanted to mention a couple of things from books I read this past weekend.

SECRET INVASION continues to kick butt! I have yet to read a single issue, of the main series or tie-ins, that has disappointed me. I want to mention both CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 and SI: FRONT LINE as two books that present different perspectives of the invasion. The first shows us how the Skrulls seek to capture the magic of Marvel-Earth, while the second series presents former Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich seeing the invasion from the ground, so to speak. As he did in his appearance in the MARVELS series, Urich is the common man caught in events shaped by forces beyond 'human', he gives us a street level perspective missing from the main super-hero books.

I even picked up the current issue of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, which ties in with SI and found that I wasn't totally lost despite the presence of dozens of characters I had never encountered previously. As with the MS. MARVEL and two AVENGER titles, it remains to be seen if I'll continue to buy the books after SI, but there is a good chance I might at this point.

I'll try to have more stuff in the next couple of days.

Constrictor (Robot Wars Battles)

Remember a few years ago when this and Battle Bots were so popular? I get such a kick out of this silly stuff.

Four Color Fiend: Bunch of stuff

Since I'm not going to be logging in from Friday - Monday I wanted to mention some comics I just read, before I forget.



SECRET INVASION continues to be fascinating. The two Avenger titles and the first issue Young Avengers/Runaway mini are all interesting and much easier to figure out than the DC FINAL CRISIS title. I really like how they are using the Avenger books to explain how various heroes were replaced and what the Skrull queen was doing before she replaced Spider-Woman.

The YA/Runaway book is filled with characters I've never seen before but enough is explained (via dialogue and captions) so a new reader didn't feel completely lost. Don't know that I would go back and pick up the regular series in which they appear, but we'll see how many survive the next few months.

I'm glad that I also picked up MS. MARVEL the past few months since that ties in completely with SI. I can understand why so many folks spoke highly of the book. Finally, INCREDIBLE HERCULES is a lot of fun and the interplay of the gods is really good. I'd definitely picking up earlier issues of this title.

As for non-Marvel books, I continue to enjoy the TANGENT: REIGN OF SUPERMAN mini-series. Not sure if I want to see the characters from that world continue to interact with the Earth-One heroes when this wraps up. Of course, it appears that not all of them will be around come the last issue anyway at this point.

My major problem is that I find it odd that Superman-Tangent can so easily overcome the power of the the GL rings, but has been stopped by the power of the Tangent-GL's lantern. Also, odd that a character so powerful would utilize any super-powered beings for his purposes. It doesn't appear that he trusts them to any degree, so why not simply do away with or imprison all of them. Then again, I guess the book would be boring and if you couldn't use all the Tangent versions of DCU characters at least for a few scenes. Also, I don't think all of the half dozen characters appearing in the back-up story about the Nightwing agency are going to survive until the end either. Never trust mysterious women who pick you up in a limo! Who hasn't discovered that for themselves?

If you are a HELLBOY fan you might want to pick up B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man. This one-shot comic tells the origin of Johann Kraus, a character who will be featured in the second HELLBOY film out later this month. Johann is an interesting character and it's nice to finally discover how he became encased in his suit. Not sure how he'll be introduced in the new movie.



Oh, and it was a HELLBOY PVC that I got at ALA on Sunday, since somebody asked

Four-color Fiend: What the...?!

Somebody want to explain to me what the hell is going on in FINAL CRISIS? For the past year I've been reading COUNTDOWN and various tie-ins, the INFINITE CRISIS and OMAC PROJECT stuff, plus the TPB collections of 52. In spite of all this I find that I'm clueless about a lot of the things going on. I'm not even going to mention SPOILERS because I don't know if I'm giving anything away at this point.

The cop/detective that has been narrating part of the story is apparently Darkseid and some of the Green Lantern Corps are actually his former flunkies. He doesn't know who he is, at least not until the end of the second issue of FI, and even there he seems unsure.

Oh and it looks like Barry Allen is back from or forward into the past of whatever time or world we are viewing. Don't even bother to ask about all that crap happening in Japan with some guy calling himself Mister Miracle, who has changed his race.

And the new Black Racer (who I have to assume is the scary guy on long blades) is just too creepy. Of course, folks made light of Kirby's version, so I guess DC decided he had to be more extra-worldly.

The thing is it is well-drawn and nicely, written, but I still don't know that I like it or where it is going. I mean there is some point, isn't there?

Giant Pile of Comics Attack! Part One.

She does this much better than I ever could!

Hail Eris!

very creepy, disturbing children's cartoon, banned from TV

This is from Will Vinton's ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, made back in 1985. There's a reason you don't see it much.

A quick Four-Color Fiend

Real quick F-CF for stuff I picked up last week. There may be a few SPOILERS.

Why did I stick it out through SALVATION RUN? I guess I expected something to happen of note and after four issues I figured I might as well get the final three. It was a bad mistake & a waste of money. It really resolves nothing, and the two of the deaths are of characters certainly more interesting than the dozens of third-raters that escape. Monsieur Mallah and The Brain were fascinating, if sometimes badly used villains created for the original DOOM PATROL. Their relationship was odd, but when handled well quite lovely. I’m going to miss them. Some of the last issue dialogue, plus a ‘house ad’ indicates that this was a lead in to one of the FINAL CRISIS books, none of which I’m going to be buying. I have been suckered too many times the past year by DC. Time to drop most of their titles.


On the other hand, I haven’t been disappointed by any of Marvel’s SECRET INVASION books. From the central title to the books featuring Captains Marvel & Britain and Ms. Marvel, the two main Avenger titles and surprisingly INCREDIBLE HERCULES I have enjoyed each issue. I have hopes for the FANTASTIC FOUR tie-in and may be buying some of the other one-shots along the way. For me the Marvel books have been consistently fun, unlike many of the COUNTDOWN books which seemed to be out only go nowhere.

As for some plot points, I don’t really think that Tony Stark is a Skrull, but rather that the Skull queen is playing with his head as she impersonates Spider-Woman. I didn’t read the Civil War events, but think it would really be a kick in the balls of the fans to suddenly pull a switch. Of course, it would make old time Iron Man fans happy since they could ignore the illegal and immoral stuff Stark did, since it wasn’t really him. It remains to be seen, of course. I’m a bit confused on some books as to whom some minor characters may be, but the writers and/or editors are giving me enough information for the most part so I’m not totally lost. In the case of the Hercules book, I think I’m going to go back and pick up the half dozen prior issues, maybe at San Diego. I also plan on purchasing some of the Civil War books or TPBs so I can try to catch up a bit.


I may have a bit more to say on other books later tonight.

Review: The Bribe by William P. Wood

This is the latest Joe Bob Briggs review. They aren't posting them, or much of anything else on the site, but I want to finish off the final batch of titles they sent along.
*******************************
The Bribe by William P. Wood
Published by Leisure Books; ISBN - 0843957034

When a controversial California Congressman and a cab driver are killed in front of an apartment building, where the Representative lives with his mistress, things may not be as simple as initially thought. After a possible robbery or car-jacking gone wrong are ruled out rumors begin circulating. Finally, Homeland Security and the White House announce that this may be a terrorist act. Things quickly become more difficult for two Sacramento homicide detectives and the Deputy District Attorney.

As the investigation continues, Detective Terry Nye and his partner, Rose Tafoya discovers that the FBI is not being totally forthcoming with certain information. They find on their own that the Congressman has been taking bribes and that his announcement that he was calling for legislation to stop this type of thing may have led to his murder. From the Congressman’s greedy wife, who may have political ambitions of her own, to his secretive head of staff and a shady, lobbyist with ties to the current D.A. there is no shortage of suspects.

Wood alternates the narrative from that of the detectives to that of Deputy D.A. Cooper as each begins looking into the career and private life of the dead Congressman. The trail leads from the former haunts of the one-time military hero turned politician to the halls of Congress in D.C. and back again. His mistress fears for her own life and everybody from the wife to the Congressman’s ‘business associates’ are hiding things from the police. Barred by the FBI from investigating certain aspects of the case, Cooper, Nye & Tafoya must follow the limited leads they do have before things spiral out of control and the case is taken out of their hands.

With a dozen different suspects and the personal lives of the lead characters to follow Wood doesn’t make it easy for the reader. Some aspects of the case go back several decades and it becomes obvious that, just as the detectives, we aren’t privy to every angle. As Joe Bob used to say in his video reviews, there’s way too much plot getting in the way of the story. I don’t want to accuse writer Wood of padding, but I think the tale could have been told in a swifter fashion.

Overall a good book with a successful outcome, and I enjoyed the digs along the way at the current political climate and jabs at the ‘war on terror.’ While I liked the main characters and would like to see them return in another book, I think the author might want to pare things down the next time around. I believe that choosing to focus on either Cooper or the two detectives would help things along.

Two and a half stars.

A few more Four Color thoughts!

This is just a quick follow-up on my post yesterday on comics.

In FINAL CRISIS #1 we see some heroes (that I either don’t know or remember) ambushed and seemingly killed by Mirror Master & Doctor Light. During this we have what I think is supposed to be joking banter between the two hinting at MM procuring some ‘erectile dysfunction’ drugs for the Doctor. This takes place while the villains stand over and further abuse the bodies of the fallen heroes, which would seem bad enough. However, given the fact that DL has been shown to be an abusive and unrepentant rapist & murderer, why are ED jokes supposed to be funny or even appropriate? I was taken aback at the time, but forgot to mention it yesterday while trying to cover several books. Probably another reason why FC may not be on my ‘buy list’ for more than one more issue.

I don’t seem to be the only one who feels this way, although perhaps not for the same reasons. In the reviews I’ve read and seen over on YouTube the general consensus appears to be negative towards FC. If this is what we can expect from DC then I’ll be spending my money on more Marvel and independent titles.

I picked up the hardcover edition of SECRET WARS at the library this past weekend and am really enjoying it. Besides being a good book on its own merits it explains why some of the heroes feel the way they do towards Nick Fury in the current SECRET INVASION storyline. I also really like how Bendis writes Peter Parker and Matt Murdock in the series, but wasn’t thrilled by his Logan, at least in the first couple of issues.

That’s it for now!

Four Color and More!

Those five days in Brooklyn and doing extra-help work in another library threw me off a bit. I’m way behind on reviews and other things so I’m going to try to catch up, with minor SPOILERS. Let’s face it, almost nobody reads my reviews anyway and I generally do it for my own amusement. Don’t mind me I’m not in the best of moods to begin with.


After all the money and time I invested in COUNTDOWN and related titles, I didn’t expect that DC was going to flip me the bird with the first issue of FINAL CRISIS. What the hell is going on? Is that Tor? That sure as heck is Kamandi running up on him later. I’m assuming that The Question and others do not see the armored guy on skis hanging over the crime scene, right? Seems at least some of the New Gods are not dead, simply hanging out here kidnapping kids and turning them into red-eyed fanged little creeps. I really don’t have a clue and am only going to give FC one more issue to make me believe. I’m also going to keep my promise to myself and not buy a single ‘Sightings’ tie-in.


On the other hand, the latest issues of NEW AVENGERS and MS. MARVEL keep the heat on with SECRET INVASION. We still don’t know who all the Skrulls may be, but do learn some things about those ‘70s Avengers who were held captive. Some folks aren’t too happy with a certain ‘dead’ hero showing up, but I don’t believe that is really him. On the other hand, it looks like we will be seeing the some familiar characters showing up in the MARVEL 1985 series. Wow! Talk about fanboy fantasy come true? What would you do if you found out that Doctor Doom & the Red Skull had moved in down the street? Have to thank writer Mark Millar and artist Tommy Lee Edwards for bringing us a wonderful fantasy for those of us who did believe in such things as kids.

Finally, I want to recommend DEAD, SHE SAID from IDW. Writer Steve Niles knows his dead folks, as the creator of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and here he’s teamed with artist Bernie Wrightson . Low rent P.I. Coogan has had a bad night. He doesn’t remember much about it, except that somewhere along the line he got killed and he’s not happy. When he is found over the torn apart body of the person who may have been responsible he has a lot of explaining to do to the cops. Wrightson inks his own pencils here and it shows. Damn, he’s good!

On the TV watching front, I caught promos for two new summer replacement shows that caught my interest. ABC’s WIPEOUT is a total rip-off of a Japanese game show, the name of which escapes me. One of the cable networks was showing an English-dubbed version, along the lines of IRON CHEF, where you really didn’t know how accurate the translation may have been. Of course that wasn’t the point. The goal of the show, as is that of the American rip-off, is to have folks attempt to get across this enormous water bound obstacle course. The ABC site calls it a ‘reality show’, but that term has long ago stopped really meaning anything of the sort.


Also from ABC is “I Survived a Japanese Game Show”, where a group of ten Americans are flown over to do exactly that. Or rather, they must compete in the stunts and competitions that are actually used in those shows, but they won’t actually compete against Japanese, but each other.

Hard to believe that the game show concept was created here, isn’t it? The first, “Uncle Jim's Question Bee", was broadcast in 1941, unless the British beat us to it. It seems that the ‘successful’ shows of the past few years are all adaptations of shows from Europe and now Japan.
I think it’s time for Donna and I to breakdown and get that DVR from Cox.

New links and a few other things

I just added a new link over on The Right that you might find fun.

Tabloia! is from Chris Wisnia, who loves comics, big monsters, the old WEEKLY WORLD NEWS and other cool stuff. From 'Dick Hammer' and 'Doris Danger' to 'Dr. DeBunko' and the weekly TABLOIA tabloid you will find a comic or tall-tale to your liking. Chris has contributions from such well known comic artists as Jill Thompson, Sergio Aragones, and Sam Keith, plus Silver Age greats like John Severin & Dick Ayers.

Not going to do regular comic reviews this week, as I'm trying to get caught up with work stuff before Friday. Donna and I will be in Brooklyn until next Wednesday (5/28) and I have a few reports that have to get done.

I do want to recommend that folks pick up the SECRET INVASION series and various tie-in stories from Marvel. Unlike DC's COUNTDOWN (which I liked better than some folks), the SI story involves an alien menace, but sticks closer to Earth. While heroes & villains were getting offed in the DC series you always had the feeling that things would eventually be worked out and with probably few long term effects. In SI you get a sense of real paranoia as the heroes don't know who to trust, which means the reader doesn't know either.

I have to give my thanks to Marvel editorial for giving the reader a 'what has gone before' page each issue. It allowed me to pick up several books which had not been reading, but not feel totally lost. The last issue of the just ended CAPTAIN MARVEL mini, latest issues of MS. MARVEL and NEW AVENGERS all tie in and really should be checked out. The second issue of the main SI book is really good and reveals that some but not apparently all of the heroes who were on the crashed Skrull ship are indeed Skrull's themselves. At least one hero we thought dead seems to be quite alive. I'm going to hold off on judging the SI: Fantastic Four series until the next issue. Lots of things are happening and I'm not familiar enough with the current FF continuity to be sure. On the other hand, I love when the Torch & Thing are the central focus of a story.

If you are not reading this series, at least pick up the main title as I don't think you'll be disappointed. Make Mine Marvel! (At least for now)

Popcorn for One: IRON MAN (with some spoilers)

A friend gave me some ‘free passes’ for the Edwards chain of movie theatres. I figured it was a good time to start using them, so I caught an early Friday afternoon showing of IRON MAN at the local theatre.

I’m sure if you are interested you have already caught the movie or are doing so this weekend. I don’t want to do a complete review, since there are plenty of those around if you are interested. There’s probably nothing I could add to what the professionals critics and other fans have to say. These are just a few comments about my general feelings on the film.

The movie opens with Tony Stark (played wonderfully by Robert Downey, Jr.) being caught in the ambush of American troops with whom he is traveling. The film then winds back to show us what occurred the previous 36 hours leading up to the assault. We get a feel for how Stark goes about his daily routines, seemingly not caring that his corporation is building weapons that could fall into the wrong hands. He’s an electronics genius who has used his abilities to build his father’s company into one of the largest of its kind. Despite his wealth and his playboy lifestyle, it is apparent that he is lonely, with few people with whom he feels totally comfortable.

The Tony Stark of the comics, at least until the recent events of ‘Civil War’, was very close to how Downey portrays him. Brilliant, flawed and only allowing himself a few close confidents. In the current Marvel Universe, he doesn’t even have that, but the Stark of the movie is a better person, at least by the films end.

The cast is very good, with some wonderful actors playing roles in what is after all a ‘super-hero’/action film. Not what you would expect from Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges, but all take their parts seriously without the scene chewing you often see actors doing in these sorts of films. Too many actors feel they can ham it up or just walk through these movie roles, which they seem to feel are beneath them. Than why take the role? Bills piling up?

Stan Lee, who co-created the character, has a nice cameo that made me laugh. If you stick around through the credits you’ll find Samuel L. Jackson showing up as another Marvel character, who hints that we might be seeing several other Marvel characters appearing along with Iron Man at some point. If you have read the Avengers comics you may either enjoy or being angered by the fact that Jarvis isn’t the Alfred-style butler we have become used to in the series. Also, an off-hand remark by Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (played by Terrence Howard), Stark’s military liaison hints at yet another hero making an appearance in a future sequel.

Given the film’s success and comments already made by Downey, it probably won’t come as a surprise to see an IRON MAN franchise being announced shortly.

If you haven’t guessed by now I highly recommend the movie. Just stay through the credits for the fanboy moment!

Keeping track of all this crap...er, collectibles!

I have been using the online database, COMIC COLLECTOR LIVE for several months to try to keep track of my comics. Since it is free and constantly updated I have found it pretty decent, but with a few quirks.

If you've been around for a bit you'll remember that I used to utilize another free online database, ComicBookdb.com but the owner of that site eventually gave up on it, leaving a lot of us with dated & uncorrectable files. Just the other day I found that someone else has taken over the site name and is now providing a similar free service. This time, however, they carry ads and you can buy & sell, just as CCL does.

I'm now inputting my collection into both databases and finding that they each have problems. The main one being that I appear to be the only person to have collected certain titles, so now have to go through the hassle of getting approval to place them into the site.

I have found CBDB has some titles that CCL doesn't have and vice versa, but in some cases only individual issues rather than an entire book's run. (For example, CBDB lists ULTRA KLUTZ but only four of the 31 issues, meaning that I have to input the remainder.) Also with CCL, you have to go through a 'voting' process where majority rule can actually disallow your input. In most cases, you have to have to provide a link to another database or company website to prove the title actually exists! I'll be trying to put some items into CBDB this weekend and let you know how difficult or easy that will be.

Quick update: if a title is a one-shot CBDB makes it hard to add unless the person who originally put it in the database listed it as a #1, since you have to place an issue number in the databox.

I plan on picking up my bi-weekly haul of stuff at Nuclear Comics tomorrow, along with some Silver Age bags. I have some older books that have been stored in the same bags since I purchased them. Eventually, I'm going to have to buy some regular/current bags & boards since I left what I had back in Brooklyn with Dan & Christina.

By the way, I'm going to be boarding at Michael's in San Diego along with Dan, who is flying out for the convention. It should be pretty interesting, as this is his first SD and I haven't been there since '96. I'm sure to rant more on all this between now and late July, so bear with me!

Four-Color Fiend: The Mighty New Avenging Skrulls

There might be a few things given away so we will start with

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I’m not sure in which order they were published, since I picked them both up this past weekend, but I want to recommend both MIGHTY AVENGERS #12 and NEW AVENGERS #40. Given the stories I would recommend reading MA #12 first, as that will make the end of NA #40 even more of a shocker. Another thing is that even if you have not been reading previous issues these books were fairly easy to follow as they are more tightly woven into SECRET INVASION, so if you read the first issue of that title you’ll be just fine. Heck, neither of the Avenger teams really shows up except for few panels in either book this month.

MA shows us what Nick Fury has been doing since he last appeared. Here is a guy who just wanted to settle down after a life of action, but finds that events are happening which he cannot ignore. When he discovers that someone he trusts is not who they appeared to be he begins investigating. Using his own skills and some ‘borrowed’ S.H.I.E.L.D. tech, he uncovers the fact that there are Skrulls masquerading as humans and super-heroes. He turns to one of the few people he believes he can still count on, but the last page shows that he is still unsure about who may be a Skrull and who is still human. Fan sites are filled with folks guessing what the red & blue circled photos indicate.

In NA, we get a history of the Skrull Empire from the time that it was visited by a group of heroes more than a decade ago. Even then plans were being put in place that would lead to the invasion we see taking place in the current Marvel universe. We learn who some of the Skrulls leading this conspiracy are and why the Earth is such an important target. If you have been reading the SECRET INVASION series or other tie-ins you will be as shocked by the final page as I was.

Brian Michael Bendis wrote both of these books and as the driving force behind the SI event he was a perfect choice for these books, as they present just about all you need to know on background. Unlike at DC where you could ignore many of the COUNTDOWN spin-offs and still follow events, I think that I will be buying a number of these SI related issues, or at least skimming them at the shop to keep up with things.

I’m giving both these Three out of four stars.

Four Color Fiend: The DCU and off on a Tangent

I just want to talk about some of the comics I picked up this past weekend, but I don’t think I’m giving anything away. We’ll skip the Spoilers this time out, okay?

COUNTDOWN #1 wraps up a few plot points, but doesn’t put an end to everything. A group of heroes, including the ones we’ve been calling ‘Challengers’, plus Forager, confront the remaining Monitors. Basically, they warn them off from interfering with our universe (Earth-1). The Monitor designated Solomon is seen lurking in the background, so we can expect to be seeing him turn up at some future point. There are a couple of pages featuring Mary Damn Marvel (as she dubs herself in the last panel) and Black Adam. It would have been nice to simply see him twist her head off, but it appears that MDM will still be sulking about clad in her black mini for the time being. Sadly, I have to say I’m a bit disappointed in the series as a whole, although it did get me back into reading DC after a couple of years.

I don’t believe that I was the only fanboy to think that DC UNIVERSE #0 was going to be the bridge between COUNTDOWN & FINAL CRISIS. I was both right and wrong on this, which was a tad frustrating. What it actually turned out to be was a series of teasers for about a half dozen upcoming ‘events’ that will be taking place over the rest of the year.

Rather than one FINAL CRISIS, it looks like there will be three series which look to tie into each other. How much will remain to be seen, but I doubt I’ll be picking up all of them. WONDER WOMAN is going to be involved with yet another ‘War of the Gods’ type of thing, as Hercules decides that it takes males to properly undertake the mission for which WW was chosen/created. The final panel seems to indicate a 300-type group of Roman warriors about to conquer Themyscira. **Yawn** Meanwhile, GREEN LANTERN & Co. will be taking part in “Darkest Night” where the GL’s will confront the Black Lanterns. Rumor has it that a major ‘dead’ super-hero will return to lead this second group. I’ll have to look fast to see if the fanboys are right on this.

Finally, we have a few pages of Batman and The Joker talking, as the Clown Prince of Crime plays solitaire. Broad hints are dropped, but since I don’t read the current Batman titles I’m totally clueless. This it meant to tease BATMAN R.I.P., which some fans seem to have high hopes for but I’ll probably wait to read in trade. The most positive thing I can say about this book was that it only cost fifty cents.

I don’t appear to still have them in my collection, but I have fond memories of the DC published Tangent Comics in ‘98. The concept, similar to what Stan Lee did years later in his JUST IMAGINE titles, was to have various creative teams come up with different characters that had the names of some of DC’s well-known characters. Naturally, you had a SUPERMAN, BATMAN, FLASH, GREEN LANTERN among them, as well as various individuals and groups that shared only a name with the DC stars. The books were collected in three trade paperbacks a couple of years ago and you can still find them.

The twelve-issue series, TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN brings back those characters and merges their universe with the current DCU. We discover that the Tangent Universe characters inhabit Earth-9 in current continuity. The mystic lantern carried by that world’s Green Lantern was brought to Earth-1 (showing up in 52 and other places) and is now held by the Justice League in their headquarters. The Tangent Flash has come here to retrieve it and to hopefully find her way home. Aided by Wally West and John Stewart of the JL she does return and the Leaguers discover that the Superman of this Earth has made himself absolute authority on everything, and is utterly ruthless in maintaining the stability of the world he rules.

Dan Jurgens does as nice job with the Tangent characters, making them totally different from their namesakes. He also gives the new readers enough information about the Tangent world so that you are not lost. From the second issue on his co-writer is Ron Marz, who isn’t one of my faves so I hope that it is Dan who remains the driving force. The first issue features artwork by Matt Clark and several others, while Jamal Igle does pencils on the second, with inks by Robin Riggs. I much preferred the artwork on the later issue and I’m glad to see that Igle & Riggs will be returning down the line. I’m recommending this series from what I have seen so far.

More reviews tomorrow on some Marvel tie-ins to SECRET INVASION.

FYI

I have moved some links around and added one over on the Right.

The latest is the Crime Library, from the good folks over at TruTV. Has lots of articles, photos and links to True Crime pages. If you are into that sort of thing, as I am, you might want to check it out.

I've moved the Free Comic Book Day link down, since it is over and placed one for the San Diego ComiCon at the top. I've changed my plans for that one a bit, but more on that as it gets closer. I'm still attending for the weekend, but may be staying at a friend's apartment, along with an acquaintance from Brooklyn.

I'm going to try and have some comic reviews up later today, for those who care about such things. :-)

Free Comic Book Day, Comics and Norbert!

For the second year in a row I’m working on Free Comic Book Day. As I told Kenny, over at Nuclear Comics & Skateshop, I think somebody in Library administration isn’t a comic fan. By the way, if you are reading this and not going out to your local shop to show support, shame on you!!

I stopped by Nuclear yesterday to pick up my regular pulls, but will be going back tomorrow for a bit to take advantage of Kenny’s annual sale. He’s promised to try and set a few FCBD items aside for me, so I might still get some freebies. I also want to pick up some TPBs and back issues, which are going for 20-50% off. Be nice to fill in some gaps from the few years I was not collecting and to catch up on a title or two. I’m sure I can find something or other in the $1.00 boxes he is going to have out.

When I have a chance I’ll have quick comments on the last issue of COUNTDOWN and DC UNIVERSE #0, which will lead into the next event. With SHADOWPACT coming to an end with #25 and all my other DC buys being mini-series, it looks like I’ll only be picking up JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA and BRAVE AND THE BOLD (depending on the new creative team) as regular series. I’ll see how I feel about FINAL CRISIS and its tie-ins this summer.

Having heard a good review from MadClan at CriticizeThis.net of New Avengers #12, I decided to take a chance, and features Nick Fury, one of my favorite characters from way back. I hear that Mighty Avengers #40 is also worth a glance so maybe tomorrow I’ll pick up some more Marvel books. Hey, if COUNTDOWN could draw me back to the DCU, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Skrulls get me back into the Marvel universe, now that zombies aren’t around anymore!

My old pal, Vinnie Bartilucci has been carrying around Norbert for years to various comic conventions. He would approach artists and ask for a sketch to which the usual response was which of their current or past characters did Vinnie want them to draw. I was with him a few times and it was always funny to see their reaction when Vin would pull Norbert from out of his knapsack and plop it down in front of them. “I want you to draw him!” Priceless!!

You can learn about Norbert and see the wonderful drawings done by some of the best and well-known artists in the industry. When your sketchbook contains the likes of Eric Shanower, Moebius and the late Dave Cockrum each doing their interpretation of the little guy you have something special. You can see for yourself by clicking on the link in the headline, but I’ll be adding it to my regular links over on The Right. Also, if you really want to see something head over to YouTube and check out an animated version of Rick Geary’s Norbert. An international conspiracy, indeed!

Remote Viewing: What's on?

Donna and I have started watching the Animal Planet 'reality' show, GROOMER HAS IT! Jai Rodriguez, formerly of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' hosts the program which features a dozen professional dog groomers. Much like TOP CHEF the contestants compete in various ways to prove that they are the best groomer, with one of them kicked out of the 'dog house' each week. I can't compare it to some of those similar 'reality' shows over on Bravo, etc. but if I say a show may be 'too gay', am I being homophobic??

As I've said before, I love watching Fearnet On Demand on my day off or on those mornings when I go in late. Donna doesn' t like these type of films at all, but Kristina does. She keeps pushing me to watch the various SAW films, but I haven't had the chance. When SAW II entered the rotation for April I figured it was my chance, even though I haven't seen the initial installment yet.

Wow! Even having not seen SAW, I thought the second film was pretty good with a couple of squirm inducing traps. Unlike the first movie, where everything basically takes place in a single room, here the half dozen chosen are trapped in a house where Jigsaw has infected them with a virus which will kill them in two hours. He has also placed the antidote in several locations and the 'game' is for them to find it before their time runs out. Tobin Bell & Shawnee Smith from the first film both return. Possibly remembered by some as Linda from the TV series BECKER, Smith returns as 'Amanda', apparently caught again by Jigsaw in order to play a second time.

Smith also appeared in "Repo! The Genetic Opera", a short-film made in '06 to gather backing for a feature film which will be released later this year, but she doesn't seem to be in the cast for that one. However, Anthony Head (known for playing Rupert Giles in the BUFFY series) plays one of the leads, and has a quite nice voice as some may recall. I caught the trailer and it has all the earmarks of the next "Rocky Horror", whether that's good or bad!

F-CF: Ode to Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka

Considered in Japan the Godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka presents a 800+ page tale of tragedy, manipulation and self-worth. Tezuka is probably best known in the U.S. for his creation, Tetsuwan Atomu (Little Atom) who became ASTRO BOY in the American version. You won't find any flying robots or the like in this graphic novel epic.

Dr. Kirihito Osanai is sent to a remote village to look into a little known disease but always fatal disease. Called Monmow, the disease effects the skeletal system and other organs gradually transforming the victim into a dog-like creature. Osanai's mentor, Dr. Tatsugaura believes the disease is contagious and, envious of Osanai sends him to the village to be purposefully exposed. The story follows Kirihito, his friends, fiance and others who either sympathize with or take advantage of the doctor's transformation.

Response to the 'novel' has been mixed with both positive and mildly critical reviews. Personally, I would easily give the book a Four Star rating.

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I'll probably remind you at least one more time, but next weekend is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. Check the link over on the Right or do a quick Google search to find your local store and see if they are taking part.

Remote Viewing: All we have to fear is...Fearnet!

I would just like to make a quick recommendation to any of you can get Fearnet from your cable or satellite provider.

You might want to check out BURIED ALIVE (B.A.) and DEVIL’S TRADE (D.T.), two series which were originally presented as webisodes and are now available ‘on demand’. The first is still split into segments of about 15-20 minutes each, but the later has been edited into a 26 min. short.

B.A. is exactly what you might expect from the title. A group of twenty-somethings are captured by someone and locked into different cabinets, apparently buried underground. They are tormented by their captor and hints are dropped that they are being punished for some slight. We see each of them in scenes videotaped by someone earlier and eventually come to realize as they do who may be responsible. It’s the type of torture/porn familiar to fans of SAW/Hostel and similar films, though a bit less graphic than those films.

D.T. is more straightforward, a bit bloodier and I thought more successful, since it doesn’t take quite as long to get to the ‘twist’ ending. Somebody is selling a ‘cursed’ artifact called the Devil’s Tree online and evil things begin happening to those to purchase the item. A young woman attempts to change things when her brother becomes the new owner, but are her premonitions real or not? Caveat emptor, indeed!By the way, you can also see the BLOOD TRAILS prelude to 30 DAYS OF NIGHT at Fearnet, which I really recommend. You don’t have to view these to understand the film, but it does introduce some of the characters and concepts you’ll find in the theatrical release.

If you like this sort of thing, you can catch HALLOWEEN II & III and SAW II, as well as other goodies on Fearnet for the remainder of this month. One of my favorite channels and websites.

Four Color Fiend: A batch of DC comics

Let’s go through the batch of DC titles I picked up this week after the usual…

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COUNTDOWN #3 & 2 bring us to the penultimate issue of this series. We see Mary Marvel being “Daddy’s little girl” to Darkseid, gleefully beating and even trying to kill some of her former friends and teammates. The final outcome of this battle isn’t here, so I have to assume that it will be revealed in the final issue. I’m going to hazard a guess and say that MM will either lose her powers once again or be banished to some place from which she will inevitably escape. I don’t see anybody, except perhaps Billy Batson, having much sympathy left for her at this point and I think he’ll most probably show up in #1 to bring an end to her rampage.

In #3 we have Darkseid trying to remove the energy, stolen from the New Gods, which he had implanted in Jimmy Olsen. With the aid of Ray Palmer, Jimmy is able to break away from Darkseid’s control long enough to become “Giant Turtle Boy” Olsen and start beating on the Lord of Apokolypse. That’s where that issue ends and picks up in #2. From there we see the two battling in the best kaiju fashion as they destroy a good part of Metropolis. When it appears that Jimmy has been beaten the timely arrival of Orion, son of Darkseid, shifts things into high gear for the rest of the book. Sworn to kill his father, Orion finally makes good on what had been prophesized long ago. Since I willingly skipped the “Death of the New Gods” series, I’m probably in the dark about a few things, but the online reviews of that series seem to make it clear I did the right thing. DC, it appears, has done away with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World finally after decades of badly treating it anyway. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next week in #1 to know how all this is wrapped up. However, with his father and fellow gods all apparently gone it remains to be seen what a badly injured Orion can or will do now that his ‘mission’ in life has been completed.

BRAVE & THE BOLD #12 brings to an end the Megistus/Book of Destiny story arc. Dozens of heroes take part in the final battle with this arch villain, but his last words indicate that this was merely a prelude to FINAL CRISIS (at least that’s how I read it). The original Challengers of the Unknown aid the heroes and it is their newest member June who sacrifices herself to end things. However, allowed to read Destiny’s book a final time the Challengers realize that June has been erased from it, indicating that like them she has cheated death, so they go off to find her. Mark Waid & Jerry Ordway did a wonderful job on this series, assisted by several other folks and I’m looking forward to seeing what else is ahead for this title. It has a nice, old-time feel to the book and I hope that sales are good enough to keep it around.

We have one more issue of SALVATION RUN to go, as #6 ends with the appearance of the Parademons from Apokolypse. Since we already know, from COUNTDOWN and other books that the Fourth World is all but gone, it almost seems anti-climatic to have this series running at the same time. Of course, as I’ve said before, it isn’t clear when all this took place as we see some of the characters appearing in this series showing up in others. It’s the Martian Manhunter who is getting the worse of things here, and I’m going to hazard a guess that Heat Wave will get his just deserts in the next & last issue. This entire series hasn’t been great but there have been moments of dialogue and character narration that have kept me interested enough to keep picking up each issue. It would be interesting to see writer Matthew Sturges return to some of the rogues and other DCU villains. Of course, it would have been interesting to see if original scripter Bill Willingham would have gone in the same direction with the characters.

The inevitable confrontation between The Joker and Luthor takes place, with the insane clown having the best lines naturally. Despite his overuse the character continues to be one of the most intriguing villains in any of the DC titles. In my opinion, Luthor has never risen beyond simple megalomania and certainly not been interesting, except in a few stories from the early John Byrne issues of the Superman reboot. He’s Donald Trump, if Trump sometimes used a gun!

I’m not expecting much in the final issue of this book. It will end with all the remaining villains returning to Earth, even angrier and bent on revenge. In other words, except for killing off a half dozen (so far) second and third string villains the series hasn’t done anything for continuity. I feel taken, but I guess I have only myself to blame.

In JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #14, Geoff Johns and Alex Ross continue the “Thy Kingdom Come” arc, with most of the team battling Magog. The Superman from the Kingdom Come Earth comes face to face with Magog and doesn’t do much better here than he did on his home world. The final panel reveals the appearance of Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern) and his son Obsidian, who warn Magog that he must face them. A blurb on that last page states “Somebody will get beat real bad” in the next issue, so we have to wait a month to find out who that might be. As with COUNTDOWN, and the fate of MM, I’m going to make a prediction. Here it will come down to the KC Superman being the one to sacrifice himself. While he may die in doing so, I think it is likely that he and Magog will be sent back off world to settle things. I’m in agreement with MadClan, from CriticizeThis.com and other reviewers, in believing that DC made a mistake in this series. KC was such a wonderful book that I think messing with it doesn’t help, in fact bringing both the Gog/Magog characters and KC Superman to the DCU only confuses things. As this appears to be taking place simultaneously with the events in COUNTDOWN it only makes matters worse. It is like there are too many things to keep track of and most may or may not be resolved in the upcoming company-wide event. The ending of Brave & the Bold does a bit of the same thing, as it leaves a few things unanswered.

Fortunately, BAT LASH #5 doesn’t tie into the current DCU at all, for which we can be very thankful. Co-creator Sergio Aragones and Peter Brandvold have written a classic tale of injustice and revenge, the added treat of having the book drawn by the great John Severin only makes things better. Truth be told I don’t know why DC editorial went with Walt Simonson as the cover artist on this series. Don’t get me wrong! I like Simonson’s work, but I think a series like this really needed a classic artist in the league of Severin to do the covers. Hell, I think Severin would have done a perfect job, but there are a number of contemporary and Silver Age creators, known for work on westerns that could have made the covers as good as the interiors. I’m just saying!

This issue ends with Bat kissing his beloved, Dominique goodbye as he goes off to follow ex-sheriff Brubaker. We see here that Dominique’s father meets his end at his daughter’s hands, but I don’t think that things will end well for the couple. There has been way too much Romeo & Juliet stuff going on already for this to have a happy ending. Unless I am misremembering the initial Bat Lash series, Bat had no one back home waiting for his return. With the rest of his family already killed, it doesn’t seem likely that he would simply ride away from the woman for whom he has sacrificed so much.

I have a half dozen other books and a TPB to get to this weekend. I’ll let you know what I thought about each next week!

Charles Starrett: One Fan's Journey

As usual around here, I was surprised to find a reply to a review I posted a while ago. This happened to be about the Durango Kid. If you click on the link in the headline you'll see that he has posted reviews of eight DK movies, some of which I haven't seen since I was a kid.

DK was played by action star Charles Starrett in a series of literally dozens of films from 1940 until 1953.

Between his first film role in 1935 until his retirement, at the end of the DK series, Starrett appeared in well over 100+ movies. Depending on the various sites it ranged from 115 to over 160 films, mostly action/westerns during his career. I have to assume that some of the writers count his early non-starring roles, while others only those in which Starretts name appears in top of the credits. Either way it is an amazing run for any actor.

If you're at all interested you'll find more about Starrett and DK at IMDB.com, CowboyPals and AC Comics (where publisher Bill Black has issued reprints of some of the DK stories from Magazine Entertainment).

Why would I want one?

Dave Kellet and the SHELDON crew pretty much sum up my feelings about this new device from Amazon. I've flirted with the idea of ebooks and some of the readers, but I just can't bring myself to spend the money. Hell, I haven't even broke down and gotten a Ipod!

Anonymous posts!

Personally, I try to sign every post I make on other websites or blogs. If I don't actually use my name, the screen name I use will usually link to my e-mail and isn't meant to disguise who I am. SChaput, Sachaput or Stevec50 are pretty easy to figure out!

If you want to reply anonymously please send me an e-mail, with your real name, and let me know before hand or immediately after you post at either of my blogs. If you have a good reason not to reveal who you are I am willing to hear you out. I make it a rule to delete posts that are spam or not signed.

I want to apologize to folks who may have come upon Spam or other links embedded in replies to my blogs. I try to get rid of them as soon as I become aware that they are here.

For what it's worth, while I am not a long-time friend of Mark Evanier, I am a fan and we have met on occasion. I'd rather my blog not be used to defame or take slaps at him behind his back.

Four Color Fiend: Death Valley, a review

Death Valley, Vol. 1 – Story by Andrew Cosby, Written by Johanna Stokes, Art by Rhoald Marcellus; Boom Studios

We just got some new graphic novels and TPBs for our collection at the library and I wanted to do a quick review of some over the next week or so. We’ll start with one that I had not heard of before but the premise got to me.

You can’t go wrong with zombies! Well, maybe if they get too close or they take a bite out of you, but other than that….

Anyway, I’ve been a zombie fan since before it was popular. Heck, even before George Romero made them ‘cool’ you could see them showing up in movies like WHITE ZOMBIE and the like. I think we went through all this before when talking about MARVEL ZOMBIES 2, so let’s get to the review.

DEATH VALLEY (DV, from now on) contains the two issues of that title, plus some short stories. DV is typical of the zombie genre as we usually see it in movies and comics. Teenagers somehow end up the only survivors after some mysterious event causes folks to either turn into zombies, or those who have died return as zombies. Either way you can be sure that there will be pop references, and the teens will represent different types who generally would not be caught dead (pardon the expression) hanging out with each other.

DV actually takes place in that area of California, where a group of teenagers is accidentally caught in the old bomb shelter of their high school. While they are there, some type of solar flare or energy burst occurs transforming all those who have been exposed to transform into flesh eating zombies. Here it even seems to have affected mammals, so we get to see zombie, dogs and bunnies along with the usual former classmates or friends who decide you would be tasty.

The art by Rhoald Marcellus has an American manga style, with a touch of cartoonish, but it offsets the sometimes-brutal story. There is some gore, but not as much as you might expect in this kind of comic. I’m not familiar with Johanna Stokes, but thought she did a nice job capturing the personalities of the different teens. This book will go well in the Young Adult section where it will be shelved.

This volume also contains three short tales written by Stokes, but with art by Keith Giffen, J.K. Woodward and Cynthia Martin. They also contain stories about survivors of the ‘event’ but are very different in tone. Highly recommended!

Four Color Fiends: A couple of dozen heroes

The Twelve #4 – Things seem to be getting darker for the returned heroes as they try to find a place for themselves in the current era. We know that the Black Widow has been responsible for the gruesome murder of a financier and the Laughing Mask may be hiding something. LM is requested to turn over his guns, which he used to stop a robbery, but there are hints that they may be clues to something else. We learn the ‘origin’ of Rockman, but are left wondering if it is true or not. I’m sure we’ll learn one way or the other by the time the series wraps up. Dynamic Man seems to believe that he is the only one of the group being realistic about what has happened, but you have to wonder if a comment by journalist Richard Jones (The Masked Reporter) may have hit a nerve. We know from a flash-forward that at least one of the Twelve will meet a tragic end, but there are still lots of mysteries left. Folks on line are wondering if any of the well-known Marvel characters will make an appearance, but while I would not be shocked, I rather doubt we’ll see Spidey or some body like that showing up.

Project Superpowers #0 & 2 – Nuclear Comics had a copy of the first issue (#0) available, so I picked it up, hoping it might make some things clear. As much as I’m enjoying the series so far, I do hate it when you have a ‘first’ issue that isn’t actually the beginning of the story. If you do, you should at least be fair and do some type of recap in the first regular issue for new readers.

We learn in #0 that the Fighting Yank is responsible for the disappearance of almost every other costumed hero after the end of WWII. The American government (or what we assume at this point is a representative of the government) tells FY that they have discovered the receptacle (here an ancient urn, in this case, rather than the legendary box) that Pandora opened to release all the evils. FY is told that only by imprisoning his fellow crime-fighters in the urn can he hope to capture and contain the evils once again. While he believed that he was doing this to save the world from evil, it becomes apparent that things didn’t work out the way he hoped. The Yank now has to face (pardon the expression) not only some angry former friends, but also a very, nasty Dynamic Man & family who have created a world they do not care to lose.

It is kind of cool seeing so many of these forgotten heroes and I’m curious to see what is in store.

While some of the heroes retain their better-known names, a few had to appear under different ones. The original Dare-devil is now simply The Devil, while an obvious Dan Garret looking Blue Beetle is called The Scarab. I’m rather curious why Ross & Co. made his WWII costume such a recognizable one knowing they couldn’t use him under that name. I can’t wait to see The Owl and a few others in action. The character Samson, according to Wikipedia, is not the Biblical strongman, but rather a descendant. I’m sure there is a lot of back-story to explain his current whereabouts and condition.

I don’t know how either of these series is going to end, but I recommend them both.

Four Color Fiend: How SECRET is this INVASION, anyway?

Even though I wasn’t crazy about the book SECRET INVASION SAGA, I was curious enough about the Marvel event to pick up the first issue. I finished it and am completely confused, but it’s not the first time. I felt pretty much the same way when I began reading the DCU books with COUNTDOWN. Who are these guys and what are they doing? I guess I should give thanks that at least in SI, the Marvel editors have the name of the character appear over/near/under them the first time they make an appearance. Clumsy, but at least it helps a bit.

Actually, given that it has been years since I last was reading any Marvel titles I was surprised by how many characters I recognized. At least the costumes are familiar, even if the person under the mask and their personalities may be far different from the ones I knew back in the mid-90s.

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COUNTDOWN could be confusing since identical heroes or villains from one Earth would suddenly pop up on another. Sometimes this was by accident and at other times, there was a hidden agenda to their appearance. In SI, it is certain that the Skrulls have been purposely hiding for quite a while. The big question is not so much why, but who has already been replaced.

Tony Isabella always reminds us that the old writers used to write as if the reader had never picked up a book before. The story may contain characters with which we were not familiar, but the writer would give us enough information so we didn’t feel completely lost. That is not how comics are written nowadays, unless of course it is the first issue and meant to introduce the cast. It’s the same with SI as it was with COUNTDOWN. If you aren’t already familiar with the comic universe you won’t have much explained and you really aren’t welcome.

SI begins on the day the Skrulls decide to publicly stage their invasion. While a Skull ship spotted landing in the Savage Land (where?), explosions take place at The Raft and The Cube, which are maximum-security installations. (for whom?) Apparently there are at least two groups who call themselves the Avengers, one of them hiding for some reason. Since the Avengers led by Tony Stark are not hiding out they must be the good guys, right? Of course, I always thought Spider-Man was a good guy, but I haven’t been reading Marvel for a while so maybe the movies mislead me.

The book has some characters revealed to be Skrulls and quoting the phrase “He loves you,” as they blow things up, start computer viruses and shoot people. I would guess they are evangelical Christians, but I could be wrong.

Brian Michael Bendis is a popular writer and I’ve liked some of his non-superhero & super-hero stuff. He does a decent job of moving the action and plot along, but as I’ve said if you aren’t already familiar with Marvel continuity since CIVIL WAR, at least, you won’t have a clue. Wikipedia was some help, even if you can’t trust everything over there. It’s good enough for comics stuff! Artist Leinil Yu and inker Mark Morales are okay, even if the character faces are sometimes inconsistent from page to page. The coloring makes it hard to figure out some scenes,

Issue #1 has two ‘shock’ endings. One is the appearance, from the crashed Skrull ship, of a dozen Marvel heroes, who appear as they did years before (think original Secret Wars maybe) and at least one of who is currently dead. The other is when Reed Richards is shot or semi-melted somewhat really, by another character I think I’m supposed to know. Naturally, this person is revealed to be a Skrull in the final panel.

I’m curious enough to perhaps pick up the second issue, but I’m not going to add the title to my pull list. I expect they’ll be enough copies left when I head to the shop next time. If not, I cannot say I’d be disappointed.

Four Color Fiend: I didn't COUNT(DOWN) on this!

One of the reviewers on line gave away the ending to COUNTDOWN #5, which ticked me a bit. Still the two issues had other things going for them, so with the usual…

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By the end of COUNTDOWN #5, all the super-heroes on Earth have been killed and the Morticoccus virus has transformed almost all-surviving human and mammal life. Humans have become murderous and animalistic, even to the point of taking on non-human characteristics. Mammals, at least ones we see, have become more intelligent, able to walk erect and use weapons. When they are not attacking each other, they seem set on killing all those who have not been affected by the plague. Governments of many countries, at least those still run by individuals unchanged by the plague, use the virus and resulting chaos as an excuse (as if they needed one) to go to war with those they blame. It’s unclear who first goes with the nuclear option, but once one does the others follow suit. Those people, who haven’t already been killed or changed by the plague, are now caught in the destruction caused by these weapons. So ends another Earth among the 52.

The final days of this world are told via the journal of Buddy Blank, who with former Legion of Super-heroes member Una, escapes Project Cadmus to seek his surviving family. It is through his eyes we witness the changes and deaths of so many, including that of Una. If her death by transformed rats is not THE most disturbing thing I’ve seen recently in comics I don’t know what else comes close. What we don’t see in graphic detail, which includes her being dragged down by dozens of these creatures as they tear her flesh, we are told by Buddy. I’m not even going to repeat it as it is just too creepy and caused me to put down the book for a time. Heroic it may have been, but I don’t know that I needed to be given the details.

As things begin going down hill fast, Buddy & Una find his daughter and grandson, but it is already to late for the mother as she has turned bestial. In her final moments, fighting both the rat creatures and the transformed woman, Una throws Buddy her Legion flight ring (conveniently forgotten for the most part). He uses this to escape with his grandson to one of the remaining abandoned Project Cadmus sites, Command D. Ahem…we see this coming at this point, of course. Buddy witnesses the final nuclear destruction, and the brief appearance of the ‘Challengers’, Jimmy Olsen and others before they Boom off world. With communication shut down it remains for Buddy to live out his remaining years with his grandson, “the last boy on Earth.” Yeah! That’s what the reviewer gave away, but it was obvious from several pages prior what was going to happen.

The next issue (#4) is a bit lighter, (if only because we don’t see a woman being eaten alive by rats) with the ‘Challengers’, Ray Palmer, Holly & Harley, Jimmy and the rest appearing on yet another Earth. Again, this may or may not be the world from which most of these folks came from but it hasn’t gone to Hell yet so they decide to take their chances. We have Jason Todd once again revealing how much of a jerk he can be and showing that DC can have a character yelling, “Screw you!” at another character, if only to demonstrate how adult we all are. Sometimes I almost miss the Code, I don’t know about you?

Mary Batson/Marvel has several panels of being a decent person again, before giving into the temptation that Darkseid presents to her. Thus demonstrating that she deserves whatever final fate is in store for her, and that any last moment ‘heroic’ sacrifice she might display in the last three issues will only be bad writing which makes the bad writing in this issue not look so bad in comparison. If you know what I mean?

The rest of the issue has Ray Palmer disappearing again; Jason going off with Holly & Harley to Gotham, after admitting to petty theft and a pointless fight between the remaining good guys and a transformed again ‘dark’ Mary Marvel. Naturally, everybody has to stand about bickering to give DMM time to swoop in and carry off Jimmy Olsen. The issue ends with Forager (an insectoid-female who has the hots for Jimmy in a creepy way we shouldn’t think about) vowing to track down Darkseid and DMM to rescue the Olsenbug. Do we really need another three issues? Apparently so.

I’m sure I’ve missed something, but with Monarch MIA along with Superman-Prime, Darkseid and the Monitor, now known as Solomon, seem to be directing the action. It remains to be seen what will happen, but I expect things to go back and forth at least a couple more times.

The Lord Havok and Countdown to Adventure spin-offs have both wrapped up.

In his title it is revealed LordHavok 'stole' some of Monarch's power and is now looking to move on to other worlds, now that he knows other Earths exist. Can't tell if he'll be back in the next event or be held until another writer needs a convenient villain. By the way, his backstory does make him, if not sympathetic, less one-dimensional than he as seemed prior to this series.

In CtA, Adam Strange is back on Rann and the 'official' protector once more. Buddy Baker (Animal Man) is reunited with his family and Starfire has gone off to be with the Titans once more. The title ends with Lady Styx vowing to spread her 'faith' to more worlds, so I don't think this has been put to rest at all, unfortunately.

Finally, I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that Forerunner, the multiple murderer and rapist, gets her own world where all living creatues share her DNA. She, unlike all those she killed, gets to live happily ever after. Thanks, DC!

New links to stuff!

Over on The Right I've added links to both VARIANT EDITION and CRITICIZE THIS.

I discovered both over on YouTube among the videos related to comics. In Criticize This you can find Michael Goldberg reviewing comics and other folks reviewing everything from games to movies. I've been enjoying Mike for a couple of weeks now and wanted to introduce him to you folks.

Variant Edition is done by five or six guys (depending on that particular week) who work in a comic shop and talk about what is coming out that week as well as what they think about it. Just a bunch of fan boys who really remind me of hundreds of like minded guys I have hung with at cons and shops. It is just fun and they never take themselves seriously, which makes them much better then most of the folks you'll find over on YouTube to begin with. They did a really good review of the NEW FRONTIER DVD which you should check out (both the DVD and the review).

Enjoy!