Remote Viewing and other things

I finally had a chance to watch M Night Shyamalan's UNBREAKABLE with Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson. It seemed that every time I mentioned that I was into comics somebody would ask I had seen the film. Now it's easy to understand why, since it is part fanboy wish fulfillment and part letting an obsession control your life. Willis (as David Dunn)is very good, but Jackson (as Elijah Price) steals the film as victim of a disease which makes him highly subject to injury. The film does have a solid ending, but it does leave room for a sequel. Personally, I think it better to leave the fates of the characters up to the viewer's imagination. Recommended.

Anybody else watching TOP CHEF: LAS VEGAS not surprised at who was let go in the second episode? I thought she should have packed up her knives after the initial competition. Can't say I have chosen a fave, just yet, but I wonder how long both brothers will remain in the show. I do like both Hector & Kevin, so wouldn't mind either of them moving on.

Given how some competetors were upset by the 'bachelor/bachelorette' theme, I wonder if any feel quarms about shopping at Whole Food, given the boycott talk by some folks? I'm sure, since WF is a sponsor that nothing will be broadcast, but I'm sure something must have been said or considered behind the scenes. Personally, I don't know how well boycotts work in most cases. I've taken part in my share, but I think you have to pick your enemies. I don't shop at Whole Food anyway, so it would be a sham to announce I'm joing in.

Planet Terror International Trailer

I recorded this the otner night on Encore and finally had a chance to watch last night. OMG! Totally over the top, wish some great cameos by name stars. Make up and SFX are incredible.

Ya' gotta love a chick with a machine gun for a leg!

Popcorn For One & other business

First off, I've been told by the Joe Bob Briggs folks that they will soon start posting new reviews on their site. It's been almost two years since they last updated the page, so my last review was from around Thanksgiving of '07. They have about a half dozen already on hand and I have a couple more books that I never got around to. Keep an eye on the Joe Bob Briggs site and we'll see what happens.

On Friday, your friendly reviewer finished off most of his medium-sized combo while sitting through too many lame trailers. Now generally I love these, but they didn't strike me as something that would appeal to folks waiting for a Quentin Tarantino flick. To me the only one that had any interest was the one for THE WOLFMAN with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro in the lead roles. Has that great Hammer film feel to it, so it may be worth checking out.

I had been waiting for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS since I caught the initial trailer before either STAR TREK or WOLVERINE. I hadn't heard anything prior to that so it was a nice surprise. I've been reading about it since and it has been impossible to miss the interviews that Brad Pitt and Tarantino, himself, have been doing the past few weeks. The additional trailers and 'word of mouth' have added to my interest and I was not disappointed.

This is pure Tarantino! How you feel about him as a screenwriter and director will already color your judgement of this movie. The man is always over the top and this film will not disappoint his fan base. It will certainly piss some folks off, but then Quentin wouldn't be doing his job if it didn't. Those who want reality or a historically accurate portrayal of WWII, are not going to be happy with this movie. Tarantino, especially in later portions of the film, plays extremely fast and loose with facts. For those who allow themselves to be swept along, they will be more than happy with the results.

Pitt plays Lt. Aldo Raine, an Army officer who recruits a group of Jewish-American soldiers (and a former member of the German army) to parachute behind German lines in occupied-France. There they set about murdering "Natsies" and spreading unease among the soldiers. Meanwhile, Allied command has discovered that much of the German high-command, including Hitler will be attending a movie premiere in Paris. The movie theatre where this will occur, just happens to be run by a Jewish woman (now passing as a non-Jew) who earlier escaped the murder of her entire family. She has her own plans for the event. Naturally, the movie culminates in all of the characters coming together in the theatre and the usual Tarantino ultra-violence breaks out.

Pitt is a lot of fun, but the best performances are from Melanie Laurant (as the Jewish theatre owner) and Christoph Waltz (as Nazi Colonel Hans Landa). Landa is known as the "Jew Hunter", having been sent to France to discover those members of the Jewish faith who have gone into hiding. This is a man who thoroughly enjoys his job. Waltz can be charming, funny and then very, scary the next moment. If he doesn't get the Best Supporting Actor nod this year there is something seriously wrong with the members of the Academy. I won't even attempt to mention the number of cameos in this movie, but it is fun seeing one in particular in a scene featuring the then Prime Minister of Great Britain. I highly recommend this movie, but do warn you that the director's well-known love of violence is on display throughout the film. Be warned!

While I'm talking about the subject of violence, I also should mention that among my comic picks this week were WALKING DEAD #64 and VIKING #3, both published by Image. Robert Kirkman's WD continues to be one of the best books currently being written. This issue is especially disturbing, though if you are already reading the book there won't be anything to really shock you. Even when the undead don't make an appearance, it is easy to see how the changes they have created on society effect even those not in immediate danger. VIKING is a bold move by Image. Here is a book in a larger than normal format, yet in full color and priced at less than many titles from the Big Two. No superheroes, but just a tale of individuals living in a savage time where groups made their own laws and death was all to close every day. The art by Nic Klein continues to improve, though his coloring can be a bit dark in places. Writer Ivan Brandon, still doesn't make his transitions immediately easy to follow, so this is a book you may have to read twice to get the impact. Not a whole bunch of likable characters, but it is possible to understand why even the 'good guys' do what they do, sometimes with glee.

World of Warcraft: Horde Zeppelin

Just to piss off some of you! LOL!

Four-color Fiend: PUNK ROCK & TRAILER PARKS by Derf

Punk Rock & Trailer Parks

Okay, I’ll admit that this isn’t exactly one of those books that I’d normally pick up. I have been out of high school over forty years and my interest in ‘punk’ probably lasted only a couple of years during the late ‘70s. Even then I probably only had a few compilation albums or cassettes I bought, while attending college back in Connecticut. Those are long gone and I don’t even remember listening to them once I graduated. I also don’t recall ever seeing any work by the artist “Derf”, although it is possible I may have seen samples or a cover someplace. However, I have read reviews of the book by several folks, whose opinions I trust, so when I saw the TPB at San Diego, for about 50% off I figured I would give it a try. I’ glad I did.

The self-named “The Baron” is a tall, geeky high school senior growing up in Akron, OH in the late 70s. Like many of his contemporaries he is going through hard times, being picked on both for his appearance, non-violent personality and just being a band “nerd”. He lives in a local trailer park, being raised by his uncle, a retired union organizer, who lost his driver’s license so much now go to the bar on his riding mower. The Baron, loves the then emerging ‘punk rock’ scene and believes he is destined to be a part of it. Getting a job in the local club, as bouncer and general clean up guy he finds himself in close contact with a number of the bands and individuals who are helping to make punk the driving force it would be for several years. Bands such as The Clash, The Ramones, The Plasmatics (specifically singer Wendy O. Williams) and others appear briefly and interact with The Baron, often giving him advice or just making his life more interesting. There is a great sequence with the late, rock critic Lester Bangs that shows a lot of respect for him and demonstrates just what a good writer Derf can be. The book ends with a page memorializing some of the real life personalities who appear in the story, who are no longer with us. It’s sad to realize how many of these very creative folks died at such a young age.

Certainly NOT a book for kids or those offended by language, sexual situations or violence, I still have to recommend the book for those with a sense of humor. You would not have had to have much or any experience with ‘sex & drugs & rock ‘n roll’ but it couldn’t hurt! One of the best TPB’s I’ve read this year!

Inglourious Basterds - Movie Review

These guys are the best at what they do! Always fun always spot on...unless I don't agree.

Check them out on YouTube and subscribe. I'm adding a link over on the side.

Four-color Fiend: Reviews with SPOILERS (I give all kinds of stuff away!)

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS has finally ended, months after the main FC series did and after the 'surprise' returns of Bart Allen (Kid Flash/Impulse) and Conner Kent (Superboy) have already been given away in other titles. Up until this issue, which shipped way late, I was willing to allow Geoff Johns some leeway, even though I had had a bad feeling about how it would end from the second issue. What a surprise to discover that not only had I been right, but that Johns had even made it worse by breaking the fourth wall. Bad enough that this alternate Earth Superboy finally gets his wish and returns to his home, but he is confronted by his parents with the fact that they have been reading about him in FINAL CRISIS. The last couple of pages are an additional slap in the face, with S-prime bullying his parents, implying that Lori, the girl he supposedly loved was physically harmed (perhaps killed) and speaking to the 'reader'. Is the character really that "popular" with fans or writers at DC that he couldn't be killed or de-powered? Artwise, I have no complaints, since George Perez did his usual amazing job of making literally hundreds of characters all individuals. Sad, that his craftsmanship was wasted on this forgettable non-event.

MS MARVEL #42 has Carol Danvers killed again by the current Ms Marvel (the villainous Moonstone in disquise). Don't worry, she apparently gets better again on the last page.

Since I have been you picking up DARK AVENGERS, NEW AVENGERS, MIGHTY AVENGERS, SECRET WARRIORS and several other DR related books, I'm going to go out on a limp here and guess that none of the "Dark Avengers" are going to actually die by the end of this whole thing, since that would mean they couldn't come back in the next event. My hope is that Norman Osborne reverts to the Green Goblin again in the next couple of months and things wrap up. It seems that the whole DARK REIGN story line has been going on for much too long. Not that all of the titles I mentioned (and some other tie-ins) have been bad, it just seems that all this right on top of SECRET INVASION has really not allowed for some of the 'heroes' do move on. It almost appears that since CIVIL WAR many are just running in place from one (pardon the expression) crisis to the next. Of course, the same can be said for the DCU for the past several years, so fair is fair I guess. I wonder it all this is leading up to one of my occasional "THE HELL WITH ALL THIS CRAP" decisions and I just stop collecting. Stay tuned!

Of course, if we look at some of the books not produced by the Big Two, there are still some bright lights and I'd hate to stop getting those. If I have time this coming week I'll try to mention some of those. I may also try to briefly mention some of the freebies and other stuff I picked up last weekend at Comic-con.

A bit more of San Diego, pt. 2

I don't have as much patience to stand in line as I used to, so I tended to skip a lot of events that involved hanging around in the halls for an hour or so. The one event I was willing to stand for was the RiffTrax 'live' show, but due to a late dinner and being caught at the train-crossing the line was closed when I finally arrived. This makes two years in a row I have missed out on seeing the guys who once did Mystery Science Theatre 3000. I guess there is always next year, if I plan ahead.

It was good seeing some former Capa-Alpha folks and meeting others I had not met before. Always odd sitting around with Mark Verheiden when he is talking about the shows he is writing, since I don't watch a single one. Still fun hearing him trying not to give anything away to those who do ask. He is always working on some other projects that he can't reveal, so those always come as a surprise.

Hard to believe that Bob Ingersoll has retired from his civil service job. He remains one of the better story-tellers and can be a pretty brutal critic. Jeff Gelb remains an optimist, so he is another fun breakfast partner. I do feel badly about not making an attempt to meet up with Paul Storrie, since he is another great guy. Yet, another reason to start planning already for next year.

Did I mention last time how the guys doing security at some booths can be major A**holes? Or that somebody should tell the con staffers that they might learn where lines start or end? I know I'm not the only person who missed out on a signing, panel or give-away due to being directed incorrectly.

There actually didn't seem to be quite as many booth-babes as there have been in the past. Even those who were there actually seemed to be wearing a bit more clothes. In fact, it appeared that the fangirls and cosplayers were wearing less! A quick check of YouTube will certainly give you an idea of those in and 'out' of costume. Btw, did anybody happen to see the amazing SILK SPECTRE on Saturday evening? Certainly turned a number of heads not only at the con, but at the Grand Hyatt!

Speaking of our hotel, I don't think I'd mind staying there again. Dan and I had a nice room with a great view and were within short walking distance of both the convention center and the seaport restaurants. I might not use the valet parking though, since it was over $30 a day, with no discount for guests. Also, Dan learned his lesson about ordering Room Service. It was over thirty dollars for a chicken sandwich!

Mark Evanier's annual Quick Draw Challenge with Sergion Aragones & Scott Shaw! was fun as usual. Loved seeing Stan "The Man" Lee on the SuperHero Squard panel. The toyline looks sharp and the cartoon itself (they showed several segments) is delightful. They will be using all of the Marvel heroes and the show has a light, fun style.

Better late then never I suppose, huh? Bye for now!

At Last! My San Diego Comic-Con Report! pt. 1

So a week after everybody else who was at SDCC has given you their opinions, photos and rants I finally have a few moments to get mine down. It would take quite a lot of bandwidth to tell you everything and I'm sure much of it would be meaningless unless you are really into comics are were actually there. There are a few things that stand out and I do have a few misc. photos to share. Speaking of that, I have to get a new memory card for my camera. I thought I could switch off with the one we use in out new digital camera, but discovered too late that it didn't work. There were other pics I took that I had to delete to keep the ones I have. I promise to do better next year!

As you can see Lex Luthor's cousin "Shortie" Luthor made it to the con and was gabbing it up with '50s Superman. I caught a video of this particular Man of Steel dancing on YouTube over at BarelyPolitical, I believe. Pretty funny!

I was pleasantly susprised to see a number of folks dressed up as members of the Justice Society of America (I didn't get a chance to get more photos of them), which must demonstrate that there are fans of the books around. Makes sense then that DC has announced a second JSA title coming out later this year.

Peter Jackson's DISTRICT 9, looks good and they had a big presense at the convention. Dan and I couldn't resist having out picture taken by the MNU van. Okay, I dragged him over to be honest. I'm the bigger fanboy, I guess.

As usual at SDCC there was way too much stuff going on to take in even a part of it over three days. I may consider doing Thursday, as well, next year, but will have to look at my Vacation schedule and how many days I'll have.

That will have to do for now. I hadn't noticed the time. A few more photos and more stuff later!

Going to San Diego and other things on my mind

If you have been paying the least bit of attention here or over at my other blog (or MySpace, Facebook or Twitter) you already know that I'm going to be meeting up with my friend Dan on Thursday. We have a hotel already booked, in fact Dan will be in SD on Wednesday and will be staying there already.

I have some plans to meet some folks there over the weekend, but plan on spending most of my time roaming aimlessly about the displays and taking lots of pictures. Of course, should I be struck by another Jedi this year I don't know if my camera will survive a second light saber hit. *sigh*

There are a number of panels and presentations I would like to attend, but I don't have the patience to stand in line for two-hours for a one hour program. A quick glance at the posted list of programs made me realize that I can't possibly attend everything I would like. A couple of Mark Evanier's panels sound good, especially an interview with Stan Freberg on Friday and the annual "Quick Draw" with Sergio Aragones & Scott Shaw! The former MST3K folks now working as RiffTrax are also doing a live event, which I missed last year but hope to catch this time around.

As usual, I'll be going to Dick's Last Resort at least once and the Marriot Gaslamp for the annual Capa-Alpha breakfast on Saturday. I hear they have re-opened the Spaghetti Factory also, so I might head over there. There are a lot of good places to eat in San Diego, but the problem is that most of them will be packed. We'll have to see how the coffee shop at the hotel is if nothing else is available.

If I can I might try to log-on over the weekend at least once and give a quick update to some of my pages. Keep an eye out!

I highly recommend the first issues of both BLACKEST NIGHT & BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORP for you DC fans. Some really creepy stuff, including the seeming death of a couple of characters and the resurrection of several more. The lead up to this series in the two GL books has been good and it looks like this is going to have a big payoff.

Still listening: Old Time Radio

One of the nice folks that we have met on our regular Bingo nights is Jeanne. Jeanne is a wonderful lady, who it's hard to believe is in her mid-80s. She's still working part-time and has more energy than people half her age. Anyway, Jeanne is quite naturally a fan of Old Time Radio and has been nice enough to let me borrow some of the CD collections she owns.

Among the collections have been compilations of detective shows, some sets of one series and others of miscellaneous programs. As a fan of these shows I'm still surprised to discover one with which I wasn't familiar or to find one by a particular actor. Two actors, primarily known for their film or television roles (at least by me) were Dick Powell and Jack Webb. In both cases, it was a pleasant surprise and in the case of Webb a revelation.

I knew Dick Powell played RICHARD DIAMOND, PRIVATE DETECTIVE on radio for several years. Jeanne had let me borrow several collections featuring this program and I had also heard several before on RADIO SPIRIT compilations. What I hadn't known was that four years previously (the same year Powell appeared as Philip Marlowe in the film "Murder,My Sweet) he had a short-lived radio program. Called ROGUE'S GALLERY, Powell played Richard Rogue, a private-detective. The show's gimmick was that at least once a week Rogue would be hit over the head (or otherwise rendered unconscious)and find himself in dreamland where he would have a conversation with his alter-ego, EUGOR (spell it backwards!). Just as with Powell's interpretation of Diamond, the show was often tongue-in-cheek with Rogue never taking himself too seriously. If you find these shows I recommend them, since you can hear how this portrayal comes close to the one Powell used in the later series.

Other than DRAGNET, and perhaps the film THE D.I., most folks probably are not familiar with Jack Webb's career. I'll be honest and admit that except for knowing he did a few other movies and later became a producer, my knowledge of Webb was pretty much limited to that of his Sgt. Friday. I'd also read his non-fiction book on the Los Angeles police department (and some of their most famous cases) THE BADGE, back in high school. It's kind of odd hearing Webb playing some one other than Friday, especially because his voice is so distinctive, as is his delivery. Apparently, his first show was actually of the comedy/variety type and called THE JACK WEBB SHOW. Sadly, I haven't heard any of those and may have to only imagine what they must have been like.

Before DRAGNET, Webb appeared/starred in about a half-dozen radio dramas for various periods. The only two that I have heard myself have been PAT NOVAK FOR HIRE (Webb as an unlicensed P.I., who also works down on the docks) and JEFF REGAN, INVESTIGATOR (where he works for the sometimes not very scrupulous, Lion Detective Agency). It's a lot of fun, if odd, hearing Webb portray characters who weren't criminals, but didn't have a lot of use for the police. In fact, in both of these dramas you often had the police working at odds with Webb's characer and even being corrupt. It was while working on the film, HE WALKED BY NIGHT in 1948 (based on a true murder case), that Webb got the idea for the series that would make him a star.

Hope you found this interesting. Next time out either comics or a movie review.

Quick Review of ROB HANES/ADVENTURE DIGEST

In preparation for San Diego, I'm going through some of my comics to decide what I might need/want to purchase. I have also checked out the current list of 'guests' and may bring along some books to have signed while I'm there.

I first met Randy Reynaldo at one of the SD Comicons in the early '90s, if I recall. He is there just about every year and so was I for some of that period. Considering the number of 'small press' comics and creators that have disappeared over the past decade, it's great to see somebody like Randy continuing to put out such a fun book.

Randy's Website will tell you more about his book and the lead character than I can, so I recommend you go there. However, I highly recommend ROB HANES for fans looking for something a bit "old fashioned" yet contemporary at the same time.

Reynaldo's influences such as Milt Caniff, Roy Crane, Alex Toth and other "Golden Age" of action comic strip artists are obvious. Rob is modeled after the adventurers like Terry, Buz Sawyer and Steve Canyon, but the stories themselves involve terrorists, video piracy, steroids in professional sports and other things the Old School guys never knew of. Of course, as in those strips and Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT you'll see lots of beautiful women and evil henchmen in just about every issue.

Check out Randy's page, read some of the free webcomics and buy some of the Rob Hanes books. I think you'll be happy you did!

Remote Viewing: Surfing the channels last night

I've yet to start reading anything online, but Donna and I thought that Niel Patrick Harris did a nice job hosting the Tonys last night. He was fun and you could tell he was having a good time. I think it's smart to fill the show with musical numbers, since most of America will not have a chance to see the actual shows. Smart, also, to promote the traveling editions of the shows, as for many those are the only way they'll get a chance to attend.

Quick notes: Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Angela Lansberry are all beginning to look their age, with Parton beginning to take on that creepy, Joan Rivers overly tightened look. Liza continues to act and look like a drag-queen doing a moderately okay impersonation of her. (Yeah, Donna didn't think it was funny when I said that either!)

The new season of WHO WANTS TO BE THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR? began last night. No standouts, but you can understand why somebody doing a salad would get booted. I also can't see the nutritionist going too far either and you should never bad-mouth the network kitchen to somebody who works there!

TOP CHEF MASTERS looks to a way to spin-off from the original. Bringing in some of the major chefs who have been judges on the TC show and Food Network to compete against each other for charitable donations. I love this stuff!

Stay tuned!

I've got no clue, but what the heck?

As I mentioned yesterday, over on PARTING SHOTS, the block seems to have been lifted on Blogger. They have been working on the various filters and there are librarians who post professional information and links on their blogs, but we have not been able to access them. We'll see what happens in the coming days.

When time permits I'm going to be adding and deleting some of the links on both my blogs. There are some news sites that have caught my eye and others that I seldom, if ever, visit any longer. I doubt I'll be playing around with the layouts, since I'm pretty happy with them.

If you haven't been here in a while, or are just finding this blog, I recommend you scroll down and view my reviews of STAR TREK, WOLVERINE & WATCHMEN. It will give you a pretty good idea of where I'm at currently. I stopped promoting these blogs a few months ago, when the filtering began, but have started listing it on some new sites. If you haven't been here before, Welcome!

I hope to be posting some comics reviews later this week, since I'm currently going through three weeks worth of stuff I picked up at Nuclear Comics.

I'm really getting into the buildup to BLACKEST NIGHT at DC, but the teaser shots of returning "dead" DCU heroes has me nervous at the same time. Still I recommend both GREEN LANTERN & GREEN LANTERN CORPS, even though I think Sinestro is outlasting his usefulness. I'm hoping he departs as some of my favorite heroes make their return.

On the other hand, I think I about reaching the saturation point for "Dark Reign" over at Marvel. It might be time for both the Big Two to start getting back to non-epic stories and maybe letting the good guys win every so often.

Really quick: If you like zombies and other films of an apocalyptic nature, you should try QUIET EARTH. Good site for folks who like that sort of thing, and I'm certainly in that category. I have to admit that I got an initial kick out of the site's name, since my first apa was called CURSED EARTH, which referenced the post-apocalyptic America in the Judge Dredd series.

Well, I have to go now. There's something scratching at the door, so I better go and ....

Stop Talkin' About Comic Books Or I'll Kill You - Ookla The Mok

How can you not love this song!

"I don't care if Spider-Man's a clone!!" LOL

Popcorn for One: A Review of STAR TREK (a few spoilers)

So okay, I'm a sucker for STAR TREK (ST), especially the original (OST) series with Shatner, Nimoy and company. I've lost count of the number of times I have seen all the episodes. I also enjoyed NEXT GENERATION & ST: DS-9, and the first two seasons of VOYAGER, although I'll admit that after the pilot & first few episodes of ENTERPRISE, both Donna and I gave up. I've also seen all the previous Big Screen ST films, at least once and several a few times when they started making the rotation on television. It was obvious from my initial viewing of the "Under Construction" trailer prior to last year's San Diego Comicon that I was going to be psyched for this movie.

As a fan of LOST and CLOVERFIELD, I was willing to give J.J. Abrams the benefit of the doubt on his take on the franchise. He admitted he wasn't a fan, and frankly, that might be a good thing, especially as the film takes things in a different direction. These are not the characters I have followed since high school and I'm fine with that. Maybe part of the problem with some of the earlier ST films was that we were already overly familiar with Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the bridge crew. We could almost guess what their reactions would be in any given situation. For a 'new generation' (pardon the expression) of fans to accept the series it had to move into new ground.

In the first few minutes of the movie a gigantic spacecraft emerges from a wormhole and engages a Federation ship. From that point, all bets are off. The appearance of the Romulan ship, commanded by Nero (Eric Bana) changes events and creates an alternative timeline. The characters we knew from OST are not the characters we are introduced to throughout the film. The names are the same, but almost everything else we knew has been changed.

The James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) we see here are for the most part closer to the 'classic' ones we knew. Spock (Zachary Quinto), or NuSpock as he as been branded in fan circles, is by far the most radically different from how we knew the Vulcan portrayed Leonard Nimoy. As both characters appear in the film, the versions are easy to compare. Sulu, Checkov, Uhura and Scotty are all here, with Uhura (Zoe Saldana) given quite a bit different persona than we saw from Nichelle Nichols. It will be interesting to see in the sequels (which I'm sure we can expect given this movie's critical success and box-office) where the different characters go from this point.

I liked the new actors, and thought they did good jobs in the roles. I don't think I'm the only one who will be willing to see some more of the new Enterprise crew.

DCU: Green Lantern CORPS - Floyd Was Here

Just because it is so cool!

I"ve added both GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS to my pull list at Nuclear. Love the way both titles are going with the leadup to BLACKEST NIGHT.

Whoa! Got over a dozen freebies for FCBD. Hope you scored some goodies this past weekend! I"ll try to have some reviews and comments later this week.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (with spoilers)

Hugh Jackman owns the role of Wolverine. I can't imagine another actor doing the role at this point and hope I won't have to for a while. Equally good in the film is Liev Schreiber, who stars as Logan's brother the villain Sabretooth.

If you aren't a comic book fan, you might be surprised by some of the things revealed in the opening sequence of the film. That I won't giveaway! You might also want to stick around after the credits start to role, as there are a couple of extra goodies. Just don't expect to see Nick Fury or Tony Stark show up. They aren't that sort of spoiler, just a couple of moments to show "what happened to..."

As you may know, if you have read anything about the movie, this takes place a few years before the incidents in the first X-MEN film. We see a couple of characters that appear there and understand why they react as if they don't know each other after an initial meeting. The movie is filled with mutants, some of whom I'm familiar with and others I'm not, so I can't say how faithful they are to their four-color characterization. I do know that one character is pissing off the fanboys and I can understand why. Even though I've never liked this character I think he is ill-used and this ruins him for future appearances. (Think Darth Maul!)

One last thing about particular mutants in the movie. I think it was a mistake to use The Blob in the film, since the scenes with him (after earlier ones where he is unidentified) stop the film for comic effect and it doesn't work. It's basically Wolverine fighting Fat Bastard! The same information could have been introduced without resorting to jokes about an obese man.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and think that it works. Not amazing, but a decent summer movie for action fans. If you enjoy super-heroes and can overlook some of the minor things I've mentioned I recommend you check it out. Give you something to do until STAR TREK opens next week!

Hugh Jackman on FCBD plus Wolverine Trailer

Damn! For the 3rd year in a row I'm working on FCBD!

Support your local shop and buy some comics.

Watching & reading, as usual!

Is everyone as confused by LOST as I am? (SPOILERS)

I mean I still enjoy the show and many of the characters, but the current time-hopping storyline makes things even more confusing then they were when you just had to worry about something being a dream or vision. Characters are not only appearing in flashbacks, but some have actually moved back in time to the 1970s. In the latest episode one character saw himself as a three month old infant!! Oh, and John is alive again. (End spoilers)

I'm currently reading three books, and should probably concentrate on one. I'm about half way through I'M NOT A COP! by Richard Belzer, one of those books where the celebrity writing as her/himself becomes involved in a mystery or murder. Steve Allen, wrote a nice series where he mixed fictional and real life characters solving crimes. Belzer, does that here, but doesn't really include anybody other than himself in the story, except in some phone conversations he has with his wife. I think you have to like the Belz and his humor, along with his television persona to enjoy the book. So far, I am.

I've been a fan of Charles Dickens, since I first read some of his novels back in junior high. His final, unfinished novel THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, has been the subject of close to a dozen books, in which different people have tried their own hand at discovering what Dickens had in mind for the ending and even attempted to write that conclusion themselves. In DROOD, writer Dan Simmons tries his hand at not only figuring out the mystery of the novel, but also of the final years of the author. Following his surviving a horrendous train wreck, the famous writer spent the final years of his life engaged in not only writing, but performing and staging adaptations of his works. In his personal life he also seemingly became even more difficult and began suffering from both physical and psychological attacks, often leaving him in weakened states.

Simmons, through the narration of Dickens'one-time friend and collaborator, author Wilkie Collins (The Lady in White, Moonstone, etc.), chronicles the final years of the "illustrious" writer as he becomes involved in with a mysterious individual called, simply Drood. Who is this person? Is he a healer, or serial killer? What hold does he have on the author and what will Dickens do to protect him? Finally, has the favorite of Queen Victoria begun plotting a murder of his own and decided to turn his own life into one reflecting his final work? Even though I'm not quiet halfway through I highly recommend the book.

Oh, and in case you're wondering I'm also reading comics.

Not sure where Dwayne McDuffie is going with JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, but things do not look good in the current issue #31, where the team is basically told to disband by the current chairperson. Repercussions of several past and current stories come together and we see how a few of the characters are dealing with the apparent death of Bruce Wayne/Batman. McDuffie sort of fills us in on things and lets us know of other changes taking place in the DCU. Looks like there are several super-hero teams about to be shaken up and have their rosters changed.

That does it for now! Don't forget about FREE COMICBOOK DAY coming up pretty soon, either!