New Comic Day July 27

Sorry for the delay folks, last week's comics are up as well as this weeks. My excuse is that I was working on a presentaion for the Graduate Student Seminar series at UBC. I did it on the Science of Superman. You can download the powerpoint presentation by clicking on the superman shield below or on the right toolbar. Look for a pdf as well at some point.

The Science of Superman


Here are the comics I purchased today:

Wonder Woman #219

So here is the conclusion to Sacrifice and it was promised to really change things in the DC universe between the big three, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Usually when a company says something like this, the even falls short, but not this time. Wonder Woman does something that will definately have severe ramifications as well as people taking sides as to whether she was right or not. I really enjoyed this issue. It had a huge fight scene between Supes and Wonder Woman as well as told a good story. The various artists on the book had ups and downs though with the pages by Rags Morales being the best.

The OMAC Project #4

So I was right when I gave the review where Batman is shown to have gotten the crap kicked out of him. For someone that didn't get the 3 Superman issues as well as Wonder Woman one above, they would be lost, so shame on Rucka for not tying things together a bit better. WE get to see Max's backup plan though and it looks like there's going to be a very Matrix like scenario sometime in the near future for the DC universe. Also an interesting ending which leaves the mystery of Sasha's experiment up in the air. Hopefully Batman gets up and running again soon.

New Comic Day July 20

Ultimates 2 #7

I really thought that the traitor would be revealed in this issue, but I guess not. We do get to see some retalliation from someone though in regards to the Ultimates middle-east activity which was a surprise. The only thing about this book that is annoying is the shipping schedule (ie. constant lateness). Otherwise it's really interesting. My money is that Hank Pym is the traitor but we'll see what the next year (probably, even though there's only 5-6 issues left in the series) brings. It's also cool to see how the military uses super-beings. If they existed in the real world, I expect, they would be used in military engagements and further the "American Way" across the world. Asses.

Teen Titans #26

Nothing much happened in this issue. It's kind of the aftermath of Superboy's rampage and his thoughts as to whether or not, since he's a clone, he has a soul. Raven shows him that he does. It was a mainly character driven issue which was O.K. but in a week with little action in my books, I was wanting a bit more.

Ex Machina#13

This was a pretty good issue as we see some more of Kremlin. I guess my prediction that this new machine guy was actually him is bogus as he and Bradbury find it and find its blood. The other plot of Mitch doing jury duty also took us for a loop as we see what that crazy guy was up to and why he wanted on the jury as well. I think I'd like it a bit more if the subplots connected a bit more, like the last one did. Maybe things will be tied up later on.

Adventures of Superman #642

So this was the third part of "Sacrifice" and we get to see what's been going on with Superman. The JLA find out it was Maxwell Lord who took control of Supe's brain and when they do he kind goes apeshit on them. It ends in a cliffhanger with Lord makeing a blowjob reference to Wonder Woman. It was a good issue and I'm pleased to see the direction they're taking Superman. He's treated as much more of an outsider rather than a part of the Human race as he should be because he's likely the most powerful being on the planet. It was really cool to see the implications of someone being able to control that power to do bad things to good people.

Girls #3

Attack of the Multiple Women! All hell breaks loose in Ethan's house as the newly hatched egg women attack Ethan, the sheriff and Ethan's ex. Its quite funny to see how easily the poeple of the town think Ethan has powers. Bunch of dumb hicks. This is pretty different from the Luna Brother's former work on Ultra as there seems to be more of a build up towards something rather than having every issue tell a good story. It's still good though; I just liked Ultra a bit more.

All-Star Batman and Robin #1
Well, I caved and jumped on this band wagon too. I think I might only go a few issues though, as Frank Miller's writing style for Batman has definately changed since 1987. And Bruce Wayne saying "I've had my eye on him for quite some time" in reference to a pre-pubescent Dick Grayson is downright unsettling. I don't think it's cool that Batman seems to make the decision for Dick to join him in his "war", They should just left the story well enough alone.

Astonishing X-men #11

Not a very satisfying issue, but I can forgive Whedon if his excuse is that he was finishing up Serenity. It wasn't very well explained how the X-men aren't dead and Prof. X ramming a bus into Danger seemed kind of silly. Huge freakin' sentinal at the end was cool though.

New Comic Day July 13

Here are the comics I purchased today:

Serenity #1 (of 3)

Take me out, to the black, tell 'em I ain't comin' back...
Wow. I was really looking forward to this comic as it bridges the gap between the Firefly TV series and the upcoming Serenity movie. Since the TV series only lasted one season it is really nice to see some new stories take place in this 'verse. As I read it, I could hear the actors speaking the words in my head, complete with how I think they would deliver the lines. It was like seeing old friends again. Even though there are two writers to this comic you can see that Joss Whedon did most of it as the dialouge is exquisite and very reminesent of the series. The comics only downfall was the artwork, which I think could have been better, though it wasn't as bad as John Byrne on Action Comics #829 (discussed below). And yes, I did buy three copies of this comic, one for each cover. I can not wait for September 30th. So in summary, if you like science fiction, hell, even if you DON'T like science fiction and just enjoy a well told story with interesting and well developed characters, and haven't seen Firefly, get the DVD collection. Then buy these comics. Then go see Serenity 42 times. You'll be glad you did.

Action Comics #829
The plot thickens a little bit from last week's Superman title as we get into part two of Sacrifice. So we see that Supes is having hallucinations and that when he fought with Brainiac and Darkseid (in this issue), he wasn't really doing that. The end of the issue reveals that he was actually laying the smack down on Batman. I think this is the tie in to the OMAC project as it looked like Max was going to send Supes to do some dirty work at the end of OMAC #3. I'm guessing that part three will show what actually happened and part four, in Wonder Woman #219, there will be a split amongst the big three. I am really interested to see how they explain Batman's injuries (that is, if it's not another hallucination) in OMAC #4 without confusing the hell out of readers who didn't buy into all the crossover junk and just stuck with OMAC. Oh yeah, and John Byrne needs to go back to the 80's where he belongs. His artistic style really rubs me the wrong way.

Fables #39
An excellent issue by all accounts. Prince Charming's character seems to be expanding with his new responsibilities as Mayor, as he is more sympathetic to the Fables than he used to be. As well, the character of Mowgli from the Jungle Book makes his debut and we are left with a cliffhanger telling us that the search for Bigby is on! Definately a great series that you should be reading.

JLA #116

The second part of the Batman showdown with the JLA continues and gives further evidence to the fact that DC's continuity is non-existent until at least Infinite Crisis happens. Batman examples: suffered injuries in OMAC #3, appears to parapalegic in Action Comics #829 (see above) and helps the JLA fight a bunch of super-villains and punch out Hawkman (really cool by the way). When are these events supposed to take place relative to one another? It would be really nice to know. Anyways, the issue isn't too bad if you ignore the above problem. A decent fight scene with the Society of Super-Villains shows them to be quite badass and Batman stonewalling the league's attempts to apologize to him. Good stuff.

New Avengers #7
The first part in the three issue arc regarding The Sentry was as about expected. Bendis draws things out to a ridiculous degree by having a random fight with the Wrecker, with a random meeting between Stark and a bunch of marvel characters (Black Bolt, Prof. X, Namor, Dr. Strange, Reed Richards) which, as far as I can tell, amounted to a wasted 4 pages. And surprise! The Sentry is ACTUALLY in the issue! WOW! Despite the arc being called "The Sentry" he shows up for the final 3 pages and had 15 (short) dialouge ballons and doesn't move from his fetal position hidden in a cave. Brav-fucking-o Bendis; you can force hard earned money out of people's pockets like no bodys business. The only cool thing about the issue, is the very good Spidey quips and the last page which harkens back to the Grant Morrison Animal Man (#19) days.

Invincible #24

After a lengthly six weeks, issue 24 finally comes out. Although good as always, this issue seemed to go by very fast. Some interesting plot threads arise such as, Mark's reunion with his mother, tension with William, a possible arch-nemesis with Angstrom Levy (didn't see that one coming!), and possible upping of Invincible's powers. Lots of cool stuff. I eagerly await issue 25 which is a 48 pager. Maybe that's why this ish didn't seem up to its usual lustrous shine.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #21

So this is the storyline every fan has been waiting for since the Ultimate Universe came out: the crosover between the Ultimate and (so-called) 616 (or original - don't ask) Marvel Universe. Oh the possibilities, the mass marketing, oh the hijinks that could ensue. I can see my wallet draining as we speak....
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Do not continue if you plan to read this book...you have been warned...
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Howevr, this IS NOT that crossover. Throwing everyone I think for a loop, Millar sets up what looks like the original Marvel universe, only to reveal that it was a trick by a Reed Richards from some post-zombification universe, where the FF appear to be, well, zombies. Congradulations Mark Millar, you've kept me on this book. Honestly folks, I am EXTREMELY pleased that the story wasn't what people we expecting and firmly beleive that the two universes should remain seperate. Kudos.

Fantastic Four

Not a bad flick. Maybe because I had less than zero expectations going in. It's no Batman Begins though. Oh yeah... DR. DOOM IS NOT ELECTRO!!!!

Story

I was very surprised at how good the story was for this film. I went in expecting some weird and goofy film that had nothing of the elements of the FF that I envision. This was definately not the case. An excellent job was done portraying Reed's absent-minded/genius dichotomy, the animosity between Victor and Reed, and the tragic nature of Ben. I was pleased to see Victor offering to help Ben only to betray him. Right out of the comics. The movie could have been a bit longer though, as some parts of the film seemed rushed. As well, Doom's motivation for killing the 4 didn't seem particularly well motivated. For some, losing a girl would be cause for revenge, but Doom shouldn't be the type of guy to be that petty. Another good point was the publicity the heroes received. If you don't know, in the comics the FF's identities are public knowledge and it was good to see this incorporated into the film.

Acting

No qualms about the actors here. Despite the fact FF didn't have a blockbuster cast like Batman Begins, all the actors portrayed their characters very well. Michael Chiklis did a great job showing emotion even through the Thing suit. Chris Evans was such a smart ass that the cheesy lines they showed in the previews are NOT cheesey when you see them in the context of the film. It was also good that the lines were limited to Johnny rather than everyone spouting humourous quips. Despite the obvious T&A factor from Jessica ALba, I think she gave a good performance as Sue Storm. She could have been written to be a bit more scientific, but that's a nitpick. Ioan Gruffudd was a good choice for Reed, but again as a nitpick, he should have been made a little more distracted and absent minded. Julian McMahon was the failing in this movie I think. He didn't come off as megalomaniacal enough and I pictured him having a heavy Eastern-European accent (he is from Latveria). He didn't really have an arrogance about him that I would have liked to see. However, that might come after he becomes the ruler of Latveria.

Special Effects

It was neat to see the powers of the FF come to life. Theere were both good and bad things about them though. First, the good. Invisible Woman is easy, you just fade her out. Her force fields were done well too, although they were blue and not invisible ;) The Thing was not CGI but rather a full body suit that surprisingly didn't look goofy. Human Torch was very cool (haha) and it didn't look too fake. Mr. Fantastic was a tad silly looking at times though, and I think they could have done a better job. Now, Dr. Doom. I knew he had electricity powers going into this film and was prepared to accept it if it made sense for him to have them. Again, DR. DOOM IS NOT ELECTRO!!!! The only reason they gave him the powers is so they could have a big fight at the end. As well, why couldn't they change Doom's voice when he put on that mask, make it more metallic or something. It was terrible. He wasn't menacing at all.. Boo-urns.

Overall

Definately better than I was expecting and might even be worth a purchase. Best scene in the movie is definately the Johnny/Thing/Whip Cream one. Once you see it, you'll know what I mean.

New Comic Day July 6

Here are the comics I purchased today:


Superman #219
So I caved and bought the first part of the four part crossover which supposedly takes place between OMAC Project #3 and 4. I don't really see what this issue had to do with OMAC at all and I suspect the link, if it shows up, will be a loose one at best. Poor writing hurts this issue. Since when is Superman a moody, angst ridden hero? Isn't that Batman's job? There wasn't any real tension when Clark's friends were in danger from Brainiac and I actually found it humourous the way they died. Now that I think about it, if the cabin was pressurized, despite the water rushing in, couldn't Supes weld a quick fix and bring the entire Brainiac sub to the surface? Meh, maybe I'll just read the next issue in store to see if it's worth getting.

Y: The Last Man #35
This is the conclusion to the "Girls on Girls" storyline and it wasn't too bad overall. We get to see Yorrick stand up to 355 and try to be a hero to no avail. The last two pages also reintroduce us to the Czech (?) militant who wants to kill Yorrick for some reason. There was a cliffhanger a while back regarding Beth, Yorrick's girlfriend, that I seem to recall was promised to conclude quite soon. I'm looking forward to that. Dr. Mann also finds herself a new woman and that's always nice to see :).

New Comic Day June 29

Sorry for the delay folks.

Here are the comics I purchased on Wednesday:

I also got The Outsiders #25, the conclusion to the Teen Titans crossover thingy, but couldn't get a cover for it because DC wanted it to be a surprise by having Indigo on the cover standing over defeated comrades. This is what they had on the website:



Pretty dumb eh? Especially since the issue has been out for a week already.

Here's a little review for each (from left to right, top to bottom):

The OMAC Project #3

I expected a big fight between Batman, Sasha, and the OMACs, but all I got was a few page sequence of Batman being all mushy about his former chick. Boo to that. As well, Superman comes out of nowhere to save him when he was supposed to be off investigating something or other . Batman doesn't need to be saved. He could definately swim while being handcuffed. And surprise, surprise, the ending tells the reader to pick up no less than four issues (3 Superman and 1 Wonder Woman) to lead into OMAC #4. There is no reason that this title can not be self contained and it really annoys me.

The Outsiders #25
Speaking of annoyances, this issue was definately not well written. I really liked Judd Winnick on Barry Ween, Boy Genius, but writing superheroes is not his forte. Lines from Lex Luthor like "I guess this is falling on deaf ears." or some such while using a sonic disruptor are not characteristic of the Luthor I envision. The romance between Shift and Indigo was sappy ala Star Wars Episode 2 and 3. Not a book I would EVER get again.

Young Avengers #5

Man, what a week for shitty comics. This one made little to no sense, as do many time travel stories. Ant Girl macking with Iron Lad really came out of nowhere; there was no buildup at all to that. The Vision returned after being dead for like 3 months, only to be shunted to a hard-drive within Iron Lad's armour by Kang. The only thing good about this issue was the ending. Nothing like a good sword through the chest to get the blood pumping, out that is. I may not continue with this series after issue 6.

Wizard #166

This was a decent issue having such articles as "Does Death in Comics Really Matter", and a GL: Rebirth commentary. Some of the news they reported gets my goat though. Another Spider-man event destined to "change the web-slinger's life forever!" is coming up where the teaser is that he gives up being Spider-man. Haven't they done this story like a bajillion times already? God! And don't get me started on "The House of M" junk. This multi-series crossover event is just what comics DIDN'T need. Just because DC is coming out with Infinite Crisis, doesn't mean you have to have Bendis come up with some ridiculous What If...? story in order to sell comics. If the stories are consistent and well written, you shouldn't need this huge event, the fans will still be there. As well, nobody cares about consistency or continuity anymore. Does House of M take place outside of continuity? If so, how do they explain what happened with Wanda and if not, how do they explain all the other Marvel titles happily going about their business? Blarg...I should be E.I.C.