Could you please put that power saw down Batman?

Um, yeah, I'll admit it, Batman wielding a giant power saw scares the hell out of me!
Batman: "You STILL want to mess with me Joker?" BZZZZZZZT!

Spyboy, Day 6.

Well, today is the final day of my "Spyboy" spotlight. I'll post a few more random pics from Peter David's hilarious "Spyboy" series before I move onto a different series/character to spotlight. Who is the next character I'm going to spotlight? Sorry, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out(in other words, I don't know yet!).

Fantastic Four #564 & 565

Since I plan on reading both of these comics tonight, I figure I'll post the reviews for them together. I'll give them separate scores, but I'll probably concentrate most of this post on the most recent issue, #565.

-Issue #564 basically details the FF taking a trip out to a small Scottish town to spend Christmas with Reed's nephew. That's basically it. They spend time with Reed's extended family, Sue is accosted on the street by a woman stating that Sue has to help the children of the town, one of the villagers tells Sue to disregard the woman, calling her the town eccentric, and some guys decide they want to kidnap Reed and Sue's daughter Valeria. The issue concludes with Franklin and Valeria getting separated from each other in the woods. For a score, I'll give this issue a 5 1/2 out of 10. This really wasn't one of Mark Millar's better efforts, as a matter of fact it was pretty boring. Well, onto the next issue.

-Issue #565 opens with the FF searching the town for their missing daughter. After a search of the woods and an aerial search by Johnny, the FF decide to search door to door.

-While searching, Johnny figures out that Valeria was taken under the lake in the town, even though it is never explained HOW he figured that out. Johnny finds Valeria in a small tunnel under the town and they are attacked by a huge monster. Johnny tries to burn the creature, but he quickly discovers his flames can't singe the creature. Johnny grabs Valeria and makes for the surface.

-Johnny emerges from the underground cavern and the creature follows him. The rest of the FF join the battle, but they can't seem to put a dent in the creature.

-After an extended battle, Sue drops a church on the monster and Ben flings a bus at it, the latter action finally knocking the creature out.

-The townspeople approach and bemoan what happened to the monster, which is apparently named Korgo, and has been protecting the townspeople for the last 2,000 years. In exchange for perfect lives, Korgo demanded a child of its choosing once every 25 years on Christmas. Korgo would eat the kid and continue to grant its "blessing" on the town.

-Reed's nephew explains that Korgo wanted to eat his son, so he offered Valeria instead... Gee, thanks... Reed responds to this news the way any sane parent would and decks his nephew before getting his family the HELL out of Scotland!

All in all, this was an OK issue of the FF. It wasn't exactly memorable, but it was OK. It's a little strange that I'm reading a Christmas story on April 30th, but whatever. For a score, I'll give this comic a 6 1/2 out of 10.

So maybe Tony Stark isn't that bad.

I know I'm tough on Tony Stark, but hey, at least he apologized as he tried to kill Spidey!

Spyboy, Day 5.

My week long Spyboy spotlight is beginning to wind down, and as it does, I'm wondering what comic/character I should spotlight next... I have been scanning through my "Impulse" comic books lately... Hmmm...

For the most part, these scans show that Spyboy must be suffering from a case of Robinitis. What's Robinitis? That's the term I use when a comic book character looks surprised/appalled when someone goes to kiss them. Why Robinitis? Just check out almost any comic book where Robin(Tim Drake)is getting kissed. Tim is ALWAYS surprised/shocked/appalled when a girl kisses him!

Captain America #49

One more issue and we reach the milestone 50th issue of this series. Marvel seems to be teasing that issue #50 might herald the return of Steve Rogers, but as much as I like Steve, I think it's too soon to bring him back. Whatever Ed Brubaker decides to do though is fine by me, because that guy can write! Anywho, here's the review for the most recent issue of Cap.

-This is going to be one of the easiest reviews I've ever posted, because nothing really happened! But in that nothingness there was a lot of brilliance! No, I'm not insane, allow me to explain.

-This issue basically revolves solely around Sharon Carter, Steve Rogers long-time girlfriend and the woman who wound up firing the fatal shot into Cap(for the record, she was under the mind control of the Red Skull at the time).

-Sharon has returned home to Virginia, where she basically spends her days rattling around her dead parents mansion. She occasionally has nightmares about what she was forced to do to Cap, plus there are large portions of her memory that are still blocked off thanks to the mental conditioning of Dr. Faustus.

-Falcon is still hunting for the evil Captain America, the one who looks just like Steve Rogers. Unfortunately for Sam, all of his leads keep coming up empty.

-Sharon discovers the scar from losing Steve's baby on her abdomen for the first time and freaks out a bit. Falcon arrives at her home and tells her the full story about how the Red Skull and his lackeys caused Sharon to lose the baby and Sharon remembers the whole awful ordeal for the first time.

-The evil Cap goes and visits Peggy Carter, Sharon's elderly aunt and tricks her into believing that he is really Steve Rogers. The evil Cap then asks Peggy to tell him everything about the time she spent with Steve during WW II.

-We end this issue with Sharon having a nightmare from her time in Red Skull's captivity. In the dream, Skull uses one of Dr. Doom's time platforms to bring someone from the time stream to him, but Sharon can't quite make out who that someone is. Sharon wakes up from the nightmare wondering if it was possible that the figure she saw was Steve Rogers.

Woooo-boy, this was one hell of a good comic! This issue really showcases the talent of Ed Brubaker. Ed did a masterful job detailing just the kind of hell poor Sharon has been living through since Steve's death. This comic book had absolutely NO action at all, but it really didn't need any. The only gripe I had with this issue(and it's really a minor complaint)was the fact that Bucky didn't show up at all. He is Captain America now, you'd think he'd show up somewhere inside!

After reading this comic book, I have to say, I CAN NOT wait for the next issue! Common sense tells me that there is NO way the figure Sharon sees in her dream emerging from the time platform was Steve Rogers, but if it wasn't Cap, then who was it? Who would the Red Skull have decided to pull out of the time stream? What evil, nefarious plot was the Red Skull cooking up? The wait for issue #50 is going to be a LONG one! For a score, I'll give this issue a 9 1/2 out of 10. I enjoyed this issue as much as I have enjoyed anything I've read this month. Kudos to Ed Brubaker for continuing to pump out awesome Captain America stories month after month.

Nothing cheers me up like Young Justice!

As I type these words I have to admit that I am one sad blogger tonight... Why? My beloved New York Rangers were eliminated from the NHL playoffs earlier tonight. What do I do to cheer myself up? Why I go through some of my old comic books, that's what! Here are a couple of scans from "Young Justice", my favorite teen-oriented comic book ever.

Spyboy, Day 4.

As I continue my spotlight on the "Spyboy" comic book series, I figured I'd dedicate tonight's post to two of the supporting characters in "Spyboy", Butch and Bombshell. Enjoy.

Uncanny X-Men #504-507

I guess now is as good a time as any to speed read through the last four issues of Uncanny X-Men. There was a time when my whole life revolved around reading the latest issue of Uncanny X-Men/X-Men. However, reading a current issue of X-Men is WAY worse than any of the harsh interrogation techniques the CIA employs. Hee-hee-hee, did you see that? I just made a joke based on current events! Sorry, I'll stop now... For the record I tend to grade X-Titles much more harshly than other comic books because of my strong feelings towards them. Anyway, here are my scores for Uncanny #504-506, as well as a review for the most recent issue of Uncanny, #507.

-Uncanny X-Men #504: 3 out of 10

-Uncanny X-Men #505: 4 out of 10

-Uncanny X-Men #506: 4 out of 10

-OK, here's the review for the most recent issue of Uncanny I have, #507. We start up with Beast, Archangel, Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries and Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi faced with a giant dinosaur that wants to eat them(as most giant dinosaurs are apt to do). Warren transforms into his blue-skinned/metal winged Apocalypse appearance and manages to take the dino down. Beast is shocked that Warren can transform himself and confronts him, wanting to know when Warren gained this new ability, but Warren blows Beast off.

-Colossus and Emma wind up battling some old Russian guy with the ability to steal secrets from people with a touch and reveal those secrets in his tattoos... Yeah, I know... Colossus and Emma defeat the Russian and his cronies and Colossus seems like he is FINALLY ready to let Shadowcat go and move on with his life.

-Cyclops meets with the mayor of San Fransisco, who tells him she is alarmed by the fact that the X-Men have been taking in a bunch of refugees. She tells Scott that regular citizens feel like Scott is assembling a militia. Scott retorts that he is building an army... Huh? How is THAT supposed to make the mayor feel any better?

-Finally(mercifully!)we end this issue with Magneto and the High Evolutionary preforming some kind of experiments out in space. Apparently these experiments are supposed to give Mags his powers back, and as the issue closes it seems the High Evolutionary was successful.

Jeez, where do I even start?!? I guess I'll start off with the characters in this comic book... I hate almost all of them! I can barely tolerate Scott nowadays, I can't stand Emma(I'd much rather see Jean in her spot), I hate that damn pedophile Colossus, I hate X-23 with a blinding passion, and I don't care about Armor or Pixie one way or the other(I'm a guy, not a girl!). I will admit that I do like Beast. He is really the only constant in this series right now. Beast is the same as he was 18 years ago when I first started reading X-comics.

Ugh... I really don't have the patience to add much more here. I miss the way the X-titles used to be before the DREAD LORD BENDIS and that idiot Joe Quesada destroyed Marvel's mutant population. Oh well, I'll give this issue a 3 out of 10 and move on.

Spyboy, Day 3.

Here's some more scans from one of my favorite lesser known comic books, Spyboy. Do I really have to explain the above pic? Besides Peter David's always funny/brilliant writing, what really made Spyboy work for me was the artwork of Pop Mhan. Pop's art style really helped give Spyboy its own unique feel. I figure I'll spend a few more days posting Spyboy stuff before I move onto something else.

Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil One Shot

Well, OK, I didn't even remember that I brought this comic book. I never know what I'm going to pull out of my comic book pile!

-We open with a dinosaur villain(yes, a dinosaur villain)named Stegron attacking various SHIELD facilities in an attempt to find something. Stegron has been using a horde of dinosaurs to attack the SHIELD bases and has left a large number of people dead in his wake.

-Val Cooper contacts Tigra and puts her in charge of a bunch of Initiative members with the orders to stop Stegron at all costs. Tigra's team consists of Prodigy, Batwing, Cloud 9, Sunstreak, Komodo and a new recruit named Reptil. Tigra doesn't want to take Reptil since he's still young, but Val pulls rank and Tigra has to begin training Reptil.

-We find out that Reptil can shift himself into various different dinosaurs and is very eager to be a super-hero. After some training Reptil manages to use his dinosaur powers to track down Stegron. Stegron manages to wipe the floor with the Initiative members before making his escape.

-Reptil is bummed that he was knocked out by Stegron and wants to quit the Initiative, but Tigra gives him a pep talk that picks up his spirits.

-Reptil manages to locate Stegron at another SHIELD facility and the Initiative attacks again. This time the Initiative manages to block Stegron's dinosaur control abilities, which removes the army of dinosaurs he was employing. The Initiative defeats Stegron, but they wind up discovering Moonboy locked up in a tube in the SHIELD facility.

-Stegron explains that he was trying to bring Moonboy back to the Savage Land in order to reunite him with Devil Dinosaur. Reptil wants to free Moonboy, but Tigra reasons that SHIELD will just recapture him again. After some thought, Tigra allows Reptil to fly off with Moonboy and she tells the SHIELD agents who arrive on the scene that Moonboy was accidentally eaten by the dinosaurs. We end this issue with Kazar arriving and taking Moonboy and Reptil back to the Savage Land with him.

This issue told a decent story, but unfortunately for me I really could care less about most of the characters. Even though I consider myself a huge old school X-Men fan I've never liked the concept of the Savage Land. I also don't like Kazar, Moonboy or Tigra, so this comic definitely won't go down as one of my all-time favorites. On the plus side I'm always pleased to see a member of the Slingers show up. Granted my favorite Slinger was Ricochet, but I did like Prodigy as well. However, Prodigy alone couldn't really salvage this comic for me and as such I'll give this issue a score of 6 1/2 out of 10. If you like seeing a horde of dinosaurs attack SHIELD agents, or Kazar walking around in a skimpy loincloth, then this is the comic for you!

Spyboy, Day 2.

Well, I said I was going to continue to post Spyboy stuff on this blog, so here we go. Above we have Spyboy, Bombshell and Butch.Here's another image of Butch, Bombshell and Spyboy. For the record, Butch is probably one of my favorite sidekicks in any comic book, ever. He was a frigging idiot!

Daredevil #117

This is the second part of the "Return of the King" storyline. Here's hoping this issue is as good as the previous issue was.

-We open with Kingpin hooking back up with Turk and heading to an underground bar, where he announces to the criminals present that he is going to "deal" with Daredevil, and that there will be a lot of blood on the streets when he's done. Well, that's an ominous start!

-Daredevil hunts down the private investigator who took incriminating photos of Matt Murdoch(that's DD's alter-ego for those not in the know)and Dakota North. DD roughs the guy up and demands the photos, the camera, the memory card, everything. The private eye finds Dakota and gives her the photos before getting out of Dodge.

-Master Izo meets with Matt and tells him the Hand have begun creeping back into town in an attempt to force Matt to become their leader.

-Matt also meets with the parents of his deranged wife Milla. Milla's parents warn Matt that if he continues to fight them for custody of Milla they will release the photos of Matt and Dakota's affair. Matt still won't back down and Milla's parents leave in a huff.

-Later on, Dakota confronts Matt about his actions towards the private investigator. Matt pretty much says he was just trying to protect Dakota, which really pisses Dakota off and causes her to quit her job at Matt's law offices.

-We end this issue with Matt getting a visit from Turk, who tells him the Kingpin is back in town and that the big man wants to meet with DD. Daredevil meets Kingpin in a cemetery and Kingpin tells DD about the Hand's slaughter of his adopted family in Spain and his plans for revenge. Kingpin asks DD if he wants to help attack the Hand, but DD is worried about what will happen between himself and Kingpin after they defeat the Hand. Kingpin tells DD not to worry about the future, because he doesn't plan on surviving the battle against the Hand.

Wow, this comic was just what the doctor ordered to get the taste of that awful New Avengers comic book out of my mouth. The work Ed Brubaker is doing in this book is really phenomenal. The way Ed has transformed the Kingpin is really something else. I'll admit that the Kingpin was never a character I really cared about. He was a fat crime boss who walked around in a white suit. Meh. However, after the last two issues of DD, I find myself caring about Kingpin. I feel badly for him. Sure, he was a world class scumbag, but he tried to turn his life around, until the Hand shattered his new life.

I also have to admit that I have been enjoying the way Ed has been writing Daredevil himself as of late. DD has really begun to straddle the fence separating right and wrong. His attack on the private investigator(who in all honesty was only doing the job he was paid to do), his steadfast refusal to relinquish custody of Milla(even though he did cheat on her), and the fact that he was even considering Kingpin's offer all go to show that Matt is turning a bit darker. Ed's run on this series has been so good that I really can't envision anybody else writing this comic book/character. That's about the highest praise I can give a writer. For a score, I'll give this issue a 9 1/2 out of 10. I really enjoyed this comic, and I can't wait to read the next issue.

New Avengers #51!

Yeah, I know, this review is about a month old. That shows just how behind I am in my comic book reading(plus this was written by the DREAD LORD BENDIS, so I wasn't exactly in a rush to read it!). Anyway this is about Dr. Strange or something... Why is Dr. Strange in an Avengers title anyway? Oh yeah, the DREAD LORD is the writer, so nothing makes any sense!

-The Good: Um, hmm... Um, oh yeah, Wiccan of the Young Avengers popped up. I really enjoyed that comic book. The Young Avengers... Oh, but I'm supposed to be talking about THIS comic book aren't I? Well, that's pretty much the only good thing that happened in this comic.

-The Bad: Pretty much everything else! This comic had a 4 page conversation between Jessica Jones(WHY is she even in this comic???)and Spider-Man(for that matter, why is HE in this comic?!?). That's right, they spoke about going to High School together for 4 pages! That's 21 panels of complete BS. The conversation between Peter and Jessica was everything I hate about LORD BENDIS in a nutshell. Their conversation added NOTHING to this comic. It added NOTHING to either character. It was a total waste of time.

-Besides that, this issue was about Dr. Strange looking for the next Sorcerer Supreme. While he was searching for his eventual replacement he is jumped by The Hood, who wipes the floor with Doc Strange, which sends the good doctor running to the Avengers for help... REALLY??? The frigging Hood spanked Dr. Strange?!? What's next, Toad will beat down the Hulk? How about the Vulture takes out Thor? Why not! My God, reading LORD BENDIS' work makes me want to get sloppy drunk, and I don't even drink!

What more can I say? This was yet another train wreck brought to us by the DREAD LORD BENDIS. Clint "Why is he still Ronin" Barton seems to be getting a larger role in this comic book. I guess that's a good thing, even though since Clint is one of my favorite characters, I'm afraid to see what the DREAD LORD has in store for Clint. Hey, then again, the DREAD LORD has already killed Clint off twice over the course of a year, so maybe he'll leave Clint alone for a while... Probably not though. Well, if nothing else, writing this review down was kind of cathartic for me. Now I can put this comic away and NEVER open it again. For a score, I'll give this issue a 3 out of 10. Why a 3? Why not. Please Joe Quesada, take LORD BENDIS the hell off the Avengers titles already!!! ARRRRGH!!!

Spyboy!!!

I've been going through a few of my older comics recently to re-scan them with the new, good scanner and I ran across my old Spyboy comics written by Peter David. As I was going through these books, I remembered just how much I enjoyed this series. Since I like these comics so much, I've decided to dedicate a few days to posting Spyboy stuff. Enjoy, I know I will.

Where's the reviews?

OK, I'll admit I've been getting kind of lackluster with the reviews as of late... One of the reasons is the fact that I've been reading a lot of older comics, and I really haven't felt like typing up reviews for them. What can I say. Until the end of the school year comes, I'm going to be kind of lazy. For the record I've been reading through the current "Wonder Woman" series which has only been OK. I was expecting a bit more, although the current storyline has been really good, as well as the current "Booster Gold" series, which has been better than I thought it would be.

Along with those series, tonight I plan on reading some older issues of "DC Showcase", which have some stories written by James Robinson starring the Shade. I'm really looking forward to reading these stories because anybody who knows me knows of my affection for the Shade. Besides that, my sister has given me a few issues of "The Authority" from Wildstorm Comics, along with a very high recommendation. I have to admit I wasn't really planning on starting The Authority, but upon looking over a few covers I was surprised to see names like Warren Ellis and Mark Millar adorning the covers. I'm not really sure what these books are about, but once I get the chance I'll probably give them a read.

Ollie speaks the truth!

Oliver Queen calling Iron Man a fatcat... Priceless, absolutely priceless!

Wow, isn't Robin brave...

Did Robin scream when Superman entered the Batcave?!? REALLY???

Damn that Hal Jordan!

Hey, wait a minute, isn't that Hal Jordan swapping spit with Kyle Rayner's dead girlfriend Alex DeWitt??? That IS Alex!!! So, Alex really seems interested in Hal, but Hal knows that Alex was Kyle's girlfriend... Hal wouldn't move in on the love of Kyle's life, right?GAH!!! Poor Kyle...

New Avengers: The Reunion #2(of 4)

This is the second issue of the Avengers mini-series starring Clint Barton(Hawkeye/Ronin)and Bobbi Morse-Barton(Mockingbird). Hopefully this issue will finally shed some light on how Mockingbird survived being killed by Mephisto way back in the old West Coast Avengers comic series...

-Bobbi has been chasing down AIM agents who are intending to set off a dirty bomb at a science gala in Spain. Clint wanted to call in the Avengers, Bobbi refused and before long Clint and Bobbi were brawling with each other(just like they always did back in the day).

-Eventually, Clint and Bobbi realized that the longer they fought, the further behind AIM they would wind up. Clint decides to reluctantly follow Bobbi's lead and the two hop a plane headed for Spain.

-While flying out to Spain, Bobbi reveals that she has started up an organization called the WCA, which stands for World Counterterrorism Agency... The WCA?!? Heh-heh-heh!!! I like that ALOT! The WCA is comprised of Bobbi and other SHIELD agents who were captured by the Skrulls prior to Secret Invasion.

-Upon arriving in Spain, Clint and Bobbi check into a hotel, but Bobbi's insists that they stay in separate rooms, since the cover story is that they are scientists, not lovers. Clint isn't overly pleased about this, but he goes along with Bobbi's orders.

-Later, Clint barges into Bobbi's room and begins to argue with her over the fact that she had a purple and blue suit sent over for him to wear to the science gala. The two continue to argue and Clint begins to press Bobbi as to what their relationship is. Finally, Clint tells Bobbi that before she died they were planning on trying to resuscitate their marriage and he wants to give that a shot. Bobbi hesitates and it dawns on Clint that it was the Skrull impersonating Bobbi who was trying to resume the marriage in an attempt to weasel its way onto the West Coast Avengers. Bobbi then tells Clint that before the Skrulls abducted her she had filed the divorce papers, meaning they were no longer married.

OK, there's a lot to comment on here, but first I want to hit on the story of Mockingbird's "death". In a flashback sequence, Bobbi reveals that she was abducted by Skrulls and replaced by an impostor. The impostor was killed by Mephisto back in West Coast Avengers #100, and through a Clint flashback, we learn that the impostor Mockingbird turned into ash upon dying, which is why nobody realized the impostor Mockingbird was a Skrull. So, there it is, that's what I've been waiting for. It was a Skrull impersonating Bobbi that was killed by Mephisto, not the real deal. The real Mockingbird was being held captive by the Skrulls out in space somewhere...

There are SO many hole in that story it's not even funny! First off, the Mockingbird who was killed by Mephisto DIDN'T turn into ash upon dying. She died in Clint's arms, and was subsequently buried. Secondly, Bobbi has shown up SEVERAL times in the afterlife! Off the top of my head, I can remember Bobbi's spirit popping up in an issue of Avengers, Thunderbolts and X-Statix. Finally, why would the Skrulls bother keeping the real Mockingbird alive after Skrull Mockingbird was killed off by Mephisto? Since the Skrulls couldn't use Mockingbird anymore, wouldn't it make more sense to kill her as opposed to keeping her prisoner?

After saying all of that though, allow me to state enthusiastically that I am beyond pleased that Bobbi is alive again. Bobbi Morse is possibly my favorite female comic book character(besides Tabitha Smith that is), and I always felt Bobbi's death should never have occurred. The ONLY reason Bobbi was killed off was because Marvel wanted to kill off SOMEBODY in WCA #100. Bobbi was deemed the most expendable, and was killed off. Bobbi's death always bugged me because WCA was cancelled by issue #103! Why bother killing Bobbi off in issue #100, in an attempt to boost sales for WCA and then cancel the book?!? So, although Bobbi's return doesn't make much sense, I won't say one more harsh thing concerning Bobbi's "resurrection".

For a score I'll give this comic a score of 8 out of 10. There really wasn't much action, besides Clint and Bobbi's occasional spats, but that was fine by me, since this comic book FINALLY gave me the answer to the question regarding Bobbi's return. Welcome back to the Marvel Universe Mockingbird, I for one truly missed you!

Maybe it's just me...

Am I the only one who finds it kind of weird that Justice is sitting in his darkened apartment watching television in full costume? I mean what's up with that? First of all, Vance's identity is public knowledge, secondly, there's no one else there!

Old school and proud of it!

Is Alan Scott awesome or what? I'll answer that myself. Yes, yes he is!

Me brain no is right work...

Wow, I've really forgotten just how tough school can be at times! Frigging professors... I just need to make it through the next week and I'm home free! I'm handing in a history paper tomorrow morning(which I finished up a few minutes ago), I've got a English paper due Friday, the final history paper for that course due next Thursday, another English paper due next Friday, as well as a math(?!?)paper due next Friday as well... Who the hell ever heard of a math paper??? What ever happened to the old days when all you had to worry about in math was a test? Oh wait, I HAVE a math test this coming Monday! Damn professors! Once I get through next Friday though, things should taper off dramatically. I've got a pile of new comics that I still haven't been able to get to yet, and I really don't anticipate reading them until after May 1st. So instead of any new reviews, I'll stick to posting some pictures tonight, before I try to get to sleep.

Monkey Business.

Yes that's right, giant monkeys, and lots of them! That last panel always manages to solicit a chuckle out of me... This bit of monkey fun is brought to us by the Wonder Woman comics.

This was just too weird NOT to post!

What can I even say here??? This whole scene is just bizarre!

Hating on Earth!

It's sad that Earth has such a bad reputation... I personally blame Hal Jordan for most of the anti-Earth attitude in the DCU!

Is it summertime yet?

Today was the first day back at school after spring break and it seems that my professors spent their vacations plotting ways to drive me insane! Over the course of the next week and a half I have 5 major essays due... Why am I posting this information? Basically because this increase in school work is bound to cut into my comic book reading, as well as my blog posting, so if my posting becomes kind of sporadic it's due to one of my many papers. On a positive note, school's out for me come May 15th! A few short weeks more and I'll be able to kick back and enjoy life again(for the most part).

Superman: World of New Krypton #2

The cover to this comic says that this is now a 15 part mini-series... 15 issues? That's a strange number to settle on... I was under the assumption that this series was going to run a year(12 issues). Well, you know what they say about assuming anything... OK, enough with the babbling, here's a quick review of this issue.

-We open with the Guardians on Oa realizing that the Kryptonians have created a new planet opposite of the Earth. The Guardians don't like that fact and fear what a planet full of beings with Superman's powers might do to the balance of power in the universe. The Guardians decide to send Hal Jordan to investigate New Krypton and gauge the level of danger there.

-On New Krypton, Superman and General Zod continue to bicker with each other and Zod assigns Supes a military unit to lead.

-Supes meets with his unit and finds them "initiating" a newer recruit by forcing the newbie to fight some kind of quilled creature. Supes halts the "initiation" and yells at the unit for the way they were acting. He then punishes the unit by forcing them to practice flying all day.

-That night the Kryptonians throw some sort of gala event where Supes meets with his Aunt Alura as well as Supergirl. Supes also speaks to a member of the lowly labor guild, who warns Supes that many members of the labor guild are upset about being treated like second class citizens and that they intend to do something about it soon. Supes tells the labor guild member to tell him if he hears anything else.

-General Zod winds up tracking Supes down during the gala and tells him to mobilize his unit because some rampaging creatures are tearing up atmosphere generator plants, which I guess is a bad thing. Zod tells Supes to take care of the beasts by any means necessary. Supes takes his squad into action, but forbids them from using guns or killing the animals. Instead, Supes has the squad burn a trench into the ground and leads the rampaging creatures into it.

-Zod meets with Supes after the creatures are corralled and Supes proceeds to get snarky with Zod once again. Zod begins to get upset with Supes lack of respect, and the two begin to argue some more. Zod and Supes wind up getting interrupted by a member of the Kryptonian army who tells them several members of the labor guild have taken Supes Aunt Alura(the leader of New Krypton)hostage and have barricaded themselves in a building, demanding that their guild gets treated the same as the other guilds. Zod and Supes arrive on the scene and they learn that a member of the military has rounded up 30 members of the labor guild and plans on executing them if Alura isn't released immediately. Supes finds that action to be reprehensible while Zod thinks it's a brilliant plan.

You know what? I really enjoyed this comic book! This was a great, fast paced book that was interesting throughout. You know what else? I'm slowly beginning to enjoy General Zod's character. He isn't the ranting maniac I thought he would be, he is a very savvy customer. I was expecting the "Kneel before ZOD!!!" character from the old Superman movies, but thus far Zod has been in control of everything occurring around him. He hasn't even allowed Supes constant disrespect to shake him. This comic is really changing my opinion of Zod.

Supes was highly enjoyable as well, with his repeated attempts to draw Zod into a confrontation, as well as the way he took command of his unruly unit. I really liked the job Greg Rucka and James Robinson did in this comic, and for a score, I'll give this issue a 9 out of 10. I will definitely be looking forward to the 3rd issue of this series next month.

One more reason not to mess with Black Adam.

How can't you like a guy who is willing to fly through the skull of his friend if circumstances call for it?

Titans #12

This is part 1 of the Deathtrap crossover.

-We learn right off the bat that Jericho has left Cyborg's body after he knocked out Beast Boy.

-After leaving Cyborg and Beast Boy, Jericho possesses a police officer and heads to a spot in Central Park, where he is overlooking... Some kind of building. What this building is or why it's important is never really explained.

-We find out that Jericho is being driven insane by some of the more powerful minds he's come in contact with over the years. One of the more vocal voices is that of his father, Deathstroke the Terminator. Deathstroke derides Jericho non-stop, until Jericho decides that the only way he can silence Deathstroke's voice is by killing him.

-The Teen Titans get in touch with the Titans and tell them what Cyborg/Jericho did to them in "Teen Titans" Annual #1. The Teen Titans then begin to make their way east in order to meet with the Titans to decide what the next step should be.

-Cyborg realizes that Vigilante is still looking for Jericho and that Vigilante is under the idea that Cyborg is still possessed by Jericho. The Titans stage a battle against Cyborg in order to draw Vigilante to them. The Titans figure that Vigilante may have some information that could be useful in their search for Jericho.

-The Titans plan works, but unfortunately Vigilante gets the slip on them and proceeds to blow Cyborg's brains out... Oops!

First off, what happened to Judd Winick? I though he was the writer of this series... I guess not. Sean McKeever wrote this issue and he'll also write the Teen Titans issues of this crossover, while Marv Wolfman will be responsible for writing the Vigilante portions of this crossover. This was a decent start to this crossover, it really wasn't anything spectacular, but it was good enough to have me interested in finding out what will happen next.

I STILL hate the fact that Jericho is the villain here, but what can you do? Jericho just doesn't seem like a villain to me... I didn't buy evil Jericho back in the old "New Titans" series, and I don't buy it now. He's just too nice a guy for me to consider evil! I'm still waiting for Ravager and Deathstroke to show up, especially Deathstroke, because, in case you haven't guessed, I am a BIG Deathstroke fan.

For a score, I'll give this comic an 8 out of 10. This comic basically did all the things it had to, show us who the villain was(Jericho), get all of the players involved(the Teen Titans, the Titans and Vigilante), as well as leaving us with a good cliffhanger(Cyborg getting blown away). I know I'll be looking forward to the next issue of Vigilante(where part 2 will be)in order to find out what happens next.

Teen Titans Annual #1(June 2009)+ a bonus rant against X-23?!?

This issue was the prelude to the upcoming Teen Titans/Titans/Vigilante crossover, "Deathtrap". Vigilante?!? Why is HE involved??? Anyway, here's a quick look at this comic book.

-Cyborg(who is secretly possessed by Jericho)begins to attack the Teen Titans, using the defenses in Titans Tower to launch his assault.

-Cyborg/Jericho convinces Static not to interrupt his attack by telling Static that he was just putting the Teen Titans through a training session. Cyborg/Jericho's reason for not attacking Static is because Static isn't in the Teen Titans database, so he doesn't know what abilities Static has.

-Cyborg/Jericho winds up defeating all of the Teen Titans, and Static begins to think something is terribly wrong. Cyborg/Jericho then attacks Static and wraps him up in wires, telling him if he uses his electrical powers he'll wind up frying his teammates, who Cyborg/Jericho submerged in water.

-Static manages to escape by sending an electrical pulse through the Teen Titans security systems back to Cyborg/Jericho, which frees his trapped teammates.

-The Teen Titans regroup outside their wrecked tower and decide to pay a visit to Cyborg in New York, figuring that if Cyborg has gone evil the Titans could use their assistance.

-This issue closes with Beast Boy finding the unconscious form of Cyborg at the Titans New York base. Beast Boy revives Cyborg and we see that Jericho still has possession of Cyborg's body.

Before I say anything else, let me say that I enjoyed this comic book. Now, with that said, this comic book was not worth $4.99! Not by a long shot. Back to the story in this comic though. This issue did a good job of showcasing all of the Teen Titans characters. All of the members of the team got a chance to shine, and since many of the members of the team are new, the more we learn about these kids, the more we'll wind up caring about them.

While all of the characters were given some time to shine, Static was definitely given the star treatment, which was a bit worrisome. What do I mean you ask? Good question, allow me to explain! A few years back, Marvel brought a character out of the "X-Men Evolution" cartoon series and began to place this character in several Marvel comic books, culminating with the New X-Men comic series getting totally destroyed by X-23, the cartoon character in question. Yes, X-23, the bastard love child of Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle and Joe Quesada. My GOD do I hate X-23!

I was fine with X-23 in the beginning, but then Marvel began to shove her down everyone's throats! EVERY issue of "New X-Men" after X-23 joined was the same... The team would get into some kind of trouble, until X-23 arrived on the scene to straighten everything out. Every other character in that series was expendable, and Yost and Kyle wound up killing over 40 mutant kids during their ill-fated run on New X-Men, but of course X-23 survived those comic books just fine... She was THE STAR!!! Marvel kept hammering that point home until I couldn't take it any more and I wound up dropping New X-Men(after I dropped it it was soon cancelled which still makes me smile). Once I saw that X-23 was a member of X-Force, I stopped collecting that series. Marvel pushed X-23 so hard, so fast, that in the end I wound up resenting/hating that character. I hope DC doesn't make the same mistake here with Static.

This issue set off all kinds of alarms in my head after I put it down because it was SO much like those issues of New X-Men after X-23 joined... The Teen Titans get into trouble, until Static arrives to straighten everything out. The other newbies on the team(Aquagirl and Kid Eternity)were taken out in a matter of 1-2 pages. Static wound up defeating Cyborg/Jericho and freeing all of his teammates in about 2 pages. Hopefully Static won't turn into the type of character X-23 became, but this wasn't the best beginning for his character... For a score, I'll give this comic a 8 out of 10. I look forward to discovering just what Jericho's scheme is as Deathtrap continues.

Teen Titans #69

-OOOK... I PROBABLY should have read the "Terror Titans" mini-series before I read this issue... Oh well, to late for that now...

-This issue deals with Miss Martian bringing a mess of super-powered teenagers to Titan Tower where they could relax a bit after they escaped from the Dark-Side Club.

-Red Devil is still without his powers, and we find out that Ravager is watching the team from afar, but it looks like she won't be returning.

-Cassie tries to recruit the Dark-Side kids which drives some of them away, since they were just looking for a place to crash. From there, most of the rest of the kids leave for various reasons, with The Face being thrown out because everybody hated him.

-Kid Eternity decides to join the Teen Titans right away, while eventually Aquagirl and Static join the team to round out the roster. This issue ends with The Face getting killed by the mystery person who was watching the team(it's Cyborg!).

-So the new Teen Titans line-up is as followed: Wonder Girl(team leader), Aquagirl, Static, Red Devil, Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Bombshell and Kid Eternity.

I enjoyed this issue WAY more than any Teen Titans comic since "Infinite Crisis" ended, like 30-40 issues ago! I think Aquagirl has potential and I'll give Static a chance but I still don't really like this team. I want a "Teen Titans" team that has a bunch of kid sidekicks, like how it used to be... Where is Robin? Or Superboy? Or Kid Flash? Don't answer those questions, they're rhetorical, but it's characters like them that this series is missing right now. The foundation for ANY successful Teen Titans team has ALWAYS been a Robin, whether it was Dick Grayson or Tim Drake. This team is desperately lacking that savvy Batman-type of character.

I can appreciate what Sean McKeever(series writer)is attempting to do here, but I think he is moving this team a little bit too far away from the mainstream DC universe... The highest profile character on this team is now Wonder Girl. Now, I like Cassie, I've liked her since her "Young Justice" days, but I don't think she is a strong/prominent enough character to be able to carry a team. I could be wrong, but I feel this team needs a higher profile character to lead it. Well, like I said, I did like this issue, so for a score, I'll give it an 8 out of 10. I'm not sure this team is going to be able to hold my interest for long, but for now, I'll give the new Teen Titans a shot.

War of Kings #2(of 6)

-We find out early on in this comic that Ronan the Accuser has survived the events of last issue, Lilandra is now the captive of Vulcan, Vulcan has the Shi'ar using Nega-bombs against Kree planets and the Inhuman's have declared war on the Sh'iar empire.

-The Kree are rioting against Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family until Crystal(of all people)manages to win the Kree over by helping out at a Kree hospital.

-Vulcan seems more intent on destroying entire Kree planets as opposed to actually capturing them... Now how can't you like an emperor like that?

-Maximus creates a bunch of Kree Sentry's that have been imbued with some of Black Bolt's massive power and Black Bolt sends the Echo Sentry's out to meet the second Battlegroup of the Shi'ar. The Echo Sentry's rout the Second Battlegroup(which consisted of 65 ships), destroying every last Shi'ar spacecraft in that Battlegroup.

-After learning that his Battlegroup has been destroyed, Vulcan flips out and decides he is going to kill every last one of his enemies, starting with Lilandra, who he tells Gladiator to hold in place for him.

So, the question now becomes does Gladiator step up and defend his former Empress, or does he allow Vulcan to vaporize her? Personally, I feel Gladiator should allow Vulcan to kill Lilandra, but I get the feeling Gladiator is going to turn on crazy Emperor Vulcan. Gladiator has served under insane emperors before(does the name D'Ken ring any bells?), which is why I am so against the idea of Gladiator turning on Vulcan here. However, looking at Gladiator's reactions to Vulcan's antics in this issue, I have a feeling Gladiator IS going to turn on Vulcan, which would go counter to everything ever written about Gladiator before.

Damn, do I love Vulcan! I've been a fan of his since the AWESOME "Deadly Genesis" mini-series, and I am really enjoying Vulcan's crazy act now. With that said though, I have to admit that I would prefer Vulcan as a member of the X-Men, as opposed to a villain. A younger character like Vulcan is just what the X-Men need right now to liven things up, but unfortunately I think Vulcan has too much blood on his hands to ever be reformed...

For a score, I'll give this issue a 8 out of 10. This issue was basically a set-up issue, and wasn't nearly as good as the last issue was. I figure that by issue 4 or so this mini should be red hot. We still don't have Nova, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Darkhawk or the Negative Zone armies involved at all yet. That tells me the best in this mini-series is yet to come.

Justice Society of America #25

Here's the review, once again in bullet point format(if anybody wants, drop me a comment and let me know if you prefer the bullet point format or my other more wordy reviews).

-Mary Marvel forces Billy Batson to take some of Black Adam's power, which winds up corrupting Billy, as it did to Mary.

-Black Adam and Isis continue to battle the JSA, this time in Kahndaq, Black Adam's country.

-Jay Garrick and Billy's dead father, Mr. Batson, wind up reaching the Rock of Finality and find a statue of the wizard Shazam.

-Isis begins to go crazy and kills a bunch of citizens of Kahndaq, stating that they didn't deserve to live, before turning her attention to Atom Smasher. Adam tries to stop her, but she refuses to halt her attacks.

-After the other JSA members put some distance between Black Adam and the other members of the Black Adam family, Atom Smasher shows Adam that his power was corrupting the people it touched, citing Billy, Mary and even Isis as examples.

-Adam realizes Atom Smasher was right and gives his power over to the statue of the wizard Shazam, which was brought to him by Jay and Mr. Batson. Adam's power brings the wizard back to life and he takes Adam's power from Isis, Billy and Mary, leaving them powerless. Then as punishment, Shazam turns Adam and Isis into statues so Adam wouldn't be able to enjoy a happy ending. Ouch, harsh...

-Shazam also decides that Billy was no longer worthy of his powers and leaves Billy powerless. The issue ends with a new(?)Black Adam appearing near the statues of Adam and Isis.

What to say... I really didn't enjoy this issue very much. I'm shocked as well! This entire Black Adam storyline just isn't doing anything for me. I was expecting a little bit better from Geoff Johns as he nears the end of his spectacular run as writer of this comic book series. For me, this whole storyline has been a tremendous letdown, especially in light of how great the Gog storyline was. It's weird, because this storyline should have been one of my all-time favorites... It had the JSA, Black Adam, and it was written by Geoff Johns... What went wrong?

Also, I get that Geoff was trying to show that Billy and Mary were just kids, but their dialogue was more annoying than childish. Plus, I really do I hate Mary Marvel! I can't stand her or her whining! I think I read somewhere that Geoff will be writing a new "Captain Marvel/Shazam" series down the road, but if it is anything like this comic was, I wouldn't be interested in reading it. For a score, I'll give this comic a 6 out of 10. I think there are only 2 more Geoff John's written issues of this series left before he departs, and I for one hope Geoff manages to bring back that old magic he had with this series one last time before he goes.

Secret Six #8

Here's the review for Secret Six #8, in bullet format.

-This issue chronicled Deadshot going out on a date with Jeannette, the banshee. Deadshot wanted Catman to accompany him on the date, but Catman wouldn't go, so Scandal decided to go in his place.

-Scandal took the stripper who dressed as her dead girlfriend Knockout on the date to keep her company.

-The date was continually interrupted by some skinheads who wanted to get revenge on Deadshot from a couple of issues ago.

-The issue ends with Deadshot deciding that he was beginning to warm up to Jeannette and Scandal decides that although she'll probably never get over Knockout's death, she'll still try to enjoy life...

Yeah, um, I really didn't get this comic book... What the HELL was going on here??? Seriously, what was this? I guess Gail Simone(writer)wanted to give the team an easy time after the events of the last few issues, but I really didn't enjoy this comic at all, which was a bit surprising. This issue just fell totally flat for me. The jokes didn't work for me, which really hurt this comic, since it was supposed to be a funny interlude. I know Gail can do a better job than what was in this comic... Oh well, hopefully she'll pick back up again next issue, which looks like a "Batman: Battle for the Cowl" crossover issue. That should be good. For a score, I'll give this issue a 3 1/2 out of 10 and move on.

Green Lantern #39

Here's a quick review of GL #39, in bullet point format!

-We discover that the Guardians have made a deal with Larfleeze of the Orange Lantern Corps, granting the Orange Lantern's the Vega System, provided they stay there.

-The Controllers attack Larfleeze in the Vega System, and Larfleeze mistakenly believes the Controllers to still be associated with the Guardians. Larfleeze figures the Controllers were sent by the Guardians, and therefore the Guardians have violated the agreement they had.

-Hal still can't manage to remove the Blue Lantern ring, even though he wants it off, and the Guardians are mighty pissed off about that fact. The Guardians attack Hal, but are unable to get the ring off of Hal.

-This issue ends with Scar of the Guardians deciding that the Green Lantern Corps should enter the Vega System and wipe out their Orange counterparts.

So, that was fast, no? I figure the best way to force myself to write shorter reviews is to write in bullet format. Why write shorter reviews you ask? Spending less time typing means I can spend more time reading new comics! Back to this comic though. With how greedy this Larfleeze character is, I'd be kind of surprised if there really was a Orange Lantern Corp! I just don't see him as the type who would willingly share his power with anybody else. It also looks like Scar is really beginning to put her schemes together as she prepares to unleash the Blackest Night. It's funny how obvious it is that Scar is manipulating the rest of the Guardians... Aren't they supposed to be super smart or something??? Can't they see that Scar is up to SOMETHING? This was a pretty good comic, but not quite as good as the Red Lantern issues were. For a score, I'll go with a 8 out of 10. Although I really like Larfleeze(mine, mine, mine!!!)the story was a little bit all over the place for my taste.

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2(of 3)

Overall- So, did I hit the nail on the head here or what? What am I talking about you ask? Well, before I go any further, I'd better type up a quick review of this comic. We begin with Nightwing(Dick Grayson)and Damian Wayne standing face to face with one of the impostor Batmen. This Batman has already killed several people, and tells Dick that the only way to clean Gotham City up is by killing the criminals running the streets. Needless to say Dick disagrees and the two fight. During the course of the fight, the evil Batman makes several references to things he shouldn't know about, such as secret identities and stuff along those lines. Dick decides that this Batman has to be Jason Todd, and the evil Batman says nothing to dissuade Dick from that idea.

Damian tries to help, but is outclassed and winds up just getting in the way. Before Dick can gain the upper hand, the evil Batman shoots Damian in the chest, before cutting a hasty getaway. Dick lets the evil Batman escape and takes Damian back to the Batcave where Alfred can patch him up. After Alfred fixes Damian up, Alfred and Dick have a conversation in which Alfred basically tells Dick to take up the Batman mantle since he was always the closest morally to Bruce Wayne.

While this is occurring, Black Mask is organizing and pulling off a major criminal operation against Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham Police Department. Mask sends a couple of his Arkham escapees to GCPD headquarters and has them blow the building up. As Mask is attacking the GCPD on one front, he is also pitting the Penguin and Two-Face(his main criminal competition)against each other in the hope that they will wind up killing the other.

Meanwhile, Tim Drake(Robin)is dressed in one of Bruce's old Batman outfits and is hunting for the evil Batman. Tim has already deduced the fact that the evil Batman is Jason Todd, and winds up following Jason's trail to a makeshift Batcave. While Tim is searching around the evil Batcave, he is jumped by Catwoman, who mistook him as the evil Batman. After they clear up that misunderstanding(Tim is too short to be the evil Batman!)the two begin to search around the evil Batcave. The evil Batman returns and jumps Catwoman, knocking her out of the fight quickly. Tim goes after the evil Batman and the two fight for a few pages. Ultimately, it looks like Tim has the upper hand when he begins to wail away on the evil Batman with a crowbar. Unfortunately though, while Tim was beating on the evil Batman, the evil Batman managed to impale Tim with a Batarang, possibly killing him and ending this issue.

I've already stated that I don't like the idea of killing Tim off, and this issue didn't change my mind at all on that. I think Tim can be repackaged in a similar way that Dick Grayson was after he out-grew his role as Robin. The question now becomes is Tim dead? Well, he sure looked dead at the end of this comic book, but we all know that looks can be very deceiving in comics, so I'm not going to start ranting about Tim's apparent demise just yet... With Catwoman still on the scene, although she was knocked out, I tend to doubt Tim has reached the end of the road just yet, but I guess we'll find out for sure next issue.

The next issue of this mini-series really has A LOT of ground to cover. We have to have the big climatic battle between the evil Batman and Dick Grayson, there is still the matter of the escaped Arkham inmates, along with the fate of Tim Drake and Black Mask's scheming. I don't know how Tony Daniel is going to do it, but with how good the first two issues of this mini have been, I have no reason to doubt Tony's writing abilities. For a score, I'll give this issue a 9 out of 10. This was an exceptional comic, but it just wasn't quite as good as the first issue. Maybe it was Tim getting stabbed, or maybe it was the fact that Dick Grayson stood around whining instead of actually doing anything that bugged me, but this issue was missing SOMETHING...

So do I!

And tonight's words of wisdom come courtesy of Maelstrom.

Wolverine #71

Overall- Last issue, we saw Hawkeye and Wolverine being chased by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that had been infected with the Venom Symbiote. We open this issue with Wolvie trying to outrun the big T-Rex in the old Spider-Buggy. Clint is firing a gun mounted on the back of the car at the T-Rex, but since Clint is blind, he isn't able to use that old Hawkeye accuracy to take it down. Luckily for Wolvie and Clint, they are in a part of the country under the jurisdiction of Black Bolt and his wife, Emma Frost.

Emma sends Black Bolt to help, and Black Bolt obliterates the T-Rex with a word. Emma then teleports Clint and Wolvie to her hidden domain to speak to them. Upon meeting Emma, we see that she doesn't seem to have aged a single day, while everyone else around her is really old looking. Wolvie questions her on this and Emma responds that she is actually as old as Wolvie or Clint, but with her telepathic powers, she can hide her true appearance from everyone. HA! Even at like 70+, Emma is still one VAIN woman! Emma and Clint throw some insults at each other and we find out that Emma "sold out" her friends by marrying Black Bolt and forming a pact with the villains who wound up conquering America.

After the Spider-Buggy is repaired, Wolvie and Clint depart, and finish up their journey rather quietly. Clint arrives at a warehouse in New Babylon(formerly New York)to meet with his contacts there. We find out that Clint wasn't running drugs cross country like Wolvie had suspected, but that he was carrying a case containing 99 vials of Super-Soldier Serum, which were to be used to create an army of Super-Soldiers to oppose the villains in charge of the country. Clint hands over the case, but on the condition that he is given one of the vials, so he can help with the assault on the President's headquarters. That's Hawkeye, even though he's old and blind, he's still trying to fight the good fight.

After Clint hands over the case, Wolvie realizes something is wrong and he winds up getting machine gunned from behind. Before Clint can find out what happened, he gets shot in the chest and falls to the floor. Mortally wounded, Clint asks what was going on, and he is told that he walked into a sting, and that the President was always aware of his intentions. Clint tells the evil SHIELD agents to do their worst and winds up taking a bullet right between the eyes!

Well, this issue sure crammed in a lot in a small amount of space! Of course, Clint getting killed kind of pissed me off(yes, I know it was an alternate, futuristic story, but still), but I'm guessing Clint's death will be the catalyst that finally snaps Wolvie out of his pacifist shell, and brings back the berserker Wolverine we all know and love. It seems that the President is going to be the Red Skull, but I'm half-expecting a big surprise when we finally meet the President... Mark Millar wouldn't just give us the Red Skull as the mastermind here, would he? Story and art-wise, this book was damn good, but what else would you expect from the creative team of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven? For a score, I'll give this issue a 9 out of 10. This issue wasn't quite as good as the last issue was, but it still blows away any other Wolverine-related Marvel comics out there today.

The softer side of Batman

See, he's not all about darkness and brooding!

Captain America #48

Overall- Now that I've finally finished reading that Superman tpb, I can begin reading a few new books again, and what better book to read then Ed Brubaker's Captain America? Here's the review.

This was a good comic. It wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste, but overall, I really enjoyed the story. We open with Bucky tied to a chair and Namor held captive by Prof. Chin and the Man With No Face. Namor is exposed to a virus that causes flesh to burst into flames, ala the Human Torch, while Bucky is stuck watching helplessly. While Namor burns in a tube, Chin explains to Bucky that if the virus works as planned, it should wipe out 35-50% of Earth's population. With a few billion less people around, Chin figures that the Earth should last much longer. Aww, what a nice mad scientist!

Chin and No Face are disappointed when the virus doesn't kill Namor, but are even more disappointed when Bucky's girlfriend, the Black Widow arrives, complete with Bucky's shield. Widow breaks Namor out and manages to knock out No Face. While this is going on, Chin runs away to launch the virus into the atmosphere. Widow frees Bucky, who tells her they have to find Chin before he releases the virus. Before they get too far though, Bucky, Widow and Namor, who has recovered, are attacked by Chin's personal army. Namor takes care of the army, which leaves Widow and Bucky to catch and stop Chin.

However, before Bucky and Widow manage to catch Chin, Chin manages to start the countdown to launch the missile that would send the virus into orbit. Bucky manages to reach the missile, but with only a few seconds to spare. Since Bucky isn't a rocket scientist, and can't figure out how to stop the missile from launching, he proceeds to hit it with his shield. When all else fails, right? Striking the missile actually dislodges something and prevents the missile from launching. By this time, No Face and Namor have joined Bucky and Widow in the lab and have begun to brawl with each other. Chin tries to help No Face by striking Namor with a pipe(?!?)and gets pounded by Namor as a result. No Face rushes to his fallen master's aid, but can do nothing to save Chin's life. While No Face is mourning Chin, Namor walks up behind No Face and snaps his neck! Is there anything better then some swift Atlantian justice? With the two main villains dead, the 3 heroes finish mopping up the rest of Chin's army and burn his lab to the ground to make sure none of his viruses wind up falling into the wrong hands. From there, Bucky makes sure that the original Human Torch is given a proper burial and that's pretty much that.

While this wasn't as spectacular as some of Ed's work on Cap has been, this concluded what turned out to be a pretty good storyline. I'm not sure I would have killed Chin off here, I thought he had the potential to be a good reoccurring villain, but I'm sure Ed did what he did for a reason. For a score, I'll give this comic a 8 1/2 out of 10, and state that I am eagerly anticipating Cap #50. I can't wait to find out what Ed has in store for that issue!

The downside to duplicates...

I always thought the ability to create duplicates of yourself would be great, but you know, I think my dupes would wind up driving me insane... I wonder, if Jamie killed one of his dupes, would that be considered a homicide or a suicide?

Vas is this "Star Wars"?

Is it wrong that one of my favorite characters from "Avengers: The Initiative" is Baron Von Blitzschlag? Whenever he's on panel, I almost always find myself chuckling at his antics or over-the-top accent. I say give the Baron his own series! No? OK, how about a mini-series then?

No news is good news?

I really don't have anything to post tonight... Nothing... Zilch, zip, nada... I haven't read any new comics, I'm still waiting to get a hold of Flash: Rebirth #1, and I STILL haven't finished the "Return of Superman" trade. So tonight, as was the case last night I'll stick to posting a few pics, scanning a few comics and trying to finally finish reading that gargantuan Superman trade.

Captain America and Superman, not quite best friends...

What can I possibly say about THIS exchange? "Fouling the air"? "Shake it out of you"? "High-and-mighty pretty boy"?!? Cap calling Supes a "pretty boy" was unbelievably entertaining on one level, as well as being kind of weird on another level...