Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special #2

Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special #2: Writer- James Robinson Art- Bernard Chang

What Happened: This issue gets underway a few weeks before the events of the Codename: Patriot storyline. Jimmy Olsen explains to Mon-El that he fears that Codename: Assassin is hunting him down, but Mon tells Jimmy not to worry, since Jimmy was that watch that will alert Mon anytime Jimmy is in jeopardy. Buyeed by that knowledge, Jimmy continues to dig for information on Project 7734. Jimmy gets in touch with a guy online who claims to have knowledge on the Project and Jimmy rushes off to meet with the guy. By this point, Gen. Lane(the leader of Project 7734)has had enough of Jimmy's snooping and he sends Assassin to finish Jimmy off. Jimmy arrives at the home of the man from the computer and finds it ablaze. Jimmy rushes in and pulls a man out of the inferno. The man has been shot and burnt, but still clings to life and is able to give Jimmy his story. Apparently the guy, whose name was Fury, was a part of Lex Luthor's Everyman Project and wound up learning a whole mess of stuff about Project 7734 that he shouldn't have, which is why Assassin was sent to kill him. With his dying breath, Fury gives Jimmy a phone # to call to hear more of the story. Jimmy makes the call and sets up a meeting with a woman. The woman turns out to be Natasha Irons, the niece(?)of Steel. Natasha tells Jimmy that the Project is run by Gen. Lane, and that the Project had managed to find a mindwiped Capt. Atom, who it seems is their secret weapon to use against the Kryptonians. After providing Jimmy with the information and some files, Natasha disappears. Jimmy walks outside and spots Codename: Assassin floating in the sky a few blocks from him. Jimmy immediately hits his watch to contact Mon-El, but unbeknownst to Jimmy, Mon is presumed dead in the aftermath of Codename: Patriot. With no help coming, Jimmy makes a break for it, but he rapidly discovers that you can't hide from an assassin with telepathy and telekinesis. Assassin catches up to Jimmy near a body of water and fires two bullets into the photographer's chest, knocking him and his files into the murky sea, apparently killing him, thus ending this issue.

What I thought: I enjoyed this comic a lot. I'm not normally a big fan of Jimmy Olsen(I've always found him incredibly annoying), but James did an excellent job giving Jimmy a personality and actually making me care about him. Now I guess the question is, where does this lead? If Jimmy is really dead(let's face it, that's not likely)Supes is going to be enraged, Mon-El is going to feel responsible and Lois will undoubtedly find out it was her father who put the hit out on Jimmy, leading to some big time drama. In other words, Jimmy's death should have some major ramifications in the Superman family of comic books.

Score: 8 out of 10.Personally, if I were to shoot Jimmy Olsen I'd say, "Good-Bye", but I guess that's why I'm not an assassin for a secret government program.

Superman: World of New Krypton #7

Superman: World of New Krypton #7: Writers- Greg Rucka and James Robinson Art- Pete Woods

What Happened: Supes returns to New Krypton with the body of Gen. Zod's would be assassin, Ral-Dar. He arrives just as the leaders of the various Kryptonian guilds are discussing what they should do about that bothersome planet Earth. Some of the more radical Kryptonians want to annihilate Earth, but Supes tells his fellow Kryptonians that a war with Earth would lead to the mutually assured destruction of both races. While Supes is debating with the ruling council, a near dead Gen. Zod staggers into the room with the assistance of Ursa and Non. Zod explains that all he cares about is the safety of the people of New Krypton and that Supes is one of a very few who also wants nothing more then to see New Krypton thrive and flourish. For that reason, Zod promotes Supes to the position of General(!)while Zod is incapacitated. With that, Zod collapses and is helped back to his hospital room. Now in full control of the Kryptonian military, Supes sends several members of his military out to Jupiter to take one of Jupiter's moons in order to put it in orbit around New Krypton. All seems to be going fine until Supes receives a distress signal from his men, who have been jumped in space by a massive Thanagarian spacefleet. Supes and his military guild arrive at the scene of the battle enmasse and engage the Thanagarians. Unfortunately, with nobody guiding it, the moon begins to violently hurtle towards New Krypton, ending this issue.

What I Thought: This was another good issue of this series. I'm still wondering what Zod is up to, you just know he hasn't suddenly turned a new leaf... I can't wait for the other shoe tp drop when Zod finally decides to unleash whatever nefarious plan I'm sure he's cooking up. Supes as the undisputed leader of the Kryptonian military is also an interesting prospect. I wonder where this particular story element is going to lead.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Thanagarians, nothing but trouble.

Wolverine Origins #40

Wolverine Origins #40: Writer- Daniel Way Art- Scot Eaton

What Happened: With Wolverine and Romulus finally coming face to face last issue, what do you think happened!?! They fought... A lot! Wolvie kept trying to strike Romulus with the muramasa blade, the only weapon the could conceivably kill Romulus, but Romulus continued to dodge the blade swipes, eventually disarming Wolvie. With the sword gone Wolvie pops the claws and the two literally tear into each other. Romulus explains to Wolvie that he was behind all of Wolvie's training throughout his life and that he was eventually grooming Wolverine to become his eventual replacement. However, now Romulus feels Wolvie has become too soft, and that Daken may be the better choice as Romulus' eventual replacement. The mention of his son re-energizes Wolvie and he strikes back twice as hard as before at Romulus, knocking one of Romulus' gloves off, revealing that his claws were artificial and a part of the gloves. This revelation causes Wolverine to realize that it's not that Romulus wants Wolvie to take his place, the truth of the matter is that Romulus always wanted to be Wolvie. Upon hearing this comment, Romulus flies into a rage and gets gutted by Wolvie. Wolvie goes in to finish Romulus off, but is stung when Romulus tells Wolvie that the moment he is killed, Wolvie will be taking his place at the top of the food chain and that everybody, including Wolvie's ruthless son, will be gunning for Logan. Wolvie decides that he can't kill Romulus yet, since he doesn't want to deal with the inevitable confrontation with Daken which is what Romulus' death would spark. Wolvie warns Romulus that he plans on taking apart everything he's built before he turns to leave. Romulus takes the muramasa blade and throws it at Wolvie, knocking him out with the handle of the blade. Romulus takes the blade and runs his finger along it, realizing that the blade retards healing factors. Romulus then tosses the blade on top of the unconscious Wolverine, telling him to keep the blade since he'll need it, before he walks away, ending this issue.

What I thought: Well, that was somewhat anti-climatic... So Wolverine has been hunting for Romulus for almost three years now(ever since his full set of memories returned after the House of M), he finally finds Romulus, defeats him in battle, and then DOESN'T deliver the killing blow?!? Wha??? Hasn't Marvel basically rewritten Wolverine's history so that every terrible thing that has occurred in Wolvie's life had occurred because of Romulus? I mean really, nowadays it's like if Wolvie stubs his toe somehow it's Romulus' fault. With that said I find it totally unbelievable that Wolvie allowed Romulus to survive their encounter. While I enjoyed the battle sequences and dialogue in this story, the ending fell totally flat to me.

Score: 7 out of 10.Say what you will about the story, but Romulus has an awesome look!

Not enough time in the day...

I just literally spent 3 1/2 hours completing my Accounting homework, and I still have to put some study time into Spanish since I have a quiz in that class tomorrow... In other words I most definitely won't have the time to post any new content tonight. I'll probably respond to comments, check around the blogosphere quick, before doing some serious studying. Whew, well that's going to have to be it for tonight. See ya.

Captain America Reborn #3(of 5)

Captain America Reborn #3: Writer- Ed Brubaker Art- Bryan Hitch
Before I get this review started, I have to ask, why didn't I read this comic sooner???

What Happened: Captain America(Steve Rogers)is still continuing his trip through time, with no way of knowing where he'll end up next or why he's passing through various points in his life. However, while he's fighting in the Kree-Skrull War, he manages to give a message to Vision before he is shunted elsewhere in the timestream. Namor and Mr. Fantastic retrieve Steve's coffin which was laid to rest in the ocean. As soon as they look inside of it, Steve's body vanishes. At about the same time, the Black Widow returns to Pym's lab just as Pym and company are learning from the television that Osborn has revealed Sharon Carter as the secondary shooter of Steve. Widow tells Sharon that Osborn wants her to turn herself in to him, or he'll kill the current Captain America(Bucky Barnes). Widow then tells Sharon not to worry, as the heroes already have a plan in motion to free Bucky from captivity. However, Sharon worries that if the heroes were to fail, she would have the death of another Captain America on her head. Bucky is being transported to Thunderbolts Mountain by a couple of the Thunderbolts via an airplane, which is promptly attacked by Falcon. Sam manages to defeat the T-bolts and rescue Bucky in the process. Sam reports his success back to Pym, and before Pym or Widow can tell Shanon that Bucky was safe and sound, they hear a news report stating that Sharon had turned herself over to HAMMER custody. This issue ends with Sin and Crossbones finding the Red Skull(who is still trapped in one of Armin Zola's old bodies)and telling him that Osborn wants to help him take possession of the body he deserves.

What I thought: This was an exceptionally good issue, which really isn't much of a surprise considering who the writer is. Not only was story great, the dialogue was fantastic, especially Steve's inner monologue, and Bryan's art was beautiful. So now Osborn has Sharon Carter in his possession, who seems to be the key to retrieving Steve from the timestream. Why would Osborn want to rescue Steve? Apparently the plan is for the Red Skull to take possession of Steve(which was the Skull's original plan following Steve's "death")and then for Skull to lead Osborn's Dark Avengers as Captain America. There are a few small pieces to this puzzle we aren't privy to yet, such as what exactly Steve told Vision back in the past, as well as what happened to the body that was in Steve's coffin, but with this mini-series rapidly roaring towards a conclusion, I'd say it's a safe bet we'll find out the answers to all of these questions and more. I know I'll be eagerly anticipating the final two issues of this mini!

Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.I loved this scene, the art was fantastic and the dialogue was perfect.

Dark Wolverine #78

Dark Wolverine #78: Writers- Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu Art- Stephen Segovia

What Happened: The tape of Daken(in his Wolverine guise)killing a bunch of criminals gets leaked on the Internet, and needless to say, that's not the kind of thing that makes Osborn's Avengers look very good. Osborn tries to track down who exactly put the leaked footage out there(it was Daken), since only he had a copy, but he comes up empty. In an attempt to salvage Daken's image(not to mention his Avengers), Osborn sets up a very public break out at a federal courthouse in which Moses Magnum is freed at the expense of 10 people's lives. Magnum and his crew head to their hideout, a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, and Osborn sends some camera men and Daken to the scene to take Magnum down(without killing him)in an effort to sway public opinion back towards Daken and his Avengers.

What I thought: As usual I enjoyed this comic. I've never made a secret about my feelings towards Daken, and so far this series has been consistently good since Daken took over as the title character. So this issue, Daken leaks the footage of himself going on a rampage in an effort to further infuriate/discredit Osborn, he also sends Moonstone a book along with a flower as he continues to draw her closer to him and further from Osborn, all while continuing to push Osborn's buttons... That's what I like the most about this series, while Osborn may fancy himself in complete control of things, Daken seems to be the one playing the role of the puppeteer.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.And so the Disney invasion begins...

X-Factor #48

X-Factor #48: Writer- Peter David Pencils- Valentine De Landro

What Happened: We start in the future where Falcone, the man responsible for the Sentinel program, is speaking to his mystery benefactor, Damian Tryp(!!!). Falcone thinks all of their plans are shot after his confrontation with the President's staff at the White House, but Tryp assures Falcone that everything should still work out(meaning mutantkind would be eradicated in the past), provided Layla Miller doesn't screw everything up for the evildoers. Old Cyclops doesn't like the fact that Madrox brought old Dr. Doom back to the secret headquarters of the Summers Rebellion, and when Scott confronts Doom, Doom knocks Scott on his backside... Old Doom officially rules. From there we head back to the present where Cortex is battling Monet and Siryn. Both women are shocked that Cortex has Madrox's face and Cortex uses that momentary distraction to knock Monet several blocks away. Siryn attacks Cortex, but really can't manage to harm him. After toying with Siryn, Cortex throws her down an elevator shaft. By this point, Monet is back in the picture and she puts her fist straight through Cortex's chest(!) as revenge for Cortex taking over her mind for the past several issues. Back in the future, Madrox brings old Doom to a lab and asks him if he would be able to create a device that would return Cortex to the future, to which old Doom responds, "Easily". Going back to the present, Siryn is horrified when she climbs up the elevator shaft and finds Monet standing over the body of Cortex. Before the women can make a move, Cortex(obviously not dead)teleports away and heads back towards his original target, the mother of the unborn Hecat'e. Darwin(who is with the woman)stands between Cortex and the woman, but before Cortex can blast Darwin to smithereens, Cortex's hand is lopped off by Shatterstar, who along with Rictor and Guido have suddenly arrived on the scene, ending this issue.

What I thought: Do you even have to ask? I loved this issue! Where do I even begin? Old Tryp being revealed as the key baddie in the future came as a total unexpected shock to me. I honestly didn't see that one coming! I may have to dig out my old issues of X-Factor to give myself a refresher course on who Tryp was again, he's been gone for quite some time now. I know he ran Singularity Investigations(I think)and frequently ran afoul of Madrox and X-Factor. Besides that, I'm still really enjoying Cortex, and I hope he manages to survive this storyline and continue to menace X-Factor well into the future. Then there's old Doom... What can I even say about old Doom? Every panel he appears on puts a smile on my face. If there was an old Doom mini-series I'd buy three copies of every issue! Well, Peter is continuing to move all of the pieces expertly around this comic, and the the final confrontation between X-Factor and the Summers Rebellion against Tryp, Cortex, Falcone and his Sentinels should be epic to say the least. Needless to say I can't wait for the next issue.

Score: 9 out of 10.All hail his excellency, Victor Von Doom!

The dread Accounting Homework strikes again!!!

Since I was pretty lazy this weekend(ie. I spent all my time watching football, playing video games and blogging)I wound up neglecting my Accounting homework until Sunday night... At 10: 15! So as I look at the clock it is becoming apparent that I definitely won't have the time to post any new reviews tonight. Yeah, I'm sure everybody is devastated... Or not. ;)

Anyway, before I hit the hay tonight I'll probably spend some time travelling around the blogosphere(which is like the atmosphere, only nerdier), checking out my favorite blogs, responding to comments and posting a few new pics over at the pic site. I think I'm going to make this Flash week over at the pic site. Why? I don't know, why not! Yep, so I'll probably be posting pics of the various Flashes(Jay, Barry, Wally and Bart)doing whatever it is Flashes do(run I guess...). Before I end this post, this upcoming week is actually pretty meaningful to me, Oct. 2nd in particular... A no-prize goes to the first person to figure out what makes Oct. 2 special to me.

Teen Titans #74

Teen Titans #74: Writer- Bryan Q. Miller Pencils- Joe Bennett.

What Happened: The Teen Titans and the Fearsome Five battle each other on the streets of San Fransisco as this issue gets underway. Red Devil notices that there seems to be a nuclear signature emanating from Alcatraz Island, and the Calculator(posing as an FBI agent)sends Devil to the scene to handle the situation. Devil arrives at Alcatraz and finds the radioactive guy Mammoth stabbed last issue about to explode in a massive nuclear explosion that would level San Fran. Devil loads the guy onto the Titans jet and flies him as high in the air as the jet can take him. By this point the Titans have subdued the Fearsome Five and Devil contacts Miss Martian mentally to say his goodbyes. The Titans who can fly try to get to the jet in time, but it explodes, killing the radioactive guy and Devil in the process. Wonder Girl naturally blames herself, being the leader of the team and all, but Bombshell of all people convinces Cassie that Devil's death wasn't her fault. In the end, Cassie decides to stay on and work harder to make sure no more Titans die. This issue ends with the Calculator forcing the captive Kid Eternity to continuously change into his dead son Marvin, in an effort to be a more attentive father to Marvin in death then he was in life. There was a Second Feature with Ravager, but it was pretty standard stuff, so I'm not going to bother reviewing it.

What I thought: This series has definitely gotten a lot better with Brian at the writing reins as opposed to the previous writer, Sean McKeever. This storyline was pretty good overall, and Bryan actually has me a little bit interested in this series again, which is nothing short of a miracle! Sure, I still don't really like the line-up here, but once Kid Flash and Superboy(two of my favorite characters by the way)return, this series should improve exponentially. I like Calculator as the main villain in this title, I thought he was a great villain during his "Birds of Prey" days, and his motivation(wanting revenge on the Titans for the death of his son and the paralyzing of his daughter)is perfect. I can't say I'm shocked Red Devil was the Titan to die this issue, without his powers Eddie wasn't really needed anymore. I would have preferred to see the annoying Blue Beetle die, but you don't always get what you wish for.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.So long Red Devil...

Booster Gold #24

Booster Gold #24: Writer/Artist- Dan Jurgens.

What Happened: This issue begins where the last issue left off(makes sense, doesn't it?)with Booster Gold trying his best to not get killed by Trigon in an alternate timeline. While Booster and Trigon are battling, Black Beetle arrives on the scene and asks Trigon not to kill Booster. Trigon doesn't appreciate the fact that his "servant" Black Beetle is asking a favor of him, but when Beetle tells Trigon Booster is a time traveler and that he may know secrets that could help Trigon, Trigon decrees that Beetle can interrogate Booster. With that, Trigon knocks Booster unconscious. Booster wakes up in Lex Luthor's lab, and refuses to tell Beetle any pertinent information. Beetle tells Luthor to inject Booster with a serum that would reveal all of Booster's secrets, but destroy his mind in the process. Beetle then leaves the lab. Instead of injecting Booster, Lex frees him and tells Booster he can't stomach working for Trigon anymore. Lex tells Booster about a room in Trigon's castle that is off-limits to everyone but Trigon, and Luthor surmises that the key to Trigon's defeat must be in that room. Booster gets in touch with Skeets, and the remaining members of the anti-Trigon rebellion force teleport into the castle and to Booster's location. Raven, Rip Hunter, Lex and Skeets teleport into the room while the rest of the resistance battle against Trigon's forces. The room contains trophies Trigon had collected after his conquest of Earth, and the Black Beetle makes a bee-line into the room and betrays Trigon, stealing a Red Scarab, which he claims will make him unstoppable. Beetle then teleports away as Trigon enters the room enraged by Beetle's betrayal. Raven teleports Booster, Rip and Skeets back to the Time Bubble and they head back to the battle between Deathstroke, Ravager and the Teen Titans. This time Booster intercepts Deathstroke before he can arrive at the Titans base and defeats the Terminator. Booster then proceeds to dress up as Deathstroke to ensure that the Titans will win the battle and that the timeline unfolds the proper way. Raven alters Deathstroke's mind so that he believes he was the one who fought by Ravager's side and erases all evidence of Booster from his memory in the process. This issue ends with Booster realizing that he still has some work ahead of him to fix the timeline. The Second Feature starred Blue Beetle, and since I can't stand him I'm not going to bother to read/review that story. Sorry.

What I thought: I actually have some mixed emotions about this comic... I thoroughly enjoyed the stuff in the future with Black Beetle, Trigon and Lex Luthor. I loved the fact that Beetle was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to steal the Red Scarab from Trigon. That part of the story was good... The part of the story when Booster an co. headed back to the past bothered me a lot though. Come on, we don't even get to see the battle between Booster and Deathstroke??? Instead we get to relive the battle between Deathstroke(Booster), Ravager and the Titans again? As a Deathstroke fan, that really bugged me. I also don't like that Deathstroke wasn't even a part of that classic confrontation. Bah!

Score: 7 out of 10.What can I say, I thought Beetle's dig at Booster's expense was funny.

Magog #1

Magog #1: Writer-Keith Giffen Penciller-Howard Porter

What Happened: This story opens with Magog visiting Sudan, Africa and finding several atrocities, including soldiers who have enslaved villagers, lopped off their arms and fitted them with some sort of device that forces them to obey. Magog discovers what he can from one of the soldiers and then proceeds to annihilate the rest of the evil-doers. We learn that the villagers were basically zombies and that the control devices were the only things keeping them "alive". Magog has an old marine buddy do some digging about the devices, but his friend comes back with nothing. Alan Scott(Green Lantern)stops by Magog's hotel room, and Magog tells him about what he ran across. Alan reads Magog the riot act about his behavior and actions(killing the evil soldiers)and Magog yes's Alan until he leaves. We get a strange interlude with some businessman killing a family with invisible assassins as per instructions he received over his cell phone. Magog heads to his buddy and gives him one of the control devices in the hope that his friend can get some answers as to who is responsible for them. While he's awaiting the results, he heads down to El Paso and destroys some drug dealers. This issue ends with the businessman from earlier vaguely talking to somebody over his cell phone at the scene in El Paso where Magog had come and gone.

What I thought: This was a good first issue. It established to any readers unfamiliar with Magog exactly who he is and what he stands for. The stuff with the businessman was WAY to vague for my liking, but I'm sure as this series unfolds all will eventually be revealed. I like Magog, I like his approach towards crime and I like his personality. This issue did nothing to change my opinion on Magog, which was a good thing. I'll definitely be sticking with this series for the foreseeable future.

Score: 8 out of 10.Well, that'll teach them not to sell drugs anymore!

Adventure Comics #2

Unfortunately this is going to be the only book I review tonight, I just finished typing up a paper on "The Epic of Gilgamesh", and needless to say I'm tired! Tomorrow I should have reviews up for Magog #1 and Booster Gold #24... Hopefully!

Adventure Comics #2: Writer- The comic book GOD himself, Geoff Johns. Artist- Francis Manapul.

What Happened: Lex Luthor and Brainiac make their escape from Project 7734. We learn that Brainiac intends on killing Superman for defeating him and re-bottling Kandor, while Lex Luthor will be given the Earth for his assistance in Brainiac's escape. Lex also has some kind of experiment on Brainiac's ship called Project: Alien Farm, which Lex calls very "personal" and "family". Wonder Girl and Superboy have a date, and SB reveals to Cassie that he still has feelings for her and that he'd like to pick up their relationship from where they left off, prior to his "death". Cassie reveals that while SB was "dead" her and Robin(Tim Drake/Wayne)wound up dating for a while. SB forgives her since everybody thought he was dead anyway and the two share a kiss. This issue ends with Lex Luthor catching up on the news while he was locked up by Project 7734. Lex seems genuinely pleased by most of the bad things he reads, however he is struck speechless when he gets to the article about his "son", Superboy, returning from the dead. This issue also had a Second Feature story starring Lightning Lad from the Legion of Super-Heroes and his evil brother. The story was pretty good, but I just can't fully enjoy these Legion stories... I want MY Legion, the Three-boot Legion!

What I thought: I definitely liked this issue more than the last one, the main story, as well as the Legion back-up were both way better than last month's installment of "Adventure". Lex Luthor stole the show as usual for me, but as most of you probably know, I'm a big fan of Lex, and Geoff writes Lex better than anybody else IMO. The SB story was nothing more than an extended date between SB and Cassie... Although I did enjoy the date and the dialogue was very well done, I was a little letdown that nothing really happened on the date. Sure, SB and Cassie got back together and kissed and all, but I was hoping for something more. Now, next issue has the potential of being VERY interesting... Red Robin(Tim Drake/Wayne)and SB are set to meet up for the first time since SB's return from the dead(well, besides FC: Legion of Three Worlds #5). I'll be interested to see how SB reacts to Tim concerning his new moniker/look, as well as the fact that Tim, SB's best friend, was all over Cassie after SB's death.

Score: 8 out of 10.You've got to love Lex's definition of "good" news.

Green Arrow and Black Canary #24

Green Arrow and Black Canary #24 Writer- Andrew Kreisberg Penciller- Mike Norton

What Happened: This issue opens with Black Canary spiriting Cupid away from prison in an attempt to keep her safe from the insane Big Game, who wants to kill Cupid. Cupid and BC run from the cops, talk and fight the cops. Big Game eventually catches up to the women and claims to have killed Green Arrow back at the prison. BC and Big Game wind up battling in the streets of Star City while Cupid uses the distraction to escape. BC and Game are pretty well matched, with neither one of them managing to gain the upper hand, that is until the timely arrival of Speedy(!)who ties Game up with some rope arrows, ending his threat. BC and Speedy both try to get in touch with GA, and Ollie eventually answers them, stating that he is a bit bruised, but definitely not dead. From there we head back to Ollie's home, where we learn Mia and Dodger broke up, which is why she returned to Star City. After catching up with Ollie and Dinah, Mia decides to hit the hay, but is woken up by the sounds of arguing. Ollie decides that there is something wrong with him and his relationship with Dinah, so he packs a bag and leaves, ending this issue.

What I thought: UGH... What the hell was this??? This comic was pretty terrible, from cover to cover. The dialogue was awful, the story was nonsensical(why was Dinah running from the cops with Cupid? Why not stay at the prison with Ollie and take down Game together?)and the ending was ridiculous. The only good to come out of this issue was the return of Speedy, but not even she could save this comic. I honestly can't stand Cupid. Unfortunately for me however, Andrew really seems to like her, which means we'll be seeing more of her going forward in this series. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Andrew changed the name of this series to Green Arrow and Cupid, or better yet, Cupid and Green Arrow... Of course Black Canary couldn't defeat Big Game one on one, but that really doesn't surprise me anymore. Obviously Andrew can't stand Dinah, so far his entire run on this book has shown Dinah as either a screw-up or a damsel in distress... She once fought Deathstroke the frigging Terminator to a standstill in an issue of the "Birds of Prey"!!! Dinah should have mopped the floor with Big Game, but naturally she winds up getting stabbed in the leg and saved by Speedy... Sigh... So now Ollie has decided to leave Dinah... Who didn't see that one coming? Andrew has been setting up a relationship between Ollie and Cupid from practically his first issue on this title, and if/when that relationship occurs, this rant will seem like child's play compared to what I'll wind up saying then...

Score: 3 1/2 out of 10.I sure can't blame Ollie for leaving... If I was a character in this comic I'd want out too!

Batgirl #2

Batgirl #2: Writer- Brian Q. Miller Artwork- Lee Garbett, Trevor Scott and Sandra Hope.

What Happened: We begin this issue with Barbara Gordon pretty much warning Stephanie that she shouldn't be wearing the Batgirl costume. Babs throws all of the lousiest moments from Steph's crime fighting career in her face, but Steph is unbowed and refuses to give up the fight. Later on, Babs discovers that the guy who died last issue was hopped up on some type of new drug called Thrill. Steph heads to a college party called the Harvest Festival and runs into an obviously intoxicated classmate who winds up collapsing. Steph deducts that somebody spiked the punch and watches as a few guys run away. Steph(as Batgirl)follows and engages the guys in battle. Babs watches the fight through Steph's Batgirl costume and serves as an extra pair of eyes during the fight. Unfortunately, the guys wind up hitching a ride in a truck and escape. Babs and Steph head to the Batcave and wind up identifying one of the guys Steph fought, as well as learning that the drug in the punch at the Harvest Festival was Thrill. From there, Babs learns one of the drug dealers Steph fought was actually dumb enough to go to the emergency room and wound up getting arrested. Babs again warns Steph to stay out of the investigation, and leaves. While being transported to jail in a squad car, the dealer is broken out by the criminal behind the Thrill drug, the Scarecrow(!!!).

What I thought: I liked this issue. It wasn't spectacular, but it was definitely enjoyable. Of course it definitely helped that I'm a fan of both Babs and Steph, as well as being a huge fan of Scarecrow. I have my fingers crossed that Babs winds up staying in this book as a supporting character/mentor to Steph. There were some slow parts in this issue, but that's to be expected in any new series as the writer tries to establish where he wants to go with the characters. With next issue promising more Steph, more Babs, and of course, more Scarecrow, I'll definitely be there.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Scarecrow is one of those characters who could be a real menace if written properly. Don't believe me? Check out the "Batman: Arkham Asylum" video game!

Batman and Robin #4

Batman and Robin #4: Writer- Grant Morrison Penciller- Philip Tan

What Happened: This issue opens with the Red Hood and his sidekick, Scarlett, killing a z-list villain by the name of Lightning Bug... Wow, I bet that name struck fear in the hearts of the citizens of Gotham... "Look out, here comes the Lightning Bug!". Sorry, let me get back on track here. Batman and Robin arrive on the scene after Lightning Bug's death, too late to discover who was responsible for the murder. Later, Lucius Fox tells Dick that Wayne Enterprises is suffering financially, but Dick seems almost oblivious to that news. From there Dick and Damien stakeout a big organized crime meeting. The only criminal of note attending is the Penguin, and the topic of the meeting is a new kind of designer drug the crooks want to begin peddling in the streets of Gotham. While the criminals are discussing business, Red Hood and Scarlett strike, tearing through the two-bit mobsters. Hood beats Penguin up, but leaves him alive, since he wants Penguin to spread the word among the Gotham underworld that the Red Hood and Scarlett play for keeps. By this point, Batman and Robin arrive on the scene which leaves us with our cliffhanger ending.

What I thought: Anybody who has read this blog with any regularity probably knows that I didn't like the first 3 issues of this series. Just so we're all on the same page here, I REALLY didn't like those issues! With that said, I thought this issue was definitely a step in the right direction. There were still some things that bugged me, like Damien's attitude(must Damien ALWAYS be so obnoxious?)and the Penguin appearing in this issue(I HATE the Penguin!!!), but I thought this issue was a much easier/logical read. Next issue should give us the showdown of Batman and Robin vs. Red Hood and Scarlett. I'd say it's about a 98% certainty that the Red Hood is Jason Todd(although with Grant Morrison, you never know!). I've already stated on numerous occasions that I am a huge fan of Jason, and I wouldn't be annoyed at all if he is indeed under the mask of the Red Hood. I like the idea of him turning to extreme vigilantism, and taking an equally unbalanced sidekick under his wing, ala Batman, would make sense. Of course I'd rather Jason as a Huntress type of hero, but I can see that's not happening anytime soon.

Score: 7 out of 10.Alas poor Lightning Bug, we hardly knew ye.

Finally... New Reviews!

OK, my homework is out of the way... Well except for my Accounting HW, but if I do any more accounting work my brain will literally explode, and I'll probably wind up as the most pathetic Black Lantern ever! Anyway, I think I'm going to do all of my new reviews in the Speed Review format I've been using as of late, I tend to get more reviews done that way. Well, enough with the small talk, it's time to get reading!

Accounting: The cure for insomnia.

You know, if not for my accounting class, this semester would probably be a piece of cake. Since I'm STILL working on my accounting HW, which is due tomorrow, I won't be posting any new reviews to the blog tonight. I've got a huge pile of unread, new comic books building up on my nightstand, and I just don't have the time to get around to reading them. Oh well, there's always tomorrow I guess.

Before I go on, thanks for the comments on the previous post about what you guys want to see on the picture blog. Homework or no homework, I'll be posting a couple of the recommendations/requests you guys have been sending me. Some of them I've been having little to no trouble finding, but there are a few which are definitely giving me some trouble... However, I'm still pretty sure I can find all of the pics that have been requested so far. Alright, that's it for tonight, remember to check out the picture blog and keep those requests coming!

Throwing down the guantlet.

I figure I'll try something a little bit different with the scan site, which you can conveniently find here. As anybody who has visited the scan site lately knows, I've been posting full page scans of various comic books in my possession. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the comics I've been posting either, I'll just reach into one of my many crates of comics and whatever I pull is what I post. However, I want to try something a little different. I want my fellow comic fanatics to give me requests on what they want me to post... But with a bit of a twist. Try to stump me. For example, instead of asking me to post a scan from the "Nightwing" series, ask me to post a scan of Nightwing and Batman arguing. Or ask me to scan a comic from a certain month/year, like say, June 1981. Or a battle between, oh I don't know, let's say Cyclops and Mr. Sinister. All I ask is that nobody sends me some totally impossible event, like Deadpool shooting Superman in the back in Gotham City or a page from Detective Comics #39. So there's your mission, should you choose to accept it. Let's see what you guys can come up with!

Speed Review for: Blackest Night Batman #2(of 3)

Blackest Night Batman #2: Writer- Peter J. Tomasi Penciller- Aroian Syaf

What Happened: Batman's Black Lantern rogues gallery is running amok in Gotham, menacing the populace. A large group of the BL's have taken control of Gotham Police headquarters in an effort to draw Batman out. Batman(Dick Grayson), Robin(Damian Wayne)and Deadman head to the Army National Guard Armory and Dick and Damian grab some flamethrowers and head to GCPD HQ. Commissioner Gordon, along with his daughter Barbara(Oracle)Gordon are among the few cops still standing at GCPD HQ. While Gordon tries to keep himself and his daughter among the living, Dick and Damian attack the BL's who had taken control of the GCPD HQ rooftop. Deadman winds up taking possession of Babs' body and gets Babs and Gordon out of Dodge. Dick and Damian try burning the BL's on the roof, but they continue to rebuild from the damage. Red Robin(Tim Drake/Wayne)flies a Batplane into the ghouls on the rooftop, clearing a pathway for Dick and Damian. The Dynamic Duo wind up hitching a ride with Tim, and they wind up picking up Gordon and Babs before peeling out. This issue ends with the dead parents of both Tim and Dick attacking the plane, causing it to crash in a graveyard.

What I thought: There was actually a lot to like here, but there was still some stuff that bothered me. First the good. Peter did a great job with his characterizations of the Black Lanterns here. BL King Snake was awesome, and BL Blockbuster recognizing that it was his old nemesis Dick Grayson under Batman's cowl was equally great. BL Blockbuster(rightfully)blaming Dick for his death was also a sweet nod to those of us who were fans of the "Nightwing" series. As for the bad, the various heroes really didn't seem like they were trying to hide their identities at all. Deadman refers to Dick as "Grayson" within earshot of Gordon, Tim calls Dick by his first name, once again within earshot of Gordon, and the parents of Tim and Dick referred to their children by first and last name, all while Gordon was aboard the Batplane! So much for secret identities I guess!

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10Tim's dad cracked me up here... Does that make me a bad person?

I've been waiting all day for Sunday night!

I was going to post a review for Blackest Night Batman #2 tonight, but since the Giants-Cowboys game ended so late(Go Giants!!!), I see I'm not going to get around to it tonight... Great game though. Anyway, I'll probably have the reviews for BN: Bats as well as Adventure Comics #2 up tomorrow night. As for right now, I'm going to check the blogs of my fellow Legion of Losers before posting two scans over at the pic site. Well, that's it for tonight, Nok klek everybody!

Blackest Night #3(of 8)

I'm actually a bit surprised that I have my hands on this comic book, I wasn't expecting to get this comic until Monday at the earliest. But needless to say, I'm not complaining! I actually would have had this review up a lot sooner, but I was over at Kello's blog checking out his second anniversary post. I'd definitely recommend anybody reading this to go over and check Kello's work out. With that plug out of the way, on to this comic. So far, I've given the first two issues of this mini-series perfect scores. Here's hoping that trend continues. The writer here is the stupendous, the amazing, the magnificent, the comic book GOD himself, Geoff Johns! Ivan Reis graces us with his pencil work while Oclair Albert and Joe Prado provide the inks. Alright, enough with the introductions, on to the review!

-This issue begins with the current Firestorm, Jason Rusch, having a bit of a lover's quarrel with his girlfriend Gen. While the two are talking, Jason's Justice League communicator begins to call him to JLA headquarters.

-In Gotham City, Flash(Barry Allen)and Hal Jordan are facing off against the Black Lantern version of the Justice League. Barry and Hal are barely holding their own when the Atom(Pay Palmer)pops out of Hawkman's Black Lantern Ring, which is where he took refuge last issue. Ray tells Hal that the rings are funneling energy from the Black Lanterns back to an unknown source.

-Firestorm heads to the Hall of Justice in Washington DC and discovers that whoever summoned him to the Hall used Aquaman's passcode. Firestorm heads to the security room and stands in front of a wall of television monitors dumbfounded by the awful reports coming in from all over the world. He is then met by Mera who we find out sent out the call for help with Aquaman's passcode. She tells Firestorm what befell her last issue and warns him not to panic, or the Black Lanterns would be upon them.

-Back in Gotham, the BL Justice League is finally gaining the upper hand against Barry, Hal and Ray. Before BL Elongated Man can tear out Ray's heart, the Indigo Lanterns teleport to the scene and somehow manage to use Hal's power ring to destroy BL Elongated Man and BL Sue Dibny. Before Hal can process what happened, the Indigo Lanterns teleport the trio of heroes to the Hall of Justice where they all meet up with Firestorm and Mera.

-The leader of the Indigo Lanterns, Indigo-1, tells the gathered heroes the origin story of the colors of the universe. In the beginning, there was only blackness after the universe formed. In time, the blackness gave way to blinding light, and for several hundred years the light reigned supreme. The blackness fought back and the white light splintered into the seven colors of the emotional spectrum of which every sentient being contributes to... Or something along those lines...

-Indigo-1 then tells the heroes that the only way to destroy the Black Lanterns is for the respective emotions to work together, which explains why Indigo-1 was able to destroy BL's Elongated Man and Sue Dibny with help from Hal's ring. Hal's connection to all of the other Corps also explains why Indigo-1 came to him. Upon learning that Carol Ferris is a Star Sapphire again and that she is fighting Black Lanterns on the Sapphire's homeworld of Zamaron, Hal decides he wants to leave the Earth and head to Zamaron to help Carol out. Barry convinces Hal that he is still needed on Earth, and the heroes decide to come up with some sort of plan to defeat the Black Lanterns.

-Before a plan can be formulated though, the JL Black Lanterns break-in and attack. The Indigo Lanterns teleport away, leaving Hal and the other heroes alone to face their dead comrades. BL Firestorm attacks Firestorm and manages to separate Jason from Gen. BL Firestorm grabs Gen by the throat and Jason grabs BL Firestorm, which causes Jason to wind up trapped in BL Firestorm's head, powerless to prevent BL Firestorm from murdering Gen.

-While the other heroes are battling the BL Justice League, a slew of Black power rings enter the Hall of Justice and head straight to the underground tombs where the deceased enemies of the League were being kept. This issue ends with Dr. Light, Maxwell Lord, Alexander Luthor and others rising to join the Black Lantern Corps.

Well I guess I should just come out and say it... I didn't really like this issue all that much. There, I said it. Where to begin... I guess I'll start with the Indigo Lanterns. I don't like 'em. All they seem to be is a convenient plot device Geoff is using to provide the heroes with information. Where exactly did Indigo-1 get all of her information from? How did she know about the battle between the light and dark during the beginning of time? How did she know that the various Corps could destroy the Black Lanterns if they all worked together? It was all just too convenient for my liking.

Another thing that bugged me a little was the dialogue, which honestly shocked me. I'd easily consider Geoff Johns to be among my two favorite writers(Ed Brubaker is the other one), and one of the things I really enjoy about his work is his dialogue. This issue was just full of hackneyed, borderline embarrassing lines. When Barry said to Hal, "Death is literally sweeping across the Earth." and Hal responded by saying, "Death is overrated." I actually groaned. "Death is overrated"... That sounds like something Arnold Schwarzenegger would say in a Terminator movie. Ugh.

This entire comic read like one of those blockbuster action movies. All we had here were brawls, "dramatic" scenes, and ridiculous dialogue. No, this issue definitely won't be getting a perfect score. For a score, I'm going to have to go with a lowly 6 1/2 out of 10... I readily await my fellow comic book fans to rip me a new one after they read this review.So long Black Lantern Sue Dibny. Don't let the door hit you on your way back to the land of obscurity!

Speed Review for: Batman #690

Batman #690: Writer- Judd Winick Pencils- Mark Bagley.

What Happened: After being ambushed last issue by Clayface and Blanco, Dick manages to gain the upper hand on the odd couple, but he becomes distracted by an explosion at a nearby building. Clayface and Blanco take advantage of the distraction to make their getaway, leaving Dick confused as to why Clayface and Blanco attacked him, as well as who set off the explosives to allow the two villains to make good their escape. The Penguin, who hired a mystery man to set up Clayface and Blanco's attack, is pleased that Batman should now be off his back and after the escaped villains. Penguin tries to end his business agreement with the mystery man, but the mystery man has all of the Penguin's bodyguards killed, explaining to the Penguin that he'll now be working for the mystery man. Finally, Two-Face hires a teleportor and shows her a batarang, telling her to teleport him to the place the batarang was created. The woman complies, and Alfred alerts Dick that there has been a breach at the Batcave. Dick rushes to the Cave, but doesn't see anything wrong, until he notices the giant penny has been uncovered. Before he can react, Dick is shot in the back with several tranquilizer darts and Two-Face, wearing a bizarre take-off of Batman's costume demands to know where the "real" Batman was.

What I thought: This was yet another good issue of this series. Of course, I am a pretty big fan of Mark Bagley's art and of Two-Face, which should explain some of my satisfaction with this issue. I'm about 95% sure the mystery man with the Penguin is Black Mask, but all throughout this comic book he was shrouded in shadows, which is why I had to keep referring to him as the mystery man during the review. Two-Face finding the Batcave is a very interesting prospect. First off, I have to say I'm not really that pleased by the way Judd had Two-Face find the Cave. With how insanely paranoid Bruce Wayne is/was, I just can't believe he doesn't have some type of teleportational dampeners active in the Cave. Even though Two-Face finding the Cave was a BIG stretch, I have to say I am eagerly anticipating the battle between Dick and one of his greatest nemesis', Two-Face, in the confines of the Batcave. Next issue should be sweet.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.I absolutely LOVE Two-Face's Bat-costume! I'm not exactly sure why I love it, but I do!

Speed Review for: Nova #28

Nova #28: Writers- Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Artist- Andrea Divito.
This is yet another "War of Kings" x-over.

What Happened: Rich rips into Strontian after he found her standing over his brother Robbie's lifeless body. Rich's fellow Nova Corps members alert him to the fact that Robbie is still alive(barely)but before they can clear out, Strontian's Shi'ar teammates arrive on the scene to assist their leader. After a surprisingly brief battle, Rich and the Nova Corps manage to take out the Shi'ar forces. As Rich goes to leave, he discovers that Blastarr's forces have completely overrun the planet of Kree-Lar. Blastarr agrees to let Rich and his Corps leave, but he refuses to allow Rich to take Ravenous, the now former king of Kree-Lar off world. Rich winds up convincing Blastarr to allow him to leave with Ravenous and his Corps, but Blastarr isn't exactly pleased about the way things went down between Rich and himself. Back on Nu-Xandar, Rich decides to reestablish the Nova Corps, but only after a very meticulous selection process. Robbie gets placed in a healing tank and when he regains consciousness, Rich officially makes him a full-fledged Nova Corps member. This issue ends with Rich and the Corps discovering the tear in time/space from "War of Kings #6". As they investigate, a very old Nova Corps starship emerges from the tear.

What I thought: Things wrapped up a bit to neatly for my tastes here. I didn't like the ease with which Rich was able to defeat Strontian, or how he was able to trick/threaten his way off of Kree-Lar. Blastarr had Rich dead to rights, allowing him to leave Kree-Lar with Ravenous in tow just seemed very weak on Blastarr's part. I will say I'm VERY surprised to see Robbie survive this storyline. After the events of last issue, I thought for sure he was a goner. To me things would have been more interesting for Rich had Robbie died. Usually Nova is among my favorite Marvel books, but this issue just didn't do much for me.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.The utter bewilderment of Blastarr in this scene was some pretty funny stuff.

Speed Review for: Guardians of the Galaxy #17

Guardians of the Galaxy #17: Writers- Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Penciler- Brad Walker.
This is a "War of Kings" x-over issue.

What Happened: The Guardians who remained in the present get a message from Star-Lord(who is in the future)warning them to do whatever it takes to prevent Black Bolt from detonating the T-Bomb, or time and space would begin to tear apart. Unfortunately, the message comes to late, because the Bomb went off in "War of Kings #6". The Guardians head to Attilan to get a closer look at the tear, and Adam Warlock decides to ally himself with the Universal Church of Truth in an attempt to close the tear. Adam winds up expending an insane amount of power and manages to halt the spread of the tear, but he proves unable to close it. Afterwards, Adam's Guardian teammate, Martyr, stabs Warlock in the back, as per her agreement with Oblivion several issues back. Gamora attacks Martyr and after a brief battle Gamora impales Martyr with her sword. Upon checking on Warlock, Gamora realizes the Magus has taken full possession of Warlock's body, but before she can alert anybody, Magus snaps her neck and tosses her away while the members of the Universal Church bow down to their resurrected God.

What I thought: This one had me a bit conflicted. This issue started off VERY slow, but when it picked up steam, it was like a runaway freight train! Gamora besting Martyr in battle definitely left a smile on my face, since I can't stand Martyr, and I can't get enough of Gamora... I have the strangest fixation on green women... Anyway, Magus apparently killing Gamora definitely wiped that smile off my face, but Gamora is pretty damn tough, so here's hoping she somehow survives having her neck broken and then getting tossed into space... Ahem... Although he killed(?)Gamora, I'm thrilled to see Magus return. Magus is a true universal level threat, and should make all of Marvel's space-faring titles a whole lot more interesting. Magus + The Universal Church of Truth = A nearly insurmountable threat for the Guardians of the Galaxy. The next few issues should be flat out awesome.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Yes, I'll admit it, I marked out big time when the Magus returned here... I'm such a geek!

Speed Review for: Green Lantern Corps #40

Green Lantern Corps #40: Writer- Peter J. Tomasi Penciller- Patrick Gleason. This is a "Blackest Night" x-over issue.

What Happened: Arisia returns to Oa with a heavy heart after the events on Daxam, and finds herself smack-dab in the middle of the war between the Green Lanterns and the Black Lanterns. Kyle rejects the advances of the surprisingly hot Black Lantern Jade, while Salaak lays down the law to the Alpha Lanterns, explaining to them that in the absence of the Guardians, Salaak, Kyle and Guy Gardner(!)are in charge of the Corps. The Black Lanterns take over all of the prisoners the Guardians had executed on Oa a few issues back. This issue ends with Sinestro's daughter, GL Soranik Natu, returning to Oa to help out.

What I thought: This issue was a straight-forward brawl between the GL's and the BL's. There really wasn't any story development, although I can't help but smile at the fact that Guy Gardner is now officially in charge of 1/3 of the GL Corps! This was a good action issue, but little else.

Score: 7 out of 10.You know, for a heart-eating zombie, Jade doesn't look half bad!

TGIF!

This week is finally over, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief... Ahhhhh. With the upcoming week looking pretty light school-wise, I should be able to post reviews like a machine. A tired machine, but a machine nonetheless! After finishing off my History test today(which was easier then I expected)I wound up reading 6 comics in the school lounge, so I've got a lot of reviews to begin posting. Most likely I'm going to tackle these reviews in my Speed format in order to get them posted as quickly as I can. Before I start the reviews, I just wanted to thank you guys for the comments both here and over at the scan blog. I really, really appreciate them. Alright, time to start reviewing!

The end is near!

Thankfully, this week is finally reaching its end. I just finished printing out my History paper, and all I've got left to do now is some good old fashion cramming for my History exam early tomorrow morning. Classwise, all I've got tomorrow is my History exam, a two hour break and a gym class, then that's it, weekend time! I plan on catching up on all of the comic book reading I've been missing out on this week during that two hour break, meaning that come tomorrow night(provided I'm awake and coherent)I should have a whole bunch of Speed Reviews up.

Other than that, I'll still be checking out the blogs of my fellow Legion of Losers, as well as posting two new scans to the scan site before signing off tonight. Speaking of the scan site, I posted some scenes from "Batman: A Death in the Family" yesterday, and the one and only Matthew Hex left an interesting comment about Jason Todd and whether or not he should have returned from the dead. I'd love to hear from the other members of the Legion concerning Jason Todd and what they think about his death/return. Well that's it, time to hit the books. So long until tomorrow.

Busy, busy, busy!

I'm still hard at work, so once again, I don't have any new reviews to post. The most recent issue of Green Lantern Corps just came in the mail today, and it's taking all of my willpower not to dig into that book! However, until I finish all of this damn schoolwork off, I won't allow myself to luxury of reading any new books. I did read the first two issues of the Green Arrow: "City Walls" trade last night, and can't say I was really that impressed. The two issues consisted of Arsenal(Roy Harper)and Connor Hawke going out on the town and realizing that they were two very different people. The other story was about the Scavenger trying to buy the Arrowcar off of eBay... Um yeah.

Anyway, I've still got to study some Spanish vocabulary for a test tomorrow, as well as polish of a 5 page essay on ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, while studying for a History test Friday, so I'm going to have to cut this post short. I'd definitely recommend checking out the picture blog because I'll be posting scans from "Fatal Attractions" and "A Death in the Family". Thanks for the comments on both sites, they're a welcome break from the monotony of excessive schoolwork. I'll close this post by listing which comics I ordered yesterday:

Adventure Comics Vol 2 #2
Batgirl Vol 3 #2
Batman And Robin #4
Batman Cacophony HC
Batman Streets Of Gotham #4
Blackest Night #3
Blackest Night Batman #2
Booster Gold Vol 2 #24
Captain America Reborn #3
Dark Avengers #9
Dark Avengers Uncanny X-Men Exodus #1
Dark Reign The List Part 1 Avengers
Dark Reign The List Part 2 Daredevil
Dark Reign Young Avengers #4
JSA vs Kobra Engines Of Fate #4
Outsiders Vol 4 #22
REBELS #8
Secret Six Vol 3 #13
Superman World Of New Krypton #7
War Of Kings Who Will Rule One Shot
Wednesday Comics #10
Wednesday Comics #11

Currently reading...

When my head isn't buried in my Accounting textbook, I've been reading through the most recent Green Arrow series. The series was initially written by Kevin Smith, who was followed by Brad Meltzer(!). Needless to say, the first several storyarcs were AMAZING! I just finished reading the "Straight Shooter" trade which is written by Judd Winick. "Straight Shooter" was OK, but it was a definite drop off from the initial few stories. After some studying, I plan on ending my night by starting the "City Walls" trade which encompasses Green Arrow #32-39. I haven't heard good things about this trade, but since I own it I might as well read it. Well, that's going to have to be it for tonight, I've got me some hardcore studying to attend to. If you want, check out the picture site, I'll have some new content up over there.

A VERY long week.

Between this Wednesday and Friday, I have an insane amount of schoolwork to contend with. Literally every one of my classes has either assigned a test or a paper to be handed in this coming Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. For two classes(Accounting and History)this is the first test of the semester, which means that if I want to make a good impression, I have to ace these tests. Extra study/essay time means I have less time to preform my blogging duties.

I honestly doubt I'll have the time/patience/energy to post any new reviews until at least Friday. I'll continue to post new scans to the scan site(here)and I'll also be checking out my favorite blogs for updates, but my blog should be pretty slow this week. I'm sure I'll make the time to post something nightly, but it's probably going to be on the short side. Well, that's all for tonight, don't forget to check out the picture blog, as for me, I'll be delving into the similarities and differences between the early Sumerian and Egyptian societies... Yay...

Looking Forward to Ultimate Alliance 2 and back at the "Civil War" story... Civil War fans beware!

This is going to be one of those stream of consciousness posts where I type random gibberish until I get bored enough to(mercifully)end the post. Let's see, I guess I'll blog about the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game. I think it drops this Tuesday(although I could be wrong). I loved the original Ultimate Alliance, it was a great game with an interesting storyline. Unfortunately, it looks as if the new UA is going to be revisiting one of the worst Marvel stories in recent memory...

The game is based on the "Civil War" storyline from a few years back. For the record, I HATED the entire Civil War storyline. Why? For a whole bunch of reasons. For one, I thought the story resembled one of those summer Hollywood blockbusters, you know, a whole bunch of exciting moments with little cohesive storyline. Stanford blows up, Tony Stark becomes a pseudo-villain, Spider-Man nonsensically unmasks, Captain America becomes a wanted criminal, and things climax with a big old brawl in the streets of downtown Manhattan, with an ending so telegraphed that I could see it coming from nearly the beginning. I don't know what angered me more, Spider-Man unmasking or Cap becoming a fugitive.

Let's look at Spidey first. Here's Spider-Man, a character who valued his secret identity as much as anybody, happily unmasking at the behest of Tony Stark, on live TV no less! Why would Spidey do such a drastic thing? Because he wound up seeing Tony as some sort of a father figure or something like that. The best part of the unmasking? Within a few months, Marvel wound up retconning the entire sorry affair! To me, Spider-Man's unmasking was just a blatant money-grab, no more, no less. Now, there's nothing wrong with trying to sell a comic book with a big "event". However, Spidey's unmasking destroyed years of Spider-Man history and mythos. It just didn't make sense for THAT character to make THAT decision at THAT time.

Then we have Steve Rogers... The Sentinel of Liberty himself, Captain America, being branded a criminal. "Captain America: Fugitive" just boggles my mind to this day! Who makes Cap into the bad guy?!? Ah, but that was the thing about Civil War, wasn't it... Marvel wanted it to seem like there was no right or wrong, only shades of grey. Tony Stark threw his lot in with the government and followed the law, while Cap decided to disobey the law. When put like that, Cap seems like he was in the wrong. Of course, if you actually read the story, you quickly realize that Tony and his pro-government forces couldn't have been shown in a more villainous light. Tony's forces openly work with known criminals, back stab allies and most damning of all, create an clone of Thor which inevitably goes insane.

Huh, I can't think of a single positive that came out of Civil War. Civil War gave us Captain America's eventual assassination, Speedball becoming the useless Penance, the Thunderbolts inexplicably working for known criminal Norman Osborn, Tony Stark becoming the head of SHIELD, and of course, Spider-Man undoing his unmasking by making a deal with Mephisto... Oh yeah, and Civil War also paved the way for "Secret Invasion"... Ugh...

I don't know how Ultimate Alliance 2 is going to tackle the Civil War story, or how closely they're going to follow the original "Civil War". I can tell you one thing, I won't know for quite some time. I usually rush out to pick-up any Marvel licenced video game(yes, even Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects...), but I don't think I'll bother buying MA2 until the day I find it in a bargain bin at my local Gamestop. Sorry Marvel, but I think I'll continue to play the surprisingly good Civilization: Revolution or the magnificent Batman: Arkham Asylum, as opposed to revisiting some of the most ill-conceived occurrences in Marvel's storied history.

Blackest Night: Superman #1(of 3)

I totally forgot I brought this one! This is one book I've really been looking forward to reading. Well, no time like the present I guess. The writer here is James Robinson with Eddy Barrows providing the pencils.

-This issue opens with Kal-L(Superman)of Earth 2 becoming a Black Lantern. Now that's how you start a story! BL Supes heads to Smallville and begins to terrorize and then kill the folks there.

-From that grizzly sight, we head to the Kent family farm, where Supes is visiting with Superboy(with Krypto)and Ma. Supes wanted to spend some time with Ma considering it was a National Day of Mourning(see Blackest Night #1)and with his duties to New Krypton he hasn't exactly been the most attentive son. While the trio sit around awaiting the arrival of Lois Lane, Krypto, Supes and SB hear something disturbing off in the distance. Supes and SB go to check things out and leave Krypto behind to watch Ma.

-The two head to the local cemetery and arrive at the final resting place of Jonathan Kent, where they find BL Supes standing over Pa's halfway dug up grave. Needless to say, the two heroes are frozen in their tracks at this macabre sight, and BL Supes uses that momentary surprise to attack SB, flying high into the Smallville sky with the teenager.

-Back at the farm, Krypto hears a threat and attacks, but is put down hard by Earth-2's Black Lantern Lois Lane(!), who approaches the frightened Ma.

-BL Supes is in the process of tearing SB's heart out when Supes attacks his deceased counter-part. Eventually BL Supes releases SB, who was knocked out during the ruckus. Supes catches SB before he hits the ground, but when he looks back, he realizes that BL Supes has escaped gone.

-Next up we head to New Krypton where we find Alura and her daughter, Supergirl. The two head to the tomb of Zor-El, the husband and father to Alura and SG. While there, a Black Ring affixes itself to Zor-El, and he rises, ready to attack his shocked family.

-Supes and SB head back to the farm and find the front wall caved in, Krypto unconscious and Ma gone. The two listen and manage to hear Ma's heartbeat in Smallville, which is where they head. After some sleuthing, they find Ma, but discover BL's Supes and Lois holding her captive.

You know what? I absolutely LOVED this comic book! I don't care what anyone says, this was a great comic! The mood was great, the pacing was fantastic, the art was beautiful, the story was well done, to me, this was the total package! Sure, there were some hiccups, for example, Supes leaving BL Supes to catch SB really bothered me... Not for nothing, but so what if SB hit the ground? I can't imagine the fall would have killed him, and by catching SB, Supes allowed BL Supes to get away.

I also enjoyed the way James and Eddy used the Black Lantern's ability to sense emotions in this comic. I loved the way the people in Smallville would all look at BL Supes in complete fear, which we would then see through BL Supes eyes. Hmmm, that last line didn't make that much sense... Let me try that again. You know how each ring controls one emotion? Green = Willpower, Yellow = Fear, Red = Rage, etc. Over the course of this comic, we would view the scenes through the eyes of BL Supes, which led to some really unique and cool visuals. Like when SB and Supes first laid eyes on BL Supes and were struck yellow with fear, or later when Supes was fueled by green(willpower), while SB glowed a strong red(rage). That simple little touch turned this comic from a very good read to an excellent read. For a score, this comic gets a 9 1/2 out of 10. I've got to say, so far I'm really enjoying the Blackest Night companion mini-series' nearly as much as the main Blackest Night mini itself!Between Black Lantern Superman taunting Superboy and the cool visual of Superman filled with several conflicting emotions preparing to attack his deranged doppelganger, this scene rocked!

Speed Reviews for: Supergirl #44, Superman #691 and Superman Annual #14

Since I liked doing the Speed Reviews so much last night, that I think I'll do another batch of them tonight!

Supergirl #44 Writer: Sterling Gates Penciller: Jamel Igle
This is the third part of Codename: Patriot.
What Happened: Gen. Lane purposely let it slip to Ral-Dar that Lane was only using him and that the US President, along with several allies were going to blow up New Krypton. Ral flips out and heads to Markovia, where the President is to meet with his Markovian counter-part. Supes chases after Ral upon learning he was headed to Markovia and Supergirl and Mon-El head to Los Angeles, where Nightwing and Flamebird are inexplicably tearing up the town. We discover it was a trap, and that Nightwing and Flamebird were actually Reactron and Metallo in disguise. Metallo and Reactron(along with Lane's lackey Mirabai)beat up SG and take off, leaving Mon and SG to chase after them.
What I thought: Honestly, there really wasn't much to this comic. It mainly consisted of super-folks flying after each other. Thus far, I think my favorite part of this x-over is Gen. Lane. I'm really enjoying the way he has been pulling every body's strings, and I can't wait to see what his endgame is.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10The worst kind of Kryptonian? An angry Kryptonian!

Superman #691 Writer: James Robinson Pencils: Renato Guedes & Eduardo Pansika
This is the forth part of Codename: Patriot.
What happened: Mon-El and Supergirl track Nightwing and Flamebird to the sewers of Metropolis where Mon discovers that SG is actually Mirabai in disguise, while Nightwing and Flamebird are Reactron and Metallo. The trio KO Mon and after getting out of there they blow the Metropolis sewer system up, all on the orders of Gen. Lane, who makes it look like an act of Kryptonian terrorism. Superman catches Ral-Dar just as he reaches Markovia, but before either Kryptonian can make a move towards the respective leaders of the US or Markovia, Gen. Lane arrives on the scene and attacks the aliens with Squad K and Kryptonian firing weaponry. Ral is KO'ed in the attack, but Supes is more concerned as to how Lane is alive. Before he can get his answers, he is called back to New Krypton by Alura, who states Supes is urgently needed. Supes leaves with Ral, looking like a traitor to Earth, while Lane comes out smelling like roses.
What I thought: Meh. This comic was OK, but for me there was just something missing... I can't quite put my finger on what the missing aspect is though. I guess I was left feeling kind of unfulfilled. I don't know, I was hoping for something more I guess.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.USA! USA! USA! Sorry about that...

Superman Annual #14 Writer: James Robinson Artist: Javier Pina
What Happened: This was a Mon-El origin issue. Daxam was originally established by Kryptonians who colonized the planet and then crossbred with the natives. In time the Daxamites became their own people and began to explore the stars themselves, not as conquerors, like the Kryptonians, but as scientific observers. One such observer visited Earth several hundred years ago and was impregnated by a Terrain. She returned to Daxam and bore the child. From there the Daxamites begin to fear space and after a bloody civil war, they ban all space travel. Years later, Mon comes across an old Daximite ship and escapes from Daxam just as the anti-space forces were closing in on him. He crash lands on Earth, meets a young Clark Kent, and the rest is history. Oh yeah, and Mon is a descendant of the Daxamite who visited Earth, meaning he has some Terrain blood running through his veins.
What I thought: Once again, I was hoping for something more here. The origin of Daxam/Mon-El wasn't particularly interesting or original, and the stuff with Mon's distant ancestor and the earthling was just plain dumb, with some of the hokiest dialogue you'll ever read.
Score: 6 out of 10.Look, it's Mon-El meeting Clark Kent for the first time! Again...

Speed Reviews for: Batman and Robin #3, Batgirl #1, Justice League: Cry for Justice #3

I've really been neglecting my blog these past few nights thanks to my rather steep load of homework. Since I've been back in school, this semester has thus far been the most trying. With that said, I just don't have the time to dedicate 2-3 hours blogging every night(at least until things cool off at school). Since I still want to be in touch with my fellow comic fanatics(the Legion of Losers in particular), I'm going to try a new review format tonight. Once the weekend rolls around, I should be able to go back to my normal reviews. As always, let me know what you think. On tonight's agenda, Batman and Robin #3, Batgirl #1 and Justice League: Cry for Justice #3.

Batman and Robin #3: Writer-Grant Morrison Artist-Frank Quitely.
What happened- Robin manages to escape captivity from the bizarre Pyg and almost manages to defeat Pyg single-handily. Pyg gains the upper-hand, but Batman manages to make the save after stopping Pyg's germ attack on Gotham City. Pyg winds up getting arrested and Batman discovers another mysterious domino.
What I thought- I thought this comic was horrendous(sorry Robert!)! I know there's a very thin line between insanity and genius, and I think Grant has finally crossed over to the insanity side... Pyg doing a "Sexy Disco Hot" dance for the bound Robin? Sorry, no. However, I think I might finally be warming up to Robin(Damian Wayne).
Score- 4 1/2 out of 10.Can someone please explain to me what the bloody hell is going on here!?!?!

Batgirl #1: Writer-Bryan Q Miller Penciller-Lee Garbett.
What happened- The former Batgirl(Cassandra Cain)decides to quit now that Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman, so she gives her Batgirl outfit to her best friend, Spoiler. Spoiler promised her mother that she would quit super-heroics and go to college, but she can't stay away from the allure of wearing the Bat-symbol on her chest, and she winds up fighting crime as Batgirl. Her mother finds out, to set up next issue.
What I thought- Good for Steph! I've always liked Spoiler and I thought it was shameful how DC tried to downplay the fact that she was Robin. Anyway, this was a very good opening chapter for the new Batgirl. The door is still open for Cassandra to come back(hopefully she won't though)and it should be interesting to see how the other members of the Bat-family react to Steph's new role.
Score- 8 out of 10.While it's important to beat the bad guys, it's just as important to strike a cool pose while doing it!

Justice League: Cry for Justice #3(of 7) Writer-James Robinson Artist-Mauro Cascioli
What happened- The loose assemblage of heroes(the eventual Justice League)capture and torture Prometheus to discover what his plans are. After getting nowhere, they discover "Prometheus" was actually Clayface and to make matters worse, he was acting as a human bomb, and he apparently blows up the heroes. The real Prometheus gives us his origin story and destroys the mind of his colleague, Professor IQ, since IQ knows too much about Prometheus' master plan. This issue ends with the Bobo Bennetti(!!!)and the Shade(!!!!!!)learning from a fortune teller in Opal City(!)that danger and death is coming and that it will touch EVERYBODY.
What I thought- What an awesome comic book this was! First off, the Shade appeared, which is always a huge plus. To me, this comic was nearly perfect. I especially enjoyed Prometheus' parts, it sure looks like James is taking great pains to turn Prometheus into the huge badass he was during Grant Morrison's JLA run. I can't wait for the next issue.
Score- 9 out of 10.Whenever I see the Shade, I think of the Starman series, and whenever I think about the Starman series I'm happy.

Good night!

Sorry, but once again there won't be any new content up on this blog today. However, come tomorrow I should have something new up and posted. I may do a few reviews, but I doubt they'll be my normal long-winded write-ups. They probably won't even be Quick Reviews, it'll probably be something like: "I read so-and-so, such-and-such happened, here's the score I give it". Lazy? Oh yeah! But, doing write-ups like that should help me post stuff here to the blog while still taking care of my school responsibilities. Boy, I tell you, my professors this semester are TOUGH! Anyway, check out the picture blog(as always)I'll have some new pics posted, and I'll probably troll around my favorite blogs before calling it a night. Adios.

Accounting homework sucks!!!

Since it's taken me 3(!!!)hours to complete my Accounting homework(which is due early tomorrow), it should go without saying that I won't be able to post any new reviews tonight(as a matter of fact, I should have been asleep 2 hours ago!). I did get a package of comic books in the mail today, but due to my school related duties, I've only been able to read Batman and Robin #3, and trust me, with the mood I'm in right now, you don't want to know what I thought of that comic book!

And to make matters worse, I wound up staying up til 3:30 in the morning yesterday reading Green Arrow comics. I figured I'd read the first two issues of Kevin Smith's GA run from 2001 and then call it a night... Well, those frigging comics were so good, I wound up reading the first 17 issues of that series! For those of you who don't think GA is an interesting character(Kello!)I'd implore you to check out Kevin's run. Simply awesome stuff. Before logging off tonight, I'm going to post a few pages from those GA comics over at the picture site, so if you want, go check 'em out. Well, that's it for tonight, if I don't get some sleep, I'm going to go Grant Morrison crazy, and that would be scary!

A Quick Look at Wonder Woman #35

I was either going to read this comic or New Avengers #56, so my choice was pretty easy. This comic is written by Gail Simone with Aaron Lopresti providing the artwork.

-We start this issue off with Black Canary trying to get Wonder Woman to enjoy herself while in Tokyo. WW is reluctant since the two women are on a mission to capture Dr. Psycho and rescue Sarge Steel, but BC finally manages to convince WW to let her guard down for a change.

-From there the two women head back to Psycho's fight club(in disguise)and beat some goons up. After the fight, WW gets Steel alone(he's trapped in Psycho's body)and manages to fix his fractured mind with her lasso.

-With Steel's mind fixed, the two women only have to take Psycho into custody. However, Psycho seems to be on to them and he has the Goddess Pele(who wants revenge on WW for the death of her father)lined up to fight the two women in the next round of the fight club. Pele strips them of their disguises and takes WW's spirit away to some realm where Pele is all powerful.

-Psycho sends every one of his fighters into the ring to kill the defenseless WW, but BC ends up defeating every one of the villains. Pele rages about the death of her father at the hands of Zeus, and WW explains that she has forsaken Zeus due to his actions. WW then vows to do whatever it takes to make things right between herself and Pele and the two make some kind of pact(that we aren't privy to).

-Pele returns WW to her body and WW, BC and Steel(still in Psycho's body)easily defeat Psycho and presumably get Psycho and Steel back in their appropriate bodies. This issue ends with WW heading back to the States to speak to Tom Tresser about what happened between him and Genocide. Before WW can explain things to Tom, he returns the courting gifts WW gave to him a while back and tells her that whatever they had was now over.

Eh, this issue really didn't do anything for me. Everything that is happening is still just the fallout from the "Rise of the Olympian" storyline, and I for one am ready for WW to move on! Yeah, I liked the "Rise" storyline, but I'm ready for a new storyline to get underway. Hopefully after we finish up the stuff between WW and Tom, WW can finally begin moving forward. For a score, I'll give this issue a 6 1/2 out of 10.Now this is the Black Canary I know and love! Not the incompetent one currently bumbling through the pages of "Green Arrow and Black Canary"!