Hawkeye #5

And the last X review of the week should be a great one, especially if this issue is anything like the one that preceded it.  Bottom line, Hawkeye is a fantastic comic that everybody should read.  That about sums things up.

Hawkeye #5:

Summary: To escape the ninjas that had attacked him last issue, Hawkeye hops out the window of his hotel. And we're not talking about the first floor window or anything, we're talking many, many stories up!  As he's falling, Clint realizes that this probably wasn't the best of ideas...  Meanwhile, Kate Bishop(the other Hawkeye), watches the tape of Hawkeye assassinating the terrorist, at which time some goons knock on her door.  She quickly shuts the tape and dons her Madame Masque... um, mask, but the goons are wise to her act when they find the real Madame Masque tied up and none too happy in Kate's bathroom.  Back with Hawkeye, Maria Hill(of SHIELD) flies to Hawkeye's rescue and catches the falling archer.  Unfortunately, the crazy ninjas fall onto the skysled as well, leading to a battle between Hawkeye and the ninjas.  It's a battle Hawkeye wins.  Back with Kate, she is brought back to the room of villains, who all inquire about the health of Madame Masque.  However, Hawkeye aims a sonic arrow at the windows holding the villains and Kate and lets it fly, bringing the villains to their knees.  Hawkeye jumps in to help Kate(forgetting he lost a shoe, leading to walking through the glass he broke), and the two escape the room.  Hawkeye asks Kate where the tape was, and the two dash back to Madame Masque's room to retrieve it.  With the tape safely in Clint's hands, the two make a break for the elevator, but are hounded by an enraged Madame Masque.  As the two Hawkeye's reach the elevator, Masque manages to fire off a single round, which shatters the tape and hits Hawkeye right in the chest!  Fortunately for the world's greatest marksman, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and survives the shot, but not before passing out.  Later, Clint wakes up with Kate, Hill and Nick Fury Jr at his bedside on the SHIELD hellicarrier.  Fury thanks Clint for making the tape, and we find out that SHIELD suispected they had a leak, and as such made three tapes of the terrorist dying, one with Captain America, one with Wolverine and one with Hawkeye.  When the Hawkeye one was taken, SHIELD was able to eliminate their mole.  Kate is kind of angry that this whole adventure was over a fake tape, but Clint explains that he wanted to provide the mole with something bigger than the names of the Navy Seals who really killed the terrorist, his own name.  And with that, Kate realizes something I've always known, Hawkeye is a great guy.

Thoughts:  Yep, I loved this issue.  Hell, I loved this entire storyline!  Add the fact that Hawkeye DIDN'T actually kill the terrorist(which would have gone counter to his character), but dangled himself out there as bait to protect the identities of the Navy Seals who did, and you have the recipe for a wonderful comic.  I'm not sure what else to say...  I have nothing bad to say about this comic...  Only good...  Um, buy and read Hawkeye!  There, that should do it for this post!

Score:  10 out of 10.

Hawkeye is The Man.

X-Men #25 (Oct. 1993)

Here's the final Retro-Review for the week, and boy have I saved the best for last! This is my favorite comic book of all-time, and is probably the most historically significant X-Men comic book of the 90's. It's been quite some time since I've last read this comic(at least 6 years), but I can't imagine my feelings towards it have changed that radically these past few years. That's enough of an introduction... This is the X-Men vs Magneto to close out the X-Men's 30th anniversary... This is the climatic final battle of the classic Fatal Attractions storyline... What more needs to be said?

X-Men #25:

Summary: With Magneto lording over the Earth in his space station, Avalon, the United Nations enacts the Magneto Protocol... The Protocol activates an array of satellites above the planet that effectively negates Magneto's abilities were he to ever step foot on the Earth again. Seeing this defensive maneuver as an attack upon him, as well as something that would hinder his abilities at recruiting more Acolytes to his cause, Magneto plans a swift retribution... To that end he leaves Avalon and flies to the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere where he unleashes a massive electro-magnetic pulse wave that destroys all of the satellites, as well as shorts out every piece of technology on the planet, temporarily pushing the planet back to the Dark Ages and causing the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of people. Thanks to the Shi'ar technology that powered X-Mansion, the X-Men are able to regain power long before anywhere else on Earth. Grasping the enormity of this latest attack on humanity, Prof. X realizes that it was time to finally put an end to his long relationship with Magneto and puts together a small strike force of mutants to head up to Avalon. Prof. X's team? Wolverine and Gambit for their stealth capabilities, himself and Jean Grey for their telepathic force, and Rogue and Quicksilver for their strength and speed, as well as their unresolved emotional issues with Mags. In order to lead the attack personally, Prof. X reveals an exoskeleton that was fueled by his telepathy, granting him the ability to walk, but at the expense of his telepathy. Cyclops and Storm, the X-Men's co-leaders, try to convince Prof. X not to head to Avalon with such a small strike force, but Prof. X is steadfast in his plan and proceeds to teleport up to Avalon thanks to the Shi'ar's advanced technology. As the X-Men arrive on Avalon, former X-Man Colossus deactivates the space station's security systems since he himself was still conflicted as to whether following Mags was the right move. Free to move about undetected, Prof. X hands Quicksilver a disc and tells him to place it in a terminal near the heart of Avalon's life support system. Quicksilver does as told and the disc grants Prof. X access to Avalon's life support and teleportational systems, at which time he teleports all of the Acolytes(with the exception of Colossus) into life support pods and has the station jettison them. Now realizing he was under attack, Magneto storms down the halls of his silent haven and attacks the intruding X-Men. Prof. X informs his team to distract Mags while he linked powers with Jean to force Magneto to relive his more painful moments, from the deaths of his parents in the Nazi concentration camps, to the death of Doug Ramsay, to his wife abandoning him after she witnessed his powers for the first time. Needless to say, Mags is caught off-balance by the uncharacteristically brutal attack inflicted upon his mind by Prof. X and Jean, and is brought to his knees by the physical assault from the other X-Men. As the intensity of the psionic attack increases, Mags begins to lose his tenuous grip on his sanity and decides that he had to murder Quicksilver for the good of mutantkind. Wolverine interrupts this act of filicide and tears Mags chest open with his adamantium claws. The sight of Wolvie moving in for the kill with the approval of Prof. X is too much for Jean, who breaks contact with Prof. X, allowing Mags a moment of clarity... And a moment is all he needs... In that instant, Magneto halts Wolverine in his tracks and tears the adamantium off of his bones(!!!!!), leaving Wolverine laying near dead at his feet. The rest of the X-Men are too stunned to move as Magneto, weakened by both the earlier mental assault from Prof. X and Jean, as well as Wolvie's gory physical assault, looks to Prof. X to see what his next move would be. Prof. X walks over to the battered Magneto and unleashes the full effect of his mental powers, taking away Magneto's most potent weapon, his mind, effectively leaving Magneto comatose. With that, the two longtime foes fall to the ground, Magneto a mindless shell and Prof. X completely expended from his massive power usage. With Jean telekinetically holding Wolverine's body together and telepathically preventing Wolvie from comprehending the magnitude of the damage done to him, the rest of the X-Men fall into disarray, unsure of what to do. It's at that moment Colossus enters the room and tells the X-Men that their battle had knocked out most of Avalon's systems, meaning they wouldn't be able to teleport back home. Colossus continues, telling his former teammates that he had contacted X-Mansion and that Bishop was heading to the space station in a modified Blackbird jet to collect them and bring them home. Jean asks Colossus to return to the Mansion with the rest of the team, but Colossus refuses, telling Jean that since he had allowed the X-Men free rein in Avalon he felt responsible for much of the day's events, and as such would spend the rest of his days caring for the shattered Magneto. Realizing that Colossus wasn't going to budge from his stance, and not having the time to argue with him, Jean collects her fallen comrades and leaves Colossus and Magneto alone on Avalon.

Thoughts: Yep, I think it's safe to say that this is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best comic book I have ever read. I've been lucky enough to amass quite the collection of comic books and have read thousands upon thousands of stories, but whenever anybody asks me what my favorite comic is? I invariably come back to this issue... Sure, there have been comics that have moved me more(the Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel always tears me apart whenever I read it), but for the total package? This is the greatest comic in my collection. You don't even really have to be a huge fan of the X-Men to understand this comic book, which is always a sure sign the writer, in this case, Fabian Nicieza, has done his job. This comic expertly combines Nicieza's absolute top of the line storytelling with magnificent dialogue that perfectly tells us the feelings and thoughts of all of the major players in this issue. Throw Andy Kubert's fantastic pencils into the mix and you have a comic book experience that STILL manages to give me goosebumps, YEARS after the first time I read it! I mean seriously, when Mags gives his speech as he's tearing Wolverine apart, I literally got goosebumps... And then the scene where Prof. X just unleashes all of his rage and disappointment at Magneto in one massive telepathic fireball? Goosebumps again! I'd be remiss not to mention Kubert's art during that climatic scene between Magneto and Prof. X... You could almost FEEL the heat coming off the pages as Xavier laid into Magneto! That's how powerful Kubert's pencils are here! As you can probably tell, I could go on and on talking about this comic book. It's probably the reason I'm as big a fan of the medium as I turned out to be. If I had never read this comic, I can honestly say that I'm not sure I'd be AS into comic books as I am... This single issue is also the reason I'll always hold the X-books to such high standards, be that unreasonable or not. If I were to compile a list of my favorite comic books, #2-#10 would probably give me great difficulty putting together, but #1? Piece of cake. If you've never read this comic book, I'd implore you to hunt it down and give it a read. Even if it doesn't connect with you as strongly as it does me, I can promise you you'd still enjoy it. This issue gets the highest recommendation I could possibly give to any comic book... 'Nuff said.

Score: 10 out of 10.My words can't possibly do this scene justice.

Impulse #50 (July 1999)

When I mentioned that I was going to do a few Retro-Reviews this week, JT(of Jason Todd's Comic Spot) asked me to post a review of Impulse #50... Okay, that's a lie... He begged me to review that comic! It was kind of pitiful actually... He even cried a bit... Anyway, not wanting to hurt JT's feelings, I decided I'd review this comic because I'm a such a classy gentleman! God, JT's gonna kill me when he reads this, but it'll be worth it! :P

Impulse #50:

Summary: This issue gets started with Bart(that would be Impulse to those not in the know) discovering that it was April Fool's Day, meaning he could pull pranks on people and not get into trouble for it. Needless to say, Bart can't wait to make Robin's(Tim Drake at the time) life miserable, since Robin was always bossing him around. After flipping through an issue of Mad Magazine, Bart discovers the address of a novelty warehouse in Gotham City and rushes off to get there. Unfortunately, the Joker has broken into the same warehouse and was holding about a dozen people hostage. Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham PD are on scene just as Batman arrives and tells Gordon to keep his officers back so that he could handle things. Joker tosses a walkie-talkie out the window of the warehouse and torments Bats with it for a while, before Bats tosses the radio down and vanishes into the night. By now Bart has arrived on the scene and overhears Gordon mentioning Bats to one of the other cops. Excited by the opportunity to help Bats, Bart grabs the walkie-talkie and rushes to the roof of the warehouse, where he discovers a sprinkler pipe that had been tampered with. Before he could puzzle out what that meant, Bats confronts Bart and tells him to leave the scene since it was WAY too dangerous. The Joker, who was listening to the conversation through the radio, tells Bats that he wanted Bart to enter the warehouse or he'd start killing hostages. With no recourse, Bats tells Bart to go inside, but to always stay 20 feet away from Joker and to use his brain for a change. Bart enters the warehouse and keeps his distance from Joker, who was wielding a flamethrower and holding a hostage. Joker reveals to Bart that he had placed Joker gas in the warehouses sprinkler system before informing Bart that he had already killed one of Batman's Robins, and wouldn't think twice about killing Bart, meaning that Bart had better do whatever Joker asked. To that end, Joker gives Bart a list of ridiculous errands to run(from taking pictures in front of famous monuments, to catching piranhas to bringing Joker a Happy Meal). Bart completes all the tasks and quickly checks in with Bats, giving him a hand-drawn diagram of the inside of the warehouse, including where the hostages, Joker's henchmen and Joker himself were situated before rushing back inside. Having enjoyed sending Bart around, Joker begins to write out more errands, while Bats gets rid of the Joker gas hidden in the sprinkler system. Bats then begins to take out Joker's men, causing one of the men to call Joker from the other room to tell him that something funny was going on. Figuring Bats had finally snuck in, Joker shoots the flamethrower into the air figuring that would unleash the Joker gas, but is surprised to see only water fall from the air. Bats tries to attack Joker, but Joker swings the flamethrower around wildly, setting the warehouse on fire. Bart offers to help catch Joker, but Batman instead orders him to rescue the hostages and Joker's unconscious goons from the burning warehouse. Bart does as he's told, while Bats sneaks around the smoky warehouse. Joker manages to sneak up on Bats and prepares to shoot Bats in the back just as Bart fools around with the phone of one of Joker's goons, causing Joker's cell phone to ring. Bats quickly spins around and lays Joker out, ending his threat. With Joker finished, Bats meets up with Bart outside and commends him on the way he followed orders and helped catch Joker. Before leaving though, Bats warns Bart to try not to be so damn impulsive since he had the potential to be a great hero.

Thoughts: I have the entire Impulse run, and I'd wager that this was the best issue of the entire series. Everything that happened here felt natural and not at all forced, which is what usually happens when you get high-profile characters like Batman and Joker popping up in a series, so kudos to Todd Dezago for a great story. Bats sounded like Bats, Joker was his usual psychotic self, and Bart was Impulse, easily one of my all time favorite characters. Besides the great story, the art was fantastic, Ethan Van Sciver's Bart Allen is the one I see when I close my eyes, and his Joker was amazingly good. I honestly don't have a single complaint here... This was truly a perfect comic book.

Score: 10 out of 10.HA!! Man do I miss Impulse...

10 Thoughts on... Y: The Last Man: vol 2.

It's the weekend, meaning it's time for me to switch away from my regular, current reviews and bust out a few trade reviews. I'm still happily playing through Dragon Age 2(for the PS3!!) and have lost 17 hours to that game thus far. Can you guess what my weekend plans entail? Anyway, enough jabber, here's the review.

Y: The Last Man, Book 2: Cycles. Collecting Y: The Last Man #6-10.

-Yorick(covered in a cape, hood and gas mask) manages to gain access to a train by trading a motorcycle he swiped from the Amazons towards the end of the last trade. With all of the men gone, the only real way to get cross country is by the trains. Anyway, Yorick, 355 and Dr. Mann(as well as Ampersand the monkey) get on-board and kill some time talking about stuff. As luck would have it, two thieves hop into the car Yorick and company were in, demanding whatever the trio had on them. 355 draws her gun, which freaks out Mann, who tries to stop 355 from shooting anybody. By this point, Yorick, like an idiot, charges the two criminals and gets tossed out of the moving train. 355 beats the hell out of the thieves before tossing Mann out of the train and then following herself, since her whole mission was to keep Yorick safe.

-Yorick's sister, Hero, is pulled deeper into the ranks of the Amazons thanks to the Amazon's charismatic leader, Victoria.

-Some woman living in a small town in Marrisville, Ohio finds Yorick's unconscious body(as well as Ampersand) laying near the train tracks not that far from her home.

-The woman(whose name is Sonia) takes Yorick into her home and watches over him until he wakes up, quite surprised by his new surroundings and demanding to know what became of 355 and Dr. Mann.

-Mann wakes up a little banged up but no worse for wear after falling from the train, while 355 is laying with her head cracked open against a rock.OUCH!!!


-Yorick tries to impress upon Sonia not to reveal his presence to the other townswomen, but unfortunately she had already told them, leading to a crowd of women waiting outside of Sonia's house to see if there really was a man still alive. The women are relatively friendly, and Yorick is shocked by how well run their town is, a far cry from some of the towns and cities he had passed back east. While talking to the woman, Dr. Mann rushes over and tells Yorick that 355 needed assistance. The townswomen inquire what kind of a name 355 was and when they hear she's a government agent, they give each other one of those, “Uh-oh...” looks. Ultimately the women agree to bring 355 to town to work on her wounds.

-While that is going on, the Amazons are still on Yorick's trail, with Hero locating the two thieves from the train and discovering that the man the Amazons were hunting down sounded exactly like her brother. Hero reports this information back to Victoria, hoping they could spare Yorick, but Victoria manages to convince Hero(with some awesome brainwashing techniques) that Yorick was no different than the other men, and as such had to die.

-With 355 now being looked after by Dr. Mann, and Yorick chopping wood with Sonia away from town, the other townswomen meet up afraid that 355 had come to town for them. Why would that be the case? Well, Yorick and Sonia wind up sharing a kiss, after which she admits to him that all of the women in town were from a nearby women's penitentiary, and were released by the guards since they had no way to seriously keep an eye on them. Upon learning this, Yorick freaks out and rushes back to town, ranting about how the townswomen should still be in jail.That old woman is all kinds of awesome!


-While Yorick is making an ass of himself, Hero enters the door demanding Yorick turn himself over to the Amazons. Yorick immediately goes to embrace his sister and is met with a bow to the head. From outside Victoria appeals with the townswomen to send Yorick outside so she could kill him and finally rid the Earth of all men. The townswomen refuse, much to the shock of Yorick and the rage of Victoria. Victoria demands that the Amazons burn the building to the ground, but Yorick heads outside against the advice of the townswomen, who were willing to fight to the death for him. Yorick tries to talk some sense to Hero, but she's completely brainwashed by this point and pushes him to his knees, at which time Victoria walks over with a handgun, ready to blow Yorick's brains out. Before she can pull the trigger though, Sonia throws an ax from the house, catching Victoria right in the side of the head, killing her.Talk about a splitting headache! Hee-hee-hee...


-In retribution for Victoria's death, Hero shoots an arrow into Sonia, killing her. The other townswomen charge outside, grab the fallen handgun and decide to lock Hero and the Amazons in the prison they themselves once resided in. Besides all of that, a few Israeli soldiers have snuck onto American soil after being told of Yorick's existence by someone from the White House, and we also learn that while Yorick is the last man on Earth, there were two worried male astronauts up in a space station wondering what the hell was going on back home.

Score: 10 out of 10. Ah, so THIS is why this series was so highly spoken of! There's really not anything for me to complain about here. The story was awesome, the artwork was awesome, the dialogue was awesome, in a word, this trade was awesome! And not only was this trade awesome, the future storylines that were set up look great. Hero appears to have become the defacto leader of the Amazons with Victoria gone, meaning she'll be in direct conflict with Yorick when she makes her inevitable escape from the prison. The Israeli storyline has been simmering on the back burner, but you can tell it's going to be HUGE when it finally comes to the forefront. And the last page, which showed us that there were two male astronauts who survived the great die-off was a mind-blower. Truly great stuff here.

Deadpool #30

Review: This issue begins with a bunch of vampires(or as Deadpool calls them REPEATEDLY, “Draculas”)heading to DP's hideout to hire him for a job. DP doesn't want to help the vampires, since he's a good guy now and all, but the vampires inform him that they're also good guys as well. DP is dubious, but decides to meet with the vampires the following night. The next night, DP heads to a hospital and meets up with the vampires(who live underneath). The vampires(who are members of the Mystikos Sect)explain that Dracula's son Xarus has instigated a vampire civil war, and that a rival sect of vampires(the Claw Sect)were going to kill them because they wouldn't side with Xarus. DP still doesn't get where he comes into the picture, or why he'd help vampires, so the Mystikos vampires explain that the Claw vampires have a mystical amulet that allows them to walk around during they day, thus making the Mystikos vampires sitting ducks in the daytime. The Mystikos go on to tell DP that they founded the hospital they were living under over 100 years ago, because they were trying to help people, unlike many of their brethren. After mulling it all over, DP decides to help the Mystikos vampires, and heads up to the surface where he saves a female doctor from a Claw vampire. DP falls in love with the doctor(because she was covered in blood and holding a handgun)and decides to take her into the hospital chapel, but not before informing the other Claw vampires of where he was going. DP kills another of the Claw vampires in the chapel(by shooting his amulet), and this issue ends with a whole mess of Claw vampires heading into the hospital security room in order to take advantage of the surveillance cameras located there.

Thoughts: God help me, but I LOVED this issue! Daniel Way(writer)was ON in this issue! DP's lines had me laughing out loud at times, and his refusal to call the vampires, “vampires” was hilarious. I could go on and on gushing about some of my favorite moments from this issue(“Draculas dressed like mummies?”), but instead I'm just going to end this review by saying this: If you only read one vampire infested Deadpool comic this year, make it this one! You WON'T be disappointed!

Score: 10 out of 10. Yup, I liked this issue THAT much!Damn those Draculas!!!

Birds of Prey #6

Birds of Prey #6

-This JUST came in the mail today, even though it was released like a month ago... Yep, DC's subscription service REALLY sucks.
-Last issue Huntress and Lady Blackhawk headed to Thailand to try to rescue Black Canary from her nemesis, the White Canary.
-Unfortunately, Black Canary can't leave Thailand because White Canary had kidnapped her adopted daughter, Sin.
-White Canary promised to release Sin provided Black Canary fought Lady Shiva(THE greatest fighter in the DCU)to the death.
-Unfortunately for Black Canary, on her best day she has little chance against Shiva, and she is currently nursing a broken wrist.
-Black Canary asks Huntress to serve as her second, and as tradition dictated, Huntress had to challenge Shiva on Black Canary's behalf.
-Instead of challenging Shiva for Black Canary, Huntress challenges Shiva herself, figuring that Black Canary had way more to live for than she did.
-White Canary immediately accepts the challenge, agreeing to release the captive Sin and her foster family once the battle between Huntress and Shiva had concluded.
-Black Canary is incensed, since there's no doubt that Shiva was going to kill Huntress.
-Right before the fight commences, one of the White Canary's henchwomen decides she can no longer abide by White Canary's antics, and tells Black Canary the location of Sin.
-Black Canary rushes away, and Shiva and Huntress begin their battle, with Shiva battering Huntress with her masterful fighting techniques.
-Black Canary manages to locate Sin and ferry her to safety.
-Huntress badgers Shiva and takes a hellacious beating, but Shiva becomes so infuriated by Huntress's non-stop taunting that she falls prey to some dirty fighting tactics(Huntress literally spits her own blood into Shiva's eyes!)and Huntress manages to knock Shiva off her feet, much to the shock of everybody present.
-By this time, Black Canary returns and interrupts the fight, telling White Canary that she had rescued Sin, and therefore the battle didn't need to continue.
-White Canary doesn't want to call off the battle, since it was supposed to be to the death, but Shiva ends the fight, stating that the battle had no time constraints, meaning they could pick up the battle at any time.
-In other words, Shiva hadn't broken her word, just delayed the conclusion to her fight with Huntress indefinitely.
-Having lost Shiva's support, White Canary storms away, swearing revenge like any good super-villain would.
-This issue ends with Shiva giving Huntress her props for knocking her down, while Black Canary thanks Huntress for her insane risk.

Wooo, this comic was well worth the wait! Huntress is probably my favorite female DC Comics character, and her battle with Lady Shiva made me into an even BIGGER fan of Huntress. Everything about the fight was awesome, from Huntress challenging Shiva by throwing a drink in her face(!), to her taking a beating from Shiva, to her actually taking Shiva off her feet. Anybody who reads this comic and DOESN'T become a Huntress fan is, quite frankly, insane! Besides the fight, there were other little character development scenes here that really hammered home just how great a character Huntress is. There was some stuff with Hawk and Dove, but I glossed over it, because it didn't add to(nor take anything away from)the main story. I still wish Hawk and Dove weren't even on this team, but as long as Gail Simone continues to write a comic THIS good, I can overlook those two worthless Brightest Day additions. I know I'll be looking forward to the next issue, whenever DC decides to send it to me that is...

Score: 10 out of 10.What's up here? Huntress is taking Lady Shiva to school, that's what!

Daken: Dark Wolverine #3

Overall: So last issue Possessed Wolverine(who is rapidly becoming my favorite new villain)killed Daken after Daken tried to defend Mystique from good ol' Possessed Wolvie. Mystique attacks Possessed Wolvie, but can't do any damage to the hellspawn. Mystique continues to change into various different forms, but no matter what she does, she can't make a dent in the uber-powerful Possessed Wolvie. Eventually the police arrive on the scene, drawing Possessed Wolvie's attention, while also giving Mystique the opportunity to escape. Once outside, Mystique morphs into a different form and curses herself for developing feelings for Daken. From there, Possessed Wolvie gives one final look at Daken's remains before setting the entire restaurant ablaze. This brings us to a flashback sequence, where Romulus is telling a very young Daken that he must never allow himself the luxury of caring for anybody but himself, and that the best way to rule the world is from the shadows. After the flashback, we head back to the present, where Possessed Wolvie is talking to Daken(!?), who obviously didn't die in the fire. Daken tells Possessed Wolvie that killing Mystique wasn't a part of the deal they had, and Possessed Wolvie taunts Daken, asking him how he liked being lied to. Daken goes to attack Possessed Wolvie, but is easily tossed aside. Possessed Wolvie tells Daken that one day he'll collect on the favor he's owed for “killing” Daken before leaving. With that, Daken stands alone on the rooftop and realizes that to the world, he was dead, meaning he could go about manipulating events in the same manner as his teacher Romulus had done, from behind the scenes. This issue ends with Johnny Storm(the Human Torch)learning that Daken had “died” and calling Mr. Fantastic with the news. It seems that before his “death”, Daken had gone to the Fantastic Four and told them that if he was ever murdered, they should hunt down... Well we don't get to find out who just yet.

Wooo baby, now THIS is what I'd call an awesome comic! I wasn't a fan of the last issue at all, but this issue MORE than made up for the last issue! There was so much good here, I'm not quite sure where to begin heaping my praise! First off, the flashback scene was beautifully done, and gave a wonderful insight into why Daken is the way he is. Then there's Daken's master plan of “dying”. It was brilliantly done, and in one fell swoop, he convinced Mystique that he had died, who would almost undoubtedly tell the X-Men/Wolverine(when he comes back to life), as well as tricking the Fantastic Four, who he smartly started up a relationship with during the old Dark Wolverine series. By convincing Johnny that he was dead, Daken had convinced the FF he was dead, meaning the FF, being connected to pretty much EVERYBODY in the Marvel Universe, would spread the word. Daken literally left NO loose ends. As far as the Marvel Universe is concerned, he is dead, leaving him able to pull whatever strings he wants to pull from the shadows. I guess if I have one gripe, it would be that with Daken being “dead”, there's no hopes for a full blown Daken/Mystique relationship. I guess that's one small price to pay for what was otherwise a fantastic comic.

Score: 10 out of 10.Hey, a perfect score deserves at least two scans!

Deadpool #29

Overall: This issue begins with Deadpool standing over a few bound Secret Avengers who were caught in an explosion set off by the AWESOME Dr. Bong last issue. The Secret Avengers are Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Moon Knight and Steve Rogers... Yep, there are two Steve Rogers there. So Deadpool goes about questioning the Steves to see which one was the real deal. After remembering that the real Steve Rogers didn't have a healing factor, while the Dr. Bong created clone does, Deadpool checks the two for wounds, and upon seeing one of the Steves was bleeding, Deadpool blows the fake Steve's brains out. DP decides to cut the heroes loose, and Steve tells DP that he's going to put him in charge of capturing Bong, since DP knows Bong better than the rest of the Secret Avengers. Meanwhile, Dr. Bong and his army of Deadpool clones are loading up a truck with millions of dollars worth of explosives. By this point, DP and the Secret Avengers arrive at Bong's warehouse, and DP infiltrates the army of DP clones, tricking them into believing he was one of them. Deadpool cozies up to Bong, helping him finish the loading and driving away with Bong while the Avengers make sort work of all of the DP clones. Bong almost escapes in the confusion, but Black Widow manages to shoot out one of his tires, causing the truck to go careening off the road and exploding. Using the powers of Awesome, Bong manages to escape the explosion and confronts the Avengers. Or at least that's what Bong tells the heroes. In actuality, Deadpool pushed Bong to safety, since Steve told DP he wanted Bong taken alive. Deadpool then reveals to Bong that he was the real Deadpool, and that he was handing Bong over to the Avengers, as per DP's agreement with the team. Bong goes to use his... exploding bell powers, but DP slices off Bong's hand and then sets off fireworks in celebration, ending this issue.

Yeah, this was probably the funniest comic book I have read all year. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a comic that made me laugh as much as this one did in a good long time. It had what every good Deadpool comic needs, humor, and lots of it! The art was good, the story was good, Dr. Bong brought the awesome and I laughed throughout this comic. In other words, it was perfect. And you know what that means I'm going to score this one!

Score: 10 out of 10.Dr. Bong actually calling his lackeys, "lackeys" AND Steve Rogers sitting on Deadpool's lap? This may just be the page of the year!

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3 is STILL awesome!

Overall: We kick things off with Magneto and Quicksilver arguing about whether or not the Scarlet Witch has been captured by Dr. Doom, while the Young Avengers stand around and observe. Magneto is of the mindset that Doom has kidnapped his daughter, since Doom is already one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, and holding Wanda, potentially THE most powerful being in the Marvel U would solidify Doom's position. On the other hand, Quicksilver doesn't believe that his sister is the captive of Doom, he still feels that Magneto is behind Wanda's disappearance, and that Magneto is running everybody around in circles. Magneto decides that the only logical course of action is for himself, Quicksilver and the Young Avengers to invade Doom's home country of Latveria and attempt to rescue Wanda. Quicksilver feels that that plan is insane and says as much. After listening patiently for a while, Patriot chimes in and announces that the Young Avengers were not stupid enough to storm Latveria and potentially begin a world war with Dr. Doom of all people. All of the Young Avengers seem to agree with that line of thought except for Wiccan, who wants to head to Latveria himself just to do some scouting. Nobody agrees with that idea, with Patriot not wanting to split the team up and Magneto feeling they could make more of a dent in Doom's defenses together. With no conclusion reached, and the day turning to night, Magneto takes the young heroes to one of his hidden bases near Wundagore Mountain to sleep so they can plan anew the following day. Before arriving, the motley group of characters realize that Wiccan was no longer traveling with them, and that Quicksilver had also vanished. It turns out that Wiccan stayed back and was trying to teleport himself to Latveria, and that Quicksilver had discovered him and was encouraging Wiccan to head to Doom's castle alongside Quicksilver. Before Wiccan is able to complete the spell, the rest of the Young Avengers arrive on the scene and Hulkling threatens Quicksilver to cease trying to manipulate his boyfriend, lest he wants to become a legless speedster. From there we head to New York, where the Avengers have assembled to discuss what to do about the Magneto/Scarlet Witch/Young Avengers situation. Iron Man figures that the Avengers have their best shot at finding Wanda with the help of Wonder Man, who was once resurrected by Wanda, and as such still has some of her magic within him. Wonder Man inquires what the heroes plan on doing with Wanda once they find her and Wolverine blurts out that they need to kill her, which leads to Wonder Man knocking the diminutive mutant through a wall before leaving, informing the Avengers that he'd find Wanda on his own. Wolverine also leaves the rest of the Avengers, informing them that he would find Wanda and kill her, and possibly kill Wiccan as well. Later on at Magneto's base, Wiccan waits until everybody else is asleep before leaving a letter for Hulkling, informing him that he was going to go ahead and teleport to Latveria simply to get a lay of the land. Upon arriving near Castle Doom, Wiccan is almost immediately discovered by some patrolling Doombots, but he manages to trick them by transforming himself into the Scarlet Witch, at which point he tells the robots to take him back to his room, since he had gotten lost. The robots comply, and bring Wiccan to a bedroom, where he comes face to face with Wanda(!!). Wanda acts as if she has no idea who Wiccan is, and mentioning Quicksilver and Magneto also has no effect on her, leading Wiccan to believe that she's either pretending that she doesn't know anybody in order to distance herself from her past life/actions, or that she is truly an amnesiac and really doesn't recall the events of her life. Regardless, Wiccan tells her it isn't safe to remain in Latveria, and that she has to escape. Wanda doesn't want to escape, informing Wiccan that her wedding was the following day, and when Wiccan asks Wanda who she was marrying, Dr. Doom enters the room and tells the shocked Wiccan, “Me.”

Um, do you even need to ask what I thought about this issue? Anybody who has ever come to this blog KNOWS that I LOVE the Young Avengers. More than that, I love the Young Avengers when they are written by their original creators(Allan Heinberg: writer & Jim Cheung: art), who seem to have a better feel for these characters then any other writer who has tried writing them. This issue was, in a word, perfect. The story is moving along at a brisk pace, the artwork is crisp and beautiful, and the dialogue is well done, with a perfect mixture of drama and humor. I guess if I had a complaint, it would be that some of the characters didn't have any speaking roles(Hawkeye, Stature & Vision), but even that is fine, because they really didn't need to speak. Everything that needed saying was said by one of the other characters. So gushing aside, what's next here? Well, we now know that Dr. Doom has indeed captured Wanda, and intends on marrying her. We don't know what frame of mind Wanda is in, and whether or not she remembers her past, or is just pretending that she doesn't. Wiccan now appears to be a prisoner of Doom, which will undoubtedly bring his teammates(as well as Quicksilver and Magneto)to Latveria, which should lead to quite the battle. Besides that, we also have the Avengers, Wonder Man and Wolverine all searching for Wanda separately and for differing reasons. The Avengers want to find Wanda, but have already admitted that they're unsure as to what to do once they find her, Wonder Man wants to help her in any way he can since he's always had a flame for her(as well as the fact that she did bring him back from the dead)and Wolverine wants to kill her before her powers get out of control and she creates another House of M type of situation again. Whew! So THIS issue was fantastic, there are storylines aplenty going on here, and it goes without saying that going forward things should only get better! Needless to say, THIS is my favorite mini-series of 2010, period, the end.

Score: 10 out of 10. That's the second straight perfect score for this mini-series, and quite frankly, I expect the perfect scores to continue rolling in! And since I love this mini so much, here are a few images from this comic.Score one for Magneto!

Magneto was SO awesome here it makes my teeth hurt from smiling so hard!

Okay, Magneto was on FIRE in this issue!

Magneto may have been on fire in this comic, but Quicksilver was also getting a few great lines in as well.

Ahhh... Where would Marvel be without that murderous little Canadian?

The next issue can't get here soon enough...

Kick-Ass 2 #1

Overall: We kick off the sequel to Kick-Ass with Kick-Ass... well, getting his ass kicked by Hit-Girl, who has taken it upon herself to train Kick-Ass. After a training session, Hit-Girl returns to her adopted family and is confronted by her adopted father who asks Hit-Girl to cease the hero nonsense, since if anything were to happen to Hit-Girl it would be absolutely devastating to Hit-Girl's adopted mother. In the end, Hit-Girl promises to stop playing hero and that she would break all her ties with the other heroes, including Kick-Ass. As for Kick-Ass, his personal life still sucks, his father broke up with his girlfriend from the first series, and Kick-Ass himself has been unable to attain any of his romantic interests. However, his time as Kick-Ass has been great, as his fighting has improved(thanks in large part to Hit-Girl's training), and he's been meeting several other wannabe heroes. One of these heroes, Doctor Gravity, invites Kick-Ass to a secret underground headquarters(actually a wine cellar at a store), where Kick-Ass meets a bunch of other wannabe heroes who are calling themselves the Justice Forever. This issue ends with the overjoyed Kick-Ass getting an invitation to join Justice Forever.

Well... I've thought about this comic for two days now since I originally read it. After I put it down, my first instinct was that it was a perfect comic, deserving of a perfect score. But I've already given out two perfect scores lately, and I was loathe to hand out another perfect score. So I read this issue again, looking for any excuse to drop the score down to a 9 1/2. And you know what? I couldn't find a damn thing to complain about! THIS is the way to kick off a sequel to a story as well received as the original Kick-Ass. Mark Millar(writer)and John Romita Jr.(pencils)haven't missed a single beat from the first Kick-Ass series. Not at all. This story picked up so seamlessly from the end of the original series that it made reading it a real treat. It had everything the original had, fun characters, over the top action, crazy violence, ultra profane dialogue, everything that made Kick-Ass so popular is present here. Totally awesome stuff here. If you enjoyed the original Kick-Ass even a little, you owe it to yourself to buy and read the sequel.

Score: 10 out of 10.I sure wish I had a gravity pole...

Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier #4(of 4)

Overall: This issue kicks off with Machinesmith trying to sell vials of the Super-Soldier Serum to some of the more unsavory world leaders. While Machinesmith is peddling his wares, Steve Rogers and one of Machinesmith's robots, who had gone rogue, are hunting the insane robot down. Steve, the rogue robot and Beast come up with a plan to deal with Machinesmith, and eventually arrive at Machinesmith's secret location. Steve attacks, sending the crooked leaders scurrying, and pitting Machinesmith, and his ability to jump from one electronic device to another, against Steve. The two old foes battle, and Steve manages to disable all of the electronics in the vicinity, while the rogue robot had managed to destroy every electronics system in Machinesmith's base, as well as blocking all cell towers and satellite reception. With his body destroyed and only one place left to go, Machinesmith takes Steve's bait and jumps into the body of the rogue robot, who had reconfigured herself to only allow wireless traffic in, but not out. With Machinesmith stuck in the rogue robot's body with no means of escape, the rogue robot detonates herself, presumably destroying Machinesmith as well. With that bit of business done with, Steve collects the samples of the Super Soldier Serum Machinesmith was trying to sell and takes them to Beast, who after running some tests on them discovers that they were absolutely useless, leaving Steve to ponder what the sense of all of Machinesmith's actions were... The epilogue of this story reveals that Prof. Erskine(the grandson of the scientist who originally created the Super Soldier Serum)had faked his death earlier in this mini-series and was working with Machinesmith in order to gain a sample of Steve Rogers blood. Now armed with that blood sample, Erskine(with the backing of the Shadow Empire)is free to try to perfect the Serum, planning on testing it on subjects that resembled Steve back when he first became Captain America.

And this ladies and gents is why Ed Brubaker is the best comic book writer in the industry today. Hands down. I'll admit that I wasn't really overwhelmed by parts of this mini-series, but by the end I was hanging on EVERY page. The battle with Machinesmith was great, the rogue robot(who was created to look like an old flame of Steve's from back during WWII)sacrificing herself was very well done, and the epilogue was splendid. Nope, not a single complaint to be voiced here. I especially loved the epilogue, with Erskine and his evil accomplices from the Shadow Council secretly watching young men who resembled a young Steve Rogers, since Steve Rogers was the only candidate able to become a true super-soldier with no side effects. So the story was great, the art(which was done by the immensely talented Dale Eaglesham)was great, the dialogue was great and the epilogue was great... With all that said, what do you think I'm going to give this comic score-wise?

Score: 10 out of 10.Machinesmith is one of those characters who, in the right writer's hands, can be one hell of a menace.

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl #1

Overall: This issue begins with Batgirl happening across a break-in at a Waynetech research facility where some man dressed in black was in the process of stealing an experimental gun that was capable of shooting bullets through walls. Steph tries to wrangle the mystery man, but he uses super-speed, Green Lantern power blasts and invisibility to escape Steph with the gun. After Steph leaves, the mystery man unmasks and reveals Bruce Wayne(!!!!!!!)!!! Ahem... So Steph reports back to Oracle who tells Steph that she was going to send the Birds of Prey after the mystery man since he's proven too dangerous for Steph to take on alone. Naturally Steph disobeys Oracle's decree to not continue the search, and with the help of Proxy, Steph discovers the mystery man's secret base and manages to dispatch his hired goons. After some thought, Steph realizes that the mystery man had to be targeting somebody at the nearby Crime Alley Reclamation Press Conference, and upon getting there she spots old boyfriend and current Red Robin, Tim Drake on stage. After some more quick thinking, Steph manages to track the mystery man down to a parking garage seven blocks away. Steph confronts him and demands to know who he was, since with all of the powers he was exhibiting there was no reason he needed that gun to commit a murder. Upon hearing that, Bruce unmasks and tells Steph that the whole situation was a test. Before he can tell Steph she did a good job, Steph slaps Bruce in the face(!)and runs off. Bruce catches up with Steph a bit later and Steph apologizes for the slap, but explains she was afraid Bruce's return would herald the end of her time as Batgirl. Bruce pretty much gives Steph his okay to continue being Batgirl, and this issue ends with Bruce telling Alfred that it looks as if Steph had really grown into the Batgirl role.

Well, this issue surprised the flying (insert favorite expletive here) out of me! I was absolutely STUNNED to see that Bruce was back in this issue, especially with the Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series still going on. So yeah, this was probably the most surprised I've been while reading a comic since... well, since I can remember. Besides the shock value of seeing Bruce back and interacting with Steph and Alfred, the story itself was DAMN good. It would have been REALLY easy for Bryan Q. Miller(writer)to just rest on his laurels and let the shock of seeing Bruce carry this issue, but no, he also told a fantastic story. The way he interweaved the work he's been doing in the Batgirl series with Steph's prior storylines was really impressive. We got some good flashbacks, fantastic dialogue, great art, a great story and a hell of a surprise. The only question that was really in my head after I finished this comic was, does this issue deserve a perfect score?

Score: 10 out of 10. Yes, yes it does deserve a perfect score.Who IS that masked man?!?

Quick Thoughts on: Daken: Dark Wolverine #1

Daken: Dark Wolverine #1: Writers: Dan Way & Marjorie Liu. Pencils: Giuseppe Camuncoli.

Quick Review: This issue mainly shows Daken's part in the mysterious death of Wolverine that we have been granted snippets of in “Wolverine #1” and “Wolverine: Road to Hell #1” Daken has betrayed his father to the clandestine Red Hand all while betraying them to Mystique. Over the course of this issue Daken basically flirts, cajoles, befriends and manipulates everybody he comes in contact with, from the Human Torch to some random models, all while keeping his eyes on his ultimate goal, control over everything and everyone.

Quick Thoughts: I loved this comic. But that should come as no surprise since I absolutely love the Daken character. He's always been a manipulative bastard, and this issue spotlighted that aspect of Daken's personality flawlessly. This comic introduces Daken to any potential new readers(this IS a number one issue of a “new” series), while spelling out his agenda in this series. For Daken the end results is to create an empire similar to the one that Romulus had maintained for hundreds(thousands?)of years, and with both Wolverine and Romulus out of the way, now is his time to strike. Simple, logical for the character and intriguing. What's not to like?

Score: 10 out of 10. I tried, but I just couldn't find anything I didn't like here, thus the perfect score.My current Windows desktop background.

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2 is awesome!

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2: Writer: Allan Heinberg. Pencils: Jim Cheung.

Review: This issue picks up from last issue's cliffhanger, with Magneto introducing himself to the Young Avengers and stating that he wants to help Wiccan and Speed find their mother, the Scarlet Witch(who also happens to be Magneto's daughter). While Wiccan seems moved by Magneto, Patriot(and most of the rest of the Young Avengers)don't trust Magneto. Before Wiccan can say yes or no, the Avengers attack Magneto, with Wolverine telling Magneto that he was warned to stay away from the kids. Wiccan tries to explain to the Avengers that Magneto wasn't trying to abduct the Young Avengers, only talk to them, but the Avengers refuse to hear him out. Wiccan is shocked by the Avengers antics, and Magneto explains that they don't want Wanda found, because if she was found, she'd have to be killed. Magneto then cautions Wiccan, telling him that once Wiccan and his teammates step out of line, they'd find themselves in the Avengers cross hairs. Wolverine punctuates Magneto's point by attacking Wiccan, who is saved by Magneto. Hulkling decides to get Wiccan out of the fray, but Spider-Man approaches the two boys and warns them not to entertain the idea of listening to Magneto. Ms. Marvel approaches the boys and pretty much threatens them, telling them if they try to stand against the Avengers they'd be put down hard. While the Avengers, Magneto and Young Avengers battle it out in the streets below, Wiccan decides he's had enough and teleports his teammates and Magneto away from the battle, leaving the Avengers confused and a bit angry. As for Magneto and the Young Avengers, Wiccan teleports them to Wundagore Mountain, the birthplace of the Scarlet Witch, figuring that would be the ideal place to start the search. Several of the Young Avengers are STILL not pleased that they went against the Avengers and were teaming with Magneto(most notably Patriot), but Wiccan and Speed seem to be fully under Magneto's thrall by this point. The group heads to the grave of Magda, Magneto's wife and Wanda's mother, hoping that Wiccan would be able to use his magic to locate Wanda. Wiccan, Speed and Magneto join hands and Wiccan believes that he had located Wanda in a nearby village, which causes Speed to impulsively take off to locate Wanda. While running through the village at top speed, Speed runs into Quicksilver(!). Quicksilver warns Speed to collect his friends and leave, lest they want Quicksilver to kill them as he intends to do to Magneto. By this point Magneto and the Young Avengers arrive on the scene and Magneto tries to reason with his estranged son. Quicksilver will hear none of it and demands that Magneto release the children, to which Wiccan explains that the Young Avengers had chosen to follow Magneto. Upon hearing that, Quicksilver grabs Wiccan and runs off with him. Wiccan tells Quicksilver that instead of fighting, they should all team up to find Wanda, but Quicksilver refuses, stating that as long as his father was with the Young Avengers, he wouldn't join their cause. Quicksilver does tell Wiccan that he'd be more than happy to work with Wiccan to find Wanda. By now Speed has arrived on the scene and after some bantering goads Quicksilver into racing him to see who was faster(much to Wiccan's annoyance). While the two white-haired speedsters race, the ground lifts up from under Quicksilver, announcing the presence of his father. That does it for Quicksilver, who runs around the village, grabs a bunch of wooden stakes and throws them at Magneto as fast as he can. Magneto and the Young Avengers manage to avoid the projectiles, but unfortunately, a townswoman(who happens to look EXACTLY like Wanda)is impaled by one of the stakes and falls to the ground. The Young Avengers rush to the stricken woman's side and realize that she was actually a robot... And not only was she a robot, but she was a disguised Doombot(!!), causing the gathered characters to realize that the reason nobody had been able to locate Wanda was because she was almost definitely a prisoner of Dr. Doom!!

What I Thought: Well, this was probably the best single issue I've read all year. From the opening battle against the Avengers, to the COMPLETELY out of left field revelation that Doom probably had Wanda, this comic was perfect. Sorry Shadowland and Red Hood: Lost Days, but for my money, THIS mini-series is the BEST mini-series of the year, and we're only 2 issues in with 7 more to go!! I really can't think of a single flaw in this book... Maybe the Avengers acted kind of rashly towards the kids, but even that is sort of understandable considering it looked as if they were conspiring with Magneto. Besides that, this comic was perfect. The art was great, the story had my full attention from the first page to the last, and the dialogue was perfectly done. Every character “sounded” exactly how they should have. Magneto was sympathetic, while also leaving the reader with just the slightest amount of doubt that he was acting in the Young Avengers best interests. The Avengers were portrayed perfectly(Spider-Man tried to reason with the kids, Wolverine wanted to attack first and talk later, Ms. Marvel was annoying, etc), as was Quicksilver, who as usual was acting before thinking. And then there was the Young Avengers... Unsurprisingly Allan gave each character the perfect voice. While this mini-series is obviously centered around Wiccan(and to a slightly lesser extent, Speed), every single one of the other Young Avengers received a moment or two of serious character development. Stature and Vision, Patriot and Hawkeye, Hulkling and Wiccan, each character had their own ideas, plans and wishes, as well as their own time to shine. If only every comic book contained this sort of character development... As you can probably tell by how long the review was, as well as my thoughts on this comic, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I could easily go on for another several paragraphs detailing just how much I loved this comic, but I won't. Instead I'll post the score(which shouldn't be a HUGE surprise!)as well as several scans from the comic. That's right, SEVERAL scans! I liked this comic so much I couldn't decide on just one page to post. I CAN'T wait for the next issue!!!

Score: 10 out of 10.Who wouldn't want Magneto as their grandfather?!?

Yet another example of Wolverine being a jerk...

Huh, I'd forgotten just how much I like Speed... He was a riot in this comic!

Not only is this page beautiful, the dialogue is pretty funny... If you really think about it. BTW, this picture is now my windows desktop background.

Yeah, next issue can't come out soon enough...

Picto-Review: REBELS #19

REBELS #19: Writer:Tony Bedard. Pencils: Claude St. Aubin.

We kick things off with my hero, Vril Dox(Brainiac 2)running the hell away from his recently escaped, and extremely angry father, Brainiac.


Meanwhile, Dox's son Lyrl(Brainiac 3)decimates the defensive systems of the planet Colu, and demands they surrender the data-core of Colu to him, which would grant him control of the entire planet. Lyrl's appearance to frighten the populace of Colu also alerts Dox to his presence, as well as putting him on Brainiac's radar.


Now in full panic mode, the ruling council of Colu break out a four stooges act. Luckily for them, Dox shows up to restore some order to the situation.


Dox eventually convinces the council to destroy the data-core, which would deny Lyrl what he wanted most from Colu, so they initiate the self destruct protocol. However, the data-core doesn't explode as expected. Why is that?


Because Brainiac had managed to take control of the data-core first, and as such is now in control of the every system on Colu, including the weapon's systems. In control of Colu's arsenal of weapons, and tiring of Dox, Brainiac launches several thermo-nuclear bombs at the ruling council tower, hoping to obliterate his “son”, Dox.


Thanks to his force field(and a little help from Lyrl), Dox survives the nuclear blast and Dox and Lyrl decide to put aside their differences to defeat the elder Brainiac. Dox tells Lyrl to keep Brainiac occupied so he could get off-world to get a secret weapon of his own.


And what is Dox's secret weapon? None other then Lobo!!!

What I Thought: So last issue I gave this comic a perfect score, and looking back, it sure as hell deserved that score. This issue? It was even better! Wow. Where do I start? There was some great humor, with Dox(after being called fearless on the previous page)running away from his “father” as fast as he could, as well as the comical antics of the Colu ruling council. On top of that, the story itself is multi-faceted, but still easy to follow. Lyrl wanted to take over Colu, and gain control of the data-core, which contains 300 years of Coluian knowledge, as well as control over all of the planet's systems, while Brainiac had pretty much the same plans. As for Dox, he's stuck in the middle, and is now forced to make a deal with the lesser of the two evils, his son, even though there's NO doubt that Lyrl would stab Dox in the back at the first available opportunity. And the ending? All I can say is that's it's about time Lobo popped up in this series. Lobo was an integral part of the first LEGION/REBELS series, so getting to read about him and Dox together again is pretty much a dream come true for me. Oh, and check out the chain around Lobo's neck on that last pic I posted. Pretty cool, no? Anyway, if you're a comic fan, and you're not reading this comic, you are making a BIG mistake. The last two issues have been amazing, and more then any other monthly title(and I read A LOT of new books every month), this is the book I'll be most looking forward to next month.

Score: 10 out of 10. That's two straight perfect score. Will next month herald a third? Only time will tell.

Picto-Review: REBELS #18.

Hey wait, isn't it Sunday night? Doesn't that mean it's supposed to be time for the “Random Scan of the Week!”(copyright pending)? Don't worry, you haven't stumbled into some sort of Bizarro version of this blog where all of the posts are good and your humble blog editor isn't a blithering idiot. Nope, this is STILL the same blog you know and love(like? tolerate? loath?), the reviews are STILL crappy, and I'm STILL a blithering idiot, I'm just trying out something a bit different tonight. I'm going to review the latest issue of REBELS with pictures instead of words, which would explain the incredibly clever(and original!)title of this post. In a way this is all JT's fault... Yes, the very same JT of of the strangely captivating http://jasontoddscomicspot.blogspot.com/ (there I plugged your blog for you this time, JT!)was in a way the inspiration for this post... Sort of... Well, not really, but kind of. Anyway, JT made the mistake of asking me about Vril Dox and the Brainiac family on one of the posts on this blog, which led to a REALLY long-winded explanation(sort of like this intro...). After finishing up that comment, I started thinking about just how good REBELS #18 was, and how it really deserved a review, even if nobody would read it... But alas, I knew I didn't really have the time to do a long, boring post. It was then a brilliant(hey, I'm narrating this thing, so yes, brilliant!)idea struck me... Why not scan a few pages(no more then 7)from this comic and simply add a few captions? That wouldn't take up TOO much time(unlike this blasted intro!!!), plus I'd be able to say(to myself I guess...)that I did indeed give this comic the review it so deserved! And thus the Picto-Review was born. If this post is well-enough received then I'll try to post a few more Picto-Reviews. If not then I'll act like it never happened. I've become quite good at pretending things didn't happen... Anyway, I think that's MORE then enough of an introduction(and really, did this post even NEED an intro?), let's get on to the pretty, pretty pictures!

This issue gets underway with Lyrl Dox(son of REBELS/LEGION founder Vril Dox and grandson of Brainiac)telling his newest weapon, Pulsar Stargrave(that big star thing with the blue eye)the history of the Dox family tree.

Meanwhile, Vril brings Brainiac home to the planet Colu, where the elder Brainiac is looking forward to a lifetime spent as a drooling vegetable in penance for his MANY crimes.

After turning Brainiac over to his fellow Coluians, Vril decides to pay his “father” a final visit in order to do some good old-fashioned taunting before taking off.

Unfortunately for Vril, Brainiac isn't nearly so much a drooling vegetable as much as he is a very large, very angry super-villain. Before Vril can decide what to do about the fully coherent Brainiac, the entire planet is suddenly attacked by...

Pulsar Stargrave and Lyrl!

We end this issue with Brainiac breaking free of his bonds and deciding that 3 Brainiacs were two too many.

What I Thought: If you were able to make it through the introduction(and if you did, good for you!), I'm sure you could tell that I really enjoyed this comic. As a matter of fact, I'd call it the PERFECT jumping on point for new readers. The Brainiac history is plainly laid out, and all three generations of the Brainiac family wind up at each other's throats. This comic really had it all, some insanity from Lyrl, some evil from Brainiac, and some general jackassery from Vril. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, there was also a back story in which Starfire decides to sleep with Capt. Comet, but only to take her mind off of how much she missed Dick Grayson, which seems to hit the love-struck Comet pretty hard, as you can see here:

And that's pretty much that. As always, comments are appreciated, since that's pretty much the only way I can tell if anybody liked this post. X out.

Score: 10 out of 10. Yup, that's right, a rare perfect score. Told you I liked this comic!

The Awesomeness that is Shadowland #1!

Shadowland #1: Writer: Andy Diggle. Pencils: Billy Tan.

Review: We open with a few mystics from the Hand talking about allowing Matt Murdock to do something that would corrupt him, so that they could awaken their master and he could destroy the world of man... Okay than... The scene then shifts to a cargo plane that was carrying Bullseye to the Raft prison in New York. Bullseye tricks the guards, gets free and manages to kill them all, taking the plane to Hell's Kitchen in order to find his old enemy Daredevil. At Avengers Tower, Luke Cage and Iron Fist discuss the Daredevil situation with the Avengers. The Avengers explain that they're willing to give DD his space and allow him to help the people in Hell's Kitchen in his own way, but the moment he steps over the line, they'll be there. After hearing that, Iron Fist and Cage decide to go and speak to DD about some of the more unsavory things they'd been hearing were going on in the Kitchen. Bullseye makes his way to the Kitchen, and spots the huge Hand castle that DD had erected on the ruins of the tenement building Bullseye destroyed, killing 107 innocent civilians in the process. DD and a battalion of Hand ninjas show up and DD sends his minions after Bullseye. Bullseye makes a break for it, running to the Javits Convention Center, where he figured there'd be plenty of cameras to catch him in action. Bullseye stands his ground and begins to ravage the ninjas, killing several of them before DD calls off his dogs and attacks Bullseye himself. After an brilliant fight scene between the two arch-foes, DD manages to dislocate BOTH of Bullseye's shoulders, leaving him on his knees and completely helpless. By this time Luke Cage and Iron Fist had made their way to the scene of the battle, and they arrive just in time to see DD drive a sai straight through the chest of Bullseye(!!!!), ending this issue.

What I Thought: Now THIS is the way to kick off a mini-series!!! This was absolutely perfect. I don't have a single thing to complain about. The fight scene between Bullseye and the Hand ninjas was great, but the fight between DD and Bullseye was AMAZING! And the ending! What poetic justice! DD doing Bullseye in, in the EXACT same manner as Bullseye originally killed Elektra was magnificent! The only question I have is, is Marvel going to wimp out here or not? So DD stabbed Bullseye straight through the chest... Are they going to let Bullseye die, or will Iron Fist and Cage manage to get him to a hospital in time? I personally hope that the death stands, because Matt has had cause to kill Bullseye for SO long now, plus his stepping over the line fully should lend itself to a much better/more interesting story. I CAN'T wait for the rest of this mini to come out!

Score: 10 out of 10This is my current Windows Desktop picture.He may be a totally evil remorseless killer, but you've got to admit, Bullseye seems like a pretty funny guy!This scan will probably end up being my desktop picture eventually! Yeah, I liked this comic SO much I posted THREE scans from it!

Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1

Well, I WAS going to do at least 4 reviews tonight, but I didn't get started doing my reviews until later in the day(hey, believe it or not, I DO have a life outside of all of this blogging!), so I only have 2 reviews to post tonight. I'll try to bust out at least 3 or 4 new reviews tomorrow, but no promises! Anyway, onto tonight's reviews!

Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 Writer: Jim McCann. Pencils: David Lopez.

Review: This issue opens up with Hawkeye and Mockingbird chasing some gun runners through the streets of Manhattan. Clint and Bobbi manage to halt the goons near a museum, and before Clint can question the driver of the gun runner's van, the criminal is shot by a sniper. Bobbi goes to work trying to save the criminal, while Clint looks around for the shooter, and spots Crossfire off in the distance. Clint tries to pick Crossfire off, but Crossfire manages to escape. The medics arrive to take the shot criminal away, and Bobbi and Clint run into Jaime Slade, a descendant of the Phantom Rider(!!). Jamie is at the museum putting together an exhibit to honor her family, and needless to say, once Bobbi realizes who Jaime is, she freaks out a bit. Bobbi and Clint return to the WCA(World Counterterrorism Agency)headquarters, and demands to know why her underlings didn't know about Crossfire's involvement with the gun runners. After ripping her team, Bobbi storms off, leaving Clint feeling worried about her. Clint asks the WCA's resident computer whiz to see if he can find any living members of Bobbi's family, and when he does, to get back in touch with Clint. From there Clint heads to Avengers Tower and spars with Capt. Rogers and Bucky, thus making this comic nearly perfect. Bobbi has a reoccurring nightmare about the Phantom Rider, while Jaime Slade winds up getting possessed by the ghost of her ancestor. Clint gets word about the whereabouts of Bobbi's mother and brother, and heads out to see them. Upon arriving, he meets Bobbi's mother, who informs Clint that her daughter had been dead since just after graduate school. This issue concludes with Jaime Slade(in full Phantom Rider regalia)meeting up with Crossfire to discuss their mutual enemies, Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

What I Thought: Well hot damn, this comic was awesome!!! I absolutely love both characters here, and I couldn't have been happier to see Crossfire and the Phantom Rider show up as the villains. Crossfire has a long history with Clint, once paying an army of c-list villain a small fortune to cut off Clint's arm, while the Phantom Rider once kidnapped, drugged and raped Mockingbird back in the hugely under appreciated West Coast Avengers series. I can't really think of anything here that I didn't like... I've got to say, I am LOVING the Heroic Age so far!

Score: You know what? I wasn't going to do it, but I'm going to give this comic a 10 out of 10. Sure it wasn't technically perfect, but getting to read some old school West Coast Avengers style action made me VERY happy, so screw it, this comic gets a perfect score. So I'm biased... Sue me!God is it good to see Clint Barton as Hawkeye again!