El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker

What Looks Good?

2012-01-25T08:48:00.000-05:00

Time keeps marching on, and with it, comics keep on getting released, like clockwork. Amazing to me that my kids are not going to know what "clockwork" means.

Creepy Comics #7 -- I really like this book, but it comes out so irregularly that I routinely forget about it. Still, can't be black and white horror comics!

Aquaman #5 -- With the Trench defeated (for now), it's time for Johns and Reis to show us what they have in mind for Aquaman and Mera next. Reading this series reminds me of the "old days" (*cough*) of reading JSA in trade or Johns' Flash monthly when I was college.

Blackhawks #5 -- Unfortunately, this book has been cancelled as of issue #8, but I for one liked the idea of building a new Blackhawks team. Hopefully they will find somewhere else to appear in the New 52 DCU.

The Flash #5 -- One thing I have come to count on with the New 52 is that this book is going to look amazing every month. I am also enjoying the story, with Barry trying to "think fast" rather than just "run fast," and the strange new baddie Mob Rule.

The Savage Hawkman #5 -- Changes are coming for this book, but for now I am very much looking forward to the next story arc, involving "everyone's favorite" Hawkfoe, the Gentleman Ghost, and a legion of the undead. (I put that in quotes because while I like the Ghost, he's not my favorite Hawkfoe. That honor goes to Shadow-Thief!)

Archie #629 -- You wanted the best! You got the best! This inane crossover has been a lot of fun so far, with KISS showing up in Riverdale to battle a crew of unusual monsters, including a Valley girl mummy and a very... emotional vampire hunk.

Robocop: Road Trip #2 -- Dynamite's Robocop series sort of ended on a weird note, so I am glad to see them at least finishing the story up. I'm a sucker for Robocop, and the Dynamite series was a worthwhile read, so I am excited to get ahold of this one as well.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Mars Attacks Coming From IDW

2012-01-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

Classic trading card property (and personal favorite) Mars Attacks is coming back to comics thanks to Topps and IDW.

Newsarama reports that writer John Layman and artist John McCrea will be launching a new ongoing Mars Attacks series as part of the original card series' 50th anniversary.

Long time readers will know that I am a big fan of the Mars Attacks cards and was even serializing it here for a while. (I should pick that back up...). As a kid, I was a big fan of Dinosaurs Attack!, and only when I was older did I learn the connection to Mars Attacks and get into those as well. Besides the ongoing series, IDW evidently will also be collecting some older material, including the 1994 miniseries which I ate up back in the day. That series was unique in that it presented two stories (with a flipbook format): one dealing with a modern day invasion of Earth, and the other set in the 1960's. Also interesting is that while Keith Giffen wrote the modern story (with art by Charlie Adlard), he drew the nostalgia story (with Len Brown handling the writing chores). For some reason a story about Martians invading the planet and causing violent mayhem seems a good fit for Keith Giffen.

One strange note is that the first issue will have 55 covers, one for each of the original cards. Huh, I wonder if I will be able to pick which one I want? There's a ton of choices but Watching From Mars has always made me laugh!

I only know John Layman from one title, but it's one which fills me with good feelings: Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths, also from IDW (and the subject of my latest episode of Earth Destruction Directive). If he handles Mars Attacks with the same sort of gusto and panache which he brought to that miniseries, we should be in for a treat. Artist John McCrea has a huge body of work, but I don't know if I have ever seen much of his stuff. That having been said the preview image from the article looks pretty darn amazing, so there you go.

No date has been announced for the series, but I am sure IDW will hype the heck out of it (as is their custom) when it is solicited.

Reading Crisis: Index

2012-01-20T08:43:00.000-05:00

Response for my 13 part Reading Crisis series has been overwhelmingly positive. I am glad that my reading of Crisis on Infinite Earths through fresh eyes has been enjoyable to so many of my friends and fellow comic book fans.

I've decided to make this index post so that the whole series can be accessed from one spot and make life easier on me when providing links.

Reading Crisis: Prologue

Reading Crisis, Part 1: The Summoning

Reading Crisis, Part 2: Time And Time Again!

Reading Crisis, Part 3: Oblivion Upon Us

Reading Crisis, Part 4: And Thus Shall The World Die!

Reading Crisis, Part 5: Worlds In Limbo

Reading Crisis, Part 6: 3 Earths! 3 Deaths!

Reading Crisis, Part 7: Beyond The Silent Night

Reading Crisis, Part 8: A Flash Of The Lightning!

Reading Crisis, Part 9: War Zone

Reading Crisis, Part 10: Death At The Dawn Of Time!

Reading Crisis, Part 11: Aftershock

Reading Crisis, Part 12: Final Crisis

Thanks again to everyone who gave me feedback and encouragement and hopefully I can give other series the same treatment in the future!

Reading Crisis, Part 12: Final Crisis

2012-01-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 12: Final Crisis

Darkness! Amazing how in a story which has included everything from living shadows to whole universes being consumed to worlds and beings made of antimatter, something as simple a pure darkness can be the most unsettling and scary thing. This plays on the some basic human psychology -- fear of the dark. The "true world war" which erupts afterwards is equally impressive, thematically connecting with all of the fights against first the Shadow Demons and then the villains across the various Earths. It's one more chance for Perez to showcase as many characters as he can!

Speaking of which, Geo-Force in Markovia! Yeah baby!

I really liked Harbinger grabbing the two Supermen. Because let's face it, these guys need to be front and center when all the chips are down. I don't have anything clever to say about this, just that I appreciated this scene getting put in there.

I have to say that seeing Brainiac and Darkseid together (coupled with the Brainiac and Luthor interaction from previous issues) is all very "Super Powers Collection" to me! I would chalk this up to the fact that I was a little kid in the 1980s and had the Super Powers Lex Luthor figure, and I think my brother may have had Brainiac. So when I think of those characters, this is who I see them, very often. Of course, Darkseid doesn't have his cape so it's not perfect. Speaking of Darkseid, I did like that his appearance actually means something in this series, unlike some of the other asides which were handled in other titles.

I also liked that everyone has some role to play -- this has been one of the central themes of the series. A trope which gets trotted out a lot when talking about superhero comics is that "everyone is someone's favorite," and this series is evidence to that point. Even if it's only for a panel, Wolfman and Perez try to give everyone that they can a little spotlight.

The other theme which ties into this is the heroes "vast and great powers dwarfed only by their infinite courage." Again, pretty standard superhero themes but sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. In the context of all of the death and destruction on display, it means something and it resonates with those of us who love superheroes.

Speaking of death and destruction, while there is a lot of carnage in this series with all of the Earths destroyed, when you sit down and reflect on it, there really wasn't that many character deaths in this series. I compare this negatively to Infinite Crisis, where there's wholesale slaughter of characters in several scenes. Here, the deaths of the characters are sacrifices, and have an impact on the reader. Compare this to how the Freedom Fighters are ripped apart in the beginning of Infinite Crisis and we see how far we have come. And I like Infinite Crisis, too!

The final battle on Qward builds on the previous Anti-Monitor battle, and takes it in a new direction at the same time. I always like a big superhero brawl where the heroes have a plan and execute it properly. Of course, that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of thing, but seeing everyone working the plan was impressive.

The Anti-Monitor like The Terminator! He's got more lives than a bag of cats. I like how he gets more and more monstrous with each time that he comes back, until he finally is little more than a ball of living fire (akin to to the Fire Monster from the end of Destroy All Monsters, in my mind). Similarly, the increasing level of Earth-2 Superman's attacks and anger was impressive. The final extended encounter with the Anti-Monitor, besides being a great capstone for the series, is also a catharsis for all of the readers, who have seen Anti-Monitor wipe out universes for 12 issues and cheat death time and time again, in addition to wiping out lots of favorite heroes. When Superman finally destroys him for good, it's a huge release.

Honestly, I am actually shocked that Pariah doesn't die! Not sure what the heck this guy can do from this point onwards, but I have to admit for a character I actively disliked at the start of this series, he has grown on me by this point. At least he has stopped crying.

Looking back on the series, there is one thing I can say: This book delivered on its promises. Worlds lived, worlds died, and the DC Universe never was the same again. But beyond that, this series also delivered on being the most epic of widescale superhero epics I have ever read. I don't think I have ever read a 12 issue story which involved so many different characters, settings, plot points, twists, and sweeping changes and retained it's ability to both entertain as well as make sense. Other than a few points here and there, I could follow along just fine. And Wolfman managed to make all of the characters "sound" right while Perez of course made everyone look great. Its the sort of one-in-a-million combination of creative collaboration, storyline, and editorial gravitas which I don't know if we'll see in comics again. One can hope that at some point we'll stop rehashing things from the past and create something which builds upon the past but forges creatively fresh ground like we do here.

I don't know that I will pick this up and read it again casually, but, for instance, when the Two True Freaks! get to Crisis on Infinite Earths in their Tales Of The JSA show, I will be reading along.

I'm glad that I put it out there that I had never read Crisis, and I am thankful for Andy Leyland for sending me his trade paperback so that I would have the chance to read it. I can strike this off of my Comic Book Bucket List, and now, hopefully, The Irredeemable Shag will respect me. I have read Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I hope that this blog series will serve as inspiration for anyone else out there who has not done so to seek out this book and read it. As a comic fan, you owe it to yourself.

Not the end; the beginning of the future.

Reading Crisis, Part 11: Aftershock

2012-01-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 11: Aftershock

Alright, I LOVE the opening with one Earth and Earth-2 Clark Kent walking to Perry White's office. That scene was so well paced and organized that even though I knew what the gag was going to be I found myself reading faster and faster to see how it would play out. Great way to open the issue and to introduce the readers to the concept that there is only ONE Earth now. I wonder, did a lot of fans guess this twist? Or was this a huge punch in the gut to readers? I was 5 years old when this came out so I have no idea. Anyone out there have anything to share?

Artwise, the shot of the single Earth floating serenely in space was directly referenced in Infinite Crisis... maybe in Final Crisis, too? I don't remember as I have not re-read that one. It's a simple shot but useful. On the other end of things, I didn't really care for the cover, which was too busy. Maybe a throwback to the old Silver Age style covers which used this sort of trope?

As a Flash fan, I also marked out for the "Twin Cities" sign for Keystone and Central City. Especially as someone who started reading Flash during Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn's run, where the idea of the twin cities was important, seeing it for the "first time" was a real treat for me. Of course just having Jay and Wally together is fun for me for much the same reason.

A shot which gave me a big belly laugh: Earth-1 Superman Tugging on Earth-2 Superman's cape! Well played, Wolfman and Perez!

The sequence with Huntress & Robin was very cool as well, much in the same vein as the Kal-L scene from earlier. These are not characters I have any particular affection for, but the way in which Wolfman illuminates Helena's grief (coupled with Perez's facial work) is very compelling comics. These are issues which are not always addressed in these sort of crossovers so having it be at the forefront is very appealing.

I liked the investigation of Brainiac's ghost ship, although I am not sure what purpose it serves. What's up with that? Post-Crisis, Brainiac became Milton Fine right? So he wasn't a robot again for a long time. So yeah, needless to say I am confused but only because I am familiar with the later version of Brainiac. And for the record, I like this robot version a good deal more than the Milton Fine version. He was cool in Panic In The Sky! but I like the coldly logical automaton from this series a LOT more.

Unfortunately, the scene with Dr. Fate, Etrigan, and Amethyst was pretty much worthless for me as I am not an Amythest reader. I have heard good things about the series but this is akin to the Omega Men stuff from a few issues back which simply has no meaning for me.

When Harbinger is retelling the new Earth's history, the appearance of the historical genre characters made me smile. Both as a great reminder of the characters from earlier in the series as well as keeping those classic characters in continuity without question. As a fan of genre comics, that made me happy.

Cave Carson! You have to love any time Cave Carson pops up!

This issue did not have much in the way of action but in one sense it was one of the most satisfying issues of the entire series. The emotions on display are grand without being hammy, and the ramifications of what went down last issue are given their appropriate context and weight. It's all been building up to this, and I cannot wait for the finale.

Next: Final Crisis!

What Looks Good?

2012-01-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

We're taking a break from our Crisis coverage for the weekly update on what comics I' ll be buying this week!

Tiny Titans #48 -- The Tiny Titans... unmasked!

Wonder Woman #5 -- Diana is on a mission and she's pissed, but what does Ares think about it? And what is Apollo's plan?

Invincible Iron Man #512 -- Last issue featured the Mandarin and the return of the Living Laser, so it seems that Fraction and Larocca are now actively courting me again.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Reading Crisis, Part 10: Death At The Dawn Of Time!

2012-01-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 10: Death At The Dawn Of Time!

Well, The action is better this time out than in the last issue. We get to see some better balance between heroes and villains, and less emphasis placed on the tie-ins. Overall it felt like a better paced series of action scenes than what we got last time out. Black Adam turned to crystal was a nice scene which would never happen in the modern DCU.

Ha! I knew Psimon wasn't powerful enough to stop Brainiac! Woo woo woo!

Good to see the Spectre subplot come to fruition, although I have never liked the cliche of "everyone stops fighting just because some big guy says so." A lot of these villains would be consumed with bloodlust and probably keep on attacking their foes. But if you need everyone to stop fighting this is the sort of go-to trope for it and at least the Spectre is someone powerful enough to back it up.

I liked the callback with Anthro. I had a sneaking suspicion about the pink energy wave but once I saw it with Anthro it all clicked in my brain, "Oh yeah -- time warp!"

I had to laugh when Superboy-Prime literally comes out of nowhere. Because we don't have enough characters to juggle at this point, obviously. But I do have to say, the footnote which we get when he arrives is really important as far as I am concerned because it illustrates the importance of footnotes. That little footnote tells me that the story was told somewhere -- unlike nowadays when most of the time you have to guess whether the character really did just pop in or if there is some other adventure which fills it in. So even though I am 99.44% likely never to read that story at least I know it's not just a random "hey throw this guy in there" bit.

I read the Monitor Files after reading the main story. Is this the correct order? I didn't really take much from this strip (although I liked the artwork and the use of the comic strip format), although I did like the bit about the Thanagarians turning violent in a time of crisis -- how typical, heh.

One element which I am still unclear on is who's hand it is that Krona sees at the beginning. God? The Anti-Monitor in some sort of temporal anomaly? It's unclear. Personally I am going with God just because, well, Creation is sort of His thing.

Man, Sam Scudder went down like a punk. Arguing with Icicle of all people?

It was also nice to see Pariah get exonerated, but I still suspect that he's going to make a heroic sacrifice before this series is over. It's part and parcel with a character like that.

This issue was a good deal better than the last one. For one thing, the plot moved along in a more logical direction. The villain uprising proved to be little more than a roadblock, and you can tell by reading the issue, I think. Having the Anti-Monitor's last plan be revealed really helps this comic shine. (Especially since he pretty much told us he had one more trick up his armored sleeve.) The stakes are raised once more and the story gets its momentum back. And you can't beat an ending like that! We're definitely in the home stretch now!

Next: Aftershock!

Reading Crisis, Part 9: War Zone

2012-01-16T15:05:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 9: War Zone

When I was driving into work this morning, I was sitting a light about to make a turn and what did I see? The skies were red. Clearly someone up there likes my work on this blog series.

Anyway, after the slam-bang of the death of the Flash last issue, we are off to a slow start with this one. There is a lot of setups for characters and tie-ins I am not really interested in (GL, Titans, Firestorm) and have no real intention of ever tracking down or reading. This is a common criticism of modern big crossover epics, so I am little surprised to see it applied here in such a manner. Did contemporary readers really think the main crisis was over?

The "super-villain team-up" segment of the story was an uptick for me if only for the always fun "spot the character" game we have had on this series. (Of Hawkman badguys, I only managed to spot Matter Master; Copperhead is more of a latter-day Hawkfoe.) I also liked Brainiac killing Luthor of Earth-2 to put over our main baddies as dudes you don't want to mess with. Similarly, the tightly packed pages of panels with the implications about the three Earths being conquered is very subtle and effectively creepy.

Unfortunately things sort of come off the rails after that. The scene at the UN is boring and pretty unbelievable, really, even amongst the insane goings on of this story. And then the dispersal to the conquered worlds by the heroes is really sort of by-the-numbers sort of superheroics. I don't know, but it just didn't get me excited the way some of the bang-ups have earlier in this series. Honestly, the big desperate battle played better to me in Infinite Crisis. I am going to catch flak for that but that's my opinion. (By the same token, I can now also say that yes, the timing of the big supervillain battle in that series is a direct callback to this series.)

Luthor's corny narration doesn't help. Him calling Brainiac "pal" gets a little strange after a few instances. I liked how the different worlds were conquered in different ways (Earth-S being frozen by the ice villains, for example), and there were some nice scenes (Dr. Phosphorus trying to murder the Earth-2 Hawkman!), but overall it left me flat. An odd note: When Warp teleports Steel "someplace else," I think that I have actually read that story -- it's in an issue of Justice League of America which I actually own!

One note I should say is that the return of Wally West was very welcome. This is where it all starts, huh?

I will say that the twist surprised me quite a bit. I thought that the figure hiding in the shadows was the Joker (the chin and the "Ha ha ha!" being the clues), but it obviously wasn't him when he showed up on Earth-X. So having Psimon pop up out of the back was funny and a surprise. It's also funny to see Psimon and Brainiac together because I read Tiny Titans, and any Tiny Titans reader knows that Psimon gets called "Brainiac" by every single character in that series, much to his chagrin! Although I have to ask: Is Psimon really powerful enough to blast the robot Brainiac like that?

Another odd note: the last page teaser with The Spectre from last issue is not mentioned anywhere in this issue. Too strange!

Anyway, this issue had some highlights but overall was not nearly as good as the previous two. It's sort of a padding issue, puffing the story out so that they can hit that magic number '12.' I'm hoping that the all-out war between the heroes and villains will be played out and that we can get back to the high levels of the previous issues.

Next: Death At The Dawn of Time!

Reading Crisis, Part 8: A Flash Of The Lightning!

2012-01-13T10:25:00.005-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 8: A Flash Of The Lightning!

Well, first off I have to say that the Anti-Monitor looks much more familiar in his new duds. I liked the monstrous form he had earlier, but this is his classic appearance.

The stuff with Apokalips, the Legion, Blue Devil, and the Omega Men seem to be introducing new subplots to help the story move in a new direction. I have to say that this series has had a lot of twists and turns in there. It's not as straightforward as I had thought it would be from everything I had read about it. This really is several major threads as part of one epic overall plotline. I dig it. It would be hard to 12 issues (in this writing style anyway) without some variation in there. And as I have said several times in this blog series, the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor are playing chess, and in chess you don't concede after your first gambit is defeated. So I am on board with this choice.

That having been said I don't have much interest in the Legion or the Omega Men at this point of the story. I did appreciate the extended cameo from the Challengers of the Unknown. I was wondering when they would pop up (after who we have seen so far, I assumed that they would at some point).

The Atom exploring the inside of Red Tornado of course reminded this Silver Age Avengers fan of Ant-Man exploring the inside of the Vision. I mean, that's just a classic comic book trope, and one I like to boot. The scenes on the Satellite are well rendered and interesting, but I still don't understand what the heck is going on with the Tornado and that is frustrating. One little bit I liked: Firestorm generating water to pour on Manhunter after the explosion and fire.

The Anti-Monitor is building a cannon? Apparently he is a school of the super villain school of thought which says "When in doubt, build a giant cannon."

Of course it all becomes very clear that the cannon, at least in this issue, is immaterial. It really is just a plot device; it could have been any sort of machine, really.

Now then, the Flash. From start to finish I loved this sequence. Now, unlike the Supergirl sequence last time, I am a big Flash fan, including the Barry Allen version. So seeing the Scarlet Speedster leap into action is familiar for me. And the way he is characterized here -- quick-thinking, decisive, clever, brave, determined -- that's the Barry Allen I know from all of those Pre-Crisis issues of The Flash I have in my longboxes upstairs.

As a Flash fan who began reading during the Waid/Augustyn era, this scene is often referenced. And so while I knew what the scene was and what happened, I am very, very glad to have read it for myself and see how Wolfman and Perez had Barry go out. Looking back on it, of course this death was "going out like a champ." How else would Flash go out?

The entire Flash sequence had me rivetted. As a Flash fan, this is where it's at. It's stuff like this why I will always dig Barry Allen and his classic adventures.

And now I have to ask: what's up with Spectre all of a sudden? He was fine a few issues back.

This issue was fairly two-faced (not Two-Face'd). On the one hand, a lot of the short scenes were fairly uninteresting to me (I mean, the bit with Darkseid and Desaad was cool because I like Darkseid and Desaad, but it didn't add much to the narrative here), but the major scene of Flash sticking it to the Anti-Monitor and sacrificing his life to save the multiverse was one of the best superhero bits I have read in a long time (right up there, ironically, with the Supergirl stuff from last issue). So at first I was a little down on the issue, but now I am impressed.

Next: War Zone!

Reading Crisis, Part 7: Beyond The Silent Night

2012-01-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 7: Beyond The Silent Night

My first thought upon seeing this cover in the trade paperback is "Well, sh*t just got real in here." My second thought is that can you even imagine a cover like this being used on a series nowadays? I can't imagine the fanboy outrage over "Spoooooilers!" right on the cover like that. You folks old enough to remember when this was released -- was the cover image advertised a lot before the issue was released? Did people get mad over the spoiler? Or maybe think it was a fake out cover? I'm really curious now.

The issue starts off with the inevitable data dump from Lyla and Pariah. This was totally necessary because at this point we're more than halfway through this event and still did know what the heck the Anti-Monitor's deal was -- in fact, heck, we didn't really know what the Monitor's deal was! So the "Show and Tell" was something of a necessary evil. The actual story gets a little lost in here for me. I mean, I don't have any trouble following it as Wolfman tells it here, but it's very blatant to me that this is trying to rectify a lot of past continuity into one short passage. I'm also a little confused as to Why the Anti-Monitor is created before the Monitor? Wouldn't that make the Anti-Monitor just the Monitor and the Monitor (being the opposite of the original) the Anti-Monitor? I know I am being cute here but this is a logical fallacy to me.

The story told by Pariah I liked a lot more. Pariah has finally started to grow on me as a character and not just be a whiner. As a scientist who oversteps his bounds and unleashes cosmic destruction, and then has to atone for his sins for all eternity, the Kirby traits are starting to get fast and furious. Even his look, using his green cape dramatically (not unlike the Spectre) is winning me over. It seems like he is destined for some rough fate in the coming issues, though.

The short character scenes this time out are a mixed bag. I like having Braniac and Luthor confirmed as picking up all of the bad guys. Perez is at it again with the Brainship, giving us one more excuse to see him draw this awesome vehicle. The bits with Wildcat didn't do much for me, but I liked all of the little vignettes of the different Earths. Firestorm also has what might be the line of the series so far when he refers to "Fetus Marvel."

Of course in this installment everything is building towards the siege of Anti-Monitor's asteroid fortress. And this sequence does not disappoint. Seeing the force of heroes put together is enough to make any DC fanboy's eyes go all agog. And personally I like seeing Martian Manhunter in there.

Interestingly, when Alexander Luthor (who, unlike Pariah, I'm still pretty ambivalent towards) opens the portal, Perez seems to be channelling a little bit of Jim Starlin in the cosmic stuff. This is not a complaint.

Once the battle begins, everything hits the fan, as expected. This is big, bombastic, insane action in the manner which only comic books can achieve. For all of the drift we have gotten making comics more like movies, this sequence alone illustrates that comics work best when they are played as comics, because the medium has a lot of advantages which others cannot and most likely never will be able to duplicate. A lot of modern writers could learn something from this.

Maybe it's me but in my mind the Anti-Monitor's voice is a high-pitched, robotic, shrill voice. Don't ask me why. that's just what it is.

Now then: Supergirl. To be completely honest, the Supergirl I knew and read about in DC was the Matrix Supergirl. So the Pre-Crisis Supergirl was pretty much a non-factor in my mind for a long, long time. I read a few stories with her here and there, but I still always thought about the Matrix Supergirl when I heard the name. I never had much reason to care about her. This issue has changed that. Maybe that's a cliched response, that this is the "best Supergirl story ever" or some such. But I challenge anyone to read this issue and not come out saying "You go Supergirl!" Wolfman makes us intimately care about Supergirl in the span of a few panels when she comes to Superman's rescue, and then we are very shortly enthralled with her battle against Anti-Monitor. She goes out a hero of the highest order. This story is a legitimate classic.

Her death also gives Wolfman an opportunity to give us plenty of character bits which I really loved. Perez's art plays a big role in this too as his art is so evocative that the panels make a real impact. Scenes such as Batgirl giving the eulogy, Dr. Light seeing the light (no pun intended), Lady Quark looking on with disinterest, and Brainiac-5 breaking down are all fantastic little moments.

All I can ask now is how can there still be 5 issues left after this?

Next: A Flash Of The Lightning!

DC Comics Drop 6, Add 6

2012-01-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

We take a break from our COIE coverage for breaking news!

DC Comics has announced that 6 of their New 52 comics are ending at issue #8, and 6 new comics will be taking their place. As I had previously predicted, OMAC, Blackhawks, and Men of War are all ending, but, more surprisingly, Hawk and Dove is also getting cancelled. All of which stinks, but honestly not all that surprising in the grand scheme of things.

Of the new titles being added, two of them immediately leap out at me. Earth 2, by James Robinson and Nicola Scott, is set on (you guessed it) Earth 2 and features the Justice Society. So that obviously has my interest at first blush. The other one is a complete no-brainer: G.I. Combat, featuring three features: The War That Time Forgot, The Unknown Soldier, and The Haunted Tank! Okay, yeah, you got my money on that one, DC. Especially when one looks at the creative teams (WTTF has JT Krul and Ariel Olivetti; TUS has Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan Panosian; and HT has John Arcudi and Scott Kollins),

There's also a new volume of Batman: Incorporated by Morrison, which may feature the Outsiders (since we were essentially told that at the end of Outsiders), but I am leery of reading Batman by Morrison, as well as an Outsiders book without Geo-Force. This second point is an assumption on my part; if Morrison is continuing with his previous setup, then Brion wouldn't be present. Then again, Katana is hanging out with the Birds of Prey and not the Outsiders, so who knows.

Anyway, sad to see four of my favorites end (five if you count the soon-to-be-finished Tiny Titans), but excited about some new stories as well.

What do you think? Sad to see these books go? Which of these new ones look good to you?

Reading Crisis, Part 6: 3 Earths! 3 Deaths!

2012-01-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 6: 3 Earths! 3 Deaths!

Well, my first thought is that Psycho-Pirate got what he asked for! I don't know why he thought that having an entire world's emotions to control (let along three!) wouldn't basically fry his brain. I do like Flash hanging around, biding his time as well. Barry's a smart cookie after all. Also interesting that Anti-Monitor echoes The Monitor in that he had other options besides Psycho-Pirate.

One little note here: The Anti-Monitor (or "Monitor" as he still is referred to here) has different word balloons. Previously, he had the white letters on the black balloon, but now he has normal black-on-white balloons.

In the meat of the issue, instead of temporal wonkiness as we previously had, now we have interdimensional wonkiness. Which is fine, considering that Earth-X, Earth-S, and Earth-4 are the crux points this time out. It also gives us a great opportunity to see Wolfman and Perez show off these alternate universe characters. It's great to see classic Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and the other Charlton characters, the Marvels, and the Freedom Fighters. Although, I have to say, Earth-2 Hawkman could take Black Condor, so I am chalking that up to Carter Hall being surprised by the attack. Also, I really liked the sequence where the Marvel family shows off their power. Really makes those characters look impressive. Oh yeah, Dr. Light -- still a jerk.

I have to ask: Who is the guy with the wings? I thought it was Dawnstar on the satellite but then it's a man on Earth-4. So I am confused about that.

The Earth-4 scenes also give us Katana vs Judomaster! Heck yes! I'd really like to see an all-out fight between these two. I especially liked Judomaster calling Katana a member of the Axis. Yeeouch!

A very interesting little scene had the villains disappearing from Earth-2 -- I can only assume that this has to do with Brainiac & Luthor? Speaking of which, while I thought it was odd that Brainiac and Luthor have a conversation without us seeing either of them, I cannot complain too much since it meant that we got to see the awesome Perez shot of the Brain ship! Between this subplot and the little off handed mention of Darkseid and the New Gods, there seems to be some stuff percolating under the surface here. Not sure how all that is going to play out but clearly there is a lot of story left here.

The new Wildcat looks a lot like a more muscular Catwoman, which I guess is kind of part and parcel with having a female in a full body cat suit with ears. I am not familiar with this character at all since I did not read (and have not read) Infinity, Inc., but like Dr. Light, getting launched in the biggest DC Comics series of all time is a pretty good start!

This issue is essentially similar in purpose as the previous issue -- like Monitor with Earth-1 and Earth-2, here Harbinger has to save the other three Earths. These Earths clearly are "special." There's not much of a cliffhanger, but we do get a heck of a teaser for the next issue!

Interestingly, we are now at the halfway point of this story. We've gotten plenty of cosmic carnage and world's being destroyed and merged together, but we have not gotten a lot of the wholesale death and destruction which (to me anyway) has always been the cliche about this series. Perhaps that's coming in the back half? I compare this to most modern superhero crossover epics which like to throw some character deaths up front to "grab" the audience. I'd rather have a high concept to grab the audience like we do here rather than wiping out some B and C-Listers. Of course, you can do it like Blackest Night, which has a high concept, and then wipes out a bunch of characters in the first issue anyway.

In any event, I liked this issue. It's a fairly straightforward comic, with the heroes split up once again to do battle with a bunch of guest stars while the (Anti-) Monitor does a lot of manipulation behind the scenes. I dug this issue on the merits of the guests alone, but overall it was quite good. Next issue promises to be a doozy.

Next: Beyond The Silent Night!

What Looks Good?

2012-01-11T11:58:00.000-05:00

We're taking a short break from our Crisis on Infinite Earths coverage to bring you our regular weekly dose of comic book suggestions. This wouldn't be a very reputable comic book blog if we didn't do this every week.

Kull: The Cat & The Skull #4 -- Kull has been lured to the Forbidden Lake as the Snake Men make their move on Valusia!

Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #5 -- Frankenstein versus OMAC!

My Greatest Adventure #4 -- Garbageman tries to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings on at Titan Chemicals! Robotman takes on a giant beast! And Tanga takes on an even MORE giant beast!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #174 -- Will Cobra Commander have his revenge on the killers of his son? And can the Joes and the remnants of the Oktober Guard repel the column of HISS tanks in Benzheen?

So, what looks good to YOU?

Reading Crisis, Part 5: Worlds In Limbo

2012-01-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 5: Worlds In Limbo

Now we're getting to some real "meat and potatoes" George Perez stuff, as he gets to draw rooms crammed full of lots and lots of people -- time to play spot your favorites! And if you have a character or characters from DC published at this time, chances are you can find him or her in there somewhere. (I don't think the Haunted Tank itself is in there, but I am almost certain that I can spot Jeb Stuart). I also like how Wolfman gives a nice cross-section of chatter and crosstalk to the folks present, adding a certain realism.

Speaking of which, man, Dr. Light is still a jerk, isn't she? And furthermore, I understand that part of the theme of this issue (as we see later with Wildcat) is that everyone has a role to play, but in the grand scheme of cosmic destruction, do Penguin and Riddler really offer much in the way of assistance? What is the Penguin going to do, spray gas on the anti-matter cloud from his umbrella? Is Riddler going to stump the cloud into submission? At least Monsieur Mallah can be put to good use carrying the Brain around.

So, besides picking out all the characters, The Monitor still is playing games. A question: How did he record the message before Lyla came if he wasn't sure if it was going to work? Seems like he was awfully sure of himself. But then again, he's been mostly right so far. The idea of a limbo universe contained inside The Monitor is yet another seemingly Kirby inspired idea; appropriate when one considers that a lot of the major new characters in this story also seem to be Kirby style creations.

As an aside, I have to say that I absolutely loved seeing Sgt. Rock taking the Monitor's satellite and all the weirdness completely in stride.

During the temporal wonkiness, we get confirmation once again that dinosaurs make everything better! I like the craziness, although the explanation that Monitor "made every calm" is sort of a cop-out. Admittedly, if not for this cop-out then this point alone would probably take another 10 issues to resolve, so this is probably for the best. A little sad to see Killer Frost's love of Firestorm pass, to be honest. It was starting to grow on me. Also very nice to see both Lana Lang and Lois Lane as TV reporters!

There's a really short scene here which I really, really liked. We see an older couple who sees their daughter, only their daughter had died years before. We the reader find out that they are seeing the ghostly image of the Earth-1 counterpart of their daughter. Very often in these giant epics, we lose touch with what the common man is going through, and I thought in the span of two panels that Wolfman and Perez demonstrated the phenomena of the two Earths merging. This really stuck with me.

I still have to ask: What's happened with Red Tornado? Was his android body part of forming the revealed Anti-Monitor's body, perhaps? Or am I way off base? Speaking of which, Anti-Monitor looks like a real monster here!

This issue was obviously a change of pace from the previous issues, which was intentional I assume. I liked the continuing temporal inanity, and all of the little character moments, juxtaposed against the bigger cosmic stuff as well. The big bad is revealed and the threats keep growing. I have a feeling that things are going to be coming off the rails for the heroes very shortly.

Next: 3 Earths, 3 Deaths!

Reading Crisis, Part 4: And Thus Shall The World Die!

2012-01-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 4: And Thus Shall The World Die!

Wait, what happened to the cliffhanger?! Well, that was sort of a cop-out, that Harbinger wasn't super ready to kill The Monitor. At least it does get resolved later in the issue.

Anyway, the Supergirl and Batgirl conversation was really nice, and it mirrors the Superman/Batman conversation from a few issues previous. However, this scene does unfortunately demonstrate how insanely impractical Supergirl's costume is for fighting crime, or just flying around in general, as Perez nearly gives us an upskirt shot. But I liked the two of them talking as there is a certain charm to seeing the two of them palling around.

This issue unfortunately introduces the first instance of the cliched criticism of this series in the scenes with Pariah with Lord Volt and Lady Quark. I have absolutely no idea who these characters are or why I should care beyond the fact that Pariah teleports Lady Quark away. But as far as to what importance these character have, I've got nothing. Looks like I will be off to Wikipedia.

The whole Dr. Light origin story seems like an odd interlude. Is it wrong that her origin makes me think of Golden Pharaoh from the Super Powers toys? And, yeah, Dr. Light is a real jerk. The scene with her yelling at the Teen Titans and Outsiders in Japanese seems designed to make her unlikeable, especially when paired off with Earth-2 Superman.

I love Firestorm in this issue. He and love-struck Killer Frost's banter is great, and Firestorm's remark wishing that Psycho-Pirate could have made her fall in "like" with him instead and that would have been fine made me laugh. The short appearance from Shining Knight made me smile, too, and made me think of his time on Justice League Unlimited.

This issue gives us our first Hawk-sighting, a cameo by the Earth-2 Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Woo!

I had no idea that Red Tornado had any real role in this story. That element has my interest piqued.

man, Pariah does a lot of crying. I want this guy to man up at this point. And unfortunately, The Monitor makes the same mistake which super-geniuses always make by being too cryptic instead of speaking plainly. The death of The Monitor is something, but what comes afterwards is a substantially bigger impact, with Earth-1 and Earth-2 being vaporized into nothingness, fading to white, and then fading to black. The "white out" reminded me of Zero Hour, which looking back at it now is a clear callback by Jurgens. I mean, you're a third of the way through your series and you destroy the two main Earths on which DC published comics take place? That's called throwing down a gauntlet. I can imagine grabbing this from a comic shop in the days before the Internet, then reading it and going completely insane.

Overall, this issue was less enjoyable than the first three in one way (too much with characters either just introduced in this series or otherwise unknown to me) but just as enjoyable in another way (how can you not like the annihilation of Earth-1 and Earth-2?!) This one has a hell of a cliffhanger and that alone makes me want to see where the heck we go from here.

Next: Worlds In Limbo!

Reading Crisis, Part 3: Oblivion Upon Us

2012-01-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 3: Oblivion Upon Us

The opening scenes with The Monitor and young Luthor didn't do much for me while reading this. I think that is because it is part of the larger story when really I wanted to get back to the matter at hand! I did like Lex Jr.'s question of "What if I can't help?" and Monitor's lack of response. That was a nice beat.

I have spoken about this before but I am loving the use of black space in this series, seen here when Harbinger and Psycho-Pirate talk to their shadowy master (still assuming to be the Anti-Monitor). Perez, along with his inkers Mike DeCarlo and Dick Giordano (...really?) have done an amazing job with the blacks. Harbinger is become a much more interesting character as we go, since she serves her master but also seems to do the will of the Monitor at the same time. Plus her look is growing on me; like Pariah she looks like a character Jack Kirby would have designed.

It seems that the Outsiders and Teen Titans will always be inexorably linked. Maybe it's the Batman/Robin thing? In any event it's great to see two of the most popular teams of the 1980's working together, especially considering that they are all drawn by George Perez. Wolfman makes sure that everyone has a role to play and that those roles make sense (such as Halo rescuing the little girl from the building). I have to ask, though, what was Jericho's deal with stopping Batman? Did he know that Bats would be in trouble if he tried to get Flash out of the field? It's hard to say because obviously Jericho's not talking. (Yes, I went for the pun.)

Similarly, Brainiac and Lex Luthor also seem to be tied together. Not sure what it is about those two but they always seem to be teaming up in some way. Didn't they debut their "new looks" (showcased here with Brainiac's robot body) in the same comic? And right around this time we're getting "Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow?," with it's Braniac-Luthor "team-up" as well.

I totally marked out for seeing all of the War characters together as well as all of the Western characters together. I am a big fan of DC's genre books and characters, and this sort of attention being paid to them makes me smile. A lot of time in modern crossovers, if a genre character shows up it's for a throwaway gag or an extended cameo. Here they are all front and center and sound reasonably accurate to their regular personas. Bat Lash getting thrown out of the saloon, for example, could have been cut and pasted out of a Lash comic. (Jonah Hex referring to Jon Stewart as a "colored man" make laugh as well.) I loved seeing the Losers, even if they met their fate, along with Sgt. Rock, Easy and the Haunted Tank to boot. Just having all of the genre characters given a chance to shine alone makes me very happy.

Geo-Force is much more on point personality wise this issue. Of course, putting him in Markovia when it is under siege by the Third Reich will showcase Brion's personality very well! It's worth noting (for me anyway) that Geo-Force uses his powers like Terra at one point -- at this stage, his powers always seemed to include the earth manipulation in addition to the gravity and lava blasts. (He does get to use the gravity as well.) The way that Dr. Polaris responds to Geo-Force's anger was a nice touch.

Watching The Monitor pulling Blue Beetle and Solivar out of their respective time periods makes it abundantly clear here that he is really playing chess with the multiverse.

I really liked this issue's focus on genre characters mixed in with the superheroes. Definitely can't wait to read the next installment. (I really like the copy hyping the next issue: "This is the Big One!" Because clearly we have been only small potatoes so far! *ulp!*)

Next: And Thus The World Shall Die!

Reading Crisis, Part 2: Time And Time Again!

2012-01-05T08:21:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 2: Time and Time Again!

The temporal wonkiness from the beginning of this issue reminds me of the temporal wonkiness from the beginning of Zero Hour, which was the first "crisis" I ever read. I am assuming that Jurgens put that in as a nod back here, whether consciously or otherwise. I am also now convinced that Dr. Polaris was in Infinite Crisis solely as a wink from Geoff Johns back to his presence here. Furthermore, having Anthro and Kamandi in the same book, gee, I wonder where Grant Morrison got that idea from in the first issue of Final Crisis? Funny how you find the precedents for later works when dig back into history.

I liked the scene on Monitor's satellite (including Firestorm telling Killer Frost to stop groping him, heh!) because it gives Wolfman a chance to show us everyone's character and do the plot exposition at the same time, something the best writers of this era were always good at. (Besides Wolfman, Claremont and Barr also spring readily to mind.) Earth-2 Superman especially rings true.

One character who seems somewhat strangely handled is Geo-Force. He initially argues with Psimon that they have to hear the Monitor out, then the next page is threatening to leave. Not sure if this is Wolfman using him as a mouthpiece, or a very subtle demonstration of Brion's personality ("I'll hear you out... okay, I think you're lying."). Either way I think it's amusing that the two people he interacts with (Psimon and Cyborg) are the two which he met in the Outsiders-Teen Titans crossover which featured a pre-COIE Monitor appearance.

I am very glad to see some follow up on the stuff with Harbinger being corrupted, because it makes a lot more sense in this issue than the last. I'm still a little confused on exactly how it worked but I can buy it with some hand-waving. Monitor still sounds like a fortune cookie but that's his thing. I think I knew that Alexander Luthor aged rapidly, but looking at the panel the first time I thought Perez just drew the baby too big!

The two temporal adventures were pretty short, I am guessing mostly to get people in place. Kamandi mistaking Solovar for an ape from his time period made legitimately laugh. The bit in Atlantis was mostly a setpiece to get Psycho-Pirate on the other side of the board but I thought it was neat to see the sword & sorcery stuff.

Another enjoyable (albeit short) scene was the meeting of Superman and Batman in Metropolis. While I understand and can appreciate the merits of having Superman and Batman not trust one another, there's something inherently charming and enjoyable about having the Big Two being colleagues like this. It also makes perfect sense in the plot; if Batman thinks the world is in danger, he's going to contact Superman first.

I am not sure what to make of Pariah. He seems like a character Jack Kirby would have created, especially in his VERY DRAMATIC MANNER OF SPEAKING! I figure he has got to play a role later on in the story but for now he seems like an oddball anomaly.

As far as art, Perez's stuff looks amazing so I am only going to point out stuff I really like. The first shot of the Great Disaster with Kamandi climbing the tower was gorgeous, as was the final page with Harbinger's face superimposed on the universe. I also really like the subtle work with Psycho-Pirate's facial features, and the general use of black space, in space itself, when the Anti-Monitor (I assume?) abducts Psycho-Pirate and with Obsidian at Atlantis.

Overall, I thought this issue did a really good job of introducing Monitor's plan and getting things into motion. But more enjoyable to me as a reader was the shadow stuff going on with Harbinger, Psycho-Pirate and Anti-Monitor (again I am assuming), especially the threat at the end that "When I am done, all his universes shall be destroyed... while mine shall rule supreme!" Pretty chilling stuff. Big thumbs up on issue #2.

Next: Oblivion Upon Us!

Reading Crisis, Part 1: The Summoning

2012-01-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Part 1: The Summoning

Well, every story has to start somewhere, and when your story starts at the beginning of all creation, well, one can assume that you have a pretty big story to tell. Perez's art is darn pretty throughout, but I liked his take on the Big Bang and the formation of the Multiverse, along with his panel layout choices, especially on the spreads.

Wolfman is definitely getting things into motion here but he doesn't waste any time in getting to the meat of things. I loved the scenes on Earth-3. I read years ago that the Crime Syndicate were the first super-powered folks to be wiped out because they were the Justice League analogues. It's an obvious choice but it really works well seeing the faux-Justice League eradicated. I also really liked the Superman symmetry with Luthor and Lois.

Seeing Firestorm and Killer Frost together is funny, because Shag over at Firestorm Fan just gave us a rundown of the ladies who have used the Killer Frost name on a recent episode of The Fire And Water Podcast. Blue Beetle's introduction was great as well.

I didn't understand the bit with Harbinger and Arion... was she possessed by some shadow spirit or something? It was confusing to jump to Arion, cut away, and then jump back. Still not clear what happened there.

The bit with Batman, Joker, and the spectral image of The Flash was really well done. The Bat stuff was just pitch perfect 80s Batman, but then you throw in this ominous visage of Flash and then things start getting weird, and you know I like weird stuff.

I had no idea that Geo-Force was in this story. I'm sure he is here just to represent the Outsiders, but it was a nice surprise nonetheless. Of course, he does sort of get the short end of the stick, with no scene of Harbinger recruiting him and no dialogue during the battle with the Shadow Demons. He doesn't even rate the front cover! But hey, Geo-Force!

Speaking of the Shadow Demons, I didn't see the point of that scene other than to throw an action sequence in there. The scene itself is well composed but ultimately seemed tacked on. Maybe it will be more important next issue? To be fair I did like the dialogue with Arion and Doctor Polaris.

Overall I thought this issue was a lot different than I expected it to be. Yeah we had the cosmos-shaking stuff but a lot of the story was personal and "small." Its different than most of the mega crossovers we get now. Maybe that's part of the charm, or perhaps the lack thereof for a lot of the modern stuff. So far I am digging it and I want more.

Next: Time And Time Again!

Reading Crisis: Prologue

2012-01-04T14:33:00.000-05:00

Would you, my illustrious readers, believe that I have never read Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Well, it's true. But I am about to change that.

Over on the Two True Freaks! message board, there has been a lot of COIE talk over the last few months. I made it known that I had never read the series, and asked if that hurt my credibility (yeah right). My pal over in the UK Andrew Leyland (he of the awesome podcast Hey, Kids! Comics, which if you are not listening to YOU NEED TO BE LISTENING TO) got wind of this and, in a move of excellence the likes of which has rarely been duplicated, gave me his copy of the COIE trade paperback!

Now I am going to document my first reading of this epic storyline. I am going in with only the vaguest of notions of the story, the broad strokes which every comics reader knows. The details will all be new to me. And I hope you will enjoy my take on this seminal work as I read it for the first time.

Next: The Summoning!

What Looks Good?

2012-01-04T08:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah I disappeared for a while there. I am a comic book blogger, after all. Also: comics.

Hawk and Dove #5 -- Were Condor and Swan only the beginning? And what is Dawn's secret?

Men of War #5 -- I'm still just in awe that we have new War books being published by DC Comics.

OMAC #5 -- I don't know how long this book is going to be published but I am loving every minute of it!

Godzilla Legends #3 -- A year ago if you had told me Titanosaurus would star in a comic book, I would call you a lunatic. And yet here we are!

Charmed #17 -- Cole has found Prue, but what does Rennek have in mind for the Halliwell Clan?

Robocop: Road Trip #1 -- After the ongoing series was unceremoniously dumped, I'd like to see where the story goes from here.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker! Have a fun and safe holiday!

What Looks Good?

2011-12-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

I'm serious, it always seems to rain on Wednesdays now. So strange. But hey, now's your chance to get some last minute gifts for the comics fan in your life.

DC Universe Presents #4 -- I am really digging this Deadman story. And to think I owe pretty much all of my interest in the character to Batman: The Brave and The Bold and Brightest Day.

Tiny Titans #47 -- Sadly, the series is ending at #50. Happily, we have 4 more issues!

Wonder Woman #4 -- Diana: Princess No More! Wonder Woman: Ready to kick tail and take names!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #173 -- Snake-Eyes! Storm Shadow! Blue Ninjas! KUNG FU!

Invincible Iron Man #511 -- Mandarin is moving in the shadows against Tony Stark, and Shellhead doesn't see it coming.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Unbridled Capitalism: Charlotte Comicon 2011

2011-12-19T10:01:00.000-05:00

I headed up to the Queen City yesterday with my pals Joe and Adama to hit the Charlotte Comicon, described as the "best one day family friendly comic show in the country." The "family friendly" aspect is very common in the Charlotte shows, as that is Heroescon's calling card. Anyway, fun was had by all, especially in the capitalism department.

Iron Man -- At this point I am looking for "onesie-twosies" issues of Iron Man as I slowly whittle down the holes in my collection. I picked up issues 69, 73-74, 76, 79, 84, 106, and 110. So looking at my punchlist, I now am missing exactly 3 issues of Iron Man. Of course, this is including my Essential volumes, but for now that's good with me.

Finding such a good score of the comics I needed at pretty good prices got me ruminating about how I got to this point. I started my Iron Man collection in earnest at Free Comic Book Day 2004 when we hit the Book Exchanges and Blast From the Past in Augusta. Oh, I had my run of Iron Man from high school when I started reading the book, but this was when I started buying back issues. And with the 30 or so issues I picked up that day as a start, I have spent the past seven years filling up boxes with Iron Man comics. And now that I am just about done, it's strange to reflect on that.

I suppose after I get the whole run I can start replacing the issues in really poor shape, and maybe picking up the ones I have reprinted in the Essential volumes. That should keep me busy for another 7 years.

Hawkman -- No luck on finding the few missing issues of Volume 4, but I did just about finish Hawkworld. I picked up issues 22, 30, and Annual 3. One issue left and Hawkworld is done!

Also, my biggest purchase of the day was the DC Direct Hawkman and Hawkgirl boxed set! Pretty sweet, but I am so far behind on opening my Hawk toys I don't know when I will get to them!

An odd sign: I saw three copies of Hawkman v.1:no.5 in three different bins. I didn't pick it up, but it seems like the comic gods want me to buy it...

Flash -- A single Flash comic, initially grabbed to round out a 50 cent bin pull to an even number (of course, it turned out that the bin was now a quarter bin, but there you go), v.2:no.105, featuring a classic encounter with the Mirror Master.

Outsiders -- I am guessing the second volume of Outsiders just had crummy print runs because it's bizarrely hard to find, Still, I added a few more issues, picking up v.2:no.5, 15, 19, 21-22.

Phonebooks -- From one of the most dangerous tables in the show ($5 apiece or 5 items for $20), I grabbed a pair of phonebooks to add the ever-growing pile of these in my bonus room. The first was Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank, because I will buy any of the War phonebooks. The second was Essential Godzilla, wooo! So stay on the lookout for this over at Earth Destruction Directive!

For a small show, there were a lot of good dealers and, oddly, a lot of cosplay. Besides the full 5 member team of the Gaoranger (aka Power Rangers Wild Force), there were also a mini Deadpool, and a little kid dressed as a Stormtrooper, which of course demanded the recital of the line "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" All in all, a fun trip. I mean what's better than hanging out with friends and buying and talking about comics?

Everybody's Linking For The Weekend

2011-12-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Frank gives us the best Wonder Woman covers of the 80s.

Bonus Game! Martian Manhunter, too!

rob interviews Joshua Williamson!

Meet Pohzar! (Thanks to Shag!)

And finally, check out my friend Chris' Media Masochist Christmas Special!

Men Of War #7 Cover & Info!

2011-12-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to The Source, check out this Viktor Kalvachev cover to Men Of War #7, which features two modern stories by JT Krul and James Robinson!

Digging this series, and this one sounds like a good issue as well.

What Looks Good?

2011-12-07T12:51:00.000-05:00

Why does it always seem to be raining on Wednesdays now? Is it some subtle trick by Mother Nature to get us to stop buying comics and go digital? I've heard crazier conspiracy theories...

Hawk & Dove #4 -- Condor and Swan and Monsters of Mass Destruction, oh my!

Men of War #4 -- Every day is the same, it's only the battlefield which changes.

OMAC #4 -- Remember when comics were about smashing? Me too!

glamourpuss #22 -- "Not the Fourth Annual Swimsuit Issue!"

So, what looks good to you?

Captain Cold Makes a Comeback!

2011-12-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to The Source, it looks like Captain Cold is the first Rogue to show up in in the new Flash! His costume looks fairly similar to his previous one, but the coat is obviously a huge departure. Clearly this Captain Cold does not need to insulate himself from the sub-zero temperatures he works with. Of course, the other big change is that this Captain Cold appears to be some sort of metahuman! Will his powers be something in-born? Or perhaps some technology gone wrong? We'll find out in a few months time, it seems!

Scarlett Pin-Up... Yo Joe!

2011-12-05T15:26:00.000-05:00

Because I have GI Joe on the brain, here's an awesome pic of Scarlett (easily my favorite female Joe) by Jonboy Meyers. Here's the description from Comic Art Fans:

Original art purchase. I loved the G.I. Joe action figures growing up. When I saw this great pin-up of Scarlett, I just had to get it. Photoshop was used to darken the linework.

If I was a Cobra, she could beat me up any day! Yowza!

NFL Cleatus Action Figures?!

2011-11-30T13:49:00.000-05:00

For that NFL fan who is also a toy collector! You can Preorder these guys at Big Bad Toy Store, and they have all 32 NFL teams available, plus the standard Fox Sports one.

I'm tempted to get a Giants one for my brother, but I think my wife may balk at me picking up this Panthers one for our house.

What Looks Good?

2011-11-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

Apparently, the weather has decided to get very cold here in South Carolina, but that's alright because we have plenty of comics to help keep us warm.

Spaceman #2 -- This dark and creepy sci-fi from the 100 Bullets crew is perfect Vertigo material.

Tiny Titans #46 -- The littlest team of superheroes, having adventures! You know you like it!

Charmed #16 -- What is Cole's game? And will the Charmed Ones find out?

Futurama Comics #58 -- I really need to watch the latest season! Till then, I will read the comics!

Kind of an oddball week, huh?

So, what looks good to YOU?

Who's the Purple Lady?

2011-11-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

Looks like not even the unofficial Earth-53 -- home of the diminutive Tiny Titans! -- is safe!

Find out more here and here, thanks to the DC Source blog!

DiDio and Giffen Talk OMAC!

2011-11-28T14:04:00.000-05:00

Check out this interview on Newsarama with Dan DiDio and Kieth Giffen about the superlative (in quality if not in sales) New 52 title OMAC:

DiDio: What we want to do is have every story set and grounded in a very familiar situation. So if you follow the series, you'll see that we're in an office building in the start, or we're at an ATM machine, or we go into a diner -- places that people can relate to. But then, once the action ensues, everything starts to escalate until you wind up in this really surreal situation that only could be told in comic books.

Giffen: Exactly. What we're really trying to do is embrace the strengths of comic books... We are unapologetically a comic book. That's all there is to it.

OMACtivate!

Unbridled Capitalism: Black Friday (ugh)

2011-11-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

I don't like Black Friday. I dislike shopping in general for anything which is not comics or toys, so the entire concept of Black Friday is irritating to me. Still, my wife and I went out at about 9:00 in the morning on Friday to buy gifts and such for various relations. I didn't do much shopping, only buying a pair of Rockports for work, along with...

Classic GI Joe v.8-v.10 -- Mister K's did a little bit of a Black Friday sale themselves, with 30% off all books before noon. I managed to snag these three collections right before the deadline. Anyway, I have now purchased volumes 2-6 and then these three from the shop, which means that someone bought only volume 7. Why would you only buy volume 7 of a series of books when 8-10 was available as well? Of course, I say this knowing that now I will be hunting for volume 7 in much the same way. I also need to fill in the later volumes, but that's alright, because more GI Joe is always a good thing!

Did anyone out there get any other good nerd deals on Black Friday? (Paint the devil on the wall!)

Men Of War #6 Is Absolutely Bananas

2011-11-17T13:05:00.000-05:00

Say what you want about Men Of War, but the covers by Victor Kalvachev have been insane! I cannot state how much I want to see this cover as a poster. Sweet Christmas!

Men Of War #6 is due on February 1, 2012.

What Looks Good?

2011-11-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

One of the real problems in getting comics mail order is that these weekly pull list posts just make me long for the comics that much more.

DC Universe Presents #3 -- Deadman finds himself no closer to the answers he seeks. What is the connection between the people he is possessing?

My Greatest Adventure #2 -- Three of DC's least likely heroes all in one book? Sign me up.

Wonder Woman #3 -- Diana has her hands full, and with the arrival of Strife, things just got worse!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #172 -- This book has been so good, it is almost making me regret selling my Darklon toy. Almost...

Godzilla: Legends #1 -- So, will this lean towards Kingdom of Monsters or Gangsters and Goliaths? Let's hope the latter.

Fear Itself #7.3 -- Have not been reading this series, but supposedly this issue wraps up the seemingly never-ending Iron Man in Asgard story which Fraction has been subjecting us to. Probably not even bother.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Unforgettable

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

Kirby Related News #2

2011-11-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

The second arc of DC Universe Presents will feature the Challengers of the Unknown, by co-writers Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway, with Jerry also handling the art!

Kirby Related News #1

2011-11-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

Dan DiDio tells you Three Things You Didn't Know About OMAC.

What Looks Good?

2011-11-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

We're riding the holiday train now, with Turkey rapidly approaching and only six weeks until Christmas! Yikes! Time to do some shopping!

Kull: The Cat & The Skull #2 -- These Kull comics do not get as much attention as their Conan cohorts, but so far they are doing the king of Valusia proud.

Essential Sgt Fury and The Howling Commandos v.1 -- I have so many DC War phonebooks I figured it was time to let Marvel in on the action.

Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths TP -- Forget about the middling Kingdom of Monsters series, pick up this trade if you want to see some high quality Godzilla comics.

Return Of The Monsters: Black Bat vs Dracula, Domino Lady vs The Mummy, The Spider vs the Werewolf -- Moonstone is crossing over their pulp heroes with some classic monsters for these series of one-shots which probably should have been in stores two weeks ago. But what can you do other than enjoy these grey-scale pulpfests?

This certainly is an oddball week, huh?

So, what looks good to YOU?

What Looks Good?

2011-11-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

Halloween is over which means we're now hurtling head-long towards Turkey Day! And nothing gets us in the mood for Autumn more than comics! And apple cider. Comics and apple cider.

Hawk And Dove #3 -- As more avatars appear, are our heroes in over their heads?

Men of War #3 -- The battlefield is terrifying enough. Now add super-powered freaks.

OMAC #3 -- More Kirby inspired craziness!

Classic GI Joe v.13 -- I recently have acquired volumes 2-5 of the original Marvel series of these trades, so eventually I will get to this one as well. I think by this point there were a bunch of subteams like DEF and Eco-Warriors, and ninjas. Lots of ninjas.

So, what looks good to YOU?

A Halloween Treat In Three Parts!

2011-10-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

You might not be aware of it, but it's almost Halloween! And to celebrate, we at The Vault of Startling Monster Horror Tales of Terror podcast are celebrating in a big way with THREEE (that extra "E" is for "EXTRA!") episodes this month!

The first regularly scheduled episode for October covers the visceral and gruesome bloodsucker opus John Carptenter's Vampires. In an era of shiny, beautiful vampires, this movie is a breath of fresh air, so to speak.

The second episode features one of my favorite films of all time, the classic, legendary horror-comedy classic Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein! Seeing this film as a little kid shaped my love of the Universal Monsters as well as Bud and Lou, and it was a blast to talk about it on the show.

And finally, the third episode is the second installment of our annual Horror Stories show! It's a trio of original short horror stories for your spooky enjoyment!

Hopefully these podcasts will get you in the mood for the season! Enjoy!

The Real 99%

2011-10-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

What Looks Good?

2011-10-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

The chill is in the air, and it's almost time for Halloween... so you know what means... time for CANDY and COMICS!

Aquaman #2 -- The Trench is here to feed on us! But Aquaman will face any and all comers!

Blackhawks #2 -- The team is compromised by a nanocyte attack -- can they recover and discover the threat of Mother Machine?

DC Comics Presents Jack Kirby Omnibus Sampler #1 -- A mini collection of Jack Kirby mystery/monster stories? How am I NOT buying this?

Flash #2 -- What has Barry Allen's friend gotten mixed up in? And can the Flash get to the bottom of it?

Savage Hawkman #2 -- Hawkman vs Morphicius! It's on!

Spaceman #1 -- I dug the preview of this series in the Strange Adventures anthology, so for a buck I will check out this out. From the people who brought you 100 Bullets no less!

Charmed #15 -- Will Cole keep his bargain to find the reincarnated Prue? Or does he have his own agenda? What do you think? (Also: Why is this marked for Mature Readers?)

So, what looks good to YOU?

The 3rd Dimension: October 2011 Roundup Mk.2!

2011-10-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Alright toy fans, here's a quick rundown of two more figures I have picked up in the "recent" past!

Iron Man 2 Titanium Man -- I said in a previous one of these rundowns that after I found the Iron Man 2 Crimson Dynamo, I was eager to get ahold of his fellow Soviet armored compatriot (comrade?) Titanium Man. I only saw him one time so you had better believe I snapped him up. His bio describes his as Boris Bullski, but the armor looks a bit more like the suit the Gremlin wore, so I am just taking this as a new suit for Bullski (who is the T-Man I always liked anyway) and going from there. I like the height, and his big, tready feet help his poseability. The green and silver color scheme looks suitably menacing as well. His helmet is my favorite feature. It evokes the Silver Age faceplate but looks very modern at the same time. All in all this one of my favorites from the line and he and the Dynamo stand side by side ready to fight in the name of their Motherland. Interestingly, there is a "Legends" scale version of this T-Man armor as well, but I have held off on it for the time being because of the price. But I am sure I will give in soon enough. (There is also a Legends Dynamo which I have never seen, but it looks like the Shatalov armor as opposed to the Bukharin armor like the smaller toy.) His blast accessory is actually not bad, featuring a sort of "power punch" as opposed to the typical repulsor style beam.

Iron Man 2 Guardsman -- This one was a nice find because I picked it up right while I was reading Essential Iron Man v.4, which features all of the Kevin O'Brien Guardsman stories! This figure really captures the classic two-tone Guardsman look. Both shades of green pop and look really nice together. The main issue I have is the buck, which is not an "armored" look but a muscled one. If you look at it, Guardsman seems very overly muscled for a guy in armor. It's not a huge deal but it defintely takes something away from the figure. Still, I am willing to forgive that just because it otherwise is a very nice representation of the classic Iron foe. (I won't mention the yellow blaster piece, alright?) Makes for a good addition to the lineup of baddies.

More adventures in the 3rd Dimension to come!

What Looks Good?

2011-10-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

There's been an awful lot of rain on Wednesday lately. This week is no different. But again, I don't buy my comics at the LCS anymore so I guess I need to stop complaining.

DC Universe Presents #2 -- Deadman wants some answers and he is going to get them!

Tiny Titans #45 -- The more things change at DC, the more (some) things stay the same.

Wonder Woman #2 -- It's Diana versus the gods and no one is safe!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #171 -- Everything is coming off the rails for Cobra Commander! And what's the deal with Sneak Peek?

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #5 -- The city smashing conclusion!

Invincible Iron Man #509 -- Will this finally end the Fear Itself tie-in? We can only hope!

So, what looks good to YOU?

The 3rd Dimension: October 2011 Roundup!

2011-10-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

Once more I'm dipping into the well of toys which I have bought over the last few months and reviewing them for your enjoyment! This time out we have a trio of (wait for it) Iron Man toys!

Iron Man 2 Iron Man Mk.1 -- Up first we have the first! No, seriously, this is the Comic Series Mk.1 armor, based on the armor which debuted in Tales of Suspense #39. This is the first item I have based on this armor, although I do have the Bowen statue of the gold armor. Anyway, for such a simple design this is actually a very nice toy. The articulation is good and his wide feet (with some molded ridges on the soles) help him stand up in some nice poses. I even managed to get a TOS #39 cover pose out of him! He is equipped with an energy blast, which really isn't accurate, but it's easily ignored. One of the interesting aspects of this figure is the "marring" of the paint job. There's plenty of scuffs and scorches and rust on the armor, and it really helps sell it as a clunky piece of machinery Tony Stark built to escape captivity. Very happy with this one.

Iron Man 2 Silver Centurion -- We jump ahead about 20 years now with the Silver Centurion armor, which debuted in Iron Man #200, battling the Iron Monger. Like the armor in the comics, this figure is bulkier than the normal "slim" Iron Man buck. The sculpt is a reasonably close depiction of the armor from the comics; the colors too are really nice. I have this one posed next to my Toy Biz Silver Centurion (that is, "Hologram Armor") and the two of them look great together. This is a much improved version of this armor than the earlier one from the Marvel Universe line, which was built off of the Extremis figure and looked pretty weird. His blast accessory is, as usual, pretty unremarkable. This fan favorite armor is very well translated to the 3rd Dimension.

Marvel Universe Modular Iron Man -- Alright, first off, this one is seriously misnamed. The Modular Armor was the armor which debuted in Iron Man #300, made famous by its depiction in the Marvel Action Hour cartoon and the Toy Biz Iron Man line. This armor represents the modern Iron Man armor as seen in the pages of Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Sal LaRocca. Now, as a depiction of that armor, this is a pretty good version. It lacks some of what has come to be known as "control surfaces" which we see in the comics, but the colors and repulsor outputs look very close. The helmet as well is also very sharp, with the frown reproduced straight from the page. This figure is a more slim than the Silver Centurion, has good articulation and poses well. His accessory is the same sort of repulsor blast which these toys come with, and are summarily tossed into a bin with all of the others once I get them open. I don't know how long this armor design will last but it's nice to get a toy version of it.

More to come!

Composite Spy vs Spy?!

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't like Spy vs Spy? No one, that's how! From DC's The Source:

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Spy vs. Spy, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee joins the ranks of other artists who've each made their mark on the iconic spy design (in toy form)...

This wacky and bizarre Composite Spy vs Spy made me smile this morning for sure!

What Looks Good?

2011-10-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

It's raining here today, but El Jacone has the cure for the rainy day blues.

My Greatest Adventure #1 -- The continuing adventures of Tanga and Garbageman, plus Robotman to boot!

The Shade #1 -- Looks pretty interesting, after reading this interview with Robinson I might check this one out.

Legion of Monsters #1 -- Okay, this looks quirky and monster-y enough for me to check it out.

glamourpuss #21 -- A month with glamourpuss is like a... I can't finish that sentence.

So, what looks good to YOU?

And there came a day, a day unlike any other...

2011-10-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

...when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united against a common threat...

The first Avengers trailer is now online! You can catch it over at Newsarama.

Looks like the epic we are all expecting. I still have little to no faith whatsoever in Joss Whedon but here's hoping!

The Crusaders Heading Back Home

2011-10-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

From Newsarama: the Red Circle heroes are heading back to Archie Comics.

I am alternately pleased and disappointed by this news. As readers of this blog certainly know, I was a big fan of the DC Red Circle imprint, so to see those characters disappear is disheartening. Of course, with the New 52 relaunch, it was more than likely that the Crusaders were never going to be a factor anyway. So at least the characters get to have their own space to run around in. The digital initiative is interesting, and if the price is low enough it might be worth checking out.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on this as it develops...

(Wow, two posts about Archie one day... go figure!)

You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best!

2011-10-10T09:28:00.000-04:00

As reported on Newsarama, Archie Comics is publishing Archie Meets KISS!

Sounds like a fun mash-up! To me, both the Archies and the KISS personas are classic characters who never go out of fashion. If this one is successful, then I will begin campaigning for Jughead Meets Alice Cooper!

Unbridled Capitalism: Mr. K's for October

2011-10-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

I made a trip to Mr. K's Used Books in Greenville yesterday looking for something non-comics related, but you know me: I love a good deal. So when I saw these books I couldn't leave them.

100 Bullets -- This title never gets much mention here on The Bunker, mostly because I have exclusively bought it in collected format. I picked up Volume 1 (First Shot, Last Call) a number of years ago at Midtown Comics, and then religiously bought the series through Volume 5. I lost track of the series when I moved but now I have been on the lookout for the rest of it in cheap form so that I can read the whole thing. Yesterday went a long way to completing my collection, as I picked up Volumes 6-9 and 13, which is the last one. Throw in Volume 11 which I picked up a few months back and I am down to two collections to finish up the run -- Volumes 10 and 12. Get ready for some gunplay!

Excalibur -- Now this one you folks should be more aware of. I've actually got everything I am looking for as far as the Excalibur regular series, but I did pick up the prestige format Weird War 3 yesterday, which I had not seen previously. So hopefully we can get a return of Not Blog Ex on this site in the near future.

Remember folks, good deals are out there if you keep your eyes peeled and your wallet at the ready!

Discount Bin Finds -- Random Borderlands Rummaging

2011-09-29T10:57:00.000-04:00

I headed to Borderlands yesterday to pick up few of the New 52 comics yesterday (namely Aquaman, Fury of Firestorm, and Superman), and I happened to flip through a few of the dollar bins, and boy I hit some good stuff!

Outsiders v.2:no.3 -- Eradicated! So says the cover, as Eradicator begins his association with the Outsiders in this issue. This was a totally random find, but one which is much appreciated as I am still filling in my collection of volume 2 of Outsiders and this was one I needed.

Weird Western Tales #51 -- Featuring Scalphunter! I could not pass up an issue of Weird Western Tales, as rare as they are around here.

Wonder Woman #246, 255, 271 -- If you remember, back at FCBD this year, I picked up a few issues of this era of Wonder Woman, and have liked what I read. So when I found a few more I had to pick them up! Especially with the New 52 Wonder Woman seemingly being one of the early breakout titles of the reboot, these classics are a lot of fun to read.

Marvel Premiere #50 -- Starring... ALICE COOPER! Are you serious bro?! How freaking awesome is this? I LOVE Alice Cooper and putting him in a Marvel comic book is so downright awesome that I cannot wait to read this one. No More Mister Nice Guy!

I definitely need to head back and dig through their bins some more!

The Savage Hawkman Teaser

2011-09-28T15:07:00.000-04:00

The following teaser for The Savage Hawkman #1 just showed up on The Source...

"How long have I been here? How long have I been frozen like this?"
–Carter Hall in THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1

Ooooooh...

Image: Savage Hawkman #1 teaser, 2011, Philip Tan.

What Looks Good?

2011-09-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

It's a big Wednesday, there is no doubt about it!

Aquaman #1 -- Aquaman has always been cool dammit!

Blackhawks #1 -- DC's take on GI Joe? Color me intrigued.

Flash #1 -- Hopefully this new take on the Flash can run a bit longer than the last volume (pun intended).

Fury of Firestorm #1 -- This book is getting tons of hype, so I do intend to check it out.

The Savage Hawkman #1 -- Today's the day baby. Except I have to wait for my DCBS box.

Superman #1 -- George Perez on Superman is something I am going to definitely check out.

Charmed #14 -- My wife will be happy to see this one as well.

Futurama Comics #57 -- At some point I need to watch the latest season. But the comic still rocks!

So, what looks good to YOU?

What Looks Good?

2011-09-21T08:10:00.000-04:00

I hate rain on Wednesdays -- especially when I have to go to the comic shop.

Tiny Titans #44 -- It's good to see that no matter how much some things change in the DCU, some things stay the same.

Invincible Iron Man #508 -- This Fear Itself stuff is getting old, but we have got to be getting close to the endgame at this point, right?

So, what looks good to YOU?

The 3rd Dimension: Remco Mini Monsters Mummy

2011-09-20T15:19:00.000-04:00

We're going old school with this 3rd Dimension post today -- this is the Remco "Mini Monsters" Mummy from 1979!

I have been on a bit of a Mummy kick lately, mostly due to my father buying me the Polar Lights recast of the old Aurora Mummy's Chariot hot rod model kit, which I have liked since I was a kid. (I still need to pick up some version of the original Aurora Mummy.) So that lead me to not only watching some classic Universal Mummy movies but also pulling my bin of Old Toys (tm) out from under the bed in my Bonus Room and digging up (oh I slay me) this classic from my childhood.

Both of the Universal Mummies (Im-ho-tep, played by Boris Karloff in The Mummy, and Kharis, played by Tom Tyler in The Mummy's Hand and Lon Chaney, Jr. in The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, and The Mummy's Curse) are favorites of mine and so I have, over the years, accumulated a lot of Mummy stuff. This piece remains the oldest one of my Mummy relics, so it holds special value to me.

Remco put out both a large size and small size line of Universal Monsters in the late 70s and early 80s. My brother and I never had any of the big ones but we did have most of the small guys, in the form of Frankenstein's Monster, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Mummy. I don't think we had Dracula, and I know for a fact we did not have the Phantom of the Opera.

Like all of the monsters, the Mummy is a solid construction, with 5 points of articulation -- both arms at the shoulders, both legs at the hips, and his head. The real beauty of this toy is the detailed sculpt. For a toy made in 1979, this guy looks fantastic. The bandages have plenty of detail on them and are wonderfully non-uniform. The face, while not at the level of the RealScan stuff we have today, looks suitably close to Karloff for me to say that this is Im-ho-tep. Which is funny on it's own level because Im-ho-tep spends exactly one scene bandaged up, and the rest of the movie masquerading as a modern Egyptian.

But oh how much I dig this toy. The Remco Monsters never had anyone to menace (learning their lesson from the Aurora Monster Scenes perhaps?) but the fact that we had 3 3/4" Monsters to play with meant that they could "play" with various other toy lines too. Want to have Cobra disturb an Egyptian tomb? Here you go!

Once I build the Mummy's Chariot I am seriously considering putting together a small "Mummy Shelf." And if I do, you can bet the treasures of Princess Anaka that this guy will be front and center.

What Looks Good?

2011-09-15T15:37:00.000-04:00

These are a day late, because I felt that sleep after a 13 hour drive was more important than comics. Go figure.

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #170 -- Firefly versus Mainframe in the Empire State Building! Plus Crystal Ball! Oh heck yes!

Wow. One book. I hope I can afford this spending spree. Yeesh.

So, what looks good to YOU?

What Looks Good?

2011-09-07T09:13:00.000-04:00

It's a new month and a new dawn for one of the Big Two. What comics will I be checking out this week to celebrate?

Hawk And Dove #1 -- Check out this interview with scribe Sterling Gates. Not sure why this one is gathering so much attention from me but here we are.

Men of War #1 -- Last year I commented that I thought DC's War event in September was leading up to a revival of the genre, and it seems I was on the money. This one should be the grittier of the two. You can check out a teaser, too.

OMAC #1 -- I did not preorder this book but the more and more I see of it and read about it the more I want to read it. DiDio and Giffen killed it on Outsiders and this one looks even more insane. Giffen was honing his Kirby style on that book and now he gets to go all out with it. You can read interviews with DiDio here and here.

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #4 -- The Yakuza is used to dealing harshly with those who threaten them, but how do you deal with a man armed with a giant monster?

Charmed #13 -- Mom, Restaurateur, Superwitch... Can Piper Halliwell do it all?

So what looks good to YOU?

Hawk & Dove Teaser

2011-09-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

"You've been partners with this guy for a couple of years, and you still haven't told him where you really came from?"

DC is rolling out the teasers for the New 52 books, and Hawk & Dove is now out.

At this point I don't know that I could be more excited for Hawk & Dove at this point. Unfortunately I am going to have to end until the end of the month when my next box is shipped!

This Past Labor Day Weekend...

2011-09-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

... was not spent at DragonCon. It was spent at my in-laws in Florida. And on Thursday, I will be heading to New York to visit my family. So things are going to be a little light for a spell. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Podcast Roundup

2011-08-29T09:44:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, then you listen to some comic book podcasts. And if you are really like me, then these are some you should be listening to!

From Crisis To Crisis -- Covering the era between Man of Steel and Infinite Crisis, this long-running Superman podcast details the life and times of the Post-Crisis Superman. With the new version of Superman coming very shortly from DC Comics, this is the time to check out the one which I -- and most of the folks reading this blog I am willing to bet -- grew up reading.

Xavier's Podcast For Gifted Youngsters -- The X-Men! From the beginning! No, really! This new bi-weekly podcast is covering Marvel's Merry Mutants from the very start, including the pre-Giant Size period which I like so dearly. Always great to get in on the ground floor of a podcast.

Tales of the JSA -- The Mystery Men of World War II gets the spotlight shone on them in this show. And it's not just the Society, as the All-Star Squadron also get in on the act too.

Anyone else have some other good ones they listen to?

Burger King Gets The Pink Slip

2011-08-25T09:05:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

Well Now, Jeez.

2011-08-24T16:57:00.000-04:00

Looks like not only is Havok back from space, but now he is back on X-Factor as well!

What does this all mean? I have no idea! The only X-Men comics I have been able to understand in the last decade was X-Men: Kingbreaker, which, appropriately enough, starred Havok.

What Looks Good?

2011-08-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

Next week, we see the re-launch of the DC Universe and the assorted rumblings which that entails. This week, however, it's business as usual.

Action Comics #904 -- Well, if you gotta go, going out with an all out brawl for it all with a Super-Mega Doomsday is a heck of a way to do it.

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #169 -- Mainframe versus Firefly in the Empire State Building!

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #6 -- This will probably be my last issue, which is disappointing. But those are the breaks.

The Iron Age: Omega #1 -- My favorite Marvel event in years comes to close.

So, what looks good to YOU?

DC New War Comics Logos

2011-08-23T11:47:00.000-04:00

DC released the cover logos for the "New 52" last night, including the logos for the two new War titles, Blackhawks and Men Of War.

Not sure which one I like better. From what I gather, Men Of War is going to be more of a Modern Military book, while Blackhawks is going for more of a Military Fantasy title. So the logos seem appropriate to their genres.

The Men Of War logo looks like something from a ModMil video game. And considering the incredible success (*waves to Mr. Bones*) of those games, I consider this to be a Good Thing. Hopefully this is the sort of book which can attract the attention of that market, because that would help the book achieve some sales and notoriety. Blackhawks looks a little more traditional, but I still dig it. The bird head is a classic element and the stencil-style font works well too. I think that this title is poised to get some of IDW's GI Joe readers, and like the GI Joe logo this one is striking but not ostentatious.

You can see all 52 of the covers over at Newsarama, including the logo for The Savage Hawkman, which you can see at Being Carter Hall.

Interview With Sterling Gates

2011-08-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

From The Source, check out this interview with upcoming Hawk & Dove scribe Sterling Gates! We also get to see some new art from Rob Liefeld, and I have to say, it's not half bad. Certainly Liefeld's style, and certainly a bit over the top, but not nearly as overblown as I remember his art being in the 90s.

Hawk & Dove #1 is due next month!

Begging For Change in 2012

2011-08-17T13:19:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

What Looks Good?

2011-08-17T09:47:00.000-04:00

You know darn well that only comics can quell what you're feeling inside!

DC Retroactive The Flash: The 90s -- This is when I got into The Flash so this should be a treat!

Tiny Titans #43 -- Time for a ReBoot!

Invincible Iron Man #507 -- You have some 'splaining to do, Fraction.

Darkwing Duck #15 -- Time is short on this series, but honestly, did we really think that this is not how the BOOM! Disney line would go down?

So, what looks good to YOU?

Behold My Mighty Hand.

2011-08-16T21:16:00.002-04:00

Luke versus the Mega Burrito at Papas & Beer, Greenville, SC:

Luke 1. Mega Burrito 0.

Return Of The Monsters!

2011-08-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Coming in October from Moonstone, we have a 4 issue event entitled Return of the Monsters, with the Moonstone Pulp Heroes going toe to toe with, you guessed it, MONSTERS! We're getting Black Bat vs Dracula, The Spider vs Werewolf, Phantom Lady vs The Mummy, and Phantom Detective vs Frankenstein.

This cover also showcases Mike Bullock's New Pulp creation, Death Angel, is all sorts of awesome.

The crew over at Moonstone does these classic pulp characters like its nobody's business, plus now we have MONSTERS as well! Sweet!

What Looks Good?

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

We're in the middle of our 2011 United Way Campaign here at work, so I am wearing jeans today -- despite the high pushing 100. Yikes. Well, at least we have new comics, too.

Showcase Presents: The Trial Of The Flash -- I have heard so many varying opinions on this story that I, as a Flash Fan, had to read it for myself.

Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #3 -- Now this is what I want in a Godzilla comic. So far.

The Iron Age #3 -- This time-hopping adventure is the first Marvel "event" I have been excited about in a long, long time.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Men Of War #3 Cover Preview

2011-08-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

Saw this preview of the Men of War #3 cover over at Newsarama, along with some other November cover previews for the "DCnU" (ugh) Dark and Edge titles. I love the use of negative space on this cover and how it incorporates the sergeant's insignia. Sweet!

Don't know how long this ride of DC War books is going to last, but I have to applaud DC for giving a shot to a "dead" genre!

What I Read This Week

2011-08-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

Quick capsule reviews, GO!

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #2 -- Our hero, a policeman betrayed and left for dead, uses Mothra as his instrument of revenge. This is as cool as it sounds; indeed, much better than the main IDW Godzilla book (see below).

Iron Age #2 -- As a Power Man & Iron Fist fan, I am probably more prone to like the first half of this issue, as they team up with Shellhead. But the second half, with Iron Man and Human Torch fighting Dr. Doom, was very well done too. So far I am digging this miniseries.

DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman -- The 70s -- The lead story has Diana undergoing "trials" for denying her powers; the story itself is nothing special but I totally dig J. Bone's offbeat take on the Amazing Amazon. The backup is a tale from the I-Ching era which, I think, is very representative of that period and fun to read.

DC Retroactive: The Flash -- The 70s -- The new story involves Gorilla Grodd trying to steal Iris away from Barry; kind of oddball but I can see it playing out in the era. The backup is a reprint of an issue I literally just read a few months ago, part of a Flash/Superman race... why this story was chosen, I have no idea -- it's part 2 of a story, even!

Tiny Titans #42 -- Match and Bizarro Girl are IN WUV! Too cute.

Invincible Iron Man #506 -- *sigh* This one will get a bigger write up. And not in a good way.

Futurama Comics #56 -- Fry gets the crew stuck working at a fast food restaurant as big as the planet Earth! Also features an amazing cameo by Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie!

Action Comics #903 -- Reign of the Doomsdays continues as the battle reaches Earth. Paul Cornell didn't work for me with Captain Britain, but amazingly enough I can dig his take on the Superman Family. Eager to see how this concludes.

Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4 -- It's Edward Hyde versus Jack the Ripper in a Victorian blowout to end them all! Really dug this book and hope to get more from this team.

Godzilla, Kingdom of Monsters #5 -- More nonsense, with the best elements of the story happening off panel while we linger on stupid pop culture references and heavy handed politicking. I'm done with this book.

Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human #1 -- A great setup, with Robocop awakening from a museum far in the future, as Skynet is on the verge of eliminating the last of humanity. Should be cool to see where this leads.

Charmed #12 -- The big blowoff to the Neena story delivers pretty much as expected. It's the revelation at the end which has me more intrigued.

Whew!

One Reason Not To Blog This Late

2011-08-06T00:15:00.002-04:00

Because you come up with ideas like Eric Raymond hooking up with Extensive Enterprises so that The Misfits become a money laundering operation to funnel cash to Cobra in order to fuel Cobra Commander and Megatron's insane idea of finding and unleashing Metlar, Tendril, and D'Compose to different parts of the globe in order to ravage the world's defenses so that Cobra will be able to usurp control of all government while the Decepticons can create enough energon to fuel their conquest of the galaxy.

You might want to put on a helmet because El Jacone just BLEW YOUR MIND.

What Looks Good?

2011-08-03T09:41:00.000-04:00

I think the high in Greenville today is like 101 degrees. I don't care where you are that's hot! Also: comics.

DC Retroactive -- The Flash: The 80s -- Flash in the 80s? Yes please!

DC Retroactive -- Wonder Woman: The 80s -- I read the 70s one last night and was very impressed, so I am seriously considering picking this one up as well.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Over 1 Billion Scolded

2011-08-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

And Now, Your Moment of Zen

2011-07-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

My Little Skystriker: Firepower is Magic!

Shout out to Viciousvinyltoys over at HissTank.com for making this awesome 80s mashup!

What Looks Good?

2011-07-27T11:05:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's hot all over the country? You know what? This is NORMAL WEATHER down here! So grab some comics and chill out!

Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4 -- I have very much enjoyed this detective story with Henry Jekyll helping to track down Jack The Ripper. I know, big shock.

Action Comics #903 -- DOOMSLAYER! Sounds like the most awesome heavy metal band ever.

Heroes of the DCU Hawk Bust -- Not getting this bust if there ever was a character who utilizes the term "bust" in his crime fighting, it's Hawk. (No, not THAT definition of "bust," the other one.)

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #5 -- King Ghidorah? Perhaps? Maybe?

Charmed #12 -- The battle continues against The First Witch!

Futurama Comics #56 -- What news do these intrepid explorers bring of the far-flung future?!

Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human #1 -- You know at some point I should track down the original Robocop vs Terminator.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Is The Popemobile Catholic?

2011-07-22T08:04:00.000-04:00

I don't think these guys are out yet, but once they are I am SO buying them -- die cast Pope Pinion IV and Popemobile from Cars 2.

We Must Resist! After All, It's Our Phyiscal Nature.

2011-07-21T07:44:00.000-04:00

We call this "electrical engineering humor."

Yeah, I know. We had better not quit our day jobs. (I'm a Controls engineer though, so I'm in the clear.)

You can get this "Resist" T-shirt at shirt.woot.com today and today only.

What Looks Good?

2011-07-20T08:37:00.000-04:00

Before going to the theater to see Captain America, be sure to buy your comics!

DC Retroactive -- The Flash: The 70s /Wonder Woman: The 70s -- Decided to get these two as much for the new stories as the reprints!

Justice League of America #59 -- Eclipso just sliced the moon in half. So this should be rough going for the Earth!

Tiny Titans #42 -- Young Bizarros in LOVE! Yuck!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #168 -- The Joes mission to the arctic gets even rougher!

Invincible Iron Man #506 -- Paris is a stone wasteland thanks to the Grey Gargoyle, but is Tony in danger of losing a battle against his will?

Iron Man 2.0 #7 -- *sigh* Something about Chinese demons or something. Very much related to War Machine. Right?

Darkwing Duck #14 -- The Duck Knight is facing all sorts of problems but crimefighting waits for no man!

So, what looks good to YOU?

Garbageman and Tanga Will Return

2011-07-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

Not thrilled that I have to wait until the fall, but hey, Garbageman and Tanga!

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #1
Written by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE and MATT KINDT
Art by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE, MATT RYAN and SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale OCTOBER 12 • 1 of 6, 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The adventures of Garbage Man and Tanga from WEIRD WORLDS continue – and now, these offbeat heroes are joined by the Robotman, who has a disturbing knack for self-destruction!

Sounds good to me!

You can check out the rest of the second wave of "DCnU" (ugh) solicits over at Newsarama.

4 Color Cinema: Thor

2011-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, my wife and I (along with our 3 month old son) finally got a chance to see Thor, thanks to the Carmike Wynsong discount theater up in Spartanburg. It's hard for both of us to go to the movies together so this was a real treat. Did our date pay off? Very much so!

The story is straightforward (as befitting a film version of Thor): After an ill-thought out attack on the Frost Giants leads to a declaration of war, arrogant Thor is cast out of Asgard by Odin. Trapped on Earth, Thor is unable to stop the machinations of his devious brother Loki, who plots threaten Asgard, Earth, and all of the Nine Realms. Thor must prove himself worthy and reclaim his power to save the day.

I'm not a Thor fan by any means. I have read lots of him in Avengers, but I have never read his solo series. My brother read him some as a young man but moved on to The Punisher early on. So I am going in with only the barest of non-blank slates on the character. I know the basics but the details are an unknown for me. So, coming from that background, this film really delivered the goods. It set up the backstory without bogging everything down, brings some awesome action sequences, and brings the grandiose operatic style appropriate for the drama of the gods on Asgard. We get everything from the Marvel version of King Lear to Thor walking into a pet shop in New Mexico demanding a horse, plus a cameo from Hawkeye. This is a grand film on many levels, which left me very satisfied as a viewer.

The cast didn't have any real weak points that I could find. Chris Hemsworth did a fine job as Thor, showcasing both his youthful hot-bloodedness as well as noblity and even a little humility. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster was a good supporting character, and she's as cute as ever. Loki was played by Tom Hiddleston with a very strong sense of conviction of actions, and really shines. And Anthony Hopkins as Odin seems pretty obvious but it works very well. There's some overacting in there, but as I said this is operatic, so that's alright. It helps to differentiate the tone from the Asgard scenes and Earth scenes. This is a solid cast and hopefully at least some of them will make a reappearance in The Avengers (besides Thor of course).

As far as complaints, I don't have many. The film lacks any of the real world relevance of Iron Man, but then again, this is Thor, and I am not expecting real world relevance from a Thor story. But still, it does not have the same gravitas of Iron Man, which remains the best of the Marvel films, nor Incredible Hulk, which is very near the top. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hit all of the right notes and come off pretty dead-on to what I want from a Thor movie.

Now, which did I like better, this one or Green Lantern? Sorry to give a cop out answer, but I thought these two were pretty close to each other. Thor was the better movie overall, but Green Lantern was a lot of fun, so that's sort of a wash. With a gun to my head I would say Thor was better. I don't consider this a problem, though -- two awesome superhero movies in one summer is never a bad thing to me.

In closing, Thor scores another big hit for Marvel. It's no Iron Man, but it's certainly right up there with some of the best superhero movies I have seen.

(For those who are curious: The little guy slept through most of it (though he did like watching the trailers and opening credits), but he did get upset about 30 minutes in and required some TLC. Luckily the theater had a nice vestibule in the back so I could calm him down while still seeing the movie. And I am now considering buying him that semi-soft foam Mjolnir toy!)

Fair Trade -- Star Trek: The Gorn Crisis

2011-07-14T08:35:00.000-04:00

Star Trek: The Gorn Crisis -- During the Dominion War, the Enterprise is ordered to open negotiations with the Gorn Empire in order to gain their alligience. But the timing couldn't be worse because the Gorn military caste, lead by General Slessshh and his Black Crest warriors, have performed a bloody coup on the government. Meanwhile, Riker is on the planet Elkauron II, working with a Klingon crew to shore up the defenses there. Slessshh and his soldiers then launch attacks on the two closest outposts -- good ole Cestus III and, of course, Elkauron II. With the Enterprise crew held hostage in the Gorn capital and Riker and the Klingons being pushed back by the extremely tough Gorn fighters, it's a desperate situation for the heroes. Authors Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta turn in a solid tale with a strong examination of the Gorn and their culture. Plus it is always fun to see Riker as an action hero -- much more believable than Picard as one! The main selling point (besides the Gorn) is the painting art by Igor Kordey, which is evocative and very accurate. It suits the story well and the Gorn themselves look great. All around, this is was a strong Star Trek adventure, but not super epic or anything. Worth picking up if you can find it and if you dig the Gorn, like me.

What Looks Good?

2011-07-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know, I said I'd try to get back into the blogswing, but this new project is taking up a lot of time. Sue me! Or better yet just read some comics.

Orange Lantern 1/4 Scale Power Battery and Ring -- Maybe it's cliche but MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!!!

Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #2 -- The first issue of this miniseries is already better than every other Godzilla comic IDW has published.

The Iron Age #2 -- So far this event is kicking it hardcore just the way I like it. (I ordered the Power Man & Iron Fist cover.)

So, what looks good to YOU?

What Looks Good?

2011-07-07T10:09:00.000-04:00

New project, new building, new desk, same new comic book day!

DC Direct Brightest Day Hawkman -- I recently got the Black Lantern Hawkman toy so I guess I should try to find this one, too!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero v.2 -- Can't wait to read this one, as the last volume ended with Snake Eyes under the influence of the Brain Wave Scanner. (Larry Hama, woo!)

Black Bat GN -- I ordered this GN from Moonstone so long ago that I forgot about it. Moonstone does these pulp characters like nobody else, though!

So, what looks good to YOU?

Uh yeah...

2011-07-05T12:53:00.000-04:00

...about the last few weeks...

Sorry folks, started a new project at work and between that and taking care of several projects around the house before the holiday, my blogging availability has been extremely scarce. I hope to get back into the full swing of things either this week or next. Sorry for any inconvenience!

What Looks Good?

2011-06-22T08:08:00.000-04:00

Big week last week -- had a birthday, saw Green Lantern, buying comics. This week: mostly just buying comics.

Action Comics #902 -- The Reign of the Doomsdays continues!

Batman And The Outsiders #40 -- Ah well, we had a good run.

Justice League of America #58 -- Eclipso just cracked the moon in half. Awww yeah.

Iron Man 2.0 #6 -- Last issue was pretty rough, hopefully this one is better.

Charmed #11 -- It's all very metatextual at this point as the Charmed Ones try to figure out how to stop Neena from destroying Heaven!

So, what looks good to YOU?

4 Color Cinema: Green Lantern

2011-06-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

So this weekend, my house was the rallying point for a bevy of nerds, as we donned our Lantern Corps shirts and ventured to the theater to go see DC's latest big screen effort, Green Lantern.

So what's the verdict?

It's a fun, entertaining movie which delivered what I wanted out of it.

Was it the best superhero movie I have ever seen? No, not even close. But it was exciting and kept me entertained, and I am much more eager to rewatch it than something gloomily self-important like The Dark Knight. It's got a lot of humor and a lot of action, but it's not the super space opera epic which I think the diehard GL fans were hoping for. It's an odd opening salvo from the newly organized DC Entertainment, unless they want to establish their universe as the lighter one? I don't know, I'm not privy to that kind of information.

Ryan Reynolds seemed like an odd choice for Hal Jordan but he turns in a strong performance. He's jokey quite frequently but when its time be serious, he is serious. He has some good character moments as well. Mark Strong is dead-on awesome as Sinestro, who is the strongest character in the movie. At this point in his career, he is the second greatest of the Green Lanterns (after Abin Sur) and he commands respect when ever he is on the screen. Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan both turn in very good vocal performances as Tomar Re and Killowag, respectively, even though they have fairly small roles.

Blake Lively doesn't do much for me as Carol Ferris, but she doesn't embarrass herself. She's got the ice queen thing down but she melts too frequently. Peter Sarsgaard plays Hector Hammond well enough but the character disappears too soon. He's got an interesting arc but it's abbreviated.

I think that is my biggest complaint: the film is too short and somewhat rushed. Once the story really starts to pick up and start moving, it's already time to get the climax started. I would have rather had extended out the scenes with Hector and then the final battle by a few minutes apiece and it would have made the film "bigger." As it stands, while I liked the film I definitely could see the flaws.

Overall, I dug the movie and will pick it up when it gets released on DVD. But I am not rushing out to go see it again in the theater.

It's The Same Plot With The Same Sad Ending

2011-06-21T08:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Newsbusters!

What Looks Good?

2011-06-15T08:25:00.000-04:00

I'm growing another year older this week, which means it has become that much less social acceptable for me to buy comics. Well... tough!

Tiny Titans #41 -- Keep on rolling, Tiny Titans.

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #1 -- The Showa alternative to Kingdom of Monsters?

Invincible Iron Man #505 -- Grey Gargoyle, we hardly knew ya!

Darkwing Duck #13 -- With Duckthulu defeated, what new adventures await?

So, what looks good to YOU?

Challenge Of The Gobots!

2011-06-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

Oh it's own now!

CHALLENGE OF THE GOBOTS: THE ORIGINAL MINI-SERIES (1984) From Gobotron to your home, it's the original 5 episode mini-series that brought the GoBots to life. When Cy-kill embarks on his mad quest to conquer the galaxy starting with Earth, only Leader-1 and his band of Guardians stands in his way. The mini-series that launched a legend! Newly remastered from original film elements, Challenge of the GoBots has NEVER looked this good.

While it's great to see the miniseries on DVD, I would much rather have seen an actual season set. My brother got me a bootleg of this series but an official release would be pretty damn awesome! And eventually, hopefully, we can get a DVD release of Battle Of The Rock Lords, which I have own on commercial VHS!

Also: Pirates of Dark Water! And JABBERJAW!

Woo woo woo you know it!

Everybody's Linking For The Weekend

2011-06-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

Frank discusses the ramifications of the new Justice Leagues and their lineups.

Bonus Game! Martian Manhunter headshot by Jason Ho.

Anj reviews both Stalker #1 and Stalker #2! Wooo, Ditko/Wood!

Where are Jay Garrick and Wally West?

Aquaman gets housed in a Subway comic book. Sorry, rob.

And finally, perhaps a preview of what to expect in a future issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters?

Unbridled Capitalism: Lefty Pinko Jackwagon Edition

2011-06-09T08:54:00.000-04:00

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters -- Picked up at Mr. K's for a cool $5 (sort of... I have a lot of trade credit so this didn't cost me anything out of pocket!), this is the second printing of the collected edition of the Mile Grell prestige format Green Arrow mini from 1987. I know, I know -- I'm a Hawkman booster, what's the deal? Well, beyond the fact that this series is one of those which is constantly put over as one of those ones "you gotta read," I don't particularly dislike Green Arrow. I like that he is something of a pompous jerk, and I have grown to enjoy his smarminess over the years. I liked him a lot on the Justice League cartoon, and was one of the dozen or so who actually likes Cry For Justice. The fact that Carter and Oliver form the best pair of superhero frenemies I have ever read is icing on the cake. So I figured if I wanted to read some Green Arrow this was a good place to start.

Plus I can pass it along to my buddy Adama to read when I am done.

What Looks Good?

2011-06-08T09:01:00.000-04:00

We're hip deep in summertime now, folks, which means movies, comics, and comic book movies! (That's "coming soon," by the way.)

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #167 -- Kicking it with the old school Red White And Blue.

The Iron Age: Alpha -- That "other" Marvel event book kicks off!

Charmed #10 -- The First Witch is laying siege to the Higher Realm, but what does this have to do with Cole?

glamourpuss #19 -- Dave Sim and Mike Allred together! Plus the "Salute to Rectangles!" (??!)

So, what looks good to YOU?

Fair Trade: Battlestar Galactica

2011-06-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

Battlestar Galactica -- Like the For Your Eyes Only collection, I have the Marvel paperback version of this story, which reprints issues Marvel Super Special #8, which was later chopped up into issues #1-3 of the ongoing series. I actually bought this many years ago at the old Eagle Eye thrift store in Brewster, NY, but had never gotten around to reading it until recently.

I got into the original BSG when I was in high school and the show was a staple on the then-still-called Sci-Fi Channel. In fact, one of the first DVDs I purchased after buying my first DVD player was the theatrical version of BSG. (The first DVD? G.I. Joe: The Movie.) So I am of course familiar with the story being told here and more prone to enjoy it. The art is by Ernie Colon and is suitably science fictiony, although the actor likenesses is not very strong. The Cylons and the various aliens are nifty, more closely resembling how the looked on the show. The script is by Roger McKenzie, who is clearly working from an earlier draft of the pilot/feature script and series bible. Elements such as the reptilian Cylon race still being alive were dropped by the time the film was released, and the inclusion of Baltar's execution betrays that he was working from the original script. Beyond that there is not much new added, but it's a fun and fast paced space opera, which is appropriate because that is the level I have always enjoyed BSG on in the first place.

Also included are some extra text pieces from the Super Special, detailing the production of the show and the background material on space travel, robots, aliens, and other elements. This particular paperback has less issues with panel arrangement than FYEO did, but it still crops up from time to time.

As a relic of a media phenomenon what never really caught on, I really dig this paperback. Not sure if I will break it out to read it once a year or anything but I had a smile on my face as I read it and I am glad it is in the collection.

What Looks Good?

2011-06-01T08:50:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe it is June already! Time keeps on rolling and comics keep on coming!

Flashpoint #2 -- Evidently this book is pretty important now. (I JUST got the first one for crying out loud.)

Weird Worlds #6 -- This one, not so much, but it's still pretty awesome.

Honey West #4 -- Honey West, B-movie starlet? Will she be another victim? Not likely.

Uncle Scrooge #404 -- Not only one of the greatest comics characters of all time but also one of my three greatest fictional Republicans of all time.

So, what looks good to YOU?

DC Comics To Relaunch After Flashpoint

2011-05-31T16:51:00.000-04:00

As reported on Newsarama:

"A fully revamped DC Universe for a "more modern and diverse 21st century", over 50 new #1 issues, a Geoff Johns-Jim Lee Justice League, and the first of the major comic book publishers to fully embrace "same-day" digital distribution..."

Maybe I am predictable, but my first response is one big giant UGH!

Why the heck did I just invest time and money in Brightest Day to see the return of Hawkman (and, for a while, Hawkgirl) if you were going to flush it all away and start over?!!

And Jim Lee redesigning the costumes of 50+ characters? Coming soon -- every superheroine in a choker chain and leather jacket!

DC, why do you torture me?! ARGH!

Crossposted: Being Carter Hall, El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker.

The 3rd Dimension: Battle Corps Dr. Mindbender

2011-05-31T13:14:00.000-04:00

Disposable income can be a bad thing.

For one thing, there is this site called eBay, where people of a certain age can spend that disposable income on things called Toys From When We Were Kids. And unfortunately, once one opens this door, it can be very difficult to shut.

Case in point: Battle Corps Doctor Mindbender.

Now, for some background. As some of you may know I am a big fan of GI Joe: A Real American Hero. Have been since I was a kid and I watched the Weather Dominator miniseries. So the toys have always been something I have been interested in. And one of those toys which I had as a kid was Cobra's resident mad scientist Dr. Mindbender. And I have always been a fan of that character and the toy, so recently when I had the chance to pick up the second version of Mindbender, I snapped it up.

By 1993 when this figure was released, the Joe toy line was subdivided into several subgroups -- including the Ninja Force, the sci-fi Star Brigade, the Play-Doh armored Mega Marines (don't ask), and the general Battle Corps group, to which this Mindbender belongs. And as is appropriate for being part of the Battle Corps, Mindbender is in his field gear, ready for front line combat. The colors are a little garish, but for the early 90s I think they work well. Definitely a memorable combination, and the purple at least ties back to the original figure. I like the head sculpt, which is clearly identified able as Mindbender even without his monocle. (Interestingly enough, there was going to be another version of Mindbender in the vintage line which would have shown him with the scars of having the implants he is sporting here removed!) The black boots are very nice as well. I also really dig the comm-pad on his wrist, a nice detail.

Gear is something of a mixed bag. As with all of the other toys in this year, Mindbender comes with a ton of weapons to choose from, along with the ubiquitous spring loaded launcher. Personally I have him armed with the jagged dagger and pistol, because I can't see Mindbender using a machine gun. Still, with all of these guns you can find one which you like so I give that's a thumbs up.

Overall, I like this figure. I had gotten out of Joe in 1991, so I never had any of the toys from this line. Things had gotten a little silly at this point with aliens and monsters and giant robots, but the Battle Corps subline was pretty straightforward and produced some quality figures. As a fan of Mindbender, I like having a version of the Mad Doctor with a shirt, amongst other things. I can see this version of Mindbender directing a BAT assault on the Joes or wearing gear like this when he was stealing the DNA to create Serpentor. Mindbender is more at home in lab but this is GI Joe and everyone has to fight sometimes! So now my classic Mindbender and 25th Mindbender have some company on the shelf in the form of Battle Corps Mindbender.

More retro and modern reviews to come...

Image source: Yojoe.com