What Looks Good?

Remember, your 4 Color Goodies are delayed until Friday this week (and next) due to the holiday. So shake yourself out of your post-Xmas downswing and check out all the goodies at your local comics retailer.

Flash #235 -- After a bit of a breather last issue (insofar as the Flash can have one of them), it's back to the main alien invasion story as Waid demonstrates why he knows Wally West better than any other writer.

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash #3 -- Last issue featured a group of Christmas carolers being hacked to pieces and decapitated, followed by not one but two couples having premarital sex in a spooky abandonded house. 80s horror, I adore thee.

Essential Power Man And Iron Fist v.1 -- I personally will not be buying this, since I own all of the issues in question, but all I have to say is "Sweet Christmas!"

Iron Man #24 -- Mike Sterling reports that sales of this title have fallen off almost completely at this shop. My take: that's his customer's loss.

Marvel Adventures Iron Man #8 -- Have you ever said to yourself, "You know, I could get behind the concept of Iron Man, but only if he was all steampunk." If the answer is "yes," then buy this comic! Also, even if your answer is not yes, buy this comic!

So what looks good to YOU?

What I Read This Week?

Batman And The Outsiders #3 -- My thoughts on the method DC used to handle the creative shake-ups on this team is well documented, so I will not go into them here. What I will say, however, is that Chuck Dixon can write some solid superheroics. This particular issue is indicitive of that -- a complete tale with a beginning, middle, and end, but also containing ties to previous and future issues as well. There's some muddled continuity -- just what the heck happned between the end of the last issue and this one in regards to Batgirl is the most glaring -- but the talky bits (with Batman arguing with Hawkgirl as well as a psuedo-reunion of most of the original Outsiders) and the fighty bits (with the combined teams tackling the advanced OMAC) are handled strongly, with Lopez's pencils tighly addressing both. The continuity thing bugs me, but otherwise this is a good comic.

Superman #671 -- Enter: The Insect Queen. With the two "big" stories Busiek was telling finished up, you might think that things will get easier for Supes; unfortunately, you'd be wrong. Then again, problems for our star means good things for his readers. These are the kind of Superman stories I like, with a lot of action and use of the big guy's power. Busiek looks to be having fun fleshing out his baddie and her army, in addition to tying it back to developments with Lana and Chris. New penciller Peter Vale handles strength and grace with nicely fluid motions and fits right in with the story. I guess if you want really ground breaking stuff than this is not for you. Me, personally? I enjoyed it quite a bit and am intrigued just where the heck this story is going.

Captain America: The Chosen #5 -- Morrell and Breitweiser continue to spin their tale about modern day bravery and courage in the face of war as the spectral Captain inspires and pushes Corpsman Newman to overcome his fears despite the harrowing circumstances. This series was hyped on Morrell's background, but so far the truly standout aspect has been Mitch Breitweiser's stunning pencils. There is a half-double page spread (that is, it's a two page spread, but it only covers the top half of those two pages) depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor which is equal parts dynamic and horrifying; I'd love to see him render a Sgt. Fury or Enemy Ace comic. Not that Morrell is not up to snuff; his story comes in bits and pieces, and is allegorical more than narrative, but it's an interesting read that betrays a lot of his personal views. I'm really curious as to how this one will wrap up, and a bit bummed that it means no more of the artwork after that.

Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin #4 -- When we last left, Tony Stark was shot in the chest by none other than the Mandarin's son, Temugin! But as Iron Fans know, Tony often wears a certain protective article on his chest! More action of the Siler Age-y variety, with the showdown between Iron Man and the Mandarin brewing and about to boil over once more. There's a very weird bit in the recap page, where Anton Vanko is referred to as Vanko Savage -- a pun on Vandal Savage, maybe? In any event, Casey and Canete continue to crank out high quality work here, with a nice mix of art deco and cartoony extremity. The subplot with Temugin is a nice nod to long term Iron Fans, and oddly enough does fit in pretty well with the continuity, if you care about such things (as I apparently do). Very cool series which is a refreshing breather from the heavier Iron Man outings in the mainline Marvel U.

Terror, Inc. #4 -- Poor Mr. Terror... things are just not going his way lately. And things are only getting worse, what with his undead girlfriend stealing her metal-encased arm back from him in order to rise up a Void of nothingness over the whole of creation and all that. There's plenty of typical MAX stuff this time out, with quite a bit of blood being shed and more than a few naked boobies on display. I think if you like the character of Terror then you are probably already reading and enjoying this series -- and nothing here will convince you if you don't fall into that category anyway.

The Pick Of The Pile is Superman, which mixes adventure, nice character bits, and a neat villain to produce a very attractive package. Not everyone may agree with me, but Busiek has been somewhat-quietly producing some very intriguing Superman stories.

So what did YOU read this week?

Holiday Blogging, Cont.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas, doing whatever it is you decided to do for it. My wife and I watched a lot of Christmas movies, since, really, when else can you watch them? I was lucky enough to receive several nerdy gifts, which I would like to share with all of you.

Showcase Presents: The Flash -- My wife got this for me without having to be prompted or otherwise given a hint, so I guess she does known me and my tastes after all. Once I finish the trade I am currently reading (Harvey Comics Classics Richie Rich), I am definitely going to be poring over this one for a while.

My brother sent me a large, unwrapped box containing, amongst other things, a pile of Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear reprints. I'm a big fan of these olf ECs, as loyal readers well know, and these reprints are very accurate and substantially easier to get ahold of than the originals or the hardcover reprints. Between these, my collection of Magnus, Robot Fighter and my brother's previous gift of nearly a full run of Marvel's Robocop, I can safely avoid the back issue bins for some time.

My brother also got me the Fantastic Four: The Complete 1994-1995 Series DVD set. The first season, with it's inane theme music, is nothing special, but the second season is a very well made mid-90s Marvel cartoon, a nice sort of overview of the Lee-Kirby years on the First Family. Rounding out the wackiness from the 90s, my brother also got me a somewhat Mint on Card copy of everyone's favorite reptile-esque hero, the Crusading Chameleon. Tick, we hardly knew ye.

Finally, my mother in law got me a set of Star Wars M&Ms Christmas ornaments -- the Dark Side, specifically. Now I can look forward to M&M-ized versions of baddies such as Darth Vader and General Grevious adorning the tree next year. She also bought my wife a Marvel comics cocoa set featuring two group shot adorned mugs -- although if the cocoa contains unstable molecules or not I do not know.

So did any of YOU get any geeky gifts this season?

Holiday Blogging

As I sit here, basking in the warm glow of my monitor, wearing my Santa hat, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Posts will be back later in the week with thoughts on last week's comics, and what looks good this week. In the meantime, enjoy this tale of one Martian discovering the true meaning of Christmas! Have a great holiday everyone!

Everybody's Linking For The Weekend

My Thrillpower is off the charts! 2000AD is available online in downloadable, subscribe-to-own PDF format! For my money, this beats the pants off of Marvel's unfortunately named "DCU" program. You can click right here to get the first prog, the 100 page 2008 Christmas Mega-Special. This Earthlet is very, very happy by this news!

Kevin's Recommended Reading List, Part 1 and Part 2.

rob! presents HEMBEEEEEEEEEEEECK!

G. Kendall's Not Blog X is back, baby!

Damian shows that the Atom can be defeated by a mere iron!

Sometimes, you see an advertisement which just makes no sense. Rick shows us one such piece of nonsense.

Bully shows off Luke Cage in the holiday spirit.

And finally, Frank has a brush with greatness.

4 Color Cinema

Batman Begins

By now you no doubt have seen the trailer for the new Bat-flick The Dark Knight. So I figured now would be a good time to look at the film which spawned that sequel, the re-Bat-boot known as Batman Begins. To be fair, I had been thinking about writing up this post for a few weeks now, ever since my wife suggested popping BB into the DVD player one night. We had seen it in the theater, but had not watched it since, so I was interested in seeing how the film held up to a second viewing.

As many of you remember, BB was appropriately released to a lot of hype and hoopla, since Christoper Nolan was reinventing the entire franchise by going back to the basics after the disasterous overindulgence of Joel Schumacher nearly a decade earlier (To be fair, I liked and still like Batman Forever, but Batman And Robin was just too much, as my wife likes to say). Ditching the colorful and over-the-top art design and costumes, along with gimmicky casting jobs, Nolan and his crew set out to make a Batman film for the Blade Runner set. And to that end, it's an unmitigated success.

The plot, for those who don't know it, revolves around young Bruce Wayne, fresh from getting his crap handed to him in an Asian prison camp, coming under the tutelage of Henri Ducard and his master, the enigmatic Ra's al Ghul. Things don't go so well, though, as Ghul wants Wayne to join his League of Shadows, and the whole thing ends with Ghul's compound in flames and Ducard near death. Wayne returns to the decaying Gotham City and, with the help of his faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth, Wayne Corp. R&D guru Lucius Fox, ADA (and childhood friend) Rachel Dawes, and Detective Jim Gordon of the Gotham PD, begins a crusade against crime and corruption. Things get interesting when psychiatrist Jonathon Crane is thrown into the mix, and a dangerous prototype microwave emitter is stolen.

One of the major components of this film is the art design and overall visual look. Moving away from both Schumaker's garish glam and Burton's somberly grand gothica, Nolan pushes towards a gritty urban look, with harsh cityscapes and filthy back alleys. There's very little glamour in Gotham City anymore, giving the town a sort of Rust Belt aesthetic which works very well on the big screen. Even the technology is given an overhaul, most famously with the tank-like "Tumbler" replacing previous sleek Batmobiles. It's a change of pace which finds it's own distinct appeal -- a car chase involving Batman being pursued by the police is handled in a manner no previous cinematic Batmobile could have hoped for. This grimy basis sets the tone for the proceedings, and establishes Nolan's visual vocabulary in such a way that the viewer is almost hardwired into the Bat-mythos (this also provides an interesting contrast to Bryan Singer's depiction of Metropolis in Superman Returns, but that's another post).

The majority of the film involves Wayne's personal journey of discovery and self-actualization. He starts out trying to ignore his own history, and escape his parents' death, moving then to an unfocused, angry young man, before finally embracing the concept of justice instead of vengeance. It's a pretty basic framework, but Nolan, along with co-screenwriter David Goyer, does an admirable job of investing the audience's emotion in Wayne's growth and development. By surrounding him with likeable characters who provide a contrast to his darkness, we can feel more for his outsider (no pun intended) mindset and become vested in his self-improvement. This is coupled with a rock-solid cast who turn in a round of top flight performances. Christian Bale shines as the young hero, and Michael Caine nails Alfred (and his relationship to Bruce) in such a way that it's hard to picture anyone else in the role (save maybe Efram Zimbalist Jr.). Morgan Freeman's knowing portrayl of Lucius Fox makes the character interesting to me for the first time ever, and Gary Oldham's turn as the "one good cop" in the Gotham PD is endearing. Katie Holmes takes a lot of flak for her role, but honestly, it's not her fault that Rachel has so little to do. For Maggie Gyllenhal's sake I hope the part is expanded in the sequel. And, not forgetting the baddies, Cillian Murphy has an appropriately errie affectation as the Scarecrow, a nightmare inducing sociopath who lives up to his rep, and Liam Neeson (who's "geek cred" simply continues to grow) is equally effective as both mentor and nemesis.

Therein, however, lies the film's main flaw. I'm going into spoiler territory here, but at this point I am going to assume that anyone reading this post has either seen the film or just doesn't care about spoilers. The switcheroo with Ducard really being Ra's al Ghul in the final reel is unnecessary and is more of a twist for twist's sake than anything really connected to the plot. Is anything really chnaged by having it be Ghul operating in Gotham instead of Ducard -- for anyone other than the hardcore Bat-fans who are simply marking out for the fact that Ghul is in the movie in the first place? The answer is a pretty simple "no." The fact that the microwave emitter is only vaporizing the water specifically in the water lines doesn't make a lot of sense, but I suppose one could argue that it was operating a certain wavelength which only effected that water. Or something. Frankly, I'd have been just as happy if the main plot of the film involved Scarecrow dumping fear toxins in the water and driving everyone in the Narrow insane.

Still, that's nitpicking. This is easily the best Bat-film since the Burton opus in '89 changed the way we think about superhero movies. It's a brooding and dark piece of fiction, bathed in shadows and darkness like it's titular hero. Things start to come off the rails a little bit (again, no pun intended) towards the end, but for the majority of the running length, it's a hugely entertaining spectacle which doesn't forget that it's the human element which has made Batman so enduring a character. Given this pedigree, I'm very much looking forward to see what Nolan, Bale, and company have in store for the followup.

What Looks Good?

Attention! Attention! There's only 6 more shopping days before Christmas! So why not head on down to your local comics retailer and spread some holiday cheer?

Aliens Omnibus v.2 -- Not buying this one (need the first one), but man, I do lioke these Dark Horse Omnibi. I'm really hoping they bring out one for their Robocop stuff!

Batman And The Outsiders #3 -- The Outsiders apparently have a new member in Batgirl, about whom I know nothing save that Deathstroke gave her evil mind-control drugs, or something.

Superman #671 -- Camelot has Fallen. There's a Third (and fourth, and canine) Kryptonian. Time to move forward with more Big Blue Boyscout fun.

Captain America: The Chosen #5 -- Not written by Ed Brubaker, so don't expect this to get any attention at all.

Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin #4 -- This lovingly-retro Shellhead story has all sorts of rewards for those who spent way too much of their life reading Iron Man comics. Like some bloggers out there.

So what looks good to YOU?