Quick Comic Book Reviews - 39 issues reviewed

I've been trying out a lot of issues these past few months and thought I'd review them.

X-Factor #216-220 by Peter David and Emanuela Lupacchino

In X-Factor #216-219, the team is hired by J. Jonah Jameson to find an old friend. Unknown to the team, Jameson funded a black ops program that created super-powered women who blame him for being used as government guinea pigs. And Guido dies…kinda. In X-Factor #220, Rahne and Shatterstar try to get to know each other for Rictor’s sake and run into a young, deadly Rahne-doppleganger/demon.

Good: Peter David is still one of the best writers in the industry. There’s a great bit with Jonah arguing against a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors. There are great moments with Monet and Guido even before he’s fatally injured. Black Cat plays a major role in the story. It had great character development and interaction.

Bad: A young Rahne demon. Ugh.

Buy/Skip: Buy #216-219, skip #220.

Fear Itself #1-3 by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen

Sin found a hammer that makes her powerful and other people in the Marvel Universe are finding hammers. I know that’s not the Marvel tagline but that’s what I’m getting at. The first three issues don’t explain what’s going on or what the threat really is. There’s nothing interesting going on – just seems like destruction for no reason. Odin orders Thor arrested and Asgard leaves earth. Oh, and the Bucky Barnes incarnation of Captain America dies…again.

Good: I only had to suffer though 3 issues – if I’d have waited for the TPB, I would have been stuck with a crappy story.

Bad: Crappy story, no clear threat, Thor treated like a criminal while Odin loses his mind. What the hell is this thing about.

Buy/Skip: You can take the next 4 months off if anything says ‘Fear Itself’ on it. Skip it.

Ultimate Spider-Man #157-159 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley

The Death of Spider-Man story-arc sees our hero scrambling to evacuate his house because the Sinister Six has broken out and know his secret identity. After evacuating Aunt May and Gwen, Peter goes looking for the Sinister Six and sees The Punisher about to fire on Captain America and does the only thing he can: tackles Cap and takes the bullet meant for him. Now, with a life threatening injury, he sees the Sinister Six heading toward his house and goes after them. Torch and Iceman get caught in the crossfire and it’s up to a mortally wounded Peter to stop the Sinister Six.

Good: Holy crap. Everything.

Bad: Nothing.

Buy/Skip: Still my favorite title and while I don’t like the thought of this version of Spider-Man dying, I can’t wait to see the final battle. Buy these titles and buy all the trade paperbacks.

Avengers vs New Ultimates #3-4 by Mark Millar and Leinil Yu

Gregory Stark is running SHIELD and The Ultimates and is trying to apprehend Nick Fury and his Avengers. The problem is that Nick Fury has been set up and the only way to prove his innocence is to stay free so his enemies can’t just kill him to cover it up.

Good: Great big action with high stakes and great artwork.

Bad: I’m not exactly sure what’s going on because I didn’t get #1 or #2 but that’s my fault.

Buy/Skip: Buy it. Stories with the Ultimates all result in the maximum amount of property damage and the craziest action and these two issues deliver on both.

Brightest Day #14 by Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi, Ivan Reis, and Joe Prado

Deadman is looking for Batman, the man he thinks the White Ring is meant for. On his quest to find him, he is killed again and relives his first life and death before the ring resurrects him again.

Good: Boston Brand wants to live and he’s eager to shed the white lantern ring so he can start that new life. His romance with Dove is a nice touch. I love when Boston asks Batman how he knows who he is and Batman’s response is: “I’m Batman.”

Bad: I only bought #14 so I don’t know the back story.

Buy/Skip: I ordered Brightest Day volume 1 to see if I liked the series. For now I’ll just be checking out the collected editions unless the first one sucks.

Teen Titans #93-95 by JT Krul and Nicola Scott

The Teen Titans travel to Pakistan to help Cassie’s mother look for Solstice’s missing parents. What they find is a mythic evil and a portal to another universe where demons rule. The Teen Titans are being defeated and captured one at a time and used to power a giant demon.

Good: Solstice brings a new dynamic as a super-powered guest. At the beginning of #93, there is a great two page intro that explains who the Teen Titans are and why they were formed.

Bad: #93 says “Introducing Solstice” but her first appearance was in Wonder Girl #1. #95 shows Conner and Rose kissing but it turns out it’s a demon who looks like Rose. And Raven is essentially useless as she usually is in the title.

Buy/Skip: Skip it. It’s fun for #93 and becomes boring after that.

Alpha Flight #0.1 by Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, Ben Oliver, and Dan Green

Chaos War brought the original Alpha Flight team back from the dead in time to take on the Purple Man’s daughter.

Good: Great one-issue story that reintroduces you to the team and lets you see them in action.

Bad: Where the hell is Puck and Box? Chaos War resurrects everyone but them?

Buy/Skip: Buy it and try the new Alpha Flight title.

Venom #1-3 by Rick Remender and Tom Fowler

Flash Thompson has been many things, bully, quarterback, and war hero. Now Flash Thompson has been recruited by the government to be the new wearer of the Venom symbiote. While wearing the suit, Flash has to stay calm because if he gets angry, the suit will not only take control and bond to him, the government will detonate a chip in his body and kill him. Venom’s assignment is to locate a shipment Antarctic Vibranium which can be used to make bullets that go right through any metal. In order to complete this assignment, he’ll have to go through Jack O’Lantern, Kraven, and Spider-Man to do it.

Good: Nice to see a hero in the Venom symbiote, especially since they’re both connected to Spider-Man. I haven’t seen Jack O’Lantern in decades – he’s a cool looking character who racks up a nice body count here.

Bad: The estranged Betty relationship and the constant reminder that the government could kill Flash at any moment.

Buy/Skip: Skip it. Eventually the Flash-version of Venom might be a character I like but it won’t be a result of this mini-series.

Batwoman #0 by JH Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

Batman thinks Kate Kane is Batwoman so he observes her in and out of action.

Good: Tells Kate Kane’s origin and introduces the character to new readers through Batman’s eyes.

Bad: Nothing yet.

Buy/Skip: Buy it and try the ongoing series.

Moon Knight #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

Marc Spector is a Hollywood writer whose days of being Moon Knight are far from over. When Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine come to fill him in on an influx of criminal activity in his new city (Los Angeles), it’s time for Moon Knight to go to work.

Good: Great writing by Brian Michael Bendis. Nice twist ending to the first issue – Moon Knight should be on some kind of psychological medication.

Bad: I’m not a big fan of the artwork.

Buy/Skip: I’m going to get a few more issues before I bang the gavel on this title but so far it’s a lot better than the last volume’s Moon Knight #1.

Flashpoint #1-2 by Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert, and Sandra Hope

Barry Allen wakes up in the Flashpoint universe. It’s a universe where he never had the accident that turned him into The Flash and where no heroes know who he is. It’s a world in which Cyborg is trying to assemble the world’s heroes to take on the global threat posed by the Amazon / Atlantean war but is having no success. Meanwhile, Barry has convinced Batman to help him recreate the lab accident that made him into The Flash.

Good: I love a good parallel universe story. So far there’s enough mystery to keep me interested and the way Barry’s life is different in Flashpoint (his Mother is alive but Iris is with someone else) is bittersweet. The art and writing are fantastic.

Bad: If Professor Zoom is behind changing the world and is keeping a close eye on Barry, why not kill him.

Buy/Skip: Buy it. This is a great start to what promises to be an exciting mini-series.

World of Flashpoint #1 by Rex Ogle and Eduardo Francisco

Traci 13 stars in this title where her father sits on the HIVE Council which is planning to launch nuclear missiles. Traci 13 tries to stop the launch but isn’t successful.

Good: This title gives you a good overview of why the Flashpoint universe’s history is different from the DC Universe we know and shows you which villain or ideology rules what part of the world.

Bad: Traci 13 isn’t a strong enough or engaging enough character to keep my interest.

Buy/Skip: Buy it just so you know the topography and history of the Flashpoint universe but skip issue #2.

Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #1 by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

Thomas Wayne is Batman in the Flashpoint universe. He’s a ruthless vigilante who isn’t afraid to kill his enemies. Jim Gordon is a cop who is friends with Thomas and knows his secret. The Joker has kidnapped Harvey Dent’s kids and Batman is on his trail.

Good: A tougher, more ruthless Batman. The story is interesting.

Bad: It’s a little boring – nothing really happens in this issue. Batman is more interesting in Flashpoint #1-2 then he is here.

Buy/Skip: Skip it. Stick to reading about Batman in the main Flashpoint mini-series.

Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness #1 by Andy Hartnell and Chris Bolson

In this latest Army of Darkness crossover, Abby Chase is trying to recover a kidnapped man and runs smack dab into an artifact that scares her: a page from the necronomicon ex-mortis.

Good: I like the concept of Danger Girl but the stories usually aren’t this good. I like not introducing Ash in the first issue and Abby starting to look for him at the end of this issue.

Bad: Nothing yet. Let’s see how the next issue shapes up.

Buy/Skip: Based on the first issue I’ll probably pass on this mini-series and buy the TPB instead. Looks like this will be a good story.

Amazing Spider-Man #658-659 by Dan Slott, Javier Pulido, Fred Van Lente, and Stefano Caselli

Spidey has taken Torch’s place in the Future Foundation and immediately finds himself on a cosmic adventure. Unfortunately, Peter’s dating a detective who investigates his latest excuse for running off.

Good: By changing Peter’s job, introducing new supporting cast members, and having him on the FF, Slott has a lot of things to play with and really takes advantage of all the new elements.

Bad: Nothing so far.

Buy/Skip: I will continue to buy until Spider-Island. I’m not looking forward to that upcoming storyline.

Spider-Girl #1-3 by Paul Tobin, Clayton Henry, Tim Seeley, and Sergio Cariello

Since her introduction, Anya Corazon has gone from super-powered Arana to the completely human Spider-Girl. When Anya’s father is killed in a Red Hulk rampage, she’ll learn new things about her friends and become extended family to the Fantastic Four.

Good: Anya’s not just a great character but has a great supporting cast from a friend who lost her mother in a super-villain attack to Sue Richards. The writer prefers character development to action which allows you to take in Anya’s grief. It’s been a long time since a comic book made me cry.

Bad: No complaints here.

Buy/Skip: I’ve just ordered the first trade paperback and suggest you do the same….immediately.

Incredible Hulk #626 by Greg Pak and Tom Grummett

Betty Ross’ behavior is erratic and every transformation in to the Red She-Hulk is bringing her closer to not being able to change back. Unfortunately Betty has teamed up with Tyrannus to steal Pandora’s Box.

Good: I like that Bruce can mostly control his transformations.

Bad: Everything else. I don’t know who thought it was an awesome idea to turn Bruce’s entire supporting cast into Hulks, but they should be fired, then rehired, and fired again (because once doesn’t properly express my irritation).

Buy/Skip: Skip! Skip! Skippity doo dah. I got into Hulk during Pak’s amazing Planet Hulk and World War Hulk and got out before Hulk War (or whatever it was called). It looks like I got out in time.

Sigil #1-3 by Mike Carey and Leonard Kirk

Samantha Rey is a normal high school student whose birthmark turns out to be a Sigil of great power. Now that her mother is dead, it’s up to Sam to take her place as a cross-time champion. But first, Sam has to learn to wield the sigil, master time-travel, and pass her history test.

Good: Crossgen Comics is back and while the first incarnation of the character might have been a bit boring, Mike Carey has grounded the character and made her interesting. There is enough mysterious and interesting stuff here to keep my interest.

Bad: The girls who pick on Sam. It’s a little weird that they’re mad at her over some boy that doesn’t seem very special (it doesn’t even seem like he likes the bullies or that Sam likes him either – so why the problem?).

Buy/Skip: Buy the title. With Marvel bringing back the Crossgen line, this could be the start of something special and this is the ground floor.

X-23 #10-11 by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

When Gambit feels Laura could use a familiar face, Wolverine joins them with Jubilee in tow. Laura and Jubilee work out their differences while the four of them look for someone selling a modified version of X-23’s trigger scent.

Good: X-23’s past is really tapped into and having Jubilee going through something similar is a rich, dramatic vein I haven’t seen tapped so well. The action is secondary to what X-23 is going through. I haven’t seen Gambit in a while and it is nice seeing him in the mentor role.

Bad: I don’t have any complaints.

Buy/Skip: On the strength of these issues I will be getting the trade paperback and any other trade paperback in this series to see what happened in the first few issues too.

 

Quick Movie Reviews: Scream 4, Thor, X-Men First Class and more

Sucker Punch

A lot of fantastic action sequences and a terrible story in Zack Snyder’s latest movie. Snyder not only directed by wrote the screenplay for this movie. Out of the four main girls in the film, only one survives and the story ends without explaining what happened. Scares me a little that Snyder is directing a new Superman film but at least he didn’t write it.

Good: Action sequences, beautiful girls, and great special effects

Bad: The story

Own It/See It/Pass: Not a movie I’d own but I might give it a second view only to see if I judged it too harshly. You should see it just so you can talk about it with your fellow geeks.

Paul

I had so much fun watching this film. It starts at Comic-Con, which I’ve attended every year for over 20 years, so I thought that was awesome. Paul has a great story, it’s funny, and it has plenty of sci-fi in-jokes (if you think, “Hey, is that a reference to…” – it is).

Good: Story, cast, special effects, and plenty of laughs

Bad: Based on their track record, the film makers won’t make a sequel

Own It/See it/Pass: Own it and show it to everyone

Scream 4

The survivors are back to take on another killing spree based on the rules of horror movie remakes. Scream 4 is a great addition to the franchise not just because it’s a sequel, but it’s also serves to reboot the franchise.

Good: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette are back. Kevin Williamson wrote the first film and is back to write this one and Wes Craven is at the helm again. This film has a lot of great cameos and a terrific main cast, the proper Scream-quota body count, and is a great introduction for a new generation of fans.

Bad: Any time you do a sequel to something, why does a happy couple from a previous movie spend most of the time fighting when you know they’re going to rekindle the romance by the end of the film (like Hellboy 2, National Treasure 2, etc.) – in this case Dewey and Gail (played by Courtney Cox & David Arquette).

Own It/See it/Pass: Now that the first 3 films are out on blu ray (they’ve been out of print for a long time on DVD), buy all four.

Thor

Another Marvel Comics flagship character makes it onto the big screen. The film, like all superhero movies, is an origin story. It starts with an arrogant, selfish Thor but by the end of the movie he learns humility and sacrifice in time to be worthy to wield his signature hammer and save the day. I’ve never been a Thor fan and I’ve never collected any of Thor’s books so I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised.

Good: Thor becoming the hero he was meant to be was fun to watch. The Warriors Three and Sif were steadfast and loyal friends. Asgard looked fantastic in the film. There was a great cameo from future Avenger, Hawkeye.

Bad: Does anyone else hate SHIED agent Coulson? Natalie Portman is wasted on the lukewarm love story between her character and Thor. I would have loved to see Portman as Sif.

Own It/See it/Pass: See it on the big screen and then add it to your blu ray collection. This is the forth film leading up to one of the most anticipated films in all of fandom’s history: The Avengers. This film is just as good as the other films and will hopefully lead to sequels.

Hangover II

The Wolfpack is back and funnier than ever. While most sequels try to break new ground or go in a different direction, this one sticks to the formula established in the first film: get drugged, wake up with a wild animal, lose a member of the Pack, hijinks ensue, run in with Mr. Chow, wedding, and photos for the credits.

Good: The originals are all back. While the film sticks to the formula of the first one, the humor remains unexpected and hilarious with plenty of twists and turns.

Bad: The Mike Tyson cameo. The cast had moral objections to a cameo by Mel Gibson but keep making films with a wife beater and convicted rapist. And the cameo wasn’t even funny.

Own It/See it/Pass: See it on the big screen. Even if you can’t hear all of the dialogue through the laughter, seeing it with a big crowd is great. If you own the first film, add this one to your shelf. If you don’t own the first film, chances are you won’t add this to your collection either. For that matter, if you didn’t like the first film, you won’t like this one either.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Captain Jack Sparrow is back for another helping of supernatural adventure in the forth film of the franchise. Jack is again entangled in the ambitions of pirates and armies both looking for the Fountain of Youth.

Good: Sparrow is one of the best film characters around. The action is great and it’s nice to see Barbosa and Gibbs again.

Bad: Sparrow is again just along for the ride while being used for information. Would have been great if it was Jack with his own crew again but he was just along for the ride in this one and didn’t play a big part in his own movie.

Own It/See it/Pass: Pass on it, I wish I had. If you’re not a huge fan of the original trilogy, this movie will be mildly entertaining at best. It wasn’t worth seeing and I won’t be adding this film to the blu ray shelf.

X-Men: First Class

The X-Men film franchise goes back to the beginning to tell the story of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr’s friendship and eventual rivalry. The film shows the pair recruiting other mutants to battle a deadly group of mutants who are instigating a nuclear war between Russia and The United States.

Good: The origin of Charles and Erik and their friendship despite the differences in their beliefs. All of the nostalgia is in this film – the introduction of the Blackbird, the mansion as a headquarters, the creation of codenames for the recruits, how Magneto got his helmet, and a cameo by a popular mutant that proves this movie is a prequel and not a reboot.

Bad: I can’t think of anything.

Own It/See it/Pass: See it with your fellow geek. Rejoice in its awesomeness. This film fits perfectly in continuity with the first three X-films. I don’t know how well it fits with X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s continuity but I pretend that film doesn’t exist (it was horrible). Put it proudly on your blu ray shelf with the rest of the X-films.

RIP Jeff Conaway and Randy "Macho Man" Savage

I saw Jeff Conaway just a month before he died at Wizard World Anaheim. I’ve seen Grease numerous times and I’m a big fan of Celebrity Rehab and used to watch some Taxi as a kid. I just wasn’t a Jeff Conaway fan. I did feel for him as I do the other patients in Celebrity Rehab – it can be an intense show. Still, it feels weird to have seen the guy a month ago and he’s dead today.

While I wasn’t a Jeff Conaway fan and didn’t have any intention of stopping at his booth to talk to him or get an autograph, I can’t help feeling that I missed a genuine opportunity to meet someone who’s been on a movie and TV shows I’ve enjoyed. The truth is that I can’t afford to get autographs from people I kind of dug in this one role that one time (unless they were an episode of Buffy or Angel).

I accept that Jeff Conaway being taken off of life support is a big loss to those who did love him and his work. I guess I’m mostly affected by having seen him so close to his death.

 

RIP Jeff Conaway 

A week before Jeff Conaway passed, one of my all-time favorite wrestlers died: Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

I was a huge fan of wrestling back when the Macho Man was a regular fixture. I saw him wrestle at the San Diego Sports Arena a few times. I was a kid back then who was told wrestling was fake. I was in that wonderful ‘middle’ state where I knew that was probably true but it still felt real. I can remember the Macho Man going from heel to hero, teaming up with Hulk Hogan to form the Mega-Powers team. I can remember when Macho Man went back to being a heel, turning his back on Hulk Hogan and accidentally hitting Elizabeth, I tore his poster off of my wall. Of course he turned hero again because there's nothing fans and I love than redemption stories.

I didn’t see his WCW work and the last time I saw him do anything was the first Spider-Man film but I was a huge fan and loved seeing him perform. The Macho Man holds a pleasant place in my childhood memories so I’m going to miss him.

 

RIP Randy “Macho Man” Savage

Smallville - the series finale and possible spin-offs

I’ve only been a big fan of the show starting in the ninth season with the two-part Justice Society episode. Until then, I only watched occasionally when there was a guest super-hero appearance or when there wasn’t anything better on. I was a huge fan at the very beginning but I stopped watching in the second season, back when the formula was “introduce meteor rock to someone Clark goes to school with” + “they develop a power and turn evil” + “Clark keeps identity secret from friends while exposing it to new villain” = “Clark and Lana talking about secrets in the barn (which is the way every episode ended back then).” But when season 9 was released on Blu Ray, I bought it and seasons 7 & 8, watched all three seasons and really enjoyed them.

In order to gage my reaction to the finale, I went over to tv.com to see how others were reacting to the finale and the people who identified themselves as fans from the beginning gave it high marks. I’ve had a few days to digest the series finale and really think about what I thought about it closing out the series.

My expectations aside, I was really happy with the way that it ended. Although I’m about to go into depth about the lowlights of what I thought were the shortcomings of the finale, I just wanted so much more stuff – another season’s worth. I’ve just become a fan again and may be a little bitter that it’s over.

Lex being back was a highlight and a lowlight for me. He’s back and giving Clark yet another speech about how special and important he is to the world (this is in addition to hearing about it at length from his mother and Lois in the same episode). Also, I don’t know about this toxin stuff that robs you of your memory – was the toxin discussed in a previous episode? – and I don’t know how many years of memories it took away from him. But, Lex being restored to the mythology with no memory of Clark having superpowers is a highlight.

Tess made two major contributions before dying in this episode: killing Lionel (which made me cheer) and robbing Lex of his memories. Tess’ character arc throughout this series, starting in season 8 until the finale has been all about redemption and the character made a complete 180 and her loyalty to the team stands as the ultimate example of Clark’s influence. Clark always says there’s good in everyone and Tess gets her warning out about Apokolips, foils Lionel’s plan to kill her (by killing him), and dies in order to get close enough to Lex to put mind-erasing toxin on him. She goes out a hero – taken as a whole, Tess is an amazing character.

Clark convincing Oliver he’s strong enough to fight Darkseid’s influence was awesome. That’s what Clark does – inspire. And Oliver getting rid of Darkseid’s influence fills him with the power of light necessary to destroy Darskeid’s minions (even if I wanted that battle to be Green Arrow with some of the JLA vs the minions). All of the stuff with Oliver and Chloe was great – it’s nice to see that have a happy ending.

If Jonathan had only shown up for the wedding and in the fortress, it would have been a highlight. All the, “don’t forget where you came from,” crap clogged the first hour of the finale as did the Jonathan standing around stuff. So by the time Jonathan was at the wedding, the emotional impact was gone for me. It would have been nice if we only saw Jonathan in the fortress so it would have been surprising and nostalgic (I might have cried a little). But the stuff in the fortress about being proud of his heritage remembering the lessons both his fathers taught him was great.

A lowlight was the final confrontation with Darkseid in Lionel’s form. I thought that the fight should have been better (especially since the Doomsday fight took 5 seconds and the Darkseid fight in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse was bone-crunching and 10 minutes long). I also thought the confrontation should have come after Clark pushes Apokolips out of orbit while he was wearing the tights and that Darkseid should have appeared as the shadowy-menacing figure he’d been all season long and not as Lionel. Instead of spending the money on Apokolips CGI (which was a pretty weak threat and didn’t add much to the story), you could have had an awesome Darkseid CGI fight.

It was also a lowlight that you never clearly see Clark in the suit – it’s always a small CGI Superman flying around with close-ups of his face. I haven’t seen anything on the internet about this, but my guess is that Tom didn’t actually put on the uniform to prevent some jerk from taking a picture of him and posting it on the internet which would have destroyed the surprise. Still, we’ve known from the end of the last season when Martha gives Clark the uniform that he’d be wearing it at some point so it really wouldn’t have been that big a surprise.

But it was a highlight that Lois was the first to see him in the suit after doing the iconic plane-save Superman has done dozens of times in various media. It would have been awesome to see the other heroes’ reactions to the suit up close (Oliver reacted to it a bit but at the speed he was going, he could only really see a red/blue blur).

Most of the appeal of the show for me was that many heroes could stop by to share adventures with Clark. I hoped that the finale episode would feature the formation of the Justice League since the previous episode introduced a ‘Legion of Doom’ type team and that both teams would fight it out. At the very least, I expected Aquaman, Cyborg, and Impulse to show up to help Clark and Green Arrow out.

I felt the cold feet story was a huge time waster. It could have been this cheerful charge to the alter that made fans happy and ended up being this melodramatic event that ended with them not being married until 7 years in the future. Seriously? They waited another seven years to exchange vows? Thanks for not letting us see the happy occasion (that’s sarcasm).

The ending was also a highlight – Tom ripping open the shirt to reveal the “S” as John Williams iconic score to the first Superman movie played in the background.

I’m sure that I loaded this episode down with a lot of unrealistic expectations and that when I see the tenth season again I will appreciate it so much more.

Still, there was a rumor about the WB possibly considering developing the Teen Titans’ Raven as a replacement. I haven’t heard anything about that since the one article so I decided to make a list of 5 possible Smallville spinoffs.

Zan and Jayna star in “The Wonder Twins”: I know the cartoon versions were never popular but Smallville’s Wonder Twins were enthusiastic youngsters who gleefully fought crime and idolized The Blur. In this series we’d learn about these two who were orphaned at a young age and had to depend on each other from foster home to foster home before discovering they had powers. Now they’re out on their own learning to fight crime while going to college and working part-time job at the library.

Green Arrow and Chloe star in “Watchtower”: Chloe and Oliver move to Star City to start a new life only to discover that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This series follows the pair as they discover and train new heroes. Mia, Oliver’s first apprentice, co-stars as someone who’s still in training but is still more seasoned than the rookies they’re training. And when someone is done being helped, Chloe and Ollie help them get settled some place new or help them mend fences with family members. There are a lot of introduced and new characters to play with and Oliver’s public identity will make things difficult on them from time to time.

Impulse, Arthur Curry, Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, and Black Canary star in “Justice”: The budding Justice League take their marching orders from a mysterious business man named Max Lord. Max gives them a headquarters and new uniforms and finds missions where innocents are being threatened and need saving. Unfortunately Max has a few secrets including mind control which he’s using to influence the team to carry out his orders. In order to become the heroes the world needs, they’re going to have to ban together to protect from threats inside and outside their inner-circle.

Zatanna stars in “Zatanna”: Zatanna is travelling the country and abroad trying to locate all the objects her father has cursed. In her quest she’ll run into other magical heroes and even teams of heroes like The Teen Titans. Imagine a Zatanna/Raven team-up. To earn a living she’ll perform magic to sold-out crowds and sometimes take side-jobs as a supernatural detective of sorts.

Booster Gold and Blue Beetle star in “The Brave and The Bold”: Booster Gold is making a splash as the second-most popular hero in Metropolis while mentoring Jamie on being a hero. The scarab is a powerful object and exerts a lot of influence on Jamie but Booster’s faith and friendship will help him control it. With Booster’s big ego and Jamie’s humility, they’ll both be teaching each other lessons while fighting crime.

I figure these spinoffs are possible since we don’t really know where the other heroes are when we go 7 years into the future in the finale. And all five of these spinoffs have two things in common: 1) Access to all the Smallville characters which could result in Tom Welling showing up in costume for an adventure or Lex causing trouble, 2) access to all past adventures and mythology which means that Zod could still find a way out of the Phantom Zone or Doomsday could dig himself out, and 3) viewers will feel less like they’re getting to know a new environment and more like they’re seeing a new corner of the DC Universe.

Drawing the Line at $2.99

Back in November, I read about DC Comics’ “Drawing the Line at $2.99” event in Previews. That sounded good. Even better, dcbservice.com was using the opportunity to lower all its $2.99 books to $1.64 in January. So I ordered a lot of books to try them out – not just DC titles but Marvel titles too. Then I bought a few more books from my local comic store, Southern California Comics.

I thought the event and the cheap books would be a great way to do what DC intended and try out a bunch of new titles to the tune of 32 titles which I've reviewed.

A few things I want to comment on or point out before I begin:

January’s DC books call for readers to write in as they are re-establishing the letters pages in their books.

DC’s white covers with shots of the stars of the books help establish this month as an event.

DC’s lack of a “Previously” up front keeps a new reader from following what’s happening in the book but Marvel does a pretty good job of telling you what you need to know.

X-FACTOR #213 by Peter David & Valentine DeLandro
The “Previously” (the blurb at the beginning of all Marvel books that gives you a snapshot of what happened before so you’re not lost) had a snippet of the Big Bang Theory’s theme song. That was awesome – I’m a big fan of the show. Rahne pregnant, Rictor & Shatterstar gay, Siryn alive – a lot of things I didn’t know as I haven’t checked in on these characters in years. The issue features fallout from previous issues and there is no action but a lot of great dialogue. Darwin leaves the team and Pip the Troll forces his way on. X-Factor has been a quirky title but I haven’t known it to be interesting for more than a few issues. So while it was nice to visit, I won’t be picking up the next issue.

BATMAN BEYOND #1 by Adam Beechen & Ryan Benjamin
If you aren’t familiar Batman-Beyond-lore, this #1 will feel like number #100. You’re not going to understand the many relationships or what’s going on. I had to figure out through dialogue that Dana was not only Terry’s girlfriend but she knew he was Batman. In this issue, Terry’s mom and brother are taken hostage in a mall, Terry goes to rescue them and runs into the Justice League. Like I said, I was kind of lost and Terry’s an okay Batman (and the animated series was a lot of fun) so I won’t be back next month.

ADVENTURE COMICS #522 by Paul Levitz & Geraldo Borges
Mon-El is a Green Lantern with the most kick-ass blending of a Green Lantern and Superman costume ever. In this issue Sun Killer tries to free Saturn Queen – no idea what’s going on. Of the five Legionnaires on the cover, we only see Dawnstar who’s only in a panel or two (in one of those Empire Strikes Back healing tubes – no idea what happened there either). This book sucked but if they ever put out a Mon-El Green Lantern action figure, I’ll pick that puppy up.

SHE-HULKS #3 by Harrison Wilcox & Ryan Stegman
Stegman’s artwork is great. It reminds me of Arthur Adams or Dan Fraga. This issue features the fallout of a classmate discovering Lyra’s secret as she and She-Hulk go after Klaw and The Mad Thinker. The art and story are bright and fluffy – perfect for younger readers while being interesting enough to keep my attention. Lyra is the the daughter of her universe’s Hulk and Thundra. When the trade paperback is offered for the first couple issues of this title I might pick it up.

WONDER GIRL #1 by JT Krul & Adriana Melo
Wonder Girl has grown a lot since she John Byrne introduced her to the DC Universe. It’s an alright issue with her mom being a jerk (I don’t remember her mom being a jerk in the Byrne run – she was a good friend of Wonder Woman). I did like that it was a complete story. A first issue of a series usually tries to rope you into a story arc before you know whether you like the title. This one gives you an opportunity to meet Wonder Girl, go on an adventure with her, and ends. Paul Dini did a lot of great one-issue stories in Detective Comics. This story was not great and I probably won’t be back for a while.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #15 by Chris Claremont & Andy Smith
Three Storms, Wolverine dead, Black Panther dead, Kitty with claws, a fight with The Avengers, and Havok gets killed. The great thing about doing the ‘Forever’ books is the chance to go back to a place and time and be free from the cannon of the books and do whatever you want because it’s like an alternate universe. I would say I hate the book but, viewed as an alternate universe where Chris could nuke New York City and it wouldn’t affect the titles I do like it. I won’t be back for the next issue but it wasn’t a bad read.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #19 by Paul Cornell & Scott McDaniel
The last part of a storyline featuring a villain with a literal hole in her head. Ugh. Won’t be back for seconds on this title.

SUPERMAN #707 by J. Michael Straczynski & Allan Goldman
Superman vs moral ambiguity? I reviewed the first two issues in JMS’s run and was interested in seeing where the story would go. Now I see he’s looking to destroy the character like he tried to destroy the Amazing Spider-Man (which featured Spidey being revealed as a kind of literal spider who kind of died, cocooned up, and rehatched – I don’t remember it real well because it took a lot of Brian-Michael-Bendis-Ultimate-Spidey to scrub my brain of JMS stories). I won’t be back to this title – I’ve begun to associate JMS with ‘things I will not read.’

GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #6 by Peter J. Tomasi & Fernando Pasarin
Guy Gardner in action. A fight with fellow lanterns who he’s been holding things back from and when he does reveal what he’s up against, in typical dramatic fashion, the lanterns complain about feeling betrayed and bail on him. *Yawn* For a bunch of intergalactic cops, they sure have thin skins. I’m not picking this up next issue.

BOOSTER GOLD #40 by Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, Pat Olliffe, and Rich Perrotta
It’s much of Booster’s origin story told to one of his rogues gallery. Out of all the books I’ve read, this is a perfect jumping-on point for readers. Booster also takes on Hit Point and is arrested by Rip Hunter to stand trial in the 25th Century (because that’s where he stole the equipment to become Booster Gold). If I’d known Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis were writing this book I might have checked it out sooner but I will be checking in next month to see where the story goes.

POWER GIRL #20 by Judd Winick & Sami Basri
In this issue, Power Girl vs Evo’s creations and runs into Max Lord who puts it in her head to go after the JLI. To be fair, I’ve been getting this book since #16 and loving it. If you read #19 you know the impact of what Max Lord did to the world when Power Girl convinces the Justice Society and Batman that Max is real, only to have the entire room forget what they were talking about at the same time. Max Lord being back and making the world forget he existed is a fresh way to reinvent the villain. I love the title and will absolutely be getting the next issue.

BLACK PANTHER MAN WITHOUT FEAR #514 by David Liss & Francesco Francavilla
T’Challa lost his powers and his homeland and now, in the wake of Daredevil’s recent breakdown, has taken the mantle of Hell’s Kitchen’s protector. I’d heard that Dr. Doom took Wakanda away but I expected T’Challa to be all about helping to get his homeland back even if he wasn’t on the throne anymore. Anyway, in this issue he’s dealing with Vlad, who is trying to be the next kingpin of crime. T’Challa is working as a diner manager when Vlad’s latest attempt to lure him out and kill him gets David, one of T’Challa’s employees, instead. I hate the noir/moody artwork but the story is really good. There’s even a great bit with Luke Cage offering to help and T’Challa turning him down. Cage reminds him that Daredevil left a big mess and if he didn’t clean it up soon, he could expect help whether he wanted it or not. This is good enough to pick up a few back issues and see where the story is going.

DAREDEVIL REBORN #1 by Andy Diggle & Davide Gianfelice
Following the events of Shadowland, Matt Murdock takes a Forrest-Gump-like walk. Matt walks into a town where there are unfriendly rednecks, corrupt cops, and a mass grave. I normally don’t like ‘reborn’ stories – I like it when the character goes away for a while so I can miss them – but this story was good and I can’t wait for Matt to lay the smack down on their candy asses. I will tune in to the next issue to see what happens.

WOLVERINE #5 by Jason Aaron & Renato Guedes
I can’t tell you how uninterested in reading a story about Wolverine in hell or another ‘someone’s controlling Wolverine and he’s attacking his friends’ story. But in this issue, Logan comes face to face with his father and it’s a cool scene. Plus two Ghost Riders, Mystique, and Daniel Hellstrom appear. It’s nice to see Jason Aaron isn’t being wasted on this title. I’ll tune in next month to see what happens.

X-MEN LEGACY #244 by Mike Carey & Harvey Tolibao
Blindfold has visions of something hidden, waiting to strike at the X-Men and her search leads her to a spider-octopus monster. Unfortunately, the spider-monster thing isn’t what Blindfold’s vision warned her about. I haven’t gotten more than a few issues of this title in years but I was a huge Young X-Men fan so I knew and care about Blindfold. But Gambit has some kind of evil shadow-thing inhabiting him – what’s up with that? Still, it was an entertaining story and worth reading but I probably won’t pick up #245.

X-MEN #7 by Victor Gischler, Chris Bachalo, and Tim Townsend
A small team of X-Men go to New York to investigate disappearances and run into Spider-Man. I love team-up stories but Spidey doesn’t show up until the last page. Still, I love an old-school story of the X-Men in the field searching or investigating something (not stuck on the island AGAIN discussing how bad things are for mutants). I probably won’t pick up the next issue but I’m absolutely getting it if Marvel collects the story arc in a trade paperback.

X-MEN TO SERVE AND PROTECT #3 by Chris Yost, Derec Donovan, Marc Guggenheim, Eric Koda, Nick Abodzis, Steven Sanders, and Dalibor Talajic
This issue had four stories. They were all really good but the one that stood out the most was a short featuring Kitty and Peter going to the Fantastic Four for help making Kitty solid again. Sue and Kitty have a great conversation about how isolated Kitty’s become and what if felt like to be trapped alone for as long as she was. I live for this kind of story – pure, meaningful interaction. What can I tell you? When this is released as a trade paperback, I’m getting it.

WOLVERINE & JUBILEE #1 by Kathryn Immonen & Phil Noto
Jubilee’s a vampire now? I was looking forward to two old friends reconnecting and got a boring story instead. Ugh.

BATMAN #706 by Tony Daniel
Riddler’s a bad guy again? Catwoman has a sidekick with her own catsuit? What the hell is going on? I get Streets of Gotham (not issues, I have all the collected editions) and I’ve gotten a few various Batman issues over the past few months and that’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know. I didn’t get a big enough taste in this issue to get what was going on but I think it would be worth picking up the trade paperback.

ACTION COMICS #897 by Paul Cornell & Pete Woods
Lex interviews The Joker about a dark sphere. Eh/Ugh.

SUPERGIRL #60 by Nick Spencer, James Peaty, and Bernard Chang
Alex has mental powers and is out to destroy Supergirl. This issue was interesting even if I didn’t always know who the villain was or what was going on. It was nice to see a story featuring a college kid who is trying to kill Supergirl and one of the usual rogues. This might be worth getting in trade paperback but I’m on the fence.

SUPERMAN BATMAN #80 by Chris Roberson & Jesus Merino
Epoch vs Batman, Robin, and Superman of the present and of the future as he tries to rule the world. To be fair, I picked up #79 because it had the Batman, Robin, and Superman from DC One Million (while I don’t really remember what happened or if I liked it, I do remember the DC One Million event). It’s a great two issue story that really does a good job of telling the reader that no matter where the time traveling villain goes, if there is any version of the World’s Finest, they have no shot at winning. Pick up #79 and #80 if it’s at your local comic store.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #56 by Tony Bedard & Tyler Kirkham
Green Lanterns protect Qwardians without their rings (in order to preserve a truce) as Sinestro vs the Weaponer. I liked seeing the Corps have to fight without the benefit of their rings but it wasn’t a great story, I won’t be back next month.

ZATANNA #9 by Paul Dini & Cliff Chiang
Zatanna decides to help someone reverse a curse her father put on him. This is a title I want to love because it’s written by Paul Dini and I’m a huge fan. I tried the first three issues of this series and wasn’t impressed then and I’m still not impressed. Oh, and there’s a backup story (and by back up, I mean about a third of the issue) by Adam Beecham & Jamal Igle about a young Zatanna getting braces (there’s a scene where she’s literally spitting on people while trying to talk with her new braces – gross). I’m not likely to pick up any more issues.

AGE OF X ALPHA #1 by lots of creators
Short stories featuring the origins of characters from this alternate universe where mutants are hunted and destroyed and only a few remain to fight back. Not bad but not great. It makes me miss The Exiles (the Judd Winick/Tony Bedard run – not volume 2 and New Exiles). I won’t be participating in this event and picking up any more issues. Spider-Man doesn’t have a yearly alternate-universe event every year, why do X-Men titles have to?

CAPTAIN AMERICA #614 by Ed Brubaker & Butch Guice
The new Red Skull interrupts Bucky’s trail to propose a trade: Bucky for Black Widow and Falcon. And a Nomad back up story. Even Ed Brubaker can’t make a super-hero trial interesting or make the new Red Skull threatening. Still, it’s always nice to see Nomad – as the only leftover character from the Heroes Reborn event, I’m digging her in The Young Allies. I won’t be back for the next issue.

UNCANNY X-FORCE #4 by Rick Remender & Jerome Opena
Apocalypse has been resurrected in the form of an innocent child. X-Force wants to kill him but Psylocke stands between them. When Wolverine and Archangel each get the chance to kill him and can’t Fantomex takes him out. A great issue that really gets to the heart of what each character is about and takes each to the edge of what they’re willing or not willing to do. An intense issue and will definitely be worth picking up the next issue to see what happens.

TITANS #31 by Eric Wallace, Fabrizio Fiorentino, and Philip Tan
I used to get the title as a collected edition but I got two lousy collected editions in a row (which essentially means 8 to 10 books) and stopped. So I decided to pay this title a visit. It seems that the title is now about Deathstroke and a team he’s assembled which includes Arsenal (if he’s still going by that name). In this issue, Ink kills Slipknot for killing his son while Amon goes on a killing spree, looking for a way to free Isis. Ummm….I’m not going back next month.

TEEN TITANS #91 by JT Krul & Nicola Scott
The team ends their latest adventure. Lady Deathstroke and Robin (Damian) fight side-by-side and Robin gains a grudging respect for her skill as they compare notes on how severe their parent’s training was. Superboy breaks up with Wonder Girl and Red Robin calls for help. I used to get this title but it got boring so I bailed on it. Looks like I gave up on this title too soon. Kick ass action and great interaction makes this a title I’ll definitely get collected editions for.

RED ROBIN #19 by Fabian Nicieza & Marcus To
Some kind of sub-conscious adventure. I was so bored that I only read the first half and skimmed the rest.

SECRET SIX #29 by Gail Simone & Marcus Marz
Luther vs Vandal Savage with the Secret Six in the middle. There’s some nice stuff with Bane (who knew he had a personality). It was a good story even if I didn’t really know what was going on. I’ll pick up next month’s issue to see what happens.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #53 by James Robinson & Mark Bagley
The new Justice League of America team takes on the Crime Syndicate. Some of the best JLA issues featured the Crime Syndicate (my favorite DC animated movie is Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) but I haven’t seen a different mix of Justice League members take them on. With Superman, Batman (the Bruce Wayne version), Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Martian Manhunter, victory was always assured. But this new team is Batman (Dick Grayson), Supergirl, Donna Troy, Jesse Quick, and Jade. I’m definitely getting this in collected edition. I’m happy Mark Bagley is going back to end the Ultimate Spider-Man title but his art on this book was amazing.

This kick-ass poster was given away to promote the event.

The Fantastic Four loses a member *SPOILERS*

A few months ago Marvel announced that they were killing off one member of the Fantastic Four. As the FF is Marvel’s first family and a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe, people speculated on which member of the team Jonathan Hickman would kill off.


Then issue #587 dropped, complete with a black bag (shades of The Death of Superman), and it sold out immediately. By the time I got a copy (a week later), I was anxious to read it.

The surprising thing about reading it wasn’t the death itself but the fact that I didn’t see the news on who died anywhere on the internet (not that I looked for it). Usually, with a death this big I know who died a day or two later.

Back to the issue: I confess that I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I’m an FF reader through the Jonathan Hickman trade paperbacks – someone (Wizard probably) said it was great and I picked up the first trade.

I’m trying to go light on the spoilers but CNN already covered it here.

The Human Torch is dead.

I love a good death scene: Jean Grey (the first time), Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Batman (Final Crisis), Supergirl (Crisis on Infinite Earths), Jason Todd, etc. The Human Torch’s death scene wasn’t a death scene – the last we see, he’s fighting against overwhelming odds. In comic books, there is a simple rule – no body, no death. He’s probably alive on that other world being held as a slave or in hiding or who knows.

Still, one of the things I like about a good superhero death is the reactions of those closest to them. In this issue you get to see Ben, Franklin, and Valeria’s reaction. I can’t wait for the next issue to see how Reed and Sue take the news and see how the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts.

The day after I read the issue, I saw an article on cnn.com that Spidey was taking Torch’s place, complete with new costumes and a new team name. I’m as excited about Spidey joining the FF as I was about him joining the New Avengers. Whether I’m actively reading any Spider-Man titles (the only one I really read is Ultimate and I’ve been getting Amazing for the Big Time storyline) I enjoy seeing him in team-up situations.

I really liked the story from a few years ago where Spidey teams up with the FF and Torch is angry because he clearly remembers Spider-Man had his mask off but he can’t remember his face. This of course, was a result of Spidey’s deal with Mephisto which made the entire world forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man. At the end, Spider-Man unmasked for the FF and their memories are restored.

There are some that feel like Spider-Man is already oversaturated. I think that depends on whether you’re a huge fan who is collecting all the regular titles (not alt-universe stuff like Ultimate or young reader’s Marvel Age stuff) and you aren’t a fan of the idea of getting a Spider-Man title where he’s with the remaining members of the FF. For me, I get the titles that I’m enjoying and quit getting them when they’re boring.

I’m looking forward to seeing Spider-Man and what remains of the Fantastic Four bonding on a monthly basis under the skillful pen of Jonathan Hickman.

The Future Foundation

Chuck *big huge tremendous spoilers*

I know I already talked a little bit about Chuck in my ‘Best of 2010’ post but last night was the episode ‘Chuck Versus the Push Mix.’

When Sarah left to go undercover to get Chuck’s mom out from undercover, I thought it would be a storyline that took forever to resolve but it wrapped up quickly. There was great stuff in the last few episodes about Chuck and Sarah, Casey and Alex, Jeffster, Morgan and Alex, Sarah and Casey, General Beckman and Chuck, and even a small moment with Sarah and Morgan after he’s accosted by lasers.

This episode expertly wraps up a lot of the storylines while reuniting Chuck and Ellie with their cleared-of-all-charges mother. This episode was a great example of what a fantastic show Chuck is.

And the end, with Chuck proposing to Sarah silently (almost in silhouette) and her accepting was a beautiful way to pay off all of the episodes I’ve watched. It was a great moment in the series and really makes me worry about the next episode – the bar is set really high for the rest of the season – but I will be eagerly watching every episode.

NOTE: To The Cape, V, No Ordinary Family (shows that are pretty good) – this is how you build a mythology, pay off your stories, and earn your fans’ loyalty and justify their excitement.

As the screen goes to black and the credits roll, Chuck gets down on bended knee and Sarah replies by eagerly kissing him.