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.

DC Universe Online’s awesomeness and growing pains

The second I got off of work last Tuesday, I rushed down to get my preordered DC Universe Online PS3 Collector’s Edition. While I was waiting for the painfully slow downloads to install (took about 3.5 hours), I read the instruction manual, the prestige format comic book, the smaller comic book, and marvel at the Jim Lee designed statue that comes in a decorative box that will look great in my office.

The game is awesome.

Let me repeat that: The game is awesome. I’ve made three different characters and I’m enjoying the worlds and the quests and having a lot of fun. As an ex-Warcraft player (I quit a few months ago because I was in school and unable to play, not because I didn’t enjoy playing) I appreciate that the game is more like Grand Theft Auto than World of Warcraft. You can go wherever you want and you can avoid bad guys that are too tough for you because they’re spread out (in WoW, you had to stay out of certain areas because the upper-level baddies were too dense).

I also like participating in storylines featuring some of my favorite characters from the DC Universe. What’s better is the voice cast. Adam Baldwin as Superman, Gina Torres as Wonder Woman, Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hammil as The Joker, James Marsters as Lex Luthor, Dwight Schultz as The Flash, and Wil Wheaton as Robin. I’m a fan of so many of those guys and Batman and The Joker’s voice actors have worked as those characters for over a decade. Superman and Wonder Woman’s voice actors have already voiced those characters in animated movies. It’s nice to already have this history with the voices – it feels like I’m playing in the real animated DC Universe.

Although I’ve had a great time, there have been some growing pains common with MMO deployments. Things like all of the servers being down most of the day Saturday, lag time, dozens of people questing in similar zones so it takes forever to complete quests, etc. Still, I’m going back to school next Monday so I’ll only be able to visit this deeply immersive game every once in a while – but by summer I know it will be complete operational and probably have a lot of cool new stuff to do.

It’s PS3 so I can’t take a screenshot. Hopefully there will be something like the WoW Armory for this game so you can see your character on the internet and take a screenshot that way. The great minds at Sony are probably coming up with a way to do that right now.

In any case – if you loved the animated movies, Batman The Animated Series, the DC Universe in general, video games, or World of Warcraft, you’ll love this game. Just be patient while it goes through a few growing pains on its way to being completely awesome.

Green Hornet the movie vs the comic book *mild spoilers*

As someone who read Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet which was based on the script he wrote for Disney and saw the movie starring Seth Rogen, I have to say that neither one made me completely happy. I wish that Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen had combined scripts – that would have been better for the movie.

Don’t get me wrong, the film was a lot of fun once it got going but how Britt Reid becomes The Green Hornet is nonsensical garbage that’s boring, sad, and unfunny at the same time. On the other hand, Kevin Smith’s origin of how Britt Reid becomes Green Hornet is kick ass – from the father being the original Green Hornet who retires, to Kato’s daughter, Mulan. But once Kevin Smith’s story gets going, it’s boring.

This is how the movie could have been done: The Green Hornet and Kato trick all the crime families into meeting, capture them, and retire. Years later, Britt is all grown up and wasting his life. His father is murdered at a party which brings Kato out of retirement. Britt meets Kato’s daughter Mulan who trains with him to be The Green Hornet and Kato’s replacements. Then the rest of the movie version is great (with a few changes to accommodate the new origin).

Although neither was perfect, I preferred Seth Rogen’s version to Kevin Smith’s. If you’re on the fence about seeing the film, see it – just do yourself a favor and go in with no expectations. Once Seth Green becomes The Green Hornet, the movie is hilarious and action packed.

The Green Hornet and Kato

The Green Hornet and Mulan

Pick Up Stix – the first big disappointment of 2011

It’s become a tradition to go into Pick Up Stix on Wednesday, have a house special chicken wok combo with plain chow mein noodles and cream cheese wontons. And, because it was ‘Wonton Wednesday’ I’d order a few extra cream cheese wontons.

I went in last Wednesday and the cashier said wok combos were now only available from 11am to 3pm and ‘Wonton Wednesday’ was gone. While I expected that ‘Wonton Wednesday’ was a temporary promo, I’ve been getting the wok combo for years – often for dinner.

While going into Pick Up Stix on Wednesdays wasn’t a tradition long, it was nice to go in and wind down from a long day of work. Pick Up Stix is far away from work so going there at lunch is improbable.

So I say goodbye to eating at Pick Up Stix as the new year begins.

Alas, poor wok combo, I knew ye well

My favorite things about 2010

As I begin a new year I want to take a quick look back at some of the things I enjoyed last year.

Comic Books

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8

Season 8 took a strange turn when Buffy and Angel created a new world, abandoned it, squared off with the Master (again), and Angel killed Giles. With one more season 8 issue due out next year, it will be VERY interesting to see what the fallout on this will be going into season 9. Hey – at least Dawn didn’t die (according to the cover of #38 that looked like a real possibility).

New Mutants
The year kicked off with Cypher returning and the team not only got a big ole’ piece of the awesome Second Coming storyline, Dani got a solo issue that sees her temporarily restored to valkyrie during the Siege storyline, and there’s sexual tension between Sam and Dani. The New Mutants was one of my favorite titles when it first came out and throughout its run (at least until Fall of the Mutants and beyond). Dani losing her powers during House of M was disappointing because she’s one of my favorite characters and my favorite member of the team (and her power was awesome), but the book has done a great job showcasing what an asset she is. Even though the new story arc is titled “Fall of the New Mutants,” I hope that the title will go strong into 2011 and not get canceled (as most of my favorite titles do).

Action Comics #894
I was never a Sandman fan but I did pick up “Death: The High Cost of Living” when it came out and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the character. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her staring out at me from the cover of Action Comics. Lex Luthor and Death hanging out together – one of the strangest concepts to reward readers with a great story in some time.

Daken: Dark Wolverine #4
I only knew the character from the beginning of Dark Reign. I knew he was Wolverine’s son (btw, sick of kids dropping into characters lives when they’re already grown up or, in Damian’s case, old enough to be formidable). I think he’s gay (he kissed Bullseye once) and I did read a Dark Wolverine issue with the Fantastic Four and I think they were helping him with something. I don’t know if he’s good or bad. I do remember at the end of Siege, he escaped by using a US Army uniform he took off a soldier he killed – not real endearing. But I picked this book up this week because the FF were in it. I don’t know what happened before but he was supposed to be dead (killed by a demonic Wolverine or something).

It was like a great Fantastic Four story that Daken happened to be part of as we got to see light-hearted banter between Reed and Sue, Johnny grieving over the apparently dead Daken, and Ben being Ben. When Daken reappears, there’s a lot of great stuff with him, Ben, and Johnny. Once you see a new character (or a character you don’t know well) through the eyes of the Fantastic Four as you do in this issue, it can change your opinion of the character (as it has mine). This issue is a great starting point for people unfamiliar with Daken and sets up his next adventure which will take him to Madripoor to kill the man who murdered his mother: Bucky Barnes (when he was Winter Soldier).

Amazing Spider-Man
I didn’t read any of the issues at the beginning of the year. I gave “One Moment in Time” a chance but found it disappointing and came back at the beginning of “Big Time.” Big Time is the storyline I’ve been waiting for – a cool new job, action with the New Avengers, a girl friend who isn’t Mary Jane, Black Cat firmly in the supporting cast, and Peter makes a new suit to go up against a newer, more vicious Hobgoblin. Hopefully the changes in Big Time won’t be another temporary status quo change (note to Amazing Spider-Man editor – STOP FUDGING WITH THE STATUS QUO! IT MAKES US DUMP THE TITLE AND REVISIT IT EVERY SIX MONTHS TO SEE IF IT’S READABLE AGAIN…JERKWADS).

Scarlet
One of the many Brian Michael Bendis titles I’m reading, Scarlet is significant because it’s the only title I enjoyed this year that wasn’t based on a character or characters I already knew. I don’t know why I picked it up (I tried a lot of new titles this year because I dumped a lot of titles that weren’t very good any more) but I’m glad I did. I reviewed it back in October so I won’t dwell, but I love the way it’s written and am surprised by how invested I am in Scarlet’s life.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Call it “Ultimate Spider-Man,” call it “Spider-Monkey and the House of Vomit” and this title would still be the title I’ve looked forward to reading for over a decade and that didn’t change this year. Spidey almost died during Ultimatum and his new title doesn’t see his luck improving. But on top of him and Gwen living with his Aunt May, Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake move in. I love that Spidey lives with a member of the FF and the X-Men. Of course it’s even better because Kitty Pryde is a supporting cast member who takes on a new identity as The Shroud. Kitty has dated Bobby and Peter in the past and there’s no one better at mining emotionally complicated situations than Brian Michael Bendis. Next year, they’re doing a ‘death of’ storyline so that could end the run. If that happens, at least Bendis was there the whole time, creating it and tearing it down. But I hope that doesn’t happen. Hopefully Ultimate Spider-Man will still be the ultimate read 10 years from now.

X-Men: Second Coming
I’m not a regular X-Men reader. I tried reading the Messiah Complex trade paperback but it wasn’t very good (to be fair I was out of touch with the characters because I’m not a regular reader). The only reason I collected Second Coming was because I was collecting The New Mutants and wanted to understand what was going on. Second Coming was the best multipart crossover event I’ve read since The Mutant Massacre. It had a great story and there were great character moments and big losses. One of the things I usually hate about an X-crossover is that the entire world can be at stake and you never see any other heroes. In Second Coming it was great to see the X-Club working with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to try and get through the energy dome. And Hope as Phoenix? Awesome. Of course I got a few post-Second Coming issues of Uncanny X-Men and they weren’t great but Second Coming is a rare moment of glory for an otherwise event-heavy title that has departed from the character driven stories that propelled it to the top of the charts decades ago.

Movies

Knight and Day
What can I say? This movie was fun in a way that Killers (a movie that looked similar in tone) wasn’t. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were fantastic in a well-written film that was funny, action-packed, and romantic. Oh yeah, Marc Blucas from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in it too.

Losers

The film’s trailer was so good that I bought the trade paperbacks and read them before the movie came out. I reviewed this film back in May and stand by any glowing thing I said about it.

The Book of Eli
I was one of the three people who saw it. All joking aside, I didn’t see many of the twists coming. Denzel Washington was fantastic as always and his fight scenes were choreographed and shot beautifully (not all shaky camera and ‘who’s-hitting-who?’ quick cuts). Mila Kunis is terrific in this film. The story was great, the interaction between the characters was great, and I was pleasantly surprised (this movie was a friend’s pick – I thought it looked stupid). This flick deserves a watch if you haven’t seen it.

Edge of Darkness
I don’t care about all of Mel Gibson’s personal problems (the cast of The Hangover 2 protested his announced cameo because he’s a wife beater – didn’t you guys hang out with Mike Tyson, a CONVICTED rapist, in the first film?). There is one thing Mel Gibson does that no other action movie star in Hollywood does: he makes sure that his character has some juicy, emotional turmoil to motivate him. In this case, his character’s daughter is murdered in front of him and his quest to find who did it takes him through several emotionally charged moments where the character is back and forth between furious and devastated. Say what you want about the man but he can deliver a powerhouse performance every time.

Kick-Ass
I also reviewed this movie in May. In repeated watches, I still marvel at the scene where Big Daddy fights his way through a warehouse of mobsters and still hope that DC will make a Batman that can move like that. I read the first two issues of the comic book and hated it. I didn’t go to this movie by choice (again, it was my friend who wanted to go) and I’m glad I did. The first part of the movie is boring but sets up for the rollercoaster awesomeness that propels this movie to the top of the list for me (think of all the set up in The Watchmen before people put their costumes back on and got back into the fight).

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Fun. Fun. Fun. That’s my fast review. I didn’t read the comic but the movie was fantastic and so much fun to watch. Get it. Get it. Get it today on blu ray. It’s awesome. Did I mention it’s awesome?

The A-Team
Yes, I love mentioning films I already reviewed (back in June), but it’s still awesome. And the extended version has almost 20 minutes of new material. Some reviewer said something like, ‘the director ignored plausibility to deliver big time thrills’ and I agreed wholeheartedly. I hope I have many sequels to look forward to.

Action figures

Galactus (photo from offmybirdchest.blogspot.com)

The figure is proportional to the figures meaning you can recreate the cover to Fantastic Four #243 if you want. It’s enormous, has light up features, and is fully capable of stomping a mud hole in your 3 ¾” figures (it menaces Star Wars, Tron, A-Team, and Star Trek figures too).

A-Team (and Van)

My favorite show from the 80s gets the big screen treatment and some nice 3 ¾” figures to go with them. The figures are great for displaying with GI Joe, Star Wars, and Marvel Universe figures and the Van is icing on the cake. Not to mention the van recognizes which A-Team member is in the front seat and plays sound clips appropriate to that character. Unfortunately after one wave, the line was over and done. I wanted a Jessica Biel figure – maybe there’s hope if there’s a sequel.

Star Wars AT-AT

Description from starwars.com: Measuring more than 24 inches tall, nearly 28 inches long, and 12 inches wide, this colossal vehicle holds up to 20 Star Wars figures — 6 of which can fit in its head alone! — and includes so many play and electronic features true to its on-screen counterpart that it’s hard to believe! From the zip-line in its body and articulated legs for superb poseability, to its LED lights and authentic movie sounds and phrases, this is the must-have addition for Star Wars fans of all ages. Includes a 3.75 inch AT-AT driver action figure and a pop-out speeder bike.

That should say it all, but I’ve also got this to say – I’ve wanted an AT-AT since it first came out (back in 1980). I passed on other AT-ATs because I was kind of over it. But this is the biggest AT-AT they’ve ever put out and with all the super-cool things it does, I broke down and bought it.

Star Wars vintage figures, and send-away Boba Fett

I don’t collect Star Wars figures except R2-D2 figures (I have a display case with at least 50 different versions of the figure) but along with the AT-AT, Hasbro released a ton of Empire Strikes Back figures in vintage packaging. I had to get a gang of them (gang = 6) and then I had to send in the coupon for the Rocket-Firing Boba Fett figure (the mold sucks in comparison to the one released in the vintage line but the Trio had one on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Spike threatened to break the toy of the Trio didn’t help them)).

Megan Fox’s Jonah Hex figure

It’s a Megan Fox action figure. It’s a good likeness from a movie based on a comic book and it’s a gorgeous figure – it looks like something McFarlane Toys would have put out. I saw the figure at Toys R Us and thought that if I didn’t pick it up, I would never see it again. I picked up the figure and haven’t seen it on the shelves since.

Marvel Universe figures
This year I got hold of all the figures in the series (except for some of the two packs that had repaints of previously released figures). Kitty Pryde came complete with Lockheed (the coolest accessory ever) and though I would have preferred her in the blue costume from the 80s, she’s one of my favorite characters. Ghost Rider and Mystique are just awesome. The Sentry/Spider-Man two pack contained my favorite version of the red and blue Spider-Man figure because the lines where dark and distinct and the eyes were big. I don’t usually find any of the variant figures but this year I picked up Iron Patriot without his helmet. My only complaint about the line this year is that new figures were a complete pain to find (NOTE TO HASBRO: WHEN YOU RELEASE A NEW SERIES, DON’T PACK THE BOX WITH NEW FIGURES AND OLD FIGURES THAT NO ONE WANTS – I’M SICK OF 800 IRON MAN AND SUB-MARINER FIGURES CLOGGING THE SHELVES WHEN ALL I WANT IS A HAVOK FIGURE AND I’M SICK OF RESELLING ALL THOSE USELESS FIGURES BECAUSE I HAD TO BUY THE CASE THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT EARTH).

GI Joe Resolute figures
While I thought the cartoon movie, GI Joe: Resolute, was lame (especially the Duke-Scarlett-Snake Eyes love triangle resolution), I thought the figures were great. This year I haven’t been big on ‘stylized’ or ‘kid-like’ figures (Superhero Squad, Galactic Heroes, whatever the Batman version is called, etc.) but making these figures look like they were straight out of the cartoon

GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra figures

Great new sculpts and weapons for some of the team. Snake Eyes (all except the Tornado Kick version) rocks. Beachhead, Firefly, Snow Job, Jungle Viper, and the HISS tank are all bad ass. I can’t wait to get my hands on Low Light next year.

Iron Man 2 figures

The movie versions of all the Iron Man armors rocked. And how cool was War Machine?

As for the comic version of the figures, the Guardsman were great as army builders (you need a bunch to guard the Vault). The Iron Man from the late 80s/early 90s was the armor being worn when I was reading the title regularly.

From the concept series, I only really liked the Vibranium Armor Iron Man (aka The Captain America armor, a Kmart exclusive) and the Deep Dive armor.

TV

Chuck

After three seasons of sexual tension and near misses – Chuck and Sarah are together. I’ve watched every episode so far this year and no matter what happens, Chuck and Sarah are rock solid. Hopefully this will be the way things stay for the rest of the series. I really enjoy the series and the characters and how

Nikita

At first look, this series isn’t anything I haven’t seen before – agent escapes a secret agency (Division) and tries to bring it down from the outside. The thing that separates Nikita from the other shows is Alex, a young girl who is looking for revenge and is Nikita’s eyes and ears within Division. Alex emerges as the star of this reimagining and in the mid-season finale is finally forced to kill someone. Unfortunately it’s Thom, a fellow trainee who she cares deeply for. That makes one more person to avenge so it will be interesting to see how Alex gets her revenge throughout the rest of the series.

No Ordinary Family

What if your family got superpowers? This series features two fantastic character actors (Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz) who aren’t strangers to sci-fi or to making characters believable and sympathetic. Their gifts aren’t wasted here as they and their two children are dealing with newfound powers. They do everything you would do with powers: use them to make life easier, test their limits, and decide on the moral implications of what they can do. A lot of great family stuff here with interesting uses of the powers. It’s a fun show and a great superhero show. I can’t wait for new episodes.

Undercovers

Another great JJ Abrams series, Undercovers features a married team of spies, the Blooms, who retired from the CIA years ago only to find themselves back in action when one of their friends needs rescuing. The Blooms are happily married so there’s no weird sexual tension where two partners are getting to know each other – they’re already a solid team. They’re great together on screen and the shows are always fun. They have a tech guy named Bill. Now despite the fact it’s a JJ Abrams show, no repeat of the Marshall character from Alias (the super-nervous guy who did the tech and stayed at the headquarters), Bill hacks, gets the information, and can kill an enemy combatant as though he’s done it before – but he’s got a bromance going with Steven Bloom where he admires everything the guy does. Like I said, the show is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the last episode aired right before the new year because the show’s been canceled. It’s the second show I’ve dug this year that got the axe. The next one is Mercy.

Mercy

Veronica is a nurse who has just gotten back from Iraq and is getting back into the swing of things. The problem is that while she was in Iraq, she cheated on her husband with a doctor who followed her home and now works with her at the hospital. To make matters worse, she’s a borderline alcoholic with post traumatic stress disorder. Oh, and Michelle Tractenberg is in it and she’s fantastic in everything. This engrossing series focuses on the lives of Veronica and her two friends, Chloe and Sonia. Some of the most interesting television I’ve watched this year with the most compelling stories but, unfortunately, the series ends on a cliffhanger and wasn’t renewed for the 2010-2011 season. I don’t recommend getting into it because there isn’t an ending but I was glued to this show for its run and plan to add it to my collection when it’s released in blu ray (right now you can only get it on DVD).

Jennifer Love Hewitt on Law & Order SVU

Description from tvsquad.com: Hewitt guest stars as rape victim Vicki Sayers, who has been attacked and violated by the same man over a 15-year period, and fear of her assailant has turned her into a virtual recluse. Now, she must come face-to-face with her attacker, and overcome her greatest fear.

I saw the episode advertised and didn’t have anything else to watch. I like Jennifer Love Hewitt even if I don’t think much of her acting (keep in mind I’ve only seen a few of her movies and never watched Party of Five) but she blew me away in this episode. She reduced me to tears, made me feel her horror, and made me cheer at the end. In short – if you’re a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt and haven’t seen this episode, or if you’re a fan of really amazing performances in general – watch it.

Nicholas Brendon on Private Practice

I happened to be flipping channels when I happened on this. I said, “Oh, cool. Xander.” It was the episode where his character, Lee, rapes Charlotte. I’ve never seen the show but Nicholas’ performance was terrifying. He’s a great actor and I hope he winds up on the cast of a television show soon.

Joss Whedon directs Glee

Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris were the draw for this episode of a series I’d never seen. It was a lot of fun to see Neil singing and the episode was really good. The standout performance was Artie daydreaming that he’s singing a song while being able to dance (the character is confined to a wheelchair) with his girlfriend. I’ve seen a few random episodes since and I can see why people like it.

Conventions

Creation Salutes Firefly/Serenity, Buffy/Angel, and Dollhouse

I already talked about my experience back in November but I plan to do this convention every year – next year I’m going Gold.

Wizard World Anaheim

I already talked about my experience back in April but I plan to do this convention every year – but next year I’m only going for one day (it’s pretty tiny).

Video Games

Halo: Reach

Halo continues to be my favorite game franchise. I love driving the Warthog around, sticking a plasma grenade to a baddie, and cutting through bad guys with their own laser sword.

Tron: Evolution

The game looks great, plays great, and the PlayStation Move makes it twice as fun. Running, jumping, defying gravity, derezzing programs – this game is awesome.