tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204611152024-03-09T22:59:35.281-08:00Prep Time PosseThe Prep Time Posse is an online comicbook crew (a very menacing one too) that formed on Okayplayer.com a few years ago to discuss and share our love of comicbooks. We may *heart* comics but we enjoy talking about them more than anything else. Each PTP member brings a unique perspective to the table, so pull up a chair and join us on our 4-colored journey through the often geek-laden path we refer to as the comicbook.invisiblisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09998330299054319571noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-81122950078722213922009-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:002009-08-14T14:26:46.532-07:00Reviews of the Week (RotW) by Phenompyrus<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />I decided it would be a good idea to utilize our blog by posting my weekly reviews here as much as I can. Let's get the ball rolling:<br /><br />Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1<br />I missed picking up the first series from the get go, but always heard that it was one of Marvel's best and most consistent books for years. So I was not going to pass this up, even though I still have a bad taste in my mouth with Ultimatum and the main continuity's One More Day. That said, the results of this one were not so bad. If there is one perfect match in comicdom for a writer and character, its Bendis and Spider-Man. He knows how to write the perfect Peter Parker, no matter what version it is. The art makes this seem like a non-television cartoon, part anime. I like the idea of new characters showing up so early too, so let's hope Marvel keeps things fresh with their new Ultimate Comics.<br /><br />Ultimate Comics Avengers #1<br />Since I missed Spider-Man and X-Men on the first go around with Ultimate Marvel, I made sure to be there to pick up The Ultimates. As it turned out, it and its sequel were some of the best comic stories I've ever read to this day. Let us forget the horror that was Ultimates 3. How Jeph Loeb still has a job is a wonder to me, but that's a story for a different day. This first issue is very similar to the first issues of Millar's first 2 volumes, and yet again features a focus on Captain America. The characters are back to form, to Hawkeye still being a badass, Cap not missing a beat even though he got his ass kicked by Red Skull, Fury still in charge even though he's not, and Tony being a casual and cool drinker. The art is superb too, capturing some each of Hitch and Mad! (the only good slightly good and redeemable thing about volume 3). The future looks and sounds promising too, with new versions of Wasp, Hulk, War Machine, and Black Widow coming, as well as seeing Ultimate versions of Punisher and Blade. Good start to a book that Marvel desperately needed to revive to its original form.<br /><br />Uncanny X-Men #514<br />It is no secret around OKP that I am a huge X-Men fan. I love almost everything from Marvel that has to do with the team. The past few X events have been pretty great, and this one is still delivering. I'm not sure what to think of Emma's 'defection', and I really hope it doesn't cause any long term problems, b/c she might just be the best X-Man of the past few years. Her relationship with Cyclops is much better than that between he and Jean. Dodson lightens things up while keeping it pretty with his art, but the real star here is Matt, who absolutely understands how to write this book. He brings them up to date by also hooking them up with classic devices, such as the little character power profiles. I always think how I could make certain books better, and with this one, I don't know if I could. I hope this creative team (yes including Greg Land) sticks around for some time. Marvel promises big changes, but we all know that just means a lead in to something else. I just hope that it doesn't disappoint a la Secret Invasion.<br /><br />Blackest Night #2<br />Let's get to some DC. I read more Marvel overall, but this, GL, the new Doom Patrol, and Batman & Robin are also in the rotation, and they are every bit as good as Marvel's bulk of my reading list. DC knows how to tell a crossover story with all the right points of continuity. This story found the perfect loophole to bring back all the dead characters they want without actually bringing them back. Will any of them stick around? I don't know, but it's a little trickery they have used to get to this point. Will Bruce Wayne come and save the day for his return? Next issue looks to be a doozy. If they bring anyone back, let's do another JLA with the big 7 and Jim Lee drawing.<br /><br />Walking Dead #64<br />COTW. This one has been slacking until this issue, which re-established it as the best monthly title that I read. That last panel gave me goosebumps as I said to myself 'Hell yeah!' Part of me feels that it would be a good idea to tell how the plague came to be, but its lasted this long on its own 2 legs without, and that's how it should be. Rick, Carl, Abraham, and Michonne should never die, although with all the crazy stuff that has happened so far, it might be hard not for Kirkman.<br /></span>phenompyrushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00530519909631183345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-14147076799489542502009-04-06T09:35:00.000-07:002009-04-06T09:36:46.396-07:00Wolverine<p><span id="fullpost">Weapon Excreble</span></p><p><span style="font-size:+0;"> </p><br />Cork Kneivel film rating: Kneivel wipes out after 2-1/2 school buses.A friend of a friend of a pal of a buddy of a friend of a mate of another guy’s cousin’s barber’s homey had it downloaded onto his laptop in about 10 different 10-minute segments. He plugged it into his big screen to show me, and since he knows I’m a comic book head and a fan of the first 2 X-Men flicks (the 3rd one never happened in my world), probably figured he was giving me something special. Well, he was…and he wasn’t.First off, I’ve never seen an unfinished bootleg version of a film about a month before its release date. I have no idea when this cut was actually downloaded, or what percent of the completed project it would be at, but I was really surprised to see just how much is handled with CGI and the like. Almost every scene had something still unpolished: Wolverine’s claws, the sky, wires on a guy who just did, like, a grllion kick flips through the air, etc. One scene had me chuckling as it was all low-budget 3d computer rendering of a jet screaming through dark sky, just greys and blacks and cylinders and boxes representing the jet and buildings, with a fancified scroll along the bottom reading “Atlanta, Georgia”.The movie though? The movie was…well, it just was. It’s biggest crime is how pedestrian it is. You take arguably the most unique and recognizable comic book character, easily the most popular X-Man, a character of nebulous and ever expanding backstory, and somehow make the thing uninteresting. The credit sequence is the exception here as it takes us from 1845 to the recent past (Vietnam era and after) and shows us how Wolverine and his half-brother (Live Schreiber as Victor aka Sabretooth) are the best they are at what they do. And what they do is fight in United States conflicts abroad. Sabretooth, both in the credits sequence as well as the first ¾ of the movie is the more interesting character here. His fighting style, his animalism, and the dark brooding is used better, as well as being a more recognizable rendering of Wolverine than the conflicted catch-phrasin’ pretty-boy Jackman plays him as.I’m not too up on the Weapon X storyline but you got:the guy who played Sam Adams in the HBO John Adams miniseries. He was also the lead vampire in 30 Days of Night as Colonel StrykerDominic Monaghan (Mery from LOTR/Charlie from LOST) – as a guy who can fiddle with electrical things??? as Agent Zero – a guy who’s very deadly with gunsWill.I.Am as a cowboy teleporter named JohnKevin Durand (the big Canadian guy in everything) as Frederick J. Dukes/The BlobAnd the best piece of casting was Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool – this one I would pay to see and there’s a well done scene with him taking on a room full of gunmen with his bladesGambit and Silver Fox also show up. Gambit for a lame 3-way fight with Logan and Victor. They also have Sabretooth chase down a teenaged Scott Summers. One of the better action sequences and one that will be a “wow” factor when its all finished is a scene with Logan taking on a helicopter carrying Agent Zero. Sorry if I spoiled anything, I don’t think I revealed anything important not easily available anywhere else. I don’t think this film will do too well, partly because I think the super-hero fad is dying out and partly because the film’s just not very good.<br /><br /></span>The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-77805560608094406642009-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:002009-02-19T09:25:51.453-08:00GEMS<span style="font-size:130%;">How<strong> </strong>many of us have them?!?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em>GEMS</em></strong>...ones we can depend on...<br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><br /><p><span style="font-size:+0;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:+0;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:+0;"> </p><br /></span><br />Now I’m sure all Posse members have their favorite stores, and that we all could probably rank them in order. I’m sure we all have our least favorites too (because ANY store w/ comics is still a “favorite”, right). But how many of us have a "<strong><em>GEM</em></strong>”?<br /></span><br />I do. In true<strong> GEM</strong> fashion it’s not the place I keep my saver ((regular pull)) list. It’s not the super-duper glitzy comic-o-rama semi-chain that has more than one location in my city. It’s not even the place around the corner from my house that I hit up on days when I get some spare time and dough to waste. It’s none of those.<br /><br /><br />But I probably wouldn’t want to write about any of them.<br /><br /><br />As I define it: a <strong>GEM</strong> is a building in which I find the greatest deals in the history of the universe. Others may define GEM differently, and that’s their prerogative. Word to B. Brown.<br /><br /><br />I only tell two kinds of people about my <strong>GEM</strong>:<br /><br />· Those whose collections, and collecting appetites, I respect but they <em><u>DO NOT</u></em> collect anything I might be after<br />· “<em>Squares</em>” ((People who have no use for comic books))<br />· My <strong>PTP</strong> brethren!!<br /><br /><br />My <strong>GEM</strong> is called <strong>GREAT ESCAPE GAMES</strong>, and is located at 1250 Howe Ave. here in Sacramento, CA. I shit you not, it is invisible from either of the two frontage roads you use to get to it and faces the back parking lot of an adjacent apartment complex. I am not kidding, still no shitting going on here, I once heard an employee describe to someone, over the phone, that in order to find the place once they got to the parking lot they should “pretend you’re going to go dump a couch”!!! I mean is that <strong>GEM</strong> material or not?<br /><br />So what is so great about this place, aside from being utterly invisible to all who drive past it? Well, it’s not “really” a comic book shop. Nay. Nay I say. This store is probably about 10% comic book and 90% gamer. Not video-gamer, nay again, this place is for the serious “role player”. This place abounds with Worlds of Warcraft, Magic: the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, D&D, and HeroClix ((the one I’d ever consider getting into)). They also have a shit load of those kind of board games that you’ve never heard of, cost $69.99, and have a baker’s dozen or so stickers on the front proclaiming that this game swept each category of the 2002 European “Toy of the Year” Awards. The store is also unique in that only the front 25% or so is devoted to retail. Pass through the make-shift 4’X9’ hole in the wall and you find yourself in Gamer Tournament Paradise. Table after table of acne-riddled sexual frustration can be found there 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, tackle boxes and expansion pack decks at the ready. Some tables are devoid of people but are covered with “terra”, half demolished castles, miniature houseplants representing the forest, miniature cacti representing the desert, and brown and green painted Styrofoam. The people watching in here is choice **<em>smuah</em>**<br /><br />However, as fun as all of that may be for a couple of minutes, the true beauty to this GEM is to be found in the long boxes. For it is there, my fellow POSSE members, that you will find laminated 8.5X11 sheets of paper stating:<br /><br /><br />“<u>Dollar Boxes – Buy 5 get 1 FREE, Buy 10 get 3 FREE</u>”<br /><br /><br />“So what?” You may say out loud to noon in particular as you read that. Or you might scream it at some unsuspecting neighbor, and if you did you should now apologize. I’ll wait. Well, Mr./Mrs. So What, I’ll tell you “<em>so what</em>”:<br /><br /><br />In the 25 or so long boxes, stacked in such a way that there’s 10 on a table top ((2 rows of 5 back-to-back)) and 10 below, with another 5 set off in the corner, that comprise this discount comic book bonanza…you can find last week's books!! That’s right…that’s how they do around <strong>GREAT ESCAPE GAMES</strong>…they have the smallest shelf set up for the books that come out that week only. Anything older than that gets moved straight to the dollar bin section. I am still crapping you negative. Negatory are the B.M.s here, my friends. Not only is it possible to stumble upon that long sought after Action or Detective Comics you’ve been looking for since ’03, but its highly probable that you’ll stumble upon that long sought after <em>LAST. WEEK’S. BOOK</em>. And won’t that have been well worth the hunt?<br /><br /><br />It has been tres lovely, folks.<br /><br /><br />And I do mean <em>tres</em>.<br /><br /><br />For example: I only recently discovered that the current Ultimate Spider-man team is Bendis and Immonen, both guys whose works I find I tend to appreciate above most others. I had about 20 or so issues to back track and collect if I wanted the entire body of work. It’s a pricey situation, but that’s the way I have to have things. Well, thanks to the <strong>GEM</strong> known as G.E.G., I found 10 of those 20 for $10, and then got an additional 3 books for free…just on G.P.!<br /><br /><br />Here’s my haul from Feb. 17th, 2009, now mind, I paid $12.83 for this little bundle:<br /><br />JLA - #29<br />JSA - ANNUAL #1<br />JSA - #12, 14, 15<br />Punisher MAX - #24, 29, 55, 62<br />New Avengers - #1 (3 copies – Imma see if I can peddle them elsewhere and for what value. There’s still 3 more #1s in the bin)<br />Amazing Spider-Man - #585<br />Ultimate Spider-man - #130<br />Daredevil - #115<br /><br /><br /><strong>EYE POOP EWE NON</strong>. (All palindrome style on that ass).<br /><br /><br />That’s just a little taste of how I feel about it, a little taste of why this place deserves to be written about.<br /><br /><br />What about you? Any <strong>GEM</strong>s in your area? Give ‘em some shine. What do you like about them?The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-27275747830733935342009-02-12T12:54:00.000-08:002009-02-12T12:57:39.858-08:00My Love Is No Longer Blind<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />The following statement has been very hard for me to come to terms with, let alone for me to write down as my current formal position on the matter, but I must speak the truth. Prep Time Posse brethren:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>DARDEVIL</strong> is no longer my top comic book.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><em>Whew</em>. Gotta take a personal moment and compose myself. …3…2…and…1…okay, I’m ready to continue.<br /><br /><br />I don’t like saying it, but the quality of the book has steadily deteriorated since Brubaker and Lark took over from the <strong>HOF</strong> run of Bendis and Maleev (the run that made me fall in love with the blind Irishman). It kinda started when Matt went on his grand tour of Europe, North Africa, French Guyana, and Khazikstan. It festered for a bit and really became just blatantly obvious with the last 8 issues: the <em>Cruel & Unusual</em> and <em>Lady Bullseye</em> storylines.<br /><br /><br />For evidence of which I speak, one need look no farther than issue #110. This issue, which was a culmination of a 4-issue storyline ((and what issue of what comic ISN’T currently part of a multi-issue, soon-to-be-traded storyline)), was co-written, as weer the previous 3 installments, by Greg Rucka. Now, Rucka is another one of my faves, his <strong>Q&C</strong> and <strong>CHECKMATE</strong> street cred is gold plated with me, but even his sheen couldn’t polish this turd. I can only assume he was aboard to answer legal and/or black co-ops questions for Brubaker because there’s lots of both in this storyline. The problem is neither of those elements are wrapped up quite clearly, or interestingly for that matter, and we need a 3 page expository conversation between two minor characters, one of whom we’ve never seen before, to make sense of how everything went down.<br /><br /><br />The biggest peanut in this turd, however, is the pacing of the action. Now I loves me some <strong>DAREDEVIL</strong> ass whoopin and I am certainly one who’ll bend the rules of reality for the sake of a well-told super-hero fight, but this was ridiculoid. At the beginning of 110, a continuation of the conclusion of 109, Matt’s about to throw-down with a penthouse full of oncoming SWAT team members who are all armed and ready to rock with their sub-machine guns. Not only that, but there’s a sniper in a heliocopter just outside the penthouse repeatedly being told to “take the shot”. The sniper opens up, the SWAT guys open up, Matt’s focusing on heartbeats and doing donkey kicks…bada boom, bada bing, he’s got the SWAT dudes subdues and decides to make for daylight through the window towards the flying sniper’s roost. More SWAT guys unload towards the fleeing crimson crusader who, amidst a hail of sub-machine fire opening up not 10 feet behind him, dives blindly (HAH!) through the window. He <em>DOES</em> take care to tuck his head in both hands so as to protect his lady-killer face.<br /><br /><br />Now here’s where it gets my dander up. In the very next panel Matt Murdock, aka <strong>DAREDEVIL</strong>, aka The Man Without Fear, is flying. Above him and seemingly about 50 feet away or so, the sniper stands at the opened helicopter door saying “SON OF A—“ as either the chopper or one of the baker’s dozen automatic weapons that are firing at him says <em>CHAKCHAKCHAKCHAKCHAK</em>”. Now…one could interpret this as Matt simply leaping out the whatever-storyeth window and plummeting gracefully while people shoot at him. One could…until the very next panel which shows, I shit you not, DAREDEVIL clinging to the roof of the chopper and doing a swingin-double kick right into the moosh of the baddy who was snipin’ at him. SOMEHOW THIS FUCKER JUMPED OUT THE WINDOW BELOW AND AWAY FROM THE HELICOPTER, THEN ROSE ABOVE IT AND GRABBED IT, NADIA COMENICI’D THE BAD GUY WITHOUT TAKING SO MUCH AS A HANGNAIL, and then!! Then!! He jumps out the OTHER side of the helicopter, once again plummeting gracefully. We don’t se the ffects of this though, as the bad guy in the chopper tells us, “…we lost him…” The next time we see Matt, he isn’t lost, no he is in his kitchen removing his mask to wash his face. Breaking the laws of physics and falling from several hundred feet to the pavement below can really dirty up a guy. <strong>DD</strong> needed a refresher.<br /><br /><br />Am I being nit-picky?<br /><br /><br />Perhaps. But whoever’s fault that whole action sequence was, whether it was the illustrator or the writer, and the incredibly sloppy conclusion to it, as well as to the whole storyline, is indicative of why I no longer find <strong>DAREDEVIL</strong> my absolute favoritest book.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />P.S. I’ve never been crazy about Marko Djurdjevic’s covers either.</span><br /></span>The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-90662613713037852822009-02-09T12:27:00.000-08:002009-02-12T12:59:37.712-08:00How To Cast Comic-Book Flix<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em>Who</em> as <em>Who</em> in What?!</strong><br /></span></span><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">Instead of thinking about it like “Who is right actor to play Wolverine” ((fuck the dumb shit, Huge Gackman was NOT the right person for the role)), I usually catch myself thinking about it like “What super-hero would Leonardo di Caprio be the guy right for???!”.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Anyone else do this? What have you come up with?<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">Clint Walker circa 1967 as The Punisher – Anyone who has seen The Dirty Dozen ((and if you are a heterosexual American male who hasn’t then you either need to move to Canada or blow the first guy you see)) and seen the character “Posey” knows who I’m talking of. 6’6” and a muscled 260, they could have shown the movie on this guy’s chest. He was BORN to play Frank castle, only if the space-time continuum and the laws of physics didn’t exist.<br /><br />Leonardo di Caprio as Gambit – I hate that Remy Etienne LaBeau is the one name that keeps coming to mind for him because he’s too good of an actor and Gambit sucks anyway. Still, tho….<br />Josh Brolin as Deadshot – something about him SCREAMS Floyd Lawton!<br /><br />Scott Caan as Wolverine – The neck. Just…the neck. Plus he’s short and stocky. Then, the Alchemist could show up and they could double team the guys from Ugly Duckling in what could only be described as "A 1997 Backpacker's Wet Dream".<br /><br />Matt Damon as Daredevil – This is NOT stuntcasting just because Ben Whoffleck? Was so horribly miscast as Matthew Murdock back in the first pic. Its because everywhere Ben was wrong for the role, Matt is right. He’s shown in the Bourne trilogy that he can do some good hand-to-hand, and that was the worst thing about watching Daredevil: seeing this big gawky, stiff and slow guy supposedly be a master martial artist. I’ve seen where Jason Statham is supposed to be DD, w/ Frank Miller’s blessing ((as if he’s the go-to guy for what makes a good movie)), but I don’t think he can lose that innder-city London accent. He’s not THAT good of an actor.<br /><br />Daniel Craig as Oliver Queen – Maybe it’s because he’s British and Ollie reminds me of Robin Hood…I dunno.<br /><br />Dennis Haysbert as Gen. Nicholas Fury (Marvel Ultimates universe) – I know the character was originally created to be Sam jJack but I’d like to see Fury be less “street” and Haysbert has that presidential cache<br /><br />James Carville as Scarecrow ((DC)) – Screw Cillian Murphy. Carville wouldn’t even need makeup.<br /><br />“Randall from SCRUBS” as UATU The Watcher – some are so easy I should get a finder’s fee.<br /><br />Vincent D’Onofrio as Thor – He knows the character already!!Paul Walker as Speedball –<br /><br />Because I would LOVE to see a whole film of him getting tortured mercilessly as Pennance.</span><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span><br /></span></span>The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-18871335586670957982009-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:002009-01-24T11:08:31.422-08:00Welcome to Sinestro Week<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> <o:pixelsperinch>120</o:PixelsPerInch> <o:targetscreensize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: georgia;">It came and took over our lives, like heroin or Despotellis. </span><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It drives us to turn, on average, 25 percent of the COTW posts at okayplayer.com (plug!!) into shrines.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">It drives us to graphic design.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">It drives us to poetry. </span><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">It is Sinestro Mania, and it has laid low the Prep Time Posse.</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/kwkeil/rightnestro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 361px;" src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/kwkeil/rightnestro.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: center;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">image courtesy of <a href="http://talestosuffice.com">this guy</a>
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal">It’s not our fault.<span style=""> </span>Even the Marvel Zombies among us recognize that since the Sinestro Corps one shot dropped, Dat ‘Stache has been the best villain in superhero comics by a country mile. <span style=""> </span>I spit on your Red Skull.<span style=""> </span>Black Glove couldn’t even keep his chopper in the air, assuming that was even him. <span style=""> </span>As good as Final Crisis has been, Darkseid ain’t got face time. <span style=""> </span>Oh, and then there’s the Skrulls and the “Dark Illuminati.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">*does asshole Basaglia-inspired Wop of Geoff Johns Victory*</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">I defy you to find one issue of Green Lantern in which Sinestro appears from the last two years in which Sinestro isn’t a complete and utter bad ass.<span style=""></span> As I’ll go into later this week, there is not a more quotable villain than Sinestro. <span style=""> </span>EVERY ISSUE has two to three Sinestro lines that are just the coldest shit imaginable. <span style=""> </span>What makes the words work is Sinestro’s utter craziness/evil. <span style=""> </span>He basically raped Kyle, but Johns made it less gross and more upsetting than the Dr. Light nonsense. <span style=""> </span>He just toasted a Laira on the verge of redemption. <span style=""> </span>He owns <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s psyche.<span style=""> </span>Hell, he owns THE GUARDIANS’ psyche.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">And it’s clear he is Geoff Johns’ biggest mancrush in the whole DC Universe.<span style=""> </span>Johns gets Sinestro like no other writer going right now gets a character, and I’m including Morrison and Superman.
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">*ducks a <a href="http://talestosuffice.com/">Shoe to Suffice</a>*</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">If you doubt it, pick up <i style="">In Brightest Day</i>, the recent trade in which Johns compiles his favorite GL stories.<span style=""> </span>The first story shows Sinestro’s first appearance (without a ring!!). Johns understands that Sinestro’s monologue at the end of this first issue about the power of evil contains his entire ethos.<span style=""> </span>Johns understands that there is just enough sense in what Sinestro believes that you can let your guard down and think that you and this guy share some goals. <span style=""> </span>As soon as you do, Sinestro puts a ray of yellow through your chest. <span style=""> </span>Johns’ Sinestro might be a necessary evil, at least if you believe Ganthet. <span style=""> </span>But he is definitely, purely, awesomely evil.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">So welcome to Sinestro Week. <span style=""> </span>I call on the Prep Time Posse to rise to the challenge, drop a boatload of ‘Nestro propaganda, and recharge the movement.
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">And if we don’t?</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Look at that, reader.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Another broken promise.</p> <span id="fullpost"></span>bshellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623224216229467898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-18608543848105166822009-01-23T20:01:00.000-08:002009-01-24T16:00:41.079-08:00Black Adam 101<div style="text-align: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i40.tinypic.com/rm38kp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 0px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 359px;" src="http://i40.tinypic.com/rm38kp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="font-size: small;"><em>Yes, because throwing rocks at a superhero is a well thought-out, worthwhile attack plan. Right.</em></div></div><br />In anticipation of all the head-squishing fuckery sure to go down in <a href="http://www.tfaw.com/Faces-Of-Evil/Profile/Justice-Society-Of-America-23___335225"><span style="font-style: italic;">Justice Society of America</span> #23</a> next week, here's something a lot of <span style="font-style: italic;">JSA/52</span> readers and Black Adam fans have probably never seen: his first (and only, as Geoff Johns unfortunately learned during research for <span style="font-style: italic;">JSA</span>) Golden Age appearance.<br /><br />"The Mighty Marvels Join Forces" was the main story from the first issue of Fawcett Comics' <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.comics.org/covers.lasso?SeriesID=423">The Marvel Family</a></span> series, published in December 1945. It features Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior, and Uncle Marvel - <a href="http://www.marvelfamily.com/WhosWho/whoswho.asp?castid=10">yes, there really was an Uncle Marvel</a> - banding together to fight Black Adam - whom their mentor, the old wizard Shazam, created 5000 years ago and conveniently waited until now to tell the Marvels about. Like most Golden Age Captain Marvel stories, it was written by Otto Binder and drawn with dot-eyed, potato-nosed precision by C.C. Beck.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33404674@N08/sets/72157612876805661/">Read up over @ Flickr</a>.</span><br /><br />(Incidentally, the backup story featured the Marvels adopting and taking care of a foundling baby they dub "Baby Marvel". I shit you not.)b. Touchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00878364726248184167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-28582588594668920022009-01-06T20:15:00.000-08:002009-01-06T20:57:35.020-08:00DARKNESS IS SPREADING! (c) Dave Chappelle as Rick James<div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">During the early '90's, comics went through what can best be described as "The Dark Age," where following the widespread acclaim of "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Watchmen" in the '80's, every superhero was a semi-psychotic bad-ass who took no shit from the criminal element. After several missteps, the fans and creators realized complex, realistic characters are more than just stubble and cigars. However, now that superhero movies are big business, we're about to see that same trend hit the bigscreen.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">After the kajillions Warner Brothers made on "The Dark Knight," they now want the next Superman movie to be darker. </span></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288405719447107730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 161px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUm3xsyNWiCpldkJHXB9OBFD0jhOFdxWTDtnLuKdL80v7ewUOuAGh6FMEy2yCdlGaHkPnbB6dnYvvso05z0se0ztRBHipInLAAar6tm_p3gOhM8rNaAsdXHX4wjrHGj2l27Fs/s320/EvilSupermanCloseup.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#000000;"><em>"You want a piece of me, bitch?"</em> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span> </div><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I'm not even a big fan of Supes, but dude deserves better. A Superman movie should be about as dark as "Spider-Man 2," maybe less. The film could increase the action without being a near rated-R frown fest. And last time I checked, "Iron Man" made a damn nice chunk of change last summer, and it was mostly shits and giggles.<br /></span><p><span style="color:#000000;">Some characters like Batman, the Punisher, or Wolverine are suited for dark stories. The movies tend to go awry by having the heroes kill or let the villain die. I understand the general movie audience is used to seeing the bad guys get theirs after 2 hours, but there is a line. Batman tying a bolo around the Joker's leg to a stone gargoyle - wrong. Daredevil letting the rapist who beat him in court get run over by a subway train - wronger. Bats leaving R'as Al Ghul on a runaway train - wrongest. There are other ways to tie up the story without having the villain die, or at least have them die from something of their own doing (I don't know, getting stuck with their own bomb, for example).</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">Am I being too much of a stickler for the rules set by the comics' version? Maybe. But I just feel if a character/story is good enough to adapt, it's good enough to adapt right.</span></p>Lex Lamonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02762414829191300243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-71350484356165604302008-12-08T21:40:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:18:37.294-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIrnGO0hyd0jgPxckyuc2xxPyCLTzyskAJPHtdp-A9uPMwK7AVVHj4Ax7iFOG0P9EjTPipReBSuOktQNfJeC6h7jXU3YrVCldZ7zmepi10uOdqMP3UsCj2ZFouGqMxdfSjzcT/s1600-h/Rorschach+dance+party.htm"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIrnGO0hyd0jgPxckyuc2xxPyCLTzyskAJPHtdp-A9uPMwK7AVVHj4Ax7iFOG0P9EjTPipReBSuOktQNfJeC6h7jXU3YrVCldZ7zmepi10uOdqMP3UsCj2ZFouGqMxdfSjzcT/s320/Rorschach+dance+party.htm" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277662401750440594" border="0" /></a><br />Rorschach's Dance Party! ALBUM IN STORES NOW!<br /><span>Rorschach performing "When The Sun Goes Down", from his new album, "Rorschach's Dance Party!" Remember, in our own universe, Rorschach's mother was not a prostitute, so songs about hookers don't make him cry and kill dogs. But the new Common album does, so don't talk to him about that if you like puppies.<br /><br />Many thanks to the videographer, regardless of their drunken forgetfulness of how turning the camera on it's side doesn't work for video. Also, President Truman's corpse will have to excuse the disheveled appearance. Rorschach was a little drunk and in the bathroom when his name was called, thus the open coat and missing glove.<br /><br />Anyways, enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/stwPuHQnGeI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/stwPuHQnGeI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></span><span id="fullpost"></span><br /><br />Bonus! "New Year's Day" snippet.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o9yuQS6mT2A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o9yuQS6mT2A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>invisiblisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09998330299054319571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-11445280457622570642008-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:002008-11-21T13:49:37.520-08:00kracka-THOOOM!!! - My favorite ______ is drawn by _____A brief respite today, while I get busy devouring <strong>Usagi Yojimbo</strong> tpb Vol. 8 "<em>Shades of Death</em>" & <strong>The GOON</strong> tpb "<em>Chinatown</em>"...<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><strong>Daredevil / Joe Quesada</strong> – Joey Q does DD, my favoritest Marvel character hands down, all swirly and curvey and has him falling upside down 20 stories up from the Hell’s Kitchen street below, his nun-chukas splayed out with the wirey cord wrapped around and around and around him. Shits great. Some of my favorite images ever are of DD going to see Dr. Strange and Quesada drawing the Sorcerer Supreme getting all Doug Henning and introducing other dimensions.<br /><br /><a href="http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/daredevilv2n01.jpg">http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/daredevilv2n01.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Midnighter / John Paul Leon</strong> – Maybe not really fair because JPL is my favorite artist out there (Wintermen represent!!) but his guest shot on Midnighter was HOW I want to see the character! Also it was cool to see cyborgs and animal/machine experimentations. Oh what I wouldn’t give to have a 5-issue JPL Queen & Country run. That sombitch can drawr!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.johnpaulleon.com/index.cfm?page=artwork&cat=1&subcat=36">http://www.johnpaulleon.com/index.cfm?page=artwork&cat=1&subcat=36</a><br /><br /><strong>Batman / Jim Lee</strong> (just edging out Andy Kubert) – Not really much to say here. I guess the one thing I could bring up is an idea I’ve been toying with lately, dunno if I can write it into a full length article or not, but, is Batman an icon and an institution because he’s inherently a really cool (and really established) character…or is he an icon and an institution because some of the best writers in the biz have done their best work with him?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ifanboy.com/images/ifanboy/batmannightwingposter.jpg">http://www.ifanboy.com/images/ifanboy/batmannightwingposter.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Thor / Olivier Copiel</strong> – Again maybe not fair because I never ever looked at a Thor book, or Thor IN a book for that matter, until Millar & Hitch (who is easily my favorite artist) did the Ultimates, so I don’t really have much of a frame of reference with him. Copiel’s got skills though and he gives Thor such a heavy presence. All Asgardian and shit.<br /><br /><a href="http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs16/i/2007/222/e/9/Oliver_Copiel_Thor_1_cover_by_JonBolerjack.jpg">http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs16/i/2007/222/e/9/Oliver_Copiel_Thor_1_cover_by_JonBolerjack.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Tara (Q&C) / Rick Burchett</strong> – All right now I’m just bullshitting because on Q&C: Declassified Vol. 2 Burchett doesn’t even DRAW Tara. But I just HAD to talk about this artist! The story is about Tom Powell’s earliest days and the only thing better than the who-dunnit? is Rick Burchett’s ability to create such a beautiful book, clean and sharp yet not sacrificing any of the frenetic pacing and energy the story demands. He truly is my favorite artist in the world.<br /><br /><strong>Bizarro / Eric Powell</strong> – One last time…un-fucking-fair because I just wanted to mention Eric Powell’s name because he is…without a doubt…my favorite artist there is. The GOON is like my life’s bl—oh!! I was talking about Bizarro huh?<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Q_v4mvspvuU/Ry0AhRRE8eI/AAAAAAAAAj4/mPMw80Rn0BU/s1600-h/Action+Comics+857+Eric+Powell.jpg">http://bp0.blogger.com/_Q_v4mvspvuU/Ry0AhRRE8eI/AAAAAAAAAj4/mPMw80Rn0BU/s1600-h/Action+Comics+857+Eric+Powell.jpg</a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Heath Huston / Jerome Opena</strong> – No offense to anyone else on that fanastic book but something about the way JayO draws it…to me <em>THIS</em> is Fear Agent.<br /><br /><a href="http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/725/725476/the-ten-best-image-comics-20060814044118469-000.jpg">http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/725/725476/the-ten-best-image-comics-20060814044118469-000.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Ms. Marvel / Frank Cho</strong> – I guess you all can tell I’m fairly new to comics but dammit if they shouldn’t just not let anyone else at Marvel EVER draw Ms. Marvel basept Frank. Basically all women, just let the Cho-ster draw the wimmin folk.<br /><br /><a href="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u252/TheBraxcave/MsMarvel.jpg">http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u252/TheBraxcave/MsMarvel.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Spider-Man / the Dodsons</strong> (just edging out McFarlane)<br /><strong>Wonder Woman / the Dodsons</strong> – Sensational S-M was a great friggin title and they rocked it for the first dozen or so issues. They’re up in the tops of my faves anyhoo, clean crisp lines and a real slinky and sensual style. They’re the only reason I would ever pick up a book with WW…she bores me.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1016/asm523cov3yq.jpg">http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1016/asm523cov3yq.jpg</a><br /><br /><strong>Wolverine / Humberto Ramos</strong> – I swear…I dunno…it’s just with Wolveirne being so small and scrappy and full of attitude, as well as being so overexposed and all…I think Ramos’ graf/anatomically impossibly contorted style works great here. I also really liked his take on the costume and webbing in a few Spider-Man issues I caught back 5-6 years ago. You know the ones.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.album.fr/album-comics/images/_dedicaces/Ramos-Wolverine1.jpg">http://www.album.fr/album-comics/images/_dedicaces/Ramos-Wolverine1.jpg</a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Captain America / Rob Leifeld</strong> – Pretty much the GOAT, am I right? Until I saw the master at work I never knew Steve Rogers was Chinese…or that he had hooves…or that sometimes his muscles have been working out and then THEY get muscles of their own!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://images.somethingawful.com/mjolnir/images/cg12212004/Cecotroph.jpg">http://images.somethingawful.com/mjolnir/images/cg12212004/Cecotroph.jpg</a><br /></span>The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-14611961966600624162008-11-19T13:03:00.000-08:002008-11-19T13:24:56.230-08:00kracka-THOOOM!!! - Bad Guys & the Team Dynamic<span id="fullpost">I enjoy “team” titles for various reasons. The varied characters, the inter-team conflicts and relationships, the fight scenes are often on a much grander scale, and the possibilities for storylines are seemingly endless. Within this realm of books I have an affinity for books featuring evil team-ups. The books <strong><em>Villains United</em> </strong>&<strong> </strong><em><strong>Infinite Crisis</strong> </em>planted this seed for me.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Villains United</strong>: While I find this book to be well written but poorly illustrated, what I liked most about it was that it was my introduction to a vast amount of lesser-seen criminal characters and how it really helped flesh out the DC Universe for me when I was relatively unfamiliar to anything beyond the <strong>Justice League</strong>. The book also introduced me to the dynamite storytelling and compelling plots spinning out of the head of Gail Simone.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Identity Crisis</strong>...the <u>GOAT</u> of the new millenium (so far)? Even if one leans to the side of it not being the <u>GOAT</u> (its not) one might still lean toward the opinion that it’s pretty fockin brilliant (it is). And I absolutely <em>lurv</em> the way it opens: following the good guys who are following the bad guys and how they do both do business…<strong>Firehawk </strong>& <strong>Elongated Man </strong>watching<strong> Bolt</strong> watching a couple of hoods while trying to scramble up info. From the criminal 411: <strong>Calculator</strong>. Also cool for the way it bookends <strong>Merlyn</strong>’s narration up on the bad-guy satellite o’ love with his good-guy “master arrowsmith” doppelganger (and the guy who I think the story is actually about) <strong>Green Arrow</strong>. Following <strong>Merlyn</strong> as the main voice of the baddies, It was really interesting to follow the way one bad guy views others of his ilk. There are those he despises, those he fears, and those he seems to reluctantly admire. The camaraderie is out of necessity and most definitely not borne out of affection. The bad-guy team ups as <strong>Merlyn</strong> seems to portray it, and as we see <strong>Calculator</strong> arrange, are borne out of financial motives with a tinge of a revenge factor.<br /><br /><br />I have followed bad guy teams in other books featuring: <strong>Secret Six</strong>, <strong>Spider-Man’s Sinister Six</strong>, <strong>Thunderbolts</strong>, etc. and one 3 issue run in a book, ironically following the exploits of a super-HERO team, really got me thinking on villain teams. That run was <em>JSA Classified</em> Issues 5-7. Now, I don’t mean the kind of “every single criminal getting together” type of enterprise like the Society, nor the “one chief will tell all the super-villains what to do” type of conspiracy depicted as <strong>Two-Face</strong>’s elaborate plot to take over Gotham featured in the slickly-written and stunningly drawn <em>Batman: Dark Victory</em>. <em>JSA Classified</em> Issues 5-7 featuring a formation of the “Injustice Society” comprised of: <strong>Icicle</strong> (the narrator), <strong>Tigress, Wizard, Ragdoll, Solomon Grundy, Gentleman Ghost, </strong>& <strong>The Thinker</strong>. I really liked a lot of the runs in that title. I especially liked THAT little run, produced by the incredibly talented team of Van Meter, Oliffe, & Geraci, as it focused more on the IJSA[/b] and how they depended upon, came to the aid of, and supported each other, as opposed to the JSA and they’re usual troublesome travails. An aspect of the storyline I enjoyed, and to tell the absolute truth I’m not sure if this is good comic book or bad comic bad storytelling, was icicle’s solid friendship with <strong>Wizard</strong> and how determined he was to assist his friend in his friend’s hour of need. Even though the risks were great and he wasn’t quite sure of what he was dealing with, <strong>Icicle</strong> was not going to let his friend give up without trying everything to help him. He also used the formation of their little cabal in order to re-ignite his love affair with <strong>Tigress</strong>. Like I said, I can’t tell if its good comic book writing or bad comic book writing to have a bad guy, a through-and-through villain, be so driven by friendship and romance. Its not that he does stupid and illegal things for his friend and lover and only do crime because he has to, no…he’s an avowed evil-doer. Rehabilitation is not in the cards for Mr. Mahkent. However, he is given complexity and layers to his character so that he’s not hated without reason and he’s not just a caricature of a nefarious ne’er-do-well. I’ll come down and say it’s <strong>GOOD</strong> comic book writing.<br /><br /><br />Soon though, the baddies all learn who and what they’re dealing with and aren’t really all that excited about letting <strong>Johnny Sorrow</strong> back into this dimension as he is not known to play well with others. <strong>Ragdoll</strong> double crosses them all, as they expected all along, and ends up getting fricasied by <strong>Mr. Sorrow</strong>’s return to this dimension. <strong><em>AGAIN...</em></strong>as they expected all along. It ends with <strong>Johnny Sorrow</strong> eagerly voicing that he is back in command of the <strong>Injustice Society</strong>, and is the only one in the room happy about this turn of events.<br /><br /><br />Long story short…what I’ve been thinking about is the dynamics of “super teams” and specifically, super-villain teams. It seems like there are specific key elements to comprising teams that comic book authors and illustrators follow faithfully. I think it’d be a kick in the pants to be able to bounce around ideas of who could fit well with who and what they could be good at. But I’m a nerd like that. Here are some I’ve noticed:<br /><p><br />1. Each team needs a physical powerhouse. Whether its <strong>IBAC</strong>, <strong>Solomon Grundy</strong> in the <strong>JSA</strong> run I mentioned or <strong>Solomon Grundy</strong> in <em>Dark Victory</em>, each team needs one character who’s going to be able to fight several people at one time and, subsequently, take a large amount of the blows.</p><br /><br /><br />2. Each team needs a meta-human, magical, or alien powerhouse. Well, they need one if they want to be successful, that is. Some key member that can lay waste to a city by blinking or something. Someone to lend some credence to the squad’s cache and someone possessing the firepower to make any serious threats believable. I’m thinking someone like Prometheus, <strong>Amazo</strong>, or <strong>Black Adam</strong>. <strong>Black Adam</strong> filled this role in the <strong>Society</strong>, IMO (although with <strong>Luthor</strong>, <strong>Deathstroke</strong>, and <strong>Calculator</strong> on the squad that’s like a literal “<u>Murderer’s Row</u>” line-up there).<br /><br /><br /><br />3. Each team needs a legitimate “<em>psycho</em>”. Someone who actually scares the other bad guys on the team. This is vital because when you’re on a bad guy team doing bad guy stuff, someone is going to have to get their hands dirty. Just in case you’ve comprised a team of somewhat squeamish bad guys, it pays to enlist someone like <strong>Joker</strong>, <strong>Crime Doctor</strong>, <strong>Shadowthief</strong>, etc.<br /><br /><br /><br />4. Each team needs to know that one of their own is going to double-cross them all. That’s just the price of doing business with the baddest of the bad, I guess, but there will always be one member of the team to say “Screw you all” and go for themselves. I think this plot twist has borne itself out in every bad-guy team ever. <strong><u>EVER</u></strong>.The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-63355140819055355492008-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:002008-11-17T14:11:21.090-08:00Kracka-THOOOM!!! - My love affair with a samurai rabbit<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />I’ve been reading <strong>Usagi Yojimbo (UY)</strong> pretty much exclusively as of late and I have to say that nothing has touched me, and inspired me, so much since I began my infatuation with Usagi’s stable-mate The GOON. Much like Mr. Powell’s work from 3-4 years ago, <strong>Stan Sakai</strong>'s subtly splendriffical creation strikes the perfect note with me. It’s cartooney and simple on every page, but that’s not meant as a negative here at all. I’ve used the words “cartooney” and “simple” but I consistently find Usagi Yojimbo conveying an advanced, perhaps “dignified” is a better word(?), sensibility. For perfect example of what I mean regarding UY’s dignity, take a look at the sketch that serves as the guest artists’ introduction to the Dark Horse UY trade “Duel at Kitanoji ” (Vol. 17). Legendary MAD Magazine mad-genius Jack Davis duplicates a distinctive UY cover that displayed the sword wielding rabbit donning a traditional Japanese straw hat, poised with his back elbow raised high, his face set in a grim determination and his blade ready to strike its target true. In JD’s rendition of the image UY is replaced by the artist, Samurai Davis-san, and suddenly becomes less real. Both drawings would correctly fit the dictionary definition of “cartooney”, meaning that neither one of them convey a sense of “lifelike” illustration, only somehow in some way Sakai’s drawing of a Samurai rabbit conveys more composure and believability than Davis’. This is no knock on Mr. Davis at all, I just feel it best illustrates Stan Sakai’s ability to be so consistently and abjectly cartooney yet never be silly about it.<br /><br /><br /><br />I truly believe while operating at its zenith, Sakai’s book expects very little from the reader by way of design, plot development and characterization while simultaneously demanding the same reader possess a modicum of intelligence in order to follow along. The anthropomorphic creatures are unapologetically cartooney, their actions are black & white good & evil, and very little exposition and/or plot development is left un-said, but I have yet to find even one panel to be buffoonish or childish. The storytelling is also pitch-perfect for me as it moves at a brisk clip with events unfolding rapidly. Usagi Yojimbo also often juggles storylines as it follows several distinct characters unwittingly meandering their way toward their ultimate convergences with one another, and once again I find it’s all to the goodage.<br /><br /><br /><br />The wanderings of Yosagi & Co., in this little slice of feudal Japan, never seems forced, never seems heavy handed, and it never gets stilted and bogged down. This is where the simplicity is a boon to the storytelling. The storytelling is also benefited, however, by the delightful brush work of Stan Sakai and the incredibly rich and detailed backdrop he’s able to wring out of black and white. Technically…its black ink and the absence of black ink on the page that we’re looking at, but in Stan’s masterful hands it becomes a beautiful display of heavy and fine lines, of intricate patterns, of vibrant flora and fauna and of ornately detailed architecture. The rigid straight lines of Japanese architecture and design are given a soft, bouncy treatment on the pages. Straight lines don’t exist in Mr. Sakai’s world and God bless him for it! I adore his style.<br /><br /><br /><br />I think panel for panel this book offers more action, literal “mano y mano” combat type action, than 99% of the books out there. And though the life of the sword-swingin’ Samurai (or in Usagi’s case: the life of a Ronin) living by the Bushido code is bound to be violent, when the samurai shit hits the Japanese folding fan the book never goes the grisly gross-out route. Sword slices are more implied than anything, with the poor unfortunate slice-ee simply uttering a “GOO!” or a “HYUK!!” and their face contorts in a grimace. Curvy lines arc from Usagi’s back to his sword, which offers a simple “shnuck”, and the unseen blood is spilt. Seriously guys…with as many sword fight scenes are in every one of these books…I think what if Rick Remender, Tony Moore, or even Eric Powell drew this?! There’d be bone fragments, entrails and brain matter flying every which away. But somehow in some odd way, Stan Sakai manages to stuff his book full with beautifully drawn action and swordfight scenes without once EVER veering into the sophomoric or slapstick avenues most would take it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Long story short, I recommend picking up the TPBs “Grasscutter” (Vol. 12) or “The Mother of Mountains ” (Vol. 21) and check it out.</span><br /></span>The Corkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230846937847402891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-34974076148249857302008-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:002008-10-21T15:55:14.782-07:00Bless those damn Limeys!<a href="http://images.comicbookresources.com/solicits/marvelcomics/200805-advance/CAPBRIT001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px;" alt="" src="http://images.comicbookresources.com/solicits/marvelcomics/200805-advance/CAPBRIT001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span id="fullpost"></span></div><br /><br /><div>Okay, let's admit it, Secret Invasion sucks. Personally, I stopped reading after issue 4. This is my first major 'event' and I gotta say it has ruined me for all future 'events'. Thanks Marvel. But, I have to say that the best thing to come out of this hodgepodge of crap called Secret Invasion is "Captain Britain and MI:13". Paul Cornell has done a great job at creating a neat cast of characters that mesh well together and his plotting has been excellent as well. And, unlike in Secret Invasions, shit actually happens in this comic. So far (Spoilers):<br />-Captain Britain has died and come back...with a new costume.<br />-John the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Skrull</span> dies.<br />-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Faiza</span> (who seemed to be an insignificant character at first) becomes the new wielder of Excalibur. </div>-Blade has joined the MI:13!! I didn't even know dude was British!<br /><div><br />And that's just the first five issues!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>The first story arc was a direct SI tie-in but it was pretty damn good on it's own merit. Besides fighting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Skrull</span> army, the first arc was mainly about establishing the cast of characters as a cohesive unit, which Cornell does well.<br /><div><br /></div>For those of you not interested in magic, dragons, tea and all that kooky stuff those damn Limeys are into, I would still recommend this book just on the writing alone. Cornell has done a great job of combing traditional British-magic with superheroes in a really kick-ass way. So go out and but this book! Now!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-2308725676337912882008-03-24T10:41:00.000-07:002008-04-08T07:13:54.586-07:00When Bad Idea Jeans Fit Very NiceAfter World Wide Hulk ended and I saw the list of books that were coming out afterwards, I had pretty much resigned myself to not buying anything in the Hulk Universe anymore.<br /><br />Matter of fact, the only reason I bought Incredible Herc #111: the Art Adams cover. No, seriously.<br /><br />Damn, am I glad I did!<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />On paper, this should have been awful. Hercules, a character who can't maintain his own title for longer than 20 issues. Amadeus Cho, another one of those Marvel characters who is smarter than everybody else*<br /><br />And I'll be honest, the first issue was just okay but then Pak had the inspired idea to make the first true villain of the first arc, Ares.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://image.comicvine.com/uploads/news/2007-12-15/70309_1000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 424px;" src="http://image.comicvine.com/uploads/news/2007-12-15/70309_1000.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's as if everyone forgot that Ares used to be a villain and a dick for that matter.<br /><br />The ongoing fight between the two - which his hilarious yet manages to grow the characters - is what Daniel Way is going for with his Wolverine vs. Deadpool fight in <span style="font-style: italic;">Wolverine: Origins</span> with less than stellar returns. Tying their fight to Hercules' mythology has made Hercules and Ares more interesting characters.<br /><br />Meanwhile, you have Amadeus Cho continuing his ongoing technological war with S.H.E.I.L.D. I appreciate that while Cho is incredibly intelligent, he is a kid and his emotional rationalization for his actions are questionable and immature (bringing down the nation's security for his injured puppy?)<br /><br />It's kinda sad that the best Marvel books out right now - The Incredible Herc, Iron Fist, The Order - don't involve their flagship characters and are on the verge of (or already are headed for) cancellation<br /><br />If Jeph Loeb's Hulk is the future of the character, I hope he never comes back to Incredible.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">* Do they still make Marvel baseball cards with the stats on the back? If so, who is officially the smartest person in the Marvel Universe?</span></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-86186919852419091792008-02-28T09:14:00.001-08:002008-02-28T09:14:46.757-08:00Melanism says... #2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhT1ckkZxbJbhm7Gdzz2_tcbQm0WLR0KdUNIzbo4rjQuDopWVzlrwtNEXezeAvlDuUYyCuPZ6ZlZ3iM6_zDYeNQvaHeDe9zpXC0SZVkaqyoEvECFJh0AJRi9uvSDc298rlLqaATQ/s1600-h/MelSays2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhT1ckkZxbJbhm7Gdzz2_tcbQm0WLR0KdUNIzbo4rjQuDopWVzlrwtNEXezeAvlDuUYyCuPZ6ZlZ3iM6_zDYeNQvaHeDe9zpXC0SZVkaqyoEvECFJh0AJRi9uvSDc298rlLqaATQ/s400/MelSays2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172080685886281378" border="0" /></a><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-41149007180185144602008-02-18T10:37:00.001-08:002008-02-18T10:38:53.021-08:00Winick is German for 'Winner'Hello Internets. New PTP blog member here. I am The Turquoise Chef, #1 Supervillain in Coney Island.<br /><br />I'm here to talk about my favorite current writer in comics. That is Judd Winick. I read a lot of comic sites where the fuckin assholes who post there talk about how Judd is trash. Well fuck you too, Newsarama and Comicon posters. These are probably the same dickheads who would say <span style="font-style: italic;">Watchmen</span> is the greatest comic ever (what a predictable answer.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOU_CwBut5xBrIDi8HcE5uJKdGDAMbaiZsk0ZDPa0BPKoHmGD5x6rOv57CuPMmrqls89kke-oQLm6fx5JQwhR5gZOQZhyphenhyphenceS2oxrO9QFQ9OLQe_Bg_uTRsRH0JitkJfiu5l0q/s1600-h/judd.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOU_CwBut5xBrIDi8HcE5uJKdGDAMbaiZsk0ZDPa0BPKoHmGD5x6rOv57CuPMmrqls89kke-oQLm6fx5JQwhR5gZOQZhyphenhyphenceS2oxrO9QFQ9OLQe_Bg_uTRsRH0JitkJfiu5l0q/s320/judd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168386968806187266" border="0" /></a><br />The GOAT!<br /><br />Sorry fuckers, but Judd is the best comic writer of the last 10 years. The only other writer who even comes close is Chuck Austen.<br /><br />What makes Judd so good? He takes former shitty characters and improves them for the new millennium.<br /><br />Take Captain Marvel for instance. He used to be a outdated douchebag like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/Whiz2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/Whiz2.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But Judd the GOAT understands that a pussy like that is irrelevant in today's society. Enter a Captain Marvel who is actually cool:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Marvel_White_Costume2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Marvel_White_Costume2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />(My fellow PTP cohort Nukkapedia will probably hate my guts for this, but what does that guy know? He thinks 2D animation is better than 3D.)<br /><br />Jason Todd? He was just a dead piece of shit until Judd turned him into the greatest villain Batman ever faced.<br /><br />Mia from <span style="font-style: italic;">Green Arrow</span>? She was just another boring girl tagalong until Judd gave her AIDS.<br /><br />Can't you see it? Don't you understand the amazing character development? I even stand alone on my opinion from the rest of the PTP blog. These dorks would probably rather read some weak mystical crap from bald wizard Grant Morrison.<br /><br />I'm a supervillain. I know good comics when I read them. This will not be my last post.<span id="fullpost"></span>The Turquoise Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231216348154844011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-28503678756005035002008-02-15T13:48:00.001-08:002008-02-15T13:49:55.134-08:00Melanism says... #1<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvO1eUdNLAeyWfoepd1b8KuUbuX2Nfq-WNVeesWJXtvaEKd887eVFOIPKUJSfJbfstk-SstIZAJxL_b0OjC5A0FxMJBvpXn52tU4wtNSNz5LW4cWzxhYaXxfrX_AEhY0NUHx2DA/s1600-h/Melsays1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvO1eUdNLAeyWfoepd1b8KuUbuX2Nfq-WNVeesWJXtvaEKd887eVFOIPKUJSfJbfstk-SstIZAJxL_b0OjC5A0FxMJBvpXn52tU4wtNSNz5LW4cWzxhYaXxfrX_AEhY0NUHx2DA/s400/Melsays1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167327333910648434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span id="fullpost"><br /></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-23925606282162233112008-01-23T23:32:00.001-08:002008-01-24T15:59:16.743-08:00Roy Terdberger's Comic Book Happenings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeiPSuahH0pBtFXMisnoqPX0YqYI4TKGBWO1-bL_8jLZE-4hn86UTL8-TnVTmUpTyvTKgEJ3dPwmigQIfbENxCvdPS20dFyTgZ-JFYPr-2hZqbP_bl-992RxbXWtfnVb1-na9/s1600-h/roy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeiPSuahH0pBtFXMisnoqPX0YqYI4TKGBWO1-bL_8jLZE-4hn86UTL8-TnVTmUpTyvTKgEJ3dPwmigQIfbENxCvdPS20dFyTgZ-JFYPr-2hZqbP_bl-992RxbXWtfnVb1-na9/s320/roy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158943375300274162" /></a>2008: Year of Teh Suck<br />by Roy Terdberger, Comics Blogger to the stars<br /><br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Terdberger here, transmitting at you live from 2.20 GHz of AMD Inspiron processing power and enough RAM to fry the short and curlies off your pruny little nut sacks. That's right, friends, Your Homeboy Roy finally saved up enough scratch for that new DELL 9200 he's been eyeing for so long (or as I like to call it, "The Pussy Magnet") - and let me tell you friends, if you thought I was a badass before, just watch out World (of Warcraft)!!!<br /><br />But I digress. Friends, as you're probably all too aware by now, 2008 is shaping up to be another landmark year in the continuing shittification of the American Funnybook. And you know Roy Terdberger isn't the type to just stand quietly in the corner when something's stuck in his craw. So I'm here to set the record straight on What's 'Hot' and What's 'Not' in 2008.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LnCf9EeG55IGdBxPfFHLacbMF7VKR3NZw9TsBKfCZH7iXvEPnSfvHxeto-5naGSR5n1xq1PYQB5zU6rwR2_XSYxCdSspHgG6SPaRGJyuEEUozf3zid3ODImjLBP5j-YCLd42/s1600-h/spiderman2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LnCf9EeG55IGdBxPfFHLacbMF7VKR3NZw9TsBKfCZH7iXvEPnSfvHxeto-5naGSR5n1xq1PYQB5zU6rwR2_XSYxCdSspHgG6SPaRGJyuEEUozf3zid3ODImjLBP5j-YCLd42/s320/spiderman2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158943736077527042" /></a>Oh sure, we've had a few high points. Take 'Brand New Day' for example. Finally someone at <b>Marv-Capital-L</b> had the wherewithal and the <i>cojones</i> to remove the continuity tumor that was the Spider-Marriage. Look, a swingin' 25 year old bachelor like Peter Parker has no business getting hitched. It's boring, it's lame, and it's completely unrealistic. Hell, I'm 36 and I've never even had a real life girlfriend. So cheers to Mr. Quesada for cutting through all the bullshit and bringing back the webshooter. Terdberger salutes you.<br /><br />Everything else though? Shit. Just shit, shit, shit, and more shit. And it's gonna get worse before it gets any better, believe you me. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0BbHDnfWWQKzG0rhU0ziQ7ae6Ie9H-hnZFUYHceE_XDj224ktfFRHWGmcxpbOEhA-B1dhk4TfNU67cPmY1Z1ANDQXjOQ3PzpJdIpuvZygZQmX8l-2tdZuzk5nFnx_AEAL7hz/s1600-h/dc.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0BbHDnfWWQKzG0rhU0ziQ7ae6Ie9H-hnZFUYHceE_XDj224ktfFRHWGmcxpbOEhA-B1dhk4TfNU67cPmY1Z1ANDQXjOQ3PzpJdIpuvZygZQmX8l-2tdZuzk5nFnx_AEAL7hz/s320/dc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158943920761120786" /></a>Let's start with DC Comics. With 'Final Crisis' just around the corner, there's no denying that DC Editor-in-Chief Dan Didio has a solid, thought out game plan for the future of the DCU. And that plan is utter, dismal failure. I mean Christ, don't even get me started on Countdown. What a clusterfuck! And trust me, I know, I've been buying it every week. This book is so bad, I almost didn't notice Geoff Johns turning Green Lantern into the fucking Mighty Morphin Power Rangers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfhlK-DGJesz7KKuA0pL_MvRQQIsoYyj2eiCxjyMZBFaSWySk3VGGr5BLeTMmFz-YVnj9KWrEWQIvlIeRDdEpfzaVW8S1GpJLsm8DTwd7z7kK0OhrZCbwsbidZtJtf0AzHp28/s1600-h/rangers.jpg"><img style="float:center; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfhlK-DGJesz7KKuA0pL_MvRQQIsoYyj2eiCxjyMZBFaSWySk3VGGr5BLeTMmFz-YVnj9KWrEWQIvlIeRDdEpfzaVW8S1GpJLsm8DTwd7z7kK0OhrZCbwsbidZtJtf0AzHp28/s320/rangers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158944071084976162" /></a><br /><br /><br />In fact the only DC comic coming out right now that's worth half a damn is Nightwing. Now <i>there's</i> a book that needs to be published weekly. Getting it 12 times a year just ain't enough Dick for yours truly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMXuo05bLJWM_FxgZ0j2DAfMW742L5n_bgHiUgBWThmGvqss-uy0ePKVxVkA4noiJuc0Ug7Z-t1pDUMzKYYAjW7SlGZ04odtjWcm_4UkHNSMH9vmuSazmT2eYwkBh_nXDjbLM/s1600-h/marvel-graphic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMXuo05bLJWM_FxgZ0j2DAfMW742L5n_bgHiUgBWThmGvqss-uy0ePKVxVkA4noiJuc0Ug7Z-t1pDUMzKYYAjW7SlGZ04odtjWcm_4UkHNSMH9vmuSazmT2eYwkBh_nXDjbLM/s320/marvel-graphic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158944212818896946" /></a>Meanwhile, over at the House of Ideas - or should I say, The House of <b>BAD</b> Ideas, everything's coming up Skrully. It's retcon season, again, and this time Marvel's cleaning house with a little help from everybody's favorite shapeshifting alien race - The Skrulls. That's right, the same Skrulls who couldn't invade their way out of a wet paper sack have evidently taken over Earth. Yes, the same Earth that Galactus himself couldn't conquer. Yeah, I'll buy <i>that</i> for a dollar. Think Civil War meets Battlestar Galactica (the new one, not the good one), meets whatever drug Brian Michael Bendis was on when he pitched this pitiful excuse for a crossover event. Whatever happened to good crossovers like Heroes Reborn? Oh well, at least this time I've got a contingency plan to reap profit from this dark and dreadful hour:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpeUVsMOcOhujZY_x8DcHKOTUGZKQ7eR3SwSAgQQkfDJwhLtyPlTwAdwCT4CYcBkXK-tXxWuYMHs05NVkk3vviY6Kbmw3h7zs_fNhMBMRgirmZeTgr8IW5zaDHFcCr3ZDNm1a/s1600-h/skrullshirt.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpeUVsMOcOhujZY_x8DcHKOTUGZKQ7eR3SwSAgQQkfDJwhLtyPlTwAdwCT4CYcBkXK-tXxWuYMHs05NVkk3vviY6Kbmw3h7zs_fNhMBMRgirmZeTgr8IW5zaDHFcCr3ZDNm1a/s320/skrullshirt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158944358847785026" /></a><br><br><br /><br />Pretty smart, huh?<br /><br><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzt8gCmW5ILYoCzFIyd4yiKYS7EgWdIxZVUI1MZrS-TrUr9bdcHSraAcIi9xlzawIMGuBhRtRnILKeRt_JVUrKBX5ArdcMzejDY2IMvAGexWDFjlC7yro7I3bSG338XwzpieUy/s1600-h/wizardworld_1983_168248.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzt8gCmW5ILYoCzFIyd4yiKYS7EgWdIxZVUI1MZrS-TrUr9bdcHSraAcIi9xlzawIMGuBhRtRnILKeRt_JVUrKBX5ArdcMzejDY2IMvAGexWDFjlC7yro7I3bSG338XwzpieUy/s320/wizardworld_1983_168248.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158944599365953618" /></a><br /><br /><br />And while I'm on a roll here, I just gotta ask one more thing, folks. Variant Edition Sketch Covers: What the fuck, people?! You mean to tell me for a mere 75 dollars more I can get the exact same book with a shitty, unfinished cover slapped on it? Golly fucking Gee whiz! Please. This is like McDonalds selling Big Macs for 2 bucks, then turning around and selling handfuls of raw meat for 100 bucks. Hey guys, guess what? If I wanted to look at a bunch of black and white chicken scratch, I'd read indie comics. Who's buying this shit, anyway?<br /><br />Well, that's my time folks. Stargate SG-1 starts in 10 minutes and let's face it: Some things are just more important than comics. So until next time, this is Roy Terdberger, Comics Blogger to the Stars saying: See you in the funny pages!<br /><br /></span>Roy Terdbergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814046389878013045noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-1867607176676549072008-01-23T08:33:00.000-08:002008-01-24T01:17:07.337-08:00Man, I read a damn emo comic.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nndb.com/people/197/000098900/gerard-way-1-sized.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.nndb.com/people/197/000098900/gerard-way-1-sized.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Would you read anything written by this guy?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span id="fullpost"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span id="fullpost"></span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span id="fullpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Just look at this kid. He looks like a meth addicted high school kid who really wants to be in the marching band but never signed up because he knows his friends would make fun of him, which he wouldn't be able to take considering he already has to deal with football players who aren't even that talented or popular beating him up after school every day.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span id="fullpost"><div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So I know that I sure as hell wouldn't read anything this guy was even remotely involved with. Well, at least not on purpose.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But I did. And I'm so glad I did.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This whiny, columbine-lookin' motherfucker is Gerard Way. He's the singer of </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My Chemical Romance; </span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">the closest thing anybody's gotten to </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Queen</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> since Freddie's mustache left us for a better place.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And he wrote a comic. It's called </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Umbrella Academy</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. His name is on the front, and the letters in the back even make reference to the term "rock star," but I had absolutely no reason to know who he was before reading this. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> While I used to pick which comics I followed based upon the main characters, I later realized that the author brings (arguably) the most important aspect to any comic. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Now, I often find myself following books and stories that I otherwise wouldn't have cared about based purely upon the writers. So after looking this guy up, I was really surprised to find out he hadn’t written anything else other than songs with titles like, “Early Sunset Over Monroeville.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This is the first time that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">not</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> knowing a writer’s name helped me find a new book.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But I feel like I should say at least something about the comic itself. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Since nerds like us always love describing things in vague, referential terms</span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, The Umbrella Academy</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is kind of like if you mixed </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Generation X</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> with the </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">League of Extraordinary Gentlemen </span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">and stuck it into in the world of </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hellboy</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The final issue in </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Umbrella Academy</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">'s 6 issue story, </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia-Italic;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Apocalypse Suite,</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> ships Feb 20th.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:11px;"></span></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></span></p></div></div>dudmatichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015206763585168552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-17461366186326338772008-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:002008-01-12T10:13:52.483-08:00A Titan Rides the Train<div style="text-align: center;"><span><a href="http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/theboxxer/?action=view&current=spiderman4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/theboxxer/spiderman4.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></span><br /></div> <span><br />I'm sure that any comic fan who is dependent on public transportation hates Wednesdays (or whenever they get around to picking up their four colored haul). </span><br /><span id="fullpost"><br /></span><span>I'll elaborate on why for the automobile owners momentarily. First, let it be known that I'm not one of those self-deprecating comics fans who figured out in high school that you have to make fun of yourself before others can. I feel no shame towards reading comics, but I'll be damned if my fellow commuters don't try to grill it into me.<br /><br />Seriously, reading a comic on a bus or train will have people looking at you as if you've made repeated guest appearances on To Catch a Predator.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/theboxxer/?action=view&current=dateline.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj302/theboxxer/dateline.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span>I'm quite certain that a few women who were feeling me lost all interest the moment they spotted the Midtown Comics bag I was holding. They didn't see the newest issues of Action Comics or Hellboy in my hand. Instead they saw a giant copy of Big 'Uns (can I get a "whoa Bundy?").<br /><br />Strangely enough, just as if I actually was rocking a porno mag, all the elitism in the world isn't going to stop them from trying to sneak a peak at what's going on between those pages. The interest is obviously there. Shit, I'm sure these same people had Heroes cued up on TIVO, the complete Buffy the Vampire DVD</span><span> set, and saw 300 on the opening day.<br /><br />At the end of a work day, I can't be concerned about what these closeted comic fans are thinking about me. I have a 2 hour commute, and best believe I'd rather break out my Birth of a Nation GN rather then reset my ipod's eternally dwindling battery for the fifth time that day.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Unless, of course, I'm sitting next to a remotely attractive woman. In that case I just may have to carry a sudoku book or something.</span>Brother Afronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03943639730537286838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-28203248795946894192007-10-30T11:13:00.000-07:002007-10-30T14:02:31.992-07:00Why I'm Not Blogging About Heroes Anymore.<center><img src="http://www.tvsa.co.za/blogimages/heroes_heroes_logo.jpg" /></center><br />That's right, faithful reader. I've reached the end of my stick with writing about this show but before I go, a few parting shots:<span id="fullpost"><br /><ul><li>You know things have gone awry when I'm rooting for Sylar to kill the Typhoid Twins.</li><li>What's the point of Sylar anyway? He has essentially been reset to season one Sylar, trying to get his powers back up.</li><li>Speaking of reset, this show as too many characters and stories back at square one</li><ul><li>Peter is trying to figure out his powers</li><li>There is a dystopian future he must prevent</li><li>Issac's paintings are the key even though he's been dead for 5 plus months storywise and despite his spell of no input due to not being high, we're too believe he painted at least 7 more future laden clues before Sylar ate his brain</li><li>Mohinder trusts the wrong guy</li></ul><li>Mohinder is the symbol for everything I hate about this show right now. His character is so dumb it is beyond comprehension. I remember how happy I was when I thought Sylar killed him last season.</li><li>I don't care about Claire trying to fit into a new school or her new stalker boyfriend.</li><li>What do you do with your best and most popular character (and Emmy-nominated actor)? You separate him from the rest of the cast and give him his own lame storyline.</li><li>As much as I hated the "Save the Cheerleader, Save The World" campaign, at least it showed that the story was going somewhere. This year, I have no clue what the hell is going on.<br /></li><li>H.R.G. is the only interesting character on the show.</li><li>Given how great and exciting "Five Years Later" was in season one, isn't it clear the producers should have let Peter blow up New York?<br /></li></ul>I'm going to keep watching but I just can't muster up the energy to write about this show.<br /><br />Countdown to <span style="font-style: italic;">Lost</span> begins now</span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-82189513820653094192007-10-25T09:25:00.000-07:002007-10-25T09:36:54.294-07:00The Break-Up<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 411px; height: 237px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/CountdownDC.jpg" /><br /></div><br />Dear Countdown:<br /><br />I tried to do this in person but you wouldn't see. I tried to call you but you wouldn't pick up the phone. So you have left me no choice but to write you this letter.<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />CD, this just is working out for me anymore. I thought I could hold on and wait to see if this relationship went anywhere but I can't. I thought it would be like before, when you were 52. But now, I don't know. Did I change? Did you change?<br /><br />No, I'm pretty sure we both changed. You keep going on aimlessly in your life, not knowing where you want to go. You took on too many things at once and now I don't even know what going on with you.<br /><br />I've changed too. I've been in abusive relationships like this before, sticking around just to see how things ended. I hate feeling like I wasted all my time if I'm not going to stick around to the end. But I've got to be mature. I've got to let you go and move on. <br /><br />I'm sorry that this didn't work out but don't worry, there are other readers out there in sea for you. I just can't be one of them.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Melanism<br /><br />P.S.: Do you have Sinestro Wars phone number?</span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-91121050857846534812007-10-24T08:20:00.000-07:002007-10-24T08:51:32.350-07:00Heroes Season Two: "Fight or Flight"<center><img src="http://www.tvsa.co.za/blogimages/heroes_heroes_logo.jpg" /></center><br /><br />I miss <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Investigations">Mars Investigations</a>.<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />I'm changing my style of writing about these episodes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Liked:</span><br /><ul><li>Kristen Bell is back on television.</li><li>Matt Parkman expanding the use of his powers.</li><li>No Claire/SuperStalker in this episode</li><li>No Typhoid Twins in his episode</li><li>Micah being Yoda to Monica's Luke Skywalker. It's good to see someone have fun with their powers for once (not counting Elle frying one of the Irishmen)</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Didn't Like:</span><br /><ul><li>Since they made such a big deal of Kristen Bell joining the cast, they kind of wasted her.</li><li>I've been told by a couple of people that I'm being nitpicky but it really annoys me how quickly character's travel on this show. I'm going to need a timeline because without them saying so, I'm assuming that all these stories are going on at the same or around the same time.</li><li>I can't stand how stupid these characters act. Why would Mohinder bring Molly back to the company when there the ones who had her locked up in the first place? Why would Matt, a POLICE DETECTIVE, enter a room with a suspect (father or not) that he hasn't inspected? Why would Niki go to The Company for her problems when Linderman, who ran the Company, shot her husband, D.L.? I can do this all day...</li><li>Why isn't there more of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Effect">Butterfly Effect</a> with Hiro tampering in the past? They showed in the beginning how is actions changed the past a little bit but they haven't remarked on it since.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Questions:</span><br /><ul><li>Without access to Molly's ability tracking power and giving that Monica JUST learned she had powers, how did Mohinder show up on her doorstep?</li><li>Who is Elle's father? (I think Papa Petrelli is still alive)</li><li>How did whomever Elle was working for lose Peter in the first place?</li><li>Is Papa Parkman really The Nightmare Man?</li><li>Did Nathan has facial reconstructive surgery in the four months from saving New York and the premiere?</li><li>Does Matt have the ability to save Molly himself with his expanding powers?</li><li>Who else's powers have we not seen the full extent of?</li><li>Was Peter lying when he said his new Irish girlfriend's artwork was good?</li></ul></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-91288516604012963472007-10-15T19:06:00.000-07:002007-10-15T19:11:48.800-07:00Heroes Season Two: "The Kindness of Strangers"<center><img src="http://www.tvsa.co.za/blogimages/heroes_heroes_logo.jpg" /></center><br /><br />After the preview for next week, I already don't care about this episode.<span id="fullpost"><br /><ul><li>Why didn't anyone call Claire's parents after she ditched school with SuperStalker?</li><li>If anyone is going to put a bullet in HRG's eye, it will be SuperStalker?</li><li>Aww, my two dads. They are a little too close in their argument. I can't be the only one who expected a smooch.</li><li>Damn, that is a nice beard.</li><li>What happened to Nate's wife who helped ruin season six of 24?</li><li>"I'm not allowed to be here. Bitch, I'm Nathan Petrelli. I will fly you to the sky and drop your ass."</li><li>Typhoid Twins...perfect, I wanted to check on the Giants game.</li><li>7-3 Giants.</li><li>Sylar got pretty far with a bloody stomach in the woods in the middle of nowhere.</li><li>Is Uhura reading from a teleprompter?</li><li>Apparently, you need to be kinda cute to have powers. (Doing an age check on IMDB for Dana Davis)</li><li>So she confesses for a crime that they should have on videotape? </li><li>"But I can fly." Nice pickup line.</li><li>(Dana Davis is legal. Awesome)</li><li>Nathan shaved. I hope he donated his beard hair to goodwill</li><li>Matt is teaming up with another power. This should end well.</li><li>Bye Mama Petrelli. I know she's not dead yet but the Heroes writing staff was never known for its subtlety.</li><li>How are they twins but only one can understand English?</li><li>Well, Typhoid Twins are going to be suckers too.</li><li>(Please let this not play out with Sylar killing the brother which sets the sister loose killing everyone. That seems too stupid, right? RIGHT?!?!)</li><li>How is that guy cast as the store manager on two shows on NBC that air back-to-back (Chuck)?</li><li>Katrina victims are the new show stereotypes in 2007. </li><li>Claire, your dad is the master. How do you think you can lie to him?</li><li>HOW IS THIS DUDE FLYING IN DAYLIGHT??!?!</li><li>Damn, Parkman. You got hit with the double whammy: wife cheated AND the baby's his!</li><li>Matt's daddy is a power? </li><li>We at Heroes understand the plight of the African-American Katrina Survivors.</li></ul><br /><center><img src="http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=3822" /></center><br /><ul><li>This relationship is moving a little too fast,no?</li><li>Way to not use your powers, Micah?</li><li>Way to nuzzle up to your cousin's breasts, kid. I wonder how many takes they filmed.</li><li>So one of the people in that photo is the boogeyman. If this were "Lost", I would rewind to the scene where Matt and Nathan looked at the photo and see who was the most noteworthy actor who had not been introduced yet and deduce that he was The Nightmare Man. But this isn't lost and the Giants game is still on.</li><li>What's with Nathan's mirror image?</li><li>Did Sylar just say "golly"?</li><li>Honestly, those police sketches aren't even so good that if you look at it, you immediately know it was them.</li><li>How is Sylar healed from his sword wound?</li><li>Nice defection Claire.</li><li>So H,R.G. and The Haitian are on the road again?</li><li>Does NBC know that the WWE owns all those moves? Did they have to pay Vince Mcmahon for use of Rey Mysterio's 619?</li><li>Way to go, Matt. How did child services leave a child in your hands?</li></ul>Next Week: VERONICA MA...UM...KRISTEN BELL!!!!!!! Now I give a shit about this show.<br /><center><img style="width: 272px; height: 223px;" src="http://wwwimage.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/images/2007/08/20/image3185674.jpg" /></center></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461115.post-30304247501192451012007-10-09T02:29:00.000-07:002007-10-09T17:36:25.051-07:00Heroes Season Two: "Kindred"<center><img src="http://www.tvsa.co.za/blogimages/heroes_heroes_logo.jpg" /></center><br />Sylar's back. Can he bring some excitement back to this season?<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />Random thoughts for last night's episode:<br /><ul><li>Take the fucking box, Peter!</li><li>When exactly does the Typhoid Twins story get interesting? Dania Ramirez is hot but not "ignore the deficiencies in the story" hot</li><li>Who tries to steal a car in broad daylight in front of a cop? How hard is it for two people to stay together?</li><li>I knew D.L. was dead (despite getting shot less than Parkman)</li><li>Candice/Michelle: I guess an illusionist is an easy role to recast (FYI,the original Candice is now on Reaper on the CW)</li><li>I bet Sylar wishes he got to eat Claire's brain</li><li>How hard would it be to track the purchases of Papa Suresh's book?</li><li>So Parkman knows about Mohinder's secret meeting? I wonder if Mohinder told Matt or he just read his mind.</li><li>How did the state award custody to a divorced cop and a guy who goes around the country holding lectures about people with superpowers?</li><li>OK, the notes to Ando are pretty cool but you are telling that no one notice a note to Ando in all those centuries?</li><li>So Claire/s stalker is a dick?</li><li>Who flies in broad daylight? Nice to see that their special effects budget has increased?</li><li>Go home, Hiro.</li><li>Do they cast from <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Trek</span> conventions? If Scotty had been alive, would he have been the boss of the fake Irish gang?</li><li>I like this Anakin Skywalker Peter we've got going...then he ruined it by not opening the fucking box.</li><li>How Sylar obtain Michelle's powers? How does his powers actually work?</li><li>Great, Sylar is LOST. Hopefully he can defend himself against smoke monsters and polar bears?</li><li>Oh, why couldn't Issac's painting have shown Mohinder with a bullet in his eye?</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2007/10/hrgdead.jpg" /><br /></div></span>Melanismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.com2