Slightly Delayed Reviews

Oh this was a pretty darned good week. Is it me, or did November just fly by? I hope everyone enjoyed their turkey.

Robin; Son of Batman #6

I have been enjoying the heck out of Pat Gleason's first foray into writing, and with this issue we more or less come to a resolution of what Damian has been up to. He has been doing his best to make amends for the havoc he wreaked during his "Year of Blood" when Talia had him gong around stealing relics and proving himself a worthy Al Ghul. He has learned a few lessons along the way, which is a good thing.

Talia is back but I am pretty sure she hasn't learned much, and Damian is smart enough to not let her talk her way back into his good graces. A little too much bloody water over the dam for that to happen.

So...a very good book. Great art too.


Sinestro #17

Sinestro and Black Adam are fighting against the Paling, who just happens to be an old Guardian. Those guys never stop causing trouble! Naturally Adam gets turned into a Yellow Lantern. Also, Wonder Woman shows up.

It's not bad... but it does seem to be dragging just a little.


Angela: Queen of Hel #2

Olay, waaaaaay back when, Freyja condemned all the angels of the tenth realm of Heven to go to be slaves of Hela when they died, since they stole her baby, who grew up to be Angela. Sera died and naturally Angela has gone to find her and to fight off demons and tests and so on.

Again, it's not bad, but I have to admit that I preferred the previous stuff with the Faustian and stuff. I also have to admit that I find Angela as a character to be pretty dull. Sera is a lot more interesting. So, this is okay, but not fabulous.


Groot #6

As always, this is a hoot. The Guardian's get to party with the X Men, and we learn a bit about Groot and where he came from, and his compassion, and his loyalty. He is a great character, and it's just a fun book.

Pretty darned good!


Squirrel Girl #2

Oh god, how I do love this book. Doreen somehow ends up going back in time to the sixties, along with Tippy, but they manage to keep their heads, and even to adapt, and send messages to the future.
Nancy is the only one who remembers, and naturally is smart enough to find the messages that Doreen leaves for her.

It's a romp and a half and a heckuva lot of fun. 

So... Much... Fun!


Saga #31

Woohoo! Saga is back! Hazel is a couple of years older and still with her grandmother, which is god, but Alana and Marko are still out there trying to find her. Also, Izabel shows up and helps save the day. Gosh I missed our little ghost, entrails and all.

Hazel is more or less in school, and reveals a surprise to her teacher... who definitely is very surprised.

Fabulous of course.

So not a bad week at all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can't do reviews.  Plan to be eating.  And so should you.

Thursday Reveiws

Things are definitely improving this month so far.

Batman'66 #29

Dang it, I'm going to miss this book when it is gone.  It has done a superb job of capturing the essence and flair of those old television shows, that enraptured me in my by-gone youth.  This issue has a breakout planned by Ma Parker and her family, and it is more or less a plot to get her kids into prison with her.  Batman happily obliges, by putting them in Arkham, instead of in the two other prisons...much to the wardens relief.

The Catwoman shows up and is naturally nabbed by the Caped Crusader, but he's all in a tizzy because Robin and Batgirl have also been nabbed by Grundy, Killer Croc and Killer Croc...who all escaped in Ma Parker's breakout. So Catwoman teams up with Bats in order to save them.  Batman is swooning over Julie Newmar...er...Catwoman, as naturally anyone would. 

I love Julie Newmar.  Still my favorite Catwoman.

Good silly fun.


Green Lantern: Lost Army #6

Well, I still have to say that I really do like the art in this book.  All of a sudden, Mogo is also in a pickle, being attacked by all the Lightsmiths of the previous universe, and all of the remaining Lanterns have also shown up including Simon Baz, about whom, I had frankly forgotten after all this time.  There is a lot of fighting naturally.  Salaak is trying desperately to help Mogo, while Relic and Krona do their plotting.  There's just something about those two...!

For some reason, colored pyramids land on Mogo and different Lanterns now have different colors, and Guy loses his red ring.  It's a little abrupt, I know that they are ending this series, and things had to be rushed, but it is obviously a bit TOO rushed, in my opinion.  Anyway, there is a crack in the universe, and they all rush to the Source Wall so that they can bust through and get back to their own Universe, but unfortunately, Hal is there, sealing it up from the other side. 

Oh Hal, you schmuck.  John is the only one who sees that it is Hal, so naturally...he lies to everyone and says that the hole collapsed or something. You just know this is going to come back and bite him in the butt eventually.  And that is that...to be continued in January with Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion. Because Krona has...plans. And that is usually not a good thing.

Not a bad book.  A million times better than the regular GL book. I hope they keep Jesus Saiz as the artist and colorist, because it is really a pretty book. 

Hawkeye #1

I missed this for some reason last week.  I was originally all excited, because I loved the previous Hawkeye book.  For some reason though...this just didn't grab me.  Instead of flashbacks to the past, now we have flashforwards, of twenty years, when Clint is an old washed-up former Avenger and Kate is a rich and snotty crime fighter, and they get together, because those three mutant kids that they rescued from Hydra and then gave up to SHIELD or whatever have caused all sorts of mayhem in the future...and IT'S THEIR FAULT!

Meh. 

I miss the old artwork, and this just isn't really...all that interesting to me. I'll probably hang around for a few more issues to see if it improves. 


Ms. Marvel #l

While I consider it a bit on the ridiculous to have all of these new number ONE books, with the same storylines, and writers and artists, at least I have Kamala back.  Now she is a member of the Avengers, and while I am glad that she's going to be in the Avengers...isn't she a bit on the young and inexperienced side?  I've always considered the Avengers to be the A-list roster of superheroes.  Not necessarily a place to learn to be a hero. The old Justice Society was the place for that, but wrong company. 

But I am straying from the point. 

Things are more or less back to normal.  Kamala's time is a bit strained since she is trying to save the world, be an Avenger and go to School all at the same time.  And Bruno has a new girlfriend, which really catches her by surprise.  She's a bit miffed about it actually. She doesn't want to be with Bruno romantically...at least so she says, but she is still a little jealous that he's moved on.  Naturally.  And his new girlfriend is such an adorable, plump little bundle of love! 

Meanwhile, some shady corporation is buying up all the businesses in the area, and driving out the original occupants,and strong-arming them into leaving, and using her likeness on a giant billboard, which enrages all her fans, who think she has sold out, but she hasn't, and hasn't given permission, but apparently since she is in the public domain, anyone can use her likeness?  She needs to go and talk to Tony Stark I would think, about that.  Or at least his lawyers. 

Fabulous as usual!


The Mighty Thor #1

This was a humdinger of a book.  Ragnarok is over, and they are all still around, (thanks to Loki) Things are not all sunshine and roses however.  Jane is still Thor, but she still has her cancer, and she's getting chemotherapy. Unfortunately, every time she changes into Thor, it burns all the chemo out of her system...but doesn't get rid of the cancer. So the thing that makes her stronger is also the thing that is killing her. But she doesn't stop, and really, who can blame her? 

She goes with Volstagg to the Senate of the Realms, because the unholy alliance between Roxxon and Malekith is going strong.  Malekith is killing off light Elves, which are raining down on Roxxon's space station, where they are actually changing Earth's weather patterns...for a price.  Roxxon is a piece of work. 

Meanwhile back in Asgard, apparently Odin has gone nutso, and locked Freyja up in prison, which seems odd.  Cul is being head of the Asgardian Gestapo, and has "Wanted" posters out for Jane.  Things are not as they should be. And Odinson Thor is nowhere to be found. 

The Bad Guys have all gotten together to gloat a little, and add some new members to their Evil Club, including Trolls, some rather odd people from Muspelheim, a newly resurrected Laufey of the Frost Giants...oh and Loki.

Gosh, it's good to see Loki again.  I don't really think that he's going evil again, but I am sure that he is up to some serious mischief. 

This is a seriously good book. 

Not a bad week at all. 

Well, THAT Was Different!

So...I was noodling around on the computer, because seriously,what else would I be doing?  And out of the blue, and completely by accident, I found Youtube.  Or is that You Tube?  I have heard of this of course, and have even stumbled upon other things.  But I may have just found the greatest thing on the Internet.

The Avengers: It's Raining Men.

If I had the foggiest idea of how to send you there I would, but I assume that you are all much smarter and more accomplished in this whole Interwebs thingie than I am.  But seriously, you must see this.  I laughed so hard I thought I was going to soil myself. 

It's just...so perfect.

Tiny Reviews

Well that was a small week!

All New All Different Avengers #1

There seems to be a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that is alluded to in this book. That's okay, and it is rather nice that they do include Kamala's and the new Nova kid's first meeting.  That said, I liked this.  Sam's rescue on the bridge as the new Captain America, with Tony showing up in his flying car and all the Girl Scouts and phones was cute...and probably realistic.  Mark Waid has an excellent ear for dialogue and plots, and Adam Kubert does a nice job with the artwork.

It's an interesting combination of heroes, with Iron Man of course, and Thor, but it is Jane Foster Thor, the new Vision,  the Falcon as Cap, and just for fun, the new Nova, new Spider-Man, and Ms. Marvel.  Quite the combination of experience and youth.  We'll see how it all goes, but I am optimistic about this. 

The villain of the piece is some random Chitaurii, which of course borrows from the movies, and the guy who bought Stark Tower...is that the Minotaur guy?  Tony, Sam and Spider-Man swing into action...and get creamed. 

Then we have the first meeting between Kamala and Nova, and it is simply adorable.  They are both so young and doing their best, and trying out their patter and such.  Nova is fighting an alien, and Ms. Marvel shows up but she's not too impressed by his wit, and cavalier attitude towards her neighborhood.  Nova doesn't know who the buildings belong to, he's just trying to subdue the threat, but she can't forget who lives there, which is actually a rather refreshing attitude.

So afterwards, he's trying to impress her, she's not too impressed, but nervous, and then to top it off, he takes off his mask and tells her his name which completely floors her, because she isn't sure what to do in return.  Should she return the favor?  She NEEDS her secret identity, and she just met this guy, and what the hell is she supposed to do?  Then HE gets nervous, because he doesn't know what to do either, and it is very very well done.

Good book!

Thors #4

Finally!  It seemed like forever before this came out.  So Rune Thor turns out to be the bad Guy, killing off all of the Jane Fosters and Donald Blakes of Doomworld, and a few Thors who got in his way.  He's about to kill off hobo-Loki, when Ultimate Thor and Unworthy Thor show up and naturally a fight ensues.  He's been killing off all the Janes, because the NEW Thor, aka Jane Foster has shown up and told them all that Doom isn't the All-Father and Doomgard is not their home, they are Aesir, and should just snap out of it already. 

Naturally there is a lot of Thor on Thor action.  It's fun, and I can always watch some hammer-swinging. 


The Darkseid War/Green Lantern #1

I haven't been all that impressed with the whole Darkseid war thing going on. I don't really care.  The various Justice Leaguers have been turned into New Gods...I think.  Hard to say.  Batman has Metron's chair and is being a pretentious jackass...or at least MORE of one.  Flash is now the Black Racer or Death or something.  I haven't been reading them. But of course, I just can't resist a Green Lantern, and it is odd, but Hal actually seems to be the one with his head on the straightest!  Whodathunk? 

So, a mother box has gone to Oa, and taken over the battery, and keeps asking the various Green Lanterns if they want to be a God, and naturally, they all said no, because that's how they roll, and they all fail and get turned into Parademons.  So Hal shows up, after a bit of flashback to him in church trying to light a candle in memory of his father's death and talking to a mysterious figure in a flight jacket. 

So, being Hal, he does the unexpected, and decides to take the offer of being a God, and uses that power to restore all the Green Lanterns and Oa, and oh, it was Hal all along in the church talking to his younger self, and a lot of stuff about will power.  Then Hal says thanks, can you take away my Godhood and send me home, and everything is hunky dory again. 

Who knew it could be that easy?  And Hal is off to go smack Bruce around a bit for being a pretentious jackass, which I would have to say, would be a lovely thing to see.  So...it's nice to actually see Hal being Hal for a change.

Fables: The Wolf Among Us #ll

There is a lot about Bloody Mary, and boy has she got an attitude!  She and the Tweedles take Ichabod Crane, off to torture or something to do with the Crooked Man, but not before they fill Bigby with a whole lot of lead, and a silver bullet which stings like crazy.  But Snow White gives up Crane to save Bigby which makes him happy.  There is a fair amount of murder and mayhem along the way, but we still don't know who is committing the murders.

It's nice to see some of my favorite characters, but boy, does this thing drag a bit.  Not terrible, but awfully slow...with a lot of detours along the way. 

And that's that.  A small week. Not a bad week, but small.  But things do seem to be improving on the horizon, which is a good thing.

Whatever Happened To...?

With all the newish continuity at DC, whatever happened to Starman? I know that Courtney has Jack's staff, but I can only assume that they have changed how she got it. Is Jack still in existence now? What about the original Starman?  And for that matter whatever happened to the Shade?

Dang it, I miss these guys. James Robinson's run on Starman was phenomenal. There really isn't anything out there right now that can compare, with the possible exception of the recent Sandman mini series that just finished up.

Something else occurred to me. Marvel has a habit of taking obscure (to the general public at least) characters and making thumping good movies out of them. DC... not so much. They seem to be stuck making endless Superman and Batman movies and retelling the origins over and over. But... if they ever wanted to go the Marvel route and pick an obscure character to make a movie about, the I would pay good money for a Shade movie.

And get Tom Hiddleston to play the Shade. He'd be... perfect.

A Delicious Gothic Delight

Yesturday I finally went to go see "Crimson Peak" at my local cinema. I don't actually go out to the movies all that often, but...oh my.  I may just have just swooned.  I have to admit that I am not much of a horror movie fan.  They give me nightmares.  But the prospect of ogling Tom Hiddleston's bare derriere was just too much of a lure.

Let me just say off the top, that Tom Hiddleston's behind is indeed a beautiful and glorious thing to behold.  I'm still lying limply on my fainting couch with a fan.  But this is a gloriously gorgeous movie...a veritable feast for the eyes and senses.  The colors, the costumes, the scenery and sets...are all just exquisite.  There are some seriously scary parts as well, but at least they actually make sense in the context of the plot and aren't just there for gratuitous blood and guts.  There IS blood...and plenty of it...but it is in essence a love story.  An amazingly horrible and twisted love story, but a love story nevertheless. 

It's Gothic Romance at its best, and it actually takes the time to set up the story and questions and twists and turns at a leisurely pace, which I happen to appreciate.  There is also one helluva twist at the very end, that makes it all even more interesting.  The cast does a superb job.  I was expecting Victorian Loki, but Sir Thomas Sharpe is something else.  Jessica Chastain is amazing as Lucille Sharpe, and Mia Wasikowska  as Edith, Sir Thomas's American bride does a lovely job.  She's no typical Damsel in Distress, but manages to have a brain as well as beauty and looks after herself quite capably.

It's a really really good movie!

Thursday's Reviews

I've really got to start posting more.  All I have been doing lately is slacking off.  On the other hand, the past couple of months, my comics were less than...inspired.  I think that Secret Wars is over? Who knows, all I have been getting is the subsidiary books anyway, and speaking of which, are they ever going to finish the "Thors" book? 

But at least there is some new and not terrible stuff out this month.  Thank goodness!


Harley Quinn and Power Girl #5

I do love those Amanda Connors covers.  And this has Vartox in it, so naturally I am enthralled.  Gosh I do love Vartox. 

They are in a bit of a pickle, because they have apparently called down the Harvester of Sorrows, a cosmic baddie, who goes around making galaxies depressed and then eating them.  This is not a good thing, and Vartox is justifiably upset.  So Harley goes riding into it's...brain, and in her craziness...drives it absolutely nuts.  She is also channeling Mistah J, so there is that.  Also, she rips off Vartox's mustache, which is awfully painful...and embarrassing.  But in the end they prevail, and his mustache magically reappears. 

Oh, and he wants to marry Peej.

This is all pretty silly, but I enjoy silly, so it's a lot of fun.


Sensational Wonder Woman #16

Two stories this issue, and neither one is bad. In the first, Diana ends up in Gotham for some reason, where she runs into Echidna, who is an apparent old foe, who is beating up some guy. Turns out that he's the bad guy, and has kidnapped her kids.  This leads to a run-in with Batgirl, and Professor Pyg and Harley...and more kidnapped children, and it's not bad. 

The second story has Diana as the UN Ambassador...again, preventing an incursion into another country by some more bad guys.  Superman marvels at how fabulous she is. 

Both are decent stories, but nothing particularly spectacular.  But still, it's nice to see her portrayed in her actual costume instead of the abomination that the Finches thought up, and doing her usual heroic thing.


Doctor Strange #2

I was a bit hesitant about buying this book when it first came out, but boy howdy, I am converted! This is right up there with Squirrel Girl and Ms Marvel, in my book.  It's insane, its fabulous, and it puts the Strange in Doctor.  The art is astounding, the colors leap off of the page, and it is an absolute visual feast. The story and dialogue is right up there with it. 

Basically, the Sanctum is one of the most haunted places on earth, and it's full of weird stuff.  Like his fridge.  and please ignore the snakes on the table.  Young librarian Zelma came to see Strange in the first issue because of the mouths that had appeared on her head, which turn out to be an alien viral infection.  He is able to get her to tell her deepest darkest secrets in order to lure them back from his basement. Having them run amok in his house is...A Bad Thing.  He takes the virus on himself, Wong beats up monsters in the kitchen, and things seem to calm down, except that this virus has never been seen on earth, so it is just one more really odd thing that has been happening lately. 

God, this is fabulous.

Howard the Duck #1

Like Squirrel Girl, this is the second number one issue in a couple of months.  Sheesh.  But it is worth it, since it is just as much fun. 

Howard is depressed and really really wants to go home, so he cons his friend and partner Tara into going to Florida to the Nexus of all Realities, thinking that he could get home that way.  Unfortunately, Man-Thing is no longer in charge and they run across the Wizard and Titania.  Naturally a fight ensues,and strange and bizarre and hilarious things happen. 

I also love the fact that Aunt May is apparently working as his secretary, and keeping him in Wheat Cakes.  And that Spider-Man keeps having breakdowns.  This is pretty great.


Invincible Iron Man #3

Another winner!  I never thought of myself as an Iron Man fan, in fact I pretty much hated his guts after Civil War...but at least he is done being a complete asshole, and is only a partial asshole now.  The art is lovely, and the story is fun, and Bendis seems to be managing to actually not make everyone sound alike. 

It is post Secret War, and Tony is pursuing a new girl friend. Not sure what happened to Pepper, but like I said, I haven't been keeping up.  Didn't she beat him up when he was in asshole mode or something.  Anyway, Amara is smart and gorgeous and rather nice, so I like her.  Also, Madame Masque is busy trying to acquire a plethora of mystical objects, which seems a bit unlike her usual modus operandi, and Doctor Doom is unmasked and uncaped, and looking pretty hot.

This all makes Tony confused.  But he's still in there trying.  It's all pretty darned good, and I'll be keeping up with this as well.

That's a lot of Marvel books!  Hardly any DC, except Green Lantern with Hal being a twit, so I've actually given up on that.  I expect Hal to be a twit, but not sulking around with long hair being a faux rebel, so I've written him off until they come up with a new writer.  But Marvel hit it out of the park this week!