Jackson Publick replied to my question on his LiveJournal

I flew today...

Usagi Yojimbo

Recently I decided to purchase the upcoming 'Usagi Yojimbo: Special Edition' slipcased set. The series, written and drawn by Stan Sakai, follows the adventures of Miyamoto Usagi, a ronin in feudal Japan. The series is immensely popular for its storylines, artwork, action and humor and has quickly become a favourite of mine. 'Usagi Yojimbo' mixes Japanese history, animals and samurai action all together to create a truly unique series, featuring the battle between good and evil, demons and other monsters and of course some very cool sword fights.

The new slipcased edition collects the first 7 'Usagi' books originally published by Fantagraphics, in two hardcover volumes. Also included with the stories are an interview with Sakai, a cover gallery in colour and various sketches and designs for the many different characters in the series.

The boxset can be found here at Amazon and here at the Fantagraphics website. It isn't being given a huge printing run, to keep it exclusive, so if you want a copy, I suggest you pre-order one now!

On another note, Stan Sakai will be in Australia from the 2nd to the 5th of December for the MiDFur convention in Victoria. Details can be found here, and while i'm kind of creeped out by all that furry stuff myself, i'm considering braving the "unique" people there to meet Sakai.

Weary Wednesday

I don't know what has been happening with me this week, either completely forgetting to blog or contracting a severe case of the lazies. Anyway, I will be back at full force on Monday, hopefully with something groundbreaking to share with you. If not, well, it'll just be business as usual here at Travelling At The Speed Of Mind!

The Movie Corner: Cowboys and Aliens (2011)

Following the 'Green Lantern' trailer yesterday, we've been given our first look at 'Cowboys and Aliens', the latest movie from Jon Favreau (Iron Man), starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. Take a gander.

Green Lantern trailer

The trailer for 'Green Lantern' has surfaced early, and it doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Stuff I Want: The Venture Bros. STATUES

While skulking around the internet today, looking for Venture Bros. products as i'm want to do, I found that Sideshow Collectibles have acquired the license to produce 'Venture Bros.' statues. The maquette masters are starting off with Brock Samson and Molotov Cocktease, both presented 12 inches tall on a Venture Industries logo base.

Take a sneak peek at the statues in this teaser video:



I'm definately getting the Brock statue, and hope that some Monarch themed entries are on their way.

New Stuff: Batwoman #1

DC has released their solicitations for February 2011, and the first issue of the new 'Batwoman' ongoing series is among them. Take a gander.

Batwoman #1

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III & W. HADEN BLACKMAN
Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
1:10 Variant cover by AMY REEDER

The multiple award-winning creative team of J.H. Williams III (DETECTIVE COMICS) and W. Haden Blackman (Star Wars, Force Unleashed) launch the first, chilling arc of the ongoing series fans have been clamoring for! In the 5-part “Hydrology,” Batwoman faces bizarre new challenges in her war against the dark underworld of Gotham and new trials in her personal life as Kate Kane. She quickly finds herself in the deep end facing truths about her past and her future. Who – or what – is stealing children from Gotham’s barrio, and for what twisted purpose? Can she train her cousin Bette Kane (a.k.a. Flamebird) as her new sidekick? How will she handle dark revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? How is she dealing with the supposed drowning of her sister, the villain known as Alice? And why is a certain government agency suddenly taking an interest in her? The road to the answers begins here!

On sale FEBRUARY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Sounds pretty good to me, and it looks like the writing duo of Williams and Blackman are jumping right in at the deep end with plot lines. This series looks to be one of the stars of 2011.

Lax Mark, Lax

Just apologising for my lax attitude towards blogging lately. But, I will be going to buy some fresh new comics this week including 'Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil', 'DeadpoolMAX #2', 'Batman In.c #1' and some back issues of 'Deadpool'. So i'll be back at full force soon, so hang in there.

Money Money Money

Today I went to buy the Venture Bros. first season on DVD at 32.99 and found it was 13 bucks, so I bought the first two seasons for less than the price of one.

All in all, good weekend.

DeadpoolMAX #3

Issue number 3 of this new monthly Deadpool series and this cover really caught my eye. Deadpool fighting Nazis and the KKK? Sounds like some fascists are about to get their heads handed to them. (P.S: I want that original artwork.) Solicitation below:

WRITER: David Lapham
ARTIST: Kyle Baker

THE STORY:
The history of the 20th Century is the history of great leaps toward the fulfillment of a promise – a promise made by these United States to be a land where and all are created equal. For Baron Helmut Emmerich Von Zemo, though, the 20th Century was an unmitigated disaster that must be combated by EXTREME steps. And what should happen when Deadpool is tasked to take down out this hood-wearing warrior of hate? Feel the freeing power of the gun and the sword!

IN STORES: 1st December 2010

Thoughts and Ponderation Part 2: Upcoming Osborn

While browsing this morning I found this cool little thing about the upcoming 'Osborn' miniseries, issue #1 comes with a teporary tattoo.


Yeah, it's kind of awesome and has convinced me to buy the first issue.

And while we're here, take a look at a preview of 'Halcyon' a new series coming out from Image. The series follows a world of superheroes after all supervillainy has been eradicated. It's got my interest so check it out. Halcyon #1 courtesy of CBR.

Thoughts and Ponderation

While perusing CBR this morning I took a gander at the preview of 'Batgirl' #15. I haven't indulged in Batgirl before, but this preview is certainly making me think about it. Give it a look. RIGHT NOW!!

Vampires Suck, but Deadpool Doesn't

The upcoming sotryline in 'Deadpool' running through issues #30 and #31 titled "I Rule, You Suck" pits the merc with a mouth against the world's latest craze, vampires. Solicitations below.


COVER BY: Dave Johnson
WRITER: Daniel Way
PENCILS: Carlo Barberi
COLORED BY: Marte Gracia
LETTERED BY: NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC

THE STORY:
“I Rule, You Suck,” Part 1 (of 2) Deadpool blowing away vampires—how @#$%ing cool is that?! Wait…he’s not blowing away vampires? He’s protecting vampires? That doesn’t sound cool at all. 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

IN STORES: December 22, 2010

COVER BY: Dave Johnson
WRITER: Daniel Way

THE STORY:
“I Rule, You Suck,” Part 2 (of 2) These Draculas just don’t know when to quit! Deadpool’s already shown them they’re no match for his kill-skills, yet they continue to step to him. Are they just suckers for punishment, or are they setting him up? Silly draculas…tricks are for Deadpool!

IN STORES: January 26, 2011

Blogging takes it's toll

Well, today I have absolutely nothing new to contribute, so all I can say is I bought the Monarch and Henchmen figures. I had training for my new job yesterday so i'm still kind of mind-bushed, so I very much apologise.

Tomorrow I will be back with something new!

New Week, New Captain America photos

Alright, it's Tuesday but whatever, new pictures from 'Captain America: The First Avenger'. In these stills we get some HYDRA action (kind of disappointed they steered away from the Nazis) as well as more of Chris Evans as Cap. Enjoy! Sorry for the squashed images, but give them a click to go to the full view.








Looks pretty good to me, Hugo Weaving looks especially evil and those HYDRA bike troop guys are pretty sweet. Only thing that makes me wonder is the actual plot synopsis: Steve Rogers is the only man to successfully become a super soldier thanks to the Erksine serum (check), and through this he becomes Captain America (check). But the army is afraid to send him into combat (wait...) because he is their only super soldier, and instead makes him part of the USO show (uhh...). He hates the costume (no...) and can't wait to get out of it and do some real fighting (sort of no and yes, mostly no).

Really? They're not sending their only super soldier into battle? Well, the Allies just lost the war, it was fun while it lasted.

First Look at Chris Evans as Captain America

CBR has given us the first look at Entertainment Weekly's upcoming issue. It features a set visit to 'Captain America: The First Avenger', and an interview with Chris Evans, the man picked to wear the uniform.

Have to say that the costume looks pretty awesome, even though we haven't seen the helmet/mask yet, and the shield looks fantastic as well. My fears of Chris Evans as the Captain after playing the Human Torch in the awful 'Fantastic Four' movies are starting to disappear, as he definately looks different in this role. More noble than idiotic, sorry Johnny Storm.

'Captain America: The First Avenger' is slated for a july 18, 2011 release.

Deadpool Mania

Just a quick post to mention that since my internet is capped so I won't be making any entries until Monday when it's back to normal. It's annoying but it's prudent.

Anywho, just wanted to mention my love for Deadpool, a fantastic character. A crazy, fourth wall-breaking mercenary i'll be reviewing the first issue of DeadpoolMAX when things are back to normal.

So until then, apologies and see you soon.

Stuff I Want: The Venture Bros. Figures

I'm only a recent inductee to the world of 'The Venture Brothers', but this Adult Swim series is now one of my favourite TV shows. The show 's premise goes something along the lines of what Johnny Quest's life would be like as an adult. This idea gives us Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, the 40-something, self-hating, self-medicating super scientist. The son of famous scientist/adventurer Dr. Jonas Venture, Rusty is a huge failure in comparison, and along with his two sons Hank and Dean and their trusty bodyguard Brock Samson, tries to do whatever he can to make a buck, get laid and survive his hectic lifestyle.

Now while the show presents the Venture family with many problems, The Monarch is their main antagonist. A man obsessed with the sweet sting of the butterfly, the Monarch leads his troop of deadly (sort of) henchmen in consecutive attempts in killing Dr. Venture. The henchmen are a vitel part of his operation, and even though battlions of them are constantly being slaughtered by Brock Samson, Henchmen 21 and 24 always seem to make it out okay.

Now that i've given you the plot over view, let's take a look at what inspired me to do it:

Rusty Venture and Brock Samson

The Monarch and Dean Venture

Henchmen 21 and 24

Yeah, Venture Bros. figures, and they're the coolest thing possibly ever. Already i'm scrabbling for money so I can get the Monarch and the Henchmen (my favourites of the series). These figures are made and distributed by Bif Bang Pow! who also hold the license to LOST, Dexter and Eastbound & Down merchandise, so definately check out their website here.

You might have noticed that Hank Venture is missing from the family, but don't be afraid, Bif Bang Pow! recently debuted the prototypes for their next figures including Hank Venture, their mystic neighbour Dr. Orpheus, the Monarch's better half Dr. Girlfriend and Guild of Calamitous Intent member Phantom Limb. I'm looking forward to the Dr. Girlfriend figure to complete the Monarch set, and Dr. Orpheus, because he's hilarious.

I never realised there were so many doctors in the series before...

BRAND NEW: First look at 'Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead' #2

Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead #2

Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Scott Hampton
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover: Mike Mignola
On sale: 02/02/2011
Price: $3.50

Hellboy is trapped in a dark basement littered with bones and small coffins, and the only way out is through the floating creature of death! For the first time, Mike Mignola teams up with artist Scott Hampton (Batman, The Books of Magic) for this gothic tale.

Looking Foward: What I Want from DC and Dark Horse for November. 2010

Batman Inc. #1

Bruce Wayne is back from his trek through time and realises that two Batmen are better than one. So with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne handling the villains of Gotham City along as Batman and Robin, Bruce Wayne is free to go from country to country, all over the world, inspiring others to become their own nation's "Batman".

Written by Grant Morrison with art by Yanick Panaquette, this book has already created a lot of buzz, and with lots of guest stars sure to be popping up, I can't wait to start reading. And I have to say I hope he pays a visit to the Dark Ranger, the Australian "Batman", because i'm sure he could really use some help from the original.


Batwoman #0

Batwoman first appeared again sometime
during '52' and became more heavily
featured in 'Detective Comics' after the
disappearance of Bruce Wayne during the
events of 'Final Crisis', and the short run
she was featured in became highly popular
with both fans and critics.

Now DC is giving the people what they want with a Batwoman on-going series, and this issue #0 serves as
a precursor to it. With J.H. Williams returning to write the series along with W. Haden Blackman. Williams will also shoulder art duties for the first arc of the series, with Amy Reeder taking over for the second. After winning praise from both critics and the Gay and Lesbian community
for featuring a gay character in such a well
known title, this series is sure to be popular, and i'm certainly looking forward to seeing some of Williams' fantastic art again.

Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil #1

Hellboy returns with another one-shot before 'The Fury' starts up, hopefully sometime next year. This story features two tales from Hellboy's earlier days with the B.P.R.D., including a run in with zombies and another with mummies.

Written by Mike Mignola and featuring art from Richard Corben, this one-shot looks great to me, not only because i'm sure it'll have some great art an writing, it has mummies! When was the last time you read/saw something with mummies as the monster? Exactly. It's been a while.

After this we're getting 'Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead' in January, but hopefully this will hold fans over until then.

Nine Simple Reasons to Read (And Love) 'Hellboy'

Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy' has been a favourite of mine for a while now, and it pains me to admit it wasn't the comics that got me in, but Guillermo del Toro's 'Hellboy' films. Not that there's anything wrong with the movies of course, it just seems to be that there's a negative stigma of starting with the film adaptation of something before reading the original source material. But this post isn't about the movies, it's about the comics and the ten reasons why you should be reading them. So let's get into it.

No. 1: The Story

'Hellboy' has so many elements that make it a great comic book, but the story is the one that ties everything else together. The fact that a demon is helping to save human beings from monsters is enough to get anyone interested, but it is the complexity of the main character's story that draws the reader in and keeps them interested.

No. 2: The Characters

Every character in the book has their own fleshed-out lives, battles and demons, each of them is one person trying to hold back the storm. Abe Sapien, Kate Corrigan and Liz Sherman are the most prominent of Hellboy's friends in 'Hellboy', but in 'B.P.R.D.' we are also given the expanded characterisations of Johann Kraus, Roger the Homunculus, Ben Daimio, Trevor Bruttenholm and Lobster Johnson. Of course these are just the good guys, but the bad guys are just as developed and determined, although we'll tackle them later.

No. 3: The Art

A great comic needs two things: a good story and art that matches the tone of the narrative; 'Hellboy' has both. Mike Mignola has provided the art for the majority of the run, but has recently relinquished art duties to Richard Corben and Fegredo, and while both artists have different styles, they both provide the creepy tone that the series is made for. While not as tone heavy as Mignola's work, Fegredo brings the same sense of artistry to the comics. Corben's style is completely differentfrom both of the previous artists, but brings a sweaty and uncomfortable feel to the story, perfectly suited to 'Hellboy'.

No. 4: The Mythology

The amount of well known mythology used in 'Hellboy' is amazing, and getting the chance to remember some of the old stories from my childhood is great. Things like pagan gods, myths, the King Arthur story and Baba Yaga are all deeply intertwined with the story of 'Hellboy' and give it a sense of realism in our lives and our world.

No. 5: The Bad Guys

The good guys have Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., the bad guys have the Nazis, gods, monsters, witches, the Ogdru Jahad and pig monsters. Basically the deck is stacked against us, but the good guys keep fighting anyway.The variety of villains Mignola gives to us is astounding, with the real life Nazis and many other mystical forces each providing a different facet to the 'Hellboy' universe.

No. 6: The Fights

Not much to say about this part except that the fights are great. Whether it's Hellboy against an army of Nazis, an ancient fish monster or a group of giants, our hero always finds a way to fighting his way out of any situation. And when he isn't using a pistol or a sword, it's his massive, stone right hand that paves the way for a beating.In Hellboy's own words, "BOOM!".

No. 7: The Monsters

With a demon as the main character, and his best friend looking like a half-eel/half-man-fish, it's not surprising that the book is filled to the brim with a diverse range of monsters. Nazi gorillas, golems, giants, fairies, frog-monsters, witches and men that can't die, 'Hellboy' features a huge cast of different creatures. While most are enemies, some are allies for our hero, and each one has it's own unique design and it's own creepy features.

No. 8: The Places

While Hellboy himself works for the United States-based Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, he manages to globe trot quite a bit. From the mundane expanses of the Earth in Ireland, Germany, and England, to the African savannah, mysterious islands and the bottom of the sea. The story takes our main character all over (and under) the world.

No. 9: Hellboy

This one may be cheating a bit, but i'll count it anyway. Hellboy, the cigar-smoking, monster-fighting, beer-drinking demon from hell, sent to destroy the world and choosing to save it instead. He is the reason you should be reading this comic book. If he just went around punching bad guys the book would get old quickly (so it's good this only happens half of the time), the character is flawed and fallible. He doesn't save everyone and he doesn't know all the answers, and that's why we can relate to him.


Well, those are my reasons for reading 'Hellboy', and i'll admit that it wasn't easy to pick them out. The whole mystic of 'Hellboy' blends together so well that it's hard to determine which piece is the best or better than the others. For me, it's easily the story, with each new installment either moving the story forward or giving us an insight into Hellboy himself and what drives him to be the guy that always there in the eleventh hour to save the planet. Mike Mignola has said he's got 15 more years of 'Hellboy' left to write, I say bring it on.

EXTRA: 'The Beasts of Burden/Hellboy' one-shot is out this Wednesday 27th October, and i'll be reviewing it as soon as possible in my effort to beat everyone else to doing it.

Everything's Coming up Green and Gold

December is set to be a good month for me. Not Christmas, not working hard on various projects, not seeing my friends and family; no, December has two Iron Fist comics coming out.

Browsing December solicitations for Marvel last night I saw something that made me grin as an Iron Fist fan (note the colour scheme of the blog). Deadpool Team-Up #886 will feature the Merc with a Mouth teaming up with everyone's favourite kung-fu superhero, and Heroes for Hire #1 sees the business originally set up by Powerman and Iron Fist way back when, back and better than ever. Official solicitations:


DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #886
Written by SHANE McCARTHY
Penciled by NICK DRAGOTTA
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
If it's crazy Kung Fu action you love then you've hit the jackpot! Deadpool and the Immortal Iron Fist grudgingly team up to put a stop to an ancient and villainous warlord. Iron Fist wants him captured, Deadpool wants him dead. Can the two work it out in time or will Deadpool have to take down Iron Fist as well just to secure his payday? Villainous villains, crazy Kung Fu and more yellow slippers than you can shake a stick at. This one's got it all!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99



HEROES FOR HIRE #1
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by BRAD WALKER
Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Variant Cover by BRAD WALKER
Variant Cover by HARVEY TOLIBAO
In the aftermath of Shadowland, Marvel’s greatest street heroes – Punisher, Moon Knight, Shroud, Elektra, Paladin, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Falcon, Misty Knight and more – leap into one all-new series! Who has brought these dangerous loners into one fighting force? How is this network different from all other teams? Who is their first target, and what mysteries wait for them? Discover the answers and enter the action on Marvel’s mean streets, courtesy of fan-favorite writers Dan Abnett & Andly Lanning (THE THANOS IMPERATIVE, PUNISHER: YEAR ONE) and artist Brad Walker (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

All in all it's going to be a good month for me, not even mentioning the Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special one-shot and the second issue of Batman Inc., both of which i'm sure will be huge sellers. So until the time they come out and I can actually review them, i'll just sit back and prepare myself for a good December.

When Funny TV Goes Wrong

Just a quick post today because i'm settling part-time job stuff, but starting next week i'm going to try and beef up the blog to 2 posts a day (maybe more if extra interesting stuff appears).

When the new seasons of hit comedies Modern Family and Community premiered something like a month ago, I was disappointed to find that the openers didn't really live up to the standard of their previous seasons. Now of course I could have romanticised the shows with multiple viewings, but the high standards both shows set just didn't seem to be present.

Don't worry Jeff, they might not be bothering you much longer...

Now that Modern Family has (hopefully) gotten back into the swing of things with yesterday's hilarious episode 'Unplugged' (Cameron's last ditch attempt at pre-school membership being the highlight), my fears for the series have been conquered. But Community is still rambling along, with one mediocre episode after the other. The problems? Taking it outside of the college, altering the characters too much and trying too hard to be "meta". The show is based around the idea of a group of misfits brought together by going to this awful "school", tackling problems as a group and overcoming their own personal issues. So don't take you characters out of the college, and don't have them facing situations alone, especially one's that appear completely unrelated to their lifestyle, personality and situation (see Jeff's struggle with his own mortality in 'The Psychology of Letting Go'). Oh, and don't make Senor Chang a student, he was great as the insane Asian, Spanish teacher, not a fellow student desperate to join the study group.

So: don't mess with the format too much, sure, tweak it a bit to flesh out some storylines BUT MAKE SURE THEY'RE GOOD ONES. If they aren't, you're going to lose viewers, and that's never a good thing for a TV show in tenuous syndication.

Well, this turned into a rant about Community rather quickly, so i'll wrap up by saying: I realised I have an amazing opportunity to review comics before anyone else due to Australia being in the future. Stay tuned for more.

Hellboy Mania: The Storm and The Fury

Hellboy fans have been treated very well in the past few years, with 'Hellboy: The Wild Hunt' setting up the final stage of Hellboy's battle against the Queen of Blood, further addressed in 'Hellboy: The Storm' and 'Hellboy: The Fury'. With King Arthur's fabled sword Excalibur now in Hellboy's hands, the stage is set for the final battle with Nimue and her army of trolls, giants, goblins and anything else mythic and slightly evil.

I'm reletively new to the Hellboy comic universe, but I have loved the movies for years, and I was worried that by seeing them first my opinion of the comics would be a negative one. Not surprisingly I loved them just even more than the film adaptations, with the mythology of the Hellboy universe very easy to understand and delve into, without sacrificing depth and convolution.

Unfortunately, 'The Fury' isn't going to come out for a while, with Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo taking a break and simultaneously maximising the desire of rabid fans. But all hope is not lost, with two one-shots and a limited series slated for release in the next few months. The 'Hellboy/Beasts of Burden' one-shot teams up Hellboy with the team of paranormal detective animals to solve a mystery plauging their home twon of Burden Hill. With art by Jill Thompson and a script by Mike Mignola and Evan Dorkin, this one-shot looks like it'll be a good story and a lot of fun. In November we're being treated to 'Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil', a one-shot featuring two stories by Mike Mignola and art by Richard Corben. A one-shot comic featuring Hellboy, zombies and mummies sounds like a winner in my book, and with Corben returning his unique art to a Hellboy story i'm really looking forward to this one.

Finally in January 2011, the two-part miniseries 'The Sleeping and the Dead' hits the stands. Mike Mignola tells a classic vampire horror tale, as Hellboy meets a man with intimate knowledge of the coming vampire apocolypse. Whether this ties into an element of the Queen of Bloods war on all that is good and pure is yet to be seen, but the comic still promises to be another hit with fans. Scott Hampton teams up with Mignola for the first time, and even though I haven't seen any of his previous work, i'm confident Dark Horse has picked another artist that'll really gel with the Hellboy universe.

Well until we're given a solid release date for 'The Fury', these are the Hellboy comics we can expect to see in the near future. Needless to say the B.P.R.D. comic series is still going strong alongside Hellboy, and it has just as many releases scheduled in the next 6 months. I stll haven't begun reading it yet, but only because i'm waiting for my B.P.R.D. Omnibus (hurry up February, stupid time). So, until next time, hope this post has been informative and if you're interested, i'll be returning soon with reasons why the Hellboy one of the best comics out there at the moment. But you don't really need my reasons at all, just get out there and read them!

The Perils of Having Cash to Burn

Yesterday my dear grandmother gave me fifty Australian dollars for no reason, and of course my mind went into overdrive trying to think of something to buy. But the possibilities were mind bottling to say the least.

My immediate thought was comic books (of course), but even then, too many options made themselves available. The 'Hellboy/Beasts of Burden' one-shot comic comes out on the 27th of October, and that would also leave me plenty of money to buy Mike Mignola's 'Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects' hardcover. But then I could pre-order the Green Lantern Omnibus Vol. 1, a title coming out in November collecting the first appearances of Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern. This book is going to go gangbusters next year with the Green Lantern movie coming out, so pre-ordering now would be a good idea. I could also pay off the debt for my B.P.R.D. Omnibus, but where's the fun in that?

And then I come home from the dentist today and notice that the next installment in the 'Professor Layton' Nintendo DS games is coming out tomorrow, which would be good at holding off brain-rot over the next five months of my holiday. But then I could put it away and save it for Pokemon White when it comes out next year, but there's no way I could hold onto it for that long.

All in all this isn't going to be an easy choice, and I think i'll be holding onto the money for a lot longer then I would like to, but it's nice to have some cash in my pocket. Even if it does burn like hellfire.

Superior #1 Review

Writer - Mark Millar
Pencils - Leinil Yu

The love affair with Mark Millar has been on for a long time now, and for good reason, with the limited series 'Civil War' for Marvel breaking sales records and changing the Marvel Universe completely. Then we got 'Kick-Ass', a great series about being a superhero in real life. It was raw and had an in-your-face style from the first issue, and it's not surprising the film adaptation was a huge hit as well (even if it deviated from the more poetic narrative of the original material). Then we were given 'Nemesis', a series based around the question "what if Batman had decided to be a villain instead of a hero?". With blood, guts and swearing left, right and centre, Millar went further into the hack/slash story, and while drowning in violence for violence's sake, it still worked.Now 'Superior' is on the table, and if pre-order numbers are anything to go by it's going to be another best selling series for the Scottish author; but is it any good? The short answer is yes, with a little niggling factor at the back of your brain asking "why though?".

'Superior' revolves around the life of Simon Pooni (an unfortunate name for the fictional character and the real dude he's named after, courtesy of an eBay auction for charity), a young American kid with Multiple Sclerosis. Simon's life sucks, he gets picked on, he only has one friend and he went from basketball superstar to severly handicapped in the space of about a year. The comic opens in the cinema, as Simon and his best/only friend Chris take in Superior 5, introducing the hero of the book. From here we get to see how crap Simon's life is: bullies, disablity and what he was before. But as Simon goes to sleep the story changes. Think space monkey, magic wish, Superior. Yeah, that'll do it.

The story of 'Superior' really hasn't moved along yet, with the characters being introduced and the situation set up. The idea of a space monkey is interesting to say the least, but i'm not sure about the "magic wish" part. While this book seemed to be a more "family-friendly" title, the characters indulge in a bit of profanity which is understandble (don't we all?), but it was a bit jarring to see it when I thought this would try and break away from the reality of 'Kick-Ass' and 'Nemesis' and go into the realm of whimsy.

All I can really say about Yu's artwork is that it is spot on, with every character easily definable and the back drops of city streets looking amazing.

All in all the issue was interesting, but the only reason I'd want to keep buying it is to see and learn more about space monkey. I'm really not interested in Superior as a hero. Sorry Mark Millar.

TV Review - Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 4, "Weekend at Bobby's"

'Supernatural' returned not with a bang but a whimper, with Dean happy with his new home life and Sam back for no reason. Of course that last part would be what drives the narrative this season but we haven't really gotten around to it yet.

Thankfully though, "Weekend at Bobby's" signals a return to form for the series, and it doesn't even have the Winchester brothers in it that much. The episode focuses on Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), the man with all the answers, showing what he goes about doing when the Winchesters aren't around. He even gets a catchphrase, 'balls'. Of course.

"Weekend at Bobby's" deals with Bobby trying to get his soul back from the crossroads demon Crowley (Mark Sheppard), the fallout of shoving Lucifer back into his cage at the conclusion of season 5, after he welches on their deal. But with the return of Rufus (Steven Williams) and his new neighbour trying to get his attention (in the biblical sense), this episode finds the balance of comedy, action and drama that the series is known for.

While the episode might not be a favourite with fans looking for some Sam/Dean perve time, Bobby's home life is genuinely interesting, with just as many demon attacks and comedic moments (and the brothers help to provide some monster action). It turns out he is the backbone of many different hunting operations and doesn't just sit around waiting to help the Winchesters out. This episode was great, as Beaver easily has the acting chops to carry it himself, with the other characters involved really elevating the story upwards.

It was nice to see the series regain the high quality it's known for again, and I can only hope the next installment "Live Free or TwiHard" keeps on keepin' on so the sixth season doesn't feel like a tacked on waste of time compared to the fantastic five season run it had in it's pocket. This episode didn't really do much for the overall narrative of the season, but it was nice to depart from the regular formula to have some fun with everybody's favourite secondary character.

Keep and Eye out for: Bobby and Crowley's impressions of each other. Inspired stuff. And Crowley insulting Sam. Basically everything involving Crowley.

Back in Business, sort of...

Well technically I finished all my classes for university last friday, but since I've got my history exam on Monday, I'm still working.

Just quickly updating that i'll be back in full swing next Tuesday, most likely blogging about the recently concluded 'Hellboy: The Storm' mini-series, and hopefully getting into some more up to date titles and hardcovers.

'Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne' issue #5 was released this week and by all accounts it's fantastic, which I think we all deserve thatnks to the lengthy wait and awful Jeanty artwork of issue #4. A review of the stellar mini-series' fifth installment can be found here, all thanks to CBR.com

So, to wrap up, we're going to be seeing a lot of stuff about Hellboy, Batman, Invincible, The Walking Dead, Y: The Last Man, EX Machina, movies, tv shows and maybe even a little Pokemon Black and White. So stick with me, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

What A Fool I was...

It seems like years ago when I said I would be posting more frequently my reviews and thoughts about games and comics. I seem to vaguely recall a notion of giving you my thoughts on Batwoman: Elegy and the Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth hardcovers. And then university decided to sit on my chest wearing a t-shirt marked with the slogan 'ASSIGNMENTS'. But even under its crushing weight I think of this blog and what I should be doing with it, and I swear to the sky and anyone up in it, that at the coming of October the middleth, blood will rain down on the internet as this blog blows up with something new and exciting EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. UNTIL. I. GO. BACK. TO. UNIVERSITY.

Yes, you read me right. Every day, as soon as I finish my last exam, i'm going to post something every day. And not just some passing thought. Oh no. A full, coherent, in-depth observation into a comic, movie, trailer, game and anything else I care to think of. Come rain, hail, snow, sickness, meteors, zombies, the rapture or more zombies, I will keep this pledge.

First Look: Ryan Reynolds' 'Green Lantern' Costume

The first image of Ryan Reynolds' costume for the Green Lantern movie (coming out next year) has hit the internet and has already divided fans. Some feel it's too far removed from the original suit and others feel it is an interesting shake-up of the source material. Many, like myself, are waiting to see it in action when the trailer inevitably premieres at Comic-Con in few weeks.

As a relatively new fan to the franchise, I don't see why they changed the suit that much. It would have been pretty easy to communicate to the Silver Screen, I mean it only had three colours; a small revamp would have been fine. I'm also not too happy about the revamped power ring, but i'll just wait for the trailer. BUT I'm very pleased with the domino mask. Finally a superhero has white over his eyes, just like in comic books, I love it!

Hurry up Green Lantern movie, I want to watch you.

Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween

DC's Absolute format is quickly becoming my favourite printing for comics. Much along the line of Marvel's Omnibus format, the comic collections are physically larger, come in nice slipcases (with a ribbon in each as a bookmark) and use a higher quality paper stock. While Marvel may collect more content, DC presents their most critically acclaimed and popular series in a stunning fashion, making these collections a must have.

'Batman: The Long Halloween' is a 13 part mini-series which is know a staple of the Batman mythos. The series, written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale, deals with the early relationship of police sergeant Jim Gordon, district attorney Harvey Dent and the Batman. The three men form a trinity of justice (emulated in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight') to bring down corruption that all stems from one man. Carmine "The Roman" Falcone is the untouchable crime boss of Gotham City, and is making moves to eliminate any competition from anywhere in the city, all before someone strikes back.

The Holiday killer first strikes on Halloween and continues to make his presence known throughout the following year, dealing out a special form of justice by eliminating key members of the Falcone family. The three heroic characters are left questioning each other's loyalty to each other, as Batman's rogue's gallery twists and turns through the narrative with each and every character showing signs they could be Holiday. Even though you know where the story is headed, with Dent finally becoming Two-Face, the mystery makes this a story that you'll want to get through and process as quickly and deeply as you possibly can, just so you can deduce Holiday's identity and then read it all over again.

Jeph Loeb's story is extremely intriguing, and will have you reading and re-reading for any clue you could have missed. Every major Batman villain makes an appearance, and the story gives the reader a great insight into Harvey Dent's life before he became Two-Face. Tim Sale's art is edgy and sharp, his characters leap from the pages and are enveloped in shadows that help to convey the dark tone of the book. His renderings of the characters include a deformed Joker, a Poison Ivy wrapped in her namesake and a scarred and mentally broken Two-Face. The collection is introduced by a foreword from Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, and includes many extras which offer an insight into the design of the series' covers, which are all visually stunning (April Fool's Day is my personal favourite). This is a collection that needs to be owned by any true fan of Batman, and the story definately deserved the Absolute treatment.

The End of a Two Month Long Era

Well, it's finally happened. The harsh reality of my economic situation has caught up to the whimsical way in which I make my purchases, and so it all must come to an end. The buying of monthly comic books has to end.

But, it will not be the end of me, for lovely hardcover collections grease the shelves every few weeks and I will do my best to get my hands on them. And if a particularly intriguing mini-series is released (such as 'Darkstar and the Winter Guard, issue #2 out this week) I will buy, cheat, beg or steal my way into it's glossy pages.

But that isn't the point of this post, the point of this post is to point (HA! Repetition!) out that i will continue to strive on and deliver reviews of the the hardcovers that come out for the series (plural) i'm reading. At the moment i'll be catching up, looking at : Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth, Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween, Absolute Dark Knight and Batwoman: Elegy. All DC I know, but I am trying to diversify, which really defeats the purpose and meaning of itself (HA! Paradox!). I'd like to mention that i'm loving Amazon at the moment, ordering Absolute GL on Monday and getting it by Friday is my kind of delivery service.

Before I go, I'll leave you with my series to watch, in the hope that unlike myself, you have the money to buy them:

Hawkeye and Mockingbird (Issue #1 sold out and is being reprinted, to be simultaneously released with issue #2 this week)
Secret Avengers (Again, sold out and reprinting with issue #2 this week)
Batwoman: Elegy (already released in Detective Comics and recently came out in hardcover, but she'll be getting her own solo series very soon)
Batman & Robin (getting closer to the big finale and still rocking it. I feel bad for liking Dick Grayson as Batman more than Bruce Wayne)
Green Lantern (Geoff Johns is still going strong with this series and shows no sign of stopping)
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (with Jonah Hex starring next issue, and pirate Batman in the last one, this series is serving as another chapter in Grant Morrison's epic Batman tale, and it's awesome)
Daredevil (Shadowland is just around the corner, get ready to have the Marvel universe turned upside-down)

Well, that's all i'll care to mention, but I'm going to do my best to keep this blog as interesting as possible, and diversify my reviews and updates into gaming as well. This is only the beginning.

I've got Batman fever

Last Sunday I walked to the train station and it started to rain five minutes into the journey. I kept going. Then I missed the train by a minute and had to wait another 20. My resolve wasn't weakened. I was on my way to the city, to buy Batman & Robin. I had seen it on the shelf the last time I was in the comic shop, and would have bought it then if I had had enough money on me. 'Batman & Robin, The Deluxe Edition: Batman Reborn', how could I have not wanted it? I'd read all the reviews for the new series, and was interested to read Dick Grayson as Batman, and so far, i'm really enjoying the series. But recently I read that Frazer Irving (my nemesis from The Return of Bruce Wayne #2) will be taking over art duties on Batman & Robin from #13, and i'm really hoping I can still enjoy the series after just discovering it.

It didn't help that I got the Gam of the Year Edition of Batmn: Arkham Asylum last week either. It quickly became my favourite game, even though those fights with Scarecrow started to get annoying towards the end. And throwing three Batarangs at once? Yes please. I'm stoked that the sequel is coming out later this year, and it's going to be set in Gotham City which is going to expand the game play area immensely. Seeing the inside of the asylum was great, and fighting all of Batman's old villains was a fantastic way for me to stretch the old brain muscles. On a side note I almost crapped myself while playing the Killer Croc level and my phone rang when it was right next to me. To have five minutes of tense silence shattered in mere seconds, it nearly killed me.

And speaking of Arkham Asylum, I picked up issues #864 and #865 while I was at the comic shop and they were really great, something I wasn't really expecting. Not that I have anything against DC or Detective Comics, I just thought that a series that has bee going for that long must have lost some of its appeal, and I was dead wrong. The art was nice and simple, the story was engaging (even though i didn't know half of the characters, especially Alyce Sinner?) and the two issues lasted me the whole train ride home. Once again, i've added another title onto my ever growing list of comics to buy every month.

Of ocurse this all staretd with the great review of 'Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne' issue one, and i'm sticking with that intriguing miniseries. To see Bruce Wayne flying through time and still being an awesome fighter and detective is a bit of a thrill, I must admit. Of course Batman #700 comes out tomorrow, so i'll be getting that as well, and it'll give new readers like me a good insight into the history of the Bat. Next week the Joker's Asylum II one-shots continue with Harley Quinn's installment, and i'll be getting that too.

Batman is good, but the amount of merchandise available surrounding him isn't good for my wallet.

BREAKING NEWS: The Captain America Movie Costume

Yesterday we got an in depth description of the costume and today we get an image of what it looks like. And they're telling the world it's the real deal.

It looks fantastic, the elements of the helmet blend seemlessly with the look of the Captain's hood in the comics and the red stripes on his shirt being made up of two straps was a genius move.

And of course the shield is present, let's hope they start remaking the replicas when the movie comes out. Because I want one.

The great thing about this costume is that it wouldn't look out of place in World War II or on the streets of New York today, fighting alonside Thor and Iron Man.

Well, we have the costume, all we need is a picture of Huge Weaving as the Red Skull, a plot synopsis and a movie poster. Then it'll just be up to Chris Evans and the rest of the cast to amaze the world.

My Comics for the month of June 2010 [UPDATED]

I'm back again for another installment of Mark's pull list. Last month was quite eventful in the fact that I picked up a few series that I didn't mean to, and wasn't disappointed. But enough talk, I know what you want, you want to know what I want, so here we go (sorry, no linking to covers this month, the more comics the harder it is to find all there cover art. i'm a terrible blogger.):


Angel #34 (30/6/2010) - Well, seems I got my numbering wrong last month, so here we are at issue 34! James has revealed himself to be something that isn't in fact an angel, and now he's going to rip the Angel team a new one. By proxy of course. Elena Casagrande took over art duties from Denham last issue and did a great job, and Willingham's story is still a thrill. I always look forward to picking up this series every month, and so should you.

Angel Barbary Coast #3 (30/6/2010) - The final issue of this miniseries features many things: cable-cars, vampires and a dragon. What's not to love? Angel's chances of winning against a giant fire-breathing lizard don't seem to be great, but i'm sure he'll figure it out. The next miniseries after this one falls to Spike in 'Spike: the Devil you know'.

Avengers #2 (23/6/2010) - The Avengers are back and Kang has provided them with their first adventure: sort out your kids. So it's a hop, skip and a jump away into the time stream, but not before they find a time machine. Oh, and fight Wonder Man who's still convinced putting the Avengers back together is a bad idea. I'm interested to see where this title will go, and to see hwo the last member of the Avengers is, or if i'm imagining if there is anyone else.

Avengers Prime #1 (3/6/2010) - The story that bridges the gap between Siege and the Heroic Age is this! Steve Rogers, Iron Man and Thor go on a little side adventure to mend their broken friendship, so they can all get along again in the new world order. A bi-monthly, five-part miniseries.

Avengers: The Origin #3 (3/6/2010) - We're halfway through this miniseries and I don't feel any forward momentum whatsoever. Last issue was mostly a dream (or nightmare) which Loki sent to Thor's brain. Thrilling? Not so much. But i'm sticking with it to see them get together (eventually) as the Avengers. Plus a fantastic cover for this issue.

Batman #700 (9/6/2010) - As a lovely person on CBR's forum pointed out to me, if I want to start reading Batman, #700 is the issue for me. This issue is going to chronicle the lives of the different Bats (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne) and serve as an anniversary issue. Perfect time to jump on for me and for anyone else who wants to start reading Batman. And 700 issues? Now that's a milestone.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (16/6/2010) - An intriguing miniseries that has me wondering, what the hell is going on here? Now Bruce Wayne is on the swashbuckling high seas with Blackbeard, while Superman, the Green Lantern, Booster Gold and Rip Hunter try to find their friend before he destroys reality. I'm sticking with this series and trying to get into other Batman titles as well. Come on, it's Batman!

Black Widow #3 (16/6/2010) - With Elektra's appearance at the end of last issue, and looking at the cover for this one, I can guarantee there's going to be a little tension between the two ladies. Daredevil jealousy perhaps? The artwork for this series has been fantastic, I love the painted style and washed out colours. Buy this series!

Daredevil #507 (9/6/2010) - Daredevil is back after a bi-monthly stint (which is over now, thankfully), and racing towards Shadowland. But before we get there, Matt Murdock needs to resolve the Hand situation in Japan and figure out what's happened to White Tiger. We lose the Japanese theme in the cover this month, but gain a great display of DD's radar sense instead.

Darkstar and the Winter Guard #1 (3/6/2010) - Nostroyvia! The Winter Guard are back after the success of their Hulk one-shot. Who knows, if this three part miniseries sells well enough we might be seeing more of them in th months and years to come. I am certainly hoping that we do. Red Guardian! Darkstar (obviously!)! Crimson Dynamo! Ursa Major! Russians! ASSEMBLE!

Green Arrow #1 (23/6/2010) - Green Arrow gets a relaunch this month, so I thought what a perfect place to jump on and read me some DC! The Emerald Archer is living in Star City Forest and shooting at punks (as you do), and i'm looking forward to reading this one. If it's good, i'll continue. If it doesn't impress me, could it lead to Mark not buying into DC Comics anymore? Stay tuned! I'll be reviewing this one.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1 (3/6/2010) - Now this is a series i've seen waiting for! I love Hawkeye, bow and arrow rules, screw modernity. Clint Barton is back together with Mockingbird, his erstwhile wife and current girlfriend, and along with a new team are taking on the world's terrorists. This book has mega potential and i'll be very excited to get my hands on it this week.

Heroic Age: Prince of Power #2 (9/6/2010) - BUY THIS SERIES. DO IT NOW.
Fantastic miniseries and I hope it won't be the last we see of Amadeus Cho and Hercules, as well as the plethora of fantastic supporting characters. We last saw Amadeus being confronted by Thor after Vali Halfling tricked the boy genius into sneaking into the Asgardian apple orchard right after all the apples were stolen! Why is this starting to sound like a kids' book...

Secret Avengers #2 (30/6/2010) - Ed Brubaker's team of secret heroes are on their way to Mars to rescue Nova, who discarded his awesome helmet for the Serpent Crown. Roxxon, that oh-so-evil energy corporation are at something again and it's up to Steve Rogers and his super spies to figure it out. With Shadow Council Nick-Fury-lookalike man attacking Sharon Carter back on planet Earth, when will we find out just what the hell is going on? Great series, buy it!

Serenity: Float Out #1 (3/6/2010) - We all loved Firefly, we all loved Serenity, we all loved Wash. So Joss Whedon stuck the nose of a spaceship through him. Why do I put up with you Whedon? A one-shot story from Dark Horse that chronicles three different stories of Wash from three different people who knew him. Written by Patton Oswalt actor/comedian/writer/(minor bad guy in Daredevil? Chico, look him up) and illustrated by Patric Reynolds, this will be a great add-on to the growing Serenity comics library.

The New Avengers #1 (16/6/2010) - One thing Marvel likes to do is spread their characters across several teams. A marketing strategy you say? No! They wouldn't do that! Anyway, New Avengers gets a relaunch this month with a few old faces but a few new ones too. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Spider-Man, Wolverine and The Thing are the members i'm sure of, but let's hope there are some different characters in the mix as well. Doctor Strange and Iron Fist seems like good and likely candidates. *cough* Iron Fist *cough*

The New Avengers: Luke Cage #3 (23/6/2010) - The final issue of this miniseries, which has been an interesting look back at Luke's days in Harlem. We're still slugging our way to the bad guy right now, but run ins with Hammerhead and Wheelchair-man have kept the action moving along nicely. Nothing fantastic in this series but if you're a fan of Luke Cage I think you'll enjoy it.

Thunderbolts #144/#145 (OUT NOW/ 23/6/2010) - A great series brought to my attention again by CBR, with Luke Cage taking the reins of another title's team. I've been reading Thunderbolts for about 20 or 30 issues back and i've found it really interesting. I wasn't going to pursue the series monthly (maybe getting the hardcovers if and when they came out) but after the review it got (here) I thought i'd better get out and take a look. Issue #144 came out last week but I neglected to get it, so here it is listed today. They better not be sold out...

'Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2' thoughts

As you may have guessed from my frequent Marvel posts, I'm not a big reader of DC comics. Besides Batman, I've never been a huge fan of the DC characters. Superman can do just about anything, where's the fun in that? So, I choose Marvel as my source of entertainment, and I think it's a wise choice; nothing against DC but I prefer my heroes in New York rather than Metropolis. But 'Green Arrow' #1 comes out next month and I will give it a try, promise.

So my decision to read 'The Return of Bruce Wayne' was influenced merely by the review of issue #1 courtesy of Comic Book Resources.com. I'm completely out of the loop on DC events, so Infinite and Final Crisis mean nothing to me except that Batman is back in time and has no idea who he is. So it was interesting to see in issue #1 that the bat motif follows him everywhere (even in caveman times), and that he's making his way back to the 21st century. Just after we see Batman disappear into time again Superman, the Green Lantern, Booster Gold and Rip Hunter turn up and Superman states he can hear every heartbeat on the planet and Bruce Wayne's isn't one of them. Get over yourself Kent.

Anyway, this post has nothing to do with any of that, I'm here to talk about Frazer Irving's artwork in #2. Grant Morrison's story is interesting to say the least, and I look forward to pirate Batman next month, but I honestly hope Irving is done. After Chris Sprouse's straight forward pencils of issue #1 where the characters are easily indentifiable and clean cut, Irving's renderings are horrible. I'm sorry, but they are. I have the utmost respect for different approaches to comic artwork (Brian Michael Bendis' "Echo" arc on Daredevil and the current run of Black Widow are fantastic examples of beautiful artwork that moves on from the norm), but Irving's character work is awful. His forst scenes are BEAUTIFUL, the oranges, yellow and reds of the trees in autumn are stunning and the colouration fits in perfectly with the Halloween vibe I got from this issue. But at times it is nigh impossible to determine Bruce Wayne from fellow witch hunter Malleus (Nathaniel Wayne, his great ancestor of course), and in one panel it looks like Booster Gold's face is melting off his skull. What happened to the awesome bat themed costume on the cover? It had a great mix of Salem witch hunt and Batman and looked fantastic, it's a shame we didn't get to see it anywhere in the story.

Now I hate, hate, HATE having a go at comic book artists (I'm fine with attacking writers) because I know I'll never be able to do what they do. It seems any drawing talent I once had has eradicated itself from my body, who knows how many times I've tried to draw Iron Fist and failed miserably, but I also hate seeing artwork that ruins the characters in a story. With Yanick Paquette taking over art duties next issue, all I can do is hope that 'The Return of Bruce Wayne' develops into a great little miniseries and doesn't kill my interest in DC stone dead.

Review: Secret Avengers #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Mike Deodato

Well, I just put it down and I feel like I need to read it again. Maybe after I post this.

'Secret Avengers' is another series that has spun out of 'Siege', and unlike 'The Avengers' isn't a return to the norm in a sense. The newly formed team is run by Steve Rogers (former Captain America, current Steve Rogers) and includes the Black Widow (Natalia Romanova), Beast, War Machine, Moon Knight, Valkyrie, Nova and Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), with Sharon Carter (Ex- S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent/former hypnotised murderer of Captain America) in a consultancy position. Now, to me, almost half the team are heroes I don't really no much about. Beast i've read some of in Joss Whedon's 'Astonishing X-Men', War Machine guest starring in Matt Fration's 'The Invincible Iron Man' and everybody knows the Black Widow and Captain America; but Ant-Man, Moon Knight, Valkyrie and Nova are relatively new characters in my eyes. While this leaves me in something of an uncomfortable position, I'm also kind of excited to see how they operate in a team environment. It might even inspire me to look into their titles.

Our story begins in Dubai, with the eveil energy corporation Roxxon in possession of something obviously dangerous, and after Valkyrie blows the mission, we find out it's a crown with tentacles that as Beast says seems to only move between moments. Weeping Angels, anyone?

From then on we get to see the different elements of the team coming together. Beast as their scientist, Black Widow on espionage, War Machine for firepower and as a pilot, Ant-Man and Moon Knight as infiltration and Nova as their off planet powerhouse/spy/possessor of cool helmet. Now everything isn't going super smoothly as the Shadow Council begins to follow our Avengers as soon as they leave with the creepy artifact, and Nova, as Steve tells us, has dropped out of communication on Mars after trying to find out what Roxxon is doing up there. So as Nova is consumed by another creepy snake/octopus crown thing, and Sharon Carter is attacked by the Shadow Council (whose leader looks like Nick Fury?), issue #1 closes and leaves me wanting more. now I just need to make it a month to get my fix...

Secret Avengers, the concept is viable enough, an Avengers team formed off the radar to handle pre-emptive strikes against enemy forces. Sounds good to me. But why are they going to Mars? The leap that was taken in this first issue definately surprised me, I was expecting a pretty simple 'let's show the reader what these guys can do to protect us' storyline, not to say that it hasn't piqued my interest. Ed Brubaker has achieved immense success with his 'Captain America' and 'Daredevil' (and 'Immortal Iron Fist') and obviously Marvel thinks he can handle his own team of Avengers, and I have to agree. While I have yet to see the individual power sets of some of the characters, the already established heroes seem in form (Brubaker should be able to write Steve and Sharon), except for Valkyrie's outburst. Isn't a black ops team all about seamless deception/inception/extraction? If she's going to be that volatile every adventure, Steve might want to rethink her as a team member.

Mike Deodato's artwork... I can take it or leave it. Having experienced it in 'Dark Avengers' I wasn't really expecting much, his renderings of the characters sort of freak me out. It's hard to explain but in some scenes they just look too plastic. Black Widow and Valkyrie's lips look like they're about to leap off their faces at some points. Some panels are fine, others make me squirm. Sorry Mike Deodato, but once again I want to see Oliver Coipel handle an Avengers title.

In summery, I was really happy to read this issue of what will no doubt be a very popular title. With a strong cast, and the talents of Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato at the helm, i'm looking forward to the future adventures of the Secret Avengers.

The Winter Guard: Perils of a Russian Superteam

In the cold Siberian wastes of Mother Russia, one team and one team alone stands in the face of all that is wrong and against the country's interests: The Winter Guard!


With the current roster including the seventh Red Guardian (Russia's answer to Captain America), Ursa Major, the third Darkstar and the thriteenth Crimson Dynamo (essentially the Russian Iron Man), one things does make me wonder. Why would you join a team with such a high rate of turnover? Oh yes, and death?

In his interview with CBR, writer David Gallaher said, "They're Russia's GI Joe, essentially. Russia's got other super human teams, but these are the top guys. These are the guys that, when they show up, everything stops. It's like, 'Holy crap. It's the Winter Guard. We're in big trouble.' I think Russia wants their heroes to feel immortal. They want their heroes to feel proud and everlasting. With the Winter Guard, there is no case to set a better example by. As opposed to our heroes - like Captain America who got assassinated or the X-Men who die on a regular basis - in Russia's mind, their heroes never die."

Personally, I'm a big fan of Russia, especially the Soviet Union. I wish I could speak Russian so I could sit on the tram into the city and pretend to be a spy, but that's my cross to bear. Now I know Stalin was a bit of a complete maniac, but something about the sense of perseverance and solidarity of Russia and its people really draws me in. And who doesn't love a bear on a superteam? I've never encountered the Winter Guard in my comics reading before (except for the former Crimson Dynamo in The Invincible Iron Man), but i'm certainly looking forward to getting to know them in the coming months.

The new three issue mini-series Darkstar and the Winter Guard, written by Gallaher and illustrated by Steve Ellis, comes out June 3rd.

Is Wonder Man the last Avenger? [UPDATED]

After reading issue #1 of the new Avengers ongoing today, I'm wondering who the final member of the team is. Just before Kang appears to warn the Avengers, Tony Stark asks if 'This is everybody?', with Steve Rogers replying that it isn't and then'I thought he'd show'.

Now earlier in the issue Steve Rogers had gone to recruit Wonder Man (Simon Williams) with litlle success, as the former Avenger told him that all the recent problems in their universe occured because of some instance of the Avengers trying to reform. Steve left hoping that Simon would change his mind, and Wonder Man noted that if Steve didn't change his own view, Wonder Man would. Now with the preview of next issue showing an image of Wonder Man attacking the newly formed team, the theory that he will join them seems less likely, but who really knows?

And if it isn't Wonder Man, could it be Iron Fist? I know I'm hoping it is. Any compelling evidence? Iron Fist's appearance in the two page spread showing many other members of new Avengers affiliated teams (New Avengers, Secret Avengers and Avengers Academy), and the Avenger's children. One of the boys is of African American decent (and with Danny Rand and Misty Knight expecting a child...), and he seems to be in a fighter's stance. If he isn't an Avenger, I can only imagine him as a New Avenger (since he's already appeared on the solicit cover for issue #3 of New Avengers).

Oh yeh, bought two more Immortal Iron Fist back issues today. Ka-ching.

NEWS FLASH BUT NOT REALLY

I just discovered after reading CBR's review of Avengers #1, that the Avenger's children or 'Next Avengers' have been in their own direct to DVD animated movie. Checking the Wikipedia page for the film, I discovered that the child I was hoping was the son of Iron Fist and Misty Knight is actually the son of Storm and the Black Panther. Oh well, there's still a chance Iron Fist will be a New Avenger. Fingers are still crossed.

Review: The Immortal Iron Fist, issue 7 'The Story of the Iron Fist Wu Ao-Shi: The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay'

Story by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Pencils by Travel Foreman, Leandro Fernandez and Khari Evans

Bet you thought i'd forgotten didn't you?

As I went to the comic shop to purchase my monthly comics last Wednesday, my lovely friend... let's call her... Rebecca Petraitis, pointed out IMMORTAL IRON FIST BACK ISSUES. Enter my Kryptonite. Of course, getting a mint copy of issue 7 jolted my mind into remembering to write these reviews, so here we go.

Once again, issue 7 is scripted by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, but has a trio of artists employed to handle the pencils. Travel Foreman takes care of pages 1 to 6, Leandro Fernandez wrestles 7 to 13 and Khari Evans wraps up the issue with pages 14 to 22. All colours are beautifully added by Dan Brown.

Besides the insight we got into Orson Randall's tenure as the Iron Fist in the first arc, this issue gives us our first story of another member of the 66 people who possessed the chi of Shao-Lao before Danny Rand. Wu Ao-Shi grew up in Kun-Lun and might not have made it past the age of 10 if not for the intervention of the Thunderer, and why did he? All we get is he saw something in her, and for me that's all I need. That's how much I love the character of the Iron Fist.

This story gives us something we don't see much in the series, a love story, and Brubaker and Fraction handle it tremendously. The mystery surrounding her husband finding two perfect silver rings while gutting a fish is just the kind of things we expect from Eastern fables, and it does't detract from the martial arts madness in the slightest. As the writers note, Wu Ao-Shi defeated Shao-Lao faster than any challenger before her (girl power, am I right?), but can never forget the fact that her husband chose to leave her as he could never bear to lose her to the fate of an Iron Fist: Death.

As she leaves K'un-Lun to search for her beloved, the action only intensifies as she chooses to become a mercenary to fund her search. Wu is a very ruthless character, and knows what she wants, something that many of the Iron Fist's seem to possess as well. She proves herself a capable martial artist by defeating the pirates who occupy Pinghai Bay (where have I heard that before...), and an important element to the legacy of the Iron Fist; the first person to charge a held weapon with the chi of Shao-Lao, in her case firing arrows from a bow to blow up enemy ships. Yes, blow up enemy ships. Take a look at Orson's Gun Fu for further examples.

The writing of this issue is really witty and quick, a trademark of the series. It never forgets its humour as the story progresses, no matter how dark it gets. The artwork for this issue is fantasticly graceful, and the cover is simply stunning. The colours in this issue blend vibrants with subdued, and David Aja's design for Wu Ao-Shi and her costume is great. Not only does the traditional green/gold colouration and mark of Shao-Lao, but Wu's eye make-up mimics the scar Iron Fist Bei Ming-Tian received from the famous dragon, further tying the Iron Fist legacy together.

In closing, a great issue, almost a one shot but one that ties in with the overall continuity and run. it almost makes my mind explode. Rush out and get this comic, it is well, well worth it. Now!

My Comics for the Month of May, 2010 [UPDATED]

It's finally happened. I've gone over to the dark side. I've gone full nerd. I've started buying comics monthly.

Already i've got my entire year planned, yet in no other way than which comics are coming out for which month of the year. And it breaks my heart. Truthfully I had to restrain myself, the Heroic Age (which I think fully justifies capital letters) is just about here, everything is right in the Marvel Universe once more. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad. No more Green Goblin running a worldwide security task force; how the president of the United States ever let that one slide I will never know.

And so we come back to probably the biggest hoo-hah in something nearing a decade. The Avengers are back. Not the New Avengers, not the Mighty Avengers, and thankfully not the Dark Avengers. The REAL Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man; the triumviate of awesome are back at the helm of the heroes, and everything just feels right (except maybe for the fact Bucky Barnes is wielding the shield and not Steve Rogers, but we'll get into that at another point in the near future).

So here I am, humbly awating the 19th of May, when Avengers #1 hits stores (theoretically), and i'm excited. Genuinely excited. Hawkeye, my 3rd favourite comics character, is coming back AS HAWKEYE mind you, not Ronin, Goliath or some kind of Clint Bartron (a robot, obviously). No; Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye is back and not only back with the Avengers, he's back with Mockingbird. Naww. Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 hits shelves in June, and yes, i'm excited.

So, onto business, my picks for this month. This is going to bankrupt me, I just know it:

Angel #32 - Last issue we got to see Illyria bust the titular hero out of his plaster and reinforced steel body-cast, and now he's asking where his son is, what's been done with his blood and for a pair of pants. Bill Willingham has been providing some quality writing for his stint, and the artwork is really fantastic. I've often complained about IDW's seemingly odd choice of 'Angel' illustrators, but finally Brian Denham has provided what I was desperately hoping for: artwork that actually looks like the actors from the tv series! Talk about taking a page out of Dark Horse's book.

Angel: Barbary Coast #2 - David Tischman is helping IDW provide us with yet another 'Angel' miniseries, and this one is shaping up to be pretty good ('Angel: Only Human' never really did it for me, might have been having Illyria and Gunn as the leads...). In issue #1, we found Angel brooding about in San Fransico, looking for a Chinese medicine man to remove his soul so he could become a killing machine without the guilt. Isn't that what we all strive to be, really? last issue also left us with a bit of a puzzler, everything seemed to be okay until a mysterious woman of the Orient flashed the twins at our favourite vampire, and knocked him down with the magical crucifix on her chest. I know I want answers. Franco Urru provides the reliable artwork, which many readers will recognise from earlier installments of 'Angel' as well as 'Spike: After the Fall'.

Avengers #1 - The Avengers are back! Yay! Everything is good again, until Kang turns up and ruins the world. Again. Bastard. With a new line up of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and maybe more Assemble! and take on all the evil that's thrown at them. Eisner award winning, superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis is going to take the team all over the place and defend you, me and everyone else for quite some time to come, I cetainly hope. John Romita Jr. is handling the art for the revived series and ha proven himself to be a capable artist time and time again. Personally I wouldn't have chosen him to illustrate a series with the kind of gravity that the Avengers have (I've always felt his artwork is a bit cartoony) and would have opted for someone like Oliver Coipel, but this is the series that could, and probably will, prove me wrong. I know I want the Romita Jr. cover for my #1.

Avengers: The Origin #2 - A good little miniseries that helps to explain how the Avengers first came together to deal with Loki, Thor's evil half-brother. Stars Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, The Wasp and Ant-Man (What?! No Captain America?! no, he got defrosted later) as well as a guest appearance from Rick Jones, singer, songwriter, sidekick. Written by Joe Casey and with artwork by Phil Noto, this miniseries is great fro younger Avengers fans who may be in the dark about how the team came together. or ASSEMBLED! heh...

Black Widow #2 - Welcome to the Soviet Union, we hope you enjoy your stay. 'Black Widow' is the new ongoing series featuring everyone's favourite Russian ex-pat, Natalia Romanova. Marjorie Liu spins us a tale of communist hijinks as someone is after the Black Widow (more specifically, something in her stomach), and they almost killed her to get it. We had get appearances from Captain America (the Bucky Barnes version, currently her b-b-b-b-boyfriend), Tony Stark and Wolverine in issue #1, and now Natalia's out for some answers in issue #2. I'm really enjoying Daniel Acuna's artwork for this series, his cover for issue #1 was fanstatic, combining lots of red (yay soviet union) with some old allies and espionage themes. I will kill for the variant cover of issue #2, it's awesome.

Daredevil: Cage Match #1 (one-shot) - Andy Diggle has described this one-shot as a fun little side story, basically, who would win is Luke Cage fought Daredevil, all I can say is I think we needed a lighthearted Daredevil yarn after everything he's been through lately. But htis could also be the downfall of Diggle, are people used to a much darker, more realistic portrayal of Daredevil thanks to the fantastic runs of Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker? Is there room for magic and sparring matches in Diggle's work? Only time will tell. Personally I think he is doing very well, and there's always going to be a very discerning eye on a new writer when a critically acclaimed run ends. Good luck Andy Diggle, i'll still buy your comic books. This one-shot bridges the month long gap we get between Daredevil #506 and #507 to give us a taste of our friend from Hell's Kitchen and keep us from tearing apart our own cities out of boredom. So far it's working.

Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 - Something I forgot to add on this list the first time around, is the first issue of this 4 part limited series. Amadeus Cho is one of those great characters that started as sidekick and is now blossoming into a hero in his own right. After recently losing his best friend in the form of The Incredible Hercules, Amadeus has been tipped by Athena (Herc's cunning sister) to be the greatest hero of the new age. As the seventh smartest person on the planet and a fiercely loyal friend, Cho is a great lead for his own miniseries and I can only hope that his search for Hercules and his little sister goes well.

New Avengers: Luke Cage #2 - Luke Cage. Hero for Hire. Dad. Thunderbolts leader. New Avenger.
Another miniseries form Marvel, this time a three parter, chronicling a side story of Luke returning to Harlem to investigate why one of his old proteges is in hospital, nearly beaten to death, and yet saying he deserves worse. This miniseries is chock full of guest stars such as Spider-Man, Ronin, Jessica Jones, Mr. Negative, Hammerhead and the Hippo. BUT WHERE THE HELL IS IRON FIST?! HE'S LIKE, CAGE'S BEST FRIEND!!
I'm sure he'll pop up soon. He better... John Arcudi is writing this mother, with Eric Canete providng the artwork. I really like the rough style he uses to portray the characters, especially being able to see Spider-Man's nose in the mask. I always wondered where that thing went. Oh yeah, tigers!

Siege #4 - This is it folks, the final chapter. The Sentry/Void has ripped Asgard a new one and it's put up or shut up time for the Marvel Universe's heroes. Brian Michael Bendis has handled this Event miniseries spectaculary, every issue has had you wondering what the final result is going to be, although all the Heroic Age images and teasers kind of make it obvious that the good guys win, as usual. Oliver Coipel, I love your artwork, I mean who can deny that seeing Ares get ripped in half, way back in Siege #2, was awesome? Well, maybe Alex from the Secret Warriors, but still. Where is Iron Fist during all this though? He may not be the most powerful hero out there but look at the Hood's losers, they still made it to the fight. Anyway, this issue is the last and final one of Siege, despite a few one-shots and miniseries wrapping things up in the coming months, so be sure to check it out.

Well, that's all for May of 2010, look out for this segment again in June. Hopefully something Iron Fist related will have surfaced by then...