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.