Metropolis

Sorry I didn’t post any reviews last week.  I took the week off due to a massive influx of new comics.  Far too many to review! After I waded through the stack of new monthly titles, I decided to try and get caught up on that brick-like wall of new trade paperbacks that has been steadily growing at el Diablo Central.  I finally got around to reading the last three Osamu Tezuka’s BLACK JACK collections, the new volume of ESSENTIAL HULK, JACK KIRBY’S THE LOSERS (Excellent!), and the FERRO LAD SAGA in DC’s new library classics line.  All that, and I barely made a dent in the stack of stuff.  UGH!
 
So in between reading all that, and this week’s new comics, I’ve been busy mourning the cancellation of some of my beloved TV shows.  This week has been the major television network’s upfronts – where they present their new schedules to advertisers. I can’t remember any time in my television viewing history when so many shows I watch were cancelled all at once.  MY NAME IS EARL (NBC), MEDIUM (NBC – moving to CBS), REAPER (THE CW), THE UNIT (CBS – This one pisses me off the most!), TERMINATOR: SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES (Fox), PRISON BREAK (Fox), LIFE (NBC), SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC), etc. I’m sure I missed one.  My only consolation is that SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE were renewed for one more year.  Did anyone see that SUPERNATURAL Season Finale? Holy Sweet Jeebus, that was awesome! I can’t wait to see how they resolve that in the series final season.  The worst (?) thing is that none of the shows on the networks schedules look all that interesting to me.  THE LISTENER? Seriously?  Other than the remake of “V” there really isn’t much that I plan to try out. I guess that means I’ll finally have time to catch up on my reading? 
 
Now – on to the comics –

 
SUPERMAN/BATMAN 60 – This issue was far more fun than it had any right to be.  Superman and Batman suddenly find themselves in an amalgamation of their respective home towns, called Gothamopolis, where they meet such fusion versions of their friends, like the Justice Titans and Night Lantern. Just an old school throwback to when comics did things like this in their sleep.  FANBOY FUN!
 
HOTWIRE: REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD 3 (of 4) – I’ll admit, I almost dropped this book when I found out that Warren Ellis has very minimal input, and the bulk of the work is by writer/artist Steven Pugh. Since I had already committed to ordering the first two issues, I decided to stick around and give it a shot. Happy to say it worked out well. Pugh has created a world where ghosts are real and hunted down by a special division of the police force. A world where the supernatural, film noir and techno meet, and the only thing keeping everything from falling apart is a tough talking girl with pale skin. Each issue – almost every page – has blown my mind with some mad totally original concept, furthered by career defining artwork by Pugh.  Who knew he could be this good?  GOOD GOOD STUFF!
 
BLACK TERROR 4 (of 4) – The wrap up to this mini series was a bit of a let down from the promise of the first one. In the end it really just sets up the second volume of Alex Ross’ prestige project, aka PROJECT SUPERPOWERS.  I will say it is the best of the three spin off mini-series, though. OKAY. Oh, and Black Terror cries.  **snicker**
 
DOCTOR WHO: THE TIME MACHINATION 1 (of 1) – Tony Lee and Paul Grist really knock this one out of the galaxy. The characterization and attention to continuity is spot on, the homage to classic WHO is (probably. Not as familiar as I should be.) perfect, and the minimalist art of Grist is definitely perfect for the story. In this issue, The Doctor is hunted down by TORCHWOOD in Victorian England, where he meets with a young H.G. Wells.  It is a quick one-shot story told in a tight yet non-restrictive format.  IDW has finally printed a perfect DOCTOR WHO comic book.  BUENO EXCELLENTE!
 
AGENTS OF ATLAS 5 – All Hell breaks loose, as the AoA take on the Avengers – and pretty much kick their butts.  And for once the age old trope of “heroes meet, heroes fight, heroes team up,” does not happen as the AoA use the Avengers to further their under cover status to infiltrate Norman Osborn’s DARK REIGN.  FANBOY FUN! 
 
PUNISHER 5 – I have seen the heir apparent to Garth Ennis as “best PUNISHER writer ever”, and his name is Rick Remender.  Each issue of this book just gets more hard core and action packed. I’ve never really been a fan of the Marvel villain The Hood, but Remender is really making him in to one of the coolest most formidable foe Frank Castle has ever fought. Also, am I the only one who likes the fact that I now basically have five covers with Punisher killing Norman Osborn on the variant covers?  That just makes me smile.  FANBOY FUN!!!
 
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL 3 (of 3) – Nicely done DC.  You robbed me of my hard earned money in order to tell me what I had already figured out from your own solicitation material from two months ago.  Yay!  OKAY.
 
BOYS: HEROGASM 1 (of 4?) – ~gulp~  I feel a little uncomfortable even talking about this one.  It was basically Garth Ennis’ Superhero Penthouse Letters.  The plot is that all the superheroes, when they take off en masse to fight some menace once a year….well….they go to an island retreat to….um.  Well, can’t ya tell just from the title? I will say that John McCrea’s art has improved by leaps and bounds since his HITMAN days.  Ya know, I’m not even sure how to rate this.  FANBOY FUN?