I, for one, was a lifelong (if somewhat closeted) fan of his music, having grown up with his THRILLER album during my formative years and following his career (in secret) throughout his publishing history. I tried, sometimes in vain, to ignore the immense media scrutiny he suffered through and just concentrate on how much fun his music was appreciate it for what it was – but sometimes those glaring paparazzi lights were just too blinding. Say what you will about the man’s private life, but his music is undeniable. He was a gifted man who put a lot of thought and heart into every project he attached his name to. Whether it be a new album, a music video, a comic book tie-in or video game – no matter what he did I had fun and I couldn’t have asked for more.
In this dying age of print and tactile medias – one of the savviest marketing geniuses is gone, and my assorted collections will only suffer for it.
Now – on to the comics!
EUREKA: DORMANT GENE 3 (of 4) – This is far more interesting than it has any right to be, as far as TV tie-in/adaptations are concerned. An odd storytelling implement is used wherein characters fill in background with one or two panels, in some cases a few panels/pages, of unrelated artwork. As if they are telling our protagonist Sheriff Carter one thing and the panel we see is their (or his) thoughts on what they are relating. I’m not doing the practice justice in trying to convey how odd it seems, but trust me (or check it out for yourself) in a comic book like this it really stands out. OKAY.

UNKNOWN SOLDIER 9 - Joshua Dysart has now totally and completely sucked me into this version of the Unknown Soldier. This issue fills us in on his ally, an old warhorse of a CIA agent, and reveals or hints at the new guy’s previous relation to the older hero. And all this is done while keeping the politics and topical social commentary from overwhelming the story as well as informing the casual reader. Highly GOOD STUFF.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD 6 – Where else are you going to see Batman team up with Kid Eternity, Viking Prince, Shining Knight and G.I. ROBOT!!!!!! G.I. ROBOT!!!!! FANBOY FUN!

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS 1 – There have been various “villain” books released throughout the years, but certainly none have included such a beautiful roster as DC’s Gotham Girls; i.e. Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Paul Dini, and artist Guillem March, set up the status quo with our trio of protagonists setting up shop in Gotham City just as Dick Grayson has taken up the mantle of the Bat and Catwoman attempts to recover from her recent string of bad luck in the pages of Dini’s own run on Detective Comics. At this point is isn’t 100% clear on what our ladies’ mission statement will be or whether they can even trust one another, but it is clear they are wary allies in whatever they may plan in the future – and I couldn’t be happier. FANBOY FUN.

BATWOMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS 854 – Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III finally unleash the “controversial” heroine Batwoman upon the DC Universe with one of the most densely and richly illustrated books I’ve seen all year, and prove just why Williams is one of the most under-rated comic book artists working today. While in costume, Batwoman’s world is very stark with bold black white and red pages done in a visually striking noir-ish style that just leaps off the page. Out of costume her world becomes softer and more elegant with rich colors and a different style and tone that will have readers flipping back to the credits to see if the art was actually done by two very different artists (it ain’t!). Rucka uses this inaugural outing to set up the background world of our heroine and slyly fill in what little has already been revealed in the pages of 52 (did she appear anywhere else?), and as per usual his streetwise tough talking hard boiled style is more than up to the task. The issue is rounded out with another Rucka written gem with Rene Montoya as The Question finally getting a story of her own. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

GREEN LANTERN 42 - I was more than a little disappointed with the ruse used on Agent Orange at the beginning of the book – but the sheer jaw dropping nerve of the Guardians later on more than made me a little angry. OKAY.

RUNAWAYS 11 – Kathryn Immonen takes over Marvel’s little-book-that-could and makes it far more enjoyable, and in the spirit of creator Brian K. Vaughn’s original run, than even Joss Whedon or Terry Moore ever prayed they could. I admit – when Immonen, wife of artist Stuart Immonen, was announced as the new writer – I almost dropped the book. I’m glad I didn’t, as the unpredictability, so prevalent in BKV’s run, is back in force as well as the character’s voices being perfect out of the gate rather than the slow build to familiarity that seemed evident in Moore and Whedon’s run(s). FANBOY FUN.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST 27 – Iron Fist officially goes on hiatus with this issue to be replaced by a mini-series focusing on the Immortal Weapons. As far as (possible) final issues of a series goes this could have been worse. The majority of the issue finds Danny Rand return to see the Rand Corporation being destroyed through incompetence (and Hydra) and finding out his beloved Misty Knight is pregnant with his child. I’ve never really liked the plot device of taking someone rich and destroying their fortune just to see how they react, so Duane Swierczynski loses points from me on that one. GOOD STUFF.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 15 – With the jaw dropping cliffhanger ending of last issue, which saw the Guardians caught between the forces of the Imperial Guard AND their respective opponents, the Inhumans, I never would have thought that the build up between issues could pan out like I thought it should (in my own carnage lusting head), but Abnett and Lanning have done it again. The ensuing fight is full of enough Pow! and Boom! moments to keep me entertained and their own trademark brand of humor that has made this one of Marvel Comic’s best kept secrets. Via la Guardians of the Galaxy!!! FANBOY FUN!!!
NOVA 26 – Nova returns to lead the Nova Corps and take sides in the War of Kings event. Not much else to comment on, but that last page sure was a doozy. GOOD STUFF!
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND THE MI-13 14 – The penultimate issue of Marvel’s real best kept secret is one of epic bittersweet proportions. MI13 makes their move against Dracula, making me smile from ear to ear after the heartbreaking final pages of the previous issue, only to be countered by the cliff-hanger reveal on this issue’s last page. It’s been a wild fun ride MI13 – I can’t wait to read the big series finale next issue. And please allow me to shame you for not coming along with me and the other small but loyal group of readers that have been here all along – SHAME ON YOU!!! THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME, AND NOW IT’S BEING CANCELLED BECAUSE YOU WOULD RATHER READ CRAP LIKE AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE OR THE AMAZING OBAMA MAN. THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!! BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

 
WAR OF KINGS: THE SAVAGE WORLD OF SKAAR 1 (of 1) – The short answer is that this is an obvious money grab for any suckers willing to shell out their cash for anythign bearing the WoK banner, like me.  You might be surprised to find a fun, if light and ultimately forgettable, little jaunt by Gorgon of the Inhumans and Starbolt of the Imperial Guard, as they face off against the Son of Hulk himself, Skaar.  I’m not sure if the plot threads that are developed in this one-shot,i.e. both Shi’ar and Inhuman/Kree looking to harness the power of Skaar for their side of the conflict, will pay out during th WoK itself or be touched on later in another book. It would seem silly to hold the story for a different crossover altogether, but then again the WoK only has two more issues to go (right?) so they better hurry it up.  OKAY.
 
BUCK ROGERS 1 – What mystery lies behind that awesome Matt Wagner variant cover? Let us find out…together. Shall we? A bear with a blaster? Sweet!  This issue is pretty much just set up as Buck arrives in the future and meets Col. Wilma Deering.  …and a bear with a blaster.  GOOD STUFF.
 
DOCTOR WHO: AUTOPIA 1 (of 1) – This is the first Doctor Who comic written by an American, veteran John Ostrander, and it more or less hits all the necessary beats. The Doctor uses his wits and the strengths of others to overcome obstacles, relies on humor to keep the levity of the situation from becoming overbearing, etc. etc. All in all – it isn’t bad, and Ostrander really knows how to capture the voices of The Doctor and Donna. GOOD STUFF.
 
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL 30 – Am i the only one who hopes we don’t see Bad Cop again? EH!!
 
R.E.B.E.L.S. 5 – Not at all standard for the Machiavellian twists that have been common in the first four issues, but still quite good. For once Starro the Conqueror might actually be a cool villain (to me) and, as much as I love seeing Vril Dox twist the proverbial knife, I really enjoyed seeing an issue of non-stop fighting.  FANBOY FUN!
 
FLASH: REBIRTH 3 (of ?) – I’ve been complaining about how boring this book has been to me thus far, and this is the issue that makes me eat my words. To be fair though, I think the real fun for me was seeing all the supporting characters and their inner turmoils brought to the surface. Bart worrying about his mentor Max Mercury, Liberty Belle and her shocking vision of Johnny Quick. Those two (Quick and Mercury) were always two of my favorite speedsters, so….ah, but that would be giving it all away.  At any rate – this issue made me care. FANBOY FUN!!!
 
RED ROBIN 1 – Not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be. I’ve slowly become a fan of Chris Yost’s work at MARVEL, so i expected good things from this. The plot, Tim Drake sets out to find Bruce Wayne, is kind of so-so and leaves way too many questions open ended for me. Shouldn’t Tim still be in high school? But the biggest disappointment has to be the art by Ramon Bachs. I’ve usually enjoyed his slightly cartoony work, but it looks like he has tried to adapt his style to a darker edge, and the results aren’t nearly as satisfying as I would have hoped. I’m in it for the long haul, so hopefully as the book goes on his art will be more confident and slick. OKAY.
 
BATMAN 687 – This issue serves as an epilogue of sorts to the Battle For The Cowl mini-series, and as a set-up for the new status quo of the BATMAN: REBORN event in the DCU. Its works on every level, and pretty much makes the whole BftC mini totally redundant and unnecessary. It gives Dick Grayson a valid reason and emotional touch point for picking up the cowl, gives some human emotion to the Bat cast as they mourn their fallen mentor (the scene with Alfred and Superman will break your heart), and really touches every base in establishing Dick Grayson as his own man, honoring the memory of Bruce Wayne while setting up the new Batman and Robin team.  BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!
 
GREEN LANTERN CORPS 37 – After the first few pages just about ripped my heart out I was pretty much unable to comprehend the endless butt kicking ring slinging action going on throughout the rest of this book. This issue is relentless! Daxam fights back. The Alpha Lanterns rally the troops and the Blackest Night marches closer.  Whew….FANBOY FUN!
 
ANNA MERCURY 2: ULTRASPACIAL DREADNOUGHT VANAHEIM 1 – If you enjoyed Warren Ellis’ wild take on video game aesthetics and over the top action brought into a real world/parallel worlds scenario then this is the book for you. You can still find the original mini-series at all the better comic book store (if they don’t have it, they CAN order it). In the first series Ellis took the strong female archetype, mixed in the TOMB RAIDER-esque acrobatics and ultra violence of [insert favorite Asian action flick or mega-violent video game here] and turned it all on its ear with his own brand of pseudo science and futurist thinking. The result was a little off-putting at first, an overall better read in a collected format, but really worth while. This sequel looks to be even better with some very interesting political questions being asked and, oh, all that ass kicking I was telling you about.  BUENO EXCELLENTE.
 
ABSOLUTION 0 – It is about damn time this book made it to the stands! I first heard about this book back in 2008, met with writer/creator Christos Gage at Wizard World Texas, back in November, got an autograph on a promo poster for the book – and then patiently waited for Avatar to wow me yet again. My patience finally paid off. Not sure what the holdup was for, but…I finally have a book to also slip into the bag and board housing the poster I got way back when. Avatar usually takes a more interesting turn with these zero issue, making them necessary to the story and at less expense to the reader while filling the issues with enough extras to really make the book a value to the reader. But enough about that – in just sixteen pages Gage really unleashes a super hero who has had just about enough out of the scum of the Earth and he takes matters into his own hands. Now – I’m not talking SUPERMAN 4: QUEST FOR PEACE style “taking matters into his own hands”. Nuh-uh! I’m talking DEXTER MORGAN style kill the killers and get a thirst for it style action. With Gage and Avatar’s track record of late – this might very well end up being one of my all-time favorite books.  BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

 
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?

 
ATOMIC ROBO: SHADOW FROM BEYOND TIME 1 (of 5) – This issue Robo teams up with HP Lovecraft and Charles Fort, or rather – he spends the issue arguing with them about Armageddon.  As fun as this book usually is – this issue was probably my all-time favorite. The action takes a back seat to expository dialogue that is smart, funny and reveals dimensions of the world of Robo thus unseen.  Everything you could ask for from a first issue.  FANBOY FUN!
 
JONAH HEX 43 – The first half of this book is largely sans words of any kind (dialogue, captions, sound effects, etc.), and Palmiotti and Gray let the legendary Paul Gulacy really shine on the artwork and storytelling.  GOOD STUFF.
 
BATTLE FOR THE COWL: THE NETWORK 1 (of 1) – This was not only pointless – it was horrible. If this is what the future of the Bat-titles is going to be like, I won’t stick around for long.  AWFUL!  Why? It seemed like Fabian Nicieza was attempting to write a quick epic battle from the perspective of Oracle, who is removed from the battle, but it came off choppy and poorly executed. Again – AWFUL!
 
FLASH: REBIRTH 2 (of 6?) – Am I the only one who is bored by this? Geoff Johns does a good job of trying (TRYING) to make Barry Allen interesting, but he says himself that everyone always thought of him as a saint or a boy scout. And that is the problem – that is how he was always written and my memory is long – any attempt to retcon that, or shift it in any way just seems to me like they are trying too hard.  Plus – I can’t be the only one having trouble telling Wally and Barry apart when they are in costume. EH!
 
POWER GIRL 1 – I really wanted to like this, but the text heavy way this read just seemed like overkill, and the scene shifts just kept it from really coming together for me.  Amanda Conner’s art was absolutely beautiful though, as always.  Here’s hoping the next issue gets better.  OKAY.
 
AGENTS OF ATLAS 4 – I really like the way Marvel is using their big company wide crossovers to really make their new series seem consequential to the whole of the Marvel U, like they did with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13, but I’m afraid in the long run the stories may seem dated.  Fortunately this book is also using Silver Age history to flesh out the characters, and create a book with as much past as present.  It is a plot device Jeff Parker used to great effect in the original AoA mini-series, and continues to utilize well here.  This issue we see the Atlas interact with Capt. America in the past and the present.  BUENO EXCELLENTE!
 
WAR OF KINGS 3 (of 6) – I’ve always loved the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, being Legion of Super-Heroes analogues as they are.  So to see them really step up to the fore front of this massive cosmic saga has been a delight.  Unfortunately they have been on the opposite side of the “good guys” (Starjammers, Inhumans, etc.), until now…. ***Spoiler Alert Activated*** Man, was it cool seeing Gladiator finally step up and switch sides? I’ve been wondering how the Hell he could continue to serve Emperor Vulcan while knowing he was an evil despot, and then POW! He blows the head off of one of his own teammates. Ho!  Man, that was awesome! ***SPOILER ALERT DE-ACTIVATED*** If you aren’t reading the WoK, you are missing out. This book is some serious FANBOY FUN!!!
 
BUFFY TVS: SEASON EIGHT 25 -  Well…at least Dawn isn’t cursed anymore.  EH.
 
THE BOYS 30 – A bit of a wrap-up to the latest story arc, as well as the first thirty issues. Not much happens, and the character development didn’t really hit home for me as well as I had hoped. It was OKAY, but not the excellent heart breaker I was hoping for. 
 
~*ReTro ReVieW*~  SEAGUY 1 – 3 – I read this when it came out back in 2004, and loved every bizarre throwback to the psychedelic age of comics.  Anticipating the new series, and failing to remember what had happened to make some of the events of the new series seem so significant, I decided to drag it back out for a reread.  It was more fun and chaotic than I remembered.  Just a totally unexpected almost whimsical look at a superhero who is the last of his kind, and his cigar chomping best pal, Chubby da Chuna, a flying air breathing tuna fish with a sailor hat.  They go out looking for adventure and run into a gondola operating Death, an ocean filled with chocolate, a warrior woman with a curly beard, and more. I had forgotten the bizarre stuff with Mickey Eye, the Egyptians and the secret history of the moon. I just – I just can’t really do justice in explaining this book, and I can’t really even begin to put it into words how weird it is to have a book this silly and fun come from the uber-serious mature readers Vertigo imprint of DC. This book also brought Cameron Stewart to my attention, and his pencil does not fail to really bring this character to three dimensional life.  BUENO EXCELLENTE!
 
SEAGUY: SLAVES OF MICKEY EYE 1 & 2 (of 3) – This mini-series picks up right where the previous one left off, and continues the trend of the first with a fun bizarre romp through the world of Seaguy.  This time around we catch up with Seaguy and his friends in New Venice before we meet three heroes inspired by Seaguy, and then watch as Seaguy himself becomes a “bull dresser” (which has to be seen to be believed). Morrison has called this book his own Watchmen, referring to the 1980s deconstructionist super hero series (you may have heard of it), as each series examines the super hero from a new perspective. The first series being the adolescence of Seaguy, the sequel being his teenage years, and the future sequel being his adulthood. If you aren’t familiar with the first series, it is essential that you read it before reading this one.  You just can not go on without reading that first.  BIZZARO EXCELLENTE!

That’s right kids, Lubbock now has it’s own comic pimp-publisher in the form of Nerd Boy Comics. Propagated and lovingly crafted by sometimes Metropolis Heroine and writer of all things zombie and bovine, SarahBear, this is not necessarily a Metropolis project, but expect to see some Metropolis related content and some of our names on the books that will be forth coming (It’s good to be the King.)

Nerd Boy’s first offering, Zombie Cows, has already begun publishing on the website and will be availible in dead tree format at the upcoming Staple Indie Convention in Austin. All of Metropolis will be there as well, but that is beside the point. Zombie Cow will follow the exploits of some mid-twenties as they learn of the horrible zombie related plague that has ravaged Bovine-kind. Sound like fun to you, check it out.

As of today, after hours of serious negotiations with the staff of Nerd Boy (I made her promise to give me super powers if she found a way), your very own Padawan has agreed to publish his first comics offering under the Nerd Boy aegis. Someone Else’s Problem will be forthcoming once the art is finished, and if you scan below, you can see character sketches Also, there are rumors of comics in the works by such luminaries as Sasquatch and the One True JP himself… So you know, stay tuned True Believer.

And finally, here are the characters for the first isssue of Someone Else’s Problem:

Holy shit they totally do it after this scene!

“I’m sorry Dan, but I’m much too busy eating all these marbles.”

OMG you guys, just do it and get it over with.

Watch the Comedian realize that he might, in fact, be too old for this shit at Total Film, as I was unable to steal the vid.

Clips courtesy The Sun, MSN, and Sky Movies respectively.

The only news worth caring about so far out of NYCC is Marvel’s “Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers,” using the only adjective for that word that completely short-circuits any of my ability to be critical.

So far all we know is that it will be written by Chris Eliopolous (of Franklin Richards and Mini-Marvels fame) and drawn by Ed Guerra. The roster will include Locks Jaw and Heed, an apparently new Frog Thor, Redwing, Zabu, Aunt may’s dog (does she have a dog?), and that cat, who is called Hairball. Did he used to be in Power Pack or something? I don’t know who that is.

Considering that Lockheed is the only one of these characters who can talk, (Well, maybe the frog. Frog Thor! Have you gotten over it yet? I don’t think I ever will) (Yes, Lockheed can talk. Warren Ellis said so.) dialogue options might be limited, but I imagine they’ll find some way. Isn’t Redwing telepathic? So he can network everyone up and we’ll get to see how the food chain really rolls here. But I would think it goes (ascending order):

Redwing –> Hairball –> the dog –> Zabu –> Lockheed –>Lockjaw —————>Mjolnir-wielding frog.

Edit: Hairball is pretty clearly the kitty version of Speedball, now Penance. Which is kind of a hilarious commentary on that character, now.

Following the wake of the KTXT Crisis, we’re now streaming live, every Thursday night at 9 P.M. Tune in here, and keep watching this space for news, upcoming events, and general frivolity.