Metropolis

el Diablo Robotico says, “I AM VAMPIRE, SOOKIE!”

el Diablo Robotico — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:31:19 +0000

I realize this is really later in the week than I intended to post it, but it couldn’t be helped. Over the past few weeks I been slowly consuming the first season of TRUE BLOOD on DVD, and slowly become addicted to it’s delightfully campy mix of sex and cheese. I’ve been dutifully recording the current season on HBO for safekeeping until I was totally caught up on the DVDs. So this past weekend I had a small TRUE BLOOD marathon as I recently decided to get an HD DVR and – Poppa had to watch him some Sookie Stackhouse fang banging with Bill (”I am Vampire!) Compton before the DVR’s got switched out and I lost the chance to catch up. So you can blame Anna Paquin’s boobies for the delay.

Now – on to the comics!

STORMWATCH: POST EARTH DIVISION 22 – This issue marks the first time since Wildstorm’s big “post-apocalyptic Earth” stories began, that I can honestly say I am in love with the direction of this book 100%. After manipulating Winter beyond the breaking point and losing Fuji to the destruction of his containment suit – we finally have ourselves some members of the team ripe for insubordination. And just as they begin to conspire – suicide bombers trick their way on to the ship. The political machinations, mixed with super heroics, that have made me a fan of Stormwatch all along have finally returned. FANBOY FUN!

DARK X-MEN 1 (of 3) - Once again I have learned the age old lesson to leaf through the entire comic book before you decide to buy it. After turning to the first page and seeing Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk’s names, i.e. the creative team of CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13, I was sold on this one. imagine my disdain to sit down and read this issue only to discover that they merely did the first story of three that successively descend in quality and relevance. Oh sure, I guess they were relevant to the whole UTOPIA crossover (maybe), but in the end this was a major disappointment for me. EH!

R.E.B.E.L.S. 6 – Any fan of the Machievallian Coluan, Vril Dox, from L.E.G.I.O.N. ‘89 would be proud of the way Tony Bedard has returned the character to his manipulative roots in this book and quickly made it one of DC’s few true gems. In this issue Dox not only saves the universe from infestation by Starro, but he manipulates the motley crew aboard his ship (who all hate him) into joining his cause. Admittedly, not a whole lot actually happens beyond that, but the characterization is executed perfectly note for note, as if Alan Grant had returned to the character he and Keith Giffen made one of my favorite characters in the 1990s. He’s like the J.R. Ewing of the DC Universe – you just love to hate the guy. And all this goes without mentioning that Bedard is doing for the cosmic characters of DC, what Abnett and Lanning are doing for them over in the Marvel Universe, but on a much smaller and more manageable scale. Sci-Fi political intrigue at an epic scope. BSG’s Ron Moore would be proud. FANBOY FUN!

RED ROBIN 2 - I am just not liking this new direction for Tim Drake. He is acting totally out of character, and the character change feels like an editorial decision, rather than an evolutionary change brought about by necessity for the growth of a burgeoning super-hero. And Ramon Bach’s artwork isn’t quite ready for this grim and gritty style they are trying to force on him. I’m not sure if it is a decision made by him, or another editorial mandate, but the result is something akin to the artist on an ARCHIE comic trying to make Jughead look like a bad ass. It just ain’t gonna happen! EH!

BATMAN 688 – Here’s something you almost never see – Batman smiling. I for one would like to think his mile is because the Bat-books are officially good fun stuff again, but I know it is for the same reason that the books actually are fun again – that ain’t Bruce Wayne underneath the cowl. Judd Winnick is joined on the title by Mark Bagley for the first of a six issue run, and after just one issue I wish their stay would have been longer. Rather than hit the readers over the head with the fact that this is a new and different Batman & Robin, for the first time I felt like I we were just enjoying the new status quo, rather than setting it up. The book is about as different from Grant Morrison’s BATMAN & ROBIN as you could go while still using the same characters, but it doesn’t feel forced. So – of course DC goes and screws it up by letting the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time-player, Tony Daniel, back as regular writer and artist after Winnick and Bagley’s run ends. But concentrating on the positive….FANBOY FUN!!!

GREEN LANTERN 43 – If nothing else, the one thing this whole lead-in to the Blackest Night event has made Black Hand into an interesting villain for once. And here we see he was a morbid lad, and not at all like one of the Fisher brothers from SIX FEET UNDER. (Now that would have been an interesting origin.) This issue is really just one more in the long long set up for the big Blackest Night event, but far more interesting than the whole Orange Lantern storyline. GOOD STUFF.

WAR OF KINGS: WARRIORS 1 (of 2) – Another anthology title for the week, but this one is has two stories written by Christos Gage, so it doesn’t read quite as disjointed as anthology comics traditionally do. I enjoyed seeing a peek at the origin of the Imperial Guard’s Gladiator, as he has long been one of my favorite background character’s in the Marvel Universe. Who doesn’t like a superhero with a giant mohawk and the powers of Superman? It was also nice to finally learn that Gladiator’s weakness is disbelief in himself. Unfortunately the second feature of the book, Blastaar has Daddy issues, isn’t as interesting (at least to this reader), making the whole less successful. Gage works with what he is given, but for some reason Blastaar has never had the marquee billing of a villain like Thanos or even Ronan the Accuser. OKAY.

GRAVEL 12 – Gravel meets with a Rastafarian pirate (or something), and then recruits another member of the Minor Seven, who uses mayonnaise (?) to kill some drug dealers smoking fetuses. Yes. Fetuses! Oddly – this was pretty OKAY.

NO HERO 6 - I felt a little like a Juan Jose Ryp drawing after reading this, in that I had to literally pick my jaw up off the floor. Every time I think Ryp couldn’t possibly unleash something as messed up and nightmarish as he did in whatever he last drew – he sends me hiding my head under the covers with some new nightmarish creation. Our protagonist finally finds out the secrets that have led him to giving up his humanity for super powers, and to say he is unhappy about what he finds out is an understatement of epic proportions. It’s like saying ROCK OF LOVE lacks a little bit of class. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

CROSSED 6 – So, continuing in the Avatar triumvirate for the week, we come to Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows’ epic tale of survivors of a “zombie” like plague. Now – after last issue’s relatively low violence quotient i was expecting to really see some NC-17 level trauma this time out. Imagine my surprise when the issue turned out to be much more tell than show, with more character development and very few actual violent moments. To be fair – the few violent moments in the book are pretty hardcore. But…BUT…the most unsettling moment, by far, has to be when the story of two new members of the group recall their own stories post-Crossed event, and finds out the chilling secret one of them harbors. Only Ennis could have come up with a character moment as twisted as this. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

WEDNESDAY COMICS 1 (of 12) – Everybody else is talking about it so I might as well throw my hat into the ring too. I approached the format with a bit of hesitation, but I quickly began to appreciate it when I saw how each artist approached the large newspaper-like format and storytelling without any restrictions, and allowed their art to really fill the pages and make each page into a single work of art. I was particularly taken with how effective Paul Pope’s ADAM STRANGE, Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred’s METAMORPHO, Dave Gibbons and Ryan Sook’s KAMANDI, Kyle Baker’s HAWKMAN each worked as effectively as a stand-alone piece as well as one part of a larger whole. My only complaint was with the WONDER WOMAN strip, which I found to be slightly difficult to read. Now – not all the stories really work in a single page format, as far as building tension and what not, but the format is wonderful for treating comics like the works of art that they are. Like everyone else in the blogosphere – I wonder how the inevitable reprint collection will handle the size of this work and in what format. As for storage – I just slipped a backing board inside the book itself, and then slipped the whole thing into a silver (or was it golden) age bag. Whatever works for you – the discerning collector. FANBOY FUN!

Postmodernism and Tiny Wolverine

thechief — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:35:17 +0000

There is cultural and institutional interdependence between members of any community, especially the members of any team striving for mutant justice within a flatscan society. Back when Vealinger reamarked “the power struggle will continue while the great tale of humanity remains untold,” he created a monster which society has been attempting to tame ever since. Much like Wolverine. While the western world use a knife and fork, the Chinese use chopsticks. While Canada uses Alpha Flight, we in America rejoice in our plentitude of X-teams. Why shouldn’t we?

Let’s forgo asking the question “Why didn’t Marx forsee mutantcy in his historical dialectic?” The answers to that query would hit us in the face like a pie full of iron truths: either Marx was himself a mutant, or perhaps he was just a moron, like so many ro-men of that era. Ro-man want to be hu-man. This transition was impossible until the advent of the showy guzzler.

Back to the topic at hand: if one examines cultural theory, one is faced with a choice: either accept Debordist situation or conclude that sexuality is fundamentally used in the service of outmoded perceptions of culture, given that language is distinct from consciousness. But Wolverine is both the ur-man in his hairy masculinihilismity and the ultimate woman by virtue of the fact that he grows flesh, by his healing factor. Forgetting for a fact that Wolverine is expending the surely finite resources of an extradimensional Meatspace by regrowing his bodily tissues, Wolvie has himself become a wombless woman, in a neat inversion of crazy Freud’s sex calculus. X-man wants to be hu-man.

Any number of deconstructivisms concerning modernist discourse may be revealed. Thus, the subject is contextualised into a that includes language as a totality. Wolverine can never be a full totality; he is, rather, a mass of Tiny Wolverines, each growing out of the bodyflesh chunks James Howlett has left after multiple battles on multiple continents. These chunks o’ flesh, like the central Wolverine husk, must surely have a holographic tendency to grow a full replication of the same body from which they sprung. However, with limited flesh to grow and shape, these flesh chunks would over time form into Wolverine-shaped masses of small statue; i.e., Tiny Wolverines. Perhaps these Tiny Wolverines would themselves, after tiny battles, shed flesh chunks of their own, further engendering a race of Tiny Tiny Wolverines, onto ad infinitum. In this, Wolverine is no mere mutant. Wolverine is a fractal proposition.

Lyotard’s essay on cultural theory suggests that the significance of the writer is significant form. Wolverine, as a fractal superorganism, has no significant form, merely a sniktin’ form. In a sense, the stasis of Wolverine in the Claremont era, andof precapitalist deconstructivist theory intrinsic to Rushdie’s Satanic Verses is also evident in Midnight’s Children, although in a more mythopoetical sense. But what is Wolverine but pure mythopoeticism?

Look, bitches: the premise of Debordist situation holds that sexual identity has intrinsic meaning, but only if subcapitalist libertarianism is invalid. But Lacan promotes the use of Debordist situation to attack sexism. Wolverine having no sex, a genderless canucklehead, he is the Situationist homunculus-idea made perfect, and manifest.

Also, Tiny Wolverine. TINY WOLVERINE.

FIRECRACKER, FIRECRACKER SIS-BOOM-BA!!!

el Diablo Robotico — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:26:53 +0000

I just had about the longest July 4th weekend I’ve ever had, and I still haven’t recovered. In the words of Jonah Hex, “I feel like I been et by a wolf, and s*** off a cliff.” For those that care, and I’ll share even if you don’t, my baby boy, Holden, turned three on July 4th. So the day was filled with cake, ice cream and presents, before keeping the kids up way past bedtime for fireworks. And it was all done in that dry ass Texas heat that come along in the dead of Summer and makes you wish you lived in Antarctica.

It was in honor of the holiday that I whipped out the newest Captain America trade paperback and Cap. 600 before devoting any time to the new Captain America Reborn mini-series. Well…..that and the fact that I just wanted to get caught up on C.A. before I even thought about opening Reborn. Okay….that and the fact that I was all caught up on my Netflix DVDs.

Anywho….on to the comics!

DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS: SERIES TWO 8 – This issue marks the first three installments of Steve Parkhouse’s THE STOCKBRIDGE HORROR. It is a sci-fi mystery involving a TARDIS being excavated at an archaeological dig, two charred bodies lying in fields with no signs of burnt foliage around them, and a mysterious assailant able to attack the TARDIS itself. In terms of Doctor Who stories it is quite good, and in terms of sci fi mysteries it remarkably interesting. GOOD STUFF.

TERRY MOORE’S ECHO 13 – As always Moore’s ECHO just keeps churning out the intrigue panel by panel while bringing characters to life into fully realized people. Not a whole lot actually happens in this issue, beyond a few confrontations and the introduction of a very imposing new character towards the end, but Moore does it with such skill that you hardly notice that he even furthered the plot along at all. I’ll never get over how he does it. GOOD STUFF.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON EIGHT 26 – Yay! Seth Green as Oz finally comes back into the Buffyverse. Well….even if it is just a drawing of Seth Green… Oz was always one of my favorite characters, and his exit from the show was one that broke my heart, even if Willow became a much stronger character for it. Twilight’s forces assault the Slayers from all fronts, and Buffy and gang have to make a forced retreat – in a submarine. This book just got good again. GOOD STUFF.

THE BOYS 32 – Speaking of books that just got good again…we finally see the forces of Vought American make a play against Butcher and The Boys, and it isn’t pretty. I’ll look beyond the naive way that The Boys are tricked into a hospital set up (aren’t they a little too savvy for that?) where they are attacked mercilessly by a team of supers. The good news is that The Female isn’t dead. The bad news is that the supers hurt Butcher’s dog. ….I guess that is more good news actually, cause the sight of an angered Butcher hunting down five (make that four) super powered people locked in the building with him is destined to make this one of the best story arcs this book has ever seen. I just wish Darick Robertson was drawing this instead of Carlos Ezquerra. FANBOY FUN!

JONAH HEX 45 – The second part of the epic Six Gun War does more to set up the upcoming war storyline than the first chapter did. Bat Lash and Tallulah Black have been taken prisoner by El Papaguayo and his banditos, Jonah has been left for dead by those same banditos, and El Diablo (no relation) joins Hex in the hunt for El Papaguayo and those that done him wrong. You just know this will end bloody. Nothing but good old FANBOY FUN!!!

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL 31 – All things considered this Peter Milligan written Bat-tale isn’t bad. Batman and the GCPD are hunting for an evil Russian ganglord with a Thermonuclear warhead – who just happens to have some mutant Russian teen on his side. Two things happened when I started reading this issue. 1) I thought it would end with Batman fighting the under-rated KGBeast and 2) What ever happened to the street level bad guys who want nothing more than to steal things and get away. I appreciate the Bat-villains as much as the next guy, but just once in awhile I would like to see Batman fight someone normal. Someone without a gimmick – like a mutant Russian teenager. is that too much to ask for, DC? OKAY.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 28 – So….since when did the world at large know who The Spectre was? At one point during this issue a news copter flying over the JSA HQ sees The Spectre and the reporter calls him by name. I was always under the impression that Spectre was more of a ghostly figure that showed up from time to time, and not someone with the same notoriety as Paris Hilton that any news reporter would be able to name on sight. Eh. Anyway – Jerry Ordway wraps up his two issue fill-in before Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges take over next issue. Classic Ordway in full effect here – plenty of super heroics, last minute saves, super hero misunderstandings, etc. Decent fun and very GOOD STUFF. Makes me wish the Ordster was going to be more of a regular thing, but I understand the need for bigger sales on a flagship title.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE 1 (of 6) – I really didn’t want to like this. As pointed out by someone – somewhere – on the Internet (I can’t remember where I saw it), DC has a tendency to NOT understand what makes the JLA so cool. They go through the motions repeatedly having the big guns team up, then bring in the second stringers, then eliminate the big guns to better focus on the second stringers until sales eventually fall enough to bring in the big guns again and declare the new JLA to be permanent until the start bringing in the B-listers again. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count. So this issue, with a pretty laughable justification for existence, sees Green Lantern and Green Arrow leave the JLA to look for, and deal, some of their own brand of “Justice” with a team made up of some pretty unlikely characters. Congorilla and Mikaal,the blue alien version of Starman, being the two unlikeliest. Not to even mention that these characters literally crying for “justice” are more or less looking for revenge and not justice. One presumes the differences will be explored? One hopes? Eh. But for all its’ failing – clunky dialogue and all – it was beautifully illustrated and it actually kinda worked for me. Maybe I was just blinded by the pretty pretty art? OKAY.

BATMAN AND ROBIN 2 – I would have a problem with the fact that every other page has to remind people that this ain’t Bruce Wayne and [insert secret identity of Robin of choice here], but it is so well done that I just don’t care. Everything from the scenes of Robin ignoring Batman’s orders, Batman and Robin failing, and Batman/Dick Grayson having Alfred have to build up his ego after a battle – all hit you over the head like an aluminum baseball bat and make the book more fun than it has been in years. FANBOY FUN!!

SECRET SIX 11 – Jesus! Just how many times can these people turn on each other? FANBOY FUN!

GREEN LANTERN CORPS 38 – Last week I complained, in my reply to a blog comment, how the GLC book has been increasingly better than the main GL book. This issue not only has more jaw dropping moments than the main GL book, but it really serves as a prologue to the Blackest Night event. Which means we are finally going to see some zombie superheroes in the DCU. Woo-Hoo!!! FANBOY FUN!!! But seriously – you should get this just to see what happens between Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, the Guardians and the Alpha Lanterns.

AGENTS OF ATLAS 7 – I loved this issue, but I’m still a little unclear if Namora stayed in Atlantis with Namor. GOOD STUFF.

WAR OF KINGS 5 (of 6) – Oh, Holy Crap! Truly this book has been a roller-coaster ride of double crossings and cliffhanger endings. If you really wanted a nice lead-in to get you pumped for Blackest Night – you could do worse than picking this mini-series/event up. Cosmic space opera worthy of Star Wars and political maneuverings worthy of Battlestar Galactica. Just a great fun escapist read. FANBOY FUN!!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN 1 – Okay – so I take your word for it, Marvel Comics, that Ed Brubaker has been planning this since before Capt. America was killed after the Civil War event. After all, the seeds were all planted and you could follow the clues along to their logical conclusion, i.e. this mini-series. Got it. This has been a long time coming. Cool. But did you have to borrow so liberally from LOST? I really liked this, but still… Was it not enough when you [Marvel] stole the whole “They have a plan” and “God” angles from BSG for Secret War? I would probably be angrier if this weren’t drawn by Brian Hitch. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!! 90% of that rating is for Hitch’s art alone.

THRILLER NIGHT w/ el DIABLO ROBOTICO

el Diablo Robotico — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:10:49 +0000

In losing Michael Jackson this week I was reminded, through various blogs around the Internet, of his deep lifelong love of the comic book medium. He shopped quite frequently at the comic store GOLDEN APPLE in California and over the years had a few comics actually made to tie-in with various entertainment projects he was working on at the time, such as the 3D CAPTAIN EO comic book produced by Eclipse Comics in the 1980s that tied-in with his short movie feature for Walt Disney.

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!!!

LESSONS IN LETHARGY W/ EL DIABLO ROBOTICO

el Diablo Robotico — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:38:55 +0000

Sorry for the lack of preamble lately, folks. I am anticipating having to train someone at my “real” job sometime soon-ish and I wanted to try and get caught up on my reading before that happens, so my days and nights have been spent doing just that. Honestly – my life isn’t the Quentin Tarantino film that you think it is.

Straight on in to the comics for us then? After you….

POWER GIRL 2 – I don’t know why I’m just not feeling this book. I’ve always been a big Power Girl fan….well….a fan of her “assets” at any rate. Add in the writing team of Palmiotti and Gray, the always wonderful Amanda Conner on art and Adam Hughes on covers and you should have a winning team. One thing I’m not thrilled with is the introduction of a supporting cast that felt a little wedged in, with no time to get to know any of them, and not to mention the Ultra-Humanite as the first villain. For a kid raised on PLANET OF THE APES you would think I would dig seeing big talking gorilla villains more than I actually do. I’ll stick around for a good while to see if this book grows on me, but I’m gonna call this one – OKAY.

MASQUERADE 4 (of 4) – All in all this was a pretty inconsequential mini-series, but a decent read. Definitely not for anyone that doesn’t already read Alex Ross’ Project Superpowers stuff already. OKAY.

PROJECT SUPERPOWERS TWO 0 – By now if you haven’t given it up for Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s fanfic Roy Thomas-esque wankfest – you probably never will. Not much to say about this beyond the fact that it appears the Black Terror mini-series was the only necessary reading of the three tie-in mini-series. But my favorite thing about this one dollar priced lead-in to the new series is the new two page origin recaps. And first up is my favorite character in the P.S. universe, Black Terror, the super pirate himself. So….did you know Black Terror was a pharmacist? I’ll have to point that out to my pal Tyson. OKAY.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN 61 – As lame an idea as Penguello is – it is twenty thousand times more interesting than either Penguin or Metallo. OKAY.

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM 1 – Gotta admit – this is not what I was expecting from a new Paul Dini written monthly of Dick Grayson/Batman. It isn’t bad by far. It was pretty good, if only your standard Batman story with a few mentions here and there that this isn’t the Batman we all know and love. Other than that – pretty standard Batman versus Firefly story. Plus the first issue seems to be all set up for a longer arc, and I had been spoiled by the single issue stories in Dini’s run on DETECTIVE COMICS. However, the new fangled “Second Feature” (I’ll still call it a backup story, no matter what Dan Didio says!) was pretty darn nifty. Marc Andreyko returns to his creation Manhunter and does in just a few short pages, what Dini spends the majority of the book doing; i.e. setting up the new status quo. And honestly – at this point, what with BATMAN AND ROBIN 1 and BATMAN 687, haven’t we already done this to death? We get it! Dick Grayson is Batman. Move on! GOOD STUFF!

THE BOYS: HEROGASM 2 (of 6) – I have a feeling I’ll be trying to explain my owning this book to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. I feel dirty now, and have to go shower. OKAY.

INCOGNITO 4 – Ed Brubaker proclaims this his favorite issue of the series to write, in the book’s back matter. Sadly, I can’t agree with him. He makes a valid point about the protagonist having the knife really twisted in his back here, and everything falling apart for him, but it isn’t nearly as subversive and wicked fun as the three previous issues. Still head over heels better than anything else that came out this week. GOOD STUFF.

WAR OF KINGS: ASCENSION 3 (of 4) – Dangit! I should have known stupid old Darkhawk would find some way to get out of his mental prison (or whatever). I get a slight thrill seeing this 90s mainstay get the proverbial crap beat out of him, which is good seeing as he has now kinds sorta framed himself for the murder of Queen Lilandra. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!! Screw you, Darkhawk! GOOD STUFF.

PUNISHER 6 – After the fanboy nerd porn of Punisher kicking some major ass last issue, I was a bit disappointed to see that this issue didn’t feature the resurrected villains killed by Scourge attacking Punisher en mass. In fact this issue is largely The Hood giving the old/new villains a big old pep talk, and the last half of the issue is sketchbook material by Tan Huat. It was good issue, but I was expecting to look like the guy sitting in the barcalounger in those old MTV commercials – getting blown away. GOOD STUFF.

ULTIMATUM SPIDER-MAN: REQUIEM 1 (of 2) – This is everything that Bendis’ final issue of the regular series should have been. Heartfelt and full of emotional beats as well as a few swell Spidey action scenes. I’ll consider this two issue send off to be the true final issue of the ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN series, and not that very ballsy wordless half effort a few weeks ago. BUENO EXCELLENTE.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 600 – I usually collect this is trade paperback form, but due to all the hoopla I succumbed to Marvel’s media manipulation and bought it anyway. Luckily the new trade collection came out today as well. YAY! Unfortunately it only has issues 43-48 and I didn’t pick up 49 or 50 (Marvel returned to the original numbering with this issue), so I’m missing two issues for a full story and kind of don’t want to read this until I have those. So…..NO RATING!

el DIABLO ROBOTICO RIDES THE COAT TAILS OF CAPT. AMERICA!

el Diablo Robotico — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:06:08 +0000

Thought I would throw these reviews out on Monday to try and ride the coat tails of the CAPTAIN AMERICA 600/REBORN media train going through comic book land on this most auspi….ah. Who am I kidding? I was just too lazy to post them over the weekend.

Lets get right in to it, m’kay?

BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM! 5 – This issue a new creative team takes over for Mike (HEROBEAR) Kunkel and for once it doesn’t take me 20 mins to read an issue. Ah, but I kid. I kid. But seriously – the absence of Kunkel, who took his inspiration from Jeff Smith’s under-rated MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL graphic novel, has seriously hurt this book. Instead of the childlike whimsy and wonder that Kunkel filled each panel with, not to mention beautiful artwork, the book took a quick walk into the deep end of “kiddie” comics. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a major disappointment from expecting Calvin & Hobbes style adventures and humor and receiving Hagar The Horrible action and drama. EH.

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!!!

WEEK OLD COOKIES w/ el DIABLO ROBOTICO

el Diablo Robotico — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:02:01 +0000

Welcome back for another thrilling installment of FANBOY FUN WITH el DIABLO ROBOTICO!

I don’t really have much to ramble on about here, although I did trick fellow METROPOLIS alum Wombat into eating a week old cookie. BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! …so….I’m going to Hell. On to the comics….

DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS – SERIES TWO 7 – In this issue – The Doctor bitch slaps a guy wearing glasses when he freaks out on an alien space ship. Don’t go all girly girl on the Doctor, ya’ll. He don’t play dat! OKAY.

ASTRO BOY: THE MOVIE – OFFICIAL MOVIE PREQUEL 2 (of 4) – I’m not really sure what to make of this book. If this is a faithful prequel in terms of style and tone, then that upcoming CGI Astro Boy movie is gonna piss all over the memory of Osamu Tezuka. While trying to remain “all ages” fun harmless, the book loses all the whimsical and moral turmoil that Tezuka pretty much cornered the market on. It’s decent, and I can safely read it to my kids before bedtime, but the deeper adult meaning just isn’t there. Ah, what did I expect from an IDW production? EH.

ATOMIC ROBO: SHADOW FROM BEYOND TIME 2 (of 5) – As a book end to the above Astro Boy review – this book is all kinds of whimsy and fun with alternative history and science thrown in to boot. Granted, the “deeper adult meaning” isn’t here either, but it isn’t necessary. Atomic Robo is just a fun humorous read that impresses me each and every issue. In this one Robo and Charles Fort try to stop a rampaging H.P. Lovecraft in 1926 NY – oh and Tesla invented the car phone. FANBOY FUN!

SEAGUY: SLAVES OF MICKEY EYE 3 (of 3) – “Da Fug?” And so ends another mindbogglingly wild ride with Seaguy and Chubby da Chuna. The finale left me as breathless and totally baffled as the last mini-series finale did (so a re-read is in order), and yet it ends on such a great last page that I really didn’t care how weird it all went at the beginning there. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!! Viva Le Seaguy!!!

JONAH HEX 44 – The first shot (sorry) in the six part SIX GUN WAR begins here. Hex is ambushed, given a Texas funeral and then the fun really starts. If the rest of this story is as high stakes amplified action filled as this one was then your Summer movie is in the pages of Jonah hex, my friends. BUENO EXCELLENTE!!!

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON EIGHT – TALES OF THE VAMPIRES 1 (of 1) -Becky Cloonan and Vasilos Lolos team up to give us a glimpse into how the Slayer-verse has changed thanks to Harmony’s reality TV show gig. If you’re a fan of Buffy you could do a lot worse (looking at you IDW) as far as tie-ins to the “cannon” of vampire lore. GOOD STUFF.

THE BOYS 31 – Um…..I – I really didn’t see that coming. Hmmm…Also I really hope that isn’t the menace of foreshadowing about Butcher’s wee doggie, but I totally know it is. GOOD STUFF.

SECRET SIX 10 – I don’t know where Gail Simone is going with this odd Bane/Scandal Savage “romance” (which is totally not the right term, but I don’t know what else to call it) – and I don’t care. This is probably my favorite DC comic book right now. The protagonists are morally reprehensible and the seamy side of DC has never looked cooler. FANBOY FUN!

AGENTS OF ATLAS 6 – Even while on slow burn plot building mode, this book just nails it. This issue is largely the Agents of Atlas traveling to Atlantis to meet with Namor, but Jeff Parker handles the entire outing with such world back story building confidence and humor that it never once gets boring or too “talky.” FANBOY FUN!

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 ANNUAL 1 – Can we get this out of the way right off the bat? on the cover, why does Greg Land make Capt. Britain’s lover, Megan, look like Dolly Parton? Also, apparently Megan is a pikey – like Brad Pitt’s character in SNATCH. You know the one with the indecipherable accent, which made reading Megan’s dialogue a bit….funny. So this being one of the few issues before this series wraps up (SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE FOR NOT READING IT!!!), one really interesting thing is brought up about the Marvel Universe with Paul Cornell’s usual flair for throwing a brilliant idea out and just letting it hang there to soak up the ambiance. For once the nature of Hell in the Marvel U is addressed regarding the various deities such as Mephisto, Dormamu, etc. With each being clearly labeled a ruling King or Queen of Hell with equal power among them. It’s an interesting concept that I hadn’t ever seen addressed before, but may very well have been established prior. For those of you that usually skip Annuals, this doesn’t look like it is totally necessary for the regular series, but the cliffhanger ending WILL be followed up in the remaining two issues of the series. FANBOY FUN!

WAR OF KINGS 4 (of 6) – For those of you looking for a really great epic story on a cosmic scale, this is THE series for you. I don’t know how many times I have to say this. This series is bad ass on an Epic scale. Darkhawk, or rather the Raptors, finally reveal themselves and choose a side, Empress Lilandra finally returns to power, and Gladiator of the Imperial Guard narrates the whole sordid mess. And that shock ending….jaw dropping. FANBOY FUN!!!

ULTIMATUM 4 (of 5) – Jeph Loeb is really going balls out trying to shock the Hell out readers with each successive issue of this book. It’s almost too shocking – if that makes sense – as if Loeb and Marvel editorial decided to kill off everyone because they are going to reboot the Ultimate line from the ground up and all those expensive back issues of Ultimate Spider-Man that you’ve been sitting on for a decade will pretty much be worthless in a few months. Spider-Man 2099 #1 was a pretty hot book, back when I was kid, but try buying one on eBay now for over a buck. Thanks for screwing my kids out of their inheritance, Loeb! Oh….sorry. Got off on a tangent there. Yeah, this issue continues the shock and awe of the previous carnage filled world ending issues. Expect lots of blood and dismemberment. And my hero, Ultimate Capt. America, kicks some major ass. FANBOY FUN!

ULITIMATE SPIDER-MAN 133 – I’m not sure what to think about this. On the one hand I kind of like the idea that the final issue of the series is a “silent” issue (i.e. no dialogue or sound effects). I like thinking of Bendis sitting down to write it out and getting so choked up by his own emotions that he said, “Aw, forget it. I can’t do this justice. For once the ole Bendis word balloon factory is gonna shut the hell up. I love ya, Spidey.” On the other hand it does kind of come off as a cop out. Oh well – I guess I can look forward to the ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: REQUIEM for my goodbyes to a series that has never failed to entertain on a consistent schedule. I would have gone with a higher rating (such as Bueno Excellente or Fanboy Fun) but the lack of words leaves me no choice but to call it like it is – GOOD STUFF.

BATMAN AND ROBIN 1 – Not being a big fan of Grant Morrison’s run on BATMAN, I wasn’t expecting much of this, but the added appeal of Frank Quitely on the art made it that much more attractive. So it is an odd feeling then to have to report that Morrison’s script was pretty much A-okay for me, but Quitely’s art was somehow sub par compared to everything I’ve seen him do previously. It wasn’t as polished and clean as it normally is, and the initial distraction of trying to discern why this seemed so “sketchy” (was there a meaning to it?) just detracted from the admittedly pretty decent first outing of Dick Grayson and Damian as the new Batman and Robin. Not quite perfect, but it was GOOD STUFF.

The Art of Brevity w/ e; Diablo Robotico!

el Diablo Robotico — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:41:13 +0000

It has long been my desire to write my reviews with one simple word that encapsulates everything about the issue in question. One word so succinct and perfect that anyone who reads the issue in question couldn’t help to say that I totally nailed it in my review. Unfortunately I am not quite good enough, or confident enough, to do that just yet. But I’m working my way up to it. What you see below is the result of my brevity for brevity’s sake attempt at churning out a review in as few words, or sentences, as possible. i will admit the sheer volume of single issue titles that I amassed this week had more than a little do with it. That, my friends, is a lot of comics down below.

So without further ado….

EUREKA: DORMANT GENE 2 (of 4) – Why do I get the feeling someone read TWILIGHT before they sat down to write this? Lab partners, indeed. OKAY.

UNKNOWN SOLDIER 8 – New storyline with a plot that would make me feel uncomfortable if I were a celebrity trying to draw attention to the atrocities being committed on the other side of the world. GOOD STUFF!

BACK TO BROOKLYN 5 (of 5) – That last minute plot twist turned this around from a so-so mini-series into a pretty shocking and brutal successor to Ennis’ PRIDE AND GLORY. GOOD STUFF!

BATTLEFIELDS: THE TANKIES 2 (of 3) – Two issues in and this one is no where near as good as Ennis’ two previous BATTLEFIELDS story arcs. More reminiscent of his RIFLE BRIGADE than anything. Does Carlos Esquerra bring out the dark humor in Ennis? OKAY.

BATTLE FOR THE COWL: GOTHAM GAZETTE 1 (of 1) – Several short stories bringing the new status quo of Gotham into focus, showcasing Harvey Bullock, Azreal, Leslie Thompkins, Stephanie Brown and Vickie Vale. And that Vickie Vale one is actually pretty killer. OKAY.

BATMAN IN BARCELONA: DRAGON’S KNIGHT 1 (of 1) – This little one shot, which finds Batman hunting down the always under-rated Killer Croc in Barcelona, was just enough of an old school Batman thrill ride to make me wish Mark Waid still worked for DC on a regular basis and was not in charge of BOOM! STUDIOS as the EIC. FANBOY FUN!

RUNAWAYS 10 – I think this is just a fill-in issue while we are in between regular writers. I think… The end result was that I now want Christopher Yost (and presumably his writing partner Craig Kyle) to be the full time writers of this book. I haven’t had as much fun reading this title since Brian K. Vaughn left to TV land. FANBOY FUN!

IMMORTAL IRON FIST 26 – Anyone want to bet how long it has been, on Earth, since Iron Fist has been stuck in a Hell dimension? Anyone? ….am I the only one still reading this? Your loss! GOOD STUFF.

NOVA 25 – Whew! That was some pure unadulterated FANBOY FUN! Nova finally got the full Nova powers restored, Worldmind is back and the Imperial Guard better watch their backs. Awesome!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 14 – This was pretty much the greatest cliffhanger ending in this book’s history. Next issue the Guardians take on The Inhumans AND the Imperial Guard. At the same damn time!!! FANBOY FUN!!!

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 27 – As good as you would expect a Jerry Ordway JSA comic to be. Me – I expected it to be good fun, and it was. GOOD STUFF!

GREEN LANTERN 41 – ZOMG! Did Agent Orange just do what I think he did to my boy Hal Jordan? Awwww, Hell naw! FANBOY FUN.

IGNITION CITY 3 – LASER GUN FIGHT!!! Woo-Hoo!!! Eat this, J.J. Abrams! BUENO EXCELLENTE!

CROSSED 5 – For the first time in this entire series there was not one moment where I literally wanted to tear my eyes out of my skull. Instead we finally get more than a fleeting glimpse into the minds of our protagonists. BUENO EXCELLENTE!

Bleeding Cool, New Comic Book Resource

sarahbear — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:19:08 +0000

It’s no secret that I have a mild obsession, wanting to sleep with, love of Warren Ellis.

He recently has been whoring for talking about this new comic book centered website on his blog.

If you like Metropolis, Bleeding Cool is a good place to look towards for another for of a comic book news fix.

Below is an excerpt from the intro to the site,

“This site will not so much pull back the curtains of the comic book industry, as give you a series of upskirt shots. But as well as news, rumours and gossip, there will be reviews, previews, features, interviews, videos, columns and a place for comic book readers to call their own. Whatever your tastes from mini comics by Sean Azzopardi to blockbuster events by Geoff Johns, from the Guardianista middle class commentary of Posy Simmonds to the righteous right hook of Chuck Dixon, from Rob Liefeld’s cankles to Robert Crumb’s thighs, from Frank Quitely’s OctoMumLips to Frank Cho’s shapely hips, you’re welcome here.”

THEY CANCELLED WHAT? -or- FANBOY FUN w/ el Diablo Robotico

el Diablo Robotico — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:35:25 +0000

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?