Comics or Food? My Year without Comics

Here Kevin, one of my students and I discuss superheroes and whether or not they should kill. Conversations like these are why I dropped comics for a year and became a broke student again.

by Cindy Cooper

Last year I made the decision to leave my secure, but painfully dull desk job behind, forever, and finally answer the calling to become an art teacher. Of course this involved going back to school for a year. There were many things to consider in making this very serious decision. How would I feed my rapidly growing 13 year old son? What would we do for healthcare coverage? Would my family be able to put up with me as a student for a whole year? Finally I decided it was the right thing to do. However in all my pondering, I neglected to consider the most important question: how I was going to keep feeding weekly comic book habit?!

Sadly, I had to quit comics cold turkey. Well, maybe I did buy a copy of Neil Gaiman’s “The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch”, but no monthlies were possible on what I was making grading for art history classes and working 8 hours a week in the Art Education office at Pratt Institute. Even if I had found the money, I was too busy reading educational theory, writing lesson plans and papers to catch up on what was happening in Daredevil, but he was always in my thoughts.

The last comic I read was Daredevil # 109 on the way to South Africa, for my first semester at Pratt as part of their Pratt in South Africa program. I was too excited about new experiences to think about what I’d be missing. I had other questions in my mind. Were there comic book stores in South Africa? Would they read the same comics we did? While in South Africa I bought a beautiful graphic novel about the life of Nelson Mandela that was created by a company called Umlando Weizethombe, a South African comic book company that puts out graphic novels about South Africa’s history. I highly recommend their work if you come across it. I found one comic book store when we stopped through Cape Town but we did not have time to visit it. I could find no comic book stores in Port Elizabeth. The kids did read comics though. There were often sports comics, usually about soccer, sorry, I mean football, and tucked into the newspaper. My students were not very familiar with superhero comics and I delighted in sharing the myths behind the characters I love. They were fascinated in particular by Captain America. Go figure.

I was so busy with experiencing comics in a new culture that the absence of comics in my own culture did not begin to truly haunt me until the fall when I was teaching Drawn to Stories, a visual storytelling class in Pratt’s Saturday Art School, for neighborhood kids. The middle school kids I was teaching were anxious to get to work creating their own original comics, and were full of thoughts and questions about the comics I brought in for inspiration. Their enthusiasm reminded me of the stories I’d left behind. Suddenly I needed to know: would Captain America stay dead? What would become of the New Avengers? What would become of the regular Avengers? Would Peter and Mary Jane ever get back together? And how long would I wait before I ever found out?! The withdrawal symptoms finally began to surface.

Suddenly, I felt taunted by friends on message boards who were actively reading and posting about comics. The words SPOILER ALERT took on new meaning for me and I began to feel as if I’d never be able to read another thread or blog about comics ever again. Information about my favorite comics started filtering through to me. What was this Dark Avengers? Aren’t there enough Avengers in the Marvel U? Marvel Pets? Really?

Then I discovered some comics went up a dollar in price! What was the world coming to?

Plus, I’m such an addicted reader that I missed my comics like they were good friends who suddenly stopped calling me. You get used to those characters inhabiting your brain space. They take up residence in your thoughts, and when you no longer share time with them you feel their absence. They kept me entertained on the subway to and from work. They provided an escape on a lazy Saturday afternoon or at the end of a tough workday. And, in the end, the truly good stories became a background to my life, like a soundtrack. They were part of my story as an individual. A really good story, whether it be in the form of comics, music, plays, TV or movies will live with you like that.

But, school is over now and the only thing keeping me from catching up with my favorite storylines is the lack of funds that comes with being a newly graduated teacher, two months from gainful employment. I’m temping now and therefore able to blog about how I miss comics. But soon, I will have a Big Girl job teaching! There is a school I will hopefully get a job with in September. Said school would like me to start a comic book club when and if I get a job there. “My kids want one. Would you mind?” asked the principal. Is she kidding? It’s practically what I was born to do. I figure if you start a comic book club, for your students, you actually have to read comics, right?

Needless to say, things are looking up and comics are hopefully about to be back in my life in a big way. Now if we can just get Mayor Bloomberg and Co. to lift the current hiring freeze on new teachers, I’ll be in business. Currently he and Joel Klein, New York City’s Chancellor of Education, are all that stand between me and Comic Book Wednesdays! Still, no one can come between a fangirl and her comics for too long.
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Summer Reading, pt. 3

by Brandon

Nostalgia is a funny creature. While I can muster no nostalgia as an adult for childhood favorites like G.I. Joe or Transformers, I can get very nostalgic about comic books. Remember new comic book day? This weekly event was a cherished day for me when I was tween and teenager. I can remember going into a shop on Wednesday or Thursday to buy the latest issue of X-Men or whatever bad girl book was "hot" back in the day. New comic book day was once a time honored tradition for me and many fans. With the advent of online mail order comic book stores, that time has passed. Now new comic book day has been replaced by new comic book week; the week when my monthly shipment of comic books arrive. I usually try to pace out my comic book reading to keep the freshly read feeling alive for a month. This month was different. For some reason, I burned through my stack of books like a man possessed. For this week's installment of my Summer Reading Reviews, I will highlight some of the best hits and worst misses from the batch.

Batman & Robin #1
This issue reminded me so much of this creative team's run on All-Star Superman. I'm not a Superman fan at all, but they managed to make Superman seem relevant and hip. That's right, they made the whitest boy scout this side of Idaho seem cool. I kind of got that buzz with Batman & Robin #1. The new dynamic between the new Dynamic Duo was actually pretty good. I don't read Batman titles regularly, but let's face it; replacing Bruce Wayne is sort of a dumb idea that almost everyone knows won't last longer than a couple of years. But reading this issue made me kind of wish DC would hold back on pulling that trigger for a while. The way Dick and Damian play off one another was fresh and new. This was the only issue of the Batman relaunch titles I pre-ordered. Based on the strength of this one issue, I decided to go pick up two others off the newsstand.

Detective Comics # 854
What's this? A lesbian Batwoman! Yes! YES! I can't wait to read all the steamy scenes of Batwoman and her Rogue's Gallery (a euphemism, for sure) doing the wildest, most outrageous sexual position on each other. This is going to be awesome! What? You mean she doesn't spend the whole issue getting Catwoman to do kinky things with her cape? Shit. Well, I guess I'll have to read it now... And it wasn't that bad! A lot has been made of the act that Batwoman is a lesbian, and on a serious note, that's not the reason I picked up this book either. Some very positive things have been said about Rucka's first salvo in the revamped Detective Comics. This was the only comic I picked up off the newsstand last week. It wasn't a bad impulse buy. Rucka is always an engaging writer, but the thing that really brew me in (pun intended) was the art. J.H. Williams has been one of my favorite artists since I picked the first four issues of Promethea years ago on a new comic book day. I think he is the best artist working in comic books today. Period. The artwork here in Detective Comics is lush and moody, establishing the perfect vibe for this book. I don't think I ever really followed Detective Comics regularly, but I may add this to the ye ol' pull list.

Batman #688
Judd Winick is one of those creators that I just don't really get. His work on Green Arrow was a turn off for me. Internet trolls are quick to point out that he is somewhat of a one trick pony, and I hate to agree with them, but there are certain trends that crop up in many of Judd Winick's comics. How long before we find out Damian has AIDS? The real thing that brought me into this impulse buy was Mark Bagley's always wonderful artwork. This issue was sort of pedestrian in comparison to Batman & Robin and Detective Comics. That's not to say it was bad. This issue was entertaining, but a little on the lighter side next to the other two titles I sampled. I like the fact that we get to see two classic villains here with Penguin and Two-Face. As much as I dislike month in, month out superhero fisticuffs, I have a soft spot for Batman's rogues gallery. I like reading stories about those classic villains despite the fact that it's all nearly been done before. I also enjoyed the training scene we see between Dick and Damian. There is limitless potential for this new Dynamic duo. I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time, I am genuinely excited about the Bat Books. Maybe killing Bruce Wayne off wasn't such a bad idea.

Booster Gold #22
This issue of Booster Gold was okay for the most part. While Jurgens' art was decent, I have no real connection with the Teen Titans or Deathstroke from the 1980s. This issue spent a lot of time pulling on the nostalgia string pretty hard, but it doesn't work when there is nothing there to pull. I spent most of the issue struggling to get to the next scene. As a reader, I hope that there will be some closure soon to this time traveling Black Beetle business. Surely DC can't expect this series to soldier on for all perpetuity having Booster Gold correct little missives in the past. Right? The second feature with Blue Beetle was still very entertaining and has enticed me to go back and check out the last series. The second feature makes paying $3.99 more bearable and it gives characters like Blue Beetle a second chance at living on in the printed world.

Unwritten #2
The Unwritten is the best Vertigo book being published now. I know it doesn't have stiff competition, but two-issues into he series, I can already tell that this will be classic Vertigo. If you are not familiar with the premise, Tom Taylor is the basis for a fictional Boy Wizard Tommy Taylor. Tom has been living off the fumes of his now missing father's successful Tommy Taylor novels for years. Things start to go awry when Tom finds out he may not be who he thinks he is. This book is chock full of mystery and stellar characters. Tom Taylor practically jumped into this series as a fully developed character from the first page because of the associations we all have with Harry Potter and the ever familiar struggling celebrity. If you're not reading this book, shame on you!


Astonishing X-Men #30
After reading their first Astonishing X-Men arc, I would like to respectfully request that Warren Ellis and Simon Bianchi step up their game. If this were a class, this arc was a D- effort at best. After the six issues of this arc and overpriced two-issue miniseries, I still don't understand what a Ghost Box is and nor do I care. It was sad to see Forge turned into a crazed mutant terrorist for the sake of this story. I don't mind the characterization because Forge has always needed a little more flare in order to remove the stench of lame from him. I had such great expectations for this stellar creative team, but they barely managed to make a sputter in terms of impact and seemingly effort. I'm sorry guys. Let's do better next time, okay?

Punisher: Naked Kill
This book was just brutal. When Frank Castle starts to unwind a snuff pornography film ring, readers just have to know that it is bound to get dirty. I remember an older issue of Punisher from the late 1980s or early 1990s where Frank ended up taking down a pornography ring at a Naval boys school. The whitewash of the Comic Code at the time prevented anything realistic coming out of that story. That just isn't the case here. What is described and shown is just brutal. Frank castle isn't much of a talker, but this particular one-shot gives him a lot of air time. This approach doesn't really work well for the Punisher, but it just clicks here. Suspense and supernatural story writer Jonathan Maberry really gets into a groove with Frank here right off the bat. At the very beginning of the issue, someone asks Frank to trade with him in return for his life. "I look like I'm here to swap Pokemon cards?" quips Frank as he fires off a round just above the crook's head. "Talk Fast, asshole. Clock's ticking." Indeed. For those folks who gave up on Frank when Garth Ennis left the title, I recommend you come back to give this issue a try. It's well worth the $3.99 price of admission.


Ultimate Spider-Man #133
& Ultimatum #4
I have made no bones about how awful I think Ultimatum has been for the Ultimate Marvel line. These two issues could be exhibits 1,843 and 1,844 in the trial against Ultimatum. The final issue of Ultimate Spider-Man was disappointing. This issue lacked any dialogue. It was completely silent. Remember the Nuff Said event from years ago? Interesting, but lame. It was jarring, which I get was kind of the point, but for $3.99, I want more from my comic. The interview with Brian Michael Bendis at the end of the book was obviously tacked on to make you feel like you got more content for your dollar. I don't need that. I need content. With the main Ultimatum mini, I get plenty of content, but much of it is for shock value. I can't imagine how Loeb has gotten away with raping the Ultimate Universe. Loeb is normally a creator that I don't get excited about either pro or con. However, Ultimatum is just rancid. I don't see how the Ultimate line can bounce back from this miscarriage of entertainment.


Conan the Cimmerian #'s 10-11
I just don't hear about many comic book fans talking about Conan anymore, which is a shame. I think Conan is one of the best titles I'm reading now. Tim Truman and Tomás Giorello have crafted a fine book for the traveling warrior Conan. The mixture of descriptive writing and lush artwork is just mesmerizing to me. This is one of the first books I read when I get my monthly stash. This second arc of Conan the Cimmerian finds our hero commanding the armies of Khoraja against the wizardry of Natohk, the Veiled One. Though "Black Colossus" is an adaptation of the classic Robert E. Howard short that has been adapted before for the Savage Sword of Conan in 1974, Truman and Giorello manage to make it exciting by creating an ominous atmosphere in both words and art. Dark Horse has done a magnificent job with Conan property, once again making the barbarian warrior a relevant and exciting character to read.



It's hard for me to believe that my summer break is halfway over! That doesn't mean I will stop reading, though. I will be back in a couple of days with more reviews, including Iron Man, Star Wars, Punisher, The End League, and much, much more.

See you then!
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Shout Outs! and Scream Ats!

by Matt


Welcome to another "Shout Out/Scream At!” column! where I take a look at what makes me a happy fanboy (Shout Outs!) and what frustrates me (Scream Ats!) about the comic industry. This column is all about the 90's! I will be covering Nomad, Guardians of the Galaxy, Savage Dragon, Psylocke and a few more 90's nuggets of joy!!

I admit that I love the 90's. While there was a lot of crap that was produced during this era, this era also produced a lot of fantastic and creative works. And it seems the comic industry is revisiting this era as well and I couldn't be more excited for some of it.


SHOUT OUT! SAVAGE DRAGON #150!
It makes me feel old when a book I have been collecting right from the start hits a major milestone. But I am proud that the Savage Dragon is hitting #150. If I was allowed only one comic to get regularly, I would take this title. You just have to admire Erik Larsen, like him or not, you should respect the guy for his passion and commitment. Why do I love this book so much? I have a ton of reasons and here are just a few.


-PASSION. Erik pours everything he has into this book. He has written and penciled (including covers) the book for 150 issues, at times he has colored it and lettered it on his own. He has stated that the Savage Dragon will be done when he dies and that this is what he wants to do until he dies. You can tell how much he loves the book and that, to me, enhances the enjoyment. He was sick in bed and still cranked out backup stories for his book.

-CREATIVITY. This is one of the few books where I cannot tell what is going to happen. No one is safe, not even the Dragon himself. This book really has it all. Clones? Check. Alternate universes? Check. Colorful characters? Check. Space invaders? Check. Deaths? Check. I could go on and on. His book also tries to stay within "real" time. Meaning, it has been over ten years since the first issue came out, so the Dragon has aged 10 years. I cannot think of any other book that does this. Erik also experiments with how to tell a story. One of my favorite comics is when he covered a whole year using single panels. Each panel covered a different day. Another memorable issue was "The Fly". One of Dragon's baddies transformed himself into a fly and pestered Dragon while he was recovering in the hospital. Erik is also not afraid to let his opinions show in the book. It could be regarding politics or the comic industry, he lets loose with it. He isn't afraid to change the status quo. Issue #75 comes to mind, Dragon makes a decision that he thinks is right by killing his enemy. Darklord (his enemy) warns him that it will be worse if he is killed and the Dragon doesn't believe him. So he kills him anyway and it changes everything! Remember when Image produced a Mars Attacks! series that showed the aliens invading the Image universe? Erik was the only one that worked that into his regular continuity. Some folks may not like continuity, personally, I love it. It makes a stronger book.

-ART. I know a lot of people are turned off by his art. I didn't like his art in the beginning when he was drawing Spider-Man but I got used to it. He may not be the greatest artist but his greatest strength is making the art kinetic.

Erik consistently puts out an entertaining product. It is chuck full of fun stuff. It can be serious and it can be laugh-out-loud funny. It is exactly what I want out of a comic book. Congrats Erik for hitting #150!


SHOUT OUT! The Original Guardians of the Galaxy return!
When the new Guardians of the Galaxy series was announced, I was so excited because I LOVED Jim Valentino's run on the book from the 90's. But I was sad because they were similar in name only. Until Major Victory and Starhawk appeared. And then this cover came out and I am all ga-ga! I love the concept of the original Guardians of the Galaxy and I am glad that they are being used again. And kudos to Marvel's trade program for putting out two classic Guardians of the Galaxy hardcovers reprinting their early appearances!


SHOUT OUT! Avengers/Invaders #12
What does this have to do with the 90's? I enjoy the Golden Age characters and during the 90's I picked up the series called "Saga of the Original Human Torch." This documentary-style comic retold the tales of the early Invaders and I really liked it. The original Human Torch was a neat character and I followed him through Avengers West Coast and Heroes for Hire, all the way till the New Invaders series (which was really underrated) when he was killed. I saw that Marvel was soliciting a new Torch series and I was looking forward to seeing Jim Hammond again. I was stoked when I heard that Jim Krueger and Alex Ross were writing this project. The first couple of issues were okay but the series started to lose some steam. I still collected the rest of the series but found myself barely reading it and filing it away with my collection. The last issue came out and I was thumbing through it and I was taken by total surprise.
**SPOILERS**
I thought it would be Jim Hammond returning but it wasn't. It was another Golden Era hero that had "Torch" powers. This totally took me off guard. Surprises just don't happen very much anymore in comics. I am looking forward to reading this series in one sitting now that I have an ending that I know I like!

SHOUT OUT! Psylocke Series
I fall into the camp that prefers British Betsy. Betsy has always wanted to be a warrior so it made sense that she become a ninja but I was not a huge fan of her changing race. I was happy with the recent Uncanny X-Men storyline that brought Betsy back to the X-Men but was a little sad that it was not the British one. But I am excited for the new mini written by Christopher Yost and I hope that he brings this character some stability that she has lacked in years. I would love to see and am confident that Yost can pull this out and make me care about Betsy again.


SHOUT OUT! McKeever/Nomad
I didn't like the original Heroes Reborn. I sold the books more than five years ago and I don't miss it at all. I hated the redesigns, I hated that Jim Lee couldn't stay on the FF the whole time, I hate the eagle on Cap. Perhaps it would be easier if I listed what I liked about it. The only thing that I liked was the 13th issue of each series when they crossed over with Wildstorm. I tried the Return one-shots and I liked them even less than the original. Even though it was Liefeld and Loeb, I picked up the Onslaught Reborn series and that completed the Terrible Trilogy. But I did like the ending of that series, I liked that they moved the girl Bucky to our universe. And boy was I surprised when they whipped her out for Cap #600 and when it was announced that she would get a miniseries. I was going to pass but then I learned that Sean McKeever was returning to Marvel and writing the series! I allow myself one or two $3.99 books (Dark Avengers being the other one I get) and I just might pick this up. I am interested to see where Marvel and McKeever take the character.



SHOUT OUT! Clone Saga?
I hated the original Clone Saga. I was collecting the Amazing Spider-Man for 240 straight issues and I finally had enough of it and dropped it with Amazing Spider-Man #400. That issue being the only good thing that came out of the whole thing. I admit that in the beginning of the Clone Saga, I was curious to see where the story was going but it just got worse and worse and finally I bailed. I am glad that Marvel is at least recognizing the storyline instead of flat out ignoring it. My opinion on continuity is this, if you are a good writer you can make continuity work. Only lazy writers ignore it completely. I was surprised that Marvel wanted to revisit this storyline in this way though. Marvel brought back Howard Mackie and Tom DeFalco to tell the story they originally wanted to tell which makes it more of a morbid curiosity. But I am screaming at the $3.99 price tag. So thanks Marvel, I will wait for the trade.


SCREAM AT! Return of Britannic!
Just kidding! I needed something to scream about! I like Scott Lobdell and I enjoyed a lot of his run on the X-titles but his run on Excalibur was horrible. What really made me appreciate Warren Ellis as a writer was his run on Excalibur. He could have swept the whole Captain Britain/Britannic away but instead chose to work with it. He formed a cool story involving Cap seeing the future (because he was lost in time and came back as Britannic) and stripped Cap to just being Brian Braddock again. And then slowly brought back Captain Britain. Warren also demonstrated this when he took over Stormwatch as well and that instantly made me a fan of Ellis.

6 Shout Outs to one (1 and a half with the $3.99 pricing) Scream At? A lot better than last time!

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Summer Reading, pt. 2

by Brandon
Summer marches on into July... and so does my summer reading! I could say something cheesy like I tried to "cool of with these hot reads", but I would be lying to you. It's been fairly moderate in South Carolina for late June and early July; not too hot or humid. My reading has followed the same trend; nothing much has really grabbed me lately. Many of the comics I've read the last couple of weeks have been decent, but not great. This week, I cover Uncanny X-Men, X-Men: Legacy, X-Force, Booster Gold, and many other titles. Won't you spare a mouse-click for the poor?



Wizard #213
One of the first stories Rich Johnston's new Bleeding Cool website reported on was about the latest batch of problems for Wizard. The once mighty company has apparently seen better days. Johnston ended his article by asking, "When was the last time you read Wizard?" As I often find myself doing, I answered the question that was staring back at me from my computer screen. When no one replied, I decided I might just have to check out an issue. I haven't read an issue of Wizard since I finished my B.A., which was in 2002. Wizard always seemed to be infantile, bordering on gonzo journalism and idiocy, with liberal sprinkling of fart jokes and drawings of big breasted women. That wasn't the only reason I avoided Wizard; who needs Wizard in an age where tons of comic book news websites, creator social networking pages, daily online press releases from publishers, and comic book fan message boards beat Wizard to the punch at nearly every turn. How does a comic magazine stay relevant? I think it's an uphill battle being fought by all print media, but Wizard has always been a niche magazine. I found an issue of Wizard at a newsstand the other day and checked it out. To their credit, this issue is far different and far better than the Wizard I read in middle or high school. Gone were the talking figures and rampant fart jokes (though, trust me, there were fart jokes). Wizard has taken more of a "features" approach which works really well within its framework. By focusing on interviews with creators and expanding their coverage to include entertainment pop culture has given Wizard a bit of a jolt for the future. I even checked out the current subscription rates for Wizard (around $29 a year), which in terms of content I guess is comparable to The Comics Journal (around $35) or Comic Buyer's Guide (around $25). Have you read Wizard lately? It might not be a bad idea to check it out.

Uncanny X-Men #'s 508-510
Matt Fraction's time on Uncanny X-Men has been pretty lackluster reading for me. Sure, it's got snappy dialogue and the art is sharp (insert Greg Land copying joke here), but it just doesn't scream "THIS IS UNCANNY FREAKIN' X-MEN" like it should. It just doesn't seem to be as grandiose as the stories from the past were. I think a large part of it has to do with the move to San Fransisco. This move hasn't given the geographic payoff I thought it would since it seems to be fairly unimportant to pretty much every other x-book besides Uncanny, which seems to use it as "Gee, we're in San Fransisco now. Isn't that, like, so totally, like, tubular or what?" The villains plaguing the X-Men here, the aptly named Sisterhood, also leave much to be desired. They predictably have become the View of the Marvel Universe, bickering amongst themselves and occasionally dragging in something quasi-interesting. And guess what? They invaded the new X-Mansion/compound. Haven't read that before, have we? This book is dangerously close to getting dropped, especially since Legacy and X-Force are running circles around it on a month-to-month basis.

X-Men Legacy #'s 223-224
It's sad to see Charles Xavier's romp around the X-Men universe past and present coming to an end. Mike Carey has managed to craft an excellent book out of a seemingly uninteresting topic. He has also managed to take Rogue and Gambit, two characters who were in desperate need of finding relevance, and put them back in the X-books without it seeming lame or forced. These two characters have been so easily made into caricatures by a multitude of past creators that they had become pretty much useless to anyone writing X-Men comics. It just didn't seem like anyone knew how to treat these characters. Mike Carey does a good job of using Danger as well, a recent character that was already becoming a one hit wonder with her "Kill the X-Men" shtick. I hope Professor X stays around for a while now in this book along with the other revitalized characters.

X-Force: Ain't No Dog
Bloody? Check. Violent? Check. Over the top? Check. Great? Double check. I picked this up for a buck on Free Comic Book day, but hadn't gotten around to reading it until this past weekend. The two main stories here involving Wolverine and Warpath were short and sweet, but packed a punch. This special reminded me a lot of Marvel Knight's Double Shot book from a few years ago. The Wolverine story especially reminded me of the Ennis/Quesada Punisher story from the first issue of Double Shot, where Punisher taunts a victim while visiting a dentist. While there were no dental hygienists in sight of this book, the dark atmosphere established was matchless. A book like X-Force seems to fit Marvel's Dark Reign era perfectly. The gore and violence of this issue just makes the anticipation even stronger for when the rest of the X-Men find out what Cyclops has been sanctioning behind their backs while they chill in San Fransisco.

Squadron Supreme #'s 10-11
I am a Howard Chaykin apologist and fan, but I can't help thinking that Chaykin, and to a larger extent Marvel, missed a golden opportunity with this title. J. Michael Straczynski really left this property in the lurch by exiting the book. Chaykin was left to pick up the pieces from that book and the iffy Ultimate Power crossover. He seemed to be the man for the job too... that is until he spent the first six issues of the reboot tooling around with new characters. I'm all for bringing in new characters, but these guys were just dull, dull, dull, and dull. The last few issues have been very exciting, as the old Squadron returns from a five-year hiatus. Hyperions story, which has been percolating since the JMS run, finally came to fruition. It's damn interesting reading, but it's too bad the book has already been canned. Chaykin and Marvel had something here and they blew it! I'm sure issues 12 is already out now, thus closing the book on the Supreme Power universe for the foreseeable future. I hope this isn't goodbye to these characters, but I fear it will be for at least a couple of years.

Booster Gold #'s 15-21
I commented to someone a few weeks ago that if comic books were ice cream flavors that Dan Jurgens would be vanilla. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean this as a personal insult to the guy. Vanilla is good. It's in a lot of flavors. It's a good, solid background flavor that's dependable and has its uses. But man cannot live on vanilla flavored ice cream. Dan has always been a respectable, if not solid comic book creator, but he's never going to be regarded as well as say Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, or even someone like Mark Millar. Compared to these guys, he's just not going to write the legendary comic book people are going to look back on and say, "Gee, that was great. Just brilliant!" Case in point is Dan Jurgens' Booster Gold. The earlier issues from Geoff Johns were entertaining and fun. Jurgens created Booster Gold, so this should bode well for the character in a way. Yet the title lacks something now. The art is fine, the story serviceable, but it's just vanilla. Even making matters worse was issue #20, a standalone issue written by longtime JLI writer Keith Giffen. This one-issue story featuring the old Suicide Squad, Task Force X, beat the previous five issues by a mile. It managed to make the ingredients work. I love the Booster Gold character and can only hope that the book plugs along and gets better without causing too many time travel induced headaches. The Blue Beetle back-up feature in issue #21 was also a treat. I'm not familiar with this new Blue Beetle, but it wasn't bad.

The Brave and the Bold #23
I picked this up on a whim because it featured Blue Beetle. It also featured Magog, the Modern Age hero/villain of the Kingdom Come miniseries. For the record, Magog has to be the dumbest name ever for a comic book character. Even at DC and Marvel's cheesiest moments, no one ever came up with a name a stupid as Magog. The smart ass reader might say "Booster Gold is pretty dumb too." To that I have to say... okay, you may be right. This story features the lunk-headed Magog trying to solve a hostage situation in an Iraq style country. Enter Booster to save the day and shame Magog for not staying on task to save the helpless children hostages. This is was written and drawn by the same team that brings you the regular Booster Gold book, which is why the book's sympathies lie with Booster Gold. But how about making Magog out to be even a halfway decent character? Magog is treated like one big flexed muscle tearing his way through the universe. I'm supposed to care about this idiot enough to shell out money for a monthly comic book? I saw on Newsarama a while back that Magog has a new series coming out soon from DC. I hate to judge a book before it ever sees the light of day, but the Magog book has "cancellation by issue 12" written all over it.

The Unwritten #1
After Y the Last Man ended, Fables was the only Vertigo book that still managed to grab my attention, but they are currently going through a crossover events with the Literates and Jack of Fables, which I still think is the shittiest comic book I have ever read. I also tried Young Losers, which was way too scattered for me to keep up with. When Unwritten was announced, I hoped that it might draw back in since the creative team of Mike Carey and Peter Gross also produced Lucifer, one of the woefully underrated Vertigo titles. Plus, the $1 price point was very attractive. The verdict on The Unwritten? Not bad. Not bad at all. I like the idea of following the adventures of a guy who is famous for being the basis of a fictional boy wizard to be fascinating. I'm not a fan of Harry Potter, but the concept of fame and fiction crashing together is a fertile one. Carey has some big ideas to play with in the coming months and this series has the potential to be great. I'll be around at least for the first story.

The X-Files #6
This series started out very well. I think this is one of those properties that could excel as a comic book, but I'm not sure if this title sold that well. Probably not. The sixth issue wasn't very engaging, primarily due to the plot device of having Mulder "record" his voice for Scully. The only problem with that is the fact that it was very Claremont/Byrne in his description, meaning that a panel would show a dark cave while Mulder was saying, "I'm looking at a dark cave." It's just not effective storytelling for a comic book. I think DC and Wildstorm could have done a better job building this series up and promoting it. Like Squadron Supreme, I hope this isn't the last we will see of the X-Files in comic book form. The concept is just to fertile to let go of in such a faltering way.
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Independence Day Retrospecticus

by Rory, the Bad Genious Summer Blockbuster

Let me take you back to July 2, 1996. Bill Clinton was running the country, Michael Jordan had just won another championship, and there were ruminations of a crazy dance called "The Macarena", which was about to take storm. America was feeling great. And, with that in mind, audiences flocked to Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. In fact, it is currently the third highest grossing film that is not part of a franchise (i.e. no sequels/prequels), behind Titanic and Finding Nemo (but ahead of ET). However, time has not been too kind to this film. It has become a forgotten blockbuster, and unfairly lumped in with lamer alien movies (Mars Attacks) or disaster films (Twister, Armageddon). To me, though, this film is an absolute classic. And, since it is that time of the season, let me take you through a wonderful trip through the 135 minutes that make up one of the greatest films ever.


0:00 - Ooh, the credits are exploding. I like where this is headed already. No fancy, over-the-top credit sequence here (I'm looking at you, Spider-Man). The date is July 2nd. Let's rock and roll!

0:01 - Shots of moon. Ominous shadow. Shots of Earth. And BOOM! Spaceships (revealed in a very Stars Wars way)! This movie doesn't fuck around getting to the meat and potatoes.

0:02 - R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World." This movie was the first time I ever heard this song, and I thought it was really scary. Eventually, I saw what Michael Stipe looked like, and was able to relax and enjoy the song.

0:03 - One thing that immediately jumps out is the stunning amount of diversity in the casting. Three minutes in and we have an Asian guy, a black guy, a woman, and a guy with a very weird accent. Nicely done, focus groups. ::slow clap::

0:04 - Robert Loggia!



He's easily one of the top 10 voices I wish I had for one day. I'd put him above David Bowie, but below Superintendent Chalmers.

0:07 - Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch play the most Jewish game of chess ever.

0:08 - Harvey Firestein, too. Between Goldblum, Loggia, Firestein, and Pullman, this is an amazing assembly of voices.

0:10 - We are introduced to Randy Quaid's Hispanic children. I'm really not sure how THAT happened, but chalk up Latinos to the ever-expanding list of diverse cultures in this movie (with gays and Jews represented as well).

0:11 - First shots of the alien saucers. And more GODDAMN white "gunshot" transitions. Well, no movie is perfect.

0:16 - The Secretary of Defense is a great "That Guy". I know I've seen him in something...and according to this impressive IMDB page, I'm sure everyone has.

0:20 - Yay! Fresh Prince! Finally! Shit, he's going back to sleep.

0:23 - The alien ships have taken their place. They came out of a smoke cloud, which reminds me of "Galactus" in the second Fantastic Four movie.



By the way, the music during the aliens' approach is ominous, foreboding, and completely classic!

0:25 - In one of my favorite scenes of the movie, Big Willie shatters the record of "person being completely oblivious of his surroundings". He ignores neighbors fleeing, news reports, and his son's warnings - making it ALL THE WAY out to his front stoop to pick up the newspaper. A look right, a look left, and then looking forward to see the BIG FUCKING SPACESHIP IN HIS FRONT YARD! Amazingly, this record is then immediately shattered by The Cougar, who ignores all the same warnings, and then brings out a cup of coffee to Will before noticing the 15 mile spaceship in her front yard.

0:30 - So, it has been established by Jeff Goldblum that there's six hours before the aliens attack. So, somehow he fights through traffic, gets to Hirsch's house, and gets on the road to Washington DC. The car is going slow, and the roads are packed. Six hours? That's a bit of a stretch, even in a movie about aliens blowing up the planet.

0:33 - Harry Connick, Jr. makes an appearance as bizarro-Carlton. He uses "bootie" more times than a white guy should. Solid gay marriage joke in this scene.

0:35 - Man, The Cougar doesn't notice shit, does she? She's dancing around a stripper pole before realizing that the bar is completely empty. She does a nice job showing compassion to her stripper friends.

0:37 - Jeff Goldblum gets in to the White House by "triangulating" something. I heart pseudo-science.

0:43 - It's been 20 minutes since the alien spaceships took their positions. The movie start off with a bolt of lightening, but now? Let's get to the "working overtime" part!

0:46 - And boom goes the dynamite.



I have to say, the special effects are still very impressive, especially for a movie being 13 years old. It is so nice to see the miniature sets explode and stunt cars go flying, whereas nowadays it would be all CGI.

0:47 - Just to note: Harvey Firestein was still stuck in the city. That six hour drive from NY to DC still bugs me. It is also great to see Air Force One is faster than fireballs.

0:48 - FINALLY my girl VAF notices something before another character, spotting the fireballs before her son does. This is actually a very scary scene (especially since I was 11 when I saw it). Good to see the dog survive, though.

0:49 - We're into July 3rd. I've only known Randy Quaid's family for one day, and I already hate them. They are the Luc Longley to Smith/Goldblum/Pullman's MJ/Scottie/Rodman. (To continue the analogy, Loggia is definitely Ron Harper.)

0:52 - I love a good briefing for a mission scene. Very Star Wars-esque. Poor Harry Connick Jr., he might as well be wearing a red shirt at this point.

0:58 - Great No-ments in History: "Jimmy NOOO!!!" - Will Smith

1:01 - Another fantastic scene with Will Smith shit-talking the downed alien ship. After punching out the alien: "Welcome to Earth! Now that's what I call a close encounter." Action movie writing at its finest. Usually, two witty alien puns would be dispersed throughout the movie. However, this movie breaks the paradigm and delivers two back-to-back. On my bucket list is punching someone in the face, and then saying that line.

1:03 - "All you need is love. John Lennon. Smart man. Shot in the back. Very sad." - Judd Hirsch. Yes, that made me laugh out loud. No, I'm not on any drugs while watching this.

1:07 - Goldblum and Pullman find out about Area 51. Quaid and Smith run into each other in the desert, and the closest military base is, you guessed it, Area 51. And you thought they'd have to come up with a stupid way to get characters from Los Angeles, New York City, New Mexico, and Washington D.C. together.

1:11 - We're overtly told that the aliens are similar to humans, and that they are interested in our planet. There's a heavy-handed message layered into this movie somewhere, and by god, I'll find it even if it kills me!

1:15 - Man, That Guy is a total dick. I demand he gets his comeuppance!

1:18 - The Cougar admits she voted for "the other guy" while talking to the first lady. I know I'm making a big assumption, but could Pullman's character be a Republican?

1:19 - The alien autopsy scene is pretty cool, but the writers seemed to get a little lazy. Words like "icky" and "thingamajig" are used by the mad scientist.

1:23 - So what do the aliens want us to do? Die. Motherfucking die. These guys are completely bad ass.

1:29 - That Guy talks Republican Lone Star into a nuclear strike, which fails. I demand he gets his comeuppance!

1:33 - The President's wife dies. I've been bombarded by too many human emotions at this point - the fight between Goldblum and his ex, the reuniting of the Fresh Prince and The Cougar, and now this. Although, I'll always remember a fantastic bit on Weekend Update, where Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton raved about how much he loved this scene.

1:34 - We're into July 4th. Money time! And a drunk Goldblum!



And Judd gives him the classic "catch a cold" idea. This scene is genius!

1:37 - "I gave it a cold." Love it. It's all about signals, Jerry, signals! Kudos to sharp shooting by Adam Baldwin as Major Mitchell.

1:40 - That Guy gets his ass chewed out by Kick Ass President Lone Star. Hit the road, bitch! That's some good comeuppance!

1:41 - And the USA alerts the world that they are smarter than them. U S A! U S A!

1:47 - Fuck and yes.



GAH! I want to run through a GODDAMN brick wall!

1:52 - Goldblum is busting out all the classic Goldblum-isms. "Yes, Fat Lady." "Oops? What Oops?" "Yes yes." "No no."

1:59 - The virus is in! It's tough to keep updates - this is getting intense. Ooh, nice hit from Lone Star! Time to kick ET's ass!

2:04 - Spoiler Alert: Randy Quaid saves the day.



This that you can abuse yourself with alcohol for years and still save the entire planet. What's the time limit on spoiler alerts, by the way? I say six months. So, if I just ruined this for you, I'm sorry, but you had 12 years and six months.

2:07 - The space ship that is 15 miles long and right over the military base explodes, and then drifts listlessly over to the abandoned area of the desert, causing no major harm to anyone down below. Um. Moving on.

2:10 - Little known fact: screaming makes you drive faster.

2:13 - Excellent "Conquering Hero" shot. Another thing to add to my bucket list: walk away proudly while something is burning behind me.

2:15 - "Didn't I promise you fireworks?" "Yeah." Time to rebuild civilization. Credits roll.

Overall, it's a fantastic example of a summer blockbuster - cliche but lines, great action scenes, corny scenes of human emotion blatantly designed to tug at audience emotions, a sharp sense of humor, and characters that fit perfectly within their archetypes. If you've forgotten about this movie, I highly recommend going out today and watching it this weekend. Read more!

Summer Reading, pt. 1

by Brandon

Summer. This is the comic book fan's season for catching up and enjoying a good, geeky book while one should be outside instead. Jenn remarked last week while on our honeymoon, "How did comic books end up coming on our honeymoon?" Well, the answer really does boggle the mind; I packed them in a backpack and brought them with us. I made full use of the quiet setting of Sound off Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to catch up on some reading. Some of the titles are old, some are new, but they all get a little review from me here.

Grendel War Child #'s 1-10
Though this book takes place chronologically far beyond what I've read to thus far in the Grendel series (chapters 41-50, whereas I just entered the teens in my regular Grendel reading), I decided to give this miniseries a go since I picked it up for a buck a couple of weeks ago. It turned out to be a fairly accessible read, but not just in terms of Wagner's writing, but also the helpful recap pages at the front of the book and two-page review pages in the back of each issue which successfully and succinctly explained the entire history of the printed Grendel up to that point. Grendel Prime, the protagonist of this story, turned out to be a very effective Grendel. What he lacked in Hunter Rose's flamboyance, he made up for in true grit. This was a great miniseries and highly recommended, especially if you can find it on the cheap like I did.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars #6
No real trip would be complete without having read something in the Star Wars realm. Unfortunately, this last issue in the first Clone Wars arc was very disappointing. While the story of stopping intergalactic slavery would be interesting in, say, the 1860s, it just seemed a bit odd for a focus here. I realize Anakin was a slave, but the story's heavy "gee, this is soooooooo wrong" tilt from the beginning was a nonstarter. Of course slavery is wrong. Do we need six issues of action packed preaching to deliver that point home? This first arc was in no way as engaging as the first season of the television show. Maybe it will pick up soon, but if the second arc doesn't grab me, this book will be on the chopping block.

Justice League America #'s 46-50 (Glory Bound)& Annual #4 (JL Antarctica)
I'm almost finished with my rereading of the classic JLI from Giffen and DeMatteis. I have thoroughly enjoyed every issue and arc of JLI up until the Glory Bound arc found in issues 46-50. The first issue involving Guy Gardner going to a comic book convention was good, but the rest of the story fell flat. Much of the fun about the arc I suppose was to be derived from poking fun at the Captain America pastiche General Glory. The only catch was that... it just wasn't funny. Annual #4, however, was an excellent issue of the series that introduced the Antarctica branch of the JLI. The ineffective Injustice League and Gnort get assigned to patrol Antarctica and protect it from flesh-eating penguins. It was zany fun despite the fact that Gnort was featured so heavily. My only complaint really about this latter era of JLI is the fact that Booster Gold was MIA. He and Blue Beetle really made this title great. Despite my small grievances, this title really has rejuvenated my interest in the comic book medium. The JLI books have been fun to read. I feel old saying this, but they just don't make them like that anymore.

Justice League Europe #'s 23-28 & Annual #2
Of the various JLI books, JLE was the one I was most wary about reading, but it has in fact been one of the most enjoyable. The mix of action and Bwah-ha-ha is perfect in this title. Plus, it features some of the more consistently interesting JLI members; Captain Atom, Flash, Elongated Man, Power Girl and her cat, Rocket Red, and Metamorpho. Whereas the JLA title seemed to spend more time goofing around the embassy, JLE seemed to get out more and, you know, handle bad guys. Whether it was fighting huge works controlled by a league of captains of industry (issues 23-25) or fighting off Starro yet again (issues 26-28), this particular incarnation of the league was always fun and effective in their own little way. Any story that can make Starro seem not lame is a good story. Along with the above JLA issues, these issues can be found for ridiculously cheap prices, most likely less than a buck an issue. They are well worth your time to seek out.

Hero Squared #'s 1-3 & Special #1
Speaking of J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen, someone recommended Hero Squared to me a while back. I bought the original miniseries and X-tra Sized special to try it out. While it was funny in many parts, I just don't see how this story could be sustained over a long period of time. It seems pretty finite to me. I'm glad to see that there are only nine issues after these initial four remaining because I just don't see the concept really stretching too far. It was a fun read, but if someone were inclined to want to check this creative team out, they would be much better served by seeking out the JLI titles.



Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine #6
Wow... that was a letdown. We waited for that? Seriously? While the Nick Fury part at the end was solid, the rest was lackluster, and that's being kind. A Wolverine and Hulk miniseries should be cool. It should be grandiose and over the top. This miniseries started off with a bang, but ended on a barely audible thud.






Ultimate Spider-Man #132
Did you read the above review? Kinda sucky. Well, that's pretty much my opinion of this issue too. It's been no secret that I think Ultimatum has been dreadful, but this is just crap. Ultimate Spider-Man was one of the best titles Marvel had going. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it was always consistent. Now that it has been mucked up by all this Ultimatum junk, it has become almost unreadable. Thanks, Marvel.


The Invincible Iron Man #13
Hmmm. Interesting. I have never read a regular, monthly Iron Man comic in my life, but something compelled me to pick this title up last summer and I've been enjoying it ever since. While I think this "Most Wanted" story arc has been going on for too long, I think Fraction is slowly building up to a boiling point that will be amazing. The inevitable confrontation with Norman Osborn should be the most exciting comic Marvel produces in this whole Dark Reign business, but that's up to how well Fraction and the other frame it. If you look at Invincible Iron Man, it looks like it will be explosive. Kudos on both the writing and art here. This is by far one of the best titles Marvel is producing now.

Daredevil #118
I believe it was King George the Third who wrote in his diary on July 4, 1776 that "nothing much happened today." The same could be said for this issue. Is it just me, or has Daredevil become to whiny lately? It just kind of drones on and on and on. We get to see Daredevil brood for much of the issue, which is highly original. For those who are a poor judge of sarcasm, that was definitely sarcasm. I want to read Daredevil stories that are exciting crime dramas, not emo-like pity sessions where Matt muses about how shitty his life has become. Get over it. That Daredevil story has been written at least eighty times. Let's move on, shall we?

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Shout Outs! and Scream Ats!

by Matt


Welcome to another "Shout Out/Scream At!” column! where I take a look at what makes me a happy fanboy (Shout Outs!) and what frustrates me (Scream Ats!) about the comic industry. With this column I will be covering Captain America, Rocketeer, Planetary, DC's new series Magog, Messiah War and more Obama comics.!


SHOUT OUT! Planetary #27
It is really easy for me to forgive something when I love it so much. Just like my kid Logan when he accidentally deleted my 6 year franchise Madden game a few years ago, I can forgive him because I sure love the little guy. That is how I feel about Planetary. I should be screaming bloody murder that this book is taking so stinking long to come out but now that I know it is coming, I can forgive it. Planetary is my favorite Warren Ellis work (and yes, I consider myself an EllisWhore(tm)) and ranks up their with my favorite comic works of all-time. I cannot wait for this epilogue and I definitely cannot wait for the inevitable Absolute Planetary Vol 2.

SCREAM AT! Captain America Hype
Marvel has really hit the Hype Machine with the release of Captain America #600 and the new Reborn series and I shouldn't be surprised that they are bringing back Steve Rogers. But with all the hype, I find this announcement extremely underwhelming and that is probably because I found Bucky as Cap WAY more exciting than Steve and the story of him coming back. I am sure Brubaker will write an excellent yarn but I cannot hide the fact that I wish Bucky had more time to be Cap. It sure doesn't feel like it has been two years since Steve's death. It wouldn't surprise me if Marvel still had another swerve coming up.

SCREAM AT! Magog?
In the new DC solicitations it was found that a new character was to be given a ongoing series. I was excited to see who it was since I am now down to one DC book and I wanted to dabble back into the DC Universe again. And I was surprised that it was Magog. Magog? Don't get me wrong, I really liked how the character developed in the recent JSA series but he would have been one of the last characters I would have expected (and picked) for a new ongoing series. You know who I wanted? I would have loved seeing a Dr. Mid-Nite or Mr. Terrific series. Or Stargirl return for another series. I would gladly pay $3.99 for a Stargirl ongoing if it was written by Johns. But Magog? Such a strange choice.


SHOUT OUT! The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection
When I am bored at work, I like to browse Amazon and find stuff that is going to be coming out. I was very excited when I saw this baby! The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection. I have not read any of Dave Steven's stuff before but I do have fond memories of the old Rocketeer movie starring a young Jennifer Connelly and one of my favorite actors in Timothy Dalton. I have always been interested in the Rocketeer and now I have his completed adventures in one book. The books have been completely re-colored, as per Dave Stevens' wishes, by colorist Laura Martin.

SCREAM AT! Messiah War
Maybe it is because I have not read the ending of this crossover, but it just has not been doing anything for me. Nothing in the book excites me like the previous crossover Messiah Complex. Partly because I have not been a huge fan of the artwork but I couldn't place my finger on it until we see Archangel confront Apocalypse and spare his life. Then it hit me, the biggest reason I have not liked this crossover all that much is because it reminds me of the 90's crossover X-Cutioner's Song. Archangel confronts Apocalypse and spares his life in that one too. Not only that but in both crossovers we see X-Force sent to catch Cable, we see Bishop and Wolverine track Cable.


SCREAM AT! More Obama Comics
I think I have had my fill on Obama-based comics. In fact, I have gotten so tired of them that I would not have picked up Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers if I knew ahead of time that Obama's dog was slated to appear. Don't get me wrong, I am for Obama, I am just tired of all the comics. I do admit that the variant cover for Ash Saves Obama is pretty cool but enough is enough already!

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Panelology: Married... With Comics, pt. 2

by Brandon

The tables have turned today! On Tuesday, I interviewed Jenn about our upcoming nuptials, her perception of my geekiness, and how the move in together will impact my beloved comic book hobby. Jenn puts on her game face to interviews me about my fanboy tendencies.

Jenn: I can understand reading comic books is an enjoyable activity for you. What I don't understand is the collecting part of it. Can you explain why that is so important to you?

Brandon: This is a chicken and egg question. Which came first; the comic book reading or collecting? For a long, long time, I shunned the "collector" label because I definitely did not enter this hobby thinking that I wanted to simply possess 6,000 comics. I was a reader, and avid reader, which I think was odd for someone reading comics in the early-to-mid 1990s because so many people were in the hobby because of the collecting angle. I can't tell you how any of my friends would buy a comic and never crack the thing open once to give it a read. For those like me, comics were a commodity that was to be traded. We read all sorts of different titles, so we would swap issues for reading purposes. You couldn't buy too many comic books for a $2 a week allowance! I was not in a position to buy every book that came across my radar.

That economic reality is part of the reason why "collecting" comic books has become a part of my comic book hobby. By the time I left college in 2002, I only had three long boxes. Now, I have almost twenty with several short boxes for current comic book series I'm reading. After getting a job and a stable source of income, I found myself going back to the titles that did come across my radar back when I was a prepubescent punk. Most of the stuff I had bought and traded or at least read from a friend when I was younger. These issues were populating back issue bins at ridiculously cheap prices. Once again, economics played into the equation!

While I still consider myself to be primarily a reader, collecting has become an unintended byproduct of the reading. While I would say 80% of the comics in my collection will never grace my eyes again in terms of reading, it is hard to part with the little boogers. That is until you tell me I have to make a choice; you or the comic books. And of course, I would choose you, darling. Maybe.

Jenn: If the house was burning and you had to choose between saving me or saving "The Amazing Spider-Man #129" (Punisher's First Appearance), would I be on my own?

Brandon: I wouldn't say you would be on your own. That would be highly inappropriate for me to leave you in burning house. However, are you carrying anything? I mean, once we get the cats out and I know that they are secure, we could totally go back in and grab some books. By the way, how much can you lift? I would say that each box weighs around 25 pounds. I figure we could make it out with at least ten boxes before the fire gets too bad. I think you are up t the challenge. But remember, this is a team effort. No slacking off! We don't have all day, the house is burning.

Jenn: What if I had been a hardcore DC Comics fan when we started dating? Do you suppose we'd still be engaged to be married?

Brandon: Oh, that's a good question. First off, I have to give you some major props for even knowing that being a DC fan might have been a faux pas when we met. Secondly, I'm glad to know that you've been noticing what I've been reading lately! To answer your question, I don't think it would have matter tome in the way you are suggesting. You know that before we hit it off, I dated a freaky anime girl who did like comics. She was also a furry. That taught me one important lesson; I didn't really want to date myself. I'm extraorinarily broing. I have crappy tastes in entertainment, food, drink, and clothing. I have good taste in women. Therefore, I cannot date anyone who may have read all the volumes of The History of Middle-Earth or who can name more members of the Moff Council than I can. You have no idea what I'm talking about with either one of those cases and that's just fine with me.

Jenn: Can we please remove the Darth Vader head from the headboard after we get married? It really creeps me out!

Brandon: You're asking far too much of me now. Why is having a Darth Vader mask on our headboard creepy? It's a Darth Vader mask, not Darth Vader. You see, Darth Vader is a fictional character. He doesn't really exist! The creepiness rests in your own mind, not on my headboard. Plus, what if it makes me feel secure having Vader there? Would you want to rob me of my safety?

Seriously though, the answer is; whatever you want, darling. I have no say in the decorating arena. If it's between sex and Vader, I will go with booty any day of the week. Especially if there's a Star Wars costume involved. Despite your misgivings about the Darth Vader helmet, you still come to my bed with me. What does that say about you, I wonder.

Jenn: If you had to choose between Star Wars, Comic Books and the Music collection, which would win (this may be useful to me when we merge households *wink*)?

Brandon: Well... I'm just so freaking lucky that I'm marrying someone like you who won't make me have to choose. Right? RIGHT? I can say in my defense that I have significantly cut back on my Star Wars collectibles purchasing over the last year. I feel like a recovering alcoholic saying this, but I haven't purchased a Star Wars figure in seven months. In my opinion, the Star Wars collection has become a bigger beast than the comic books because they serve no "decorative" role in the household. They just take up a considerable amount of space in one closet.

Does that mean I want to get rid of them? Hell no! But yeah... something has to be done about those things. Let's get past this wedding business and getting you moved in before we tackle the Star Wars collection. I've been a good sport about the comic book stuff thus far. I think I deserve that much.

Jenn: What do you think would happen if Frank Castle was one of the leading men in He's Just Not That Into You?

Brandon: Well, first ff, I think it might be a considerably shorter movie. That particular chick flick was like the Lord of the Rings of chick flicks. I expected Hobbits to come running into Jennifer Aniston's bedroom screaming, "You did it, Mister Frodo! You did it!"

Jenn: Just answer the question.

Brandon: Okay! I think Frank would probably kill many of those self-absorbed characters out of pity or principle from the get-go. He would be putting them, and the audience, out of their memory. Benn Affleck and Jennifer Aniston's characters would be first to go. I think he would also try to toughen up the group of gay men who work with Drew Barrymore's character. I mean, really, people are dying every day out on the mean streets and all these guys can talk about is making booty calls on Facebook. I also would love to see him go to a club with the main character/loser Gigi. She would start rolling into one of her moaning monologues about not finding the right man, but Frank would counter with some grim tale about losing a good man on the Mekong River in hail of fire and blood. It would totally ruin the moment and then he would sock her in the face for being so pompous. Then he would go kill some crack dealers or something. It would be awesome.



Jenn and I get married June 13, this Saturday, at 4:30 p.m. We do have a website if you are so inclined to check it out. Make sure you request some ridiculous song and I'll make sure it makes it into rotation during the reception. Just don't tell Jenn! I may be back sometime next week with a few photos from the wedding, but I'm sort of going to be on the honeymoon at the time, which means those scant few people reading this will be meaningless to me during that time. Everything is coming into place now for the wedding.

I get asked the oft asked question "are you nervous?" now virtually every five minutes. I think that question is making me nervous. But I am not nervous about my decision! Jenn and I are very happy with one another. I'm convinced that I will be able to get her to read some more comics in the near future. Our marriage may depend on it.

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Panelology: Married... With Comics, Pt. 1

by Brandon & Jenn
It's happening and there's nothing I can do to stop it now. No, I'm not referring Steve Rogers returning as Captain America. In just four measly days, I'm going to get married to the love of my life, Jenn. We're currently smack dab in the middle of that "fun" stage right before the wedding where tensions are high as our nerves fritz out on us. While we're both sure that we are right for one another, one of the things Jenn likes to kindly rib me for is my affinity for comic books. As we begin to merge households, we have talked a lot about comic books lately. These are not the kinds of comic book conversations I would like to have about plot points and our favorite issues. No, these are serious, adult conversations about what we should do with all these damn comic books in my townhouse.

These conversations have been pretty riveting, lighthearted, and sometimes tense. I realize that the comic books in my townhouse take up a considerable amount of space. Ultimately, I decided to go with the BCW long storing boxes to file away my twenty some odd boxes in order to help create some space for us to live. The death of my bachelor lifestyle is upon us, but does that mean my comic book collecting days are over?

What follows is just a sampling of the conversations Jenn and I have been engaged in the past few weeks. Jenn doesn't call me an "asshat" here, which is a very positive start for us when having these conversations. Just as background, Jenn and I have been dating for almost three years now, but we haven't necessarily lived together other than on the weekends since she lives 90 miles away. She's probably the smartest woman on the face of the entire planet. She has got her PhD. in molecular biology and she is a scientist. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to come up with any cool experiments that will give me superpowers yet, but I'm sure that particular instance is just around the corner for us.

Brandon: What did you think of comic book hobby when we first met? Do you remember your first experience with my fanboy room?

Jenn: I thought the comic book thing was "cute." Clearly, I did not realize the extent of your enthusiasm or the far reaching impact on every other part of your life (poor decorating decisions, planning vacations around comic conventions, etc.). The first time I saw the Fanboy room, we had only been dating for about a month and I was still in that "blinded by love phase." I don't really think I took it all in on that first visit because I only remember being struck by two things: 1)the sheer volume of books/boxes and 2)the life size stormtrooper in the corner.It wasn't until much later that I saw all of the "toys" and other Fanboy paraphernelia.

Brandon: I don't mean to be picky, but that's not a Stormtrooper in my extra bedroom. That's Boba Fett. But that's beside the point. What do you like about my having this hobby?

Jenn: First, I like that we have our own interests and maintain our own unique identities. Second, as my mom always says: At least I know what you are up to on a Friday night! There are many worse hobbies that you could have, so I guess I should be happy with this one!

Brandon: What do you dislike about my having this hobby?

Jenn: I think the first two dislikes are obvious, but are also a problem with many other hobbies that a person could have (you could say the same about scrapbooking for me!)...Space and money. However, I think with our new storage system, the space concern is much less of an issue. Also, you do a pretty good job monitoring how much you spend on comics and you shop for deals, so even though it is not how I would choose to spend MY money, I can't really complain about it.

Now, the real deal...an indirect effect of your comic book madness is that I get stuck at comic book stores (or at least sitting out in the car waiting for YOU in the comic store) WAY more often than I would like. Also, you put comic books on bithday and Christmas wish lists, which means that if I want to be a good girlfriend (replace with wife after June 13), I have to visit the comic book stores!

Brandon: To date, I've successfully managed to get you to read one comic, the Fables graphic novel. What did you think of it?

Jenn: I thought it was enjoyable to read - an interesting take on some characters from my childhood. I think the thing about comics that is frustrating to me is that you don't get a nice neat conclusion at the end of one book, because usually that one book is part of a series and you've really only completed a chapter in the story. I just don't see how you can be reading 6 different titles and keep all of the various stories straight from one month to the next! Ok, let the eye rolling begin...

Brandon: Why haven't you read any more comic books? What would it take to get you to read another comic?

Jenn: As mentioned in my previous, response...it is frustrating for me. I guess if you find me a somewhat girly comic that I can finish in just a few issues, I would consider it. Also, you will need to take up scrapbooking.

Brandon: What is the geekiest thing you've ever seen me do?

Jenn: Wow, so many to choose from! No, really ...I think you keep the "Geekiness" to a minimum. I wouldn't nail this down to a particular activity. I think the geekiest I've ever seen you behave is when you got really into Heroscape initially - the childlike giddiness over your new discovery was pretty geeky!

Plus, the occasional soliloquy ranting about the accuracy of a movie based on comic book history can get a little Geek too.

Brandon: Really? That's an unusual choice! I wouldn't have even put Heroscape in my top 100 geek out moments. Which hobby annoys you more and why; Star Wars, Comic Books, or the music collection?

Jenn: I can not choose. Star Wars and Comic Books take up so much space. The music collection results in my exposure to your music. There is no lesser or greater evil.

Brandon: How do you describe my "fanboy tendencies" to your friends and family?

Jenn: I don't try really. No one has ever really probed beyond "He collects comic books" unless it is to ask if you own any valuable ones. Plus, it is just who you are...I don't think I should have to explain who you are to anyone. They should have to figure it out for themselves, just like the rest of us! :)

On that Hallmark note, I'll end the interview for the day. Check back tomorrow for part 2. Jenn will be interview me about my hobby and I'm going to attempt to be honest.
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Panelology - Marvel & DC August 2009 Solicitation Picks

by Brandon

Now that Marvel & DC have released their solicitations for August 2009, I thought it might be worthwhile to look at books coming down the pike that are of interest to collectors. August looks to be a pretty decent month for collectors new and old. Both Marvel and DC have some neat looking books for old and new fans alike just begging to be pre-ordered. I know I'm going to have to make a lot of room for some new titles. Jenn won't be happy, but my inner-fanboy will just love it!


The House of Ideas has a few books that I'll be adding to my order this month. Here's a look at my picks.

- Dominic Fortune # 1 (of 4): It's always good to see Howard Chaykin writing and drawing a book, but its extra nice to see him return to a character that he created. In the various incarnations that have cropped up of this archetypal character from Chaykin's creative stables, Dominic Fortune was one of my favorites. He's been little used, but this looks to be one of those great returns we fans don't get to see very often. This title should be full of violence, zippy dialogue, loose women, and excellent art.

- Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 and Avengers #1: Oh boy. I haven't made it a secret that I have been displeased with the direction of the Ultimate Universe lately. The bloated and unnecessary Ultimatum freak show has been ridiculously stupid. It's redemption time for this line. Starting with new first issues, Avengers and Spiderman look to be good starting places for those people who left the Ultimate Universe before Jeph Loeb's involvement was just a dusty twinkle in Joe Quesada's bad eye. Perhaps with the always entertaining Millar on board, Avengers will pick up with where his Ultimates 2 title left off. Otherwise, this lines probably in deep shit. Check this out, if only for the train wreck.

- The Marvels Project #1 (of 8): Ed Brubabker? Check. Steve Epting? Check. Worth $3.99 an issue? Not so sure. But, I might be willing to give it a shot. With the aforementioned creative team from Captain America on board, this will probably be entertaining at the very least. With Marvel celebrating "their" 70th anniversary, this title promises to be the centerpiece to their celebrations. Whatever. The big question for Marvel is will anyone care about a miniseries dealing with the Golden Age version of Marvel's oldest heroes. This has the potential to be a bust or a boon. I'm hoping for the latter, especially if I'm going to shell out $3.99 an issue!

- Captain America: The Death of Captain America Omnibus HC: Sweet Jesus! On the one hand, the $75 price tag gives me pause, but getting issues 25-42 of Brubaker and Epting's Captain America saga in hardcover is very tempting. I haven't bought any of Marvel's omnibus editions, but they look sweet and many people have had nothing but great things to say about these volumes.

- Marvel Bromance TPB: Huh? When I first saw this solicitation, I must admit that I almost just skipped reading it. But my curiosity got the better of me and I read it. I hate the term "bromance" but it is oddly appropriate for some comic books match-ups. It is with a little bit of shame that I must admit that this sounds kind of cool. As hokey as they may be, some buddy comics are just fun to read. Marvel selected a wide variety of characters here to spotlight, which is excellent because I don't think having Wolverine or Spider-Man pop up in your book constitutes the "bromance" label. Male bonding is cool and this should be a fun title to read.


I'm not much of a DC Comics kind of guy, but a couple of things in their August previews looked interesting.

- Red Circle Comics: The Shield, The Web, Inferno, and The Hamngman # 1's: J. Michael Straczynski takes a stab at bringing the Archie heroes into the DCU. I honestly think this is what JMS does best. I just wish he would go back to finishing The Twelve. Regardless, these books should at least be interesting for old and new readers. Plus, these specials are backed by some killer artists including Bill Sienkiewicz, Greg Scott, Roger Robinson, Hilary Barta, Scott McDaniel, and Andy Owens. Fitting these four issues into your order might taking a little more tightening of the belt, but I think they could be definitely worth it.

- Doom Patrol #1: Finally! It seems like DC has been talking about this reboot for months now, so I was happy to see it finally solicited. Kieth Giffen seems like a perfect fit for this book. To sweeten the pot, and to soften the blow of the $3.99 admission price, there is a Metal Men co-feature co-written by Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art from Kevin Maguire! That's right, this is the celebrated team that brought us the original JLI title in the late 1980s. I hope Giffen's back to the basics approach works out better for him that it did for John Byrne. I love all the various incarnations of this team and I am highly anticipating the release of this title.

- Peter & Max: A Fables Novel: This is another book that seems to have been discussed for a while now by the folks over at Vertigo. If you aren't reading Fables, you truly are missing out on one of the best titles to ever be published. This prose novel from Bill Willingham will be supported by ink drawings from Fables artist Steve Leialoha. Vertigo always does a good job with these special hardcovers and I don't think this one will disappoint any regular Fables fans. Sounds really good to me!



That's it for me this week! You can of course check out the Previews website from Diamond Distributors if you want to browse more solicitations and news.

Next week, I'll be back to talk about how my comic book life is changing now that the big wedding date is coming up faster than a speeding bullet. What am I doing to myself?
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Shout Outs! and Scream Ats!

by Matt


Welcome to another "Shout Out/Scream At!” column! where I take a look at what makes me a happy fanboy (Shout Outs!) and what frustrates me (Scream Ats!) about the comic industry. With this column I will be covering Captain Britain, DC's Blackest Night, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and DC's Human Target hitting the small screen.!

SHOUT OUT! Blackest Night
I have never collected Green Lantern. My first exposure to the character (and to the DC Universe) was Zero Hour and Grant Morrison's JLA. I have always been intrigued by the concept of Green Lantern but never made the move to try him out officially by reading his book. I was also a little dissatisfied with Final Crisis and was slowly losing my interest in the DC universe as a whole. I was not going to pick up the Blackest Night event but there were 3 things that made me want to at least check it out. First, the Martian Manhunter revealed as a Black Lantern. The Martian Manhunter is my favorite DC character and I was ticked that he was killed in Final Crisis (I was real happy with Final Crisis: Requiem) and I am really curious about where being a Black Lantern will take him. Second, I couldn't resist Blackest Night #0 since it was free and it had a great balance of new content and provided enough information for me to catch up with all the current Green Lantern news. And I have always liked Johns writing and Ivan Reis's artwork. And lastly, Mailordercomics had the first issue for only 99 cents so why not give it a read? I am hoping this event is great. I have dropped all DC books and I miss the DC Universe.

SCREAM AT! X-Men Origins: Wolverine
For the most part I enjoyed the film and I saw it a second time with my dad and it was much better with a second viewing. I am not the type to be picky about how the movie compares to the comic, so I didn't mind the changes that were made to some of the characters. What I didn't like, and still didn't like upon the second viewing was the death of Silver Fox. I just found it utterly unbelievable that Wolverine would have been fooled with her death. He has been around death by being involved in so many wars, I am sure he could smell it. And the blood Sabretooth poured on her? Wolverine would know if it was her blood or not, I don't think he could have been fooled so easily. It would have made Sabretooth all the more bad ass if he had really iced her the first time.

SHOUT OUT! Banshee in Wolverine movie!
Did you catch the small cameo of my favorite X-Man Banshee? You do remember that Banshee was the FIRST X-Man to be portrayed live action. Anyone remember that horrible Generation X pilot? This huge Banshee fan was so bored he fell asleep and missed most of the show!

SHOUT OUT! Human Target TV series
I loved, loved the last Human Target comic series produced by Vertigo. I highly recommend snagging the first Human Target miniseries to get a taste of what the Human Target is all about. The small clips of the show look a little hokey and I am hoping that Hollywood doesn't just make this a cliche action show. I hope that they stick close to the Vertigo series and really make the stories about the man (Christopher Chance) having difficulties with taking on multiple persona's. Either way, I am looking forward to the series and will certainly catch it when it hits the airwaves. You can see the video clips here.



SCREAM AT! Captain Britain Cancelled
Paul Cornell recently stated on his blog that Captain Britain and MI:13 has been canceled. BOOOO! This was perhaps the only Marvel title that I was enjoying consistently. I thought Cornell really understood the Captain Britain character, Cap has not been written like this since the old Ellis run on Excalibur. What really makes me scream about this cancellation is that I was certain (and I could be wrong) that Joe Quesada said he was raising the prices on more popular titles so that Marvel could continue to afford to put out less popular titles like this one. It feels like Marvel is taking their money and running. I would have gladly paid $3.99 for this book anyway and I am happy that Cornell got to end the book the way he wanted too.

SCREAM AT! Captain Britain Omnibus Rescheduled Again!
I am sure that with Marvel releasing this huge Omnibus they wanted to capitalize on both the success and buzz of the new Captain Britain series and name drop Alan Moore. Funny, (well, not really that funny) that the new Captain Britain series has just been canceled and this Omnibus has been moved from June 17th to a new shipping date of July 1st. This was supposed to have been released March 25th. Now I fear that Marvel might just cancel this book entirely!
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Shout Outs! and Scream Ats! Volume 5

by Matt


Welcome to my fifth “Shout Out/Scream At!” column! With this column I will be taking a look at what makes me a happy fanboy (Shout Outs!) and what frustrates me (Scream Ats!) within the comic industry. Today I will be covering Marvel's new Reborn series, Spider-Man and the X-Men, Sparta USA, Anniversary issue numbering and Avatar comics!


SHOUT OUT! Dave Lapham's new series, Sparta, USA
As sad as I am with the cancellation of Young Liars, I am thrilled that Dave Lapham has a new series coming out from Wildstorm called Sparta, USA. In his own words, he describes Sparta as "a typical middle-America town, and yes they love their football. In fact, their whole culture is built around football and apple pie. Oh, and upward mobility through subterfuge. I wanted to set a story in a self-contained town with an idyllic façade but behind the scenes it was all spy games and sabotage. Sort of “Desperate Housewives” on crack. And not a soap opera. You’re the stock boy, you want to be shift supervisor, so you arrange for the old supervisor to have an accident, or a scandal." Unfortunately he is not providing the art on the series but the book is in good hands with Johnny Timmons at the helm. Football and Lapham, two of my favorite things!

SCREAM AT! Marvel's new Reborn series
I was really hoping that this was going to spotlight the return of Banshee but we all know who is returning. And we all knew it was inevitable. It just seems like yesterday that Steve Rogers was killed and I was hoping that he would stay that way for a bit longer. I like Steve as much as the next guy but I thought Bucky made a more interesting Captain America. Couple that with the $3.99 price tag and I am passing on this. And is it just me or has Bryan Hitch's work just not been the same? His work is solid enough but I have not enjoyed it as much as his work on the Authority and the first Ultimates series. If Steve Epting were drawing it, I would be all over it.

SHOUT OUT! Spider-Man and the X-Men mini series
The recent Spider-Man/X-Men series left me begging for more. I picked up this series because I have become a huge fan of Christos Gage but it was the beautiful cover by Mario Albreti that really sealed the deal. His artwork did not disappoint at all, I knew this series was a winner when I opened up the first issue and saw a panel of Gwen Stacy. The writing was a ton of fun too, Gage takes you through a new story involving Spider-Man and the X-Men and through various time frames. You get the first X-Men team, college Peter Parker, the black Spider-Man suit, the Morlock Massacre, Ben Reilly, Wolverine with bone claws and the present day X-Men and Spider-Man. And the villains are some of my favorites too, Kraven the Hunter, the Blob, Carnage, Mister Sinister and the Marauders. I don't want to spoil any of the story here, you'll have to trust me on this. If any of the above eras are a soft spot for you, I highly recommend picking up this series. How much did I like it? If a sequel is made with the same creative team, I would be HAPPY to plunk down $3.99. But SHHHHHH... don't tell Marvel that!

SCREAM AT! Dark X-Men Mini
When all the Dark X-Men images were hitting the Internet we were all speculating that this was going to be a new series. But then I heard that the Dark X-Men would appear within the pages of the Uncanny X-Men and I was happy. Then the new solicitations came out and sure enough, there was a new Dark X-Men mini solicited. Not only was it $3.99 but TWO issues were coming out during the same month. I love Cloak and Dagger and I am very excited that they are appearing in an X-title but I am going to have to pass on this. I cannot afford to spend an extra $8 bucks in one month. Not even the power of Paul Cornell can help me on this one. Guess I will have to wait for trade on this one.

SHOUT OUT! Anniversary Issue Renumbering
I am a little on the fence with this one. Part of me hates renumbering because it causes such headaches to keep track of. Especially if you are purchasing back issues (do people still do that?) and when you are filing away your books. But the other part of me (the really geeky part) is thrilled that Marvel is going back and renumbering its main titles. I always thought that it was cool that DC had books that were way up in their numbers and I hated that Marvel would just start a title back with a #1 just to sell more copies. I liked bragging that I started collecting the Uncanny X-Men with issue #200. That means I have been collecting that title for over 300 issues! I can't say the same with the other Marvel titles. Saying that you have been collecting Captain America since #310 of Volume 1 just doesn't have the same ring to it. Even though it will create some headaches, I am proud that Marvel is embracing their history.

SCREAM AT! Stinky Avatar comics!
I purchase my comics online and I can always tell when I have ordered an Avatar comic. I have been enjoying Doktor Sleepless (when I think I understand it) and I am loving Ignition City but it is a pain to really enjoy them. The ink or paper, or combination of the two really make the book stink! I had to put aside Ignition City #2 because of the smell. They really got to do something about that!

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Panelology

by Brandon

What do Punisher, Eminem, Free Comic Book Day, Wolverine, Star Trek and DC's Multiversity have in common? Do I really have to tell you they end up being discussed in this week's column? I do actually rant and rave about all of these things. Enter, those who are brave.

Free Comic Book Day Recap
I hope everyone had a good Free Comic Book Day this past Saturday. Mine was so-so. I visited two shops over the course of the day. Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC is where I always visit on FCBD. I think I've missed one year making the pilgrimage north. This year was a fairly disappointing year both in terms of the titles offered and how Heroes had actually set up the store. Of the titles offered, I really enjoyed the Love & Rockets book. It's nice to see L&R jump into the FCBD foray. The rest of the titles offered were pretty bland. Heroes had the titles spread out all over the store on the shelves next to the regular titles. That's good for them to get exposure of the regular books, but bad for fans who had to fight the crowds to get to the free books. Also, their enforcement was lax. I personally saw one guy who was pilfering seven or so copies of each title as he moseyed around the store. It doesn't take the detective skills of Batman to know where those books wound up. Can anyone say "Buy it now?" However, I did pick up the first three volumes of X-Men Essentials for less than $20. That was awesome. Newsarama had a good recap story of the fun had by all at Heroes, if you're interested.

That afternoon, I went to Heroes & Dragons in Columbia, SC. While the only free book they had left was Blackest Night, they had a phenomenal sale going on in their store. I have visited this store in the past when they have had their "sales" going on and wasn't too impressed. I walked in thinking I would walk out with very little. Wrong! Their sale was absolutely fantastic! Nearly everything in the store was on sale, if not at least 50% off. I managed to pick up quite a healthy stack of Justice League Europe issues, more than thirty in all, for around $23. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Punishing Eminem
Reading about the Punisher/Eminem team-up this past week has depressed me a bit. Sweet Jesus, I thought we had moved past the era where we had to have ridiculous crossovers involving Frank. I guess not. Though Frank has teamed up with lots of folks ranging from Wolverine to Archie, this one most definitely takes the cake for the "WTF" award. I think Punisher would put a bullet between the little prick's eyes just for the principle of the matter irregardless for his misogyny. If you're interested, XXL has the first part and should be on sale for your reading pleasure. Marvel will probably release a collected edition of the story... which means I may buy it.

I know, I know. Damn me to hell for being a Punisher completest. In a bit of positive Punisher news from Robot 6, it appears as if Jason Aaron ad Steve Dillon might be the new creative team on Punisher Max. Cool. I'm down with that so long as it's 100% Eminem free.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine = Meh
Already seen Wolverine? I did last weekend. It was mindless fun at best. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I think there were lots of cool snippets and scenes throughout the film, but I kept feeling like there was something missing. Perhaps it was a cohesive threatening villain? I never really felt any suspense throughout the film because Stryker and Sabertooth were going to live and Deadpool was pretty much a no-show until the final, over-the-top action scene. It was cool to see Gambit, but he could have been used a bit more. In fact, my biggest complaint about the entire film was the usage of too many mutants. It was cool to see them all on the big screen, but if they had just stuck with a couple core characters, it would would have been much more effective. I could have given a shit when Bolt was killed if they had taken the time to build him up. I could have given a shit that Xavier showed up beyond a "hey, that's neat" knee-jerk reaction if they had built that yup a bit more. Instead, we get a Cliff Notes version of each character at best; quantity over quality.

The film probably falls somewhere between X-3 and X-1 for me, with X-2 still being the best. maybe they will choose to move the story further in the next film rather than diddling around in the past. I feel like the above complaints make it seem like I hated the film. It was enjoyable and action packed, what you would expect from a Wolverine film. I think the cast could have been cut by at least half in order to provide a little breathing room rather than providing the obligation to spend a little time with a lot of characters. The general consensus amongst critics and fans is that the filmmakers should have let this one cook a little bit more. Let's hope they get off to a better start with the next film.

Making the Trek
Wolverine can kiss his spot at the top of the box office for good this weekend. Star Trek comes out today. I saw it earlier and it is wonderful. Very seldom does a hyped film live up to its hype, let alone even surpass it. Star Trek does. J.J. Abrams somehow manages to breathe life back into the barely limping franchise with this movie. Hardcore Trek fans will find much to complain about, but as a casual Trek fan, this was just an awesome film watching experience. Each actor must have been carefully vetted by the creative team behind this movie because they all nailed their roles perfectly. The mix of action, sharp banter, and the promise of a new day for Trek fans is overwhelming, but in a good way. I won't spoil anything for you, my fine readers. Just go see the film.

Flunking out of the Multiversity
I think DC hates bringing in new fans. I really do. I've been on a reeducation journey with DC, picking up books that I enjoyed from my youth and books that I missed out on that are supposedly classic. With such an emphasis on old DC, I must admit that my curiosity about what's going on in the modern DCU is piqued. Well, it is until I read an interview or story like this; Multiversity. What the hell, DC? Do you enjoy confusing people that much? Do you need to mire all of that talent under your publishing house in all of that useless continuity and multiple universe junk? I would have thought the fan backlash from Final Crisis would have taught DC a lesson. Instead, it seems that they are getting trapped in Grant Morrison's endless cycle of ideas. I love many things Grant Morrison has written. he's one of my favorite creators. However, he seems to be throwing a lot of big ideas on the wall with very little thoughtful execution to shore them up with. I think DC needs a Dr. Phil style intervention. I would pay big money to see Dan Didio sitting across from Dr. Phil as he starts into one of his "Dan, what's your problem?" rants. Maybe that very event is occurring in the multiverse right now. Who knows?
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Shout Outs! and Scream Ats! Special Wolverine Edition

by Matt


Welcome to a very special “Shout Out/Scream At!” column dedicated to my fellow Canadian Wolverine! With the new Wolverine movie coming out I am dedicated this column to what makes me a happy fanboy (Shout Outs!) and what frustrates me (Scream Ats!) about Wolverine.

SHOUT OUT! Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
I never thought in my wildest dreams that they could get an actor that could portray Wolverine the way Hugh Jackman did. And I cannot imagine anyone else playing Wolverine. Hugh was the third man cast for Wolverine, Russell Crowe was the first choice but he backed out due to the pay he was going to get. Dougray Scott was the second choice but he had to back out because of another movie he was filming. Hugh Jackman was the right choice and I knew it the moment I saw him.



SCREAM AT! Wolverine's claws
This drives me nuts to no end. Ever since the X-Men movie came out, Wolverine's claws have looked different. In the beginning, Wolverine's claws came out on top of his hands. Not in between his knuckles. Marvel claims that movies do not affect the comics but I call baloney on this one. I am old school, I think they looked cooler on top of the knuckles and not in the middle of them.





SHOUT OUT! Wolverine Declawed
It sure took Magneto a long time to finally just rip the metal out of Wolverine and I couldn't believe that it actually happened in X-Men #25. What I really liked about it is that it took Marvel a good chunk of time for the Adamantium to return. Wolverine without metal first appeared in Wolverine #75 and it took until issue #145 to get it back. That was about five years he had the bone claws! And that was another cool surprise seeing him pop the bone claws for the first time. I thought Marvel really showed some guts with this move. They first teased him getting his metal back with #100, which I liked because Wolverine chooses to be an animal than pay the price for getting the metal and that it swerved readers and the metal would not come back for another couple of years. Unfortunately he looked really, really stupid. No nose, really hairy arms, he walked like an ape and wore a bandana. Ugh, that part was just horrible and I was glad it didn't last that long.

SCREAM AT! Daken Overdose
I didn't mind the addition of Daken in Wolverine: Origins but he is wearing out his welcome. Wolverine is overexposed but at least I like that character and I never felt in the beginning that he was forced down my throat the way Daken is. Marvel is trying to hard to make me like him by throwing him all over the place. To be fair, I do like that he is part of Dark Avengers but I am not happy that he is taking the best Wolverine costume with him!




SHOUT OUT! Wolverine: First Class
This series makes me laugh. I don't consider this series to be canonical and I think that is what makes me like it. There is nothing mind blowing about this series but I enjoy it quite a bit. I really like that his relationship with Kitty feels like it got its start here. Issue #6 is my favorite. Wolverine has to babysit Kitty, Siryn and Amp (the girl they rescued in the first issue) and all he wants to do is watch the hockey game. And of course, that doesn't happen. This book is just harmless fun.



SCREAM AT! Wolverine "Enemy of the State"
I did enjoy Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's run on the book quite a bit. Romita was the main pull for me and I was not disappointed. The story was like a summer action picture and I was in for the ride. The thing that really bugged me about this run was Wolverine killing Northstar. I didn't mind that Millar had Wolverine killing a teammate but I think it was not as a big deal as Millar thought it was. Wolverine killed a teammate but he did not kill someone he was extremely close too. Wolverine never served with Northstar in Alpha Flight, Wolverine was before his time. Northstar and Wolverine were not friends, they were co-workers at best. They never hung out together and Northstar was barely a member of the X-Men when he was killed. It would have made the impact Millar wanted if only Millar was able to kill someone that meant more to Wolverine. I can think of at least five other Alpha Flight members that would have meant more to him than Northstar. Now I am not saying it was not traumatic, it just wasn't as big as Millar and Marvel hyped.

Wolverine still ranks as one of my favorite characters and no matter what happens to him, I will still want to read about it.
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Covering the Wolverine

by Matt

Wolverine has graced a ton of covers and here are my Top Ten Best Wolverine covers and my Top Ten Worst Wolverine covers. It was difficult to really pinpoint which ones I loved but it was not difficult at all in picking the worst ones. They were quite a few stinkers in there. Does one of your favorites make my list? Or does it land in the worst list? Snikt on!







TOP TEN WOLVERINE COVERS

#1) WOLVERINE #1 (1st Limited Series)
Nothing says Wolverine the way this cover says it. Frank Miller really captured the essence of Wolverine with this single cover. Wolverine is smart, cocky, brash and bad-ass! All in one cover.









#2) UNCANNY X-MEN #212
This was the first time we saw Wolverine battle Sabretooth and this cover shows us that Wolverine can be hurt. This was before he took hits all the time. He was smarter than, he didn't fight unless he had too. Barry Windsor-Smith really knew how to show a hurt Wolverine. His art is in two of my picks and was almost chosen a third time with Uncanny X-Men #205.






#3) MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #79
Barry Windsor-Smith's epic Weapon X is one of the best Wolverine stories. One of the best parts of his story is that it was presented in Marvel Comics Presents in short 8-page increments. This way we get more cool covers. This was the best of the bunch and showed how painful it was for Wolverine when he was transformed into Weapon X.






#4) UNCANNY X-MEN #251
Marc Silvestri is one of my favorite artists and one of my favorite Wolverine artists but it seemed like he didn't draw that many outstanding covers featuring Wolverine. This was my favorite that he drew, I loved the way he is in shadows. You don't have to show the gore, my mind can make it all up.







#5) CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #8
I remember picking up this issue only because of the cover. I had no interest in Captain America and my small allowance only allowed a few cheaper comics. This was a big annual and I had to get it. I loved the clash of the shield and the claws, the sparks and the impact. And as a kid, deep down inside I had always wanted to know if Wolverine's claws could cut Cap's shield.





#6) UNCANNY X-MEN #394
This was Joe Casey's first issue of his run on Uncanny and I couldn't believe my eyes. Would he really change the status quo and make Jean and Logan a couple? This cover showed how wild Jean could be with Wolverine and I secretly hoped this would be a permanent thing.







#7) ORIGIN #2
It sure looks like it is very painful when Wolverine pops his claws. I love this cover because you can feel the claws. The blood, the way the skin protrudes, it didn't look very pleasant.









#8) INCREDIBLE HULK #340
I never noticed that Wolverine would have sharp teeth as well as his claws until I saw this cover. McFarland really shows how wild and feral Wolverine can be.










#9) WOLVERINE #79 (1st series)
It was shocking enough to me that Wolverine would have bone claws. I didn't even think that they could break off! I imagine that it would be extremely painful and this cover shows the shock and anguish.









#10) ASTONISHING X-MEN #17
This cover just makes me laugh. I thought it was a joke (and so did my dad when he saw it today) that Marvel would publish it. I hated it at first but Cassaday really nailed the look on his face. This might have been the first time I have seen Wolverine terrified!



And now the TOP TEN WORST WOLVERINE COVERS for your viewing pleasure!




#1) MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #93
RRRRR Matey! What is this exactly? A pirate? What is up with the earring? With his healing factor is that even possible? Is he coming to eat my steaks with those knives?









#2) NEW AVENGERS/TRANSFORMERS #2
This is what happens when Wolverine is full of hot air. His head is square and his body is like the Michelin Man! I get it, this is a Transformers series and maybe Wolverine is transforming into the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!








#3) SPIDER-MAN AND WOLVERINE #3
What is wrong with his head? Why is it sticking out so far and is his wrist broken? If Wolverine was not on the title, I would have thought it was someone else!










#4 WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #10
It looks like Wolverine is holding butter knives between his fingers. C'mon, you know I am right. You've done the same thing! I admit it. We have had a fat Wolverine, now we have a skinny one!









#5 UNCANNY X-MEN #423
Goatee Wolverine. So glad that didn't stick. Ultimate Wolverine was cool at this time and that is why regular Wolverine looks JUST like him. And why are there chains hanging from the top of the comic? For a 25 cent issue, Marvel could have done a better job but maybe they were trying to get all those people that were picking up Ultimate X-Men.






#6 UNCANNY X-MEN #502
Wolverine's arms are WAY too big here. They are larger than his canuckle-head! And his arms look like fifty pound stuffed Braunschweiger, with the plastic still on it since it is so shiny!









#7 WEAPON X #1
Mousse was not invented in the Age of Apocalypse. I liked that Wolverine only had one hand but I hated his mane. He looked like a cross between a lion and a hyena. This cover really showed how horrible it looked.








#8) WOLVERINE #59 (1st Series)
Steven Segal should have been cast as Wolverine! He also had a ponytail (it was revealed in the comic). Was he pudgy as well?










#9) WOLVERINE #6 (2nd Series)
Wolverine himself looks okay here but the way he is leering at Nightcrawler here. And is Kurt naked? Maybe Wolverine is making Kurt dance for some beer? Maybe Kurt owes Wolverine too many cases of beer and is paying it off with a lap dance?








#10) ULTIMATE X-MEN #1
Again, the goatee just doesn't work. Wolverine also looks like a teenager. I almost didn't pick this series up because of the crappy cover.
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