Monday, June 28, 2010

This is Entry 148: 11 months of DC Comics reviewed in 1 post (sort of)

Last time, I went over the Marvel comics I had read since I last reviewed here on da Blog so this time I'm going to go over the DC Comics I've read.

So, something about my "reviews":
- I don't do in depth reviews, I just give my feelings.
- I might spoil things. Try to not to but it happens.
- I sort of assume you've read some of the stuff I reference.
- I don't explain a lot. So, if your lost: sorry.
- I don't review all I read. Sometimes I just don't have anything to say about a book.
- Sometime when I have something to say it's not much & maybe kind of vague.
- I don't have a lot of pictures with my reviews since my scanner doesn't really work & I don't really want to search the Net for the pictures I'd want to use.

But 1 thing I forgot:
- I tend to ramble sometimes. If you get bored: sorry. I try to keep on track but sometimes I get distracted.

Also, I was told recently my Scanner is not not as broken as I thought it was. It just needs so finessing to get to do what you want. Once I know I how to do that, I make be putting up my pictures here. So woot to that!

But getting to the comics....

Much like how I talked about Marvel's Siege, I'll give my feelings on DC's latest major event: Blackest Night: Holy crap, it was awesome!If you have not read it, you should do so. I think the collected edition is coming out soon too so you don't have to search out the single issues. Also, the tie in comics (be they the handful of mini series or tie in issues from other comics) were all pretty good for the most part. 2 cool things from the event: Lantern Rings & Series brought back from the dead! 8 comics that tied into the event if you bought the issue you'd get the ring of one of the lantern corps. I like geeky stuff like that that. Near the end of the miniseries, a couple of cancelled series were brought back for one issue issue & they were even number correctly (if the series ended on 75, the BN tie in issue was 76).

After Blackest Night over with DC has gone into the Brightest Day!! We are 4 issues (or 5 there was a Zero issue) & I'm still not sure what to make of the series. But then at the end there will be 26 (27) issues so at issue 4 we are still at the very beginning. I'm willing to stick with the series but some stuff happening would be nice. Yes, there is stuff happening but not enough stuff & some of the stuff that is going on is confusing with little explanation (which most likely will be explained later on).

Now on to the comics....

With most of DC reading it can be divided into a few easy categories: Superman, Batman, Brightest Day & Other. I've already talked about BD (the series that have spun out that will be talked about under the Other section).

First off we have the comics revolving around the Man of Steel & his supporting cast. I pretty much have been reading the entire line (Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, Adventure Comics, Superman: World of New Krypton). Over the last year, all the Super Books were all connected & revolving around the New Krypton storyline. What did I think off it it? Ok. It had it's good & bad parts like most anything. I don't regret reading it.

For the upcoming year I read that you don't have to read the entire line to get a full storyline but they will still slightly connect (If Supergirl is in a fight in Action Comics, that might be referenced in her own book). I'll still probably read the books (S:WoNK was a mini series & is now over). Adventure Comics is changing how it is done, It started out as a Superboy book with a Legion of Super Heroes in the back & then the legion stories came up front with Superboy in the Back. Now He is getting his own book (not sure I'll read, I'll at least look at the first issue) so He's no longer in AC & The Legion are staying with AC even though they have their own book. From what I gather AC will tell stories of the Legion's past where their own book will tell stories of their present which both of these books happen in our future. :)

2 other Super books are Power Girl & Superman: Secret Origin. With S:SO is a mini series. A 6 issue mini series. Issue 5 came out months ago so I don't know where 6 will present it's self. It's a nice book, it sets up the presently except back story of Superman. It is nothing really that hasn't been said before or anything you really need to know to read the Superman books. I picked it up since it was writing by Geoff Johns & art by Gary Frank.

With Power Girl, I call it it a Superman book since she is from Krypton, just a Krypton from an alternate reality. :) Her book doesn't relate to the other Super books. I'm not even sure if it takes place in Metropolis. Also, come to thing of it she doesn't really appear in the other Superman books. Seems like she should have, a whole mess a kryptonians did show up recently & she didn't seem to even care. Hmmm... seems like a slip up by DC but oh well. Move on. The PG book has been good, with nice art by Amanda Conner. With issue 13, there is a new writer & artist on the book.

Now on the Bat Books, I don't read the entire line but most of it (Batman, Batgirl, Detective Comics, Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens). All are good books, with SoG my liking of the book fluxuates from month to month. The rest are pretty much good month to month. If you can get the Batwoman issues of Detective Comics with the art by J.H.Williams III: Get it! Some of the best art & most interesting page design I've seen in awhile.

Both the Batman comic & the Superman comic have reached the 700 issues. The Batman one had one story told over 3 different eras with 3 different Batmen where as Superman was a collection of stories. Both good.

The Other Comics:

- I've since stopped reading the JSA book: lost interest. I had even less interesting the JSA All-Stars book. The JSA 80 page giant from a few months back was awesome. If you haven't read it you should & you don't really need to have been reading the JSA book to it it. The various art styles employed in the book is partly was it is awesome.

- Booster Gold: Creator/Writer/Artist Dan Jurgens has left the book which is sad but the book continues with a set of writers who have written the character before Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (they wrote him during Justice League International). I'm not sure I like the angle they are going with him. I'm not sure if it fits with the way the book had been done until they came on.

- Speaking of Booster Gold, spinning out Brightest Day is Justice League: Genertion Lost which has a number of the members from those days of JLI (which includes BG) to fight recently returned from the dead Maxwell Lord. I like how BG is written here better & plus it's a pretty good book. The most recent issue of Power Girl also tied into this series not sure if there will be any further ties into each other.

- The Flash: The end of Flash: Rebirth was kind of lack lust since it took a bit to come out but still good. The relauched title is also good.

One other book: Unwritten, from DC's Vertigo imprint. Good Book, interesting idea.

I think that is about it for the comics. There might be some other comics that I haven't talked about floating around if I find them, I'll talk about them.

Until then: Stay Jazzy!

- Brian

Sunday, June 20, 2010

This is Entry 147: 11 months of Marvel Comics reviewed in 1 post (sort of)

So, the last time I actually did a post like this was way back in August. What is this post going to be about? I'm going to review some Comics!

Now I'm not going to try & review all the comics I've read in the last 11 months. The post would way too long & take way too much time to type out. So, as I mentioned a post or two down the Blog I will talking about Marvel Comics post Siege & DC Comics post Blackest Night. Since I have pretty much skipped over those events I will be talking about them & anything related to them.

Also, about my "reviews":
- I don't do in depth reviews, I just give my feelings.
- I might spoil things. Try to not to but it happens.
- I sort of assume you've read some of the stuff I reference.
- I don't explain a lot. So, if your lost: sorry.
- I don't review all I read. Sometimes I just don't have anything to say about a book.
- Sometime when I have something to say it's not much & maybe kind of vague.
- I don't have a lot of pictures with my reviews since my scanner doesn't really work & I don't really want to search the Net for the pictures I'd want to use.

This is how I roll. :)

Since I've got my Marvel books closest to me we'll start there.

Marvel

So before I get into the post Siege I'm going to say a few words about the event: Underwhelming. Misrepresented. Kind of Pointless. In the ads leading up to Siege I was like This is an event years in the making & it will awesome. yes, we are crashing Asgard into the Oklahoma! BOO-YAH!. Well, this might be all well & true but that's what Siege #1 is about where as 2 through 4 are about Holy Crap! The Sentry just killed a guy & has finally lost it. He might kill us all. Let's take him down! BOO-YAH! Really, that's what it's about. Sure, Norman Osborn get taken down. The Villains are taken down. The Heroes are back. We are heading into a a new Heroic Age. :) But the whole "event" just seemed like a none event It was a just a away to tie up a few storyline of the past few years & change the status quo back to how it was like a few years with a some changes here & there.

So, getting on to the books.

The Avengers books: All the Avengers books (New, Dark, Mighty & The Initiative) were cancelled at the end of Siege to be replaced with a relaunched New Avengers, Secret Avengers, a just plain old Avengers book & The Avengers Academy. By the time of this post all the first issues have come out. All have some interesting bits to him. I'm willing to give each a storyline to see if I like the book. Not a big fan of John Romita Jr.'s art of Avengers, I just don't think it works with the book. Secret Avengers is the book with the a group of Avengers going on Black Ops like missions. The book is written by Ed Brubaker (who also writes Captain America) & the art is by Mike Deodato (who did the art of the Dark Avengers). The art style fits with the book. The relaunched New Avengers is a book I'm not sure about. It continues on story threads from the old New Avengers book but what they did in that book doesn't fit with the new Age they are living in. Sure it's a first issue but I seemed a bit odd continue on threads from that time. Then there is The Avengers Academy which takes the places of the Avengers: The Initiative comic. Now I went into this book not liking what I had seen but since it's where I'm going to see Hank Pym (who was doing wonderful things in Mighty Avengers) & Robbie Baldwin is going back to his old Speedball Identity. So, they had 2 good things towards the book but a few more things against it. By the end of Issue #1: my thought towards the book had turned. I wasn't as bad I thought it was going to be. a worth successor to A:TI. Also, there is a Avengers mini-series: Avengers Prime which features Thor, Iron Man & Steve Rogers. Issue 1 was pretty good & it's got art by Alan Davis!

Secret Warriors: still a pretty cool book. Has one of the better cover designs in Comics.

Invincible Iron Man: They just got past Issue #25 & the book has been awesome for every issue. A book you should be reading!

Fantastic Four: Writer Jonathan Hickman (who is also writing Secret Warriors) is doing amazing things on this book! What he is doing & where he is going with the team/book is amazing. Definitely worth reading.

Captain America: Good Book. I don't have much to say beyond that.

I do want to talk about the back story in the Book with Rikki Barnes as the new Nomad. Not really the character but about the writer & artest on the stories. Nomad is also appearing in new book called Young Allies, the writer is Sean McKeever & art by David Baldeon. Now the cool thing is McKeever & Baldeon are doing the the writing & art on both stories which gives a nice continuity. The two also did a story with Gravity who is also a member of the Young Allies so there is some more continuity. It's not ofter when character are written & drawn by the same people across different books.

Prince of Power:a mini series which follows out of the hercules series. Good stuff.

Atlas: This is the title of the new monthly series featuring the Agent of Atlas. It's still good but I'm liking of the stories with them is sort of waining. It's still good. I'm not sure what it is but I still like the older stuff better.

Lockjaw and The Pet Avengers: still a fun book. They just finished their latest mini-series (Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers: Unleashed) & some a summer special coming out. I like these stories done in short mini-series & specials. It works for the group. I wouldn't mind seeing more groups/characters get this treatment. Also, if you cane find the cover of Issue #4 of their most recent miniseries: it might be one of the best covers of the year!

The Marvels Project: The last issue recently came out & it was not what I was expecting it to be. An ok series.

The Torch: Like TMP, last issue just came out, not what I was expecting & was an ok series. There a "follow" series which involves the Invaders which I probably won't be getting.

Marvelous Land of Oz: the sequel miniseries the "Wizard of OZ" mini series. Good story, interesting art. Not sure I'd get the next series if there was one.

So, I think that is a long enough post. I'll be back later with my reviews of DC Comics.

Until then Stay Jazzy!

- Brian

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

This is Entry 146: 616

Today's date of the Sixteenth of June has a some what geeky meaning. If you use the American form of abbreviating the date (Day then Month) which makes it 6/16. Why is that Geeky? Unofficially in the Marvel Comics multiverse the designation for the main universe is 616.

According to Wikipedia the origin of the term is this:

The term was first used in "Rough Justice," a story credited to both Alan Moore and Alan Davis published in July 1983 by Marvel UK in the anthology comic The Daredevils (and was later reprinted in the Captain Britain trade paperback). Saturnyne uses the term to differentiate Brian Braddock, the Captain Britain of the regular Marvel Comics universe, from the other members of the Captain Britain Corps. The designation was later confirmed by the American branch of Marvel Comics in the Excalibur title, which frequently referenced Captain Britain's early UK-published adventures. This comic was written by Chris Claremont, who had created Captain Britain, and by Alan Davis, the artist on the UK-published series.

Alan Moore is usually credited with creating the term (for example by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort). However, Alan Davis has stated that the designation of Earth 616 was actually first made by Dave Thorpe, the previous writer of the UK-published Captain Britain stories.

In addition, a difference of opinion exists regarding the selection of the number 616. In 2005, Alan Moore's son-in-law John Reppion (who is married to Alan Moore's daughter Leah Moore), stated on an Internet message board that the number 616 was arbitrarily chosen by Moore and had no significant meaning, saying it "was just a random number of no significance chosen because people always seemed to be talking about 'earth 2' or 'earth 4' but never any higher numbers." However, Alan Davis contends that Thorpe specifically chose the true Number of the Beast to reflect his feelings about the modern superhero genre.


I say this term is "unofficial" because some of the Marvel's Management don't like the term & don't use it. But it has popped in a few of their Books (various Marvel Uk series, the Excalibur series, Marvel 1602 #6, Marvel Knights 4 #15, Uncanny X-Men #462, the Exiles series & in Marvel's very own Official Handbooks). One writer even tried to change where the main Marvel Universe feel in the numbering system. Writer Steven Grant in the final story arc of the X-Man series (Issues 71-74) referred to the Marvel Universe as Earth 611 because of the destruction of several other Earths (which were all apparently "higher on the list" then the MU) by a godlike entity. His change was most likely an allusion to the events of DC's "Crisis on Infinite Earths". This change has not be adopted by other writers.

Hope you day has been Marvelous & as always Stay Jazzy!

-Brian

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This is Entry 145: Disappointment

As made mention here & at least one other place I made mention that I would be making an announcement tomorrow, the 16th. It won't be happening. I being lazy my timeline for have having it done by tomorrow got away from me. To be general it was video, what the video was to be about is will be told another time. I did try to film the the darn thing yesterday & started to over think it, both it's content & how I look/acted in it. This got worse as time went on. After a spending as few hours on it I gave up. I will return to it & complete it so I may announce what I wanted to announce to you all.

So, for any of you that were actually looking forward to it: sorry to disappoint you. I could have posted something that I wasn't happy with to just have it out there but I don't want to do that & won't be. :)

Until next time: Stay Jazzy, everyone.

- Brian

Sunday, June 13, 2010

This is Entry 144: Brian on the Aisle #6

In 2007, a Blog was started. Contained with in it was the thoughts & opinions of a man with no plans of joining the military. The Blog wasn't really read by anyone. Today, still no one was really reading that Blog, it survives only because that man won't let it die. Sometimes he see Movies & then reviews them on said Blog. So if there are Movies he's seen & you can find this Blog, maybe you can read the segment called... Brian on the Aisle!

As you might be able to to guess I saw the A-Team remake yesterday.

I think my friend AJ summed it best when asked what she thought of the film: Meh. If anyone going into seeing the movie was hoping for the best film ever: you will be disappointed. If your looking for a way to kill 2 hours & see stuff blown up real good: you won't be disappointed. :) The Movie pretty much run along like this: fighting which leads to explosions, then attempts at story which lead into fighting which some fighting & then guess what explosions! Then we got to have some story bits but then that leads to some fighting & then BOOM more stuff blowing up. Now it may seem like I'm being hard on this movie which I kind of am. I did find most of the big action sequences thrilling & kind of engaging but the movie seems to lag a bit when there wasn't some sort of action happening.

Also going into this film you do have to turn off a bit of your mind & suspend a nice chunk of disbelief since a lot of stuff that when on needed to be time exactly are they would have gone horribly, horribly wrong. One thing that was a bit annoying was the all the extreme close-ups: I do need to see all the pores of the actors' faces. You can zoom out a bit & still get the same effect. Another thing it seemed like the movie had a lack of background music or at least lack of variety of music. Yes, I know I am watching the A-Team movie I don't need to hear the theme song for the 12th time! The use of a song by Steely Dan was put to ok usage. But then that the A-Team movie was as mentioned before: Meh. It was an Ok Movie. Most of the comments about the movie we, the 3 of us who saw the movie together, said followed them up or could have followed them up was "But it was the A-Team".

A few comments on the Acting: the actors playing the A-Team (Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson & Sharlto Copley) were all believable in their roles. Most everyone else in the movie was too but then you get to Jessica Biel, the only major female role in the film. I did not belief in her role, it did not seem real. Yes, she's acting but I think as an audience member I deserves some believability in the acting when when they are doing unbelievable things.

a comment about the humor from the movie: when your biggest laugh in theater is for a throw away sight gag your movie might not as funny as it could have been. So, the joke was really funny but it was the one thing that like the whole theater laughing. There was scatter laughs from people though out the movie.

Was it worth the $9.50 I spent on the ticket: sort of. The trailers did make me kind of want to see the movie & am I sad that I saw it: no. I liked the film. It might of been ok at a matinee price. The Movie didn't seem completely pointless like "The Takers", a movie I saw the trailer for before the A-Team started. If the movie seem pointless just from the trailer & most trailer try to use the best moment I worry want the rest of the movie is like. Now with I see this "Takers" film: no. Also, there is a movie trailer for something I thought was something you'd only see on SyFy network: it's "Piranha 3-D" which also seems stupid & seems like a film Dr. Forrester would have subject the crew of the Satellite of Love to if it was still around. :)

But speaking of good trailers: I saw a new trailer (at least to me it was) the "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" movie. Now the other trailer I saw made it look awesome & the trailer just added to the awesomeness!

So, what do I give the A-Team movie: 3 explosions!

Until next time: Stay Jazzy!

Also don't you just love it when a post come to together? :)