Weekly Comic Reviews -- July 4th, 2007 -- SPOILERS

Happy belated Canada Day and 4th of July!

Yeah, I picked up my books a day early this week and that's why the reviews are coming out today. I picked up three books this week (Runaways #27, Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #5 of 5, and Dark Tower #6 of 7). I also picked up two manga volumes but haven't read them yet, they are Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 1 and Monster Volume 1. I guess I was in the buying mood thanks to my comic shop deciding to sell books at their US prices now instead of the Canadian ones. Woohoo!

Runaways #27 -- So we're back in time and figuring out the story as we go along. Now this book is written by Whedon so that all but guarantees that I'll love it, and the art is very impressive. But it's a weird feeling I had when reading this book. The only way I can describe it is that it seems there's a lot going on with so little happening. You have quite a few twists and turns and loads of characters and it's a lot to take in. I'm definitely going to have to give it another read but what I may do is wait until the storyline is over and re-read the entire thing. I guess in some ways I miss reading this series in its digest form where I get the 6 issues all at once and I can read and re-read them all at once. Having said that, the series and this issue in particular remain on my recommended reading list with solid writing, solid art, solid characters, and just an all around solid book.

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #5 of 5 -- So many limitted series' have been disappointing me as of late when it comes to the ending, including the original Marvel Zombies series, that I had pretty much prepared myself for disappointment. And maybe that low expectation led to me to be very happy with this issue, or maybe it was just a solid enough issue on its own. Again, we get multiple artists taking over the art on this and though it was distracting, it wasn't as bad as earlier issues. But it was a fun issue. Sure, it was all kinds of silly and was definitely pushing the envelope with the epilogue. But Doom kicks all sorts of butt in this issue, Dazzler is a moron (or at least has one moronic moment), and the Ash/Necronomicon stuff was gold for me. And the Wolverine/Hulk/Necronomicon punchline, I laughed. And that was the point, an entertaining and fun look at the world of Marvel Zombies. Definitely makes my recommended reading list though obviously, fun filled zombie stories aren't for everyone and the silly factor may rub some the wrong way.

Dark Tower #6 of 7 -- So, could all three issues actually get a passing grade from me this week? I've referred to the second last book of a series as typically being the calm before the storm but this one doesn't really seem to fit that. The storm is already starting in this issue. As much as I feel I'm missing out on pieces of the story and I need to do a double take to remind myself of what's actually going on, this issue was pretty solid piece of storytelling that's maybe not as hard to follow along as some of the previous issues. And the art has had its ups and downs in this series for me and this issue was an "up". I only hope the final issue is as good. So yeah, this issue does get to be on the recommended reading list for me though it probably doesn't matter, either you've been reading this series and have to read this issue or you aren't and this issue is not a jumping on point for anyone. As for the series as a whole, I'm not quite sure yet. I'll have an opinion on that when issue 7 comes out.

So that's it for another week. Thanks for reading.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 27th, 2007 -- SPOILERS

Well, I have a splitting headache today so I'll be making this quick. Only two books to review this week, She-Hulk #19 and World War Hulk: X-Men #1 so let's get right to it.

World War Hulk: X-Men #1 -- So we get some setting up for the first half of this book, introducing the idea that Xavier wasn't behind blasting Hulk off into space and we get a quick introduction to some of the New X-Men (left behind by themselves at the mansion). Then the Hulk shows up and things get going. Now on its own this book isn't bad, it covers the necessary points and introduces the reader to the details they need to know, especially if they haven't been following every title in the Marvel universe. But the problem comes from being tied into all those titles. Where does it fit in? You wonder if this after the Astonishing team comes back from space or before they go? Obviously it has to be after the other X-team came back from their space adventure as Xavier is there with his powers. If they are just seeing the Hulk's arrival in New York and then he seems to suddenly appear at the mansion then when did the Iron Man fight happen? It's just hard to figure out the timeline. But other than that, you get some good ol' Hulk action. Though he doesn't really seem to be breaking much of a sweat and has the team pretty well scouted despite never encountering these people before (which makes sense with this Hulk and his Warbound friends). And now, thanks to the backlash that occurs when Xavier tries to enter the Hulk's mind the X-Men know Xavier was involved in some sort of secret group with Iron Man, Reed, et al. I do hope some of the X-Men discuss what issues they may have with that, I mean Cyclops told Xavier to get lost after he discovered the whole Danger Room is a sentient being thing that Xavier was hiding. I really do like how this book ends, with just a simple question by the Hulk, how would Xavier have voted? And the art is pretty solid. So do I recommend it? Well the story seems decent, the characters are well written (Beast really stands out as he leads the team of newbies against the Hulk), and it's got some good moments. So all in all, it's actually off to a good start despite some timeline confusion on my part. We'll just have to see if it stays that way. So yeah, if you're into the World War Hulk or a Hulk fan or an X-Men fan, I'd put this on my recommended reading list. Not a "must read" but not something you should avoid.

She-Hulk #19 -- Okay, just to get it out of the way, I still dislike the art immensely. And I'll probably be saying that for 2 more issues until the new artist (who looks good) comes in with the new writer, Peter David. For me this book actually suffers from not being a World War Hulk story, at least not directly. First up, Jen is still powerless (despite how she was shown in World War Hulk 1) and despite what's happened so far (they do mention the Hulk and Iron Man fighting in New York and destroying a good chunk of the city) Jen's focussing on her lawsuit with Tony and now the trial of the Leader and not even mentioning her cousin who just came back and threatened to smash the planet in retribution for his lost wife, unborn child, and new found planet. Makes sense I suppose. :) So yeah, I kinda feel that this title should be more tied in with the story considering the character and what she's going through. Then you have the Leader being taken to a trial (again, brought pretty much unprotected up the steps to the courthouse in public view) in New York. You know, the place that was evacuated and made a mess of (as they point out in this book). And wait a minute, since when have these people been getting trials? I guess all the other books that indicated they were being thrown into the Negative Zone without trials (which may include She-Hulk itself considering SHIELD just threw the other gamma powered individuals into stasis tubes to experiment on) were just "off". But I guess we should be looking for logic in this book. Looking beyond all that, it's not a bad little bit of character disection and you can see some things building with many of the characters (especially She-Hulk herself) but with everything else, it just seems to be a mess of a story to me. So overall, I can't put it on my recommended reading list and honestly, I'm just trudging along with the hope that Peter David will turn things around.

Hmm... I can't remember if I posted a review of the latest animated Hellboy adventure ("Blood and Iron")??? If not, it's actually a pretty decent little piece of animation with solid voice talent thrown in and a decent story. I don't think it's necessarily worth paying the full price for but if you're looking for something to watch and are up for it, I'd recommend checking it out.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 20th, 2007 -- SPOILERS

Only one monthly book this week but I also picked up the last volume of Death Note. So let's jump right into the review of the Incredible Hulk #107.

Incredible Hulk #107 -- Since we have Pak writing both the Hulk and World War Hulk you can at least expect some continuity between the two books. Though I guess someone missed that World War Hulk seemed to occur at night time where as this book seems to be showing those events happening during the day. Not a huge deal but still. Now anyone picking this up as a Hulk book may be a somewhat disappointed. Instead, it's the story of Amadeus Cho as he continues recruiting heroes to side with the Hulk. And he reveals a little bit of his plan. Using Angel's money (at least the portion of it that he swiped from Angel's bank account) he's bought an area of the desert where the initial gamma bomb test went off creating the Hulk and he plans to create a sanctuary there for the Hulk and his friends. Long story short, he recruits Hercules, Angel, and Namora (but Namor declines) and heads to New York. Still on a high from his fight with Iron Man, Hulk attacks Hercules who takes a pounding before he can finally get the Hulk to listen and say that they (Herc, Angel, Namora, Amadeus, and some other humans that have their own reasons for being there) are there to help him. It's a well written book and it's nice to see what's going on with a few other characters during World War Hulk. But the downside for me is a Hulk book that really doesn't have much Hulk to it. And as for the art, for the most part I like Gary Frank's work (maybe his older style more so than his newer stuff) but the last part seemed off. The way he draws the Hulk at the end, with is mouth curled back and teeth showing, he looks more like gorilla to me. And then the last page his head looks ... wrong is the only way I can think of putting it. He seems to have no jaw line and just a small chin. It was too bad because I thought the art was pretty solid up to that point. So the big question, would I recommend this book. That's actually a tough one. On the one hand, it's a finely done book but on the other hand, it's not really a Hulk book and for something called "The Incredible Hulk" that seems to be a disappointment. For the really big Hulk fans there's enough there to hang on to and for the World War Hulk fans who want the complete story from all angles, it's a good book to pick up. For those who just want the main World War Hulk storyline or want to see what the Hulk's up to these days, it's not so good. So take that as you will.

Death Note Volume 12 -- Again, just as I think they're going in one direction in this story the rug gets pulled out yet again. The cliffhanger from the last volume gets tied up rather quickly and we move right into a Western style showdown (by "Western" I'm referring to the old cowboy movies with the hero and villain standing off). This majority of this volume occurs during the standoff as each side reveals their plan to take the other down (one side narrates to the reader while the other narrates out loud). I'd rather not spoil anything but you know that one side has to win, the only question is how. And in the end, just when you think everything's been tied up nicely a character in the epilogue throws another twist into the mix with his own theory of what really happened leaving the reader in doubt. Which leaves you wondering, is the world really better off with what happened? Ending the story one these questions is interesting and leaves the reader thinking. And the showdown is well done though somewhat confusing to keep track of with all the twists. I had to read over things a few times to keep track of them... though I also blame some of that on my personal issues of keeping track of all the Asian names. But given the twists and turns the story took up until this point, it just makes sense. And at first I was shocked to get to the standoff so early in this volume and have to span so long but it really built up the tension that way. Though I think it worked for me here as it was in one volume, having to read each chapter on their own may have dragged it on a little too long. It was definitely an interesting and entertaining series and I'm glad I read it. It does make my recommended reading list.

More reviews -- The Walking Dead (keeping spoilers to a minimum)

The 5th and 6th volumes of the Walking Dead came in the mail yesterday and I polished them off last night despite also playing 2 hours of badminton. I just couldn't put them down. :) And to clarify, I had read "Books" 1 and 2 which are hardcover collections that contain 2 volumes (a total of 12 monthly issues) so that's why the number might seem a bit off. Volumes 1 and 2 were in book 1. Volumes 3 and 4 were in book 2. And since book 3 is a little ways off I picked up the Trade Paperbacks this time. Now on to the review (one review for both books)...

The Walking Dead volumes 5 and 6 -- Volume 5 picks up with the small group of survivors (what's left of them) exactly where volume 4 left them but it's not long before their lives take yet another twist (as if being surrounded by zombies wasn't enough). And in this case, it's witnessing a helicopter crash but their search for survivors lead to a whole new can of worms, the "Governor" and his group of survivors. Without giving too much away, let's just say the Governor has taken a different approach to survival than Rick and the gang and it doesn't take long for their approaches to clash. And that's what volume 6 is all about, the beginning of that clash. These two volumes are actually quite chilling despite the focus being somewhat off the zombies. It's the actions of the survivors this time around. And for those who think that maybe Rick has gone too far in his actions, in the Governor you have someone a teensy bit further (the "teensy bit" there is somewhat sarcastic). And maybe it's that human versus human element that makes the violence here a little more grotesque but it can't take all the credit, these two volumes definitely up it a notch or two. And it's not just a shot or two, they make sure to spread it out so the reader can really get a sense of what's happening. In some ways it kinda reminded me of how Alan Moore stretched out Jack the Ripper's final killing in From Hell. It's not just one shot or a scream, it's page after page. Except in this case, nobody is dead yet. So yeah, it's definitely a mature readers book and not one for the squeamish. Having said all that, the story continues to be excellent though somewhat slow paced here do to the focus on certain events. And the art continues to catch the carnage and emotion well. I can't wait to see what happens next. The Walking Dead makes my recommended reading list. The only question that remains for me is to pick up the individual issues (now that I'm pretty much caught up) or go with the trade paperbacks still (which I'm considering due to the book's apparent irregular shipping schedule). The monthly thing might be nice but it's also nice to get a full 6 issues to read at a time. I know with volume 6 I'd kinda be disappointed when an issue or two focussed on that one horrific event only where as with the volumes, it's just part of the bigger story. So yeah, I might stick with the TPBs for now.

A quick comment on She-Hulk's new writer

Over the weekend the new writer for She-Hulk was announced and it's Peter David. I'm somewhat surprised by the news but it makes a lot of sense. I think he's a good match for the title. I had said that I wasn't enjoying this title as much as before and was waiting to see who the new writer was and how he/she did on the title. With Peter David I feel better about giving the book another chance. I just hope they bring in a new artist as well.

Oh yeah, I was a little disappointed on Friday that my latest order from Chapters (the 5th and 6th The Walking Dead TPBs) didn't come in. But not having them to read meant I could spend a bit more time working on Divine Leap. Though not as much time as I would have liked with the whole Father's Day thing.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 13th, 2007 -- SPOILERS

It's interesting looking at my stats counter for this blog and seeing what brings people in. I seem to be creeping up in hit counts and it seems to be moving away from searches for "She-Hulk's butt" to reviews about particular books or info on the Hulk's wife. So I guess that's a plus though I kinda wonder if people actually find what they're looking for or even read what I post. Anyhow, I have two books to review this week with World War Hulk #1 and Elephantmen: The Pilot hitting the shelves. On top of that, I have The Walking Dead Book 2. So let's jump right in:

World War Hulk #1 -- I had a lot of concerns going into this book given my feelings towards Civil War and how Marvel handled that mess. So with this one I've decided to try and limit my reading a little. I'm going with the main series, the Hulk series, and the X-Men one. That leaves out the Frontline stuff, Gamma Corps, and all the other tie ins and such. So now that the story has started what do I think of it? That's a tough question. This book seemed to have quite a few positives while still holding on to a few negatives. With the prologue out and everything this issue can skip the usual slow build up to the story. The action pretty much starts right from the get go with just a quick re-cap by the Hulk to let people (comic characters and readers alike) know just what's going on. This is useful in establishing the Hulk though as I still see so many people equating the Hulk to a brainless brute. This Hulk controls the situation and upon arriving on Earth stands up and says "I was betrayed and I want those responsible. I'll give you 24 hours and then there's hell to pay." I think that was necessary to show where the character's at and I'm glad that it was Pak (the current writer of the Hulk series) who gets to write this as I'd be worried about another writer making a mess of it. In fact, I had a better feeling for the overall characterization here. I didn't get the gutt wrenching moments I got in Civil War where I screamed "He/she did what??? That makes no sense???" Okay, maybe the She-Hulk think bugged me a bit. I mean, why is she there? Last we saw she was de-powered and had a grudge to settle with Stark. Now she's back and taking orders from him? She doesn't even seem to care that this is her cousin who's threatening to level New York. Please get your writers/editors on the same page Marvel! I loved the Dr Strange/Iron Man scene and how both handle it differently. Where as Tony is all about the quick fix (attack back/send the Hulk off to another dimension) Strange is all about settling this as they should have in the first place (putting their personal affairs in order and taking responsibility for their actions/not shipping the Hulk off to be someone else's problem). I have mixed feelings about the Black Bolt thing, in some ways it's a bit of a slap in the face to the character to have him beaten off panel but on the other hand, it does serve the story on several levels to have it done so. One level is that it puts the readers right there with the other characters, as the Hulk pulls out the beaten body of Black Bolt we go "Wow! He took out Black Bolt?" with everyone else. Plus, the fight with Black Bolt isn't really the story people are interested in. And then you have the Iron Man encounter. I was surprised it happened so quickly but I'm actually happy because it makes sense. It would have been pointless to have Iron Man stay back until the end. In his new position he'd be right in the middle of things. It does make me wonder what the finale will be, I'm starting to lean towards the Sentry. Or the Void but I don't know where the Void left off. I did feel the art wasn't Romita's best work. Some of the full page spreads of the Hulk/Iron Man battle are great to look at but some of the other panels just seemed rushed or something. And the writing was pretty simple, establish the story and fight. It was well done overall so I can't really fault Pak for anything here. And it had a better flow to the issue than Planet Hulk did. So in the end, yes, it does make it to my recommended reading list. Despite some faults it's still a pretty solid comic. It may not be the huge blockbuster earth shattering storyline that maybe some people are looking for but I think it has the makings of being the start to just a great comic book series that isn't meant to "shake things up".

Elephantmen: Pilot -- Well, instead of the double story we've been getting in the regular Elephantmen series this one off gives 3 stories (not counting the "story" that glues them together). To explain, in this book you have Miki, the cab driver who picked up Hip after his big fight, downloading comics in the break room. We get to see three of these comics, all of which are fictional stories about the "adventures" of the Elephantmen and Hip in particular. So they're all comics within a comic. The first comic is a Will Eisner's The Spirit inspired piece which is pretty solid. The second is a sci-fi piece with Hip exploring a planet to determine if intelligent life exists (there's a story behind it). This one just felt a little weaker and didn't really seem to fit well in the allotted pages. And the third was my least favourite with it almost seeming to be an excuse for Churchill to draw women with their breats hanging out. I guess in some ways it could be seen as a statement of the world of comics because hey, it's just a comic within the comic right? And the first two weren't showing this. But it didn't feel that way as I read through the whole story. If they had just shown the cover and had the characters react to it then I could see that. This just felt wrong for the book. Then the Miki story shifts to where the last Elephantmen issue left off, with the meteor falling from the sky. Well, I liked how it tied in to the series that way. And last off you get a gallery of Elephantmen by various artists. A sort of collection of what if's that combine Elephantmen with an artist's other work like Campbell drawing one that merges Elephantmen with Danger Girl. They were mildly interesting but not really worth reporting on in my mind. So overall, I'd have to say it's not really a strong showing for the Elephantmen series. It's okay for fans of the series to see a different spin on the Elephantmen but seems unnecessary (especially that third story). And any new fans would just be wondering "What the...???" So, although not a bad book I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave it off my recommended reading list. If you're a fan of the series however, you might want to check it out.

The Walking Dead Book 2 (issues 13 - 24) -- This series continues to impress me. I'm still not as big a fan of this artists as I was for the original one but it still works. As they settle in to their new "home" and people come and go (the "going" is mostly due to the zombies of course) the story continues to develop and the characters continue to evolve. I think one of the best parts for me is watching the main character's deterioration as so much weight is put on his shoulders. In the first book he wonders how it's possible his ex-partner (he's a cop remember) deteriorated to the point that he was at and now he seems to be following along. That kind of thing just isn't something you could do with your traditional zombie story because by now the military would be stepping in. It really is a well crafted story with multi-levelled characters doing what they can to not only survive but make a life for themselves without the promise of someone coming to rescue them. The moral dilemmas come up one after the other and a person's ethical code seems to shift as the reality of the situation settles in. And just when you think the zombies are the problem something comes up to turn your world upside down. Despite some possible flaws in the art or layouts of the talk bubbles (I know, that's weird thing to bring up but sometimes they are arranged in a way that I don't know which one to read next) I'm really loving this series. And although it happily takes on the "zombie story" genre, it's so much more than that. It definitely makes my recommended reading list and I hope the next two trade paperbacks are in my mailbox so I can devour them this weekend. By "devour" I mean "read voraciously" but I wanted to put a zombie reference (albeit a bad one) in there somewhere. And doing this also allowed me to use the word "voraciously" which also fits in with the whole zombie thing.

And speaking of zombies, I was told yesterday that Wednesday was "Blog like it's the end of the world" day (or something like that). Basically you were supposed to blog like zombies really did come to life. You were supposed to have fun with it while also trying to work other people's blogs in, "confirming" their stories and such to make it a community thing. Unfortunately I found out too late. Maybe next year if they do it again and I remember.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 6th, 2007 -- SPOILERS

It was a busy week by my standards with 5 books coming in. We had Buffy #4, Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #4, Lone Ranger #6, Omega Flight #3, and Dark Tower #5. Plus, my copy of The Walking Dead Book 2 came in the mail. Unfortunately I'm not quite done that book yet so that review will have to wait.

Buffy #4 -- So the first storyline comes to a close... kinda. Those looking for closure will probably be disappointed here as it's clear that Whedon is concentrating on building the overall season 8 storyline. Though some questions are answered many more still remain (or are brought up). The dialogue remains Whedon true and true as do certain little additions to the story (like Buffy talking about her lips being chapped before going into battle). And the art remains strong. There was one scene where I was a little confused where it appeared as though Buffy was channeling Willow or something. I didn't quite get that but maybe I have to re-read it. I was really impressed with Willow's strength in this issue though. Her facing of death and a whole bunch of pain on the way to getting there was very impressive (or possibly scary). I am interested to see if the conversation between Buffy and the military guy concerning their motives is brought up again (is it because they are women in power or is it just as he says, the power alone). I'm a pretty big Buffy fan so of course I'm still recommending this book but I do really enjoy it.

Marvel Zombies/ Army of Darkness #4 -- And yet again we get to blame Quicksilver for something and in this case it's the zombification of all the heroes. Though to be fair, he did think he was saving his sister and didn't know it was Mystique. Most of this book is Ash versus Doom in a war of words. And in the end we have Ash being a complete idiot. I'm not sure I liked that part so much. On the one hand, after all that Ash has been through in his life he's not one to trust someone who is imprisoned, especially one with powers, but on the other hand it is the Enchantress and she is being imprisoned by Doom (just like Ash was) so it's not that out there either. But in some ways this book seemed to fall into the usual "calm before the storm" as it sets things up for the next (and last) issue. And the other artists taking over for the last few pages, that kinda irked me. It's almost like we're hit with a new story or something with such a drastic change. But as I've said before, I'm a big advocate of having one artist do a book. All in all it was more Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness fun and I'm sure if you've read the series this far you'll enjoy this book too. And if you haven't been reading the series I recommend it for someone looking for some fun zombie fighting/Ash wisecracking. And if you go with the collected version that they're bound to put out you'll probably get all the covers to all the printings in a gallery in the back which I'm kinda sad that I'll be missing out on as the covers really are quite cool. And I'm not about to start picking up every printing of each issue.

Omega Flight #3 -- Well at least some of the team is coming together and at least everyone has appeared now. I'm still not a big fan of Omega Flight being almost entirely American (or alien). The comment from one character that it wasn't about being Canadian but serving Canada makes some sense but it still irks me that the Canadians just gave up and threw in the towel before this series even started. And really, having the guy use the Gladiator suit seemed a little lame. Ok, he needs it to keep his powers in check but they can't change the colour scheme and get rid of the maple leaf? It seems that the writer is trying to twist things so that it makes some sort of sense for an American to basically be wearing a Canadian flag and it's not really working for me. And I wasn't a big fan of the art at times. It just didn't look like a strong outing for Kolins. Some faces looked rather funny and USAgent looked like he had distorted arms in some panels. And as for the colouring, it just looked too fuzzy for me. Maybe I'm just biased but this still isn't really working for me as a series. It's so much better than previous attempts at an Alpha Flight series but it still doesn't feel right for me. Though some may like it, I'm still looking for a Canadian superteam book and this isn't it for me so I just can't put it on my recommended reading list.

Lone Ranger #6 -- I felt this book was a bit of a step in the right direction. I thought the artist did a better job of showing what's happening and telling the story. I thought the writing was better and it was easier to read than some of the previous issues. But all in all, I didn't feel it was enough to make me reconsider my choice of dropping this book. Maybe now that this storyline has pretty much come to a close the book can pick up a bit and maybe I'll regret it. And I know the book will work for many people but it didn't for me. And that's why I'm not recommending it though it falls into the category of something you should probably check out for yourself to see if it's for you.

Dark Tower # 5 (of 7) -- I haven't been overwhelmingly positive about this series in a while either but just like the Lone Ranger, this issue seemed to pick up a bit. Though there were parts where it was a lot to take in and figure out (especially for someone who hasn't read the novel), it just seemed to be presented better here than in the previous issues. And I didn't find Jae Lee's art jarring or confusing. As I believe I've said before, his work is really hit or miss with me and it depends a lot on the subject matter he's drawing. And this issue seemed to settle on a subject matter that suited him whereas previous issues, not so much. I just think the way this book was put together with someone picking story elements from King's work, Jae Lee drawing the pictures, and then Peter David coming in and trying to fit some narrative and dialogue to those pictures, may not be the best approach to making a comic. It may work with some and it's pretty close to how Stan Lee used to work but I don't find it working here so much. Which is why at the moment I'd go with only recommending this book to Stephen King fans (especially to those already familiar with the comic medium, other Stephen King fans may not get it) and possibly just comic fans looking for something a bit different. But if this was an ongoing book I would have probably dropped it by now.

Now I'm looking forward to finishing up the Walking Dead book 2. It's been great so far and I'm almost done. And then I want to fit in some time over the summer to finish up watching the Dead Like Me season 2 DVDs, the Alien Nation complete series DVDs, and possibly Battle Star Galactica season 1 DVDs (courtesy of my brother). But I'm not sure where I'll find the time. Especially now that I'm back to working on my webcomic (albeit much more slowly than I had been).

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 31st, 2007 -- SPOILERS

I only had one book this week (New Avengers: Illuminati #3) but not to worry, I have plenty to review. I also picked up the Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 hardcover, The Walking Dead Book 1 (collecting issues 1 through 12), From Hell, and the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways TPB.

New Avengers: Illuminati #3 -- I just wasn't impressed by this book. Everything about it seemed weak and done just because they had to fit the Illuminati into Secret Wars some how. But there wasn't much meat to the story and it doesn't seem to make much sense. I don't even know where this is supposed to fit. Obviously it's after Secret Wars but it seems to be before Secret Wars 2 as they are surprised to find the Beyonder (not on Earth at this point) taking on a physical form. But he did that in Secret Wars 2, taking on a couple forms before deciding on a look for himself. And he's experiencing physical sensations which he then does again on Earth in Secret Wars 2? On top of that, he's a mutant Inhuman? Since when? I thought they had already established that he was a cosmic cube or some such and all that. Now they seem to be re-writing that? I'm lost. I usually get lost when the Beyonder gets involved but now more so. And it seems really lame to take the Beyonder and make him an Inhuman, it takes away the cosmic element and makes him seem weak. And on top of that Black Bolt comes across like a very irresponsible King of the Inhumans. Either he doesn't remember an Inhuman that disappeared upon being exposed to the Terrigen Mists or it happens to a lot of Inhumans and they just keep going on like it doesn't matter. Either way, Black Bolt really seems out of the loop and that's not like him. I'm hoping that maybe it's some time travel thing as the Beyonder has had the ability for time manipulation in the past. Maybe he's a future Inhuman who came back in time after being exposed. But now I'm just trying to come up with some sort of explanation to compensate for a bad idea in my opinion. And yes, we get it, Black Bolt can't talk. How many times do we need silent panel after silent panel showing him run through emotion after emotion while nobody says anything? At least have Xavier say something. I don't typically like these sort of retcons but I've been trying to give this series a chance. This issue pretty much typified why I don't like them and it won't be on my recommended reading list.

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 -- I had been eager to take a look at this series as it was getting amazing reviews by critics and fans. And finally, the hardcover collection came out and it's just in time for the second series, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, to start. The first thing you notice about this book is the stunning artwork. Not overly detailed nor cartoony, the mouse designs and the settings are really pretty amazing. And it's coloured so well that you really get immersed in the world of these mice. You're right there as they battle giant snakes and crabs (giant for them, little for us but you kinda forget that as you're reading). Although the storytelling and narrative seem simple they tell a much wider story and it's a very intriguing one. Some parts seem a little "hectic" but it's mostly in the fighting which makes sense, you can either show a fight from outside or put the reader right in the middle of it. And if you're going to show mice fighting, it almost makes sense to put the reader right in the middle of it as the action engulfs them. I'm not sure I'll be adding Mouse Guard to my subscription list but I'm currently leaning towards picking up the next series in a collected format. In some ways, I think the series worked better in that format anyways. Although talking mice with swords and spears might not be for everyone, I do put this as on my recommended reading list as I think it's worth checking out.

Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways -- As much as I disliked Civil War I figured that since I decided to stick with the Runaways series I might as well see what happened with them during the whole Civil War thing. Yet again, we have SHIELD (and possibly Stark but it's not clear how much he knows about it) playing the villain again. To start off with they have put the guy in charge of the "Cube", a prison that houses Noh-Varr/Marvel Boy. This guy likes to run experiments on aliens knowing that it's not breaking the law because they aren't US citizens. And SHIELD et al look the other way. That seems really stupid considering some of the people he's put in charge of (Marvel Boy for example). As well, the SHIELD officers dictate their level of response to the Runaways on what the public reaction may be. Attacking children would be bad so they don't really do much, when they realize one of the Runaways is a cyborg they use extreme measures on him because the public won't mind them ripping him to shreds. So yeah, my distaste for what Marvel is doing with their "heroes" continues. But despite all that, I kinda liked the story and such. You have your typical misunderstanding that leads the two teams to fight and then the "let's team up against a common foe" moment. The characters are well written and in character (which makes sense as the writers of both Runaways and Young Avengers acted as consultants on it) and the art is pretty solid. My only minor gripe might be that Victor's hair seemed rather light in colour when he's usually portrayed as having dark hair. And in typical Runaways fashion they leave the war to the adults and just keep going on with their typical "runaway" approach to life. But the teams have quite a few nice bonding moments together. So yeah, despite my feelings towards Civil War this book was good to read so I'd actually recommend it. Though if you've been reading either Runaways or Young Avengers you probably already have and if you haven't been reading those then you may be a little lost (but not much). I do wonder where they go with Marvel Boy now that he seems to be in charge of the Cube and with a real hatred towards humanity.

The Walking Dead Book 1 -- Another book I bought just because of the positive hype and reviews it's been getting. To start, it's a zombie story. And you have a lot of your usual zombie stuff in here. Even the beginning, with a cop waking up from a coma to find the world infested with zombies, almost feels done so many times over. Yet the book seems to have a fresh idea to it. The characters are human, reacting to the zombies and the events that follow differently. And that has a very different feel to it than most zombie stories for me. And the driving force behind it is that this is an ongoing story. Where as zombie films or novels have a distinct end which usually involves the military showing up or the survivors finding some remote island or something, this doesn't. This is an ongoing, never ending (as far as we know) story of survival. People's lives will go on, they'll get older, get pregnant, find meaning in their lives, etc. All while trying to survive the zombies. And that seems appealing to me. This book had two artists working on it and I preferred the first. Though his style may seem somewhat more "cartoony" it worked for me. Characters seemed a little more distinct and their emotional reactions, although exaggerated, resonated a bit more for me. Not that the second artist was a slouch or anything. It worked for me too but not quite as much as the first. I'll definitely be picking up the second book and possibly going monthly at some point so it's making it to my recommended reading list. Though be warned, it's zombies so the book does get somewhat graphic at times. Maybe not horrible over the top gore but ... they are zombies after all. :)

From Hell -- Wow! What a book. It took me a while to get through the start of the book, to get used to the art and be able to recognize the various characters. And then there was Gull's long winded history of civilization. Okay, maybe not "civilization" but it was long. But yet again Moore shows why some consider him the greatest writer in the comics/graphic novel medium. With his level of detail in both researching the story and interweaving a bit of fantasy to it you just can't help but be amazed by his work. I really can't say any more about his work than what has already been said. Truly amazing. The art seemed a little hard to get through at the beginning but as the book went on it really seemed to fit. It fit with the time that was being shown but also, Campbell's level of detail when drawing out the settings and the research he must have put into it are phenominal. It's truly a masterpiece but not for the occasional comic book reader. And also not to be taken too seriously as a historical piece (I doubt Alan Moore has any more of an idea as to who Jack the Ripper was than the rest of us). But definitely going on my recommended reading list.

Finally, as you can see, I still haven't come up with a cool system for rating the books. So this week I'm sticking with the "recommended" and "not recommended". If you have any ideas beyond that just let me know.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 23rd, 2007 -- SPOILERS

A whopping 3 books to review this week but I don't expect any to be as long winded as my Ultimates review from last week. And I haven't come up with my rating system quite yet, maybe by next week I'll have something creative. This week we have She-Hulk #18, Elephantmen #9, and The Spirit #6. So let's get to it.

She-Hulk #18 -- In an interview on Newsarama Dan Slott tried to convince readers that the issue was worth reading even though the delay meant the story was already spoiled by the Incredible Hulk #106. To some degree he may be right but with the big finale of She-Hulk being depowered by Iron Man already being revealed, the book just seemed to take a long time getting to a place we already knew it was going. Sure, there was a few things of interest like the Hulkbusters (sans She-Hulk) taking out the Leader. Seriously, this team of four individuals are taking out everyone who has given the Hulk a problem in the past, how sad is that? I've always hoped for writers to do more with the Leader but he continues to seem like just a joke. It makes me appreciate Peter David's run on the Hulk that much more. And getting nitpicky now, why did they need the U-Foes for their nano-technology? I had thought they were using gamma-powered individuals to develop it but the U-Foes are, like the FF, cosmic ray based. So it seems odd that they would hold the key to depowering gamma-powered people. But I guess She-Hulk line about needing "Hulk level threats" and developing a system to take them out (and the Hulk in particular) is supposed to cover that. Which seems odd, you would think a system to neutralize powers would be more based on how the powers act than on the person's "threat level". And why only Hulk foes then? Other characters and teams have taken on powerhouses. I guess the system is designed for the Hulk so it might make a bit of sense but in the same way, it seems rather forced. Oh yeah, and we get "Agent Beefcake" to counter "Agent Cheesecake" and take a wink at the double standard in comics... oops, I mean "SHIELD". I don't know what it is, whether it's trying to shove a bunch of World War Hulk stuff before the big story hits or Dan Slott trying to tie up as much as he can before he leaves the book but I just haven't been liking this series as much as of late. And the art just isn't helping. To be honest, I'd probably drop the series with this issue if I didn't know Slott was bringing things to an end and someone else was coming in. I'm eager to see who this someone is so I can decide if I want to keep going. But having said all that, She-Hulk's comments towards Tony and her comparing his actions to Dr Doom did make me feel at least somewhat good as was the pounding she gave him before being depowered. Almost forgot, the "Mission Accomplished" scene/banner, I did chuckle slightly but at the same time I kinda groaned. So in the end, I can't really recommend this book. Amazing how the mighty have fallen here.

Elephantmen #9 -- It seems like it's been a while since I last read an issue of this series. Again, we get the split book and again, we get two character-driven short stories. Now both are really well done. We have Hip on a grocery trip with his broken leg and it's a nice character piece. A few more details about MAPPO and the state of the world are outlined and taken on its own it's a nice little piece of storytelling with solid art. On the down side, it almost seems like this series is relying only on these. The narrative talking about how Hip was built for taking lives, the hardship he went through to be rehabilitated, and the extra "friendly" female acquaintance just seems to have been done already in this series. At this point I'd actually be happy with less "character" and more story. Fortunately, the conclusion of this mini-story seems to be the start of something and I'm kinda hoping it's not another character piece. The second story gives us an adventure of "The Silencer", a hitman sent out by Serengheti to take care of an ex-employee currently under police protection. A somewhat neat feature is that there's no dialogue to this story so it's just the art telling the story. Which matches the character. It's very short (and very quick to read considering the lack of dialogue) but you get a bit more of a sense of the character. Actually, it's done well enough that you can even sense a bit of Lieutenant Trench's character traits despite not actually getting the dialogue attached to him. So it was good little add on to a main story if the book had a main story. This issue still makes it to my recommended reading list but I can understand if some people are looking for a little more meat to the story.

The Spirit #6 -- We get another decent little story albeit a somewhat predictable one. It's weird for me, the characters are all distinct and interesting. The stories aren't really bad or anything. And the art, a somewhat cartoon style that matches the book well, is solid. But in the end, something is missing for me. It just doesn't feel very "fresh" or new. It's not a bad little story to read through but I guess I'm just too used to something different. As much as I like the characters, I'd like a little more character development of some sort. Instead, we get unique characters that will appear in this issue but we'll never see again. And I guess that's the downfall of each issue being a confined story, it's great for anyone who is interested in picking the series up at any point in time as nothing really relies on knowledge of the previous issue. But at the same time, it somewhat limits you that you can't develop something a bit more. I almost felt the same way when reading Eisner's original Spirit. The stories seemed interesting albeit done before. The problem there was that I was reading them as though they were written now when in fact, at the time the stories were written they were new and fresh for the world of comics. So it was a testament to the stories that they still seemed relevant. Here, it just seems they are going for that same feel and to some degree they are succeeding. But it's just not what I'm looking for. So unfortunately, this will be my last issue of the Spirit. I'd recommend reading it for yourself to see if it suits you but unfortunately, it just doesn't suit me.

Wow, it seems like a really down week or something with those reviews. Oh well, I'm still making my way through "From Hell" so there's always that.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 16th, 2007 -- Some SPOILERS

Another week goes by. Only the two books this week, Ultimates 2 #13 (finally) and The Great and Secret Show #12. Well, it's almost lunch time for me so let's get right to it.

Ultimates 2 #13 -- I can't do a review of this book without bringing up the lateness of it. The series has been known for its lateness but the last issue came out in September. I've seen (and been involved in) enough finger pointing already so I won't go into that again. But Marvel really needs to get it under control. Too many books are just way too late. Getting beyond that, let's get in to the details. Do we have the big epic battle that we need? Yep, though throughout I wondered where Iron Man and his big battle cruiser was in all this. He gets tacked on in the end but it's like Millar just forgot about him. Or maybe I forgot what happened in the last issue (it has been a while) and there's a reason he wasn't in on the fighting. But everyone else gets screen time at least, if not dialogue. Tony gets nothing until the fight is over. Do all the plot lines and questions get answered? Yep. Do the bad guys get what they deserve? Yep. Everything gets a nice little bow on it so the next creative team can take over and do what they like. In fact, the team even sheds its overbearing and borderline evil controlling ways by splitting from the US and SHIELD to become their own little superteam (funny how Millar puts all the heroes under the US and SHIELD in the regular universe and then comes up with logical reasons to split them here). So there's less worry about the series continuing to have a political tone to it and may get to be a superhero book after all. As for the art, in some parts it did feel rushed. I'm not 100% sold on Hitch's art. Sometimes I look at a page and go "Woah! What detail." And then I look at a page and see the Hulk's arm twisted in some way that would make him appear to be rubber or Captain America with skinny, weird looking arms. The battles are impressive (as is the 8 page foldout) in the grand scope but also seem rushed at times. Perhaps he needed more than 9 weeks or could have dialed down the level of detail. So the story comes to a fitting end and everything is ready for the next team. I'm kinda happy with that. So all in all, it was worth the read and maybe some of the wait.

The Great and Secret Show #12 -- The series comes to an end here. The best thing about this book, they include a few pages at the beginning that run down the major events and characters so far. I needed that refresher and it was well done. It was worth the $4 (or whatever it was) right there. Then the story reaches its epic conclusion and we get the usual epilogue and set up for the next chapter in the story. This issue continued to be as well done as every other issue in the series and the recap really helped me (I keep saying that don't I?). Just like the Ultimates, things are tied up nicely while setting you up for the next chapter/book. Though maybe one or two times things get a bit rushed through for the sake of finishing the story but it wasn't too bad, it wasn't Spider-Man 3 bad. :) The art continues to be a great match for the story. For the Clive Barker fans (those who have read the novel and those who haven't) this series really does the book justice. And by their thank you statement to Mr Barker it's clear that doing a good job of adapting it was their priority. Perhaps I should have waited and picked up the TPBs but either way, it's worth the read.

For future reviews I'm considering going with a rating system of some sort. I don't want to go in to detailed scoring or anything, just give it three possible scores like a thumb up if I think it's worth checking out, a thumb down if not, and maybe a sideways thumb for books that on the fence. But I'd rather not go with the thumb as it's been done too many times. I'll have to come up with something. And some books I might give multiple ratings for multiple groups of people. One example would be a rating for fans of a character or creator and one for the common fan. But enough rambling, it's just something I'm thinking about doing.

Weekly comic reviews for May 3rd, 2007 with SPOILERS

Woohoo! Today was a day of meetings for me. But enough about work, let's get down to business. One book to review today and it's Marvel Zombies: Dead Days. I considered doing a Spider-Man 3 review but I figured I'd put that in its own post. Hopefully I'll get that post done soon. :) I will say that I was a little turned off by George Lucas' comments towards it (calling it "silly" and "a silly movie"). But after sitting through the Star Wars prequels I figure Lucas' opinion of a movie really doesn't matter much to me. Though I do like how he selects the one big summer blockbuster that ILM didn't work on this year to criticize. Anyhow, on to the review...

Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1 or 1 -- The Marvel Zombies stuff in general has been fun to read with twisted over the top violence and weird twists and turns that you just couldn't do with the regular universe version of the characters (unless you're Mark Millar and writing Civil War... ok, cheap shot). So the book definitely took some twists that I really didn't expect (such as who was responsible for aiding the Zombie Sentry to come to this universe) and Reed Richard's conclusion/decision. So it was interesting to read. But on the other hand, it was a lot of story crammed in to a one shot. And then trying to keep this story straight with what's happening in Army of Darkness/Marvel Zombies ("AoD/MZ" from here on as it's too long to type) while also hearing about what's happening over in Black Panther, well it's enough to make your head do 180's (get it? Zombies... spinning heads... okay, it's almost the weekend so stop criticizing me for lame jokes). But seriously, there's no way you can avoid trying to figure out the timeline as Thor is prominent in this book and not zombified (at least for most of the book) yet zombified in AoD/MZ. And Doom's appearance here as well. There's enough intertwining but it makes my head hurt trying to match it all up. Especially at the speed that this book goes. Honestly, they are rushing out so much zombie stuff to catch the wave that it's becoming more of a flood. There even seemed to be story elements that weren't really thought out all that well (such as why, if Tony built the portal thingmajig, did zombie-Reed take it back to his lab to try and fix it himself when Tony, you know, the guy who built it, was now zombified and probably would have been able to re-build it cause you know, he built it). As for the art, I'm not a huge fan of Phillips' work. His style does fit the zombie genre to some degree but the hero shots sometimes come off pretty weak or to be blunt, ugly. More so in this book than in the initial Marvel Zombies series (at least I found). So again, it seemed rushed to try and get it out in the market before the zombie love dies down ("zombie"... "dies down"... yeah, it's been a long week). Overall, if you like the zombie stuff then it's another fun read. If you don't, then you're probably better off skipping it. Though this could almost serve as a decent jumping on point if you're interested in checking it out.

Free Comic Day Reviews with some spoilers

Yeah, I'm a little late getting to these given that new comics come out today (and I'll be picking them up tomorrow, as usual) but here goes. I picked up three of the free comics and the last two issues of Runaways (now that I've caught up via the digests).

Runaways 25 and 26 -- Joss Whedon's run has begun and what better way to start than with the Kingpin and Punisher? Though it does seem confusing as I though the Kingpin was in jail and the Punisher was busy moping about the death of Captain America but I haven't really been following either character so who knows? Beyond that, Whedon's love of the characters is evident in that he doesn't miss a beat. Every character picks up just where they left off in storyline and in attitude. Perhaps you could argue that they've all seemed to have developed a quick whit to them and there's a few more clever remarks than before but I think adjustments always have to be made for a new writer. But the storyline picks up well minus the jump in story since last issue. You see, the reading order is Runaways 24, then Runaways saga (where they mention getting away from Iron Man and crew), and then Runaways 25. Unfortunately I read Runaways saga but figured the story was just a rehash, then Runaways 24 (in the digest), and now 25. So I forgot that they mentioned getting away from Iron Man and now I wondered how they got away (though I still kinda do). Ok, enough about my problems. The art is great in the book as well with the kids looking like kids (unlike how some covers portray them). And the highlight of the two issues has to be Molly's handling of Punisher. It's perfect for a kid with super strength who forgets that not everyone is super powered. Runaways continues to crawl it's way to the top of my reading list.

Free Comic Day Spider-Man -- Written by Dan Slott and drawn by Phil Jimenez (the rumoured team to take over Amazing Spider-Man this summer) this book is a fun story of Peter's responsibilities as Spider-Man and how it impacts the "little" things in life (like being there for Aunt May's birthday). On top of that, you get some fun interaction between the villains who take bets on whether the new guy/villain will beat Spidey or not. The writing is great for a free comic but might need a bit of a boost for Amazing (though with Slott's writing on She-Hulk I'm confident he can bring his game to the next level, it's his scheduling that may be a problem). And Jimenez's art is good for the most part though I'm not a big fan of going back to the McFarlane-esque swinging (Spidey bent over so far his feet are above his head). My gripe about this book is that I'm not sure where it fits in and in that way, it doesn't really serve to get new readers in. If they read this and think "Yeah, I want to read more Spider-Man" where do they go? It doesn't fit with any of the Spidey books that I know of. Maybe it's Marvel Adventures but it didn't really seem to be.

Free Comic Day Iron Man/Hulk Marvel Adventures -- Two fun little stories with these two Marvel heavy hitters. I was almost going to skip the Iron Man part due to my dislike of what they've done to the character in their main books but I finally got myself to read it. And you know, I actually kinda liked it. Both stories were pretty simple and not really anything new but they were still fun to read. It was nice to see both characters go back to what I felt was their cores. You had Iron Man, despite Tony being an arse, being a hero. And you had the Hulk in his usual scenario (blamed for something that's not his mess and saving the day). And you didn't have a grunting Hulk, he could actually talk to some degree. It almost makes me wonder if the kiddy books (the Marvel Adventures) are what I should be reading.

Lone Ranger/Battlestar Galactica -- Unfortunately I can't review the Battlestar Galactica portion of this book as I didn't read it. It didn't really make much sense to me to read it since I've never watched the new show and have no clue who anyone is. The Lone Ranger portion is okay though. It's a classic "Lone Ranger comes in to town and beats up the bad guys" sorta thing (which the comic has yet to get to) so it might be fun for some readers who may also be disappointed if they then pick up the book and find it much more mature. But at least they won't be surprised by the art as it's the same artist. Again, it's not a bad little tale, especially for a free comic. And it's not completely off from the series so it's not a bad piece of sales bait.

Overall, I'm impressed by just how much Free Comic Day is taking off. There are reports of some Free Comics being picked up rather quickly and in some cases it's not even the Spider-Man or mainstream stuff. The fact that the companies are actually getting decent talent to do new stories for it is a major plus. I prefer if they tie it in with an ongoing book so readers who enjoy the Free Comic can continue reading but I know that can also be tough. I'm looking forward to where they go from here.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 2nd, 2007 -- MINOR SPOILERS

It was a busy week for me in comics (relatively speaking) and I have a house warming to get to so I'll have to be a little brief. As for why these weren't posted yesterday, I went to see Spider-Man 3. That review will have to wait though. :) As for comics, we have Hulk #106, World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker, Astonishing X-Men #21, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #3, Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3, Omega Flight #2, Dark Tower #4, and the seventh Runaways digest.

Hulk #106 -- Fortunately I read online that this book was to be read before the WWH Prologue. Unfortunately, it would have been nice to read the She-Hulk issue which precedes it but that was delayed until late May. And I'm a little disappointed that we already know what happens in it. Yet again, books coming out late and out of order but this time it happens right from the start. Hopefully Marvel can get their act together soon. Anyhow, Gary Frank is back to drawing the Hulk and boy what a difference in style since he last drew the book. His Hulk has definitely changed, not that we see much of the big green guy in this book as it's mostly Jen Walters (aka She-Hulk) that gets the screen time here. But it's a solid build up to World War Hulk. The characters are written well and everyone seems more in character than previous books. And we get a lot more character time than they provided in Civil War so you get to see exactly what's going on. It was a good issue and despite my reservations about the World War Hulk storyline, I'm starting to let down my guard.

World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker -- Gary Frank returns to the Hulk in the regular series, Peter David returns to write this prologue. We get a little more Hulk here and even more Jen Walters/Doc Samson stuff. The discussion between these two was great. You see where Jen stands now with her dislike for the registration and how it's being done, trampling over everyone's civil rights and totally corrupt yet she's not eager to start breaking laws either. And it's interesting to see both sides putting their spins on stories. Samson painting the Hulk as the villain or monster in them, Jen painting him as the misunderstood hero. With all my griping about Civil War characterizations so far World War Hulk has been a total 180 for me. But then again, you have Pak and David writing the stuff so far and both have a very good grasp of the characters in question. And so far it's not being driven by tying together events that don't make sense just for the sake of sales. Let's hope it stays that way. Getting back to this book, I'm not a huge fan of the multiple artists but it's not so distracting in this book. Partly because the story already jumps from Hulk to past to Jen and all about so it doesn't seem so jarring for a different artist to jump in. And David does a tremendous job of tying the story together so it doesn't seem jarring either. It's a very solid start and has my hopes up for the remainder of the World War Hulk series. But this time, I'm avoiding some of the spin offs like Frontline.

Oops, forgot to review the other parts to the Prologue. The cartoon was kinda cute and did give readers a quick rundown of Planet Hulk (even if they did get some things wrong such as why he's coming back to Earth). But I'm not so sure it fit here. I mean, the story should be a serious one of what's going through everyone's mind, the rage the Hulk feels at what they've done to him, his wife, and his new friends. So maybe the cartoon approach right off the bat in the prologue wasn't the best strategy. As for the Amadeus Cho story, it's your typical "guy befriends the Hulk" kinda thing. But it's good to give readers a bit of a backstory since Cho is really an unknown for many of us. So it didn't seem so out of place here and was interesting to read at least.

Astonishing X-Men #21 -- Wow! This is going to be hard to say but this was a bit of a letdown for me. Maybe it's partly due to the lengthy wait and the anticipation but I just felt this book was a little bland. You had some more Wolverine one-liners and some interesting character moments but the story seemed to start dragging on at some point. And the issue kinda left me feeling like there should be something more to it. Having said that, it's still a much better book than most of what's out there and maybe it's just up against some other stiff competition this week with the World War Hulk stuff debuting but it didn't thrill me like previous issues of the series. Where as the series has usually been a 10 or at least a solid 9, this book may have dipped down to an 8.5.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3 -- Yet more Whedon goodness. I'm starting to get past the whole "missing the actors" thing and getting used to the comic format for Buffy but I'm not beyond feeling joy at seeing the characters or finding out where they go next with their lives. A nice cameo by Joss in the dreamscape sequence by the way. This issue actually manages to avoid falling in to the "calm before the storm" which usually happens in the second last issue of a storyline but I still found myself eager for it to take that next step and get to the big finale. Some questions are answered, some remain, and some new questions pop up (exactly who did kiss Buffy for example). I can't wait for the next issue... And the one after that... And the one after that...

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3 -- Well, my prediction for how Ash came through last issue's big finale was true. This issue continued the Army of Darkness/Marvel Zombies goodness with the usual fun oneliners, Ash being Ash, and zombies being zombies. The "Nextwave" stuff was a little lost on me but hey, I can understand that. The Runaways from the previous issue was probably lost somewhat on people who don't read that book. And I got the gist of it anyways. Some of the usual gripes for this book though, like Ash looking out of place in comparison to the other characters. And Thor holding Mjolnir when in the Marvel Zombies series he had a slab of concrete with a metal poll in it. I assumed it was because he could no longer wield Mjolnir after being zombified but maybe he just hasn't done anything yet to become unworthy and once he eats his first person or something, he loses that ability. The finale of this issue had me more stoked about the next issue than last issue's ending though.

Omega Flight #2 -- This book was a bit of a letdown for me. Since it's only a 5 issue series I had hoped that things would happen a little quicker than they are. Even at the end of this issue the team is just starting to meet each other and it's not even in a battle or anything. And as much as I liked the whole "you made the mess" stance to the US, repeating it along with any mention of "you clean it up" this many times starts to go from standing up to them to just being whiny and confrontational just for the heck of it. The art was a little off from last issue I felt. Things seemed a little bit more sloppy and overly dark or muddy at times. I thought it was kinda funny when she said they were looking for an American soldier yet for some reason the guy was drawn with a maple leaf on his helmet. And the number on his dog tag, 123456789, well I guess it's time to change the combination on my luggage. I think I might end up being happy that this was knocked down to a 5 issue series because this issue didn't instill confidence for the rest of it.

Dark Tower #4 -- This series seems to have its ups and downs. Now that we're done with all the new character introductions and such, maybe we can get down to business. And sure enough, we get more of the story developing here. I am wondering if the way they went about putting this book together was the proper way though. There are times where the art and writing just don't flow (like the art is larger and takes longer in comic time than it needs to while other times it's small and the writing takes longer and covers a bigger span than the artwork shows). The artwork itself didn't seem so distracting in this issue either. If this was an ongoing though, I'd have probably dropped it. As it's a limitted, I might as well finish it off. Not that it's terrible or anything, I just think it has lost a bit of its appeal on me.

Runaways volume 7 -- This was one of my favourite volumes of the bunch. The dialogue, the character interaction and development, the emotion, it's all top notch story telling. It had been a while since I had read the previous volume so I was worried I'd need a bit of time to get back into it but I was completely wrong. I fell right back where it left off and was connecting with each character in no time. The characters are different and unique. My emotions toward Chase were mixed, not with disliking the character but disliking what he was doing. And wow, what a way to end the run for Vaughan as Whedon takes over. This series is definitely high on my recommended reading list.

So that's it for me for now. I'm off to par-tay! :)

Weekly Comic Reviews for April 25th, 2007 -- NO SPOILERS

No spoilers because there were no books for me this week. But I have to review something right? Fortunately, I have reviews for Death Note volumes 8 through 11, The Makeshift Miracle, and Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy. Yeah, I was sick for a while and it ended up helping me get some reading done.

Death Note volumes 8 through 11 -- I really don't want to spoil the series for any potential readers so I'll have to be careful here. As the story has progressed it has taken some pretty drastic turns. Some times I kinda felt put off by certain events because I liked how the story was going and the characters. But you really have to be prepared to let any of the characters go at any time. It's kinda tough for a guy who's used to reading North American comics where dead doesn't necessarily mean dead but I see the importance of these events to the story. And in the end, sometimes the ends (in this case, the telling of a compelling story) outweighs the means (sacrificing some characters that readers have become attached to). So enough with the cryptic stuff. The story continues to shift and turn at every opportunity and the suspense builds as Light gets closer and closer to his goal of his "perfect world". I haven't been too ecstatic about the women in the book though and when some characters make comments about how easy it is to use women by playing with their emotions, the knot in my stomach starts to tighten. I wish it was just the raving of a stupid character but so far of the few women that have appeared in the book they haven't really been portrayed very well. I am very eager to read the 12th and final volume of the series when it comes out. I think it's set for a July release and it's going to be a long wait.

The Makeshift Miracle -- The background on how I came about reading this: I've been a lurker on the blog of the writer/artist for this book for a while now. I think I found it via a link on Newsarama when he was talking about how to put a portfolio together. And I would drop by to check out his comments or see his art from time to time. So when he talked about this book, which is a comic he had posted online but has now collected for print, I figured why not give it a read. Gotta support a fellow Canuck after all. :) So as for the review. This is definitely a book that I'll have to give a second read. Not necessarily because it's so great (and that's not to say it's bad) but because it really slaps you upside the head suddenly. It's kinda like those movies with the big ending that you have to re-watch to see how it got to that point. The story seems simple yet weird as you kinda wonder what these characters are thinking when all these events happen. Overall, the story is worth reading in itself as it's quite the magical story with surprising emotion. The art was pretty solid and the style matched the story well but I just felt that something was missing from it. I just can't put my finger on a single overall problem I had with it but it really did have the feel of an amateur webcomic artist without the real punch of a professional. That probably sounds harsh and I really don't mean it to be but that's just what seemed to stick with me as I finished the book. Maybe in a few weeks or maybe even a month or two I'll re-read it. But I'd definitely recommend it for those looking for something a bit different.

The Contract With God Trilogy -- I think more so than the Spirit stuff I read this book shows off Eisner in all his glory. The stories contained in this book are all so meaningful and show the beauty and ugliness of life. Eisner really was a first class storyteller who simply chose "sequential art" to tell those stories and had more than enough talent to tell those stories well. Readers can easily project themselves or those they know on to the characters in each story and see a little bit of their lives told back to them. As we see life on Dropsie Avenue cycle and evolve Eisner paints a history that fills you in a range of emotion from love to hate, happiness to sadness, and joy to sorrow. I really can't say much about this book. It's a masterpiece and a shining example of the comic book/sequential art/graphic novel medium.

So that's it for this week. Looking at next week's list, I should have plenty to review come next Friday. And beyond that, I'll probably be slowing down a bit. Civil War is over and although World War Hulk is coming, I just can't see myself buying too many Marvel books as I really just don't like what they've been putting out. Everyone keeps telling me "Yeah, I dislike their books but I have high hopes that they'll be doing something cool from here." Personally, I've given up that hope I guess as I've been disappointed too many times in the past. And I just can't seem to get myself hooked on any DC characters/books. As for the graphic novels and such, I think I need to slow down a bit with them and get back to reading a few novels and other books that have piled up on my "to read" list. I'll see about getting "From Hell" done and reviewed but no promises. Plus, I'd kinda like to get back to doing some drawing of my own, especially with my new tablet. I think taking these last few months to read a wide range of books has put a bit of a fire under me to finish the trilogy I had planned. I've already said I'd get back to posting pages of Divine Leap on DrunkDuck (though I'll be cutting back to only one page per week). So I really should get going on it. So wish me luck. :)

Weekly Comic Reviews -- April 18th, 2007

Only one book for me this week with the Spirit #5. But fortunately I also got volumes 3 through 7 of Death Note in the mail and I'm already done reading them. And since I'm still sick with a nasty cold, we'll make these reviews short and only include minor spoilers.

The Spirit #5 -- I wasn't really blown away by this issue. It was a fun issue for the most part, the art was solid, and the different characters all remained interesting and unique. But I think the story was something that didn't really work as a full length comic. And I have to say, the "relationship" between Carrion and his feathered-friend was a little bit too friendly for me. It wasn't a strike out but it definitely wasn't a home run. More like a lead off single.

Death Note volumes 3 through 7 -- This series continues to keep me on the edge of my seat. The plot continues to deepen. The life or death battle between just about everyone rages on and the cat and mouse game keeps going even if the cat and mouse change throughout. And the way the narrative changes and you get to see each character's thought process as you go along, it really is a thrilling story to read. Though I have to say that I find Misa Amane just a little too annoying for my taste. Her costumes, her speach, and her personality just rub me the wrong way as she always seems to come across as the cute little sexy bimbo. But on the other hand, she has surprised a few people with her smarts, myself included. I'm eager to see where it goes from here and I have volumes 8 through 10 already in the mail according to Chapters.

Weekly Comic Reviews for April 11th, 2007 SPOILERS

So we have 4 reviews this week plus Death Note Volume 2 and The Best of the Spirit. The 4 books I picked up this week were She-Hulk #17, The Great and Secret Show #11, White Tiger #5, and courtesy of my friends at the local comic shop The Spirit #2 (which they were able to track down for me). So let's get to it shall we.

She-Hulk #17 -- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Shulkie, how could you??? I'm still in denial of the whole "sleeping with Juggernaut" thing (just as she seems to be) but .... but... Tony Stark???? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Ok, let's get rational here. She-Hulk has had some questionable flings in the past and Dan Slott has continued it. Sometimes she seems to regret them, sometimes she seems to be in denial, and after this little excursion with Tony it seems she's okay with herself for doing it. She even brings up the whole "Why can Tony Stark do it and be respected as a lady's man while I'm considered a skank?" thing. So maybe that's where Slott is going with this, I just don't know. Though it's kinda funny that she would bring up that double standard as well as the whole "Tony gets to put on his armour while I'm stuck in my underwear" thing. Bringing up the double standard and such while also following it. And I know, my current feelings towards Tony Stark make this one as tough to swallow as the Juggernaut episode. Okay, getting past that now. The art stinks. Yeah, I gotta say it. I can't stand the art. It's not really improving that much and it's just annoying me more than anything. Characters look stretched, distorted and weird. Sometimes they look like 2-D cardboard cut outs and other times they just look awful. Really, the artist is bringing this book down for me. We get to see a bit more of "Project Achilles" (it seems to be some weapon for bringing down some pretty powerful people like the Abomination, Vector, IronClad, Wendigo, etc.) and we get to see SHIELD and Tony's overconfidence nearly cost them as Zzzax almost takes out a SHIELD hellicarrier (and almost gets control of Iron Man's suit but She-Hulk saved his butt). But then there's the big finale, the Nick Fury LMDs that were out of control and attacking She-Hulk were blurting out lines from various storylines that they've appeared in and sure enough the head that She-Hulk was carrying decides to blurt out the lines he said to the Hulk/Bruce Banner as they launched him in to space. And now the muck is about to hit the fan as She-Hulk is about to discover the truth about where exactly her cousin is. And oh yeah, they do have a few pages of Mallory and the others back at the law offices that are somewhat interesting (the first page of the issue is good for a chuckle) but that's not nearly as fun to talk about (yet it probably was more fun to read than She-Hulk's little adventure). Overall, not a bad issue but not the greatest. And the book needs a new artist and fast.

White Tiger #5 -- I enjoyed this issue a bit more than previous ones as there seemed to be a slightly better flow to it and it covered things pretty well. I do kinda wonder about some scenes though. Like right off the bat the Tiger awakens to see her legs invisible (all of her was before she woke up, it's a long story so just read the book) and for the next few panels she's standing around with her legs still invisible. When Daredevil/Danny Rand says she was invisible she makes a comment that it wasn't just her seeing things that her legs were invisible when she regained consciousness. That seemed kinda weird considering it's not like they became visible right away, they seemed to stay invisible for the first half of their conversation. It just seemed odd. I also found it odd that her costume (that I didn't think was linked to her powers) becomes invisible too yet later she discovers her regular clothes don't. And then you get yet another appearance from yet another character, Deadpool. I read they are trying to push the idea of the superhero community and them running into each in such close proximity but I don't know, it just seems so out of place to have Deadpool appear, mistake White Tiger for Black Cat and then take off just as quickly. Having said all that negative stuff, the art actually seemed better and I had fewer issues with it though there were times that characters were drawn in ways that meant the letter balloons had to stretch and contort to point out who's talking while at the same time making it clear the order of dialogue. And the story seems to be coming together a bit better in this issue. And I'm happy with that as we head in to the final issue next month.

The Great and Secret Show #11 -- Another solid issue. It was a little "quiet" as the tension builds for the final issue but that's just the way the story goes. You get a little bit of a calm before the storm. And this calm was well done. Well drawn, well written. Though I do still think the series would be better appreciated (at least by me) if you wait until the series is done and read it in its entirety instead of waiting a month between issues (so you can lose track of all the characters).

The Spirit #2 -- Another fun filled issue. This series is a nice throwback to old-style comics with fun and interesting characters, each with a complex past. Yet it's not so overwhelmingly dark as some comics have gotten. They do a great job of capturing some of the essence of Eisner's work and his characters and it's a solid overall story with great storytelling. I only hope that the movie captures the same essence but I have my fears knowing that Frank Miller is the man behind it. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Best of the Spirit -- Having read none of the Spirit archives or anything, this was my first foray into Eisner's work. Wow! I really shouldn't have waited so long. It really is true, this guy was doing work in the 40's that many comic writers/artists couldn't match today. At a time when comics had even less recognition as an art form than they do today, Eisner's The Spirity really is a beacon to what comics could strive to. The stories are short and to the point and maybe one or two of them could benefit from being fleshed out a bit more but all in all, they are great little shorts. Characters are different and unique. So many stories have so many messages to them. I don't know if Eisner really gets the recognition he deserves from the younger (and even some older) comic enthusiasts, he really was one of (if not the) greatest storyteller in the business. I've also picked up his A Contract With God Trilogy and have started reading it as of last night. Eisner is truly a great storyteller and you would be doing yourself a huge favour by setting aside some time to read the Best of the Spirit and truly appreciating what he's done here. I might not be eager to put down the money for the Archive books but this one was well worth it.

Death Note Volume 2 -- I got this volume in the mail on Tuesday when I got home from work. After a trip to the gym, a shower, and some dinner I decided I had to take a break from reading the Best of the Spirit to see what happens next in this story. Well, I couldn't put it down. I finished the volume later that evening (though it didn't take all that long) and was even more eager to get volume 3. The tension builds between Light and L as their little cat and mouse game continues. Though who is the cat and who is the mouse is open for debate. It was interesting that at times I found myself pushing for Light to figure his way out of some situations and it took me a minute to remember that he is killing people, and not just bad people, to achieve his goal. His charm seems to not only work on the characters in the book, but on the reader. Where as L is a little harder to get into. He's secretive and rather weird so I don't really find myself connecting with him that much yet he really is the hero here (in my mind at least). And it's an interesting twist to the characters. And although some of the throw away characters are pretty one dimensional you do get some of the secondary characters that really shine. And you do find yourself being engaged in knowing their fates as well. All in all, I'm really loving this series. So much so that I've ordered the next 5 volumes already. And hopefully I'll have caught up in time to read the final volume (#12) when it comes out.

Stupid doctor or just me? You decide!

So on Tuesday my mother calls me in the middle of dinner. I figure it's another one of her "I just wanted to see how you were doing calls" so I was a little abrupt with her. Then she makes the quick comment that she went to the doctor and she needed me to look something up for her on the internet. Well, didn't I feel like an arse then for being abrupt.

So up I go to my office and I get her back on the phone to look it up. And here's where my rant begins. She went to the doctor due to dizzy spells that made her feel ill. They send her to an ear specialist (I think he specializes in other stuff too). After diagnosing her and doing some sort of "maneuver" he writes down what it was and tells her if she wants to find out more info then go on the computer and "google" it. Begin rant:

1 -- My mother wouldn't know how to turn on a computer much less "google" something. So simply sending her on her merry way to try and navigate through the web to find the information she's looking for would be asking a bit much (hence the phone call to me).

2 -- In my opinion no doctor should simply tell a patient to google it. Do they realize how much wrong information can be found with a simple google search? Sure, the correct stuff tends to float to the top but that probably wouldn't stop my mother from scrolling down to the page that describes some home-made remedy for this that involves standing on your head while smoking a joint. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit but still, if the information is on the web then give her the address of a reputable site and don't just tell her to google it.

3 -- Okay, this is just for me but do you know how frustrating it is going through pages and pages of information on this condition while my mother's on the other end of the line asking "what does it say about this scenario?", "what would happen if this happens?", "does it say anything about this?", "why can't you answer any of these questions? Isn't the answer there? How much are you reading?" All the while I'm trying to understand the workings of the inner ear. I snapped back that these were things that she should have been bringing up with the doctor and that he should answer. And I could sense her frustration as she said how he told her to google it and that she thought that's something I could easily do.

4 -- Some of the websites mention other things a patient can do at home but the ones I saw as reputable avoided describing these things saying that they should be shown to the patient by a doctor. I'm sure I could find one that did describe some actions to take but there's no way I want to be explaining to my mom over the phone some trick that some website describes with basic little diagrams. I'd much rather the doctor go through those with her in person.

So yeah, I feel like garbage for snapping at my mom but I was really frustrated with the doctor and still am. I don't think the internet (or in turn, myself) should be acting like a doctor and answering my mom's questions. These are things he should have covered with her, given her some information on, or at least pointed her in an appropriate direction instead of booting her out the door with the task of googling it.

In the end, the condition doesn't appear to be too serious unless the "maneuver" that the doctor tried doesn't work. And last I heard it seems that it did. So yeah, I'm not really in my happy place.

Playing with my tablet -- Finally!!!

I finally found the time to play around with my new Wacom Tablet and for my first attempt at drawing something entirely with it I got this:

Obviously not the greatest piece of art I've ever done but not bad for my first attempt and a rather quick sketch at that.

Weekly Comics Review -- April 4th, 2007 HUGE HULKING SPOILERS

Woohoo! Extra long weekend! So in wanting to spend as little time in front of the computer this weekend as I possibly can, let's try and make this quick. And I got quite a bit to review (at least in comparison to most weeks). We have Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness 2, The Dark Tower 3 (of 7), Omega Flight 1 (of 5), Incredible Hulk 105, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2, and a special addition of Death Note volume 1 (my first manga experience, woohoo!). All of this week's reviews contain SPOILERS and some being MAJOR SPOILERS. So be WARNED. (Caps are FUN!)

Incredible Hulk #105 -- This is going to be a tough one as this issue had quite a few positives but yet fell so short in my opinion. Art-wise, this was a strong issue by Pagulayan. He captures a lot of the emotion well and when things start to go "boom", it's pretty exciting to look at. And writing-wise I felt Pak actually paced this issue somewhat better than previous issues. Although there may have been hints of choppyness to it, this issue by itself seemed to flow a bit better. But overall, it was a bit of a disappointment. The first and most glaring for me is the death of the Hulk's new wife and mother of his unborn child, Caiera. Pretty much right from her introduction it seemed clear that she was yet another "woman in the refrigerator", a female character introduced solely as a plot device to further the story for the male lead. And after building her up as an interesting character to me, sure enough her fate was sealed when she said she'd never leave the Hulk. It was actually hard for me to really connect with the Hulk and feel what he's feeling at that point. And perhaps the "choppyness" that I refer to in previous reviews of this title added to that. You got glimpses or snapshots of her character and her interaction with the Hulk but in the end, she was just an empty device in the story. And in the midst of that, the fact that the whole planet was destroyed by the ship that the Illuminati sent the Hulk into space in seems to lose its impact as well. Yet another "whoops" moment by the Illuminati has led to a major booboo, this one being the destruction of a planet and who knows how many deaths. So with a pretty weak ending to the storyline Planet Hulk slides further from "compelling character story" and closer to a somewhat cheap attempt at triggering Marvel's next big event that they hope will make oodles of cash. It doesn't give me much confidence in World War Hulk.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #2 -- Joss you little minx, you're toying with us! This issue more than the first seems to be designed with Buffy fans in mind. Right from the start you have Giles making his first appearance. Then you get the tease of Xander and Buffy hooking up or bringing up once again, Xander's feelings for Buffy. Are they still there? Is it true love? Does Xander have the guts to find out? A glimpse of Buffy's love. Is it Angel? Is it Spike? And there's a whole bunch more but when I got to the second last page and read the line "As a friend of mine once said..." I knew right then (and maybe seeing next issue's cover may have helped, who knows) that we'd get our first shot of Willow. And that line, "... I'd like to test that theory", well it gave me chills and darn near brought tears of fanboy excitement just as it did when Giles said it to Willow. Yeah, I'm going to regret admitting to that but I was stoked. But that's a lot of talk from a Buffy fan, what about non-Buffy fans (those poor souls)? I gotta admit, while the story is engaging and there is some mysterious stuff going on. And there does seem to be enough for a non-Buffy fan to catch on to. But this issue more so than the first will connect more with the Buffy-fans and a lot will go over a new reader's head. But I guess this is "season 8" so you just have to expect that. Oh, and the art was another solid effort. I still don't think he has all the likenesses down but I'm still enjoying it. I can't wait to see more of the Slayer/walking dead battle in issue 3.

Omega Flight #1 -- The Canadian superteam gets another shot except this time, it looks like only one canuck (maybe two, I'm not sure what Sasquatch's role in this is going to be) will be making the team. And yes, that will be my first complaint. I know it doesn't bother some people but it bothers me. Canada is being overrun by villains who are high-tailing it out of the US during/after Civil War and sure enough they have to say that after Alpha Flight being killed and now this the few heroes that Canada had have just given up. That just seems so sad and pathetic. We created Wolverine... Well we did until they did that retcon to have the American government be behind it, yeesh, we can't do anything I guess. But I guess nobody wants to read about Canadian heroes (hey, Jenkins had some pressure from the fans to make Logan American when he wrote Origin). So one thing I have mixed feelings about is that nobody from the eventual team actually shows up in this issue. Instead, you get Sasquatch doing what he can against the Wrecking Crew. And that actually made this book pretty interesting to me. I'm also happy that the Canadian government is appearing and being depicted as separate from the US (and not just a bunch of yes-men/women to the US). And art-wise, I usually have somewhat mixed feelings about Kolins' work but this felt like a strong issue by him. Though, I wonder how much has to do with the inking or colouring but I can't say for sure. I guess this means I'll have to be checking out at least one more issue of the series to get my opinion of it.

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #2 -- About as much fun as a barrell of monkeys here. Ash's interaction with some of the heroes (Spidey, the Punisher, Dazzler,...) are all loads of fun just as any Ash interaction should be. But then you have parts like the two scenes in one with the Runaways eating Old Lace (their dinosaur) and the Blob huffing and puffing as he's being chased down by Zombies and you hit gold. But a lot of focus will be on that last page. I mean, Zombie Howard the Duck!!! Hopefully he goes after Lucas. Yeah, he was only Executive Producer on the Howard the Duck movie but I'm also one of those fanboys who didn't like the changes to Star Wars or the prequels. But that's way off topic. And without the flashbacks and such the story for this issue doesn't get all out of whack like the last issue (though I was kinda surprised at how quickly Ash went from being coccooned in webbing to being free since I thought even Spidey had problems with his own webbing). The art... Well I'm still not entirely sold on it. Some pictures of Ash just look weird in comparison to other characters (some being too "real" and others almost looking cartoony). And it took me a little while to determine that it was Old Lace that the Runaway were eating. But it's still fun and the "twist" ending had me for a moment but there are clues for issue 3 that I won't spoil here.

Dark Tower #3 -- I guess some of the novelty of this series has worn off for me. I wouldn't say it's gone to bad yet but I felt this issue was a little blah. I mean, the pages dedicated to a standoff that went nowhere just seemed to drag on. And with all the characters with strange names, I'm just losing track. I just hope this was just a blip on the radar and the book gets back into the groove soon. The art, it still seems to work for the book as a whole yet I'm still not a Jae Lee fan. Wow! That was a quick review wasn't it? :)

Death Note Volume 1 -- My first manga adventure. And yes, I had some issues with the whole reading from right to left thing (as this book is not adjusted for North America). I didn't realize that it's not just the individual pages but the whole book that's the reverse (ie. what would be the last page in North American comics is the first page of Manga). But I got by it after a while (though sometimes the panel layouts did take a minute for me). Anywho, this was a series that I saw mentioned on the Girl-Wonder forums and thought "Hey, I've been wanting to try out manga. Why not this book?" And I was really very surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. One bonus is that it doesn't go to the overly cartoony characters which I know have their place in some manga books but I still just don't like. Another is that I really enjoyed the twists and turns the story goes through. Just when you think you know what's going to happen or what Light is going to do, the rug gets pulled out from under you (or at least it did for me). The basic story: A death God has dropped his Death Note on Earth. The Death Note is a book that has a set of rules but the important one is that if you write a person's name down in the book that person will die (there's more to it but I won't go into it as I'm trying to keep this short). A top-of-the-class high school student finds the book thus becoming the owner. Needless to say he decides to use the book and attracts the attention of the police and one special investigator in particular. And the book becomes an interesting cat and mouse game between them (but who exactly is the cat and who's the mouse). Unfortunately the first digest ends before much can be resolved and I have to wait for volume 2 to come in the mail (with the holidays I don't expect it any time soon). But the first digest definitely had some interesting plot twists and multi-dimensional characters, more so than I was actually expecting. As for the art, I'm still not a big fan of it even though this was probably not an example of what some might think of when they think "manga art". I think it works well with the story and there are some great page breakdowns and tricks that enhance the storytelling but I guess I'm still too stuck on the "realism" of North American artists. Overall though this is a very well put together story and a top notch example of great storytelling. I'm eager to dive in to the second volume/digest.

So that's it for this week.

Extra comic reviews -- The Life and Death of Captain Marvel

On the weekend I finished the Life and Death of Captain Marvel TPB and I figured why wait until Thursday to post a review. So let's get right to it:

The Life and Death of Captain Marvel -- This TPB reprints the first encounters between Captain Marvel and Thanos, and Captain Marvel's eventual death (from his encounter with Nitro). If I needed something to remind me how much I dislike what Marvel Comics is doing now, this was probably it. There is a reason this storyline is heralded in much of the comic community. The emotions expressed through the narratives and the artwork as the most noble of characters slowly dies of cancer is magnificent. Watching, as the "warrior" is transformed into the "protector" and reading how it changes him not only physically but emotionally and mentally you realize that Marvel's recent attempt at bringing him back not only cheapens the original story but does such a disservice to a great character. I only wish the Captain Marvel that appeared in Civil War: The Return and Civil War #7 was a clone/cyborg because nothing else seems right. And as he lays dying with all his friends surrounding his bed (and even an enemy or two show up to pay their respects) and he comes to peace with his fate (not wanting to die but knowing there's nothing that can be done for him) you are right there mourning him as well. As Thanos appears to give him one last battle, a warrior's way to go, and escort him into death's realm you realize that this was a hero that stood above others.

Okay, enough talk about the problems I have with the current Marvel and let's get back to the TPB. The art, the writing and the dialogue are all just as they were in the 70's so you have to expect that. The story is deep and meaningful but it is wrapped in a classic comics package. It's nice for us older readers to look back on, younger readers may not "get it". Having said that, the art conveys a lot of intensity and emotion to it especially for its time. And it's nice to have this TPB as it covers the character very well. You understand his importance to the people of the universe and why they are there to mourn his passing. It ranks pretty high on my must-read list.