Author: Matthew Peterson

Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

How do you solve a problem like Galactus? I have no idea, but the team known as The Ultimates might have some thoughts on the matter…  Your Major Spoilers review of The Ultimates #1 awaits!

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This week on Veteran’s Day, I happened upon a showing of the M*A*S*H finale, ‘Goodbye, Farewell and Amen’, and was sorely upset that I didn’t have time to sit and enjoy it.  (It was Critical Hit night, though, so I was at least missing it for a good reason.)  My wife only saw a few minutes of the show (which, you must remember, was a major pop-culture turning point for folks over a certain age) and found herself a little bit emotional even at that short snippet..  To be honest, I’ve never made it all the way through a viewing…

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Our superheroes, as with any form of media that lasts for decade after decade, are subject to the fickle whims of fashion.  In the 1960s, both Doctor Strange and Iron Man sported pencil-thin mustaches in the David Niven style, expressing their worldly manners and attitudes.  (DC heroes were far too clean-cut for whiskers, save for wild free-live liberal hippie, Green Arrow.). Although the  first images of Benedict Cumberbatch as strange escaping into the wild, we still don’t know whether he’ll be wearing his traditional mustache or the new fangled goatee that Strange has worn in Marvel books in recent years,…

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The say that the best villain is the hero of his own story.  This bit of dogma is problematic in a lot of ways (for one, it’s why all the superheroes fight each other rather than conventional villains in modern comics; for another, it makes people do stupid crap like put Lex Luthor in the Justice League) but it has a kernel of truth in it.  The best villains believe themselves to be the center of the important parts of the universe, and often do their villainous deeds just out of greed or self-aggrandizement.  Witness the scariest villain of the…

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DC

Not content to merely effect the lives of superhumans, Bat-Mite turns his eye towards politics.  This oughtta go well…  Your Major Spoilers review of Bat-Mite #6 awaits!

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There are a lot of opinions about the abilities of ‘Doctor Who’ show runner Steven Moffat.  For my money, though his payoffs aren’t always up to snuff, the setups are utterly legendary, and he is responsible for the creation of some of the most terrifying alien races in Who canon since the Cybermen started overtly carving out human brains to serve as their central processors.  The Silence are implacable, undetectable stalking monsters, the new take on the Zygons makes them reminiscent of ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ and the Weeping Angels are so creepy that even the ridiculous ‘Angel Of…

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In the world of social media, it’s all about who you know, or at least, who you follow…  Your Major Spoilers review of Unfollow #1 awaits!

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At one time, it was the best-selling comic book in the world, and the story that begins in its pages is still being told today… Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review of Spawn #1 awaits!

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Yesterday was a day when I was powered by capital-r Rage, starting with a frustrating morning, a car in the shop, and a cellphone that somehow got left in a parking lot and run over.  After all is said and deductibles are paid, I’m once again calm, and back to my usual hopeful tone, but there are still residual moments of shrieking terrible fury popping up here and there, which would certainly call down a red power ring if such a thing existed.  If I could have a blue ring of hope on my right hand and a red ring…

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His movie made millions, he was played by a professional wrestler, and now a different professional wrestler is writing his solo title.  Not bad for a guy who has been kicking around the Marvel Universe for 40 years, huh?  Your Major Spoilers review of Drax #1 awaits!

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Once again, this week’s episode of The Flash (and, hey, have you signed up for VIP membership so you can experience our exclusive Flashback podcast?  I’ll wait!) deals with doppelgängers and alternate Earths, with at least one shocking twist to be had.  For my money, the idea of multiple Earths has always been a fascinating one, as some of my favorite books (Mark Grunewald’s ‘Squadron Supreme’, the All-Star Squadron and more) are explicitly set somewhere in the infinite earths that isn’t the mainstream reality of the time.  There’s something freeing about the idea of a world where everything you know…

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